His temper simmered. “I’m not. If Ivy keeps this up she’ll wear herself out, and then who’s she going to help? No one, that’s who!”
“We do what we can,” Don said simply. “If you think the kid business is booming, just imagine what it’s like to take care of our three thousand plus adults. Danton may be small, but it could always use a few more professionals such as yourself.” His tone sounded hopeful.
“I’m not planning to stay.” Ethan repeated his most often used sentence.
“Plans can change. Few things are etched in stone, if you catch my meaning.”
“I do. But once Walt returns, my job here is done.”
Don handed him a pen and the receipt to sign. “You seem fond of my daughter.”
If Don Harris knew that Ethan’s feelings toward Ivy didn’t come close to fondness but lay in a more hot and heavy direction, he’d probably throttle him.
“I am.” Ethan unflinchingly met the older man’s gaze, aware of how Ivy’s father and everyone else in the diner had probably seen him kiss her.
Mr. Harris nodded, as if Ethan had confirmed what he already knew. “As a kid she collected strays. Didn’t matter what it was—dogs, cats, rabbits, birds, even a turtle or two. She found them all homes, but every time she sent them away—whether it was to a friend’s house or back to the wild—it took a long time for her to get over it.”
“Your point is?” Ethan asked.
“If you’re not planning on sticking around, then don’t start what you can’t or won’t see to the finish. She deserves a fellow who’s going to cherish and support her every day of the week, because she’s not going to keep strict office hours.”
“From what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think she knows what office hours are,” Ethan said wryly.
“Kids don’t get sick according to a schedule,” Don agreed. “Of course, if she hooks up with another doctor who can balance things out, then we’d have a whole different story….”
Ethan hid his smile. First he’d been warned off; now he was being encouraged. The truth of the matter was that everything hinged on him staying in Danton, and he couldn’t make that commitment when he didn’t know if he wanted to practice medicine at all.
Yet the thought of coming home to Ivy, or being there when she came home, was both tempting and scary. He’d had that dream in his grasp and it had slipped away. He wouldn’t survive if he lost someone he loved again.
Much as Ethan would like to be the one she leaned on, he wasn’t the man for the job.
Ethan slipped his credit card back into his wallet. “Thanks again for dinner. It was great.”
Don hefted a plastic tub in his arms and headed for the nearest table still covered with empty dishes. “Come back anytime.”
Remembering Ivy’s concern for her parent, Ethan stopped him. “Should you be doing that?”
Don laughed. “Don’t tell me Ivy’s got you worrying about me, too? The day I can’t bus tables is the day I’ll be pushing up daisies.”
“Can’t those wait?”
Don stacked the plates and saucers with a clatter. “For who? And for when? Dishes have to be done before we can open tomorrow, because one thing I won’t do is serve on paper plates. And if I know Ivy,” he went on to say, “she’ll hurry back here to help close the place instead of going home and crawling into bed. The more I do before she walks through those doors, the sooner she’ll go where she belongs.”
Ethan instantly made a decision, and then nudged Don aside. “I’ll fill in for her while you do something else. Maybe by the time she shows up we’ll both be done, and we can all go home and get a decent night’s sleep.”
Don blinked his surprise. “You’re willing to help?”
“I offered, didn’t I?” Ethan began filling the tub with silverware and tumblers. “Just don’t ask me to wait on people. I’ve never done that before.”
“You’ve eaten in a restaurant, haven’t you? Just write down what people ask for and be as detailed as you like. Create your own shorthand, if that helps. Nothing to it.” Don stripped off his apron and handed it to Ethan. “You’ll need this so you don’t dirty your fancy duds. As soon as you bring me a load, I’ll start the dishwasher.”
“Fair enough.” But by the time Ethan moved to the next table Don still hadn’t moved.
“Aren’t I doing this right?” he asked, wondering if there was a special trick to clearing off tables.
