When the guacamole was finished and placed between them, she leaned forward. “You are going to love this. Seriously, it’s amazing. Everyone goes on and on about the margaritas they serve here, but I think they’re missing the point.”

She offered him the chips, then waited while he sampled the dip.

“Well?”

“Very nice.”

She rolled her eyes. “You need to work on your superlatives. Nice is a clean toothbrush. This is life changing.”

She scooped up some with a chip and popped it in her mouth. “Mmm. Perfection.”

He wanted to tease that she should get out more, but didn’t. Nothing about Montana needed changing.

“How are the puppies?”

“Growing. If you look at them long enough, you can see it happening. Oh, and last night there were no accidents.”

He’d learned in his lone overnight stay at her house that getting the puppies up at two in the morning for a potty break didn’t mean they weren’t going to pee on the floor.

“Progress.”

“I know. Now I’m waiting for them to get through the night. The 2:00 a.m. thing is getting really old. How are things at the hospital?”

“Good.”

He was tired, Montana thought, watching him as he told her about a difficult surgery. Working too hard. But that was probably always the case. He did as much work as he could in the short time he was around. Not that she was going to think about him leaving. Better to enjoy him while he was here.

“Montana! So nice to see you and your young man out in town.”

Montana looked up and winced. “Hello, Gladys.”

Gladys had been a fixture in Fool’s Gold for a lot longer than Montana had been alive. She was a good-hearted sort of person but often spoke her mind, and in a scary kind of way. She was the sort of person who made everyone around her cringe and then couldn’t see what she had said that was the least bit awkward.

She patted Montana on the shoulder and leaned down to speak in her ear. “Too bad about his face, but I bet the rest of him is working just fine.”

Montana didn’t know whether to scream, hide under the table or run for the mountains just outside of town. She hoped that Simon hadn’t heard the comment, but when she glanced at him one eyebrow was raised.

“Sorry,” she mouthed silently, then turned to Gladys. “You make me crazy, you know that, right?”

An unrepentant Gladys grinned. “Then my work here is complete.”

She straightened, waved at Simon and walked away. Montana covered her face with her hands.

“This is when I think I should’ve stayed in L.A. I never ran into anyone I knew there. Maybe it was better.” She dropped her hands to her lap and looked at him. “How mad are you?”

“I’m a little offended that you didn’t defend my honor.”

She frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“You didn’t tell her how great I am in bed.”

“Is that what you wanted? I’m sure I’ll be invited back to the city council in the next week or so. I can put it on the agenda.”

He picked up his glass of iced tea. “I would appreciate that.”

“If I really did that, you wouldn’t know what to say.”

“I’m not so sure.” His gray-green eyes sparkled with humor. “The first few weeks I was here, everyone was very polite. Now I’m getting not-so-subtle hints that I should live in Fool’s Gold permanently. Oh, and yesterday, some old lady in a tracksuit told me I should make an honest woman of you.”

Montana winced. “My guess is you ran into Eddie and, yes, that does sound like her. Sorry.”

“Don’t be. This is a good place. I like it here.”

“I have a PowerPoint presentation illustrating all the reasons you should consider relocating here.” She kept her tone light and made sure she was smiling as she spoke. She wanted him to think she was kidding, and she was, sort of. “Color graphs?”

“What is a PowerPoint presentation without color graphs?” She reached for another chip. “Doesn’t this happen everywhere you go? Don’t they always want you to stay?”

“Mostly.”

“Does that surprise you? You’re a very gifted surgeon. Having you around would mean a lot to any community. And you’re good-looking.”

His expression tightened. She did a mental rewind, trying to figure out what she’d said wrong. Nothing came to her.

“What?” she demanded. “You have scrunchy face.”

“What the hell is scrunchy face?”

“When your face gets all scrunchy. Like you’re mad. What did I say?”

“You talk about my face as if it’s normal.”

He was choosing his words carefully. She could tell from the cadence of his speech and how he paused between the words. But why?

“Yes, I said you were…”

She got it then—what she’d said. Not knowing if it was good or bad, she admitted the truth.

She leaned toward him and lowered her voice. “Simon, I don’t see the scars. I haven’t for a long time.”

Something flashed in his eyes. She would have given a lot to know what he was thinking, but he’d always been incredibly good at keeping his thoughts from her.

“How can you not?”

She shrugged. “You’re just you. That’s who I see.” They were getting into dangerous territory. “If we’re going to have this conversation, I think it’s about time you returned my never ending compliment. I mean, hello, I’m the girl here.”

She spoke confidently, which was a complete crock, but he didn’t have to know that.

One corner of his mouth turned out. “You’re right. We don’t talk about you enough.” He stared into her eyes with an intensity that made her squirm. “Have I told you how beautiful you are today?”

She tilted her head. “Are you asking me if you said it today, or are you asking me if you’ve told me I look beautiful today? They are very different.”

He surprised her by leaning back in his chair and laughing. The sound was loud and came from his belly and made her feel good all over.

When he straightened, he looked more relaxed. Younger. “You are very beautiful all the time and I don’t think I’ve told you that yet today. While we’re on the subject, I am lucky to be with you. You’re extraordinary, Montana.”

She felt herself blushing. “I was just playing.”

“I was telling the truth.”

She felt awkward and flustered, and didn’t know what to do with her hands. Fortunately their server arrived with their meals.

By the time the food had been placed and their drinks refilled, the topic of conversation had been forgotten. Or at least not brought up again.

“Reese came by to visit Kalinda,” he said.

