Page 1 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

Chapter One

Shelley tidied her desk and looked around the reception area.She did her best to keep things neat throughout the day, but it amazed her how much mess people made while they waited for their appointments.

Trip had told her repeatedly that it wasn’t her responsibility—Joan came in to clean every evening after clinic hours were over.But Shelley felt bad.Joan was an older woman, and she had enough to do just keeping the place clean.Shelley liked to at least leave the place tidy for her.

She wandered around, straightening chairs and returning magazines to the pile.She stopped in front of the window and stared out at the mountains.It had been a beautiful day.And thank goodness the days were getting longer now.Winter in Montana wasn’t for the faint of heart, but she’d survived it.

She turned back to her desk.What she needed to decide now was whether she was going to stick around for the summer—or even the spring.

When she’d first arrived in Livingston, she’d only planned to stay for a couple of weeks.For the last couple of years, she’d enjoyed living as something of a nomad.She wasn’t like the kids who traveled the world, working on their laptops at the beach.But since leaving her old career—leaving her marriage and her life behind—she’d enjoyed staying on the move.

She was fortunate that she didn’t need to work to survive; she’d invested well over the years.Of course, she took jobs here and there when she found them—just because she had money didn’t mean she needed to use it all without replenishing her funds.

She hadn’t expected to work here in Montana, though.She’d thought of this stop as more of a vacation.But that had changed purely by chance.

She’d been chatting with the girl behind the counter at the local pharmacy.The girl had explained, at great length, that they’d been having difficulty lately getting prescriptions from the local doctor’s office.She’d assured Shelley that the doctor himself was perfectly competent and a very nice guy, but he’d been struggling for months to find someone who could fill in as a receptionist.Apparently, the woman who’d worked for him for years had recently retired, and his attempts to replace her had been spectacular disasters.

After leaving the pharmacy, Shelley had decided to stop by the doctor’s office to see if he wanted temporary help.She smiled at the memory—she’d walked in to find Trip standing behind the reception desk, looking frazzled.It seemed he couldn’t even work his own appointment system.

He’d given her a harried look and asked her to give him a few minutes while he tried to set up a follow-up appointment for an older woman who was waiting.When Shelley realized that Trip was just getting himself in deeper, she’d asked if he wanted her to take a look and see if she could help.

She would have understood if he’d refused—and now that she knew him better, she was surprised that he hadn’t.But he’d given her a frustrated nod of agreement.It hadn’t been hard to figure the system out, and within a couple of minutes, the older lady was leaving with a smile on her face and an appointment card in her hand.

Shelley hadn’t even needed to ask Trip for the job.He’d laughed and jokingly asked if she wanted one.He’d been shocked when she told him that, yes, that would work out well for her.

She checked her watch.They were supposed to finish at five on Fridays—but they never did.

Trip had told her again before his afternoon appointments that she was free to go whenever she was done for the day, but she didn’t like to leave until she knew he was finished.On Friday afternoons, he liked to book patients who needed a little more time.She loved that he didn’t rush them, and she had no problem sticking around in case she was needed.

This afternoon, his last appointment was with Jim Sheridan.

Shelley loved Jim.He was an old rancher, something of an institution in his own right.He was well-respected in the valley—everyone knew and loved him.Shelley adored him.He always had a smile and a kind word for everyone, and since she’d gotten to know him a little, he also had a wink for her.

Although he seemed popular and outgoing, Shelley suspected that he was lonely.

One afternoon, while waiting for his appointment, he’d told her his wife had died twelve years ago—and he still missed her.He owned, and from what Shelley could gather, still ran one of the largest ranches in the valley.Of course, he didn’t run it physically himself; he had a whole team who worked for him.But he was still very much the man in charge.

She had a feeling he might need to make a follow-up appointment when he came out, so she sat back at her computer to wait.It wasn’t as though she had anywhere else to be this evening.

She smiled to herself.She had made some friends here—good friends.Most of them were the girlfriends—if that was still a word they could use at their age—of Trip’s friends.There was a whole group of them, and they often invited her along to hang out.She enjoyed the women’s company, and when they all went out as a group with their men, she usually went along, too.

The thing was, she was the only single woman.And Trip was the only single guy.It was natural for them to pair up.And she wouldn’t deny that she enjoyed it.There were sparks between them.There had been since the beginning.

But… she wasn’t looking for anything.Neither was he.

Perhaps if they’d met under different circumstances—if she didn’t work for him—they might have had some fun together while she was here.But things hadn’t worked out that way.

It was all good.The way things were suited her just fine.

She looked up when the door to Trip’s office opened.She wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, but she kind of wished things were different.That they had a chance.

But they didn’t.

She smiled when Jim came out of the office and made his way back to the desk.

“Looks like I’ll be seeing you again in a couple of weeks,” he said.

Shelley nodded warmly.“You know I’m happy to see you whenever.”

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