gone a few hours. And I'm sure Patrick wouldn't mind taking a couple of ladies to lunch."
She couldn't be serious. He was here with Kate. He looked her way, but Kate was wearing her cool doctor's face again, the one he was learning concealed a wealth of emotion. What did she want him to do? He didn't want to be rude to her sister, but he for damn sure didn't want to spend time with Amy, either.
"I can't leave Jack," he said.
"Oh, Katie's real good with kids," Amy assured him. "Mama never could figure why she didn't have a couple of her own, instead of messing around with other people's."
Her casual dismissal of her sister's abilities and dedication stunned Patrick. He waited for Kate to protest, but the prickly lady doctor had hidden her face in the baby's neck, as if drawing comfort from the soft weight and powder smell of the child in her arms.
"Well, thank God she's taking care of mine," he said curtly. "The least I can do is stick around."
Amy smiled ruefully. "That's real sweet. That's more than any man has done for me. Okay, then. I guess I'll go pick up Mama. Billy, you be good, now." She hugged her baby and kissed the air by her sister's cheek. "See y'all later."
She floated to the little blue car parked in the weeds by the trailer. With a wave of her hand and a beep of her horn, she was gone.
Hell. Patrick studied Kate, wondering at her reaction to her flighty younger sister. Wondering what his own response should be.
She straightened her shoulders, shifting the baby to her other hip. "Billy, why don't you take Jack inside and show him your space men. Patrick, could you please take that bag out of the trunk for me?"
Her brisk recovery made him grin. "Yes, Doctor."
Billy balked at the trailer steps, dragging the toe of one sneaker in the dirt. "Can we go down to the creek, instead? We'll be careful," he added quickly, anticipating his aunt's caution.
Kate's gaze sought Patrick's. He warmed at the hesitancy he found there. "Is that all right with you?"
"Where is the creek?"
Kate pointed. "Right there. You can see it from the kitchen window."
This was part of the test flight, Patrick guessed. Could he afford to let his boy try his wings? "How deep?"
"With all the rain we've had, it might be, oh, eight inches." So they wouldn't drown. "Anything else you should warn me about?"
Kate smiled. "Muddy shoes?"
Patrick nodded, accepting both the information and the probability. He and his brothers had trashed more shoes than a battalion at boot camp.
"Fine. As long as you're both careful. Jack, stay with Billy."
Jack was pale with excitement. "‘Kay, Dad."
"And stay in front of the window where I can see you," Kate added.
"Yes, Aunt Katie," Billy said cheekily.
"And keep your bandage dry!" she called after them.
Inside the trailer, Kate plunged into activity, depositing Jenny in her playpen and pulling plastic baby bottles out from one of the cabinets. Patrick had trouble reconciling the flushed, devoted aunt bustling in the cramped kitchen with the cool, decisive doctor he'd first met. The contrast fascinated him, tempted him to explore. What had driven Kate Sinclair from the trailer park to
Jefferson
University
Hospital
?
He crossed his arms, studying her. "So how much older are you than your sister?"
Her busy hands paused briefly over the bottles. "Eons," she said. "Can you reach a can of formula out of that cabinet? I want to feed Jenny and get her down for her nap. Then I'll make lunch for the rest of us."
So they weren't going to discuss her sister, Patrick thought, contemplating her averted face. That was fine with him. As she'd been so careful to insist, they had a doctor/father-of-a-patient relationship. He didn't need the details of her personal life.
He handed her the formula and then leaned a hip against the counter. "What's in the bag?"
Running water in the sink, she barely spared him a glance. "Groceries."
He raised an eyebrow. "You brought groceries to your sister's?"
She shrugged,
She couldn't be serious. He was here with Kate. He looked her way, but Kate was wearing her cool doctor's face again, the one he was learning concealed a wealth of emotion. What did she want him to do? He didn't want to be rude to her sister, but he for damn sure didn't want to spend time with Amy, either.
"I can't leave Jack," he said.
"Oh, Katie's real good with kids," Amy assured him. "Mama never could figure why she didn't have a couple of her own, instead of messing around with other people's."
Her casual dismissal of her sister's abilities and dedication stunned Patrick. He waited for Kate to protest, but the prickly lady doctor had hidden her face in the baby's neck, as if drawing comfort from the soft weight and powder smell of the child in her arms.
"Well, thank God she's taking care of mine," he said curtly. "The least I can do is stick around."
Amy smiled ruefully. "That's real sweet. That's more than any man has done for me. Okay, then. I guess I'll go pick up Mama. Billy, you be good, now." She hugged her baby and kissed the air by her sister's cheek. "See y'all later."
She floated to the little blue car parked in the weeds by the trailer. With a wave of her hand and a beep of her horn, she was gone.
Hell. Patrick studied Kate, wondering at her reaction to her flighty younger sister. Wondering what his own response should be.
She straightened her shoulders, shifting the baby to her other hip. "Billy, why don't you take Jack inside and show him your space men. Patrick, could you please take that bag out of the trunk for me?"
Her brisk recovery made him grin. "Yes, Doctor."
Billy balked at the trailer steps, dragging the toe of one sneaker in the dirt. "Can we go down to the creek, instead? We'll be careful," he added quickly, anticipating his aunt's caution.
Kate's gaze sought Patrick's. He warmed at the hesitancy he found there. "Is that all right with you?"
"Where is the creek?"
Kate pointed. "Right there. You can see it from the kitchen window."
This was part of the test flight, Patrick guessed. Could he afford to let his boy try his wings? "How deep?"
"With all the rain we've had, it might be, oh, eight inches." So they wouldn't drown. "Anything else you should warn me about?"
Kate smiled. "Muddy shoes?"
Patrick nodded, accepting both the information and the probability. He and his brothers had trashed more shoes than a battalion at boot camp.
"Fine. As long as you're both careful. Jack, stay with Billy."
Jack was pale with excitement. "‘Kay, Dad."
"And stay in front of the window where I can see you," Kate added.
"Yes, Aunt Katie," Billy said cheekily.
"And keep your bandage dry!" she called after them.
Inside the trailer, Kate plunged into activity, depositing Jenny in her playpen and pulling plastic baby bottles out from one of the cabinets. Patrick had trouble reconciling the flushed, devoted aunt bustling in the cramped kitchen with the cool, decisive doctor he'd first met. The contrast fascinated him, tempted him to explore. What had driven Kate Sinclair from the trailer park to
Jefferson
University
Hospital
?
He crossed his arms, studying her. "So how much older are you than your sister?"
Her busy hands paused briefly over the bottles. "Eons," she said. "Can you reach a can of formula out of that cabinet? I want to feed Jenny and get her down for her nap. Then I'll make lunch for the rest of us."
So they weren't going to discuss her sister, Patrick thought, contemplating her averted face. That was fine with him. As she'd been so careful to insist, they had a doctor/father-of-a-patient relationship. He didn't need the details of her personal life.
He handed her the formula and then leaned a hip against the counter. "What's in the bag?"
Running water in the sink, she barely spared him a glance. "Groceries."
He raised an eyebrow. "You brought groceries to your sister's?"
She shrugged,
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