The M.D.'s Unexpected Family

by Cindy Kirk

  “I didn’t realize you and Cassidy were dating,” Lindsey said with undisguised delight.

  “She cuts my hair,” Zach informed him. “She’s an interesting woman. How long have you two been together?”

  “They’re not dating.” Suzanne practically shouted the words. When everyone turned to her in mild alarm, she visibly pulled herself together. “I simply meant that for some reason, instead of spending the evening at his cousin’s wedding, Tim chose to spend it elsewhere.”

  Her gaze shifted to Lindsey. “And you were out of town.”

  To Tim’s surprise, his sister simply laughed. Though their mother’s comments usually got Lindsey’s back up, it appeared that today, not even her mother’s caustic comments could quash her upbeat mood.

  If that was what a week in Denver accomplished, Tim decided he needed a Colorado vacation.

  “What’s put a bee in your bonnet?” Lindsey’s tone was almost teasing. “Veronica was always Sarah’s friend, not ours.”

  A look of sadness crossed Suzanne’s face. Even though it had been over a decade since Sarah had died and they all felt her loss, no one felt it more acutely than Suzanne.

  Of her three children, Sarah had been Suzanne’s favorite and a source of endless pride.

  Lindsey gazed down at the glob of gravy on her whipped potatoes and for a second turned green. Looking away, she took a sip of water and appeared to settle. “All I’m saying is it’s not like Veronica would care whether Tim or I was there.”

  Suzanne blinked back tears. “I cared.”

  Thankfully, the girls were too involved with flipping corn chips at each other to notice the tremble in their grandmother’s voice. Normally, Tim would have reprimanded his daughters for playing with food. This time, he was grateful they were occupied.

  “Ah, honey.” His dad reached over but Suzanne shook off his hand.

  “A family event,” she said with added emphasis. “And neither my son nor my daughter deigned to show up.”

  “That’s not fair, Suzanne.” Zach’s voice held a warning.

  “Okay, you and Lindsey get a pass,” Suzanne conceded before her gaze shifted.

  Tim kept his eyes steady on hers. “If I’d been with Jayne you wouldn’t have cared if I missed the reception.”

  “I could understand that behavior,” his mother admitted. “But Cassidy Kaye? Really, Timothy, what were you thinking?”

  He was spared from answering when a cat with a dark head, white body and raccoon-like tail leaped onto the table.

  Suzanne jumped up so quickly only her husband’s fast hand saved her water glass from tumbling over.

  Undisturbed, the cat glanced around, saw the bread basket and batted a bun from the stack with one swipe.

  Suzanne gasped, shrieked. “Get him off the table, Steve.”

  Her husband reached for the cat, who backed out of reach, almost upsetting the gravy boat.

  The girls giggled.

  Tim knew he should help but instead sat back in his chair, enjoying the show.

  His sister rolled her eyes then rose and scooped up the animal, cuddling him against her chest. “Poor sweet kitty,” she crooned. “Did they scare you?”

  The cat’s tail swished back and forth, and Tim swore the animal gave his mother a smug smile. He took in the dark head, the white body and the striped tail. He turned to his father. “Is that Runt?”

  “He’s now known as Domino.” Steve stifled a smile as his wife made a shooing motion at her daughter, apparently not content to have the cat simply off the table. “The boy needed a proper name.”

  “I thought you weren’t going to keep him.” Ignoring the chaos, Tim took a sip of wine.

  “We’re still working on finding him a home.” Steve gazed speculatively at his son and lifted a brow.

  Tim raised a hand. “We’ve been down this road. Perhaps when the girls are older.”

  “Taking the cat home might soften up your mother.”

  Tim watched Suzanne usher out Lindsey and the cat. He took a contemplative sip of wine then shook his head. “Nothing will ever change her mind about Cassidy.”

  “You need to follow your heart, son.”

  Tim looked at his father in surprise. “Cassidy and I are simply friends. I doubt I’ll be seeing her again.”

