Second Chance at Love

by Rhonda Laurel

  “Yes, sir.”

  He took a deep breath. He didn’t want to ask, but he needed to know. “Is the idea of a community mobile clinic still in the planning phase?”

  “Right now it’s more of a pipe dream I’m afraid.”

  “We’ll see about that.” He tapped on the desk. “And anyone who calls to make appointments to socialize, tell them my calendar is already filled for the next three months. But I have an open door policy for Dr. Bennett. He’s a friend.”

  “I’ll get right on it.” Stella nodded and headed for the door.

  His eyes went to the photograph of the beach again. “Stella, one more thing.”

  “Yes?”

  “Who’s the photographer? These photos are breath-taking.”

  “It’s a local artist, Peyton Colfax. She’s gifted the hospital with many of these photos and other artwork. She’s a real dynamo. A few times a month, she teaches art classes to the patients who are here for long-term recovery.”

  “She has an incredible eye.”

  “Maybe you can meet her when she stops by for a class.”

  Alex sat in the chair. The leather was so soft he practically sank into it. He often had problems finding a perfect chair—with his tall frame, it wasn’t an easy fit. The men in the Popovich family all had the same height and body frame. His mom used to say he had Derek’s physique without the dangerous job. But this chair seemed to be the perfect size for him.

  It was time to get to work. Yet, his attention went back to the beach photograph. Looking at the picture certainly did have a soothing effect on him. Just like the smell of the woman who’d hit his SUV today. And even though it soothed him, it also ignited his senses and stirred something in his soul.

  He stood there, staring at the beach scene, wishing he were standing barefoot in wet sand, the surf bubbles foaming around him as a wave retreated. Listening to the kids laugh and splash in the surf. Strange how one photograph could be so evocative.

  Yes, the photographer had a real talent…

  * * *

  Peyton took a bite out of the chicken wing. Good food and a few drinks at the Lazy L Cantina was just what she needed after a hectic day. She knew she’d start munching as soon as the hostess seated her, but she didn’t want to wait at the bar. She wasn’t in the mood for random pickup lines from fake cowboys in a honky-tonk when her date was a real-life cowboy. OK, not all of the cowboys here were fake, but some were definitely posers. She’d seen too many of them get bucked from Betsy, the mechanical bull in the corner.

  She was here to unwind a little. This morning, she’d made it to her interview in the nick of time. Although still flustered from the accident, she’d managed to put her best foot forward. She had the background and the teaching certification. Tonight’s celebration would’ve been the perfect end to a great day if that jerk hadn’t hit her car.

  She’d tried not to get upset when Earl at the repair shop let out a hearty laugh after she inquired about getting her ancient station wagon repaired. Sure, the car was old, but it had tons of personality and it still ran. It reminded her of the station wagon her mom used to own when Peyton was a kid. Earl apologized when he noticed her expression and offered to bang out the dent as best he could. She’d settle for that. She’d looked around the waiting room while Earl went to work, wondering if she’d see the selfish jerk who couldn’t drive his Porsche SUV properly. But no such luck. He probably went to some fancy auto body shop that only worked on imported cars.

  Well, good for him, but Earl would do just fine when he wasn’t being a pain in the neck. Besides, Earl would’ve probably turned him away anyhow. The crusty mechanic was one of the original residents who resided in Harper’s Grove before the rich people descended on it and decided to make it chic and gentrified.

  “I see you started the celebration without me,” a guff, familiar voice said behind her. “You keep eating like that and there won’t be any chickens left in the state of California.”

  She turned to see her friend Austin standing behind her. She dabbed her mouth with her napkin. “You know I tend to stress eat. Inviting me here on all-you-can-eat wing night was a bad idea.”

  “Hi, darlin’.” He kissed her on the cheek and sat down. “I need you light on your feet. You promised you’d dance with me.”

  “I am not wearing these awesome lavender cowboy boots for nothing.” She stretched her foot out.

  “Nice boots.” The waitress headed over, and he jerked his chin at Peyton’s plate. “Give me the same thing she’s having, but give me the five-alarm sauce,” he drawled before glancing at Peyton. “You want another glass of wine?”

  “What are you having, that fancy scotch you like?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll have one too.” The scotch coupled with the two alarm wings was guaranteed to clean out her colon.

  “She’ll have another white wine and some napkins,” Austin said to the waitress.

  “I thought we were celebrating,” she protested.

  “If you drink that scotch you’ll wake up in three days. We’ll save that for another occasion.” He chuckled. “What’s got you so rattled? I thought you got the job.”

  “I did. But I had a minor mishap beforehand. One of those fancy-pants idiots driving an expensive car hit my door while he was zooming out of the parking lot.”

  “Whew.” He wiped his brow. “Luckily I brought the pickup tonight, so I don’t qualify as a fancy-pants idiot.” He gave her a closer look. “You weren’t hurt or anything, were you?”

  “No, I’m fine.” She patted his hand. “And you know I don’t mean you when I talk about Harper Grove’s hoity-toity residents. If I didn’t know your family history, I’d think you were a broke ranch hand.”

  “Thanks.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “I think.”

