One Summer in Santa Fe by Molly Evans Page B

Thoughts of her had intruded his life for days now, and he wasn’t sure how to handle it. Being attached to a woman for more than the short term had never happened to him. But, hey, he was all about taking chances. Why not take one more? If things didn’t work between Piper and himself, he could always revert to the way things had been before she’d shown up. Either way it was win-win for both of them. He leaned forward a little and spoke softly to her. “What are you doing Friday night?”
    She thought for a second. “Nothing. Why?”
    “I’d like you to go out with me,” he said. And he did. Surprising himself at how strongly he wanted her to say yes. She was only going to be in Santa Fe for a few weeks, so he had to pursue her now if he was going to. They could have a great time together, then she’d be off again. No complications for him, so it was perfect. “Get dressed up. A real date.”
    Hesitation flared up inside Piper. Wasn’t this just like her former boyfriend? Swept her up with fancy dinners and mysterious dates, only to dump her at the last minute? Taylor was just substituting green chile for French cuisine. But the sincerity in Taylor’s eyes made her pause. If she mistrusted every man, she’d be stuck in the past, and she definitely didn’t want to live there again. The first time around hadn’t been that great and definitely wasn’t worth repeating. Lesson learned. Move on.
    “I’d like that. Where do you want to go?” Despite her reservations, anticipation hummed through her. This was going to be fun. Something that had been sorely lacking in her life for a long time. Why not reach outand take the fun, the short term, the inspirational that Taylor offered? Just because it wasn’t her norm, it didn’t mean that she couldn’t have some fun.
    “It’s a surprise, but dress up. It’s going to be snazzy.”
    The corners of her lips curved upward as if she liked the idea of a surprise, and if they hadn’t been in the middle of the cafeteria, he’d have pulled her to him and explored those lips thoroughly. Oh, yes. Friday night was going to be good for both of them. Time to spend together, time to explore each other afterward. Though having Alex around as a buffer between them sometimes was a good thing, sometimes being alone with a woman had its benefits, too.
    “Sounds great. What time?”
    “I’ll pick you up at six, we’ll have dinner, then go.”
    Just then the paging system overhead called him back to the ER, and Piper didn’t see him the rest of the day.
    When she arrived home on Friday night, she raced to the shower, peeling her scrubs off as she went. Dashing by the phone, she noticed a message flashing on the answering-machine, but decided to get ready before checking it.
    As she scrubbed the day off her skin, she stopped as the water dripped over her face. What if that had been Taylor calling, canceling their date? Just like Derek. She didn’t want to get dressed up if he’d had to cancel. Just like Derek. Damn. Memories of the past tried to squeeze in, and she pushed them back where they belonged. Just like Derek. She grabbed a towel and ran out to the answering-machine, pushed the button and listened. It was from Elizabeth, who wanted to talk. Later. She ran back to the shower to finish getting ready, relieved that it hadn’t been Taylor canceling. She’d been looking forward to this night more than she’d wanted to admit.
    She had just patted her hair into place and slipped into black heels when the doorbell rang. Heart thrumming in anticipation, she opened the door.
    Her mouth about dropped open and the breath in her throat froze. Taylor stood there in a black suit, holding a single rose. Warmth rose up within her and tears nearly flooded her eyes at the sweet gesture. “Oh. Hello.” Breathe in. Breathe out. Don’t faint.
    He stepped forward, nearly overwhelming her in the small confines of the apartment. He’d never looked so good and heat pulsed in small