One Summer in Santa Fe - By Molly Evans Page 0,46

either.

Couldn’t she live without being needed? Must she have some sort of earth-shattering chaos in her life to be happy?

Without fail, on every assignment, someone voiced envy for her lifestyle, the adventures, the travel. Sure, she was a traveler and moved around a lot, but all she needed was one good excuse to stay put somewhere. One good reason was all it would take, and she would stay.

One good man to ask her.

Now she knew staying in Santa Fe was pointless. As soon as she got home, she was calling her company to end her contract early. Since Taylor wasn’t officially in her life, there was no reason to include him in the decision. No reason at all.

This wasn’t going to be her last assignment after all. Wiping her face again, she checked her mirrors and pulled onto the road.

Staying now would only be more pain than she could handle.

CHAPTER TWELVE

DAYS passed with Taylor in a foul mood. He hadn’t seen Piper at work for most of the week, not even in passing. She was on a rotation of night shifts while he remained on days. He’d heard from his colleagues that this was her last week at the hospital. She’d obviously decided to cut short her assignment. He supposed that was for the best but, damn, it just didn’t feel right leaving things this way. He wanted to see her, even if it was at work. That didn’t sit well with him, either. He didn’t need anyone. He lived a single life and liked it that way. At least he had until Alex and Piper had burst into his life. The quiet that had once seemed therapeutic now created the opposite effect in him.

Restlessness as he’d never known plagued him night and day. The evening runs at the park weren’t enough to put his black mood to rest, even when he pushed himself harder than ever. Dreams of soft sighs and softer kisses haunted him.

He needed some action. Caroline would be returning in two days, so he could get back to his usual routine and perhaps that would be the answer he needed. He reached for the phone and called Santa Fe Jumpers. He hung up after a disappointing call. Full. Every damned day for the next two weeks. Tourists filling up the dockets. So he’d put in a reservation for weeks away, but that wasn’t going to ease the emptiness in him. He needed action, and he needed it now.

He knocked on Alex’s door on Saturday morning. “Hey, sport. Let’s get out of here and go do something.”

Alex opened the door. “Like what?”

“How about mountain biking? Or we can to go Tetilla Peak. I need to get out of here and go do something physical—how about you? Exercise your muscles a bit and get some fresh air. Shake off the cobwebs.”

With a vague shrug, Alex said, “I guess.”

“A little enthusiasm would be nice,” Taylor said with a sideways smile.

“I’ll get my hiking boots.”

“I’ll get the rest.”

No sooner had they set foot on the trail than a summer storm struck, soaking them to the skin in minutes. They raced back to the car and climbed in.

“How about Plan B?” Taylor asked, and wiped his wet face with a hand. Normally, the rain wouldn’t bother him, he’d faced worse weather over the years. But with Alex along, he couldn’t take the chance of him getting sick when his mother was due to return in two days. He was in the home stretch and didn’t want to screw anything up now.

“What’s that?”

“Dry clothes. Pizza. Movie and arcade.” What almost-teenager wouldn’t jump at that?

“Awesome, especially the dry part.” Alex shook his head like a wet dog and sprayed them both with water.

Taylor laughed at the kid’s antics. He was going to miss him. The laughter dropped right out of him and the smile faded from his face.

This was what Piper had been talking about.

This is what he had resisted for so long and now, right here, slapping him in the face, was his own admission that he was going to miss it, miss Alex. He glanced at Alex as he started the car. How had this happened? He was a confirmed bachelor. How had he succumbed to the lure of home and hearth? Piper, that’s how. Alex, that’s how. He’d never opened his eyes to the possibilities until they had overtaken his life, and he’d allowed them to without much in the way of resistance. Maybe subconsciously he’d wanted it and not