  “Look at me. I can’t even compliment my friend.” She sighed deeply. “I can’t do anything right today.”

  “You got that teaching job.”

  “True.” She shook her head, pushing thoughts of the accident out of her head, determined to have a good time. “How was your day? How’s my equestrian namesake, Peyton Place?”

  “She’s doing well. Feisty and hard to handle, just like you.”

  She smacked her forehead. “I forgot to bring the brochures.”

  “No worries.” He waved a hand at her as if it wasn’t important.

  “I’ll drop them off this weekend. And I want you to know my teaching duties won’t interfere with taking any promotional photos for you. I am still freelancing.”

  “Glad to hear that.”

  “Well, it’s another means of money coming in.”

  “You know I could always lend you a few bucks.”

  “And I love you for offering, but I have to make my own way. It’s bad enough I’m mooching off Skyler.”

  “You are not mooching. It’s a friend helping another friend. And this friend is also there when you need him.” He winked.

  “Thanks, cowboy,” she said, smiling. Austin was a good person and restored her faith that men and women could be friends and mean it.

  They continued to chat after the waitress came back with a big plate of wings and the drinks. Austin dug in and soon had eaten just as many wings as she had. He hadn’t noticed, but the waitress and three other women in the place were definitely checking him out. He wasn’t taking the bait. She’d long given up being offended because women didn’t think they were a couple. Austin was downright sinfully good-looking with his tall stature, broad shoulders, perpetual five o’clock shadow, and wicked smile.

  He was a Texan to his core, and the ladies in town loved it. But the moment she’d met him, she’d felt like she’d met a brother. Which was a damn shame because he was quite a catch. Skyler even asked about him occasionally. He was the one man in town who didn’t fawn all over Skyler. Peyton thought it was good for her actress friend to get rejected every now and again. It helped keep her grounded. Unfortunately it made Skyler put him on her most w
anted list.

  He never talked much about his family and why he’d left Texas. She knew he loved his brother Logan, but there was some friction with tycoon father T.K. He’d go home and when he returned and she asked about his trip, he’d grumble and say things were the same. She didn’t know what he was looking for in life, but he seemed content on his ranch with his horses. He had a massive stable where he bred thoroughbreds and owned championship racing horses. But he also gave riding lessons and boarded horses for other people in the area.

  Peyton took a bite out of what had to be her hundredth wing and went to the washroom to clean her hands. The music was pumping, and she’d promised Austin she’d line dance with him tonight. When she made it back to the table, some woman in a pink satin blouse with frills on it was standing there talking to Austin. He politely shooed her away when she sat down.

  “Did I interrupt something?”

  “No. Just another indecent proposal.” He laughed. “What is it about me that says I want to have a good time and nothing more?”

  “Let’s see.” She tapped her fingers to her lips. “Maybe it’s because you have a reputation for dodging commitment around town. And then there’s the whole rugged, Wild West shtick and the bedroom eyes. You look like you’d defend a woman’s honor and sully her reputation all on the same night.”

  He grinned. “But you seem to be immune.”

  “I know a wild stallion when I see one.” She flashed him a cheesy grin. “OK, enough talking. Let’s dance.”

  “I want to hear about the rest of your day and the jerk who hit your car.”

  “Later.” She rolled her eyes. “It was just another one of those guys who thinks he can get away with anything because he’s handsome and rich.”

  “Handsome, eh?” Austin raised an eyebrow.

  “Come on.” She grabbed his hand and moved to the dance floor.

  As Peyton got into the rhythm of the song, she watched Austin and did what he did. He was a good dancer. Just another check in the plus column for a man who seemingly wasn’t looking for anyone. It was weird, but she found herself wondering if the guy who’d crashed into her poor car today had someone. He had to, there was no way someone that gorgeous was single. Even if he was a jerk, he was still a catch. One that she hadn’t been able to completely put out of her mind since she’d looked into his intense blue eyes.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Peyton threw her comforter over her head and nestled further under the covers to shield her eyes from the sun filtering through the window. The day off was a great reprieve after the hectic week she’d had. She’d been thrown into the classroom with nothing more than a paintbrush and the promise that a mentor teacher would be assigned to her. Lucky for her, she had the greatest reference in the world. When she got home after her first day, she called her mom and asked for help. Her doting, retired schoolteacher mother was only too willing to give her daughter advice about managing a class until she found her groove.

  Once her mom had given her some sage advice about controlling classroom chaos, they moved on to the family gossip. There was nothing exceptionally exciting about life in suburban Nebraska. Pumpkin picking, hayrides, and school plays in the makeshift amphitheater were as daring as they got in her hometown. Her family members were a run-of-the-mill, hardworking, middleclass family who lived quiet lives.

  Nothing ever really rocked their world, and Peyton was considered the wild child of the family for pursuing an art career. She’d spread her wings when she left for art school in New York and was sure she’d never return. But after living with Kevin in the fast-paced Big Apple, she’d come to appreciate the little things she’d previously considered pedestrian. She liked that she knew what time of day it was just by walking through town, watching the residents go through their daily routines. Her mom didn’t let a chance slip by to invite her back home. But she was convinced she needed to see more of the world to touch her artist’s soul. She thanked her mom for the advice and said she’d call again soon.

