The Surgeon's Christmas Baby. Marin Thomas

caught himself returning her smile.

      “We’ll leave the baler out here and take the tractor to the house. Let’s head home and eat.” Hannah drove while Luke and Alonso crowded in beside her.

      “You don’t really like cutting hay,” Luke said.

      “Sure I do.”

      “I bet it’s not as exciting as being in the military.”

      “Depends on your definition of excitement.” Alonso despised movies that glorified war and made superheroes out of men and women who were ordinary people marching off to work each day. “But I get where all this might become a little boring if you grew up with it.”

      Luke poked Hannah’s shoulder. “My sister loves working seven days a week all year long. But I don’t want to be a rancher.”

      Hannah kept her eyes on the path. The rigid set of her shoulders told Alonso that she’d had this conversation before with her brother.

      Alonso sympathized with the teen. He doubted Luke had had much excitement in his life. His parents were no longer alive and his sister was all work and no play.

      Hannah parked the tractor by the barn. “We’re having leftovers for supper.”

      “Your chili’s gross.” Luke stuck his finger in his mouth and made a gagging noise. “My sister’s cooking sucks.”

      “If you don’t like the chili, then make your own meal.”

      “Why don’t I take everyone out to eat?” Alonso said. There had to be a fast-food restaurant within ten miles of the ranch.

      “You’re not buying us dinner,” Hannah said.

      “I don’t care what you guys do. I’m microwaving a frozen pizza.” Luke hopped down from the tractor.

      “Do you like your chili over rice or plain?” she asked Alonso.

      “I’d rather take you out to eat. Save the chili for tomorrow.”

      Hannah fought a smile. “Luke’s being a stinker. My cooking isn’t that bad.”

      Alonso laughed. “Let me take you out.”

      “There’s a restaurant down the road with a great view.”

      “That works for me.”

      “You’re welcome to use the shower in the house.” She walked off and it took a whole lot more effort than it should have to pull his gaze from her swaying hips. It was a toss-up as to whether he was more excited about getting clean or sharing dinner with a pretty girl.

Chapter Three

      This isn’t a date.

      No matter how many times the voice in her head repeated the sentence Hannah couldn’t stop feeling a little bit excited about going out to dinner with Alonso. She hadn’t been on a date since she’d returned Seth’s engagement ring two years ago. She’d been so busy with the ranch and chasing after Luke that she hadn’t had the time or the energy to care about her love life.

      Sadly, she’d enjoyed the three short months she’d been engaged to Seth—before she’d discovered his motive for marrying her. Seth had been her first serious relationship and he’d spoiled her. He’d taken her dancing, to the movies and brought her flowers for no reason, and she’d soaked up the attention. For a brief while she’d believed she’d found the perfect partner to go through life with. But it hadn’t been real for Seth. He’d led her on and had made a fool of her. The experience had left a bitter taste in her mouth and Hannah wasn’t eager to rush into another relationship. But there was nothing wrong with enjoying an evening with a good-looking man.

       It’s not smart to go off alone with a man you barely know.

      Gut instinct said Alonso was harmless. He was a surgeon—surgeons healed people; they didn’t hurt them. Besides, she could take care of herself.

      She ran a brush through her long hair, then divided the strands into three sections and braided it. After buttoning her Western blouse and pulling on a pair of fresh jeans, she slipped her feet into cowboy boots, then spritzed perfume on her neck and studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked nice but not desperate. Good.

      When she entered the kitchen, Luke was eating pizza at the table. “I want to get my car from Connor’s.”

      She thought of reminding her brother that the car belonged to her and she only let him borrow it, but she didn’t want to start another fight. “I’ll drive you out there tomorrow.”

      “Can I do something later if I can get a friend to pick me up?”

      “No.” Was he crazy? “I want you to stay in and go to bed early.” He needed a good night’s sleep, because tomorrow they had to finish cutting the hay and repair the broken fence.

      “Where are you and Alonso going to eat?”

      “I’m taking him to the Red Bluff Diner.” That Luke gave up arguing with her over going out with his friends was odd, but maybe he was more exhausted than he let on. “Keep your phone handy in case I need to get hold of you.”

      The creak of the bathroom door drifted down the hallway, then a moment later Alonso entered the kitchen, wearing clean jeans and cowboy boots—not the hiking boots he’d had on earlier. His tight black T-shirt showed off his muscular chest, and a hint of his tattoo peeked below the hem of his sleeve. And the beard was gone. Now he looked more like a medical doctor—the ones you saw in TV shows and movies. The only real-life doctor she knew was seventy-four-year-old Doc Snyder, who ran the clinic in town.

      Hannah took the pen and notepad she kept on the counter and handed it to Alonso. “Would you mind writing down your cell phone number in case we have an emergency?” She ignored Luke’s snort.

      “Sure.” He did as she asked, then he removed his wallet from his back pocket. “Keep this business card.” He handed it to Hannah.

      Juan Alarez Ranch For Boys.

      Alonso grinned at Luke. “If we don’t come back, call that number. Riley Fitzgerald’s been a friend of mine for a long time.”

      “I told you my sister thinks you’re a serial killer,” Luke said.

      Hannah rolled her eyes. “If you two are finished making fun of me, then—”

      Alonso’s cell phone rang and he checked the number. “Speak of the devil... Will you excuse me a minute? I have to take this call.

      “Hey, Riley.” Alonso retreated down the hallway and stopped by the front door.

      “Didn’t I warn you about ignoring Maria’s phone calls?” Riley chuckled.

      “I’m sorry. I’ve been busy.”

      “Apparently not too busy. Maria phoned the hospital and they said you’d taken a leave of absence. What’s going on?”

      Alonso swallowed a groan. “Everything’s fine. I needed a break from the ER, that’s all.”

      “Why don’t you visit the ranch? We could use an extra hand with the boys.”

      “Thanks for the invite. I’ll think about it.” With all the bad in the world, Riley’s call reminded Alonso that there were a few good people left who gave a damn about helping the less fortunate.

      “Don’t know if Maria told you or not, but we built a new medical clinic at the ranch.”

      “Don’t tell me she’s putting Band-Aids on the kids in addition to teaching school.”

      “Not anymore. We hired a full-time nurse. As a matter of fact, she’s married to Cruz.”

      “Cruz is out—” Alonso glanced down the hallway,