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Delaney backhanded her on the shoulder but didn’t argue. Laughing again, the two women strode through the back door, making their way through the kitchen and living area before heading out again, this time through the front, to greet Beth’s niece and Sam’s mother.

But just as Beth was about to let go of the idea that her sister had more surprises in store for her today, she spotted a third guest behind the older woman and baby in tow: a man carrying a bottle of wine. A guest she hadn’t glimpsed outside the clinic since he carried her from his office to her bedroom a week ago today. A guest whose cowboy hat still hung on the row of key hooks just inside the guesthouse’s front door, reminding her that she hadn’t imagined the wonderful feeling of his hands on her skin, his lips on hers…or that he’d bolted the second she’d cried out his name.

“You invited Eli?” Beth asked through a teeth-gritting smile.

A large, rambunctious dog scurried out of the house from behind them, playfully chased by a three-legged black cat. Both animals darted back and forth across Dr. Murphy’s boots until the man finally stopped, laughed, and dropped down to greet the rambunctious fur balls.

“Of course I did. He’s Butch Catsidy’s favorite human aside from me and Sam. And Scout? She loves everyone. Maybe even you.” Delaney bopped her sister on the nose with her index finger. “There’s my baby girl!” she called, arms outstretched to the bouncing child in her grandma’s arms. “Come on in, everyone.” She propped Nolan on her hip. “The wine is already open, and Sam will be back soon.”

Chapter 10

Eli should have said no when Sam offered to top off his wineglass again, but the slight buzz he had going made it increasingly easier to sit across the table from Beth without wanting to both sprint the other way and lean across the short expanse between them and kiss her until they both forgot their own names.

“You’re still coming to dinner tonight, right?” Delaney had asked. It had become a standing thing on Friday nights. At first, it had felt like a pity thing… Let’s invite the poor widower for dinner since he’ll just hole up at home when everybody else is out. But now he understood that Delaney and Sam were simply good friends who enjoyed spending time with other good friends. He’d had to cancel the week before when he received an after-hours house call from a cat owner who didn’t know her cat was pregnant until it had given birth to a full litter…that afternoon. What confused Eli on this particular Friday was why Delaney had to double-check that he was coming, but now he knew.

“Bethy, did you know that any animal, whether two-legged, four-legged, warm- or cold-blooded, trusts Eli like he’s their mama hen?”

Beth had raised her brows, her eyes directly on his. “Is that so?” was all she said in response.

“And, Eli, did you know my sister was a backup dancer for a certain world-famous pop star who had a residency in Vegas?” Delaney dropped to a stage whisper. “She had to sign this really fancy nondisclosure agreement about the experience so I don’t think we can mention the name, but basically my sister is kind of a big deal.”

Sam Callahan cleared his throat and nudged Eli with his elbow. “You look like you’re getting low, Murphy. Let me fill you up.”

When Sam’s mother had taken Nolan upstairs for a bath and to tuck her in for the night, they’d moved the dinner party to the back porch, where a small outdoor couch was flanked by two chairs.

“Let our guests have the couch, Sam. It’s more comfortable.”

And Sam took his wife’s directive, offering Eli an apologetic smile.

This was a setup. Which meant Delaney either had no clue what had transpired between Eli and her sister, or she had every clue. Neither option did anything to tamp down his growing anxiety about the situation.

The second Beth sat down on the couch and he attempted to sit next to her, he sprang back up.

“You know, I should probably get going. I have a busy morning tomorrow.”

Delaney narrowed her eyes at him. “Tomorrow is Saturday. The clinic is closed on Saturdays.”

“House call!” he blurted. It could have been true. That was the reason he left Saturdays open. There was no way she knew he had no appointments as of yet.

But Beth knew. She made the appointments. He couldn’t bring himself to sneak a glance at her.

Delaney sighed. “Oh…okay then. But we’ll do it again next Friday, right?”

“Right,” Eli lied. “Of course.” That gave him a week to come up with an excuse to cancel. God, he hated being an asshole. He really did. But he hated even more being so close to Beth without the boundary of office decorum to keep him from thinking thoughts he shouldn’t think and wanting to kiss people he shouldn’t kiss.

Okay, person. He wanted to kiss one person. And he was starting to forget why he shouldn’t.

Sam stood to shake Eli’s hand, but when Eli took a step toward him, the deck began to sway.

“Whoa, buddy,” Sam said, clamping a hand on Eli’s shoulder. “How many glasses did you have tonight?”

Eli squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “She never let my glass go empty.”

He pointed an accusing finger at Delaney. When he opened his eyes to look at her, she smiled sheepishly back at him.

“Guilty.” Delaney shrugged. “A good host doesn’t wait for her guests’ glasses to go empty.”

Sam sighed. “Funny how I only got one glass. I’ll drive you back. Delaney and Beth can follow in your truck.”