“Hidden Lake.”
“How appropriate. It definitely lives up to its name,” she says. “It’s like a little piece of paradise in the heart of the mountains.” Just like her voice, her expression is full of awe.
I stand there and watch her, wondering how it’s possible that she is more beautiful than any landscape, any paradise. There’s no doubt now. I’m definitely crushing on her.Part of me wonders if I ever stopped.
Needing a distraction so I don’t stare at her all day, I point down the hill. “What do you say we go have a closer look, then we can sit down and just talk some more.”
The smile she gives me warms me from the inside out. Then again, the way my entire body burns whenever I’m near her has a lot to do with that. “I’d like that.”
“So,” she says once we’ve found a good spot to sit down. “What's the one difference you’ve found between treating patients here compared to Boston?”
I take a moment to think about it. “It’s different from what I was used to. I get more time with them here too. It’s not dictated by the clock as much.”
“Or the billable hours,” she says. “I hear you onthat.”
“I guess it feels a lot more personal here. You already know the people you’re treatin’. You see them on the street, at grocery store, sometimes at the tavern. That’s the thing about small towns, there’s a real sense of community here that you don’t always get in the big cities. Not in my experience, anyway.”
“It sounds like you find the work rewarding.” She seems genuinely interested and it hits me then, that ever since I knocked on her door for our date, I haven’t overthought anything. I’ve just been myself.
“I think livin’ here and experiencin’ a life similar to that of my patients helps me understand and empathize with their struggles. Probably more than I would’ve been able to before, anyway.”
Soft eyes meet mine. “Sounds like it has givenyouperspective too.”
“The therapist learnin’ from his patients and all that. Yeah. You’re probably right.”
She looks out over the dark blue water, lifting her knees up to lean on them. “I think I’m hoping to find something like that while I’m here too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know yet. I’ve been so focused on my specialty and getting as far as I can in medicine and making a name for myself that I lost my way somehow,” she says quietly.
“Do you mean your purpose? Or your passion for it? Because this definitely isn’t a vocation you go into unless you’re dedicated to the cause. Especially cardiology.”
She turns and rests her head on her bent knees, looking my way. “When I left home, I knew I wanted to make a difference in the world. I thought I could do that–that Iwoulddo that–through medicine. The thing is, the day I drove into Timber Falls, I went to the lookout and saw just how different life was here compared to the city. And that was before I’d even met anyone or seen the place up close. Still, I started to hope that this would be my chance to find my passion for it again. Somewhere away from the pressure and the big wigs wanting you to write more research papers to get more grants. You know, big city hospital life.”
I stare at her in wonder. Here’s a woman who barely knows me and who has taken not just the mountain town life in her stride, but also my confession about our past, and she feels safe enough to be open and raw with me. That’s a gift I won’t–and will never–take for granted.
“Sounds like George’s invitation came at the right time for you.”
“Two weeks in and I’m already sure of it,” she replies soft and light.
I nudge her legs with mine, not missing her eyes widening the moment our skin touches. “Imagine what could happen after sixmonths.”
That’s when she floors me and locks eyes with mine. “If today’s anything to go by, then I think I might like whatever comes my way.”
We stare at each other as something pivotal—and to me, life changing—courses between us.
The feeling is so strong that I force myself to look away before I ruin everything by telling her everything–about the mountain spirit, the Call, and how she might’ve been brought to the ranch for me.
To distract myself, I decide to throw caution to the wind, remembering a moment from my childhood when Gramps wanted Case and I to jump into the water and since my twin was too scared to do it by himself, we did it at the same time. “So…”
“So?” she repeats.
"Speakin’ of fresh outlooks and new experiences, how do you feel about takin’ a swim?”
Her eyes jump wide, switching between me, the water, and the snow-covered mountain overlooking the water. “Here?”
“Mmm hmm. What do you say?” Her wary gaze gives me pause.
