Dan couldn’t say something like that to a little girl.
Besides, when he was twelve and had a cut along his thigh from a piece of barbed wire, Hank had used that line on him. He hadn’t realized the old man hadn’t intended for Dan to take him literally, and after following what he thought was sage advice from a real live cowboy, he’d gotten an infection along with a fever. He’d had his own medical emergency after that.
While Dan settled the account and signed the discharge paperwork, Kevin slipped up beside him. “When are we going to eat the picnic food?”
They’d had a late breakfast and hadn’t been hungry when the other picnickers had spread out their lunches. So most of the food Dan had packed for them was still in a cooler in the back of the pickup. But he didn’t feel like eating a bologna sandwich right now.
“I have a feeling that most of the people at the park have called it a day and headed home.” Dan looked at Eva. “You’ve got to be hungry, too. How about going out to an early dinner with us? After that, I can take you back to your car.”
The invitation seemed to take her aback, and before she answered she glanced down at her blouse, which was stained and crumpled.
“We’ll go someplace casual,” he added. “Maybe the Burger Barn or something.”
“Oh, please!” Kaylee said to her new friend. “Come with us, Eva. I don’t want to be the only girl.”
At the child’s request, the tension on Eva’s face eased, and Dan was again struck by her natural beauty. By the delicate arch of her brows, by the thick dark lashes, by the intoxicating color of bourbon in those expressive eyes.
The collar of her blouse, which she’d turned up after removing her scarf, now drooped, revealing the scar she’d probably tried to cover.
“All right,” she finally said. “And as luck would have it, I’ve got spare clothes in my locker at the lab. So if you don’t mind giving me a few minutes to change, I’ll go with you.”
Kaylee let out a joyful little whoop, and Kevin appeared to be just as happy, which only went to show that kids were better off with a woman than a man. Of course, that wouldn’t change the dynamics of the Walker household. They were stuck with two men.
“Do you want us to wait in the car?” Dan asked Eva.
“You don’t have to. Why don’t you come to the lab with me? You can see where I work.”
“Sure,” Dan said. He had to admit that he was curious about where the pretty scientist spent her days. Besides, he didn’t have anything else planned for today, other than grabbing a bite to eat and then heading home.
So he and the kids followed Eva to the elevator and down one floor to the basement, where the lab was located.
Eva let them all in, then asked them to take a seat near the entrance while she changed clothes. “I’ll just be a few minutes, and then I’ll show you around.”
Moments later, she returned wearing a cream-colored, lightweight turtleneck sweater and the same pair of jeans. She’d applied a touch of pink lipstick, and when she smiled, he noted a flush to her cheeks. He didn’t think it had anything to do with makeup.
“Are you ready to check out the lab?” she asked.
The kids nodded and got to their feet. As Eva breezed past Dan, he caught the whiff of citrus—orange blossoms, maybe?
They followed her through the doorway and into a large room with white walls and various cubicles, where several people in white lab coats either studied machines or sat on stools and peered through microscopes. Eva said hello to her coworkers and introduced Dan and the kids.
“We’re going to take a quick tour,” she explained, as she moved through the lab.
Dan had never been behind the scenes in a hospital before and felt as though he was on some kind of field trip. Still, he found it interesting as she pointed out a refrigerator case that stored blood and blood products, as well as the several different machines and testing apparatus.
“So you’re the one they call in when they need to take blood,” Dan said.
“Actually,” Eva explained, “the lab technicians are the ones who draw blood. I’m a technologist and work behind the scenes. I run the needed tests and send the results to the doctors so they can make the proper diagnosis and treat the patients.” She led him to a cubicle that had a fancy microscope. “This is the station where I work.”
“Who’s that?” Kevin pointed to a photograph Eva had displayed on one of the sidewalls of her workspace.
Dan noted a smiling Eva, an elderly woman and a candle-laden birthday cake.
“That’s Clara Morrison,” Eva said. “She’s a friend of mine. We were celebrating her seventy-sixth birthday that day.”
“Wow,” the boy said. “That’s a lot of birthdays.”
“It sure is.” Eva reached into a drawer, pulled out a slide and slipped it into the microscope. “Here, let me show you what I do.” She peered through the lens, then stepped aside to let the boy take a peek.
“Ooh,” Kevin said. “I see a whole lot of little circles.”
“I want to see them, too.” Kaylee pressed against her brother. “Let me have a turn.”
Kevin moved away reluctantly, then let his sister peer into the microscope. She’d barely had a chance to ooh and ah herself when he said, “Come on, Kaylee. It’s my turn again.”
Dan was tempted to ask for a turn himself, but he was too caught up in watching Eva move through the lab or in trying to catch another hint of orange blossoms each time she brushed past him.
As it was, he stood off to the side and remained an observer, a role he usually slipped into whenever he left the ranch. But not because he was shy or awkward. He just didn’t open up around people he didn’t know or trust.
Yet as he watched Eva blossom in her natural surroundings, her amber eyes brightening as she spoke to the kids, her tone soft and maternal, he couldn’t help lowering his guard just a bit.
And looking forward to having dinner with her.
Dan figured the Burger Barn was their best choice for a meal, and the minute he stepped inside the family-style restaurant, he realized he’d been right. He placed their orders, then with Eva’s help, carried their food and drinks on trays to the dining area.
“I’m not hungry anymore,” Kevin said the minute he spied the colorful, indoor climbing structure that was designed to look like a big red barn with a yellow silo and blue netting.
“Not so fast, sport.” Dan unloaded the drinks, burgers and fries onto the white Formica table. “You need to eat first, while everything is warm. You’ll have plenty of time to play when you’re done.”
“Oh, okay,” the boy said, plopping into one of the white seats covered with a built-in blue vinyl cushion. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a couple of Matchbox race cars and a Star Wars action figure.
A
