Page 107 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

“I get it,” said Banner, as if he’d read Trip’s mind.“If it’s not permanent yet, you’re hoping it will be.Right?”

Trip wasn’t going to deny that.“I am.And if I’ve got it right, I know why you’re out here, and I’m sorry.It’s my fault.I should have told Deb to make sure that the delivery driver knew they were coming to the cottage and not the bunkhouse.”

“It’s not a problem,” said Banner.“I was glad of the chance to come over here and introduce myself.I wanted to let Shelley and her friend know that I’m around if they need me for anything.”

“Thanks,” said Trip.“I’ll take you in and introduce you in a minute.But can I just check if Deb managed to get everything I wanted?”

“All I can tell you is that I’ve got three boxes on the back seat.Let me guess—a housewarming gift from you?”

“It is.”

“Do we need to try and sneak them inside?”

Trip chuckled.“No, thanks for the thought.But after you meet Harper, you’ll realize there’s no way I’d get away with that.”

Banner laughed with him.“I already heard she’s a bit of a character—and I reckon she must be.She’s a New Yorker, but people around here speak highly of her already.”

“They do?”Trip asked.“I’m glad to hear it.”

“You sound surprised.”

“I am a little.Don’t get me wrong—she’s good people.I just didn’t know how folks around here would take to her.”

Banner shrugged.“You know how it is.We might not be all that welcoming to outsiders—but we soon warm up to people who prove we can trust them.”

Trip mulled that one over for a moment.It made sense.He wouldn’t have described it that way himself—but hearing Banner say it, he realized he was right.

They both turned when the front door to the cottage opened, and Shelley and Harper came out.Shelley smiled at Trip, and Harper came straight over to introduce herself.

“You must be Banner,” she said, extending her hand to shake with him.“It’s good to meet you.Jim said he’d introduce us when he could, but I’m glad to run into you without taking up any of his time.”

Trip got the sense she’d said exactly the right thing.He knew damn well that before he made any judgments of his own, Banner would be waiting to see if Harper—and Shelley, for that matter—proved themselves to be worthy of his trust.

As he shook hands with Harper, Banner said, “It’s good to meet you, too.And yeah, I try not to take up too much of Jim’s time on unnecessaries.”

Trip exchanged a smile with Shelley when Harper said, “Noted.I’ll do my best to keep my unnecessary ass out of your way.”

Banner laughed out loud and touched the brim of his hat.“Forgive me, ma’am.I didn’t mean that how it sounded.”

Harper laughed and slapped his arm.“I’m glad to hear it—although I wouldn’t blame you if you had meant it that way.”

Banner looked more serious as he said, “I take my time before I judge anyone.”

Harper nodded solemnly.“And I respect that.”

Banner then tipped his hat at Shelley.“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Miss Shelley.I know Jim’s looking forward to working with you.He told me he might bring me in to help work through some details and explain some things about the ranch to you.”

Shelley stepped forward to shake hands with him.“I’ll look forward to it.From what he’s told me already, Jim thinks the world of you.”

Trip nodded his agreement.Banner was a good man.Jim had taken him and his two brothers in as youngsters, and all three now worked as foremen—Banner for Jim, Brad for Mav MacFarland, and Brody, of course, for Trip.

Shelley frowned at the sound of her phone ringing.“Excuse me,” she apologized, pulling it out of her back pocket.“Oh, it’s Jim,” she said as she checked the screen.“I should take it.It was lovely to meet you, Banner.”

As she walked away, holding her phone to her ear, Banner gave Trip an inquiring look and tilted his head toward his truck.

Trip had to laugh when Harper raised her eyebrows.

“Since there’s no way I’m going to be able to keep a secret from you, do you want to help bring these inside?”he asked.