Chapter 6

Colt didn't knowwhy he felt so nervous. He was never nervous around women. One of his gifts was that he was good with people—it's one of the reasons he felt called to be a family doctor instead of taking the surgeon's position he'd been offered after his residency.

His way with people who needed medical care wasn't his only gift. He'd been using his ability to sense moods and the subtle nuances of women since his teenage years. He'd never had a challenge where a woman was concerned, not that he was necessarily looking for one, but his father had always said that the right woman wouldn't make things so easy. And that's how he'd know she was the right one.

Colt pressed the button that led to the top floor of the building and waited impatiently as music played softly on the ride up. He'd told her he was coming back and that he'd bring dinner with him. He was a doctor and she was a patient.

Besides, the state of her kitchen was pitiful. And maybe he could help her unpack. Having boxes stacked about would have driven him crazy. His apartment was ruthlessly organized and neat. He'd learned that emergencies didn't wait for the doctor to find his car keys or shoes. It was best to always know where everything was.

He knocked and heard several barks followed by laughter. His brow furrowed. Why did he hear laughter? Jealousy gripped at his stomach, but he shook it off quickly. That wasn't like him at all, and he didn't know where the feeling had come from.

Be logical, he thought. She didn't have any friends or family in Laurel Valley, and it certainly hadn't been male laughter he'd heard. Then the door opened and the puzzle pieces fell into place.

"Mac," Colt said, arching a brow. "Fancy seeing you here."

She'd changed out of her work clothes and she looked freshly scrubbed. Her hair was still damp from her shower but pulled up in a tight bun on top of her head.

"Does your mom know you go out in public in your pajamas?" he asked, looking at the plaid pajama pants and tank top she wore.

"No," she said, scowling. "And you're not going to tell her. Besides, I'm not out in public. I'm at a private residence. Who's going to see me?"

"Your mom when you walk through the door to go home." She opened the door wider and he stepped inside. And then he whispered, "I heard you've been a busy bee today. I just got a visit from my mother."

"Hmm," Mac said, her cheeks coloring, and then she straightened her shoulders and tilted her chin in a way that reminded him so much of his Aunt Simone he almost laughed out loud. "I just reported the truth as I witnessed it. Besides, lots of people saw what happened to Zoe. When I went over to The Lampstand it was all anyone was talking about."

"I'm sure," he said. "And then you decided to stop by and check on her. You're like the Good Samaritan. Your mother will be so proud."

"Hey, I wanted to make sure she was okay," Mac said.

"What are the two of you whispering about?" Zoe asked from the couch. "You're really bad at it by the way. People were talking about me at The Lampstand?"

"The important thing is you're okay," Mac said, giving Colt a narrowed look. "I came over as soon as I could after work to check on her. Aren't you supposed to stay awake when you have a concussion? What if Zoe was here all alone and she went into a coma. I doubt Chewy could call 911."

"I wouldn't put it past him," Colt said. "And because I got a visit from my mother, it's only fair that your mother knows about your involvement in all this. Gossips never prosper."

"It's cheaters never prosper, you goof," Mac said. "Besides, I'm spending the night at Ginny's anyway. Mom will never find out about the pajamas."

Colt just grinned and ignored Mac's indignant gasp.

"You wouldn't dare," she said.

"Am I missing something?" Zoe asked. "What's wrong with your pajamas?"

"I'm wearing them out in public," Mac said. "If you knew my mother this would make sense. She does not approve of gallivanting about in one's pajamas around town. She's from England. Very proper. And Colt is trying to blackmail me. But I'm not going to cave."

"Ahh," Zoe said, looking back and forth between the cousins.

"You can volunteer a couple of hours at the clinic," Colt said. "It's only fair after the active afternoon you've had giving the replay of our lives."

"You sound just like my dad," Mac said. "He says just because everyone else is talking doesn't mean I need to jump on the train."

"Your dad is a wise man," Colt said, squeezing Mac's shoulder with affection. "Maybe he should give the same speech to Aunt Simone and my mother."

"But it's like I tell him," Mac said. "We're really doing a service for the community."

Colt groaned after hearing words similar to his mother's, and then he looked at Zoe, deciding she probably thought they were both crazy.

"Hey," he said.

