The Bride Wore Red Boots

by Lizbeth Selvig

  “He actually left tracks?” She looked to Gabe.

  “He kind of did. A lot of hopping and swishing through the snow, but it was unusual enough that we thought it was him. He made quite a trek. And made good time.”

  Rory turned then and threw himself at Gabe, hugging him. “Thank you for saving Jack.”

  “Well you’re welcome. But you saved him, too. And you said thank you. So we’ll just say we make a great detective team.”

  He held out his hand and Rory slapped him a loud high five. Now that, Mia thought, would make a great story for back in New York.

  IT PRETTY MUCH amazed Mia that Rory followed her and Raquel, without protest or apparent distressing memories, down the hospital corridor on their way to see Joely. They’d planned a trip into Wolf Paw Pass for afterward, to see the town, have ice cream at Ina’s Ice Cream Emporium, which did a brisk business even in the winter, and visit the pet store where they were going to get a new masculine collar and a nametag for Jack. “To tell him from the barn cats,” according to Rory. That all was worth a trip to meet Dr. Mia’s other sister, he’d said, because then he’d only have one left. The one in Denver named Kelly.

  When Mia asked him outright if going to the hospital would make him sadder about his mom he shook his head. “Do I have to wear a mask?” he asked.

  “No. Not at all.”

  “Then she’s not like my mom. She was in a kind of dark room that was really quiet and we couldn’t bring in any germs because of her bad infection.”

  The nurses and the social workers back in New York had pegged him perfectly—when he wasn’t being a normal ten-year-old, he was scarily perceptive.

  Joely was in fairly good spirits this visit. Mia worried about her—she’d lost more than the use of a leg in the accident, she’d lost a lot of hope, too. She smiled and conversed by rote most of the time. She didn’t push herself in physical therapy and didn’t ever ask about coming home. Because of that, her progress was slow and very uneven. In nine weeks, going from intensive care, to a medical surgical floor, to now making plans for moving her to a rehab care facility, she’d suffered bouts of depression, a case of pneumonia, three surgeries, and no real improvement in her crushed leg. If anyone tried to talk to her about the scar on her cheek and chin from the accident, she nearly curled up in a ball.

  Mia hated to miss a day visiting, although she was never sure it helped her sister.

  Today, however, Joely smiled when Rory entered the room between Mia and Raquel, and she answered all his intrusive questions about her accident without a flinch. Mia wanted to hug the daylights out of her. Her family was going so far above and beyond for this child—she was still trying to wrap her mind around it. Because of them, Hannah had flown off happy with Rory’s new arrangements saying only that she looked forward to seeing them when they got back to New York.

  Rory was absorbed in showing Joely a game on Raquel’s cell phone when a white-coated figure appeared at the door and rapped softly. “Am I intruding?” Perry Landon stepped into the room.

  “Hi, Perry!” she said. “It’s been a while since I’ve been here when you’re making rounds. How have you been? How’s our sis doing? Behaving herself?”

  “Mia.” His greeting was warm, and the corners of his eyes crinkled behind his glasses. Geeky and yet quite handsome. “I’m so glad to see you.” Then his gaze slid slowly across the room. “And Raquel. It’s really good to see you, too.”

  If she hadn’t been used to having everyone goof up the triplets’ identities or stammer to try and figure out which one was which, Mia might not have studied Perry the way she did and certainly wouldn’t have seen the very faint shuffle of nervousness in his stance or the tic of uncertainty in his features. But he didn’t even hesitate when saying Raquel’s name—something infinitely more impressive because she was there alone with no other sib to compare her to.

  He could tell them apart.

  Or at least tell Raquel from the others.

  “Hi, doc,” she said cheerily, and Mia studied her reaction.

  Raquel smiled the way she always did—with an air of casual confidence. She wouldn’t notice fidgeting or nuanced changes in a human. If Perry had been a ledger or a business detail, she’d have been on him like a bee to a rose had there been anything different. Or if he’d been a baseball stat or an opponent on the soccer field, she’d have studied him like an ACT test. But he was a normal person, a nice guy, and it didn’t dawn on Rocky Raquel to look for more than friendship.

