Page 80 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

Jim chuckled as he looked around at the women.“Aye, I know they're men to you, and they are to me, these days.But my Kitty thought of these guys as her boys.”

Shelley noticed the way Candy glanced at Spider and Rocket, and it made her smile.Candy had been a foster mom to the two of them when they were small, and even though to most people they might look like two very large, very intimidating men these days, Shelley knew that the pint-sized Candy still considered them to be her boys, too.

“I’d love to hear more about Miss Kitty,” said Frankie.“I remember when I was small, she seemed to me like the grandma I never had and always wanted.”

“She thought of you—and the other youngsters,” he jerked his chin toward Tanner and Ty, “all of you little MacFarlands, she thought of you guys as our grandkids.”

He nodded to himself before looking around the group again.“If you want to know the truth, I still see you that way myself.All of you.We couldn't have children of our own, but it didn't seem to matter too much.We had all of you.”

No one spoke for a moment.Shelley blinked back tears.

Travis nodded solemnly.“And you still do, Jim.You always will.”

“So, you want to tell us a story about her?”Deacon asked.

Jim picked up his mug from the table and looked down into it.He seemed to get lost in his thoughts, and Shelley had to wonder what he was thinking while everyone watched and waited for him to speak again.

When he finally lifted his head, tears shone in his eyes.“How about I meet you all here next week and I’ll come with a story or two ready?It took me all I had to bring it up today.”

Shelley swallowed to fight back the tears.She wasn’t the only one, either.Travis’s eyes shone as he nodded, Ace cleared his throat, and Deacon seemed suddenly interested in something outside the window.Shelley didn’t even dare to look at Trip beside her.She guessed this would affect him even more than the others.She reached for his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze.

He squeezed right back and held on tight.

Jim nudged Harper with his elbow and let out a short chuckle.“I bet you won’t want to hang out with me again.I turned out to be a real party pooper, didn’t I?”

Shelley loved her friend even more dearly when she leaned against Jim’s side and rested her head on his shoulder as she said, “You’re no party pooper, my friend.You’re a good man.I think you might well be the best man I’ve ever met.And just as you were lucky to spend most of your life with her, I can guarantee you that your Kitty thought she was equally lucky to spend her life with you.And I’ll tell you right now that even if I never see you again after today, I’ll forever consider myself lucky to have met you.”

Seeing Ace watch Harper with a small smile on his face, Travis grinning, and even Deacon give a slight nod, Shelley had the feeling that moment cemented Harper’s place amongst Trip’s group of friends.

She was surprised when Jim turned to her and nodded solemnly.“I’m going to take myself off home in a minute here, but I wonder if I can make an appointment with you sometime this weekend?”

Shelley didn’t understand what he wanted, but she wasn’t about to question him.“Of course you can.You name the time and the place, and I’ll be there.”She gave him a puzzled smile.“Is it about anything in particular?”

“It is.The more I think about my Kitty, the more I realize that I’ll get to see her again one of these days here soon.”

Everyone started to speak, to argue with him, but he held up his hand.“I appreciate the sentiment, I do.But it’s just a fact of life, and I’ve lived a long one already.I’m not saying I want to check out anytime soon, but at my age, I have to be realistic.”He turned back to face Shelley.“I want to put my affairs in order, okay?And that’s your profession, isn’t it?”

She nodded, wondering how he even knew.

“I was talking to young Laney the other day, and she told me that’s the kind of law you used to practice.She said you might be setting up shop here in the valley.If you are, I hope you’ll consider taking me on as your first customer.”

As everyone turned toward her, she didn’t know what to say.Yes, she’d been considering setting up shop here in the valley, as Jim called it, but she hadn’t made any moves yet.

Jim raised his bushy eyebrows.“I hope I didn’t put my foot in it?”

“Not at all.It’s just that I’m surprised that you know.”She turned toward Trip when he tightened his grip on her hand.“I haven’t done anything about it yet.It was just an idea when I was talking to Laney and …”

She relaxed when he smiled.

“I think it’s a great idea.As much as I enjoy having you at the practice with me, I knew it couldn’t last forever.”He smiled as he added, “Not the job anyway.”

She nodded slowly, not daring to examine what exactly he meant by that.She thought she knew but… As she looked around at the others, it seemed that they all knew, too—and there they were, all smiling.

When she turned back to Jim, he was getting to his feet.“I’m home all weekend, so give me a call and let me know when you want to come over.We can get the ball rolling.”

He grinned at Deacon.“And don’t worry.I don’t intend to leave everything to some floozy I just met.”With that, he rested his hand on Harper’s shoulder, and she grinned up at him.“Maybe you’ll come over to visit with Shelley when she comes?”

Harper rested her hand on top of his.“I’d love to.Thanks, Jim.”She grinned at everyone else.“As long as none of you have a problem with that.”

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