Page 2 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

“I feel the same way, but I’d rather see you in the bakery than in here.”

Trip appeared in the doorway to his office and smiled at them.“We could all head down there now if you like, Jim.”

“You know, usually I’d take you up on that, but I have a few stops to make while I’m here in town.Maybe next Friday.”

Jim turned to Shelley.“You should take him up on the offer.Everyone else will be down there.You know what it’s like on Friday afternoons—they’ll all be catching up on the gossip and hanging out.”

“I think it’s a bit late for me,” Shelley said.“By the time I get down there, it’d be time to come back again.”

She knew that most of the valley’s residents met up at the bakery on Friday afternoons.The girls tended to meet up around three, though, and she was usually still here, working.

Jim turned and raised a bushy eyebrow at Trip.“You should take her down there.”

Trip shrugged.“I would if she wanted to go.”

Shelley laughed.“I’m fine, thanks.Let’s get your appointment set up so you can be on your way.You’ll need to get moving if you’ve still got stops to make in town; it’s almost five-fifteen.”

Jim tipped his hat at her before he left.“See you in a couple of weeks—if I don’t see you around.”

“I’ll look forward to it, Jim.”

When he was gone, Trip came and rested his elbows on the counter.“You know, you don’t need to hang around and wait until I finish.”

“And you know—or you should by now—I don’t mind.”

He smiled.“Thanks.I appreciate it.”

Shelley held his gaze for a moment.

He was a good-looking guy.There was no denying that.

It baffled her that he was still single.

He was pretty much the definition of an eligible bachelor—former military, a doctor, a really great guy.Not to mention he was loaded.From what she’d seen of the women around here, she would have expected one of them to have snapped him up long ago.

He cocked an eyebrow, bringing her back to the moment—making her realize she was standing there, simply staring at him.

“What are you up to this evening?”he asked.

She shrugged.“Not a lot.How about you?”

Her tummy flipped over when he said, “That depends.”

“On what?”

“On you.”He grinned.“I have a proposition for you.”

She gripped the edge of the desk, grateful that he couldn’t see how white her knuckles were.“What kind of proposition?”

He chuckled.“Don’t look so worried.Maisie was over at my place again yesterday, cooking up a storm.You know what she’s like—she gets bored and decides I need to be fed.The only trouble is, she forgets there’s only me.I was wondering if you wanted to come over and help me eat my way through some of it.”

Shelley laughed.Maisie was Trip’s old housekeeper.Apparently, she’d worked for him for years, but she’d retired a while ago.

The only thing was, she didn’t seem to have the hang of retirement.She kept showing up at Trip’s house and, as he said, cooking for him.

When she didn’t reply, Trip straightened up and stepped back from the desk.“Sorry.You probably have other plans, don’t you?”

She really didn’t.There was no reason she shouldn’t spend the evening with him—at least, no reason other than the fact that she was finding it more and more difficult to resist her attraction to him.