“Oh, no. You’re doing great.” Don wrinkled his face as he scratched his head. “I’m just a bit puzzled. If you’re trying to earn some brownie points—”
“I’m not.” Ethan stacked more plates inside the tub. “Helping you will take a load off Ivy so she can get a good night’s sleep, and in turn she’ll be able to do her job tomorrow, leaving less work for me.”
“Then you’re doing this for yourself?”
Ethan thought a moment. “Yeah. I am.”
“Just like you let her sleep the other night while you dealt with the Grayson boy?”
Ethan grinned. “Yeah.”
Don laughed so loud the few remaining customers looked in their direction. “If you want to believe your motives are purely selfish, you go right ahead, son. If you ask me, though, you have the same problem I do.”
Ethan grew wary. “Which is?”
“We both need to watch over Ivy as best we can,” he said simply, before his smile faded. “I can feed her, but I can’t help carry her patient load. If you leave, what then?”
It was the million-dollar question for which Ethan didn’t have an answer. It also paired well with Don’s admonition not to start something he wouldn’t finish.
Those things ran through his mind as he tossed and turned half the night, until he gave up and stood on the deck behind the cabin in his boxer shorts. Moonlight illuminated the grassy yard and shadows clung to the tree line surrounding the house. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted, and every now and again he heard a rustle in the bushes.
What would this place be like when the temperature dropped and snow covered every inch? More importantly, would he be here to see the leaves turn or the snow fall? If he got back on the road and kept heading south he’d winter in Texas, but was that what he wanted? At the moment he couldn’t think that far ahead. Hell, he didn’t even know what he would do after the next three weeks.
One thing was certain. Ivy had given him some breathing space. She’d accepted his conditions and taken what he could give her without asking questions that he wasn’t willing to answer. Yet sometimes he caught her studying him, as if she’d somehow sensed his hurt and was simply waiting for him to find the courage to trust her with his secrets.
With any luck at all she’d never learn them. He couldn’t bear to see the condemnation in her eyes once she discovered the depth of his failure.
At one-thirty he yawned, and knew if he didn’t go to bed, Ivy would be covering for him in the morning instead of the other way around. He had time for a relatively decent night’s sleep as long as he didn’t replay their kiss, or remember her scent or her soft skin during that unbelievably short second when he’d indulged his fantasy and felt like a whole man again….
By the time Ivy dragged herself into the office the next morning, she still felt somewhat uncertain about what she’d do or say when she saw Ethan for the first time since they’d parted last night. After jumping to conclusions and reading the riot act to him, then being kissed, and then learning over her breakfast cinnamon roll that he’d stayed to help her father at the diner, she didn’t know if she should apologize, thank him, or run and hide in embarrassment. A combination of all three was probably in order, but if the truth were known, she wouldn’t mind if he kissed her again.
On the other hand, if a simple and brief encounter was able to scramble her brains so effectively, she could hardly imagine what it would be like if he kissed her as if he meant it—or what she’d experience if they let it progress to a natural conclusion.
As crazy as it sounded, and as
impossible as it seemed, Ethan Locke filled an empty spot inside of her—the spot that friends and family simply couldn’t satisfy. The man she’d dated when she had been able to spare the time as a pediatric resident had come close, but even with him something had been missing. Which was why, when he’d decided to join a metropolitan pediatrics practice, she’d been able to send him off with her blessing and only a few regrets.
In the space of a few days she already knew that she wouldn’t be able to do the same with Ethan. The defining moment had come immediately after her father had mentioned Ethan’s volunteer work at the diner. He could have gone on home and spent the rest of his evening relaxing, but he’d shelved his ego to do something humbling for a man he hardly knew. If she hadn’t been attracted to him before now, his actions would have ensured it. In fact, she could honestly say she was falling in love.
She was falling in love with a man who was running from his past and from himself. A man who would be gone in a few weeks. Oh, he might stick around Danton until the summer ended, but he would eventually leave to continue his “extended vacation.”
