by Liz Isaacson
And no, she wasn’t getting any younger to have those kids she wanted.
“You never answered my question,” she said, deciding not to let this go. She’d felt good about it in the backyard, whether the wind had whispered to her or not.
“Yes,” he said. “Honestly, yes, Rose. It freaked me out a little bit. I’ve….” He flexed his fingers around the steering wheel, removed his hand from hers to make a turn in the canyon, and cleared his throat. “I’ve never wanted kids.”
“Ever?” Horror struck Rose behind all twenty-four ribs.
“Ever,” he said. “I worked with a lot of kids in Africa, and they’re great. I’ve just never wanted to be a dad. I guess….” He trailed off and looked out the window, both hands solidly on the wheel now.
Rose mourned the loss of his skin touching hers, and she realized how difficult this conversation was for him. She let him drive, not pushing him to finish. He would, when he was ready.
Finally, he said, “I guess I just never thought of myself as father material.” He looked at her for what felt like a long time before focusing on the windy road again. “My dad was never home, and I hardly knew him. I don’t want to be that kind of dad, and I’ve always worked more than he did.”
Rose felt something very final in his words, but she didn’t know what it meant. “But you don’t have to work as much as you do. Right?”
“To get the clinic open? Absolutely I do. I don’t do as much as needs to be done.”
“But just right now.” After all, they wouldn’t be married and on their way to having a family for months. Probably a year. Maybe longer than that. Rose shook her head. Her thoughts were crazy. She’d met Liam just over a month ago, and just because he was dashingly handsome, with dreamy blue eyes, and a fancy doctor’s coat didn’t mean she was in love with him.
In fact, he’d hardly shared anything of himself with her. “Tell me about the kids who threw rocks,” she said.
“Rose,” he said, his voice heavy with emotion. “I do have to work a lot, right now and always. Emergency medical clinics don’t run themselves.”
“Of course they don’t.” People hired managers. But she somehow knew Liam wouldn’t do that. She folded her arms and looked out the window, a perfect storm of disappointment rotating around with hope that made a cyclone inside her chest that hurt. Hurt, badly.
“So one summer when I was about sixteen, I took my brother to this swimming hole on the other side of town….” Liam told the story of riding their bikes, swimming all day, and then getting ready to go home.
“When we got to Mulberry Street, the Thompson twins had set up a booth for a bicycle toll. I wasn’t going to pay that, so Lars and I rode on by. The twins launched rocks at us all the way down the road. It was awful. I took a heater and some supplies to their mother today. She says they haven’t been back in twenty-five years.”
“Wow,” Rose said. “That’s a sad story on a lot of levels.”
“Isn’t it?”
“What did your mother do?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m sure she said something to their mother.”
“You think so?” He looked at her.
“I would’ve.”
“She took me and Lars back to Jackson Hole, and I went to the emergency room.” He fell silent for a few minutes. “It was then I decided I wanted to become a doctor. And you’re right. My mom took Lars and left for a while. My dad was there to take me home after the doctor finished with the x-rays and everything.” He looked thoughtful as they came out of the canyon and into Coral Canyon.
He turned right and then left to get on the main highway that led back to Jackson Hole, but they only stayed on it for a few miles. Once he’d made another right turn toward Dog Valley and another town named Chester, she said, “Sounds like you protected Lars, though.”
“I did,” he said. “I feel like I’ve spent my whole life protecting Lars. Well, until I left for Geneva, for my first Doctors Without Borders assignment.”
“So you’re not very close with your family.”
“I mean, yes? No? I don’t know. My work kept me away for years, so….”
“No, Liam,” Rose said carefully, not wanting to freak him out for a second time in twenty-four hours. “You kept you away. We all make choices.”
Several long seconds passed, and he said, “I know, Rose. You’re right.” The rest of the drive to Dog Valley happened seemingly in the blink of an eye. Rose even wondered if she’d fallen asleep.
