Noelle sat at the breakfast island in the Bryants’ oversized kitchen, thumbing through her phone.

“You’re up early.” Dale Bryant, Ashley’s father, headed straight for the coffee maker to pop in a pod. He inspected her over his shoulder. “Do you want anything? Let’s see. We have dark roast, hazelnut, vanilla bean, hot chocolate, and it looks like...apple cider.”

“I'm good, thanks. I’m sorry if I woke you. I was trying to be quiet.”

“You’re good. I can be sound asleep, but when my brain hears an unusual noise, I wake up. It’s my Marine training kicking in.”

“Do you miss it, I mean, being in the military?”

“Once in a while. The Corps was family, but I missed Ashley more.”

“She’s glad you came home.”

“No more than I am.”

Ashley’s dad didn’t fit her image of a highly decorated war hero who received important calls from senators and presidents.

If he’d been in uniform, he might have conveyed a different image, but his well-loved jeans and paint-splattered sweatshirt didn’t look important or highly decorated. She didn’t know him, but he had intelligent eyes, and his casual manner was very soothing. He felt safe, as a father should be. “May I ask you something?”

He hesitated, looked around as if to say, who, me? He settled back against the counter while the tang of coffee filled the kitchen. “Sure.”

“It’s a rather personal question, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

“Go on, ask your question, and I’ll decide if it’s one I can answer.”

She picked up an apple and twisted the stem clockwise. “You lost your wife.” She cranked the stem again. “Hank over at the gas station lost his wife.” She cranked the stem again, and again. “Ethan Brennan lost his wife.” She concentrated on forming the right question. “How does a man know when it’s time to let go of his wife’s memory and move on?”

Dale crossed his arms and assessed her. “That’s a tough one.”

The apple stem broke from the core, and she set it on the place mat, rolling it back and forth. She almost gave up on waiting for Mr. Bryant to answer her question, then his head tilted to the side.

“I didn’t realize I was ready until one day my heart found someone new. You might say Gwen sneaked up on me.”

“So you're saying you didn't know you were in love?”

“Guys tend to be a little slow about those kinds of things. There are times we need to be smacked over the head.”

With a two-by-four. “How did you know you were ready?”

“To move on?” He slid his mug out of the coffee maker. “I think it’s different for each person.”

That’s no help. Noelle played with the fringe on the place mat. “It’s a miracle anyone falls in love.”

Dale’s chuckle was low and soft. “True.” He observed her with a critical eye, although not judgmental. “Ashley most likely will not be up for awhile. Can I give you a lift?”

The purples and pinks of the sunrise were starting to spread over the ridge. “If you wouldn’t mind dropping me in town, I’d like to get my car since I’m leaving for LA today. I can always call Ashley from the road to say goodbye.”

“You better get started before the traffic on I-70 gets bad. Do you have gas in your car?”

Her stomach muscles eased. “Full tank.”

“Tires and battery checked?”

“Hank checked my car over when I arrived.”

“Good.” Dale selected a travel mug from one of the many cabinets in the ginormous kitchen and transferred the steaming liquid into the metal container. “Give me a couple of minutes to put on my shoes. I’ll meet you in the garage.”

She must have been distracted, because it took no time for Dale to drop her off in town, pick up her car and drive to Ethan’s cabin. The weird thing was, the house was dark, and his car was missing.

An unsettled need choked off her air. She struggled to breathe as she walked up the front steps. The door was locked. How odd. She lifted the flower pot and, just as Ethan told her, the house key was taped to the porch.

After entering, she tripped over a large object. Ouch, that hurt, she reached for her shin and hall light with opposite hands. Ethan had brought down her luggage and stacked the cases next to the door. The kennel, cooler, a litter box, and a bag of cat food were also there. She picked up the handwritten note that had fallen to the floor.

Noelle,

I thought you might want to get an early start. Bagged ice is in the freezer. You should find your favorites in the cooler. Have a safe trip. Be well.

Love, Ethan.

Love. He wrote love. Did he mean love...like, real love? She felt nauseous. Hearing the commotion, Trapper appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. “Hey, buddy.”

