Page 114 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

Shelley squeezed her back.“Thanks, Harps.I’m happy for me too.Are you sure you’re going to be okay in Jim’s cottage by yourself?”

Harper’s eyebrows arched.“Do you think I’m not capable of living alone out here, or…”

“I don’t mean that, and you know it,” said Shelley.“I guess I’m just a little concerned that maybe you decided to stay to help me out, and now…”

Harper laughed.“Even if that were the case, I’d like to think I’ve already helped you.And now…” She waggled her eyebrows.“Now I can get to work on sorting myself out.”

“What kind of sorting are you talking about?”

Harper shrugged.“Oh, I don’t know.Nothing in particular.Just establishing a whole new life, that’s all.New career—or at least a new take on my career as an independent editor.Whole new state, whole new way of life, whole new bunch of friends.”She squeezed Shelley’s arm.“Except for my oldest and dearest friend.What more could a girl want?”

Shelley shook her head with a smile but didn’t get the chance to reply before Trip came back into the room.

“That was Trav.I thought he might be inviting us down to the MacFarland place for lunch—but it turns out he’s on his way here.And he’s almost here.He was calling to see if you’d mind if he came over.”

Shelley’s heart sank.Trip had gone so far out of his way to include Harper in their life since she arrived—and it hit her that she hadn’t made the same kind of effort for Trip’s best friend, Travis.

Trip met her gaze and smiled.“There’s nothing to worry about.He wouldn’t be turning into the driveway before he called if he thought you’d have an issue with it.”

“No, I know.But I hate that he felt the need to call at all.”She glanced at Harper.“You don’t, do you?”

Harper shrugged happily.“Maybe I’m just not as considerate as Travis.”

~ ~ ~

Trip left Shelley and Harper in the kitchen and went outside to greet Travis.

As Travis jumped down from his truck, he eyed Harper’s car.“Is she still driving that thing?”he asked.“Do we need to take her into town to buy something?”

“We do,” said Trip.“Apparently she wants a truck.”

Travis laughed.“Man, why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Because even though you don’t really know Harper yet, I think you already know what she’s like.”

Travis clasped his shoulder.“I think so.I mean, she’s kind of like me, isn’t she?

Larger-than-life personality, kind of in your face—but we’d lay down our lives for our people.”

“You know, I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but you’re right—and I like it.Shelley has her own Trav, and she couldn’t have a better friend.”

Travis cocked an eyebrow.“Is that your roundabout way of saying that you love me?”

Trip had to laugh.“I guess it was.But you know damn well I don’t mind telling you out loud—I love you, bud.”

Travis grinned broadly and wrapped him in a bear hug that lifted him off his feet before setting him back down again.

“You know I love it when I can make you say it.”

“I do.And I think I might finally be loosening up about saying those three little words.”

“You mean you told Shelley?”

“I did.Between you and Harper, I finally got there.”

Travis laughed as he started up the steps toward the kitchen door.

“Where are you going?”Trip called after him.

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