The Doctor and Mr. Right
Gabe refocused on Nick’s wife. “It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Delacourt.”
“Please, call me Lexi.” She glanced over his shoulder, then gestured with one hand. “Why don’t we sit together? Looks like there’s plenty of room.”
When Gabe turned to see where Nick’s wife pointed, it was the open area next to his neighbor. He hid a smile. Even in church it appeared he couldn’t escape temptation.
He followed the couple to the pew. Nick motioned for his wife to go in first, but Lexi shook her head. “Let Gabe.”
Her husband looked perplexed. “I thought you’d want to sit by Michelle.”
“Oh, we can chat later.” Lexi lifted a hand in a dismissive wave. “It’s best I sit by the aisle in case Grace gets fussy.”
Gabe had been the focus of too many matchmaking efforts over the years not to recognize one. Which meant Michelle didn’t have a boyfriend. Although for the next six months his priority was settling into his new job and helping Finley acclimate to her new surroundings, he might make time for a date or two.
Acting as if it didn’t matter where he sat, Gabe slipped into the polished bench next to Michelle.
She turned from the older couple on her left. “Oh.” Her eyes widened. “Hello.”
It wasn’t quite the enthusiastic greeting he’d expected.
“Good morning,” he said politely before shifting his attention to his basketball buddy. But Nick was talking with his wife in a low tone.
“I didn’t know you went to church here,” he heard Michelle say as the organ began to play.
“This is my first time.” Gabe reached for the hymnal at the same time as she did and their hands brushed. He felt an unexpected flash of heat.
If Michelle experienced the same sensation, she gave no indication. When they rose for the opening song, he ended up sharing the hymnal with her. He didn’t mind. But he caught her glancing around as if looking for an extra book.
His own singing voice was passable, but Michelle’s was, well, simply awful. He couldn’t decide if she was tone deaf or couldn’t read music. She appeared oblivious to how bad she was, singing loudly and with much enthusiasm.
Gabe cringed as she belted out the last note of the song in a higher pitch than everyone around her.
She closed the hymnal, smiled and sighed. “I love to sing.”
“I can see that,” he said diplomatically. In an attempt to ignore the enticing scent of her floral perfume, he fixed his gaze on the pastor.
The sermon was a variation of one he’d heard a thousand times but could never hear enough. The message revolved around good arising out of the trials experienced in life. It was his and Finley’s story. An eighteen-year-old kid propelled into being a parent when he was still a boy. Giving up a football scholarship and college to be a father. Shannon walking out of their lives when Finley was only two months old. The road certainly hadn’t been easy, but his life was so much richer for having Finley in it.
After making it through a Scripture reading by a woman with a lisp and sharing the hymnal with Michelle for several more off-key renderings, Gabe’s ears rang.
After the benediction, Nick turned to him. “While the kids are in Sunday school and youth group, a bunch of us go for breakfast at The Coffee Pot. Care to join us?”
Gabe understood the importance of the invitation. He knew that if he shied away, he might not be invited to join them again. Or if he was, another invitation might be a long time coming.
He glanced at Finley who was laughing with Addie. He didn’t need to ask if she’d changed her mind about staying for youth group. The smile on her face told him the answer.
“Sure. Thanks for asking.” Even though Gabe hadn’t had a lot of time to explore the town, Jackson wasn’t that big of a community. If he knew the approximate location of the destination, he should be able to find it easily. “Where’s the café located?”
“It’s downtown.” Lexi leaned around her husband and flashed Gabe a smile. “Not far, but parking can be a problem. Why don’t you leave your vehicle here and ride with Michelle?”
“Michelle?”
“Didn’t Nick tell you? She’s coming to breakfast, too.”
Michelle saw the startled look in Gabe’s eyes when he turned. And the Cheshire-cat smile on Lexi’s lips.
“What’s going on?” When the service ended, Mr. Calhoun, the older gentleman to Michelle’s left had started telling her a story and Michelle had missed Gabe and Nick’s conversation.
“Gabe is coming to breakfast with us this morning,” Lexi said in a pleased tone. “I told him he could ride with you, because parking can be an issue and you know where it is. You don’t mind, do you?”