With his head down, he walked slowly toward her. Her heart stung. Trapper somehow knew she was leaving. Animals always knew. They could sense it...but should she go? Should she stay? The LA gig wouldn’t wait, and who knew how long before she could get booked in the studio? She had to go with LA—that’s what she knew for the moment.

She bent to give the dog a good rub. “You’re stiff today. I can feel the knots in your legs.”

He sat and handed her his paw.

Tears stung the back of her eyes. “I know, buddy. I don’t want to go, but I made a promise to my friend.” She gently released Trapper’s leg.

In the pre-dawn hours, she had lain on the couch and texted her contact information to the number on the back of the card. She received an automated message. Experience had told her “I’ll get back to you,” could take weeks, or even months. She’d learned not to wait.

The stacked luggage by the door twisted and pulled on her emotions. He loved her, but he’d packed her things. Why?

Ethan must want her to go.

It was obvious...wasn’t it?

Otherwise he wouldn’t have put her luggage by the door. Or would he?

She scratched under Trapper’s chin. “I made a promise to meet Jade in LA, so that’s what I’ll do.” The bold conviction was so thin, it could have disappeared with one swipe of the eraser.

Trapper whined. “Oh, please, please don’t do that. You’ll break my heart.” She walked around the perimeter of the living room, then meandered into the kitchen, touching each surface, reliving each conversation. Her fingers flexed, remembering Ethan. His warmth beneath her hands. The way he made her feel. The curve of his mouth when he smiled.

Her heart ached with a longing so strong she fought to take a breath. She fisted her hands holding back tears.

She wouldn’t cry.

Not over a man.

She’d promised herself. Never again.

Cheddar came sauntering toward her. “There you are.” The cat wrapped around her ankles and nudged between her legs. “Hey, fluff.” She picked up her fur-baby. “I missed you last night.”

Cheddar rubbed his chin against Noelle’s face.

“Well, I guess it’s time to go.” She opened the kennel and placed Cheddar inside. “It’s just until we get on the road. Then I’ll let you out. Okay?”

Loading her stuff didn’t take much time. By now she had the system down. She let Trapper out for a quick break, stalling for time, hoping Ethan would return from wherever he’d gone. She let the minute hand of her watch roll in a circle, even though her heart was telling her time had run out.

Locking the door, she rested her hand on the handle. The wind had chilled the metal, but she would only remember the warmth inside. She pressed her hand against the glass. “Goodbye, Ethan Brennan. I hope you have a good life.”

The car keys dangled from her fingers as she walked down the steps.

She didn’t look back.

She couldn’t.

“Hey, Mom.” Noelle called. “I just stopped in to say goodbye.”

Maggie shoved a pen behind her ear. “So soon? It’s not even a decent hour. You sure you can’t stay for breakfast?”

“I need to hit the road, Mom.”

Maggie opened her arms, and Noelle walked into the embrace.

“I love you, baby girl.”

“Love you too, Mom.”

“Let me get your money.” Maggie retrieved an envelope from under the cash register drawer.

Noelle shook her head. “Keep it. The couple of hundred dollars I earned from singing at Jack’s will get me to LA.”

“But, honey, this money is yours.”

“We both know it’s not. My CD collection and stuffed bears couldn’t possibly have been sold for much. I’ve never asked you for money.” Noelle took a deep breath. “I’ve got a good track record going. If you don’t mind, I don’t want to break it now. It’s a pride thing. You raised me to budget, save, and plan. I’d like to think you taught me well.”

“I hope you also learned it’s okay to ask for help sometimes.”

The soft sentiment coming from her ball-busting mother was too hard to take. She took a step back.

“Did you have your talk with Ethan?”

“I was going to, but he wasn’t home, and he’s not answering his phone, so I’ll have to call later.”

“Not home? That’s odd.”

Ted’s face appeared through the grill window. He didn’t appear to be his usual peppy self. And he looked sad. “Heard on the radio there’s a big accident just outside of town. A head-on collision with a couple of fatalities. One car rolled down into the river. It will take…”

Oh, God, no.