“Stay there,” Liam said, hopping out of the SUV and hurrying around the front. He opened her door for her, but stepped into the new space created so she couldn’t get out. Was he going to kiss her now? In the freezing cold weather, with wind, in a place called Dog Valley?
Rose looked up at him, but before she could say anything, he said, “I’m trying to be more open with you, Rose. Okay? I’m trying.”
She got out of the SUV and right into his personal space. “You’re doing great, Liam.” She balanced herself by putting her hands on his shoulders. “You said that kids freak you out. You work too much, and you had a bad childhood experience on Mulberry Street. I think you’ve done very well today.”
He finally grinned, the anxiety in his beautiful eyes extinguishing. “Well enough to get a kiss?”
She laughed and slapped him on the chest, though it did nothing through the thick fabric of his coat. “Come on, cowboy. I’m starving. And I can’t be thinking about kissing when I’m hungry.”
Chapter Twelve
Liam took Rose’s hand as they walked into the pizza joint. “So you are at least thinking about kissing me then.”
She paused at the door and looked at him, those gorgeous blue eyes all sparkly when she said, “Oh, Liam. Don’t you know every woman thinks about kissing you the moment they lay eyes on you?” She patted his chest like he was a fun puppy and entered the building. He wasn’t sure if he should laugh or scoff or go get in the SUV and leave her there.
The door slammed closed only a couple of inches from his face, making him jolt. Something hot burned in his blood, and he hurried after her. She stood in line, her eyes fixed on the menu. “It’s a buffet?”
“You can get an all-you-can-eat salad bar, yes,” he said. “Or pizza too. I’ll probably get both.” He moved right into her personal space, thrilled when she leaned against his body like she hadn’t just said every female in the world wanted to kiss him. But if that meant she did….
He couldn’t stop thinking about kissing her, and he drew in a deep breath of her hair, wondering if he could do it right there in line at the Pizza Pals in Dog Valley.
Absolutely not, he told himself. Rose Everett was a sophisticated woman who wore blouses made of the finest silks. She wouldn’t want their first kiss to be in a pizzeria that served a lunch buffet seven days a week for ten bucks.
So he kept her close, breathing in the baby powdery scent of her skin and the strawberry quality of her hair. They both got salad and pizza buffets, and Liam wondered if this would be a trend for them.
When he asked her, she said, “There are worse things to do together,” and took another bite of her Hawaiian Alfredo pizza. “And this place is way better than the one in Coral Canyon.”
Liam thought so too, and he was glad they’d had time to get together today. His to-do list for the clinic was miles long, but he told himself it would still be there tomorrow.
“So I did learn a lot working for Doctors Without Borders,” he said.
Her eyes lit up and she put her pizza down. “Oh?”
Her interest in his life baffled him, but he forged on anyway. “Yeah. That there will always be more work to do. More people to see. Another day to do it, and see them.”
She cocked her head a bit. “And is that good or bad?”
“I think it’s good. Helped me realize that what I don’t get done today, I can do tomorrow.”
“Ah, the ultimate in procrastination.”
“Or, a
liberating way of playing hooky for the day so I can spend more time with you.”
“Yes, I like that better.” She grinned and picked up her pizza slice again. “So what are we doing after this? Why is this town called Dog Valley?”
“They have one of the biggest animal sanctuaries in the country here,” he said. “Wyoming has been a no-kill state for dogs for a while now, because of Dog Valley.”
“Fascinating,” Rose said. “I want to see the sanctuary. Can we tour it or something?”
“We sure can.” He woke his phone and started tapping. “Let’s see what they’ve got for this afternoon.” He tapped and typed, swiped and scrolled. “Looks like we can get on the three o’clock bus.”
“Let’s do it.”
He filled in the info required, tapped a few more times, and it was done. “All right. We’re set.” He smiled at her and reached for his soda.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’ve done it before. It’s fun.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Rose wore a serious look, and it was almost as exciting as her playful ones. “I don’t want to keep you from work if you have things to do.”
