Page 58 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

“Yep.”

Trav looked around for Shelley and smiled when he saw her sitting with Retta, Laney, and Janey.

“Retta thinks the world of her, you know.”

“I do know; you tell me often enough.”

Trav slapped his back.“That’s because I like her, too, and I want you to know it.I’d say she’s good for you.”

Trip nodded.He liked to think that Shelley would be good for him—and that he could be good for her.But there was no point in even thinking about it if she was going to leave town in a few short weeks.

Travis seemed to know what he was thinking, as he so often did.“She still not made her mind up about staying?”

“I don’t know.”

“You haven’t asked?”

“No.We said we were going to play it by ear until her lease is up.She promised me that she won’t leave me in the lurch at the practice, so I reckon that if she decides she wants to leave, she’ll tell me that it’s time to start looking for her replacement.”

Trav glanced over at the women again.Retta turned and smiled at him.Shelley followed her gaze, and the look she gave Trip hit him right in the chest.She looked happy—happy to be here at the MacFarland place with everyone.Happy to see that he was watching her—not like Katrina, who used to accuse him of being jealous when he checked on her from across the room.

It was just one more reminder that, whereas with Katrina he’d felt like he couldn’t win no matter what he did, with Shelley he felt like he couldn’t lose… if only she’d stay.

“Hey Trip, it’s good to see you.”Ford greeted him as he came out of the house.“How are things?Oh, and before I forget, how’s Brody?I need to call him back—he was asking about riding over to the auction in Billings with me.”

“He’d appreciate the call, I know that.I trust him absolutely, but he likes to double check his thinking before he buys new stock, and we all know that I’m no use to him there.”

Ford smiled.“You’re needed for more important matters.I’m happy to talk to him, not that he needs my advice.”

“No, but I’m glad he has you to talk to,” said Trip.

“It goes both ways,” said Ford.“I like having someone who knows the business as well as I do, who I can check in with now and then.”He turned to Travis.“How’s it going, Trav?”

Travis grinned.“Everything’s peachy in my world.I don’t mind telling you that I’m feeling relieved that nothing’s changed at my place after Ty opened the restaurant.I was concerned that maybe we’d have people driving around the property lost and looking for it.”

Ford laughed.“I think you’re safe there.The restaurant’s the first building you come to when you turn off the road—not even the tourists could miss it.”

Travis shrugged.“I wasn’t sure about that—I wouldn’t trust some of them to find their own ass.I had one of them ask me where the gas station was the other day—and we were standing in the parking lot at the grocery store—you know, right next to the gas station!”

Trip had to laugh.He’d gotten used to the tourists over the years and didn’t mind them.Travis had only moved back home recently and had yet to come to terms with how much things had changed in the valley since he lived here as a kid.

“Here comes your buddy.”

Trip turned, not understanding what Travis meant, but it turned out he was speaking to Ford, not to him.

Little Ashton was running across the yard toward them, and as he got closer he called, “Uncle Ford, Uncle Ford!”

Travis winked at him as they watched Ford turn to greet the little guy with a huge smile on his face.When Ashton reached him and held his arms up in the air, Ford didn’t miss a beat as he caught him and swung him up to sit on his shoulders.Ashton grabbed Ford’s hat so that he didn’t knock it off and placed it on top of the one he was wearing himself—which Trip noticed was exactly the same style and color as Ford’s.

“Sorry I took ages.Mom made me clean my room before I was allowed to come find you.Will you still take me to see the calves?”

“It’s not a problem, bud.You know you have to help your mom and do whatever she asks you to.And besides, I didn’t even notice you were late.I was catching up with Trav and Trip.”

“Hi, Uncle Travis.”Ashton looked a little warier as he turned to Trip.“Can I call you Uncle Trip?Nessa says that we’re all like family around here, so she calls everyone Uncle and Auntie.But you’re the doctor.Am I supposed to call you Doctor Trip?”

Trip smiled; he was pleased that Ashton even wanted to call him Uncle.Neither of them had enjoyed Ashton’s recent visit to the clinic.Tanner had brought him in after he’d gashed his leg on some rusty barbed wire in the old storage shed—where he wasn’t supposed to be exploring.

“I’d like it a lot if you want to call me Uncle, and I think we’d both be happier to forget about the doctor thing, wouldn’t we?”