by Pamela Toth
“Sorry for eating like a ravenous wolf,” he said with an unapologetic grin. “I couldn’t help myself.”
Zoe peeled back the wrapper of her burger. “No problem.” Following his lead, she took a large bite.
“Your parents must be proud of you,” he said while she chewed blissfully. “Any other doctors in your family?”
Mouth full, she shook her head as a little boy in the booth behind her began to fuss. A gaggle of teenagers walked by, talking loudly and elbowing each other as though they were afraid no one would notice them if they weren’t obnoxious. A woman in a fringed vest made a selection from the jukebox, swaying to the old Elvis song that began to play.
“So what do they do?” Chris persisted over the noise.
Between bites, Zoe slid into the kind of social banter that had been drilled into her since babyhood. “My mom sells real estate and dad’s in The Business.”
“The Business?” Chris echoed, looking puzzled.
For a moment she had forgotten that she wasn’t in L.A. “Movies,” she said shortly.
She hated talking about the subject because people always expected him to be famous, like Spielberg and Tarantino. “He’s a director. Most of his stuff goes straight to video.”
To distract Chris from more questions, she asked one of her own. “How about your family? Do they all live around here?”
“Just my sister, Faith,” he replied. “She’s with County Rescue, out of the firehouse. Maybe you’ve seen her bringing someone in.”
Zoe shook her head, ignoring the child behind her who was kicking the back of her seat. “I saw her picture in the newspaper after she saved that little boy. She’s very pretty.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” he replied with a grin. “My sister is already a pain in the butt.” For a moment, his smile faltered and his gaze dropped to the basket in front of him. “Naw, that’s not true,” he corrected himself. “I’m proud of her. When she’s not pulling people out of collapsed mine shafts, she works at the sporting-goods store. Have you been in there?”
“Me?” Zoe asked with a laugh. “No way.”
He tipped his head, studying her. “Not the outdoor type?”
“Not really.” Zoe’s idea of roughing it was a hotel without room service. “What about the rest of your family? What do they do?”
“My folks moved to Arizona after dad retired and both my other sisters followed the lure of big-city lights.”
“Where do they live?” Zoe asked, surprised that she had finished her burger without noticing.
“Missoula.”
She burst into laughter, having expected him to say they lived somewhere like Portland or Seattle. But Missoula?
“What?” he demanded, looking puzzled. “What did I say that’s so funny?”
How could she possibly explain? “Nothing.” She waved her hand in a gesture of dismissal before eating a pickle slice that had fallen out of her sandwich. “I’m sure Missoula is very nice.”
His gaze narrowed suspiciously, but he didn’t press her further.
“And you’ve always lived in Thunder Canyon?” she asked.
When he told her that he had gone to medical school in Chicago, their conversation drifted briefly back to their careers while she ate the last of her fries and he drank his soda. When she glanced at her watch, she was stunned to see that an hour had passed since they’d arrived at the diner.
“I didn’t realize it was so late,” she exclaimed, picking up her bill. “I need to get going.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” He slid from the booth and got his wallet from his pocket.
She ignored the little flicker of disappointment that he hadn’t tried to talk her into staying longer. Maybe the time hadn’t flown for him.
After he’d put on his hat, he helped her on with her coat. She could feel his breath against the sensitive skin of her neck. For a moment she tried to imagine what a real date with him would be like.
“How was everything?” asked the cashier when they paid for their burgers.
“Very good, thank you,” Zoe replied.
“Best burgers in town,” Chris added.
Zoe zipped up her coat as he opened the door. After the cozy warmth of the diner, the brisk wind was like a slap in her face.
“The temperature here goes up and down like the stock exchange,” she grumbled as they walked to their cars. “It’s warm back home.”
“I hear that you don’t have real seasons in California,” he replied. “How can you appreciate summer if you haven’t had to get through the winter first?”
“I don’t need snow to make me appreciate a little sunshine,” Zoe argued.
When they reached her car, he waited with his hands stuffed in his pockets for her to find her keys. “Thanks for keeping me company,” he said quietly.
“Thanks for suggesting it.” She unlocked the door and got in while he held it open. “You were right about the food.”
Before she could pull it closed he leaned down, and she forgot to breathe.
“I’ll see you at work,” he said. “Take care.”
Before she could recover her ability to speak, he straightened, his expression in shadow.
This dinner had been a mistake, Zoe realized, her heart thudding as he sauntered away. One that she wasn’t about to repeat.
Chapter Five
“Anyone home? Hey, Topher, you here?” called out a familiar female voice.
Only one person still called Chris by that particularly annoying childhood derivative of his name. It never failed to set his jaw, which was no doubt the reason she persisted.
He was in the laundry room where the noise from the washing machine’s spin cycle had probably drowned out his sister’s knock on the door. He pushed the button to start the dryer load of towels and underwear.
“Yo, Faith, I’m in here!” he shouted. “Faith!” Wiping his hands on his jeans, he shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen.
She stood inside the back door with Ringo, who gazed up at her with naked adoration on his furry face.
