Page 95 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

"Shoot.I need to take this.And then I need to get ready to go out to dinner."

She gave them a quick wave."I don't expect I'll see you tonight, Shelley, so give me a call tomorrow."She shot Trip a sassy smile as she added, "If the boss doesn't mind me taking you out to lunch?"

Shelley and Trip smiled at each other as they watched her go.

When the door closed behind her, he pressed a kiss to Shelley's temple.

"Does that mean you're free this evening?"

She nodded.“It looks that way.”

"Want to have dinner with me?"

She turned to look up into his eyes."I'd love to."

A small smile played on his lips as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I should warn you, if you have dinner with me, I'll try to get you into bed afterwards."

She chuckled."I was hoping you might."

"Should we stop by your place first to get anything you need for tomorrow?"

She thought about it for a moment."You know what?I don’t think I need to.I think I already have enough at your place."

His smile grew bigger."I like that.I like that a lot."

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips, not wanting to tell him just how much she liked it, too.

Her heart felt like it melted in her chest when he added, "That's the way it should be."

Chapter Twenty-One

When he arrived back home, Trip slowed after turning into the driveway.He knew Shelley wasn't far behind him, but as usual, he didn't relax until he saw her turn off the highway.

He wished that she would ride with him, but he knew she had a point when she said she'd be stranded if he had to go back to the hospital.It wasn't entirely true — she'd never really be stranded at his place.Brody was usually around, and even if he wasn't, one of the hands would gladly give her a ride wherever she wanted to go.

He understood it, though.She was an independent woman, and the last thing he wanted to do was take her independence away from her.

He crossed the creek and looked back, only fully relaxing when he saw her car emerge from the cottonwoods.

He smiled as the thought hit him — he didn't know when her birthday was, but he hoped it was soon.

He’d worried about her over the winter, driving that little car of hers, and he wanted to buy her something more suitable for the roads out here.He didn't know if she'd accept a gift like that from him, but he figured her birthday would be his best chance.Either that or Christmas — but Christmas was a long way off, and the snow usually flew before then.

When he pulled up behind the house, he cut the engine and sat there for a moment as it dawned on him just how naturally it came to him to think about having her in his life long term.

He turned and smiled when she pulled up beside him.

He opened the door to let them in and smiled to himself when she went straight to the half-empty bottle of wine standing on the counter from last night.She picked it up and raised her eyebrows.

"Should we finish it off while we think about dinner?"

He nodded happily, watching her take down two glasses from the cabinet.

"Any idea what you'd like to eat?"he asked.

"I was thinking something quick and easy, depending on how hungry you are."