Free The Doctor's Husband (Colorado Blues) by Ann B Harrison Page A

again.
    “Yeah, it is, isn’t it? Mind you, when Gina first laid eyes on it she wasn’t that impressed. She’s pretty happy now though, isn’t she, tiger?” He bounced the toddler up and down and was rewarded with chortles of glee. Fisher waved his hands in the air, his little face showing just how much he was enjoying it.
    “Must be pretty nice having a ready-made family.” Evan couldn’t be sure if it was jealousy nudging him in the ribs or happiness for his brother.
    “Yeah, this little guy is perfect. When I first met him I was taken back because I didn’t know about him. It didn’t take long for me to warm up to him. Planning on adding to the brood as fast as we can too. I can see Gina with a heap of kids around her feet.”
    “Guess you got lucky. Both you and Chance seem to have found the women of your dreams.” He jammed his hands into his pockets and glanced up at the mountain behind the ranch. Snow caps gleamed white in the clear blue sky.
    Rory put the wriggling toddler down on the grass and watched as he went straight for a daisy poking its head up through weeds at the fence line. “You and Denver seem pretty close. I sense something else. Do I detect a whiff of disharmony there?”
    He stood with his hands on his hips reminding Evan of those big brother talks that came his way with uncommon regularity. Nothing much had changed between them over the years. Here comes another one.
    Evan laughed, the sound bitter to his own ears. “Disharmony? No. More like I want to rush her off her feet but I don’t want to scare her away.” He kicked at the grass, frustrated. “I dropped her off at the hospital so she could check out that job you told her about while I had an interview in town, which I think went rather well by the way. Then after having a cup of tea with the old man we checked out the house that goes with the job, if she wants it mind you, at the hospital. Seems they were rather taken with her and asked for a resume on the spot.” He glanced at the house where Denver was inside with Gina wondering if they were talking the way women did given the chance. They’d seemed rather friendly since they met the other night.
    “So what’s your problem then? If you’re both keen to work here and you seem cozy enough to me, why the long face?” Rory kept his gaze flickering over to Fisher exploring the garden while he listened to his brother.
    “I want what you have, you and Chance.” It sounded weak when he said it. The picture was in the back of his mind already. The white house, cat lazing on the back lawn tossing his paws at the blades of grass and the flowers he wanted to see there and Denver. Denver was the center of it all.
    “So propose to her. What’s the worst that can happen?”
    “I’ll scare her off. We’ve only just started dating and that took me two years to get her to agree to go out with me.” And I don’t want to have to start all over again if she freaks out. Or worse, lose her if I stuff it all up.
    “Well it seems to me that you’re moving fast from there. Didn’t you share her bed last night?” Rory watched him with a grin on his face.
    “Yeah, but having sex doesn’t mean she wants to commit to me. It’s probably because she was ready for it. Doesn’t mean she wants to marry me or anything.” He huffed out a breath, annoyed with himself. Because it was what he wanted didn’t mean it stood to reason she wanted it too.
    Rory slapped him across the shoulders. “Man, you should see your face. You’re looking like the world’s going to end. When the time is right, in bed or otherwise, I’m sure you’ll know. When she’s in a really good mood, ask her. Ask her if she wants to commit to you and a relationship. Doesn’t mean you have to get married. Perhaps letting her know you want to go exclusive will give you an idea if she’s ready or not.”
    He thought about it, kicking himself he’d never thought of it that way. “Yeah, I like the idea of exclusive.