The café was less than a mile away, easy to find with simple instructions. And parking? While Gabe might not be able to park in front of the restaurant, he’d for sure find a space within a block of the building. Lexi knew that as well as she did. The gleam in her eyes suddenly made sense. Her friend was playing matchmaker.
Yet Michelle could hardly accuse Lexi of that in front of everyone. And she didn’t want to make Gabe feel unwanted. It wasn’t that long ago that she’d been new in town.
“You’re welcome to ride with me.” Michelle kept her tone light. Just because she didn’t want to date the guy didn’t mean she couldn’t be sociable. “If you want to, that is.”
Gabe smiled and her heart fluttered.
During the drive to the café, Gabe asked a lot of questions about her, then listened as if he was really interested in her answers.
Michelle shared how she’d wanted to be a doctor for as long as she could remember, touched on the rigors of med school and residency. Even though she mentioned she’d once been briefly married, she didn’t share any specifics about that breakup and nothing about her recent dating challenges.
By the time they entered the café, she realized he knew a whole lot about her and she knew very little about him. Of course, she already knew the most important thing…he had a teenage daughter.
After he opened the door for her, Michelle paused in the doorway. “What made you decide to move to Jackson Hole?”
But she never got an answer. Several other couples came up just then, the men recognizing and greeting Gabe, joking about some basketball game. They introduced him to their wives. By the time they reached the table and sat down, the question was forgotten.
Michelle took a seat at one end of the table. Gabe sat down across from her. Ryan Harcourt, an attorney in town, pulled out the chair next to her, his new bride, Betsy, on the other side of him. Betsy was the best friend of Adrianna Lee, the nurse-midwife in Michelle’s office. Ryan and Betsy were eagerly anticipating the birth of their first child in the fall.
“How’s the house coming?” Michelle asked Ryan. The young couple were in the process of renovating a bungalow Betsy had inherited from her great-aunt.
“It’s starting to feel like home.” Ryan glanced at his wife and she nodded. “Of course anywhere with Betsy feels like home.”
“You always say the sweetest things.” Betsy cupped his face with her hand and kissed him gently on the lips.
Out of the corner of her eye, Michelle caught Gabe staring. Before he turned away she saw something that looked almost like envy in his eyes. Apparently whatever had happened between him and his daughter’s mother hadn’t left him bitter.
Michelle didn’t have time to dwell on the matter because the waitress appeared. The older woman with wiry gray hair and garish orange lipstick moved quickly, knowing most at the table had to be back to the church in an hour to pick up their children from Sunday school.
When it came time for Michelle to order, she didn’t hesitate. “I’ll have the farmer’s breakfast.”
By the time she finished giving the waitress the specifics Gabe’s mouth was hanging open.
“Can you really eat all that yourself?” he asked with something akin to awe in his voice.
“Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.” Michelle shrugged, telling herself she didn’t care what he thought. “I follow that old adage about eating like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a beggar for dinner.”
“Well, you certainly look healthy.”
The admiration in his tone made her glad she’d taken a little extra time getting ready this morning. Her cobalt-blue sleeveless dress with a beaded belt at the waist not only flattered her figure but the color also made her eyes look extra blue.
“I’ll consider that a compliment,” she said with a wry smile.
For a second she thought Gabe was going to say more, but then Nick asked him a question. He shifted his attention and she never got it back.
“Come with me to the restroom.” Lexi leaned over and whispered, then pushed back her chair and stood.
Michelle followed her around several tables to the small restroom at the back. “I’ll wait out here.”
“No.” Lexi grabbed her arm. “Come in with me.”
“It’s just a one-seater, Lex—”
“I’m just going to touch up my makeup.” Lexi opened the door and shoved her in first, then followed behind. “You can talk to me.”
Her friend was up to something. And Michelle had a feeling she knew just what it was. The first words out of Lexi’s mouth confirmed her suspicions.
“What do you think of him?” Lexi spoke in a confidential whisper even though they were the only ones in the small room.
“Is that what this is about?” Michelle rolled her eyes and leaned against the wall. “Are you trying to hook me up with Gabe Davis?”
“You have to admit he’s a hunk.” Lexi’s amber eyes sparkled.