  “That surprises me,” Steve said.

  “That I won’t be seeing her again?”

  “That you’d let your mother dictate your actions.”

  Before Tim could protest that wasn’t it at all, the women returned without the cat. Calm descended over the table and Cassidy wasn’t brought up again.

  * * *

  For Cassidy, the next few weeks sped by like a locomotive on crack. Every person in Jackson Hole seemed determined to get their hair cut before Independence Day. In addition, Cassidy had now done wedding hair three weeks in a row.

  Hallelujah, she had this evening free. Unfortunately, she’d been too busy working to line anything up with her friends.

  This morning she’d colored her hair a rich chocolate brown with burnished gold highlights. Because she liked to coordinate hair with clothes, she slipped into a recent consignment store “find,” a vintage-style gold-and-brown floral dress with spaghetti straps and a scooped neck. The colors and style might be more subdued than what she normally wore but it suited her mood this evening.

  No doubt about it. She looked incredible.

  All dressed up with nowhere to go.

  Not entirely true. Wally’s Place was always an option. There would be friends enjoying the live band or playing a game of darts. Heck, she might even hike up her skirts and ride the bull again.

  For some reason the thought held little appeal without Tim there to cheer her on. She longed to see him again but that wasn’t going to happen.

  Always the perfect gentleman, Tim had called the day after Veronica’s wedding. He’d thanked her for the dinner, the Oreos and the run. He hadn’t mentioned the make-out session on the sofa. Or getting together again.

  They’d both known whatever there was between them was destined for a short run, she thought philosophically. They led busy lives. His revolved around home and family. Hers revolved around growing her business.

  She was an independent woman and very capable of entertaining herself. Cassidy considered her options. Perfect Pizza had a new cream-cheese-and-pineapple pizza she’d been dying to try. She’d grab a slice and go from there.

  After satisfying her hunger cravings and running one little errand, she would check out the action at Wally’s Place. If there was nothing going on, she’d come home, kick off her cowboy boots and cuddle up to Glory in Death.

  Because as every woman knew, the next best thing to a man in your bed was a good book.

  * * *

  After dropping Esther and Ellyn off at a friend’s house for a birthday sleepover, Tim automatically steered the car in the direction of home. As he pulled to a stop at the intersection where he should turn, he abruptly changed direction.

  Instead of eating leftover casserole, he’d pick up a pizza. Then he’d head home, put up his feet and relax while enjoying a slice of pepperoni. Maybe he’d watch a movie. There was a new horror flick out he wanted to see.

  The thought brought back memories of The Fly and that last night with Cassidy. An evening he’d enjoyed immensely.

  Tim pulled into a parking spot down the street from Perfect Pizza and got out. He liked Cassidy, liked her a lot in fact. But he could see himself getting too involved, too serious, too quickly. Marriage wasn’t in his game plan.

  Having two daughters and a busy career left little time for anything else. He wasn’t one of those guys who could do it all. Caro had always accused him of not having enough time for family. Looking back, he could see she was right. He would
not let another woman down.

  Cassidy was beautiful, intelligent and sexy. The spirited entrepreneur deserved to be with a guy who could offer her more than a fling. But she had to be someone who wouldn’t try to change her, who wouldn’t want to squeeze her into some square box.

  Stepping inside the door of Perfect Pizza, Tim paused and inhaled deeply, letting the enticing scent of spices, tomato and garlic envelope him.

  “Tim.”

  Before he could turn fully, he was enveloped in a hug.

  “Lindsey.” Genuine pleasure laced his words. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  His sister was a pretty woman with blue-green eyes and hair the color of burnished bronze. Tonight, she glowed. After years of living in her sister’s shadow, she’d come into her own in recent years. It was obvious she was content with her life and happy in her marriage.

  “Join us. We have a table and our pizza should be out any second.” Before she even finished speaking, Lindsey looped her arm through his and pulled him into the dining area.

