by Kirk, Cindy
Surprise filled Winn’s eyes. “You do?”
“I bet you’re not the kind of man to forget a woman’s birthday.” Feeling uncharacteristically reckless, Adrianna slipped her hand around his arm and gazed up at him, batting her heavily mascaraed lashes.
“If you’re asking if I’d ever forget your birthday,” Winn said gallantly, “the answer is no.”
Adrianna let her gaze linger. Winn Ferris was a handsome man. His white shirt was the perfect foil for his dark hair. Even dressed simply in black jeans and a white shirt, he managed to look...elegant.
“Would you like another Crazy Coyote, ma’am?” The boy—er, waiter—asked, taking her empty glass.
Even though common sense told Adrianna to wait until she’d eaten before imbibing more alcohol, she wasn’t on call this weekend and Tripp was driving.
Winn glanced at her and smiled.
It was all the encouragement she needed. “I’d love another.”
“Do you think that’s wise, Adrianna?” Tripp’s voice sounded in her ear.
“She’s a big girl, Randall.” Winn patted her hand in a proprietary gesture. “I’m sure she can make up her own mind.”
“Adrianna,” Tripp said softly but with a degree of urgency.
She met his gaze. As his baby blues sucked her in she saw confusion and something that startled her. The man who didn’t know her birthday appeared to be genuinely worried. About her.
Adrianna wished she could tell Tripp that he needn’t be concerned. Though she’d been blinded by a handsome face in college, she was older now. And hopefully wiser.
“There’s someone I’d like you to meet.” Tripp’s gaze never left her face. “If you have a moment.”
“I think—” Winn began, but Adrianna surprised herself by closing his lips with her fingers.
“I need to go.” She slipped her hand out from around Winn’s arm and turned toward Tripp. “I love meeting new people.”
“Since when?” July muttered and Lexi shushed her.
With a relieved smile Tripp took her arm. She strolled across the patio with him, swearing she could smell a hint of fall in the warm night air. When he pulled her around the corner of the house and stopped, Adrianna glanced around. They were alone. “Who did you want me to meet?”
He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Me.”
The tequila must have affected Adrianna more than she’d realized because what he said made no sense. “Pardon?”
“I wanted you to be with me, not Winn.” His gaze searched hers. “Are you angry?”
Adrianna pushed her hair back from her face with the back of her hand. “Not angry,” she admitted. “Confused.”
“Why confused?” He gave his head a slight shake when the waiter rounded the corner of the house, margarita in hand. The young man immediately turned on his heel.
“We both know you don’t want me.” Then because that sounded so plaintive, she added, “Of course I don’t want you either. Other than as a friend, of course.”
“Of course,” he murmured.
Now, Winn was another story. The look in his eyes said he wanted to be a whole lot more than friends.
A sudden thought hit her. “Does Jim Ferris now know that you and I are simply friends?”
That would certainly explain why Winn was being so bold, causing Tripp to overreact.
Tripp shook his head. “I haven’t had the chance to speak privately with him yet. I will,” he hastily added.
“Make sure you do.” Adrianna wasn’t sure what kind of game Tripp was playing. She just knew it was time for it to come to an end. “Tonight.”
* * *
Tripp was surprised to see his parents walk through the door just as everyone was sitting down to eat. He’d been over to see his dad earlier in the day, but the older man hadn’t been feeling well and his mother thought they might skip the barbecue.
Even though his last round of chemo had been almost a month ago, the family was still waiting for him to bounce back. Tonight his dad actually looked...better. Certainly he looked better than he had last week and much better than he had this morning.
He and Adrianna had been about to join their friends at one of the many tables set up for the event. When Tripp saw his parents, he touched Adrianna’s arm. “My parents just arrived.”
“Oh.” She inclined her head. “Shall we sit with them?”
Tripp searched her eyes to make sure the offer was sincere. Because he’d come with Adrianna, his first loyalty was to her. But he knew how much it would mean for his parents to share the meal with them. “You don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” Adrianna turned toward their friends. “Tripp’s folks decided to come after all, and we promised to sit with them.”
As expected, their friends understood.
Tripp’s mother’s face lit up when she saw them approach. His father’s lips lifted in a slow smile.
“You look pretty this evening,” his dad said to Adrianna.
“Thank you, Mr. Randall,” Adrianna said, blushing prettily.
Frank lifted a brow. “Are we going to have to go through this each time we see each other?”
“Frank,” Adrianna said. “How nice to see you again.”
Tripp cast a sideways glance at his mother and found her watching the exchange, a tremulous smile on her lips.
“I wasn’t sure you’d be here,” his mother said to him. “I know Jim Ferris isn’t one of your favorite people—”
“Kathy.” His father spoke sharply, though in an equally low tone. “Jim is our host.”
His mother’s cheeks turned a bright pink and an uncomfortable silence descended over the foursome.
“I see a table for four over there,” Adrianna said.
“Are you inviting us to eat with you?” his mother asked, obviously not wanting to read anything into her comment.
