Protecting What's Mine(20)

Getting involved with Linc would be a stupid move. No matter how attractive he was. Or interesting. Or heroic. Okay, so maybe she’d joined the nurses in their internal swooning over Linc saving a man and his flowers.

But.

She’d had enough casual relationships carved into her metaphorical bedpost that it was one of the areas she’d vowed to change during the next six months. No flings with sexy hotshots. A six-month cooling-off period would do her good.

Help her decide what was next. What was the smart move?

A figure appeared from the mouth of the lakeside trail at a gallop. Thick dark hair. Sweaty, tattooed torso. Prosthetic leg.

Mack brought her SUV to a stop, leaned out of her window, and whistled.

The runner held up a hand and then pointed to the gold ring on his finger. “Thanks. Married.”

“All the good ones are,” she called back.

He stopped mid-stride and turned to face her.

“Son of a—"

She was out of the SUV and in the sweaty, beefy arms of Aldo Moretta in two seconds flat.

“Doctor Dreamy!” he said, spinning her around in the air before dragging her in for a spine-cracking bear hug.

Joy, fast and fierce, flowed between them.

She’d been there for him on the worst day of his life. Something neither of them ever forgot.

“You said you wouldn’t get here until next week,” he said, crushing her against his chest, her feet still dangling above the pavement.

“Dr. Dunnigan moved up her timeline, so here I am.” She didn’t bother letting him know she’d been in town for a few days. She hadn’t wanted to impose. Had wanted to settle into the rental and routine before she called up her old friend.

“Here you are,” Aldo repeated, beaming down at her.

He had the dark hair and olive complexion of his Italian heritage coupled with the build of a Clydesdale. Everything about him screamed energy, vitality, happiness.

His amputation had barely put a hitch in his stride. His wife, the lovely Latina Gloria, had quite a bit to do with that.

“How’s the hardware holding up?” she asked.

He set her neatly on her feet and danced a jig. “Pretty damn good. It keeps up with me.”

“That says something.” Mack shook her head, her face aching from the smile. “It’s so good to see you.”

He yanked her in for another hard hug. “Back at you. I’m really glad this substitution for Doc Dunnigan worked out.”

“Me, too.” And right now, she was sincerely happy.

A horn tooted behind them. “You got yourself a new lady, Moretta?” A skinny guy in a dirty ball cap was leaning the whole way out of the driver’s side window of a pickup truck that sounded like its spark plugs were rattling loose.

“Mind your business, Carl!” Aldo yelled back good-naturedly. “This isn’t a lady. This is the doc who saved my life.”

“Well, don’t that just beat all. Wait’ll I tell the wife!”

“Try not to impregnate her while you tell her,” Aldo said.

Carl grinned and flipped him the bird.

“Nice to meet you, doc!” He gave another jaunty toot of the horn and then puttered off toward downtown.

“Everyone sure is friendly here,” Mack observed wryly.

“Friendly and nosy. Don’t be surprised if you find Georgia Rae going through your trash.”

“Who’s Georgia Rae?”

“Now why would I go and spoil the surprise?”

A siren chirped, catching their attention. “Aldo Moretta, unhand the pretty doctor lady and stop blocking traffic.” Lincoln Reed’s voice came through loud and clear thanks to the speaker on the chief’s vehicle.

“I see you’ve already caught Lover Boy’s attention,” Aldo said, slinging an arm around her shoulder.

“Not officially,” she deferred.

“Don’t fall for anything he says. It’s all a line,” he teased.

“Just what I need. An interfering big brother,” she quipped.

Arm in arm, they strolled over to Linc’s SUV.

“Aren’t you married?” Linc asked Aldo through his open window.

“Blissfully. And I need to text Gloria immediately before the town starts beating down our door with rumors that I’m making out with another woman in the middle of town,” Aldo said. “So you’re a fan of Doc Dreamy?”

Linc’s grin was slow and just for Mack. “That explains a lot.”

“Ladies’ Man Chief Lincoln Reed, meet Dr. Mackenzie ‘Hero is my Middle Name’ O’Neil,” Aldo said.

Linc held out his bandaged hand. “Real nice to meet you officially, Doc O’Neil.”

Mack accepted it and pretended to ignore the flutter in her stomach when his grip tightened suggestively.

“A pleasure, chief,” she said, the picture of innocence.

“It will be,” he predicted.

“Don’t even start, man. She’s too good for you.” Aldo teased, but Mack caught the flash in Linc’s eyes.

But then his grin grew degrees more charming, his gaze warmer, and she wondered if she’d imagined it.

“Watch out for this one. He’s a connoisseur of the opposite sex,” Aldo said, elbowing Mack. “Linc loves ’em and leaves ’em.”