Almost Summer (3 page)

Oh, but a girl could dream.

Chapter Four

Alistair poured himself a cup of coffee. It was
early—with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. The sky was awash in pink
and orange, with a few stars still twinkling. The house was quiet before the
start of the day. Even the birds were silent.

He’d awakened more than an hour ago and had tried to go back to
sleep. But he’d finally caught up on his rest and recovered from his bout of
measles. He was energized and ready to begin his day.

Fortunately, Paige had preloaded the coffeemaker the night
before. All he’d had to do was push a single button. A good thing. For all his
medical training and ability in the operating room, he was forever confounded by
simple kitchen appliances. While in New Zealand a few years back, he’d nearly
set his rental house on fire by trying to broil steaks.

He crossed to the refrigerator to get milk for his coffee.
There was a carton in the door, but what caught his attention were the stacks of
food, all neatly labeled. There were salads and casseroles, sandwiches and
soups. In the freezer were even more containers.

Paige had been telling the truth about the generosity of her
neighbors. Not that he’d assumed she was lying, but seeing for himself what had
been delivered was overwhelming. While he knew the help had been as much for her
as for him, he was still surprised that so many would pitch in for a man they’d
never met.

His friend Simon had come to Fool’s Gold the previous summer
for a few weeks. Like every other assignment, this one was to be temporary. But
something had happened during his stay. Not only had he fallen in love with
Montana, he’d found a place to belong. During their brief conversations, Simon
had made the town sound like a paradise. A close-knit community where neighbors
took care of each other.

Alistair had assumed his friend was exaggerating. Now, as he
closed the refrigerator door, he wondered if Simon had been telling the truth.
If so, he understood the appeal. This was the sort of community that he was
meant to return to. A home. Something he hadn’t allowed himself to consider
since the death of his child.

Foolish, he knew. Depriving himself wouldn’t return her. His
baby girl was lost forever. Time had healed the raw edges of his wound, but it
would always be with him.

The back door opened and a pretty, petite redhead walked into
the kitchen.

“Hi. I know it’s early, but I saw the lights on and—” The woman
stared at him, blinking. “You’re not Paige.”

“I am not.”

“Eek.” She took a step back. “You’re the sick British guy,
right? Because if you were a strangler or a thief, you wouldn’t have stopped for
coffee. At least, I hope you wouldn’t.”

“If by
sick
you mean ill, then that
is me.” He held out his hand. “Alistair Woodbury.”

She hesitated, then shook his hand. “Annabelle Weiss. I’m a
friend of Paige’s.” She held out a couple of books. “Paige called me yesterday
and said you were feeling better. She asked me to bring by a couple of books for
you to read.” She shrugged. “Paige said you were at that awkward stage. Healed
enough to get bored, but not so filled with energy that you could do much of
anything.”

An unexpected kindness, he thought. Not only Paige for asking
but her friend for being so obliging. “Thank you so much for taking the time to
drop these off.”

“You’re welcome. One is a history of the area. It’s
interesting.” She smiled. “I have a minor in Maá-zib studies, so I’m biased.
They’re the women who first settled here. A matriarchal society. Very powerful.
Fool’s Gold is still matriarchal, just so you know.”

“You’re saying I should watch myself?”

“Exactly.”

“I will make sure these books are returned to you.”

Annabelle shook her head. “Not to me. To the library. I work
there.”

She was shapely with eyes that teased and a very attractive
smile. “You don’t look like the librarians I remember,” he told her.

“We’ve changed. There was a whole press release issued about
it, but we didn’t get much media coverage.”

He stared at her. “You’re teasing me.”

“Just a little.”

Paige teased him. He had to say the women in this town were
intriguing. Although his interest in Annabelle was merely academic, while his
interest in Paige was designed to get him into trouble.

Annabelle glanced at her watch. “I need to get going. I’m
meeting my friends for breakfast. Heidi gets up before God to milk her goats and
Charlie likes to eat before going to the gym.” Annabelle wrinkled her nose. “She
works out every day. What’s up with that?”