“He’s good-looking enough, I guess,” Michelle reluctantly agreed, hoping the admission didn’t come back to haunt her. “But there’s no chemistry.”
Michelle pushed from her mind the sizzling shock she’d received less than an hour before when her hand had brushed against his across the hymnal. And all those times during the service when she had only to inhale the spicy scent of his cologne for her heart to pick up speed. Of course, glancing back at Gabe’s daughter—his teenage daughter—was all it took for her heart to return to normal rhythm.
“Oh.” Lexi’s hopeful expression fell. “No chemistry at all?”
“’Fraid not.” Thank God she wasn’t Pinocchio or her nose would be a foot long by now.
“His loss.” Lexi’s face brightened. “I’ll find someone else for you.”
“Don’t bother.” Michelle pulled a tube of gloss from her bag and applied some to her lips. “Remember, I’ve sworn off men.”
Lexi fluffed her dark hair with the tips of her fingers, then smiled. “Honey, that’s just until we find you the right one.”
Chapter Three
Out of the corner of his eye Gabe saw Michelle enter the bar and grill on the edge of downtown Jackson. It seemed in every town there was always one person he was destined to run into again and again. In Jackson Hole, he was lucky enough for that person to be a pretty female doctor.
Gabe grabbed a handful of mixed nuts from the bar and watched Michelle glide across the room. She exuded confidence. It was as much a part of her as her bright smile.
“Gabe.”
He turned toward the sound of his name and saw Nick Delacourt at the far end of the curved bar. Dressed in a dark suit, the family law attorney looked as if he’d come straight from court. Gabe lifted a hand in greeting.
Nick started toward him but didn’t get far before someone stopped him. In the past fifteen minutes the microbrewery hosting the Jackson After-Hours event had exploded with people. Gabe was glad he’d taken off work a little early. It had given him time to shower and change into a pair of khakis and a green polo with the Stone Craft logo.
Although Gabe had been brought on as a project manager, Joel had made it clear if their business and work styles meshed, he’d have the chance to buy into the company. That meant, what was good for Stone Craft Builders was good for him.
Tonight was Gabe’s opportunity to get to know the movers and shakers of Jackson Hole. And for them to get to know him.
Building a client base was all about relationships. That’s why breakfast on Sunday had been important. But it wasn’t only business. Gabe genuinely liked the couples who’d been at the table.
“I have a question for you.” Tripp Randall, the administrator for the Jackson Hole hospital, returned to the bar.
Like Nick, Tripp wore a suit. But the administrator had already loosened his tie and unfastened a couple of buttons. Since Gabe had last seen him, he’d also ditched his suit jacket.
With disheveled blond hair and scruff on his chin, Tripp looked as if he should be playing a guitar in a coffeehouse rather than running the area’s largest hospital.
Gabe took a sip of beer. “Ask away.”
“Have you overseen the construction of many stables?”
It wasn’t a question Gabe had anticipated, but he quickly rallied. “Not really, but the great thing about Stone Craft is we can be counted on to do excellent work on any project we take on.”
“The company does have a good reputation.” Tripp finished off his beer and glanced around the crowded room. “Where’s Joel? I thought he’d be here.”
“Chloe had a dance recital.” Even though normally Gabe wouldn’t share such personal information, everyone knew Joel’s family was his priority. The desire to spend more time with them had been behind his bringing Gabe on board. Especially because Joel’s wife, Kate, had recently given birth to a baby boy.
Family was Gabe’s priority, too. That’s why working with Joel had been such a good fit.
“Can I get you another draw?” The bartender slid a napkin in front of Gabe.
Gabe shook his head. He’d make the now half-filled glass in front of him last all evening. Since becoming a father he’d lived a disciplined life, knowing the importance of setting a good example for his daughter. He returned his attention to Tripp. “I didn’t realize you had horses.”
“My dad owns a cutting horse and cattle operation. I know he had trouble with response times from a previous contractor he used.” Tripp accepted another beer from the bartender. “If you’re interested in bidding, I can put you in touch with his foreman who can give you the specs.”
