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Chapter Five
Quite how ithad happened that he’d been asked to join the Millers on their outing, Aiden wasn’t sure, but he wasn’t going to complain at spending more time with the lovely Doctor Vivian even if it meant skating in the freezing cold. Surprisingly, Mitch seemed to have thawed a little. Not much, but at least he was civil.
To say he was stunned, when Vivian had run after him to invite him to go skating with them, was an understatement. Walking to his car after leaving their house, he’d accepted he wasn’t going to see the lovely doctor again before he’d leave for Portland. But then she’d called out his name, he’d turned around, and there she was—out of breath and so beautiful, he had nodded his head before his brain had time to process what she’d been asking.
Annie had phoned his aunt, but she’d declined the invitation to join them. She was having brunch with friends and would see him later.
They’d all rented skates and were going around the small lake. Lake was perhaps too grand a word to describe the frozen pond at the foot of Copper Mountain.
The lake was in the middle of the woods about ten minutes outside Marietta and seemed to be a popular place for families with kids, if the number of families on and around the lake was any indication. The small pond was a beehive of activity.
It quickly became clear the three siblings weren’t used to skating. Annie had welcomed his help, but Vivian was skittish and made sure she was on the other side of the pond to where he was. She’d rather fall down time and time again than take his hand.
Stubborn as well as beautiful. Damn, this morning, surrounded by the white world around them, she took his breath away. Dressed in a bright yellow, padded jacket, she turned heads as far as she went. Many people called out to her, and she stopped and talked to everyone who got close to her. He was seeing a whole different side to Doctor Vivian today.
Out of breath, he left the rink to watch Vivian. He wanted to talk to her about what he’d read about her online last night. It was a trashy piece of writing at best, but there had to be story behind the story. Anyone who knew how to use a computer should be able to access the information—strange that the town gossip hadn’t already found anything online.
“You have a thing for my sister?” The voice behind him belonged to Mitch. Apparently, he was still unhappy about something.
Swallowing his irritation, Aiden looked at the big guy. “She’s gorgeous.”
“You haven’t answered my question. You keep staring at her.”
“I’m leaving next week.”
“Still not an answer.”
Aiden shrugged. “It wouldn’t matter if I do. My life is in Portland.”
“If you hurt her…”
“What are you two talking about?” Annie called as she moved toward them on her skates. It couldn’t really be called skating, but she was moving forward.
“Didn’t you say something about a hot drink, Annie?” Vivian had also joined them, rubbing her hands.
“We can get hot chocolate at the same shack where we rented the skates,” Annie said. “It’s not Sage’s but it’s hot.”
“Who is Sage?” Aiden asked as they trudged toward the shack.
“Sage Carrigan has the Copper Mountain Chocolates shop in town,” Annie said. “She buys the cacao beans in Venezuela, roasts and cracks them in her industrial-size kitchen, and apart from making heavenly chocolates, also makes the most divine hot chocolate you’ve ever tasted. You should take Janice—she loves it. It’s next to the flower shop on Main Street.”
“I’ve noticed the flower shop,” Aiden said, remembering the little boy.
As they approached the shack, a mom, dad, and two little boys were getting skates. The one little boy’s face lit up. “Mommy, it’s Doctor Vivian!” he called out and rushed toward Vivian with outstretched arms.
Laughing, she crouched down, and he threw his arms around her neck. “It’s so good to see you, Tommy. How’s the arm?”
Tommy lifted his arm, smiling broadly. “Good as new, Mommy said.”
Annie and Mitch walked toward the counter to order hot chocolates, but Aiden couldn’t look away. Vivian introduced him to the parents, Tom and Sarah Williams, and to their two boys, Tommy and an older brother, Mark. Although the parents smiled and nodded in his direction, their attention was fixed on Vivian. After a few moments of chatting with her, they waved and left. Tommy ran back to Vivian, hugging her legs once more before he darted away.
“You seem to have a devoted fan in little Tommy.”
She smiled. Her whole face lit up, her eyes warmed. “Shame, he fell out of a tree a while ago and fractured the right proximal humerus and distal radius. Both fractures were quite severe and needed surgery. It had been snowing so badly that we couldn’t take him to Bozeman or even Butte so we had to operate on him here. I’m glad he’s doing okay.”
Grinning, Aiden looked in the little boy’s direction. “I have no idea what you’ve just said, but he looks happy enough now.” The little guy looked familiar somehow. Could it be the same boy he’d seen yesterday?
Just then Annie and Mitch returned with steamy mugs of hot chocolate. Other people entered the shack, and Aiden and Vivian got separated from Mitch and Annie. This was his chance.
