The Surgeon's Christmas Baby. Marin Thomas

He was ashamed to admit that he hadn’t thought of Cruz often during the past twelve years—he’d been too wrapped up in his own life and struggles.

      “Cruz and Sara married a month ago. He’s mentoring the boys and teaching them rodeo.”

      “Sounds as if things are looking up for him.” Alonso wished his life was going as well.

      “He’d love to see you.”

      Alonso wasn’t so sure about that. He’d only heard about the night Cruz had been arrested, and he still felt guilty that he hadn’t gone along with him and Vic when they’d confronted the gang leader who’d been banging Vic’s sister. Maybe if he had been there, he could have done something to defuse the situation and Cruz wouldn’t have ended up in prison.

      “What are you doing now?” Riley asked.

      “Sightseeing.” That was the truth. Since leaving Albuquerque he’d seen a lot of rural sights.

      “You sure everything’s all right?”

      Riley had the uncanny ability to sense when Alonso or one of his friends was lying. “I’m fine.”

      “If you say so. Be sure to give Maria a call soon.”

      “I will. Tell her I said hello.”

      “Will do. Keep in touch.”

      Alonso disconnected the call, then returned to the kitchen. “See you later, Luke.” He held the door open for Hannah, then they walked to the pickup. “The days are warm but the nights are growing cooler,” he said.

      “I wonder when we’ll get our first dusting of snow?”

      That was the extent of their conversation until they reached the highway and curiosity got the best of Alonso. “You and Luke don’t have any other siblings or relatives to help with the ranch?”

      “It’s just the two of us.”

      “I have two sisters. Carla lives in Phoenix. She’s been divorced twice but doesn’t have any kids. Lea’s married with two boys. Recently my mother moved to Santa Fe to be closer to Lea and the grandkids.”

      “And your father?”

      “He took off when I was little.”

      “Do you keep in touch with your sisters?”

      “We talk every few months.” He’d phoned his sisters when he’d returned from Afghanistan but had passed up their invites to visit. He wasn’t ready to answer their questions about his time in the military.

      Hannah slowed the truck when she passed a fifty-five-mile-per-hour speed sign. “Red Bluff Diner isn’t far from here.” The road forked and she drove west. “I recommend the bison steak fajitas.”

      “What about regular beef?”

      “They have that, too, but it’s not as tasty.” She smiled. “Try the bison.”

      “I’ll think about it.”

      “Mind if I ask you a personal question?”

      “Go ahead,” he said.

      “What’s up with the hitchhiking? It’s not every day you come across a trauma surgeon thumbing his way through New Mexico.”

      “I needed a break from all the chaos in the ER.” He winked when she looked at him. “They don’t call it trauma for nothing.”

      “I thought all you military guys loved working under pressure. Taking a long walk can’t be near as exciting as saving lives.”

      Saving lives only mattered if the people remained alive. “I like the fast-paced atmosphere of the ER, but the constant stress drains your energy.”

      “How long do you plan to keep walking?”

      “Don’t know yet.” Long enough to clear his head of all the bad memories stored in his brain.

      She flashed a teasing smile. “You should have driven, then you’d see more of the countryside.”

      “I saw enough countryside in Afghanistan to last me a lifetime.” Then he’d returned to the barrio in Albuquerque—another war zone, just different people and different reasons for killing each other. “What about you?” he said. “Did you always want to be a rancher?”

      “I wanted to go to college, but things were crazy at home and someone had to be there for Luke.”

      It occurred to Alonso that Hannah had been taking care of her brother most of her life. “What would you have studied if you’d gone to school?”

      “I’m not sure. Maybe history.”

      “Seriously?”

      “Go ahead and laugh. I have no idea what kind of job I would have gotten with a history degree but I would have enjoyed taking all those classes.”

      “I never pictured a woman being a rancher.”

      “I never thought I’d be managing a ranch, either. But life throws you curveballs, and when I was forced to assume more and more responsibility, I grew attached to the land and the animals. And now I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

      Hannah steered the pickup into a gravel lot and parked. The diner sat on the edge of a bluff overlooking a valley. Spotlights shone across the landscape, which was made up of broken mesas.

      “Nice view,” he said.

      “We’ll ask for a table with a view.”

      When they entered the establishment, an older woman in Native American clothing greeted them. “Hello, Hannah.”

      “Betsy.” Hannah nodded to her dinner date. “This is my friend Alonso. Betsy’s father owns the restaurant.”

      “You’ve got a million-dollar view here,” he said.

      “Follow me.” Betsy led the way to a table by the windows.

      Alonso held out a chair for Hannah, then sat across from her. Betsy filled their water glasses and asked if they’d like to view the drink menu. Hannah ordered a glass of red wine and Alonso a beer. “It feels as if we’re sitting on the edge of a cliff.”

      “Too bad it’s dark,” she said. “On a clear day you can see the Sandia Mountains from here.” When Betsy delivered their drinks, Hannah raised her wineglass. “To helpful strangers.”

      He tapped the neck of his beer bottle against her glass. Hannah was the first person in longer than he remembered who he felt relaxed with—unlike his coworkers, who were high-strung and neurotic.

      Hannah signaled Betsy over to their table. “Alonso has never eaten bison. I thought we’d try an appetizer first.”

      “The nachos?” Betsy asked.

      Hannah nodded. “I promise,” she said to Alonso. “These will be the best nachos you’ve ever eaten.”

      Ten minutes later Betsy delivered the appetizer and Alonso experienced his first taste of bison. “This is good.”

      “Told you so.” Hannah licked her fingertip and Alonso couldn’t tear his gaze from her mouth. Her lips spread in a smile.

      “You’ve got a dreamy look on your face,” she said. “What are you thinking?”

      “I’m thinking that I’d like to—” kiss you “—order the bison burger.”

      “That’s what I’m having.”

      A surge of testosterone swept through Alonso’s bloodstream. He hadn’t experienced such sharp arousal since he couldn’t remember when. He’d gone on a few dates with nurses when he’d joined the hospital staff, but grew tired of always talking about the things that had happened on their shift—none of them had a life outside of