“I’ll speak with Joel tomorrow to see what projects we have lined up. But if we can make it work, we’d definitely be interested.” Gabe kept any eagerness from his voice. After all, appearing desperate was never good. “What size of stable are you looking—”
“Michi,” Tripp called out. “Over here. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Mee-shee, Gabe thought, what kind of name is that?
He turned his head and there she was…again.
Gabe met her gaze and unsuccessfully fought to keep a smile from his lips. “Michi?”
“It’s a nickname.” Michelle shifted her gaze to the hospital administrator who’d just looped an arm around her shoulders in a familiar manner. “One you don’t have permission to use, Tripp Randall.”
The words might have been light, but the look in her eyes said she was serious.
“I didn’t know permission was required,” Tripp replied with an easy smile. “Adrianna calls you that all the time.”
Adrianna. Gabe thought back to yesterday’s conversation with Michelle. Adrianna was the nurse-midwife in Michelle’s practice.
“She’s my friend,” Michelle responded.
Tripp brought a hand to his chest in a movement more suitable for the stage. “And I’m not?”
Michelle glanced upward as if looking to the heavens for assistance. But her gaze quickly returned to the administrator as if realizing there were only heating and cooling ducts in the microbrewery’s ceiling. “Of course we’re friends. But no, you can’t call me Michi. I have an image to uphold in this community.”
“You’re thinking what?” A teasing glint lit Tripp’s blue eyes. “Women won’t want their baby delivered by someone called Michi?”
“Something like that.” Michelle’s lips quirked upward. “Of course a hospital administrator named Tripp doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”
“No respect.” Tripp turned to Gabe and jerked a thumb in Michelle’s direction. “See what I have to put up with?”
“Well, I’m here to mingle and I’m not getting much of that done talking to you guys,” Michelle said before Gabe could respond. She attempted to extricate herself from Tripp’s hold, but his arm remained around her shoulder.
“Not so fast.” Tripp chuckled. “I have to introduce you to Gabe.”
“I already—”
“We already—” Gabe stopped as his words overran hers.
Tripp’s gaze lingered on Michelle before returning to Gabe.
“Michelle and I are neighbors,” Gabe informed Tripp.
“We also chatted at The Coffee Pot,” Michelle added. “Yesterday. After church.”
“I’m impressed.” Tripp cast a sideways glance at Gabe. “I’ve been trying to wrangle an invitation for months.”
Gabe couldn’t tell if the man was being serious or not.
“It’s a select group with very rigid requirements.” A smile tugged at the corners of Michelle’s lips. “Church first. Then the breakfast invitation.”
“Harcourt doesn’t always go to church,” Tripp grumbled. “Yet he’s invited.”
Gabe figured Tripp must be referring to Ryan Harcourt, of Ryan-and-Betsy, the couple who’d sat next to Michelle.
“Ryan,” Michelle said pointedly, “is funny and entertaining.”
“That’s it.” Tripp picked his arm up off her shoulder in a slow, deliberate gesture. “I refuse to take more abuse. I’m going to find someone who appreciates all my fine qualities.”
The administrator sauntered off, leaving Gabe alone with Michi, er, Michelle.
He smiled politely. “I didn’t realize you came to these events.”
“I guess we’re even.” She took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter. “I had no idea you’d be here.”
“We should have ridden together.” Even though it wasn’t much of a drive for either of them, it would have been nice to have someone to visit with on the way. Not only that, it’d have spared him walking into the event alone.
Michelle simply smiled and glanced around the room.
He had to admit she looked hot tonight in her black dress and heels. Her hair hung halfway down her back in wavy blond curls that shimmered in the dim light. For someone so lean, she was surprisingly voluptuous.
Gabe jerked his gaze from her cleavage. “I’ve met lots of people tonight. This seems like a prime networking opportunity.”
“That’s why I’m here.” Her gaze continued to scan the crowd.
“You’re a doctor.” He didn’t bother to hide his confusion. “Why would you need to network?”
“My practice is a small one.” She refocused on him. “Just me, another doctor and a nurse-midwife. We’re competing for patients against one of the largest ob-gyn groups in Jackson Hole. In fact Travis Fisher, one of the guys at breakfast on Sunday, is a partner in that clinic. He’s also an excellent doctor.”
Gabe took a sip of his now-lukewarm beer. “When you came to Jackson Hole, why didn’t you join them?”
