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“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.