Noelle’s heart thrashed against her rib cage.

She ran toward the front door.

Fear blocked Noelle’s ears until everything sounded distant, tinny.

She jumped in her car to start the engine. “Please, please, please let him be okay.” The old Ford pickup in front of her slowed. “Come on, come on! Move, people.”

She thumped the palms of her hands against the steering wheel. Her foot pressed the accelerator, then the brake, then the accelerator, getting as close to the truck’s bumper as possible. She must get to the accident.

“Move. Move. Move. Come on. Turn at the light.”

A held breath whooshed out, and she tapped the brake to put space between the cars in front of her.

“No, no, noooo.” The truck continued straight.

Ethan’s face the night he appeared at her window came to mind. She didn’t realize then how concerned he’d been for her safety.

Her safety.

He did everything he could to make sure she was safe. That’s what doctors do. They take care of people. Like he’d taken care of her. Helped her learn what being protected felt like. Shown her sex could be about giving and receiving.

It wasn’t sex. He’d made love to her. She was sure of it.

He loved her.

He did.

He showed her in so many different ways. Why hadn’t she seen it?

“I’ve been such an idiot.” Her knee bounced a mile a minute with her foot on the brake. Cheddar protested the jerky stop-and-go. “I know. You’re okay.” Please let Ethan be okay.

Painful inch by painful inch, she crept toward the red and blue flashing lights.

“Please let him be okay.”

Several hundred yards from the accident, she couldn’t wait. She pulled to the side of the road, jumped out of the car, closed it to keep Cheddar warm, and ran.

Emergency crew vehicles were scattered everywhere. The accident ahead was blocked from view by fire trucks and a sheriff’s department SUV. Just as she got close enough to see, an ambulance blared, and pulled onto the highway.

“Wait. Wait.”

She waved frantically at the emergency vehicle.

An arm wrapped around her waist. Tears blurred vision. She fought to get free.

“Noelle. Easy. It’s me.”

The familiar voice broke through her panic.

“Ethan?” She jumped, and strong arms caught her. “Thank God you’re safe.”

She tightened her arms around his shoulders. Feeling him against her allowed her to breathe again. She took a deep, savoring breath, filling her lungs with his earthy scent. After the adrenaline stopped hammering through her veins, she slowly opened her eyes to find several deputies and volunteer emergency responders standing in a circle around them.

“Hey.” She waved as the heat of embarrassment brushed up her cheeks.

Jack stepped forward. “Well, boys, what do you think? I’m not sure the jaws-of-life will be able to extract this woman from that man. She seems pretty stuck.”

Ernie adjusted his campaign hat. “I agree, sir. She’s jammed in there pretty tight.”

Ethan’s arms tightened around Noelle, then set her on the ground. “Don’t you gentlemen have traffic to direct, or a couple of cars to get hauled out of here?” He glared at Jack. “My job here is done. The emergency room staff are waiting and can handle things once the ambulance arrives.”

Ethan was protecting her again.

Soft chuckles faded away as Ethan guided her around to the other side of the fire truck, out of sight.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I was, but…”

His hand pressed into her back. “…but?”

“I met this nice guy. He’s smart, and handsome, and he’s not a jerk.”

He leaned in, a smile recreating those facial curves she’d come to adore. “Is this guy someone I know?”

Before she could answer, her phone rang. About to hit ignore, she hesitated, then looked at Ethan.

“I think it’s your friend’s manager.” She bit her lip, unsure whether to talk to him, or answer her phone. “I should have trusted you more. I’m—”

“We’ll talk about that later. Answer the call.”

“Hello?”

“Is this Noelle Conroy?” A distracted male asked.

“Yes.” She held her breath.

“My name is Kurt Morgan.” His voice became clearer, his attention more engaged. “I just talked to Phil Sutton. He’d like to schedule you for studio time.” Kurt paused. “I’ve rearranged my calendar. It looks like I now have an opening on Tuesday from one to four at our studio in Aspen. Does the time work for you?”