“Hey,” she said, smiling. “I was beginning to think you’d fallen down the basement steps.”
“Hey, yourself,” Chris replied, attempting to glare without much success. “I’m training Ringo to attack anyone who calls me that.”
The dog ignored Chris.
Smiling sweetly, Faith unzipped her jacket. “Got any coffee?”
“I’ll make some.” He gave her a quick hug. Even though a certain amount of harassment was part of his duty as a big brother, the two of them had always been close.
Before he dropped his arm, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “If I’m not interrupting, that would be nice,” she said.
Chris busied himself with the coffee. “You’re saving me from doing housework,” he said over his shoulder, “so bless you for that. Where are Cam and Erik? I thought that since you got engaged, you three have become inseparable.”
“They’re spending the day doing guy stuff.” She got a dog biscuit from a cookie jar shaped like a fireplug and gave it to Ringo, who accepted it carefully and carried it over to the rug by the back door.
Faith pulled a bar stool out from the island and made herself comfortable. “Cam’s gone from being overprotective of Erik to being determined to make up for lost time. Last week, Cam signed him up for baseball. Today they drove into Butte to go swimming.”
Chris set the sugar bowl on the counter and got out two mugs while the coffee perked. “Weren’t you invited to go with them? I thought Erik was nuts about you.”
“He is, just like his dad.” She rested her elbows on the counter and wrinkled her nose. “I have to work this afternoon, so I thought I’d come out here and bug you first. How’s the new horse working out?” She had watched several of Chris’s calf-roping competitions in the past.
“Denver’s coming along. I’m taking him over to Shorty Carlstrom’s spread to run a few calves next week.”
“Your lif
e must be a thrill a minute,” she drawled. “How do you stand all the excitement?”
“It’s a constant struggle,” he deadpanned. “Speaking of thrills, have you set a date yet?”
Seeing the way her sudden smile filled her face and lit up her eyes nearly brought tears to his own.
“We’re discussing it.”
He tipped his head to the side as he studied her. “When you aren’t heating up the sheets?” He considered the blush that stained her cheeks to be fair payback for calling him by the hated nickname “Topher.”
“Sounds like you could use a little sheet-heating of your own, big brother,” she remarked. “Don’t tell me you’ve already run through all the single nurses at TCG.”
“I’m saving myself for someone special.” If she knew he was attracted to anyone, she’d never let him forget it.
“She’s out there,” Faith said softly. “Don’t give up.”
“Why is it that people in love want everyone else to be paired up as well?” he demanded without expecting a reply. Their mother bugged him all the time to settle down with someone and give her grandbabies.
“We want everyone to be as happy as we are,” she explained. “Ever since he pulled me from that erosion hole, my life has changed so much….” She glanced away, but not before he glimpsed a sheen of moisture in her eyes.
He knew that commenting on her momentary weakness would make her uncomfortable, so he pretended not to notice as he filled two mugs and slid one across to her.
“You deserve to be happy, Sis.” He had to clear his throat to get rid of the lump. “You know I’m glad for you,” he added.
When they’d been kids, he had always been able to provoke her temper and then play the innocent when their parents questioned them. Despite the normal teenage power struggles, he and Faith had always shared a stronger bond than he felt with his two younger sisters. Since Faith’s bitter split from her ex, she and Chris had grown even closer.
For a moment, they were both silent as they blew on their steaming coffee.
“You going to the pub for the St. Pat’s Day celebration?” he asked.
She nodded, tucking a strand of blond hair, lighter than his own, behind her ear. “I think Erik has something after school so we’ll be along later.”
“Half the hospital will be there after work as usual.” He sipped his coffee. “Have you heard from anyone in Missoula?” he asked reluctantly.
“Hope called a few days ago.” Faith rolled her eyes. “As usual, she and Jill were bickering about something or other, but I didn’t pay a lot of attention,” Faith admitted. Despite their frequent squabbles, the younger Taylor siblings shared an apartment.
Chris reminded himself that it was only natural for them to be closer to their elder sister than to him, but it still stung a little. The only time either of them called him was to ask for help, usually financial.
“They resent me.” He didn’t realize that he’d spoken aloud until he noticed Faith’s startled expression.
“No, that’s not true,” she protested, reaching over to pat his arm. “They just want to feel independent.”
It was his turn to roll his eyes.
“Give them time to grow up,” she urged. “You aren’t responsible for the choices they make.”
He fiddled with the handle of his mug. “You’re right. I guess old habits just die hard.”
Their parents had always made it clear that they expected him, as the eldest and the only boy, to watch out for his sisters. He still felt protective of all three, so it was hard to keep his mouth shut when he wanted to give advice, such as when Faith had gotten involved in rescue work and when the younger girls had decided to move away. Given a choice, his chauvinistic side would keep them all under glass—at least until they got married and he could hand them over to the next protective male.
Perhaps if he concentrated on his own situation, he wouldn’t have the time or energy to obsess over his sisters.
Faith cocked her head to the side and studied him with a serious expression.
“What?” He tried not to squirm. Had she somehow guessed his thoughts?