“I wanted more autonomy.” Michelle lifted one shoulder in a slight shrug. “We deliver very personalized care to our patients and take great pride in that fact.”
Michelle smoothed back her hair with one hand, drawing his attention to the creamy expanse of skin of her neck and chest.
His body tightened and Gabe drew air slowly into his lungs. The intense reaction reminded him how long he’d gone without a woman in his bed.
It had been almost a year. Finley had been in Florida spending a couple of weeks with his parents. He’d been putting in extra hours working construction over the holiday break. One of the accountants in the office was divorced. Neither of them had been interested in anything more than a momentary interlude. It had been satisfying. Pleasant.
But the need coursing through his veins now was a stark carnal hunger. Totally inappropriate for the situation. If there wasn’t a Commandment against lusting after your neighbor, there should be.
Gabe pulled his attention from her breasts and asked the question that had been lingering in his head since yesterday. “Why did you and your husband split up?”
Michelle’s eyes widened even as her lips tightened.
“You must have loved the guy to have married him,” Gabe persisted. “What went wrong? Do you still see him?”
“Do you ever see your ex?” she shot back.
“Shannon and I were never married.” He still felt embarrassed by the admission. In his family it was understood that love came before marriage and marriage came before babies. But Shannon had refused to marry him.
“That doesn’t matter. You made a baby together. That makes her your ex.”
“Shannon has a new family now.” Gabe did his best to keep the bitterness from his voice. He’d never understood—would never understand—how Shannon could walk away from her daughter and pretend she never existed. “She’s not interested in seeing either one of us.”
“Not even her daughter?”
Gabe realized he should have known the conversation would go down this road. But it was a path he had no intention of traveling. The less said about his daughter’s lack of relationship with her mom, the better. “I prefer not to discuss Finley or her mother with you.”
“Well, I prefer not to discuss Ed and where our relationship went wrong with you.” Michelle took a sip of her champagne and cast a wider net around the room with her gaze. He knew she’d found an out when her face lit up. She waved to a strikingly beautiful woman with long chestnut hair standing in the doorway.
“Adrianna came after all,” Michelle said with a relieved smile. “I need to introduce her around. If you’ll excuse me…”
Michelle strode off without a backward glance.
Gabe lifted his glass of beer to his lips and realized he should have asked her about Sasha instead of her ex-husband. Still, he was here to network, not to spend the entire evening talking to the beautiful and sexy woman who lived next door.
But for the rest of the evening Gabe kept one eye on her. Just in case she needed any help of the…neighborly sort.
For the rest of the week, Michelle was too busy to think about her next-door neighbor. But when Saturday rolled around, he was hard to ignore, trimming bushes and watering his lawn, wearing cargo shorts and Nittany Lions T-shirt.
With the thin cotton stretched tight across his back as he cut and pruned, it was obvious he had some serious muscles. Of course it wasn’t as if Michelle was sitting out front in a lawn chair watching him. No, she was walking Sasha around the block while she waited for July Wahl.
July was a friend who’d been a photojournalist before getting into nature photography. She had an excellent eye and had been the first photographer Michelle had thought of when she and her partner had decided to update their website.
They wanted photos on the site to show them looking friendly and approachable. If anyone could make that happen, it would be July.
Michelle was just rounding the corner when she saw her friend pull into her driveway. She tried to hurry Sasha along but the dog would not be rushed. Just as she feared, by the time she reached the front of her house, July had walked over to speak with Gabe.
Ever since the After-Hours event Monday night, Michelle had tried to confine her interaction with her neighbor to a simple nod of the head.
“July,” Michelle called to her friend as she drew close. “Thanks for coming over.”
“My pleasure.” The auburn-haired beauty looked stylish as always in yellow capris, a multicolored scarf belt and white cotton shirt. “Gabe and I were just talking dogs. He owned a lot of different breeds growing up.”
Yep, her neighbor was a true Renaissance man. Sexy. Great listener. Dog expert.
Michelle smiled.
“David and I’ve been discussing getting the boys a puppy,” July said to Gabe. “Perhaps one of these times at The Coffee Pot you’ll let us pick your brain about what breed might be a good match.”