One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,31

for so long, she doubted that she’d want to go there again on a permanent basis. Though her aunt still lived there, Elizabeth was in Phoenix and who knew where she’d end up after school? Santa Fe was a wonderful place with a diverse culture that called to Piper. She could live here if she wanted. Most hospitals were happy to hire travelers on a permanent basis.

Pulling up her company’s Web site, she searched their database for other assignments. She’d been just about everywhere she wanted to go, so there weren’t too many places of interest left, and she didn’t need to take assignments for money anymore. She had the option of taking a job she loved in a place she wanted to be.

The images on the Web site were designed to be exciting. People who were skiing, at the beach, climbing mountains or fishing in a lake. Those were all things that had enticed her into travel nursing, but after eight years of it, she was ready to settle down. Somewhere. She sighed and left the Web site. Her restless feet had calmed over the years and so many assignments. Now she just wasn’t in a big hurry to go anywhere. She had time.

Now that Elizabeth was going to be living her own life, Piper could live her own, too, couldn’t she? Too much of the last eight years had been spent on other people, and it was time Piper spent some time on herself.

Cruising over to another Web site, she indulged in one of her favorite pastimes that she could take anywhere: shopping.

Taylor pulled into his driveway just as Alex’s cousins returned with him. He’d taken Piper home and lingered in the doorway with her almost too long. The feel, the smell, the look of her made him want to touch her, to kiss her, and to take her down the hall and show her once again how much he desired her. They were both mature adults, right? They could enjoy each other without strings tangling things up. At least that’s how he’d always played it and he didn’t see a need to change that philosophy now.

“Uncle T.!” Alex yelled from the other car and bounded across the driveway with his backpack bouncing along behind him. “Where were you?”

“I just took Piper home.”

“Oh, man. Did you go climbing without me?” he asked, obviously disappointed.

“No, no. We just went out to eat since we missed the picnic yesterday.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay, then. I didn’t want you to go climbing again without me. I’m your new partner now, right?”

“I’d never think of it, Alex.” He held out his hand and Alex slapped him some palm. Even though the thought of taking Alex climbing again made him shudder. “Why don’t you say goodbye, and we’ll go inside?”

Alex collected his belongings from the car and waved. “I’ll see you on Friday,” he said.

“What’s Friday?” Taylor asked.

“They want me to come for a sleepover. It’s Elliot’s birthday. Is that okay?”

Taylor thought. “Sure. I don’t see why not. Does your mom let you sleep over?”

Alex shrugged. “Sure. Sometimes they come to our house, too.”

“Then I don’t see any problem.” As they walked into the house, he thought of Piper. Might be the perfect time to take her on a proper date, too. He’d have to check and see what the Opera House had going on that night.

CHAPTER NINE

THE next week of Piper’s assignment flew swiftly by as Piper and Taylor immersed themselves in their work. There was little time for much else at the moment—work came first for both of them.

E-mails continued to come in from Piper’s sister, but they were vague, leaving Piper feeling strangely disconnected. She felt their bond as sisters slipping and wished that it was different between them. But as Elizabeth found her way in the world, Piper knew that she would have to let go of her sister the way she should. She just hadn’t realized how difficult it was going to be. They had been through some rough times together and their relationship was closer than that of most sisters. Piper sometimes felt as if she was losing her best friend.

Resisting the urge to call every day under the guise of checking in became harder and harder. Piper had been thrust into the deep end of life at age twenty. There had been no choices, no options except to take on the responsibility of her sister. Handing her sister over to the state to raise had been unthinkable.