“People are odd creatures.”

“You got that right. Okay. It was nice to meet you.”

“You, too.”

With that, Annabelle turned and left.

Alistair carried the books to the table and sat down. The first
was a novel—a thriller by an author he enjoyed. The second book was, as
promised, a history of the area, with an emphasis on the Maá-zib tribe. He
leaned back and started to read.

Some time later, he heard footsteps on the stairs. Paige walked
into the kitchen.

He would guess she hadn’t been awake long. Her skin was still
flushed from sleep and her eyes were slightly unfocused. With her long blond
hair hanging down loose and her feet bare, she’d shifted from healing angel to
sexy temptress.

Her jeans and T-shirt shouldn’t have been appealing, yet he
found himself mesmerized by the way the denim cupped her curves and the soft,
worn T-shirt was tight across her chest.

“Morning,” she said, sounding sleepy. “Sorry. I’m not a morning
person. Give me a cup of coffee and fifteen minutes and I’ll be human.”

She reached for the coffeemaker, but he beat her to it and
poured.

“Sugar? Cream?”

“Just black,” she said with a sigh. “Hey, you’re a medical
professional. Maybe you could hook me up with an IV. That would be great. I
could get my caffeine undiluted.”

She sipped, then blinked. “Wait a minute. You’re up. Are you
feeling better?”

He was close enough to be able to inhale the sweet scent of her
skin. He wanted to move that last foot or so and take her in his arms and kiss
her into passionate wakefulness.

“Alistair?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. I’m feeling better.” Much better, he thought,
enjoying the sensation of being attracted to a charming woman with a delightful
smile.

“Good. You should probably take it easy today,” she said.
“Tomorrow is the start of the Spring Festival. You’ll want to see that for
sure.” She grinned. “I know you’ve traveled the world and all, but there’s
nothing quite like a Fool’s Gold festival.”

“How fortunate that I’m here right now.”

“Actually we have them all the time. That’s why we’re good at
them. But the Spring Festival is one of my favorites.”

“Then it shall be my favorite as well.”

She sipped from her mug. “You’re just so British.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No. But it might be a little bit dangerous. Because it’s, you
know, sexy.” The second she finished speaking, her eyes widened and she slapped
her free hand over her mouth. “I did not just say that,” she mumbled.

“I’m afraid you did.” Now it was his turn to smile. “I find the
news quite excellent.”

“You do?”

“The queen would be very proud.”

[line space]Alistair spent much of the morning reading in “the
garden” as he called it. From Paige’s perspective, he hung out in her backyard,
which was good. She could avoid him while keeping an eye on him at the same
time.

As she tidied her bedroom and vacuumed the upstairs, she told
herself that her morning confession was not completely her fault. She hadn’t
been awake. No one could blame her for saying something stupid before her first
cup of coffee. Wasn’t there some kind of rule about that?

A little before noon, she headed downstairs and walked
outside.

“I have to work my shift at the fire station call desk,” she
told him. “ I’ll be back about 5:30. Will you be okay on your own?”

His blue eyes crinkled with amusement. “I shall manage. I’ve
been crossing the street on my own for nearly a month now.”

“Very funny. You know what I mean. You’ve been sick and in a
weakened condition.”

“I’m feeling much less weak.”

“Good to know.”

She hesitated, as if there were more to say. As if he were
going to ask her to step closer and…and…And what? They weren’t involved. He was
some guy who’d gotten sick and she’d given him a place to stay. The fact that he
was a handsome viscount and a globe-trotting surgeon ministering to the world’s
unfortunates made him slightly more interesting, but so what? In a couple of
days, he would be going to stay with Simon and Montana. Sometime after that, he
was leaving the country for his next mission, or trip or whatever it was called.
She refused to be attracted to him or worse, fall for him. She might just be a
girl from Fool’s Gold, but she wasn’t an idiot.

“See you tonight,” she said firmly. “Have a good
afternoon.”

“You as well.”