  Perry shuffled one more time back in Mia’s direction, although nobody else would have identified it as a shuffle. “You asked about Miss Joely here. She’s doing great. We all wish there were faster progress in that leg, but we haven’t given up. The nerves are still healing. Meanwhile, I’ve come with some news. We’ve got a spot in the rehab facility for you, Joely. A month there and you should be well on your way to getting home. In fact, how would like to go home for your family’s postponed Thanksgiving?”

  Neither Mia nor Raquel gave her any chance to react. They pounced on the announcement like kids on birthday presents.

  “Jo-Jo, that’s fantastic!” Raquel jumped to hug her.

  “I think it’ll be so good, for you and for us,” Mia added. “And for Mom, to see you getting better. She’s so worried.”

  “I . . . would love that.” Joely took in the hugs and the congratulations, but she was far less excited than her sisters.

  “I promise you’re ready for the visit,” Perry said. “But you’ll get tired. We’ll work on some occupational therapy that’ll prepare you for getting around in the car and at home. Then, you can go right to the new facility after that and that’s where the real work will start.”

  “I haven’t been doing real work?” Joely joked.

  “Prep work,” he winked. “For the hard core.”

  “Great. Looking forward to it.”

  Rory listened to the exchange carefully and then, surprisingly, picked up Joely’s hand. “You’ll get to meet Jack,” he said.

  That simple promise brought the first true smile to Joely’s face since being told she could go home. “You know what? I think I’m most excited about that.”

  Raquel caught Mia’s eye and gave a thumbs-up. Mia understood. Whatever brought light to Joely’s eyes was a great thing.

  “Mia?” Perry turned to her while Rory went back to the game with Joely. “I actually did come up here for another reason. I asked the desk to page me if you showed up to visit. I’d like to ask for a date.”

  “Excuse me?” she exclaimed.

  Everyone’s head popped up. Perry laughed, an easygoing chuckle that diffused Mia’s confusion. “Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t resist. I just wondered if you’d come and have coffee with me right now for just a few minutes. I’d like to talk to you about a couple of things.”

  “Woo hoo.” Raquel raised her brows at both of them.

  Perry’s grin turned self-conscious, but he mostly ignored her. “Maybe your young charge could stay here, and I’ll have you back in half an hour.”

  “Would you mind, watching Rory?” Mia asked.

  “Nah, we’ll have a blast,” Raquel said.

  Mia nodded, curious now about what this could possibly mean. “Okay, then. You’ve got a date.”

  He nodded, pleased. “Excellent. Ladies, we’ll be back shortly.

  SHE SAT ACROSS from Perry in the cafeteria restaurant that served all buildings and sections of the VA campus. It was a modern, trendy place with California kitchen organic food and a decent grill. She sipped her latte and waited for him to pour two packets of sugar into his black coffee.

  “I’m sure this seems pretty odd,” he said.

  “No. Two colleagues meeting for coffee.” She smiled. “Happens all the time.” He cocked a brow and she laughed. “Okay, yeah. Unexpected. Not unpleasant.”

  “I have two reasons for asking you to meet with me. The first concerns you. The second, your sister.”

  Her nape
hair prickled in a first mild note of alarm. “Okay.”

  “The first is this.” He pulled a neatly folded sheet of paper out of his lab coat pocket and handed it to her. This is brand new. It was posted today. I had to sit on my hands to keep from telling you about it early, since I knew the position was opening.”

  She unfolded the letter and read the job posting. When she finished she looked at him, stunned.

  “Board certified, general surgeon? Seriously? Did you make this up?”

  “I didn’t, but if I’d thought I could ever get someone like you, I would have. The truth is, this is my department once Dr. Swenson, the man retiring from here, leaves. From the moment I read your credentials, I’ve known we could use someone with your drive and your expertise.”

  She didn’t know what to think. It was flattering, but the thought of moving back here to a tiny, relatively closed community and leaving New York, the place that had made her the doctor she was . . . The idea sat in her mind as ludicrous. And her heart pumped like it was running a marathon.

