Page 7

“Not really,” Eli said. “But they’re noteworthy. A couple of years ago, Mrs. Partridge was chasing squirrels away from her bird feeder and ended up knocking down a hornets’ nest. She worried she was going into anaphylactic shock and called us.”

“Was she?” Jace asked.

“Nah,” Eli said, “I think she just hyperventilated and wore herself out. When we pulled up, she was sitting on a lawn chair, one slipper missing, and a bag of frozen corn tied to her cheek. She gripped a can of Raid and kept spraying every passing wasp while yelling curses at them. Made it hard to get her vitals.”

“Last summer,” Cameron added, “she called in the middle of the night because she heard an animal rummaging through her garbage can and was certain it was a bear.”

“It was a raccoon,” Eli said. “But to be fair, it was a big raccoon.”

“We woke up Marlowe for that call too.” Cameron shook his head in amusement. “I hope she never gets rid of those pajamas.”

No wonder Marlowe hadn’t seen her grandmother’s trip up on the roof as anything out of the ordinary. The woman kept busy. “Sounds like Marlowe has her hands full,” Jace said. “How long has she been living with her grandmother?”

“Three years.” Cameron leaned back in his seat, stretching out his legs as much as he could. “Do you think she’s too young for me? Anyone who has the patience to put up with Mrs. Partridge and also looks that good first thing in the morning would make a great wife.”

“She’s too young for you,” Jace said without even stopping to wonder how old Cameron was.

He laughed, the kind of laugh that had a knowing edge. “But she’s not too young for you. You were talking to her for a while.”

Eli pulled a face and made an “Ohhhh” sound like the three of them were in junior high. “Should Jennifer be worried?”

Worried because Jace had run into an old girlfriend who disliked him? No. Although, Jennifer probably wouldn’t have worried if she’d known. A week ago, she’d told him they should take a break and evaluate their feelings.

Eli knew that, but since Jace and Jennifer had spent the last year ending things and starting them up again, no one was taking this breakup seriously. And yes, Jace knew all of the on-again, off-again made the two of them look flaky, but the stress and constant time crunch of med school were enough to make anyone give up on romance. Multiple times.

This time was different, though. This disagreement happened because she wanted him to apply for residency in California so he’d be near her. The area had good schools for psychiatry, her specialty. He thought she could just as easily match a school in Washington, Colorado, or Utah, which were better for family medicine, his specialty. She wouldn’t even consider it. She saw herself with a practice in a big city. He saw himself settling down in a small town.

This break was about Jennifer getting her way.

“Maybe it will do her a little good to worry,” Jace said.

Eli snorted. “Then worry her big-time. Have some fun while you’re here.” To Cameron, Eli said, “The boy has forgotten how to play the field. He’s been back for three days, and how much do you want to bet he’s messaged her fifteen times?”

“I haven’t messaged her fifteen times,” Jace said.

Eli lifted a challenging eyebrow. “Is the number zero?”

Jace didn’t answer the question. They waited. “No,” Jace finally admitted.

Both Eli and Cameron groaned as though he was a basketball player who’d just missed a free throw.

“Jennifer asked if I was settling in okay. It would be rude not to reply.” No need to tell them she’d called Lark Springs a hick town during that conversation. That information wouldn’t help either of their opinions of her.

Jennifer vacationed in places like Paris and Rome, so Montana suffered by comparison. Lark Springs was a small town, but if anything, it was a tourist town. It was close enough to Yellowstone that people from all over the country came to vacation here. The winters were brutal, but the summers had a beauty that was hard to beat.

“She’s reeling you back in.” Eli pantomimed being a fisherman with a pole. “Happens every time.”

“Fight the hook,” Cameron said. “Dude, what’s the girl’s appeal? Is she super hot or something?”

“Hot and rich,” Eli said, making the words sound like they were something illegal.

Cameron frowned and shook his head. “Girls like that are nothing but trouble. You’re better off without her.” His frown slid into a grin. “And since your hot, rich ex is technically single, I should get her number and see if she’s into firemen. We’re like doctors but buff and interesting.”

Eli flexed an arm, showing off his bicep. “Truth. Dude, there’s a reason people don’t make calendars of shirtless doctors.”

“And we make house calls,” Cameron added.

After that, the conversation pretty much devolved into a list of all the ways firefighters were better than doctors, including the fact that no one ever had to sit in a waiting room for an hour and a half to see a firefighter.