1
MATHEW
Dr. Mathew Klein yanked off his blood-covered gloves and tossed them into the trash behind the nurses’ station. He didn’t have to look at the clock to know it was quarter to seven in the morning. His shift was almost over, and yet he wouldn’t have minded putting in a few more hours. It wasn’t like he had anything waiting for him at home.
His place was quiet, especially during the day. His neighbors were good, hardworking people who kept to themselves. No loud parties. No dogs barking half the day. Unless his brother or sister needed him, his life was pretty quiet.
“There’s a rodeo competition this weekend. You coming?”
Mathew paused, hand hovering near the tablet he’d left behind the partition, and looked up at Aiden, who was leaning against the wall like he didn’t have a care in the world. Aiden was one of the best nurses they had at the hospital. Then again, “hospital” might have been generous. Anywhere else, the smallcountry facility probably would’ve been called a clinic. But in Copper Creek, Colorado, it got the job done.
Aiden pushed away from the wall and crossed his arms. His muscles flexed with the movement, and Mathew was fairly sure the guy did it on purpose. He might’ve been a nurse, but he was built like a truck. It came in handy on nights like this one, when the occasional cowboy decided to break in a horse before the town was fully awake.
Cowboys were notoriously bad patients, and Zeke Callahan was no exception. He’d needed several stitches, and it had taken Aiden helping keep him still to prevent the man from storming out of the room half-stitched. He probably wouldn’t have come in at all if one of his daughters hadn’t insisted.
“Well?” Aiden pressed. “Are you coming? I’m competing, and I know how much you like those events.” His hazel eyes flickered with amusement.
Mathew gave him a flat look. “I told you I don’t like going to those things, and you know why.”
Aiden rolled his eyes and tugged off his scrub cap, revealing mussed brown hair. Their twelve-hour shift was almost over. If Aiden looked worn-out, Mathew could only imagine how rough he looked himself.
“You don’t like going because you’re convinced you’ll have a heart attack every time some cowboy gets tossed from the saddle. Come on, man. You moved to a cowboy town. What did you expect?”
“I moved to be closer to my parents.” His mother had been struggling lately. There were moments when her mind wasn’t as clear as it used to be. The signs of dementia had been enough to uproot his life in Denver and bring him to Copper Creek. The hospital had been more than happy to add another doctor to the staff, so at least that part had worked out. “And apparently myuncle’s been putting my dad to work at the farm when he knows full well Dad shouldn’t be overdoing it.”
Aiden’s expression softened. “How’s his heart doing? Any more episodes?”
Mathew shook his head and turned back to his tablet to finish his notes on Mr. Callahan’s case. “He’s been okay, from what I’ve heard. Rose would tell me if she thought something was wrong.”
His cousin was good about that. The problem was, she wasn’t always around. She’d gone off to Cornell on a scholarship straight out of high school, and for a while he’d hoped she might build a life somewhere bigger than Copper Creek. But she’d come back home. Her business degree still helped her father plenty, but she wasn’t the one running the farm. Uncle George was too stubborn to hand over the reins.
“How’s Rose doing?”
Mathew’s shoulders tightened, and he slowly lifted his gaze to his friend. Aiden Stone was a good guy, but serious relationships didn’t exactly seem to be his thing. Between work and rodeo competitions, he kept himself busy enough. Anything else got whatever scraps of time were left over.
Aiden smirked, unbothered by Mathew’s stare.
“Leave my cousins alone, Stone.”
He laughed. “Can’t a guy ask about your family without getting the overprotective speech? You’re not even her brother.”
“That’s because she doesn’t have any brothers. Besides, she’s too much for you to handle. All my cousins are. They’re…” He huffed out a breath. “A lot.”
That made Aiden laugh again. “Oh, I’ve heard. They’re all redheads, right?” He rolled his lower lip between his teeth and shook his head. “Redheads are always spitfire.”
Mathew turned fully toward him and pointed a warning finger. “I mean it. Stay away from them. Last thing I need is one of them showing up upset because you broke her heart.”
Aiden lifted both hands, still chuckling. “Okay, okay. So back to my earlier question. Are you coming? You could bring a date. I could even set you up with someone if you need me to.”
“Pass,” Mathew deadpanned. “You know I don’t date. I don’t have time.”
“Maybe you would if you stopped taking extra shifts. Seriously, man. No one works as much as you do.”
Before Mathew could answer, a familiar voice called his name. He looked up and smiled when he saw his sister heading toward them.
Penny’s smile always had a way of settling something in him. She was the one person who could calm his mind without even trying. She was strong and sure, with the kind of presence that could stop a stampeding herd of cattle with one look. The Lord had given her something special.
He pulled her into a hug. “I thought we were meeting at the coffee shop.”
