Roots and Wings (City Limits #1)(29)

I had to figure out her name. Between the look on her face each time we’d almost kissed and the way she reacted to me, it was all I thought about.

I could ask someone in town what her name was, but that would be cheating. Like going behind her back. If she wanted me to know, she’d tell me. I think she liked the game. And, in a way, I did, too.

It was a paradox. I wanted to know, but only on our terms.

As I drove back to my house, after showing up in her barn that night, I imagined what it would be like when it finally happened.

Two things were possible.

One. It would be just as good, if not better, than I imagined.

Two. It was possible that when we kissed she wouldn’t feel it like I did.

Something happens to your ego when a woman you love, or think you love, leaves you for someone else. Someone with whom she had already started a relationship with.

It made me think about how she must have compared us. And, the fact was, she hadn’t chosen me. There was a little voice inside my head that hinted maybe I wasn’t good enough. Maybe I didn’t make her happy enough. Maybe I pushed too hard, or came on too strong.

Even though Rachelle said none of those things were the case and that it just happened, a man’s head would play tricks on him. What if these feelings I was having for O’Fallon were just my way of regaining some of the pride I lost?

I was uncertain. Or maybe I was just nervous. All of this was so different. Thrilling and fun. Learning about her and telling her about myself was gratifying. I didn’t feel like there was anything I couldn’t tell her.

She was amusing and spirited. Outgoing and one of the most authentic women—hell, people—I’d ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Sometimes when you meet people you wonder: how are they going to change my life?

And sometimes when you meet the right person, all you can think is what a privilege it would be to change theirs.

I didn’t want to change her, per se. I wouldn’t change anything about her, but, rather, how I could make her life better. How I could make her happy.

I pulled in my drive and, unlike when I lived in Cleveland, I didn’t second-guess the need to lock my SUV. I honestly didn’t need to. No one there even locked their houses when they went out of town. It was the strangest thing.

We didn’t really nail down what I’d make for dinner, the only logical reason I’d gone to her house, but at least I had a handle on what she wouldn’t like.

As I looked through my refrigerator, I made a mental list of the things I’d need, choosing to not go with breakfast. Maybe another night … or morning.

I also decided that I’d go in a little early, and leave a little early, the next day from work. I was only taking a few patients in the mornings, and then helping with overflow in the afternoons if there was an emergency, so it wouldn’t be a problem.

The staff in Dr. Carver’s office was great. The receptionist, Julie, was a mom of three and married to her high school sweetheart. There were also a few dental assistants, Cindy and Valerie, who were best friends and kept the atmosphere in the office energetic and full of laughter.

I was a good fit for the practice. Not to brag, but I was kind of a hot commodity in the small town dentistry community. When I began looking for a practice to either join or buy into, like I had with Dr. Carver’s, I found that someone with my skills wasn’t all that easy to come by.

I was top of my class at the University of Michigan, and extended my education into orthodontics and oral surgery. The kicker was I had experience working with implants, prosthetics, and things of that nature, which made me stand out from your typical general dentist.

I’m not usually cocky, but I kind of had a lot working for me, with respect to my profession.

Finding a place that would feel like home was a more difficult task.

I’d received many great offers, but it had come down to finding the right house in the right town. As it turned out, I loved the bungalow, and the town was turning out to be a great place to live.

The people were friendly and, regardless of their motives, genuinely interested in what was going on in your life. There weren’t many, but Wynne had just enough businesses that you really didn’t have to leave for much. People waved as you drove by and called you by name when you passed them on the street.

And O’Fallon was there.

Funny how things worked out.




The next morning flew by and I found myself checking the clock almost constantly. I was glad time was on my side and the minutes peeled off at record pace.

“I told Dr. Carver and Julie I’m heading out a little early this afternoon,” I said to Cindy and Valerie in the break room, where I found them taking their lunch break together. “I hope that doesn’t cause any issue for you guys.”

They looked at each other and laughed a little. I wondered what it was like to have a friendship that had lasted as long as theirs.

I had one good friend growing up, a friend or two from high school that I used to run into every now and then, and a few more from college, but other than that, I was solo.

“Whatcha got going on tonight, Dr. Renfro? Hot date?” teased Cindy.

I wasn’t sure what to say.

Yes, I did have a hot date, but it felt too personal telling them. It was practically our first official date and I didn’t want things getting all over town before O’Fallon was comfortable with it.