“Rose.” He reached across the table and took both of her hands in his. “There will always be things to do. Now come on.” He stood up and put his coat back on. “I believe I promised you an amazing gift shop, and we have a few hours to fill anyway.”
“You think it will take hours to look around a drugstore?”
“I sure do.”
He laughed as she said, “Wow, this place better be amazing, because you’ve talked it up so much, I’m actually excited.”
It was a short drive down the road and around a curve to the Dog Valley Drug, and Liam knew the moment they walked inside that they’d be there at least an hour.
Rose paused, sucked in a breath, and said, “Oh my gosh. Look at those notebooks.” Her eyes shone with glee as they looked at him and then back to the rack of notebooks in every shape, size, and color. They had ones that laid flat, some with dogs on the front, and sparkly, tall ones that were a couple of inches wide and a couple thick that said UNICORNS EXIST in huge letters.
“I have to have this,” she said, picking up the unicorn pad.
“Of course you do,” he said, chuckling. “Or what about this one?” He picked up a teal notebook that said BELIEVE on the front of it in red glitter. “It’s like a Christmas list-making book.”
“Yep, getting that.” She plucked it from his fingers and looked around. “Do they have carts here?”
By the time they finished at the drugstore, Liam had eaten way too much ice cream and Rose had spent way too much money on notebooks, earrings, and funny cards. They’d gone on to the animal sanctuary, where they’d both bought sweatshirts while they waited for the tour to begin, and now Rose was standing in one of the dog buildings, chewing her nails.
“Are you sure your sister and brother-in-law will let you bring a dog back to the lodge?” Liam asked, and not for the first time.
Rose hadn’t seemed to hear him—truly hear him—the first five times. She went over to another door. “Annie’s just so cute,” she said at the white bulldog who kept all four feet on the floor and didn’t make a sound.
The worker who’d been with them for at least thirty minutes said, “I can send you home with a list of dogs. It’ll give you a decent idea of their personalities, their medical histories as much as we know, and their adoption fees.”
Since that was done on weight and medical conditions, every dog was different. And the Dog Valley animal sanctuary was appropriately located, because there were over four hundred dogs to choose from, all looking for forever homes.
Rose had narrowed it down by breed and size, and she was currently looking for a dog a bit bigger than forty pounds, because then the adoption fee would be waived. As if she didn’t have the money to adopt every dog in this sanctuary, and feed them, and care for their medical needs.
Liam certainly did, and she must have much more money than he did.
She turned back to him. “Maybe I should get two. Then they won’t be lonely once they come home with me.”
“Rose.” Liam shook his head. “You live in a room on the second floor of a lodge you don’t own. Maybe you should talk to Lily and Beau first.” She hadn’t sent a text or made a call to his knowledge. “And maybe you should get your own place in town.”
He pulled in a slow breath when he realized what he’d said. “I mean—”
“You think I should get my own place in town?” she asked, abandoning her quest to find a new pet.
“I’m going to go get the list,” the worker said smartly, and she got the heck out of the dog enclosure.
“I mean, yeah.” Liam shrugged, this whole tell-her-how-he-felt thing not going so well. He had told her a bit about his childhood, and a little more about his work. But talking about his feelings for her was a whole new ballgame. “Are we just playing a game here?”
“No,” she said quickly.
“And you don’t have to be in Nashville, right?”
“Right.”
“I mean, you don’t have to go back there.”
“I have a house there. Of course I have to go back.”
“Permanently? Or to sell the place?” Liam was stunned at his own boldness. He stepped into Rose and took her into his arms before he lost it. “Because I want you to stay in Coral Canyon. With me, Rose Everett. I want you to stay in Coral Canyon and give us a chance.” He commanded himself to stop talking, though there were more words pressing against the back of his tongue.
He swallowed them away and looked at her. “What do you think?”