Would he ever find the place he sought? A place that brought him peace and made him want to stop drifting like a wind-blown seed?
For a woman whose roots ran deep, she’d be foolish to emotionally tie herself to a man who had none. She couldn’t fall in love with him without tearing herself up in the process. If she couldn’t fix whatever had caused him to give up everything he’d once held dear, he’d walk out of her life as quickly as he’d walked into it.
“Good morning.” Ethan joined her at the coffeepot.
“Good morning,” she said, sipping the brew in her mug to give herself time to redirect her wayward thoughts.
“Long night?” he asked.
She felt his gaze search her face and stifled a sigh. He wouldn’t see her at her best this morning—which was a shame, considering his gesture last night. “Yes and no. After I sent the Schultz family to the motel—Annika’s strep test instantly turned positive, by the way—I got called to the E.R. for an asthma attack. After that every couple of hours someone from the hospital called with a question. For some strange reason I had trouble falling back to sleep.” She grinned. “To top things off, I even got a wrong number.”
He shook his head. “You’re too nice. The staff should be trained not to call you except in extreme emergency.”
“Most of them are,” she admitted. “But normally a phone call doesn’t keep me awake. Last night was an exception.”
“Any particular reason why?”
She could have listed any number of excuses, but honesty—at least to a point—was the best policy. “I had a hard time deciding if I should apologize for ranting at you or—”
“Or slap me for kissing you?” he prompted, raising an eyebrow.
She smiled softly, wishing she was forward enough to tell him she’d love a repeat experience. “Never that. Anyway, I’d like to apologize—”
“Accepted.”
“And thank you for helping Dad at the diner last night.”
He looked surprised. “News travels fast.”
“Dad told me this morning when I stopped by. I think he’s still stunned by what you did. In fact, be prepared if he tries to hire you away from me,” she finished lightly.
He chuckled. “Adding ‘busboy extraordinaire’ to my curriculum vitae will be just the thing it needs to impress prospective employers.”
“One never knows what skills will come in handy,” she said lightly, before she yawned. “Excuse me. I can’t get moving this morning.”
“When’s the last time you had a day off?”
“I can’t remember that long ago.” She grinned. “I think it was sometime before I moved back to Danton. Six, eight weeks?”
“Then you’re overdue.” He took the mug from her hand. “I’ve already checked our appointment calendar. Heather tells me it’s a relatively slow day, so go home and take a nap. I’ll see you around noon,” he finished gruffly.
The notion of playing hooky held more temptation than a double chocolate fudge ice cream sundae, but it was impossible. “It’s sweet of you to offer, but I’ll take my day off on Saturday. We have a rodeo date, remember?”
“Yeah, we do.”
“Besides, I can’t leave now. The Schultzes are coming in before they head out of town. Then I have several well-baby check-ups scattered throughout the morning.”
“What about this afternoon?”
“You aren’t going to be happy until I go home, are you?”
“How did you guess?”
“What if I promise to try to get away early today?”
“And take an extra-long lunch hour?” he pressed.
“How long is extra long?”
“A couple of hours.”
“One hour,” she countered.
He let out a long suffering sigh. “If that’s the best you can do.”
“Actually, I can do one better,” she said airily. “If I skip out early this afternoon, how about coming over to my place for dinner tonight?”
His eyes brightened, and she hoped the prospect of her company was as enticing as that of a home-cooked meal. “What time?” he asked.
“We probably won’t eat until six, but you’re welcome to drop in as soon as you finish here.”
“It’s a deal. But I thought you could only boil water and toss salad.”
She grinned. “Don’t worry. You won’t go home hungry.”
As much as she knew she was playing with fire, she couldn’t squelch the one thought that popped into her head and sent a shiver of anticipation down her spine.
Maybe he wouldn’t go home at all.
