I’d say.”
“You’re right, of course. I lost twenty pounds after I arrived in Sudan and never quite gained it back.”
“Let’s take our drinks into the den.” She grabbed a package of cookies out of the cabinet and led the way. Hutch chose a wing-backed chair near the dormant fireplace. Simone claimed one end of the sofa.
He sat back with a sigh, balancing his cup on his flat abdomen. “You’ve done well for yourself, Simone. I’m proud of you. Everyone in town sings your praises—well, your ad agency’s praises,” he clarified.
“That might be a stretch, but thanks. Hard work and a dollop of luck.”
“I always knew you’d make your mark in Royal.”
She frowned. Her ambition had been partly the cause of their breakup, but not from her perspective. She hadn’t wanted to stand in the way of Hutch’s dreams. When he’d offered to wait on Africa until her agency was established, she had insisted he should go. Hutch read that as a rejection. He thought she cared more about her business and money than about him. Stupid man.
Still, that was a long time ago.
For several long minutes they drank their coffee in silence. She was tired and queasy and sad. Seeing Hutch again was a painful reminder of how many times in her life she had made mistakes.
Would she ever learn?
At last, the silence became unbearable. She set her cup on a side table. “I think you should go now,” she said. “I don’t feel very well. I’d like to rest. And if I’m being honest, I’d rather not have people see your car in front of my house.”
Hutch grimaced. Her words stung, even though they gave him an easy out.
He had told himself he was indifferent to Simone now, but in his gut he knew the truth. The first moment he laid eyes on her in that exam room a week ago, he’d felt the same dizzying punch of desire he’d always experienced when he was with her.
Panic swept through him like a sickening deluge. He couldn’t do that again. Not after what had happened in Sudan. It was better that Simone knew the score.
She lost patience with his lack of verbal response. “If you have something to say, say it. I’ve had a long, stressful day, and I want to take a bath and get into bed.”
I’d like to join you... His subconscious was honest and uncomfortable.
The dark shadows beneath her beautiful eyes reminded him she was in a fragile state, both mentally and physically.
The fact that he wanted so badly to hold her told him he had to protect himself.
He stood and paced, his hands jammed in his pockets. “I understand why you want me to move my car. Now that I’m back in town and we’re both still single, the gossip mill will undoubtedly have us hooking up any day now. People may even say your triplets are mine.”
Simone swallowed visibly. “Gossip isn’t reality.”
“Maybe not. But I have to be up front with you. I’m not willing to get involved in a relationship.”
She was pale and silent, her sapphire-eyed stare judging him. “I don’t recall asking you to. But to clarify, is your distaste for romance because of our past?”
“Not entirely. I fell in love with a fellow doctor while I was in Sudan. Her name was Bethany.”
For a split second, he could swear he saw anguish in Simone’s eyes. But if it was there, she recovered quickly.
“You said was? Past tense?”
He nodded jerkily. “She died two years ago. Cut her foot on a rock. Doctors make the worst patients, you know. She didn’t tell any of us how serious it was. Ended up with sepsis. I couldn’t save her.” Even now the memory sickened him.
Simone leaned forward. “I am so sorry, Hutch.”
Her sympathy should have soothed him. Instead, it made him feel guilty. “I’ll always be fond of you, Simone...and I’ll care about you. But I need you to know that’s all it will be.”
She blinked. “I see.”
“I suppose you think I’m assuming a hell of a lot to think you would even be interested after all this time.”
“Not at all. You’re a gorgeous man. With a kind heart. I’m sure I won’t be the only woman in Royal who appreciates your sterling qualities.”
“Aw, hell. You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”
“Maybe a little.” She smiled gently. “Six months ago your virtue might have been in danger. But now I have three babies to consider. Their welfare has to come before anything else in my life.”
“Even romance?”
“Especially romance.”
“Then I guess we’ve cleared the air.”
“I guess we have.”
“I should go,” he said. But he didn’t move.
Simone stood up, swaying a bit before she steadied herself with a hand on the back of the chair. “Yes, you should.”
Squaring his shoulders, he nodded. The urge to kiss her was overpowering.
She kept a hand on the chair, either because she felt faint or because she intended to use it as a shield. Either way, it didn’t matter. He wanted to taste her more than he wanted his next breath.
He put his hands on her shoulders, noting the tension there. She wasn’t wearing shoes, so the difference in their heights was magnified. Winnowing his fingers through her hair, he sighed. “I should have come home a year ago. Then maybe I could have talked you out of this single-mom idea.”
“Not your business, Doc.”
It was as easy as falling into a dream. He had loved Bethany, deeply and truly. And grieved her passing. But this thing with Simone was something else. Did he dare explore the possibilities?
Slowly, he moved his lips over hers, waiting for the protest that never came. She tasted of coffee and wonderful familiarity. But not comfort. Never comfort. There was too much heat. Too much yearning. When she went up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck, he groaned. Five years. Almost six. Gone in a flash.
He ran his hands over her back and landed on her bottom. She was thinner, but every bit as soft and appealing as she had ever been. Before he left for Sudan, when they were alone together, Simone had been unguarded...innocent. A far cry from the woman who tilted her chin and dared the world to disrespect her.
Every beat of his heart was magnified. He kissed the sensitive spot behind her ear...nipped her earlobe with his teeth. Simone did nothing to stop him. In fact, she didn’t even try to hide the fact that she