Her face was passive and her thoughts were hidden. But he could sense her wariness. Raven had been right. There was a whole lot of hurt behind the fa?ade of what his mother called a "company" smile.

"I wasn't expecting to see you again," she said. "I thought you were kidding about the house calls."

"I told you before I left I'd come check on you and bring dinner," he said. "My mom brought over a lasagna."

"Oh, man!" Mac said. "Aunt Anne's lasagna. You're forgiven, and because I'm about to have the best meal ever I don't even care if you tell my mother about the pajamas. Today is the greatest. Chewy gets paroled, and I get lasagna. You're in for a real treat, Zoe."

Colt sighed, realizing that his expectations for the evening had gone off course. He hadn't expected Mac to be third-wheeling his evening. Apparently, the expression on his face let on more than he'd planned because he caught Zoe's smirk.

"Lasagna sounds great," she said.

"I'll fix our plates," Mac said, taking the dish from his hand. "Come on, Chewy. You can help me in the kitchen."

Colt waited until Mac was gone and then moved toward Zoe.

"I'm not going to bite," he said, his mouth quirking when he saw her draw back farther into the cushions.

"I don't know," she said, relaxing and answering his smile. "For a second there you were looking at me like dinner. I got a little nervous."

"I never bite on a first date. How's your head? Any more nausea?"

"Umm," Zoe said, unsure which thing to address. Embarrassment must have gotten the better of her because her cheeks turned bright pink. "I'm so sorry about that. I don't normally throw up on people when I first meet them."

"I was due for a new pair of shoes anyway," Colt said, noticing the melted ice bag on the table. "You're starting to get some good color on your forehead, but the swelling has gone down some. Keep icing it. And you can take more ibuprofen if you haven't already. Every four hours is fine."

"Good," she said. "The men marching through my skull have been driving me crazy. Everything hurts, and I'm starting to regret buying a condo with all these windows. The sun is not my friend right now.

Colt touched the area around the knot on her forehead, and then he moved her head from side to side gently, testing her mobility. Her eyes fluttered closed and she moaned softly as he stretched a sore muscle in her neck.

He froze at the sound and his breath caught in his lungs. His touch gentled and his thumb rubbed soothingly across her cheek. Her eyes opened and the mossy green orbs stared at him seductively—with yearning—and he watched her breath tremble as she exhaled slowly.

"God, would you look at that view," Mac said, looking out the bank of windows toward the mountains.

The fiery glow of the sun kissed the top of the mountains and cast a palette of colors across the valley—from the palest pink to the darkest orange, and every color in between.

"Just beautiful," Colt said, never taking his gaze away from Zoe's.

"I was totally bummed when you decided not to take this place, Colt," Mac said, their earlier conversation obviously forgotten. Mac never held a grudge.

The spell was broken and Colt took a step back. He needed to catch his breath and get his bearings. He'd never had this kind of reaction to a woman before. He was a man who knew what he wanted. When he was attracted to someone, he made his intentions clear and then the pursuit began. Until it ended. But it had never mattered before, and somehow it mattered with Zoe.

He didn't have steady footing where she was concerned. He wanted to take care of her, coddle her, laugh with her, and make love with her. Not necessarily in that order. And as crazy as it sounded after knowing someone for a handful of hours, he wanted to marry her. His dad had been right—you'll know when you know.

Mac brought in a tray that held paper plates heaped with lasagna, along with napkins and plastic forks.

"Why didn't you take this place, Colt?" Mac asked, handing Zoe a plate. And then she handed another to Colt, completely oblivious to the undercurrents in the room. "Dad said you backed out at the last minute."

Colt took a seat in one of the chairs across from Zoe so he wouldn't be tempted to curl up next to her. He'd almost kissed her. What kind of doctor kissed his patient while she was concussed? He shook his head in disbelief. He was losing his mind. That's all there was to it. His father always said the right woman would drive him crazy. And here was the proof, plain and simple.

"It just seemed like a waste," Colt said, shrugging. "I've got the mountain house and my apartment. It didn't seem like good money management to buy a condo when I'm going to spend most of my time at the clinic anyway."

"Our loss is Zoe's gain," Mac said, clucking her tongue.

"Our loss?" Colt asked, arching a brow.