“I’m glad he’s still doing that. How did it go?”

“I think it helped to have the distraction of company.”

Montana wanted to ask how the girl was healing but knew Simon wouldn’t discuss that with her. The last few times she’d been there with Cece, one of the nurses had been in the room. She’d only been able to drop off the dog and then excuse herself. Next time she would try to speak with Fay.

“I know you think I’m counting the minutes until I leave,” he said, “but that’s not true. Kalinda is an example of a patient I will regret leaving behind. She needs so many surgeries.”

“The implication being another doctor won’t get it right?”

“That makes me sound arrogant.”

“You kind of are.”

He gave her a reluctant smile.

She was such a liar, she thought sadly. Pretending this was about Kalinda, when in truth his words had made her want to ask if he’d meant it when he’d said he would miss her. If he would have regrets about ending their relationship. When he left, would he remember her at all?

“Enjoying your lunch?” Mayor Marsha asked as she walked up to their table.

“Yes,” Montana said. “How are you?”

“Very well.” The mayor turned to Simon. “I see you’re enjoying yourself in our lovely town.”

“Yes, I am.”

Marsha laughed. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to start on all the reasons why you should stay. But I was pleased to hear you’re coming to the hospital fundraiser.” She glanced back at Montana. “I can’t wait to see what you’ll be wearing, my dear. Remember, it’s cocktail-dressy, rather than formal.” She smiled at them both. “You’ll be a very handsome couple. Have a nice lunch.”

“Thank you,” Montana murmured, staring intently at her plate.

Fundraiser? Now that she thought about it, she remembered seeing posters about it around town. It was to raise money to support the work Simon was doing. Obviously it was something Simon had to attend—he would probably be the guest of honor. Usually people brought a date to an event like that. The mayor had assumed Simon’s date would be Montana.

But he hadn’t asked her.

Simon wasn’t the kind of man who forgot things. Even when he was busy, he knew exactly what was going on around him. Which meant he hadn’t planned on asking her.

She wasn’t sure why. Whether it was the public nature of the evening, or him not wanting to lead her on about their relationship. All of which was logical. She supposed she should be able to understand and accept.

But the truth was a voice was screaming in her head. A voice that demanded he explain how she could be good enough to sleep with, but not good enough to take to a stupid fundraiser.

“I didn’t ask you because…” His voice trailed off.

She raised her head and looked at him. He seemed more uncomfortable than embarrassed. And then she got it.

For all her claims that she knew he was leaving, that all this was temporary, she’d assumed what they had together was still some kind of relationship. That they were together. A couple.

That wasn’t the way it was for Simon. She was a convenience, someone he wanted and maybe liked a little, but no one significant. She’d been worried about whether or not he would miss her when he left. That was the least of it. What she should be more worried about was whether or not he gave a damn about being with her while he was here.

Her chest tightened and her throat began to close. She recognized the symptoms and knew she didn’t have much time.

She looked up and gave him what she hoped was a startled expression. “Oh, no. I just realized I’m supposed to be meeting Max. I can’t believe it. I need to hurry or I’ll be late.”

She fumbled in her purse and threw a twenty on the table. “Sorry.”

“Montana.” He rose when she did.

She waved him back in place. “No. Please. Eat your lunch. This is my fault. I’m so scattered.”

She offered a frantic little wave, then dashed out of the restaurant.

Terrified he would follow her and demand to talk, she ducked into the closest store, then out the back, so she was standing alone in the alley. It was only then that she allowed herself to begin to cry.

“I KNOW IT’S NOT MUCH,” Nevada was saying as she paced back and forth in Montana’s living room, a puppy in each arm, dodging the other two as she walked. “But I swear it was a moment.”

Montana was still dealing with her luncheon revelation, so she was having a little trouble following Nevada’s story.

“You saw Mom at the tasting room place outside of town, and she ran off when she saw Max? Are you sure those two events are linked? Maybe she was late for something or the date had been really bad.”

“I thought of that.” Nevada sank into the chair opposite the sofa. “But there was that second when they saw each other. Mom went completely white. I was afraid she would pass out or something. And Max froze. I’m telling you, he’s the Max. Your Max is her Max.”

Her mother and Max Thurman? “No. I can’t believe that. I’ve worked for Max for a year and she’s never said a word about him. It’s not like I don’t talk about my job or my boss.”

“Hasn’t Max lived here before?”

“Sure, but not for years. He left before we were born.”

Nevada gave her a “See!” look.

“You’re inventing drama where it doesn’t exist,” Montana told her.

“I don’t think so. Look at the facts. Mom has the name Max tattooed on her hip. We don’t know much about him, except he used to live in the area, but not in town. He left before Mom and Dad got married. Max Thurman moves back to Fool’s Gold after being gone over thirty years. He’s mysterious.”

“He’s not mysterious,” Montana said, interrupting. “He’s a nice guy.”

“Where does he get his money? Doesn’t he finance all the work the therapy dogs do?”

“We get some donations, but yes, Max pays for most of it. So, he’s rich.”

“From what? Did he inherit? Rob a bank? Make great investments?”

“We don’t talk about that.”

“But he did live here before. Seriously, Montana, how many guys around Mom’s age who once lived in town are named Max? I’m telling you, he’s the one.”

“I’m not sure I want him to be,” she admitted. “It’s weird to think at one time she loved a man enough to get his name tattooed on her body and then she met Dad.”

Bentley scrambled into her lap. She patted him absently.

“But you said Max was nice,” Nevada pressed.