  “I don’t want to crash your date night.”

  “You’re not crashing,” she said. “Neither is Cassidy.”

  Tim’s senses went on high alert. “Cassidy?”

  “She came in by herself. We invited her to join us.”

  Cassidy looked up and smiled when he reached the table. “Hey, Tim.”

  “Hey, Cass.” Though he told himself to play it cool, when her smiling blue eyes met his, he grinned.

  An hour later, Tim had eaten way too much pizza and talked way too much. That was Lindsey’s fault. She’d always had a way of drawing him out.

  Cassidy shared that same talent. No wonder they seemed to get along so well.

  “Enough shop talk.” Tim raised a hand when Lindsey asked him another question about pregnancy, of all things. Though he was grateful for her interest in his practice, he didn’t want to monopolize the conversation. “You said earlier you were here celebrating. But I know it’s not your anniversary.”

  Lindsey exchanged a look with her husband.

  Cassidy took a sip of soda and angled her head.

  “We want to keep this our little secret for now, so you have to promise not to tell anyone.” Lindsey’s gaze shifted between him and Cassidy.

  When they both agreed, his sister took a deep breath and grabbed her husband’s hand. “We’re pregnant.”

  “Ohmigod.” Cassidy squealed then flung her arms around Lindsey’s neck. “Congratulations.”

  Tim raked a hand through his hair. He’d expected this announcement eventually but the realization still left him slightly off balance.

  “My kid sister is having a baby,” he murmured. “I can’t believe it.”

  “Aren’t you happy for us?”

  Hearing the hurt in Lindsey’s voice, Tim pulled himself together and grasped her hands tightly in his. “Extremely happy. You and Zach will be great parents. The girls will love having a baby cousin to spoil.”

  “We’re over the moon,” Zach admitted, a smile lifting his lips. “We’ve decided to wait until after the first trimester to make the announcement.”

  The OB in Tim surfaced. “Have you seen a doctor?”

  “I saw Travis last week,” his sister said, referring to Tim’s partner, Dr. Travis Fisher. “He said my hormone levels are right where they should be and the heartbeat is strong.”

  “If I’d have known you were celebrating, I wouldn’t have intruded,” Cassidy said.

  “Me, either,” Tim added.

  Lindsey gripped one of Cassidy’s hands then squeezed Tim’s. “I wanted so much to share the news. Having you both here gave me that chance. But remember...”

  His sister released their hands and mimed zipping her lips.

  “What about Mom?” Tim asked. “Have you told her and Dad the good news?”

  “I want to tell her.” Lindsey spoke haltingly. “But...”

  When his wife’s lips began to tremble, Zach reached over and took her hand.

  “You know how she can be. She’ll only magnify my fears with her own worries.” Lindsey’s eyes beseeched him to understand.

  Tim zipped his lips shut. “Sealed.”

  “Double sealed with duct tape,” Cassidy said and made Lindsey smile.

  They talked a little while longer before his sister began to yawn. Zach insisted they call it a night. After a flurry of hugs and well-wishes, the happy couple departed, leaving Cassidy and Tim alone at the table.

  Cassidy immediately began rummaging in her bag, pulling out a few crumpled bills and adding them to the tip Zach had left.

  “I suppose I should head home, too.” But, like Cassidy, Tim remained seated.

  Cassidy clucked her tongue. “You realize, Doogie, that going home at eight o’clock on a Friday night is pretty pathetic?”

  He angled his head. “You got something better in mind?”

  “Not really.” She gave a little chuckle. “I have to run a quick errand, so my night is looking almost as pathetic as yours.”

  “Want company?”

  When she shot him a curious look, he lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. “Might as well have a boring evening together. What do you say?”

  She stared at him for a long moment then grinned, a devilish gleam in her eyes. “What the hell. If you can’t live dangerously, what’s the point?”