CHAPTER SEVEN
FROM the moment Ethan talked Ivy into leaving, he was torn between counting the hours until he would see her again and calling to cancel their dinner date. He would return to his old hermit habits in less than three weeks, so it seemed pointless for her to invest so much of herself in a man who couldn’t possibly give anything back. He was a fool to accept her generous invitation when he knew nothing could or would come of it in the long run.
However, in spite of his head listing a hundred reasons why he should simply go home and steer clear of her life and her problems when he had his own to solve, his heart wouldn’t allow him to reach for the phone.
He was simply lured by a home-cooked meal, he told himself. He would have gone to Heather’s house if she’d invited him, too.
Deep inside of him, though, he knew otherwise. The prospect of food was merely the whitewash to cover his desire to spend the evening with Ivy. He wanted another opportunity to kiss her, but this time he wanted to do it slowly and completely, and with the proper mood, instead of conducting a sneak attack that caught her by surprise. He wanted to feel like his old self, to be distracted by a beautiful woman’s smile so that he could forget everything that had gone wrong…at least for a little while.
Some might accuse him of using her to achieve his own ends, but she’d invited him to dinner, which meant she wasn’t immune to him, either. Although, regardless of their individual motives, he couldn’t show up on Ivy’s doorstep empty-handed, so he detoured to the diner.
“Do you have any peanut-butter pie?” he asked Don.
“Freshly made,” the older man said cheerfully. “I’ll box a slice for you.”
“Actually,” Ethan said slowly, suddenly aware his request could raise a few questions, as well as a few eyebrows, if anyone knew his destination, “I’d like the whole pie.”
“Oh. Well, that’s even better. You must have developed a taste for it, like Ivy has. That girl could eat it every meal and still ask for seconds.”
“Really?” Ethan already knew it was Ivy’s favorite, because she’d ordered a piece every time he’d seen her here, but he didn’t feel comfortable admitting he would be sharing it with her. After all, Ivy might want to keep a few secrets from her dad—especially the identity of her private dinner guests.
“Yeah. You’re sure you want the whole thing? That’s a lot of pie for one fellow to eat by himself.”
“I’m positive.” Ethan whipped out a bill to pay him.
“Good thing I made two of them today,” Don mentioned. “Otherwise I’d have a few other unhappy customers.”
“Good thing,” Ethan echoed.
Don boxed the dessert and handed it to Ethan. “Enjoy. And enjoy the stir-fry, too.”
Ethan was puzzled. “Stir-fry?”
A knowing smile grew on Don’s face. “I guessed Ivy was going to show off her cooking skills when a round steak disappeared from my freezer, along with all the broccoli from my salad bar and my Chinese cookbook. You picking up her favorite pie confirms my suspicions.”
“Oh.”
“She hasn’t been able to pull the wool over my eyes yet,” he crowed. “But she’s tried a time or two. And don’t let her fool you about her cooking abilities. That girl knows her way around a kitchen.”
Ethan laughed. “I thought it was odd for a girl who’d grown up in a restaurant to only be able to boil water and toss salad.”
“Oh, my, yes, she can work wonders. So you two enjoy your dinner. But whatever you do, don’t mention you talked to me. She’d be upset if she knew I spoiled her surprise.”
“And you don’t want to hurt her feelings?” Ethan guessed, aware that he’d fallen victim to the same protective streak.
“Exactly.”
“I won’t say a word,” he promised.
Ethan drove to Ivy’s house, feeling a bit like a coconspirator, but what surprised him most was his willingness to assume that role. For the first time since he’d begun working with Ivy he was beginning to think it might not be as easy to cut these gossamer ties as he’d first believed.
But that was an issue to deal with days from now, he decided as he parked and strode up the walk. For the next few hours he was going to push the past into the back of his mind and enjoy the moment….
“Hi,” he said, as soon as Ivy answered the door with a welcoming smile that made him feel as excited as a kid on Christmas morning. “I wanted to contribute to the meal, so I brought dessert.” He handed her the box.
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