“So tell me, how is everything with you?” she asked as she examined a scratch on the back of her hand.
He shrugged, not yet ready to voice his interest in Zoe Hart. “Work has been crazy with all the new people in town. You’ve seen it, too.”
“I hear you,” she drawled, shaking her head. “The county’s resources have been stretched to the max protecting the newbies from themselves.” She opened her mouth and then closed it again. “You’re trying to distract me.”
He struggled to look innocent as she took a drink of her coffee. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he blustered.
She always seemed able to smell it when he was being evasive. Now her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she set down the mug. “You’ve got that goofy grin of a male who’s met someone.” She wagged her finger at him. “Are you sure it’s not one of the nurses?”
Before he could think of an evasive reply, her cell phone rang from inside her purse.
“Sorry.” She dug it out and glanced at the screen. The corners of her mouth twitched into a grin before she subdued it, letting Chris know that it certainly wasn’t the dispatcher on the other end of the phone.
“Um, mind if I take this?” she asked, blushing as she glanced around the kitchen.
The last thing he needed while in his own single state was to be forced to listen to a mushy conversation between his sister and her new fiancé.
“I need to get the mail.” He signaled Ringo with a snap of his fingers. “Tell Cam hello for me.”
As Chris walked down the front steps with the dog at his side, the sound of the joy in his sister’s voice as she answered her call echoed in his head.
For once the panoramic view from his driveway failed to move him as it usually did. Instead he felt unexpectedly empty and alone.
“See Dr. Taylor in curtain three, Dr. Hart,” said the triage nurse when she spotted Zoe. The E.R. was so busy this evening that Dr. Chester had sent Zoe down to help out.
Before she could ask any questions, a woman grabbed the nurse’s arm. “I’ve been waiting for over an hour,” she exclaimed forcefully. “I need something for this migraine.”
“I understand, Ma’am.” The nurse eased free of the woman’s grip. “We’re doing everything we can to speed things up. If you’ll go back to your seat, I’ll see if I can find someone.”
“I want some attention now!” The woman’s voice became shrill, so the nurse herded her back to the waiting area under the security guard’s watchful stare.
The woman was still arguing when Zoe walked away. She hadn’t gone ten steps when Marty rushed up to her. His red hair was standing on end and his face was shiny with perspiration.
“What are you doing here?” Zoe asked. “Why aren’t you in Pediatrics?”
“Three people went home with food poisoning,” he replied. “I’m slammed. Got time to check out an old man with stomach cramps?”
“Sorry.” She knew what that led to and she wasn’t about to fall for Marty’s ruse. “Points for the effort, though,” she called over her shoulder.
She didn’t recognize the officer from the Thunder Canyon Police Department wearing a tan uniform and a heavy green jacket standing outside curtain three. When he saw her, he glanced at her name tag before making eye contact.
“Dr. Taylor called me,” she explained. “What’s the problem?”
The officer touched his fingers to the brim of his dark tan Stetson. “Female victim slapped around by her boyfriend. A neighbor called it in when she heard all the yelling.”
“Was she assaulted sexually?” Zoe asked.
“She says not, but she’s pretty sore. He split her lip and he banged her around pretty good.”
Zoe’s heart sank. This situation was always a difficult one to handle without letting compassion get in the way of professionalism. Shoving down her deep
sense of outrage, she composed her features into an expressionless mask. Before she could enter the cubicle, Chris came out. For once there was no sign of his country-boy grin as he drew both her and the officer away from the curtain.
“Thanks for coming down, Dr. Hart,” he said quietly. “We’ve got a forty-three-year-old woman with a blackened eye and some other visible bruising.” His gaze shifted to the officer and then he looked back at Zoe.
“It doesn’t sound as though a rape kit is indicated,” he continued. “If that changes, see if she’ll talk to a counselor from the women’s crisis center in Butte and then be sure to have someone call there.”
“I’ll need to finish my report on Ms. Minsky when you’re done,” the officer interjected, holding up his clipboard.
“She pressing charges?” Chris asked.
Officer Task shrugged. “If not, we’ll have to cut him loose real soon.”
“I’ve got to sew up a prospector’s hand, so Carrie will help you,” Chris told Zoe. “Send for me if you need help.” For some reason he hesitated. “You okay with this?”
“Of course, Dr. Taylor,” Zoe replied calmly even though her insides were churning. She’d handled much worse, but battered women always affected her deeply.
“I’ll wait right here,” the officer said.
“Someone will get you a chair and a cup of coffee,” Chris told him. “Black?”
When he nodded, Zoe saw Chris signal an elderly volunteer, hand him a dollar from the pocket of his scrubs and gesture toward the officer, whose attention had been diverted by a pretty blond nurse. Zoe was impressed by Chris’s thoughtfulness in the midst of the chaos going on around them.
As the volunteer headed toward the vending machine, the door from the ambulance entrance burst open and two attendants rushed in with a gurney.
“Dr. Taylor!” called the triage nurse. “Incoming!”
He hurried away without a backward glance and Zoe took a deep breath before entering curtain three.
