Allen heard the singing just as he had finished checking his messages; he locked his office door and headed out into the hall. He liked the change that being across the road from FCGH brought. In the weeks since Logan’s death, he’d closed the office they’d shared in a medical office behind the hospital and switched his location to the complex owned by Lacy’s fiancé.

Ironic, of course, but Travis Worthington-Deane had offered him a damned fine price for the location.

He’d pulled Allen aside one day after he’d brought Lacy by for a checkup with Virat to let him know that even though Allen and Logan had been close friends, Worthington-Deane knew Allen was a good friend of Lacy’s, too.

He’d been worried about Lacy, of course. Everything that rancher did was for her.

Allen liked the man for that very reason alone. Lacy deserved a man to love her like that.

He didn't often work private hours. Only two days a week. Having his office so close to the hospital was almost as convenient as being within the hospital itself. But it wasn't often that a man heard singing coming from an office building. Singing and giggling—female singing and giggling at that. He headed out the door toward the stairs.

He strongly suspected he knew who it was. Allen would stop by, see if they needed anything, and then head out. He had a few minutes to spare.

That's when he saw them.

Jillian and Lacy and their dark-haired friend Ariella. Some of the tension filling him lessened. They were such beautiful women, and not just physically. It was in the compassion and kindness he’d witnessed them show others that would make them beautiful to him always.

And though he wouldn't admit it out loud after the fiasco of what had happened with Logan, he found them just as fascinating as the other man had.

Lacy stopped singing the instant she saw him. "Well. Look here. Yet another volunteer. Should we just scoop him up with the Deane boys?"

Lacy was snark and sass and sexy all rolled up into one little package. He'd always found her attractive.

Nothing would ever come from it, of course; not only because she was now engaged to Holden-Deane's younger brother, but because he was her mentor. That had always been an angle to their relationship he did not want to violate. "What are you three doing here?"

"Travis donated this floor to W4HAV," Lacy said. "We're remodeling it to suit the charity. W4HAV has already had four clients, and we’ve had to make do with the current location at Barratt-Handley. So can you spare a few hours to man a paint roller, Dr. Magic Hands?”

Allen studied her quickly; he wasn’t entirely certain she should be doing any painting right now. She’d lost weight, and there were hollows beneath those beautiful green eyes. And she didn’t move like Lacy was supposed to move. There had been energy and verve that ran through her. Now she was obviously healing. But nowhere near healed. "While I'd love to stay and help out, I'm supposed to head over to FCU and get Shelby. The fan belt went out of her car, and it's starting to get late. I don't want her taking public transit home."

"You’re a good big brother. Still, next time?”

“You’d better believe it.” He looked at the woman currently straddling the top of the six-foot ladder. Jillian looked ridiculously adorable, in overalls, a pink t-shirt and two pig-tails. She grinned down at him from her perch.

Allen grinned back. “Be careful. Don’t fall. And keep Lacy from overdoing it.”

Jillian nodded. “Don’t worry. Travis is on his way back. He’s out at his truck, getting some tools. And his brothers are fetching lunch. Apparently, Travis can actually keep her in line.”

“Miracles do exist. I’ll see you ladies later.” He looked at the third woman, who hadn’t said much more than hi to him. No surprise. She was generally a quiet woman. Quiet and beautiful, with big dark eyes that went straight to a man’s gut. Allen was far from immune, himself. “Ms. Avery, I look forward to being your neighbor. Anything you need, I am just two floors up.”