  Now it was time to decompress before she mulled over a lesson plan that she and her mentor would review together on Monday. She did have to drop those brochures off to Austin at the ranch, but she could do that anytime.

  But there was no hope in getting more sleep. She groaned when she heard her cell phone ringing. It was more like the roar of a cannon as far as Peyton was concerned. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was six in the morning. Who could be calling that this unholy hour? She reached out and fumbled for her cell phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Peyton, are you awake?” It was her friend Skyler.

  “I am now,” she grumbled. “What’s going on Skyler?”

  “I need a favor.”

  “I repeat: what’s going on?”

  “I just got an alert that I’m supposed to be participating in the Harper’s Grove festival today. I totally forgot about it.”

  Peyton snorted. “You’re always overbooking.”

  “I know. I know. But this is for charity, and I’d hate for my absence to affect their fundraising. I am a celebrity in that town.”

  “I’m sure they’ll understand you left to film a movie.”

  “You know how it is in this transparent society. Someone will go on social media and rip me a new one for abandoning my duties at a charity event. It will be devastating.”

  “And they’ll probably cancel the Skyler Andrews movie festival you’ve rallied for since you moved here?” Peyton wasn’t stupid. She loved her friend, but the thought of Skyler being upset about missing a charity event was laughable. She didn’t do anything without an angle.

  “Yeah. That too.” She sighed. “Look, I’d owe you big time.”

  “No worries. You’re already letting me stay here rent free until I get my life together.”

  “You’re the best. I have to go.”

  “Just a sec.” She sat up in the bed. “What exactly did they want you to do?”

  “I don’t know. Judge a pie eating contest or work at the kissing booth.”

  “Kissing booth! No one does that anymore. I wouldn’t kiss random strangers with a gas mask on.”

  “OK. Then help with one of the carnival games. Just make sure you convey my apologies and say everyone who attends my movie festival will get a DVD copy of my latest movie.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Love you! Bye.” Skyler ended the call.

  Peyton pushed back the covers and got out of bed. She’d planned on watering the plants and eating leftover pizza while she looked over the photos she’d taken at the park the other day. Now she had to go make excuses for Skyler and participate in some festival. She’d heard her students talking about it, apparently it was a big deal in the town.

  Great. Rent free or not, Skyler owed her big time for this one.

  * * *

  Alex couldn’t help but smile when he glanced over at Grayson, who was slumped down in the front passenger seat with a hat covering his face. When he’d asked his friend to join him for a day out, leave it Grayson to forget Alex was a dad with two kids. So his friend had the time of his life last night to offset the fact that he’d have to be wholesome the next day with Alex and the kids.

  He’d almost felt sorry for Grayson when he’d tried to beg off after they arrived at the house…but then the kids gave him that doe-eyed look. His friend caved every time.

  Meanwhile, Alex was looking forward to having some fun at the carnival, especially after his first week at the hospital. He hadn’t intended for his first interactions with the staff to be so intense, but so be it. There were things that were in need of repair, stat. He’d begun a massive overhaul of procedures after the first day. The staff was surrounded by the best tools of the medicine trade and there weren’t utilizing most of them efficiently. The surgeons were the best of the best, but unfortunately they knew it. They’d been pretty peeved when he’d insisted on being present on any scheduled operations and rounds for the next month. Mrs. Prendergast had also deman
ded that he be her doctor from now on, much to the chagrin of her current heart specialist. He needed to make sure their hubris wasn’t getting in the way of the well-being of the patients.

  He hadn’t garnered any points with his peers either. Other department heads still attempted to make dates to lunch or go golfing, but he’d declined every single one. Every offer to go spend time on the green made him think of what that spitfire who’d driven her beast of a station wagon like a madwoman and practically rammed him had said. The woman who’d accused him of spending his days doing that exact thing—strolling around the country club. For whatever reason, what she’d said had gotten under his skin. He’d gotten his bumper replaced pretty quickly at the local body shop. Earl, the owner, seemed prickly at first, but Alex set him at ease with a smile, a mention that he preferred to use a local business, and an offer to come back if he were too busy. Earl seemed to relax and said he’d get right on it. Sometimes he even found himself looking for her as he drove around town but no luck. Which got him to wondering why he was looking for her at all. Sure she was pretty and sexy and smelled really great. There were plenty of women around him that fit that description…but still there was something about her that he couldn’t get out of his mind.

  Grayson stirred and shifted in his seat.

  “Are you OK? Because I don’t have a defibrillator in my car,” Alex quipped.

  “When you said wanted to hang out, I thought you meant drinks at a bar or something. There’s a cool bar in town.”

  He glanced in the rearview mirror at his kids but was mindful about keeping his eyes on the road. Both Noah and Chloe had donned headphones, eyes locked on their tablet screens, and were off in their own world.

  Alex raised an eyebrow. “Does the bar have a romper room for the kids?”

  “I can’t believe you still haven’t found a babysitter.”

  “It’s not an easy thing. I don’t want just anyone spending time with my kids.” He scratched at his five o’clock shadow.