Tuesday? As in this Tuesday?

She looked at Ethan, a thrilled tsunami swelling and swamping her entire system. “Yes. Yes, the time works.” I’ll make it work.

“Good. Make sure to bring your music. Phil wants me to look over the songs you’ve written. Oh, and do you mind if a couple of studio musicians sit in? I’d like to get their opinion of the arrangements.”

“No, I don’t mind.” In fact I’m so excited I’m about to pee my pants.

“Good. I’ll see you Tuesday.”

“Tuesday.” She breathed the word as if it had wings.

Ethan looked at her and waited while she gathered her thoughts. “That was the manager from a studio in Aspen. He wants to look over my portfolio of music.”

“I wondered if you had called.” His face lit up like a neon sign.

“I did call.” She laid a hand on his chest. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You were the one who did the hard work.”

“And just think. He liked our song.”

Ethan shook his head. “You mean your song. The one where you were telling me goodbye.” Ethan leaned down to eye level. “It wasn’t until after I got home that I figured out you were saying goodbye. That’s why you got so upset after you finished the song. You were saying goodbye to me.”

She bit her lip. So that’s why you put my things by the door. “I kept thinking about how I would feel if suddenly you were gone. What I would say? What I would do? And there it was. The song practically wrote itself.”

“If I’m not mistaken, there’s a line in there…I’d tell her I loved her.”

“Him. I’d tell him I loved him.”

Ethan’s eyes glazed over, and he looked like a man who’d been clubbed over the head. Dale was right. Men were a bit slow.

Urgent lips captured her mouth. She squeaked with surprise, then in a microsecond settled in to enjoy the bliss. His kiss was insistent. Demanding. He tongued and nibbled her lower lip until one of the guys on the crew whistled. She bowed her head, and let her forehead rest on his chest.

“Noelle, I love you.”

Her heart stopped for just a second before the staccato beat started again, this time at a steady pace.

“Ethan—”

“But I want you to follow your dreams. You need to sing and write songs. I wouldn’t want you to have any regrets. If you decide you need to go to LA, then you need to go.”

“What if LA isn’t my dream? I have a pretty good deal here, and I think Jade will understand. Phil Sutton has been known to make things happen. Plus, you aren’t in LA.”

He kissed her forehead, the corner of her eye, her nose, then drew back. “Why don’t we go back to my place? We can talk there.”

“But I need to find a place to stay and a job and…” He tugged on her arm to get her attention.

“Stay with me.” The words weren’t demanding or controlling, and he wasn’t talking about spending the next few days with him. His eyes spoke of forever—as in ’til death do us part.

“I’ll stay with you on one condition.”

He pulled back to look into her eyes. “I’ve always found the word condition rather unsettling.”

She smiled. “You know conditions won’t kill you. Right?”

His mouth twitched with a touch of humor. “What is your condition?”

“I need you to hear me. When I tell you I love you, I’m not just telling you I love the brilliant doctor or the guy who checks on his patients, I’m telling you I love the guy who goes out of his way to fix me a birthday dinner, and shares his bathroom, and hangs Christmas ornaments just to please a girl. I love you, Ethan. Just you. If I keep telling you that every day, maybe, just maybe, you can find a way to let me in—maybe just a little.”

Ethan kissed her nose, then pressed his forehead against hers. “As long as you promise me you’ll nag me about eating right and exercising, and be patient when I don’t get things just right, then I’ll promise I’ll try.”

“Deal!” Her heart jumped and leapt, then did a pom-pom shuffle. “Okay. Now we have that settled.” She flung her arms in the air, and he caught her in a hug.

She eventually leaned back. “What’s next?”

“We talk. We laugh. We live a good life.”

“Are you sure?” She gave him a stern eye.

“In the past few days, you’ve taught me a thing or two.”

“Like how to smile?”

“And, more.” He nipped at her chin before setting her on the ground. “My mother and Tom gave me insights into what it’s like to live life wishing circumstances were different. I want to get married again.”