  * * *

  Tim and Cassidy stepped out of Perfect Pizza into a warm June evening. They strolled down the sidewalk, he in jeans and sneakers and Cassidy in a flouncy dress with matching cowboy boots. In the shimmering light, the streaks in her hair reminded him of spun gold.

  There were some women—like his mother and Jayne—who rarely changed their clothing style or hair. Then there was Cassidy, who changed hers almost daily. He liked the variety and the way she rocked a dozen different looks.

  “What’s the errand?” he asked when she gestured for them to turn south at the corner.

  “A client left her wallet at the salon. It’s difficult for her to get around, so I said I’d drop it off.”

  When Cassidy gave the street name, he nearly flinched. But he schooled his features, remembering the area commonly considered the “wrong side of the tracks” was also where she’d grown up. “That’s nice of you to do this for her.”

  She waved a dismissive hand, her glittery nails dancing in the light. “Anyone would do the same.”

  Tim considered her words, nodded. “That’s what I like about Jackson Hole. Everyone helps each other. I’m trying to teach my girls to be good neighbors and friends.”

  “You mentioned they’re at a birthday party this evening?”

  “A sleepover.” He shook his head. “When did they get so big?”

  Cassidy slanted a sideways glance. “Since you have the entire night free, I’m surprised you’re not with Jayne.”

  Perhaps because he’d had this discussion earlier with his mother, Tim’s temper spiked. “Why does everyone persist in thinking I’m attracted to Jayne when I’ve made it clear we’re only friends?”

  Anger and irritation simmered beneath the words but Cassidy only smiled.

  “In my case, it’s probably because I’m still getting to know you.” Cassidy sounded almost cheerful now. “It’s difficult to really get to know a person, because most of the conversations people have tend to be superficial.”

  “True. Even when we ask questions, we often don’t listen to the answer.”

  Flashes of blue, yellow and pink at his feet caught his eye. He glanced down and realized it was Monopoly money. A favorite game of his growing up. “What games did you play as a child?”

  Cassidy chuckled as if he’d made a joke.

  “I’m serious.” Without his gaze leaving her face, he kick
ed a basketball from the sidewalk back into a weed-strewn yard. At her continued silence, he gestured with one hand. “Think of it as a question to help us become more intimately acquainted.”

  He wasn’t sure why he’d included the word intimately. Yet, there it was, hanging in the air between them.

  “If intimacy is your goal, I know lots of ways you and I can become more intimately acquainted and not a single one has to do with games.” She placed a glitter-tipped finger against her mouth. “Though perhaps it might be fun to incorporate a game or two...”

  Tim laughed. Trust Cassidy to put her own spin on an innocent question. “Just answer.”

  An odd look filled her eyes. “You first.”

  Because of the money strewn across the sidewalk, Monopoly came first to mind. But almost immediately, another memory surfaced. “Word-find games.”

  Cassidy’s brows pulled together. “Come again?”

  “You know, where you have a whole page of letters and hidden words are embedded.” Tim smiled, remembering. “My mother would make up four sheets appropriate to each of our reading levels every week. She’d time us. Five minutes per page. Whoever found the most words in the time allotted would win the round. After four rounds, the overall winner was chosen.”

  Instead of teasing him about always winning—which was true—Cassidy hesitated. “Your mother did that? Every week?”

  Tim shot her a puzzled look.

  “That took a lot of work. I mean, there were three of you.”

  “You’re right.” He heard surprise in his own voice. In his anger over her meddling, it was easy to forget everything his mother had done—and continued to do—for her family.

  There was no time to say more as Cassidy came to an abrupt halt in front of a ramshackle white house with peeling paint, ripped-off shingles and a yard without a single blade of grass.

  She took a tattered wallet from her bag and shoved it into his hands. “Hold this a sec.”

  Her hand dived back into the bag the size of Texas and came out with a twenty. She took the wallet back from him and slipped the bill inside. Cassidy’s grin flashed. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like a surprise.”