For Love and Family by Victoria Pade Page A

“Tomorrow night I have the PAN meeting.”
    â€œI remember.”
    â€œIt’s at seven and shouldn’t take longer than an hour or so. Willy and Carla are baby-sitting Johnny—”
    â€œAnd you want me to, instead?”
    That made him smile slightly. “No, they’ve promised him an evening of making caramel apples and anybody who gets in the way of that is in for trouble. Actually, I was going to ask you if you’d liketo go with me to the meeting—not that you’d be interested in it, but you could read a magazine or something while it goes on—and then, when it’s over, maybe we could have dinner? The meeting is in one of the conference rooms at the hospital and there’s a pretty good seafood restaurant nearby. Do you eat seafood?”
    â€œI do,” she confirmed as her mind spun wildly in response to this turn of events.
    â€œAfter last night’s dinner of hot dogs and marshmallows dropped in the dirt, and pizza with pineapple on it for lunch today, I think I owe you a nice meal,” he went on to say.
    â€œYou don’t. You don’t owe me anything.”
    â€œI’d just like to make it up to you, then.”
    Or was he simply occupying her time since both he and Johnny already had plans?
    â€œDon’t feel as if you have to entertain me if there are other things going on for you and Johnny. I—”
    â€œI was just thinking that it might be nice to have dinner. Together. I’d like to, anyway.”
    â€œSo would I,” Terese was quick to assure him when it became evident he thought she was dragging her feet. Then, with more control of herself, she said, “It sounds good. The fish and having dinner together.”
    He smiled at her once more, again studying her face, probing her eyes for a moment before he broke it off and stepped back out of the doorway. “Then we’re on,” he confirmed.
    â€œOkay.”
    â€œSee you in the morning,” he said, taking one hand out of his pocket to wave as he turned to go.
    â€œSee you in the morning,” Terese answered, forcing herself to retreat far enough inside the cabin to close the door rather than standing there watching him the way she was inclined to do.
    But even when Hunter was out of her sight he still wasn’t out of her mind.
    And neither was that kiss he’d just given her.
    Or the fact that he’d asked her to dinner the next night.
    And while the last few minutes of that evening had left her confused, they’d also left her smiling so big it almost hurt.

Five
    â€œH ey, good news about Johnny yesterday, huh?”
    It was one of the first things Willy said to Hunter on Wednesday morning. They’d loaded Hunter’s truck and were headed for the fences that needed repair.
    â€œIt’d be better news if they said he didn’t have hemophilia at all, but given that that’s not going to happen, yeah, it was good news that he came through last week’s scare without any more problems,” Hunter allowed.
    â€œAt least now you know what’s goin’ on with him and where to get blood in an emergency,” Hunter’s longtime friend said.
    â€œTrue. And Terese would never turn him down.”
    â€œNo, she seems pretty fond of him. Pretty fond of you, too, maybe…”
    Willy had added that last part under his breath, but Hunter heard it, anyway. He took his eyes off the deserted country road he was driving and glanced at his passenger. “What?” he said as if the suggestion were ridiculous.
    â€œCarla thinks she can feel vibes when the two of you are together—you and Terese. Whatever vibes means.”
    Hunter didn’t tell his friend that he had some understanding of what Carla meant. Or that Carla might be right. Or that the fact that there might be vibes between himself and Terese had thrown him all off-kilter. He just said, “What’d Carla say?”
    â€œOnly the