Only Yours (Fool's Gold #5)(42)

“It’s been great,” she said, rising to her feet. “Thanks for the drink.”

He stood as well. “You’re leaving?”

“I’m saying goodbye.”

With that she walked through the tasting room and back to her car. But when she got there, she didn’t get inside.

She’d barely had five sips of her wine, so she wasn’t worried about driving. Still, she stood in the fading sunlight and fought back tears.

There were times when she missed her husband so much she thought she would rip apart from the inside out. Times when it had seemed impossible to go on. Today wasn’t one of those, because as she stared out at the mountains, she wasn’t thinking about her late husband.

Ralph hadn’t been the one to bring her here. That had been Max. Dangerous, exciting Max, who rode a motorcycle and had kissed like he meant it. Max who had shown her what it meant to be swept away by passion and love.

He’d left, because that was what men like him did. By then, she’d already met Ralph and realized he was the kind of man she could love her whole life. Being with him had been different from being with Max. There hadn’t been danger at all. Where Max had withheld, Ralph had offered.

He’d given her six beautiful children and the happiest years of her life. He’d been her other half. They’d loved each other faithfully long past his passing.

She got in her car and started the engine. While she didn’t believe there was only one great love in each person’s life, she did believe that a man like Ralph wasn’t likely to come along again. That left her with the choice of accepting second best or simply giving up on the whole dating thing.

She drove out of the parking lot and headed for home. If she hurried, she could still join Kent and Reese for dinner, take Fluffy for a walk and lose herself in the familiar. Wasn’t that better than anything a man had to offer?

“YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO, right?” Montana asked. “You’re clear on the rules?”

Reese looked at her with a combination of patience and pity. “We’ve been over the rules three times.”

Probably a good enough answer, she thought. “I’m nervous.”

They were in the hospital elevator, going up to see Kalinda. Montana had left Cece at Max’s place, thinking it would be easier to only deal with Reese for now.

When they exited the elevator, Reese stopped and looked at her. “I’m not going to say anything bad. I promise. I know she looks different and maybe seeing her will scare me a little. But I’ll get over it. I don’t know how she’s feeling, but I’m not a little kid. I know she feels bad.”

“Look at you,” Montana said, feeling impressed. She hugged her nephew. “You’re growing up.”

“Six more years until I get my license.” He grinned. “I know how many days, even.”

She winced. “You probably don’t want to mention it to your dad. I think knowing how close you are to driving would give him a heart attack.”

Reese laughed.

They walked toward the burn unit. Once they were inside, she led the way to Kalinda’s room. Fay met them at the door.

“She’s a little tired,” Fay said by way of greeting. She looked more cautious than excited and Montana suspected she was having second thoughts.

“Are you sure about this?” Fay asked.

Montana glanced at Reese, who nodded.

“Okay, then.”

He drew in a breath and stepped into the room. Without hesitating, he walked up to the bed and smiled. “Hi. I’m Reese. You’re Kalinda, right?”

She was half sitting in her bed, only a few strands of blond hair sticking out from white gauze. Her bandages were in place on her face and arms. The parts of her neck and cheeks they could see were raw. The smell of medicine and sickness seemed to linger in the air, fighting with the scent of antiseptic.

When she didn’t answer, he continued, “Montana told me you can’t get up and move around a lot. I guess that’s why you want a small dog visiting you. My dad and I just got a dog a few weeks ago. Fluffy would sure make a mess of things in here.” He smiled again. “She’s real friendly, but she doesn’t get how big she is. She practically knocks me over with her tail and you should see what she did to the glass dishes on my grandma’s coffee table.” He frowned. “Montana, didn’t Fluffy come to the hospital?”

Now it was her turn to be uncomfortable. “Just the one time. Accidentally.”

Kalinda surprised her by giggling. “I remember. I saw her. Dr. Bradley was mad.”

“He sure was.” She didn’t like thinking about their first meeting. Not that he was any happier with her today.

“Do you like Dr. Bradley?” Reese asked. “I was in a car accident and he did the stitches.” He pointed to the small bandage on his cheek. “He doesn’t think I’m going to have a scar, which is okay, I guess. I wouldn’t mind if I did. I think scars are interesting.”

Kalinda turned away, then looked back. “I have scars. Or I’m going to.”

Reese’s expression turned sympathetic. “Does it hurt a lot?”

The girl nodded. “They give me stuff for the pain. It makes me sleepy. A barbecue exploded. I caught fire.”

Reese pulled up a chair and sat down. “Like on TV? But not in a good way.”