“Only if you want to,” Adrianna said quickly.
“Yes, Mother,” Tripp said, almost at the same time. “We’d like you and Dad to eat with us.”
“Offer accepted.” His father sounded almost jovial. “It’ll give me a chance to get to know this little lady better.”
His dad smiled warmly at Adrianna and Tripp realized he must make it clear to his parents that he and the pretty midwife were just friends. But that discussion could wait.
He wanted them to enjoy the evening. And he didn’t feel like answering their questions as to why he wasn’t interested in Adrianna.
Conversation flowed easily over dinner and for a normally shy person, Adrianna talked a great deal. Although his parents were very adept in social settings, his suspicions were that Adrianna’s talkativeness had more to do with a second Crazy Coyote Margarita that the waiter brought her than his parents’ natural friendliness.
His mother continued to smile warmly at Adrianna, which worried Tripp. She’d been doing that all through dinner. The two women had bonded over their inability to eat anything cooked with an intact face.
Then she’d asked Adrianna about her work. His mother’s eyes shone when Adrianna had gushed about how much she loved delivering babies.
When his mother lifted a brow and a gleam filled her eye, Tripp shifted uneasily in his seat.
“I assume you want children of your own?” his mother asked.
“I do,” Adrianna said without hesitation. “But I’d like to find a husband first.”
When his mother’s gaze slid pointedly to him, Tripp realized he should have seen it coming.
He ignored the look she shot him and stabbed the last piece of pork on his plate. “Did I tell you that our emergency department received another honor?”
“Honey—” his mom’s tone turned chiding “—can’t you forget about work for one evening?”
He resisted the urge to point out that she and Adrianna had been talking about her “work” for the past ten minutes.
“Your mother is right.”
Tripp couldn’t believe his father was agreeing w
ith his mom. Frank had been a businessman as well as a rancher for most of his life. He understood that events such as tonight’s barbecue were as much about business as socializing.
“We appreciate the fact that you’re encouraging Tripp to get out more,” Frank said to Adrianna.
Whoa, what had his father said? Tripp had been the one to invite Adrianna to this event, not the other way around.
“He can be somewhat of a workaholic.” Adrianna cast him a teasing glance and motioned for the server to bring her another Crazy Coyote.
“Are those good?” his mother asked.
“Delicious,” Adrianna pronounced.
“I’ll have one, too,” his mother told the server.
Tripp resisted the urge to groan.
His father settled back in his chair, looking amused. “You enjoy being with my son.”
“I do.” Adrianna focused on his dad, her green eyes glowing. “Tripp, well, you just never know what’s going to come out of his mouth.”
“What?” Tripp sputtered.
“Oh, honey—” his mother patted his arms “—she’s teasing you.”
The server returned far too quickly with drinks for his mother and Adrianna. Tripp wondered if the guy would take a bribe not to come around again.
“Look at that full moon,” his father said.
Tripp stared at his dad. Talking about the moon? Had his dad been drinking, too?
“A beautiful night for a walk.” His mother gave a decisive nod. “Don’t you agree?”
When his father didn’t respond, Tripp stepped in. It would be good for his parents to take a short walk. “I agree.”
“You and Adrianna must take advantage of it.”
Tripp stared unblinking at his dad even as he realized he’d walked right into that one and had only himself to blame. His father’s hopeful expression made it difficult to deny him anything. Even a walk in the moonlight with a woman he considered only a friend.
“Perhaps Adrianna isn’t into walking.” Tripp scrambled for an excuse. “She’s wearing heels.”
“Pssh. Kitten ones.” Adrianna rose to her feet and stretched, her top pulling tight against her breasts. “I could run a marathon in these.”
She reached over and picked up her half-finished margarita glass.
Tripp plucked it from her fingers and placed it back on the table.
She cocked her head.
He held out his hand. “Ready?”
She smiled and something in his heart stirred. He told himself it was only because she was so beautiful. Any man would be likewise affected.
Adrianna placed her hand in his and they strolled toward the back of the property. He forced himself to drop her hand when they stopped on the way to speak with a couple of members of the board of trustees. Thankfully, Adrianna’s alcohol intake didn’t seem to impair her ability to converse intelligently.
Still, he was relieved when they left the guests behind and made their way to a split-rail fence overlooking a meadow. The moon cast a golden glow over the ranchland stretched out before them as far as the eye could see.
Placing her arms on the upper rail, Adrianna leaned forward and sighed. “I love Jackson Hole. I don’t know why anyone ever leaves here.”
“We both left,” Tripp pointed out. “If we wanted to attend college, we had to go.”
Leaving Wyoming to get his bachelor’s and then his master’s degree had been a necessity. The experience Tripp had gained working in New York City had been vital to his getting his current position. Yet, Adrianna was right. During all those years away, he’d never stopped missing Jackson Hole.
“You stayed away a long time,” he heard her say.
“Too long.” Tripp stared into the darkness, remembering all the years he’d tried to persuade Gayle they should return. “We think our parents are going to live forever.”
