the beautiful little chapel where we were married at the stroke of midnight. It was very romantic.”
A little surprised by it all, Jeremy studied his no-nonsense brother. “Who would have guessed that you had a romantic side?”
“You probably have one, too.” His brother reached across the table and took Deanna’s hand. “All you have to do is find the right woman.”
Jeremy didn’t know about that. He hadn’t thought that he had a romantic bone in his body before, but he found his mind drifting in that direction ever since he ran into Kirsten Allen in the parking lot. Damn, that crazy dream must be making him soft.
As Drew and Deanna shared the details of the actual ceremony, Jeremy found himself drifting off, wondering if he’d prefer a big wedding or a small, intimate one. And that brought his thoughts back to the mystery woman.
He didn’t believe in visions and premonitions, but for some wild reason, he couldn’t quite shake the encounter he’d had with Kirsten or the feeling that he had to see her again.
“Are you listening?” Drew asked.
Jeremy glanced up, a little embarrassed that the couple had caught him gathering romantic wool, when he should have been listening. “I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot on my mind.”
“Dad?” Drew asked.
“Him, too.”
“Is it work-related? Is the medical group pressuring you to come back to Sacramento?”
“In a way, but …”
“Don’t tell me.” Drew leaned forward. “You’ve met a woman in Red Rock.”
“No, not really.” Jeremy glanced at his new sister-in-law, then back at the cocktail napkin he’d been shredding.
About that time, Deanna scooted her chair back and got to her feet. “If you guys will excuse me, I think I’ll powder my nose.”
Drew shot another loving look at his new wife, and something seemed to register between them, some form of silent, two-way communication.
Jeremy had seen his parents do that on occasion. Would he ever be able to communicate with a woman like that?
“What should I order for you?” Drew asked her. “A glass of wine?”
“That sounds good. Thanks.”
As Deanna headed for the bathroom, Jeremy couldn’t help thinking she’d made an excuse to leave so the brothers could talk in private, which was thoughtful but unnecessary. He really didn’t want to talk to anyone about the wild direction his thoughts had been going.
After Deanna was out of hearing range, Drew said, “Okay, what’s going on?”
Jeremy wasn’t so sure he wanted to confide in his younger brother, but Drew wasn’t a kid anymore. So he found himself revealing the dream he’d had and the woman he’d run into in the parking lot.
“Are you going to try to find her?” Drew asked.
Jeremy didn’t know what to say, what to admit.
“Maybe you ought to give Ross a call. I’ll bet he could make fast work of finding anyone.”
Ross Fortune was their cousin and a private investigator, so the suggestion made sense. But Jeremy wouldn’t go that far in trying to locate the mystery woman.
“I don’t want to come off like some kind of stalker,” he admitted. “Besides, Ross probably should focus his time on finding Dad, which he hasn’t been able to do.”
The truth of that statement echoed between them until Drew said, “I think we need to accept the fact that he’s gone, Jeremy.”
“You might be right, but I’m not able to do that yet.”
“I know.”
A pall fell over the brothers as they each tried to deal with their father’s disappearance in their own way—Drew letting go and Jeremy refusing to give up.
When Deanna returned to the table, the conversation turned more upbeat, but Jeremy found himself sliding back into that blue funk that had been haunting him for months—even before he’d come to Red Rock for the wedding.
The only thing that seemed to help his mood was thinking about Kirsten Allen—if that was even her name.
Who was she?
What was her story?
And why in the world did it even seem to matter? Jeremy had never met a woman who could compete with his patients. He was a driven and dedicated physician, and as a result, he’d never married.
Maybe the dream and his interest in the mystery woman were just signs that his subconscious—and his hormones—were trying to rectify the situation.
Either way, something told him that he was going to have to find Kirsten Allen.
And if it took calling Ross and asking for help, then so be it.
The rain had moved on by morning, leaving a rainbow in the cloudy sky and puddles on the streets and sidewalks.
Over breakfast, Kirsten had admitted to Max that she’d taken the baby to the clinic yesterday. And she’d been right about his reaction; he’d bristled.
“I can’t believe you’d do that without talking to me first,” he’d said. “I don’t want you to take over.”
“I’m not trying to do that. I was just worried about his health, and … well, you’re right. I shouldn’t have gone over your head. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”
“When is it going to stop, Kirsten? You’ve been mothering me for years, and I’ve always resented it. Now you’re trying to do it with Anthony. The way I see it, if you want a baby, maybe you should have one of your own.”
She’d tensed at his harshness, but what he’d said was true. Even though she hadn’t been around kids, she had always wanted to be a mom, to have a family. But that was not why she’d fought so hard to take good care of Max, to make sure he grew up happy and responsible.
It was not as though she wanted him to stay some kind of pseudo kid forever. Or that she’d needed someone to mother. “You’re the only family I have left, Max. And I feel an obligation to make sure you’re happy and able to support yourself.”
“I’m doing fine on my own. I’ve just had a little setback with the job and all.” He raked a hand through his hair. “You’re my big sister, and I get that. But I’m sick of you constantly trying to tell me what to do, how to feel, what to say. It’s my life. And I want to make my own way—right or wrong.”
Before she could respond, he added, “I’ve been on my own for two years—paying my rent, being a man. And you have no idea how it grates on me to have to live with my sister again, to accept your handouts. Believe me, all I want to do is land a new job and get out of here.”
In