  Gabriel.

  Rory.

  Joely.

  The horses.

  “I am so honored that you’re thinking of me,” she began. “I don’t have some of the other qualifications—orthopedic experience. Trauma.”

  “Those are plusses, not requirements. If you had any interest in those fields you’d go after them in a flash. I have no doubt.”

  The flush of excitement that came with a new possibility swept through her. The same flush she got when considering her next career path. Or the anticipation of a challenging case. The only thing that dampened it was the fear that this was just a little too good to be true.

  “That’s kind of you to say. I just don’t know.”

  “I don’t expect you to know. I certainly didn’t expect you to jump in excitement over something you’d never considered. But, when this came up, I thought of all that’s going on with your family and that you might be considering coming back here at some point. It’s just information.”

  “This is very, very nice of you.” Her hand shook a little as she handed the paper back to him.

  “No, keep it just for reference. If you do want to know more about it just give the number a call. Or call me.”

  “No hard sell?”

  “If you call for information, then I’ll give you my sales pitch. What I will tell you, and don’t repeat this, is that I’ll have a lot to say about the person who’s chosen. If you were to apply I think it’s safe to say I could influence the other members of the selection committee.”

  Flustered, and pleased despite herself, she shook her finger at him. “Why, Dr. Landon. That almost sounds like job fixing.”

  “Not in the least. It’s the closest you’ll get to a hard sell today. I won’t deny for a second that I would love to work with you. If you were interested, believe me, I’d do everything in my power to see that I got that chance.”

  She let herself bask in the stunning joy of being so wanted. Such a completely different sensation than the one she’d had after losing the job in New York. Finally she shook her head and smiled.

  “Okay, you’ll have to let me be overwhelmed and think on this for a while. I truly am flattered. So. Let’s go on to topic two. What about Joely?”

  “Joely? Oh! It’s not about Joely.”

  “Really?”

  At that his face did flush ever so slightly. “It’s about Raquel.”

  “What!” She grinned at him. “What about her?”

  “I hope it’s not presumptuous to say that I felt comfortable asking you this. Do you think she would ever consider dating an older man?”

  “Hah!” Mia jumped to her feet, reached across the table, and gave him a light punch in the arm. “I knew it!”

  “Does that mean you mind, or you don’t mind?” He looked relaxed now that he’d spilled his secret, all traces of embarrassment had vanished.

  “Perry, my new friend, if you can get Raquel the tomboy interested in anything besides her job, we’ll throw you a party. How much older do you think you are?”

  “I know for a fact because I’m shameless at sleuthing. She’s twenty-four, I’m thirty-six.” He grimaced. “Sounds a little worse when you say it out loud.”

  “Nonsense—Grandma Sadie was twenty years younger than Papa Sebastian. Believe me, you’re fine. Just go in armed with patience—Raquel is a confirmed tomboy and numbers geek. When she dates it’s to get into some sporting event. You’ll have to convince her you’re not out to be her pal.”

  “I consider myself forewarned. Thank you, Mia. I should have gone right to her, but I didn’t want to make it awkward for her to come around. Now that Joely will be leaving the hospital we won’t be in such close quarters.” He pushed his chair back and checked his watch. “I have surgery in forty minutes, so I should go. He stood, circled the table, and held out his hand. “Thanks again. For not thinking this is absolutely ridiculous on my part. I promise you my next step is not a note with check boxes: ‘Do you like me, yes or no?’ ”

  She waved off his handshake and surprised herself by offering him a friendly hug. “I wish you luck. It’s a long distance relationship, you know—even though we’re all coming back more often lately.”

  “I, uh, have family in Denver. I figure in a best case I might make trips that direction, too.”

  “Then I definitely wish you success. This is how much fun all dates should be.”

  “Oh really? Should I be taking notes?” Mia jumped at the sound of Gabe’s voice.

  She pulled away, laughing, from Perry’s embrace. Gabe’s movie-star features were frozen in bland friendliness, one brow arched, the corners of his mouth tilted upward in a meaningless smile.