She gazed up at him, so many things running through her eyes he couldn’t categorize them all.
“What do I think?” she said, leaning into him further. “I think I’m going to kiss you now.”
Surprise shot through Liam, and he murmured, “In a dog shelter? This is where you want our first kiss to be?”
Her eyes, which had been drifting closed, burst open again. Liam kicked himself for saying anything.
“I mean, I’m an idiot. Let’s have that kiss.”
She laughed and pushed against his chest. “No, you’re right. This isn’t romantic, nor will we ever be able to come back here and replicate the moment.”
“Oh?” Liam grinned at her, a measure of idiocy still running through him. “Is that something we’ll have to do?”
“I mean, if we can.” She shrugged and headed for the exit. “I think it’s romantic, don’t you?”
He thought whatever she thought. “Sure,” he said.
The worker met them outside, a thick sheaf of papers in her hand. “We’re open seven days a week. Eight to five.”
“Thanks.” Rose gave her an appreciative smile, and she and Liam got back in the SUV. She remained quiet on the way back to Coral Canyon, and Liam let it stay that way. He had a lot of thoughts going on inside his mind too, and he was trying to decide if he wanted their first kiss to be on the porch of the lodge.
A lodge neither of them owned and probably wouldn’t visit all that much once Rose bought her own house.
Bought her own house. Had he really said that to her? Out loud?
In a dog enclosure.
Sometimes he really wondered how he’d made it through medical school, because sometimes he wasn’t all that smart.
He didn’t want to kiss her in the SUV, and did he walk her to the door after a simple lunch date? Liam had no idea what to do. So he just drove with a prayer streaming through his mind and heart, and when he finally pulled to Whiskey Mountain Lodge, Rose turned to him and asked, “Would you like to come in for coffee?” he couldn’t get out of the SUV fast enough.
The lodge was warm and smelled like a cut of beef had been stewing all day. He’d barely closed the door behind him when Rose turned and put both palms on his chest. “Okay, I can’t do it.”
“Do what?”
Instead of answer
ing, she tipped up on her toes, her eyes drifting closed, a clear invitation for him to kiss her right there, right then.
This time, Liam didn’t suggest that a more romantic location should be found. He slipped his arms around her, closed his eyes, and bent down to meet her halfway. The moment their lips touched, bright lights flashed in his vision.
She melted into him, pressing closer, and Liam held onto her and kissed her properly, thinking they fit together so well that she’d been made to kiss him.
Chapter Thirteen
Rose had kissed several men, and not one of them made her feel as loved and cherished as Liam did. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d ever been kissed properly before this. She didn’t seem to be able to stand on her own volition, and he held her tight against him so it didn’t matter.
She wasn’t sure how long she kissed him, only that she didn’t want to stop.
Someone cleared their throat in a loud, obvious way, and Rose jumped apart from Liam, spinning toward the sound, which had come from behind her. Lily stood there, a very Mom-like look on her face. She quirked one eyebrow and folded her arms. “Hey, guys.”
Embarrassment crawled up Rose’s spine, as if she’d indeed been caught kissing the guy from the wrong side of the tracks by her mother. She let her long hair fall in front of her face, and she noticed Liam standing halfway behind her.
“Hey,” she said, lifting her chin. “Liam was just leaving.”
“I can see that.” Lily’s face burst into a smile. “I’d really like to see what he’s like when he’s arriving.”
A breath happened, and then Lily and Liam started laughing at the same time. Rose couldn’t help smiling too, but she was still too warm and woozy from that kiss—oh, that kiss—and she reached for the railing of the steps that went up to the second floor to steady herself.
“I think you invited me in for coffee,” he said, slipping his arm effortlessly around her.
Rose tilted her head to look up him. Didn’t he know that was a ploy to get him inside so she could kiss him? His eyes searched hers, and she concluded that, nope. He’d thought it was an invitation for coffee.