“You do?” Shock waves reverberated through her system.

“Yep, and I want to have kids, plant a vegetable garden, and cook you dinners. And no more protein shakes…well, maybe a few. I can’t wait for you to write a lullaby for our first child. You do want kids, right?”

She wanted to wipe the worry off his face. “I’ve always wanted to have a little girl, but I’d take a houseful of boys, as long as you’re their father.”

“Thanks to you,” He stroked her cheek. “I’m not afraid of being a father anymore.”

“Afraid? What were you afraid of?”

“Of never being enough. Never being able to protect the ones I love. Then you showed up, and you challenged my sanitized life by plowing into a snowbank, always losing your keys, and dribbling flour everywhere when you bake. You’ve changed my life. You made me want to be in love again. Believe that I can be enough for the person I love.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You’re the kindest and most generous man I’ve ever met. It would be a waste if you never loved again. You have so much to give.”

“And I want to give my love to you.”

“Stop. You’re making me cry.” She reached for him again, her heart filled to overflowing.

One of the firefighters walked around to the side of the truck. “Don’t mean to interrupt, but we got another call.”

Ethan stiffened. “Do you need me on this one?”

“It’s Lizzy Cranston again. She said there’s an elk stuck in her backyard.”

“I’ll let you deal with Mrs. Cranston this time. I’m sure she’ll call again next week.”

“You sure you don’t want to take this one?” The volunteer firefighter winked, then lifted into the passenger seat. “Just kidding. Thanks, Doc. Appreciate your help.”

Ethan wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back a safe distance as the truck drove away. “Ready to go home?”

She touched his cheek. “Before we go, we need to talk about Brigitte and Callie. They were special people in your life. I hope you know it’s okay to still love them. I will never take their place in your heart, nor do I want to. They helped shape the man you are today.”

“You’re right. Part of me will always miss them, but you’ve taught me there is more than enough room for others. Loving you will be different, but no less special. I’ll protect you, support you, help you make your dreams come true.”

She sucked in a breath. “What about your dreams? You were going to save the world.”

“I realized a long time ago, I never wanted to save the world. Tom was right. I just wanted to heal one person at a time.”

“Well, Doc, it seems we have a plan.”

He kissed her forehead, and then walked her to her car. “One day at a time?”

“Definitely. My plans never seem to work the way I expect them to, anyway.”

He walked along several steps in silence, his feet kicking at the gravel on the side of the road.

Ethan reached to open her car door, but she put a hand on his. “Did I say something wrong?”

He squinted into the sunlight, then studied her face. “I’d better tell you now.”

Trepidation jammed in her throat, and she swallowed hard. “Tell me what? This sounds serious.”

“I think Tom’s my dad.”

Without thinking her hand swung, and she swatted at his arm. “Is that all? You scared the heck out of me.”

“Is that all?” He choked.

“You two look alike. Act alike. Think alike. It’s so obvious you’re related. If he is your dad, it makes sense. At least you have a father…or two.” She lifted up on her toes to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear. “This is a small town, remember? No one gets to keep secrets.”

“Then we had better plan a wedding quickly, before the town plans one for us.”

She sputtered. “How about an engagement party? Then we can plan a wedding.” She kissed his cheek again, then slid behind the wheel. “Will Cheddar and Trapper get to be in the wedding?”

“You can have any type of wedding you want, as long as you’re mine and happy.”

He leaned in through the window and captured her mouth, taking his time. “I love you, Noelle Conroy,” he said against her mouth.

She savored the slow, gentle warmth. “I love you, too, Ethan Brennan.” A thought crossed her mind and her core heated. “Let’s go home. I’ve got an itch I need you to examine.”

“I hope you didn’t get into the poison oak behind the house. Let me see.”

She started the engine. “I guess no one ever taught you the right way to play doctor, Doctor.” She giggled at his heated expression. “See you at home.”

She adored the look on the face she once thought was devoid of expression.

Home. She pointed the car toward Elkridge.

The place where she grew up.

The place she had rediscovered.

The place where Ethan and love lived.

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