flushed, her eyes snapped, and her lips were pressed into a thin line.
She was pissed, just like that time her brother had borrowed her bike without asking, then left it at the curb where the trash truck ran over it.
"Mrs. Lane–Priscilla, I think there's a lot more to what happened ten years ago than you realize." Taylor drew a breath and placed her hands palms down on the table. "I definitely didn't return to harm your... little boy ."
Taylor's gaze shifted to him on the last two words. Gordon groaned again. Ryan laughed louder than before.
Mom stiffened, then gave a grudging nod. "All right, Taylor. Welcome home, then."
"What's going on?" Sue asked.
Gordon uncovered his face and watched their hostess place a steaming casserole dish on the table. "You don't want to know."
Sue glanced from Taylor to Gordon's mother. "Yep, you got that right." She picked up the serving spoon. "Who wants lasagna?"
Gordon sighed and looked at Taylor again. She chewed her salad furiously, her eyes dancing with victory. He held his breath as she slipped her foot out of her sandal and rubbed it along his leg.
She was playing dirty, and his body responded with infuriating enthusiasm.
"Lasagna, Gordon?" Sue asked.
He gave her a weak smile. "Got any crow?"
* * *
After consuming two glasses of wine and reliving every school play and significant event from kindergarten through high school with Priscilla–the woman definitely seemed to have recovered from her unreasonable anger–Taylor was ready to call it a night. Besides, tomorrow was her first day as a real, practicing physician.
Even if it would be in an animal hospital.
However, she was quite pleased with the way tensions had eased as the evening progressed. No blood drawn by either side, even during the clean-up with three women in the kitchen.
"I have an early morning, so I think it's time to call it a night," Gordon said, mirroring her thoughts. "Ryan, let's have a look at Patches before I leave."
Taylor watched Ryan sail by, then a moment later a tail-wagging bundle of energy joined him in the kitchen. The dog seemed fine. In fact, it was adorable. She'd always had a fondness for dogs, especially Gordon's Max. Maybe someday she'd settle down in one place long enough to have one of her own.
She followed Ryan to the living room, where Priscilla was already pulling on her sweater and retrieving her car keys from her purse. Surviving an evening with Gordon, Sue, and Priscilla was nothing less than a miracle. Taylor gave herself a mental pat on the back.
And a silent sigh of relief.
"Hey, you're looking good, Patches," Gordon said, dropping to his knees to peer into the dog's eyes. He scratched Patches behind the ears and the mutt seemed to melt into the floor at Gordon's feet. "Like that, huh, boy?"
He chuckled, sounding far too much like the boy Taylor had once adored. She loved hearing him laugh. She always had. That ache commenced again in her chest and her belly did a triple spinach lasagna flip. Her gaze rested on Gordon's silver hair, pulled into a ponytail at his nape. His face and neck were bronze from the sun, and the muscles in his forearms rippled beneath his blue and white rugby shirt.
"No more wheezing since he came home?" Straightening, Gordon looked at Ryan and Sue for his answer.
"Not a bit." Ryan beamed as he dropped to the floor beside his dog, whose tail swept the wood floor in rhythmic strokes. "He's well now. I think he likes the warmer weather."
"We all like the warmer weather." Gordon stroked his chin and nodded. "I hope he stays that way, but call me right away if he starts wheezing again."
"He won't," Ryan said, burying his face in the dog's furry
She was pissed, just like that time her brother had borrowed her bike without asking, then left it at the curb where the trash truck ran over it.
"Mrs. Lane–Priscilla, I think there's a lot more to what happened ten years ago than you realize." Taylor drew a breath and placed her hands palms down on the table. "I definitely didn't return to harm your... little boy ."
Taylor's gaze shifted to him on the last two words. Gordon groaned again. Ryan laughed louder than before.
Mom stiffened, then gave a grudging nod. "All right, Taylor. Welcome home, then."
"What's going on?" Sue asked.
Gordon uncovered his face and watched their hostess place a steaming casserole dish on the table. "You don't want to know."
Sue glanced from Taylor to Gordon's mother. "Yep, you got that right." She picked up the serving spoon. "Who wants lasagna?"
Gordon sighed and looked at Taylor again. She chewed her salad furiously, her eyes dancing with victory. He held his breath as she slipped her foot out of her sandal and rubbed it along his leg.
She was playing dirty, and his body responded with infuriating enthusiasm.
"Lasagna, Gordon?" Sue asked.
He gave her a weak smile. "Got any crow?"
* * *
After consuming two glasses of wine and reliving every school play and significant event from kindergarten through high school with Priscilla–the woman definitely seemed to have recovered from her unreasonable anger–Taylor was ready to call it a night. Besides, tomorrow was her first day as a real, practicing physician.
Even if it would be in an animal hospital.
However, she was quite pleased with the way tensions had eased as the evening progressed. No blood drawn by either side, even during the clean-up with three women in the kitchen.
"I have an early morning, so I think it's time to call it a night," Gordon said, mirroring her thoughts. "Ryan, let's have a look at Patches before I leave."
Taylor watched Ryan sail by, then a moment later a tail-wagging bundle of energy joined him in the kitchen. The dog seemed fine. In fact, it was adorable. She'd always had a fondness for dogs, especially Gordon's Max. Maybe someday she'd settle down in one place long enough to have one of her own.
She followed Ryan to the living room, where Priscilla was already pulling on her sweater and retrieving her car keys from her purse. Surviving an evening with Gordon, Sue, and Priscilla was nothing less than a miracle. Taylor gave herself a mental pat on the back.
And a silent sigh of relief.
"Hey, you're looking good, Patches," Gordon said, dropping to his knees to peer into the dog's eyes. He scratched Patches behind the ears and the mutt seemed to melt into the floor at Gordon's feet. "Like that, huh, boy?"
He chuckled, sounding far too much like the boy Taylor had once adored. She loved hearing him laugh. She always had. That ache commenced again in her chest and her belly did a triple spinach lasagna flip. Her gaze rested on Gordon's silver hair, pulled into a ponytail at his nape. His face and neck were bronze from the sun, and the muscles in his forearms rippled beneath his blue and white rugby shirt.
"No more wheezing since he came home?" Straightening, Gordon looked at Ryan and Sue for his answer.
"Not a bit." Ryan beamed as he dropped to the floor beside his dog, whose tail swept the wood floor in rhythmic strokes. "He's well now. I think he likes the warmer weather."
"We all like the warmer weather." Gordon stroked his chin and nodded. "I hope he stays that way, but call me right away if he starts wheezing again."
"He won't," Ryan said, burying his face in the dog's furry
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