* * *

Paige returned home right on time. She had wanted to
duck out early about five thousand times, but refused to let herself. She worked
her full shift, then stayed after a few minutes to chat with some of the
firefighters. Finally she left for the short walk back to her place.

She let herself in the front door and called out. “Alistair?
I’m home.”

There was no answer. She heard music coming from somewhere in
the back and followed the sound to the kitchen.

Only that room was empty as well. She stepped out onto the back
porch and saw that the small table had been set for dinner. There was a
tablecloth, her mother’s good china and a bottle of wine. Alistair looked up
from the book he’d been reading.

“Hello, Paige.”

Two simple words spoken by a handsome man with a killer smile.
Her toes curled, her tummy danced and somewhere deep in her chest, she felt a
longing that made her ache in places she didn’t know she had.

“Hello.”

“How was your day?” he asked.

“Good. Yours?”

“Quiet. I’ve been reading about the town and its history. This
is a very interesting place. The Maá-zib women are impressive. Threatening but
impressive.”

She laughed. “I’ve heard stories.”

He walked toward one of the chairs and pulled it back. “I’ve
taken the liberty of choosing our meal. If you’d like to have a seat?”

She dropped her purse onto the porch and did as he requested.
He poured them each a glass of wine, then settled across from her.

“I have had a stream of visitors this afternoon,” he told her.
“Your neighbors have checked on me. Simon sent a doctor over to confirm that I’m
no longer contagious.”

She laughed. “I’m not surprised. The man is crazy when it comes
to his wife.”

“He loves her and wants to keep her safe. I understand his
concern.”

The words were quiet—simple and heartfelt. Paige knew he was
thinking about Sara and their baby and how he hadn’t even been in the country
when they’d died. Talk about devastating. But what she wondered was what lesson
he’d learned from the horror. Was it never to give his heart again? To never
risk the pain? Or had he decided instead to make sure the next time he was
there, with his family? Or rather that they were with him?

But before she could figure out how to ask, he made a joke
about the menu and the moment had passed.

They enjoyed a delicious salad and then an entrée of mac and
cheese with chicken and asparagus.

“Not a traditional dish,” Alistair admitted, taking another
helping. “But delicious.”

“I agree. People in this town can cook.”

He studied her. “You love it here.”

“I do.”

“Is that why you haven’t traveled?” He shrugged. “I don’t mean
to drift into sensitive territory, but you’ve made it fairly clear that you want
to see the world. Yet here you are.”

She picked up her wineglass and then set it down. “I meant to
go. Sophia told me to. But I didn’t want to leave her by herself. She was older
and getting frail. Then she died.”

Paige swallowed against the still-painful memory. “It happened
so fast. She turned to me and told me she loved me, then she collapsed. It was a
heart attack. She died immediately. After that, I couldn’t manage to pull it
together. I have a list of places I’d like to visit, but I can’t seem to take
the first step. I’m not sure what’s holding me back.”

She tried to smile, but had a feeling she failed. “She would be
so disappointed in me.”

Alistair moved quickly, standing, then walking around the table
and pulling her to her feet. “She would be no such thing. I’m sure your aunt is
very proud of you.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I can and I do. You took me in without a second thought.”

He was holding her hands in his, which was distracting enough,
but there was also how close they were standing and the way his intense blue
eyes held her gaze. Was it just her or was it hot out here?

“Anyone would have taken you in,” she murmured.

“We both know that’s not true. You’re lovely and giving and
when you’re ready, you’ll take your journey.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am. After all, I’m a viscount.”

She laughed. “Silly me. Of course you must be the knower of all
things. By royal decree, of course.”

“Of course.”

The words were the barest of whispers, spoken as he lowered his
head and pressed his mouth to hers.

The kiss was gentle. A light brush, a teasing touch and then it
was over. She didn’t even have time to catch her breath before he kissed her
again. This time with slightly more pressure.

Wanting stirred. Her hands fluttered in his as she started to
lean in. But just before things got interesting, Alistair straightened.

“Our dinner is getting cold.”

Their what? Oh. Right. Dinner.