"Well, yeah," she said, digging into her own bowl. "You don't think you could have a swanky place like this and live in solitude. I'd have volunteered to house-sit. And maybe you could do cousin campouts during the summer. You are everyone's favorite cousin and uncle, you know."

Colt laughed. "There's no point in buttering me up now. This is Zoe's place. And everyone knows Jax is everyone's favorite.

"Who is Jax?" Zoe said, obviously trying to keep up.

"My dad's youngest brother," Mac said. "He was a surprise baby, so he's only a few years older than me. Uncle Jax is the fun one. And the one who always gets in trouble." Then she added as an afterthought, "And the one who always gets the rest of us in trouble."

Zoe laughed but Colt could tell it hurt her to do so.

"We need to let Zoe get some rest," Colt told Mac. "Her head is hurting."

"Yeah, you're right," Mac said. "I'm off tomorrow so I can come by and maybe help you unpack some of these boxes. It must be driving you crazy."

"Not really," Zoe said. "When I'm focused on work nothing else really matters. I'll get to it eventually."

Colt and Mac both stopped and stared at her like she was an alien. To O'Haras, it wasn't cleanliness that was next to godliness. It was an organized pantry and a calendar you could set your watch by.

"I take it by your expressions you both disagree," Zoe said, smiling wryly.

"Maybe I'll bring some of the family to help," Mac said. "They all want to meet you, and they'll have you set up in no time. It would be unneighborly if we didn't help you get moved in."

Colt could tell the announcement was a little overwhelming to Zoe.

"Why would your family want to meet me?" she asked.

"Ahh," Mac said, looking at Colt for help.

"You stepped in it now, kiddo," he said. "Might as well come clean."

"Because I might have told them about you," Mac said. "But only because it's obvious Colt likes you. It was my family duty."

"Better stop while you're ahead, kid," Colt said.

"I'm just saying, I think you're pretty amazing. And now that I've gotten to know you better I know you'll fit right in. Since you don't have family of your own around here we're more than happy to play surrogate. So of course they want to meet you. And I've already told you a lot about the O'Haras and shared a lot of embarrassing stories about Colt, so it'll be good for you to put names to faces."

Zoe's expression went from shocked to incredulous.

"Mayday, Mayday," Colt said, making his whistle sound like a bomb that was about to hit the payload.

"I'll take Chewy out for you before I leave," Mac said, calling for the dog and snapping his leash on quickly so she could make her escape.

Zoe's gaze swung to Colt and she frowned. He could tell she was about to say something to shut everyone out. It was obvious she wasn't the type of person who was used to connecting with others or asking for help when she needed it. It made him want to know more about her childhood and the marriage that had left her cynical and disillusioned.

He could have played off Mac's declaration of his interest in her one of two ways—by easing in slow and easy with the whole attraction and going the friendship route, or by letting her know his intentions from the start and damning the torpedoes. He had a feeling she would normally be more open to the second approach. She seemed a straightforward kind of woman who didn't care for hidden meanings or subtleties in life. He would have preferred that too.

But despite the tough exterior, he wasn't sure she was up for straightforward. She had a protective cloak wrapped around her like a second skin, and he felt compassion for the woman she'd been. And admiration for the woman she was trying to be.

"Laurel Valley is a good place," he said. "A safe place. And the people here will love you, because this is the kind of community that takes care of one another. You'll get used to it. I take it you're not used to small-town living?

"No," she said.

He picked up the plates from their dinner and threw them away, keeping the conversation light and easy as he cleaned up and put the lasagna away in the refrigerator.

"Where are you from?"

"New York," she said, warily.

"Ahh, that explains the skepticism," he said, giving her an easygoing grin. "Don't worry. You'll get used to being neighborly. The people of Laurel Valley will scrub the New York right off of you. Besides, you've still got a few days of recovery time. Enjoy letting people take care of you. Your freezer will be full of meals and this place will be unpacked before you know it."

"I don't know how to deal with that," she said.

"What? Kindness and love?" he asked. "Then you'll learn. And before long you'll be doing the same for the next transplant that moves into town. It's the Laurel Valley way."

Colt figured it was a good time to make his exit. He'd figured out his strategy. Maybe if she learned to love Laurel Valley and the people who lived there—his family included—she could learn to love him.