The Doctor and Mr. Right

He’d generously given her an out, but this time she wasn’t going to take it. What did it matter whose child Finley was? It wasn’t as if Michelle and Gabe were dating. It certainly wasn’t as if she’d ever consider marrying him.

“If you’re serious, I’d like to take you up on your offer, Finley.” Michelle’s smile widened as Finley squealed. “After supper we can talk about the specifics.”

“Ohmygosh, thank you so much.” The words tumbled from Finley’s mouth. “I’ll take good care of her. I promise.”

Of that Michelle had no doubt. “I know you will. I wouldn’t trust Sasha’s care to just anyone.”

Across Finley’s head, Gabe’s eyes caught hers. “Thank you,” he mouthed and a rush of warmth flowed through her veins.

No big deal, she told herself, taking another bite of salad. This was strictly a business arrangement between her and Finley. It didn’t have a thing to do with making Gabe happy. Not one thing.

Gabe had assumed he’d see Michelle at church on Sunday, but she wasn’t there or at breakfast afterward. He’d forgiven her for her comment about Finley being a mistake. There had been times in his past when he’d put his foot in his mouth, too. He believed her apology had been sincere.

He’d hoped for some private time to tell her that and to thank her for giving Finley the dog-walking job. Between taking care of Sasha and her new friendship with Addie, the summer was shaping up quite nicely for his daughter.

His days had begun to fill up as well. During breakfast, David had asked him about serving on a committee for the chamber of commerce. Even though developing a veterans memorial garden was a worthy task, apparently David was having difficulty coming up with committee members.

Gabe was amazed by the energy in the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. There were so many committees and projects that he felt like a slacker for not being involved in one yet. In Philly, he’d belonged but rarely attended. Here it was part of the social and professional fabric of the community.

Joel wholeheartedly supported his involvement, especially because he’d recently backed off his own volunteer efforts. But serving on the committee didn’t mean Gabe could neglect his other job duties. He’d spent all morning on the phone lining up subcontractors for a house they were building near Moose and ordering materials for another job in the mountains. He’d waited until Finley left to take Sasha for a walk before heading downtown.

Even though traffic seemed heavier than normal, Gabe easily found a parking space on the street not far from the coffee shop. He checked his phone before stepping out of the truck, pleased to see his afternoon meeting had confirmed. He was going over the blueprints with some new clients for a home they were building in the Spring Gulch subdivision. But that appointment wasn’t until two o’clock. That gave him a good two hours until he needed to get on the road. Surely the planning meeting wouldn’t take that long.

Hill of Beans had a line at the counter, but Gabe saw Adrianna Lee had secured a large round table toward the front of the store. Gabe had been introduced to Adrianna, the midwife who worked with Michelle, at the After-Hours event. The dark-haired beauty wasn’t a woman any red-blooded male would easily forget.

With her thick chestnut hair, green bedroom eyes and pouty lips, she reminded him of a Brazilian actress whose name he couldn’t quite recall.

Gabe ordered a sandwich and a cola, then brought them with him to the table. “May I join you?”

A look of relief skittered across Adrianna’s face. “I’m glad to see you. For a second I thought this was going to end up being a meeting of one.”

He noticed she’d grabbed a small salad and was dipping her fork into the dressing. Barely enough to feed a bird and a far cry from Michelle’s hearty appetite.

“Who else is coming?” Gabe pulled out a chair and took a seat.

“Yours was the only name David gave me. But he said to plan on four or five, so I got a large table. I feel foolish sitting here with people looking for places to sit.”

“We weren’t starting until 11:30.” Gabe picked up his phone and glanced at it. “Which is now.”

“They may simply be running late,” Adrianna said. “I’m off today, so getting here early wasn’t a problem. If they don’t show, I guess we can do the meeting without them.”

“I didn’t receive any specifics on the project.” Gabe glanced at the portfolio on the table next to Adrianna. “Do you have anything with you?”

Adrianna’s eyes widened. “I thought David gave you the information.”

“I can tell this is going to be a productive meeting.” Gabe chuckled.

Adrianna’s echoing laughter disappeared in a sharp intake of air.

Because she was facing the line at the counter, he assumed the others they’d been expecting—the ones who really knew what was going on—had shown up.

“Are they here?” Gabe turned in his seat. “You’ll have to point them out to me—”

Whatever he’d been about to say died in his throat when he saw the two at the counter. “Are Tripp and Michelle on our committee?”

Gabe wasn’t sure if he wanted the answer to be yes or no.

Adrianna slowly shook her head. “I think they’re on a date.”

Her lilting voice was soft and controlled, but with an undercurrent of tension.

“Wouldn’t surprise me,” Gabe said, remembering Tripp putting his arm around her at the After-Hours event.

The two picked up their food, then scanned the room, obviously looking for a place to sit. When Michelle’s gaze fell on him, Gabe motioned to her.

Adrianna’s smile appeared frozen on her lips.

“They can’t sit with us,” she hissed, her smile never wavering.

“They can until our other committee members arrive.” Even though he understood Adrianna’s reluctance, he couldn’t let friends wander around searching for a place to sit when they had spots open at their table.

As they wove their way through the tables, Gabe noted that Michelle’s sleeveless navy dress made her look completely professional, giving little hint of the curves beneath the fabric. Tripp wore a suit and, unlike the other night, he’d kept the jacket on this time.

“What a surprise.” Michelle glanced from him to Adrianna. “I didn’t realize you two even knew each other.”

“You introduced us at the After-Hours event,” Gabe reminded her.

“Gabe and I are going to be working on the veterans memorial garden project for the chamber of commerce,” Adrianna said quickly, her gaze darting between Tripp and Michelle.

“Just the two of you?” Tripp cocked his head. “Big committee.”

“There’s supposed to be at least four of us.” Adrianna shifted in her seat. “But David didn’t give us their names.”

“And they haven’t showed.” Gabe rose to his feet and pulled out a chair for Michelle. “Please join us.”

“Yes,” Adrianna echoed, her cheeks slightly flushed. “Please do.”

“Because you asked so nicely—” Tripp’s smile was directed at her alone “—how can I refuse?”

Adrianna’s color deepened.

“Your other committee members may simply be running late.” Michelle placed her tray on the table and sat down. “If they show up, Tripp and I will find another spot to sit.”

“Speak for yourself.” Tripp plopped into the chair next to Adrianna. “I like where I’m sitting.”

“Tell us about the veterans memorial garden project.” Michelle stabbed a forkful of dill potato salad but kept her gaze focused on Gabe. “Sounds interesting.”

“You and Tripp should join the committee, Michi,” Adrianna surprised Gabe by offering, the words tumbling from her pouty lips. “We could muddle through this together.”