“Nothing in life is guaranteed,” she said with a heavy sigh, then appeared to shrug off her melancholy and smiled. “Your father looks good tonight. How is he doing?”
“We’re waiting to see how his body has responded to this latest round of chemotherapy.” Tripp cleared his throat. “I’m...hopeful.”
Adrianna surprised him by stroking his arm. “I have a good feeling.”
Dear God, he hoped her feeling was borne out in the upcoming lab tests. He loved his father. The thought of losing him...
Emotion welled up inside Tripp. He couldn’t think of losing him. Couldn’t talk about losing him. “You smell good.”
“Verbena and lavender,” Adrianna informed him, not mentioning the abrupt change in subject.”
“Very nice.”
“I’m glad you like it,” she said in a husky voice that reminded him of tangled sheets and entwined legs. The sounds of the party faded and the darkness closed in around them.
Adrianna took a step forward. Or had he moved closer?
Regardless, it seemed so natural to wrap his arms around her and pull her to him. Her curves molded to his body perfectly.
Her fingers played with his hair. “Did I ever tell you how much I like these little waves just above your collar?”
“I don’t believe so.” He nuzzled her ear. “Have I told you I like the way you smell?”
She giggled and he didn’t know who was more surprised. He never thought he’d hear Adrianna Lee giggle.
“What’s so funny?” He slid his hand up her spine.
“Not five seconds ago you told me you liked my lotion.”
He paused, then chuckled. “You’re right. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
She lifted a finger and pressed it against his lips. “You were thinking about kissing me.”
“I was?”
She nodded. “Yep.”
Giggling. Saying yep. The woman had obviously had too much to drink.
“Want to know how I know that?”
“Sure.”
“Because I’m thinking the same thing.”
“You want to kiss me?”
She nodded, her eyes glittering. “You’re super sexy.”
“You’ve had too much to drink.”
“I had two margaritas.” She cocked her head and brought a finger to her lips. “Or was it three?”
“And very little to eat.”
“Why, Mr. Randall, have you been spying on me?” she said in mock outrage before another giggle escaped her lips.
Okay, it was official. Adrianna was buzzed. Which meant only a cad would take advantage of a woman in her condition.
Tripp didn’t bother to examine the disappointment coursing through him. Stepping back, he took her arm. “We should get back.”
She dug in her kitten heels and lifted her chin. “I’m not going anywhere until you kiss me.”
Her eyes were large and luminous. It took every ounce of strength Tripp possessed to not pull her into his arms and give her what she was asking for. What she wanted. What he wanted.
The realization surprised him. While Adrianna was a beautiful woman—that fact would be impossible for any red-blooded male to deny—he’d never seen her as anything more than Gayle’s friend. The idea that he would even seriously consider kissing her was mildly disturbing.
Yet when she unexpectedly wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips firmly against his, Tripp could only react.
Unfortunately—er, fortunately—the kiss was over almost as soon as it had begun.
“What was that about?” he heard himself say.
She shrugged. “I guess I wanted to see what kissing you would be like.”
“I was an experiment?”
“Don’t look at me like that.” Adrianna gave a little laugh. “It was okay. Not great, but good.”
Before he could respond, she shifted her gaze toward the house. “You’re right. We better get back.”
Without another word, she started off on a brisk trot in the direction of the party. He had to hustle to keep up.
As he watched her cute little derriere swing from
side to side, he couldn’t help feeling like an Olympic contender who’d been cut out of the medals.
His kiss had been only good.
Not great.
Chapter Six
Because Adrianna had Sunday off, she slept in. Last night when she’d gone to bed she thought about setting her alarm so she could make it to church, but one too many Crazy Coyote Margaritas swayed the vote.
By the time she pushed back her quilt, ready to face the day, it was almost ten. After popping a couple of aspirins, she found herself humming as she showered and dressed for a relaxing day at home in black leggings and a garnet-colored cotton shirt. It wasn’t until she drank from a carton of orange juice and felt the cool tang against her lips that a memory from last night surfaced.
She’d kissed Tripp.
What was I thinking?
She hadn’t been thinking. That was the problem. Hadn’t she learned from the past? From that horrible senior year in college? A person had to be alert at all times. The alcohol had been a mistake.
Deep down she knew the kiss had more to do with the way Tripp made her feel, rather than any alcohol she’d consumed. The Crazy Coyotes had merely let the barriers she normally kept in place slip.
The ring of her cell phone jarred her from her reverie. Even though she wasn’t on call, if one of her patients presented ready to deliver, she would be notified.
She hurried across the room and snatched her phone from the counter. “Adrianna Lee.”
“Adrianna,” a pleasant feminine voice responded, “this is Kathy. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Kathy?” Her muddled brain fumbled for a connection.
“Tripp’s mother,” the woman said with a laugh in her voice.
“Of course. Mrs. Randall, how are you?”
“I’m very well, thank you. And it’s Kathy, not Mrs. Randall.” There was a slight pause before she continued. “I wondered if you had lunch plans.”
“Uh, no, I don’t.”