  “Hello, Lieutenant Handsome,” she said. “Guess I was caught red-handed.”

  Perry offered a handshake, and Gabe took it, his features not warming. Mia’s stomach flipped happily at the obvious jealousy.

  “I’m off,” Perry said. “Good to see you, Gabe. Mia, you think hard about that offer. I want you.”

  She almost lost it and let her laughter spill. The line couldn’t have been more perfectly timed for misunderstanding. Just like Rory and the social worker that morning. Only suddenly, the day sparkled like a sunny Florida summer beach.

  She giggled when Perry was gone. “Sit down. Stop looking like he kicked your puppy.”

  “He was touching my girl.”

  “No. Really, your girl—wait, is that what I am?”

  “After last night?”

  “Oh, yeah. That.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “I never got a chance this morning to tell you that last night was pretty cool. Anyway. I was the one who hugged him.”

  “That’s so much better.” He relaxed into the joking, and she reached across the table to take his hands.

  “I like the jealousy,” she said.

  “I don’t have to be, though, do I?” He looked at their hands, a smile with a sheepish tinge playing at his mouth.

  “You do not. Because . . . One, he offered me a job. Two? He likes Raquel.”

  She loved how he could blush and laugh at the same time. All these things she was learning about him.

  “I couldn’t be happier to look like an idiot,” he said, and he kissed her.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  “YOU REALLY ARE not adept when it comes to sports, are you?” Gabe nearly tripped over Rory as he led the way through the back door, stomping snow off his boots. A little irony, he supposed, considering he’d just been ragging mercilessly on Mia for being uncoordinated.

  “Give me a break. I played chess,” she said.

  “I can play chess,” Rory added.

  “I know. You’re not bad either, for a football player.” Mia tugged his stocking cap over his eyes and Rory flailed his hands, laughing.

  “I am a football player,” he said.

  “Well, I really, really like Mia,” Gabe said. “But I can’t lie. She is not a football player.”

>   “When you both bust your butts playing touch football next time, it’s me you’ll be coming to see. So I wouldn’t be too mean to the doctor.”

  “Bust your butts.” Rory’s undulating, Elmer Fudd–like giggle spilled out like a rushing brook. “Bust your butts!”

  He hung his jacket up on a hook and threw his wet mittens and hat in a basket as he’d been taught and scampered away, still chortling. Gabe was glad to see the little bit of silliness. Three days since arriving, Rory was settling in. He could charm the socks off any of the women in the house. He liked Skylar Thorson who’d come to play video games after school a couple of times, and who was teaching him to be comfortable around horses by letting him help her with horse chores. She also gave him little mini lessons that Rory talked about incessantly. He liked Cole and was enamored with Grandma Sadie, but the person he adored was Mia. And Gabe was in clear second place.

  He liked the boy. A lot. Most of the time he forgot how much he could remind him of Jibril. The Jibril of the past, of course, since he would be seventeen or eighteen now, nothing at all like Rory. Gabe consciously refused to think about the letter he’d sent to Iraq. He seriously didn’t expect it to bear fruit, so he concentrated on this child, growing ever more grateful for the chance to reconnect with a young person. He’d missed it.

  He studied Mia as she removed her hat, jacket, and snow boots. She had the fluid beauty of a woman in total control of her body. Another gorgeous irony, since she couldn’t catch a football unless tossed from fewer than twenty feet. He didn’t care. She didn’t need football on her resume. She straightened, looking like a ski bunny in her purple snow pants and thick white sweater. He wrapped his arms around her and pinned her to the wall with his body.

  “Maybe after the Phantom Tollbooth tonight we can check on those mustangs again.”

  Twice now they’d managed their tryst. He doubted anyone was fooled about mustangs or any other excuse, but the sneaking was a little bit fun. He kissed her, lingering over her sweetness, the scent of outdoors clinging to her.

  In the main house the landline rang. He ignored it, and she delved deeper into his mouth with her agile tongue, rendering him all but indifferent to the rest of the world. He let himself grow drunk on her sweet wine taste and the little sounds of pleasure she couldn’t keep to herself.