The Doctor's Not-So-Little Secret. Cindy Kirk

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      Unfortunately when Amy had passed away, Chloe had taken a giant leap backward….

      Joel realized with a start that Kate had come to a dead stop. Puzzled, he cast a sideways glance in her direction. Didn’t she realize their destination was just a few feet ahead?

      If he hadn’t been so in-tuned to his daughter’s reaction to similar situations, he might have missed the signs.

      The hesitation on her face.

      The slight furrow to her brow.

      The uneven breaths.

      Even though Kate projected a bold confidence, he realized that she wasn’t cool or aloof. She was … shy.

      A protective urge rose inside him.

      “Walking into a group that’s already gathered can be stressful.” Joel kept his tone conversational and low, for her ears only.

      “I know everyone,” she said, but her sexy red heels remained firmly planted on the shiny hardwood.

      “Yes, you do. And it’s not as if you’ll be talking to all of them at once,” he said in a matter-of-fact tone. “It’ll be just the ones sitting by us.”

      Us. The word flowed easily from his lips. After all those years of being married, he still thought of himself as part of a couple. Joel hoped Kate didn’t take offense.

      She hadn’t seemed to notice. Her focus was on the battle-scarred table up ahead with its old-fashioned tin coffeepot centerpieces sprouting plastic sunflowers. Even though the table was large—holding twelve or even thirteen if someone took the end—there were only three seats left at the far end and a single open chair next to Lexi. Joel assumed that one was saved for Lexi’s husband, Nick.

      A middle-aged waitress with a nose ring and orange lipstick had already begun taking orders.

      “We better sit down.” Joel wrapped his hand around her elbow and gently urged her forward. He took a step away from her before they reached the table.

      “Hello, everyone.” A smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes lifted Kate’s lips.

      As the greetings flew back and forth, Joel positioned himself at the end with the three open chairs. He waited to see where Kate decided to sit so he could pull out her chair.

      For a second her gaze appeared to linger on the chair next to Lexi. But if Kate was hoping to sit next to her friend, that option disappeared when Nick showed up, brushing a kiss against his wife’s cheek and slipping into the chair beside her.

      Joel and Kate had barely gotten settled and picked up the menus when the waitress asked for their orders. The woman obviously knew they had only an hour before they needed to pick up the children and wanted to keep things moving.

      Drinks were already on the table by the time Ryan Harcourt showed up. Unlike the other men at the table who’d come from church, the attorney wore a pair of jeans with holes and a faded navy T-shirt. His thick dark hair was still damp, as if he’d just hopped out of a shower.

      Even though Joel tried to steer clear of the whole who-was-dating-who gossip, he’d heard Kate had recently ended a relationship with Ryan. Some speculated it wouldn’t be long before the two were back together. Even if they didn’t, Joel knew Kate wouldn’t be available for long.

      The chorus of hellos and ribbing that greeted Ryan’s arrival told Joel that Kate’s former boyfriend was a regular at these gatherings. Not surprising because, like so many of those congregated around the table, Ryan was a Jackson Hole native.

      The attorney glanced around, his gaze initially bypassing the empty seat next to Kate. Although Ryan’s cocky grin never wavered, Joel noticed his gaze made a second sweep as if seeking another option before commandeering the last open spot.

      “Hello, Joel. Kate.” Ryan placed the paper napkin on his lap and gestured for the waitress to bring him some coffee.

      “Decided to skip the sermon, eh, Ry?”

      Kate’s light, almost-teasing greeting surprised Joel. Because the two had recently broken up, he’d expected to see some awkwardness. If Kate felt ill-at-ease, it didn’t show.

      Ryan took a cup of steaming coffee from the waitress before turning his attention back to his ex-girlfriend, an answering gleam in his eyes.

      “I wouldn’t be so cocky if I were you.” The attorney’s gaze settled his gaze on her dress. “At least I didn’t get up late and wear a slip to church.”

      For a second she looked taken aback. Then Kate burst into laughter. “Touché.”

      Something twisted in Joel’s gut at the playful banter. Something that felt an awful lot like jealousy, which didn’t make sense. He didn’t care if she got back together with Ryan. Didn’t care at all.

      “I didn’t see your car outside, Kate,” Ryan said, shortly after the waitress brought the food. “Is the Subaru back in the shop?”

      Kate swept a strand of hair back from her face. “Actually, I rode with Joel.”

      Ryan’s eyes widened in surprise and when he spoke, his gaze was riveted on Joel. “What are you, a miracle worker? She would never come with me. No matter how many times I begged, er, invited her.”

      “Eat your omelet, Harcourt,” Kate said mildly, then promptly changed the subject. “Did I mention to either of you that I agreed to help out at the Jackson Hole rodeo in August? They wanted a doctor available in case any of the kids in the peewee division are injured.”

      Joel ate his “Hearty Man’s Breakfast” of eggs, hash browns, ham and toast and listened with half an ear to the ensuing rodeo talk all the while wondering why Kate had come today. More important, why had she agreed to ride with him? He hoped she didn’t have any, well, romantic interest in him.

      While Kate seemed to be a fine person, she was nothing like Amy. When he did jump back into the dating scene, he would look for a woman more like his wife. A woman of substance.

      Although Joel didn’t doubt Kate’s intelligence or competence as a doctor, he’d noticed that outside of work she rarely spoke of anything beyond the superficial. Personal details were kept to a minimum. Consequently he knew little of her. Even though it didn’t really matter, he was curious.

      After Ryan had finished entertaining them with stories from his bull-riding days, Joel slathered some grape jam on his toast and decided this would be an opportunity to get to know more about his daughter’s doctor. “Where did you say you went to medical school?”

      Kate took a sip of coffee before answering. “UC Irvine.”

      “Did you like it there?” Joel asked.

      “I did.”

      He waited for her to elaborate, but she simply stirred some more cream into her coffee. Joel had never pulled teeth, but he had the feeling that would be easier than getting basic information from Kate McNeal.

      Ryan doused his omelet with more Tabasco sauce before СКАЧАТЬ