Montana Daddy. Charlotte Maclay

not a taxi service she needed or wanted. Keeping the widest possible distance between herself and Rory was a far better choice, at least until she got her bearings and her courage built up. “I remember where the church is. I’ll be there at seven.”

      “Great.” He stood back from the bed as far as the tiny examination room would allow. “Anything else you need from me?”

      How about a couple of hours of great sex? “No, I think I’ve got everything under control for the moment.” Everything except her suddenly overactive libido. Damn!

      He picked up his jacket from the top of the autoclave where he’d draped it and settled his hat on his head. “Okay, I’ll see you later then.”

      She smiled weakly. That’s exactly what she was afraid of.

      THE TEMPERATURE had dropped and snow had begun to fall by the time Rory walked the couple of blocks to the church. Already the big flakes had covered the bare spots in his yard and turned Main Street slick with the white stuff. If this kept up, as predicted, they’d have a foot of snow by morning. Maybe more. Add some wind and let it snow for a few days, and the disaster-planning folks would have something to do with their time.

      Helluva spring thaw.

      When he reached the church, he glanced around to see if he could spot Kristi walking or her SUV in the parking lot. No such luck.

      The rec hall adjacent to the church felt hot compared to the outdoors, and Rory shrugged out of his jacket. Eric was up front talking with Reverend McDuffy, a gray-haired preacher who managed to mix practical wisdom with his biblical messages.

      Joe Moore, who owned the general store, was chatting with Harold Hudson, the local pharmacist. Pauline Bennett, who’d inherited her husband’s plumbing business stood off to the side. She had access to a backhoe that could be needed in a snow emergency and knew how to fix frozen pipes.

      “Hey, Pauline,” Rory said.

      “Hey, yourself. Heard Kristi Kerrigan is back in town.”

      “Yep.” If the phone lines went down in Grass Valley, the entire town would dry up with no gossip to feed on.

      “She was such a sweet girl. I remember that summer when she visited her grandmother and you two were—”

      “I’ve gotta talk with Eric. Excuse me.” With little grace, he veered away from Pauline. God, had everyone in town known he and Kristi were involved? He supposed so. Being discreet probably hadn’t been on his mind. Still, you’d think after all these years people would forget. Their whole affair had only lasted six weeks.

      Not that he had forgotten a minute of it.

      The door to the rec room opened again, bringing with it a rush of cold air and Kristi, all bundled up in a ski jacket, her vibrant hair tucked under a knit cap. Her cheeks were red from the winter air. So was the tip of her nose. Rory couldn’t remember a more beautiful sight. An eye feast for a starving man.

      He smiled. “Welcome to spring in Montana.”

      “Spokane gets snow, too.”

      “In April?”

      “Well, not like this, I suppose.”

      Eric called the half-dozen people in the room together before Rory could respond. “Let’s gather around, folks. I don’t want any of us to be out in this weather any longer than we need to be.”

      They pulled some chairs together in a circle. Rory made sure he was sitting next to Kristi, their chairs nudging each other’s so there could be a chance brush of their thighs, denim to denim. A graze of his forearm across hers, sweater to sweater. She wasn’t married. Available, according to Doc Justine. What was the matter with the guys in Spokane? Why hadn’t one of them snapped her up by now? Not that he wasn’t grateful for a second chance.

      Distracted by the sweet fragrance of Kristi’s apple-scented shampoo, Rory had trouble following Eric’s comments. The only emergency he felt was the strain against the fly of his jeans. It’d be damn embarrassing to pop the zipper just sitting here. He’d have to fake it, saying something about how they don’t make zippers like they used to. Nobody would believe him, though. They’d know damn well he still had the hots for Kristi. He always had.

      Slowly he became aware the room had gone quiet. He looked around to find everyone staring at him.

      “So what do you think?” Eric prodded.

      “Um, about what?”

      Eric made a vague gesture with his hands suggesting he knew Rory hadn’t been listening. “Are we going to have cattle getting into trouble in this storm?”

      Rory straightened in his chair. “Not if the ranchers have been paying attention to the weather reports. They’ll bring the cows into their home pastures.” He glanced toward Pauline. “Some of them might still need your backhoe to get in to feed them but mostly I’d say they’ll be okay.”

      Joe Moore said, “In my experience, it’s folks that do something stupid in a bad storm, not dumb animals.”

      “Let’s hope everybody has enough sense to stay off the roads,” Eric commented. “I don’t have any urge to start digging folks out of snowbanks.”

      “There’re a couple of families that live hand-to-mouth,” Joe said. “If the storm lasts too long they could be in trouble, and the phone lines will go down first thing.”

      Reverend McDuffy spoke up. “I’ll get the cots out and ready in case we need to use the rec room as a shelter.”

      “I can use my snowmobile to transport supplies or people if they need to get to the shelter,” Rory volunteered.

      “Or if they’re injured,” Kristi added, “you can bring them to the clinic.”

      Harold finally spoke up. “I’ve got a good supply of pharmaceuticals on hand for anybody who gets sick.”

      “Right.” Eric nodded and glanced around the room. “I’ll keep that in mind. But let’s hope things don’t get that bad. Well, it looks like we have our ducks in a row. Unless anyone can think of something else, I think we’re done here. Thanks for coming tonight.”

      Rory didn’t want to drag out the meeting any longer than necessary, and he stood when the rest of the group did.

      “Can I walk you home?” he asked Kristi.

      “I drove, thanks.”

      “Oh, okay. You got chains?”

      “Snow tires and four-wheel drive.” She made for the door. “I’ll be fine.”

      “Maybe I should drive you. It was really coming down hard before the meeting.”

      She nailed him with an annoyed look. “It’s all of two blocks back to the clinic, and I have driven in snow before, Rory. I’ll manage.”

      He grimaced. “Right. You’ll be fine. I was just thinking how cold and wet I’m going to get walking back to my place. But that’s okay. I’m used to this kind of weather.”

      Her blue eyes cut through him like lasers. “You’re trying to make me feel sorry for you, aren’t you?”

      “No, not me.” He fought a grin. “Well, maybe a little.”

      She threw up her hands in defeat. “Oh, all right. Come on. I’ll drive you home.”

      “Want me to follow you, Kristi?” Eric asked. “The roads are a mess.”

      She visibly clenched her teeth. “I think I can make it.”

      “And you don’t need any protection from my brother?”

      “Not in this lifetime,” she muttered, stalking toward the door.

      Making a fist, Rory make a threatening gesture toward his brother. “Follow us at your own risk, White Eyes.”