Page 88 of The Doctor's Irreplaceable Love

Harper reached out to touch his arm.“Thank you.And I’ll tell you now, even if we can persuade Shelley to move right in with Trip, I’d love to take the cottage.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.“But only if you let me pay you the going rent.I imagine we’d both be in trouble with the natives otherwise.”

Jim laughed.“You may have a point there.And if it comes down to it, we’ll figure out what the going rate would be and decide between us what good cause we want to give it to each month.How about that?”

He glanced at Shelley.“It’s not like I need the money.And I reckon I’m capable of deciding for myself who is trying to take advantage of me and who isn’t.”

Shelley nodded, knowing he was right—and respecting him all the more for his suggestion about what they could do with Harper’s rent money.She swallowed—the money that Harper would only be paying him if Shelley herself decided to move in with Trip.

Not that Trip had asked her to move in.Well, he’d said that he’d love for her to… but…

She came back to the moment when she realized both Jim and Harper were watching her.She made a face.

“I’ll figure it out.I don’t need to decide today, do I?”

They both laughed.

“You don’t,” said Jim.“Now get along with you, the pair of you—and I’ll see you both soon.”

She and Harper didn’t talk much on the way back to Trip’s place.They rode in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

When Harper turned off the highway into Trip’s drive, she glanced over at Shelley.“You doing okay over there?”

“I am.I’m good.I’m just trying to process it all.Jim’s not just a wealthy man—he’s a very, very wealthy man.

Harper smiled.“I thought as much.You can tell that about him.He’s awesome, isn’t he?”

Shelley laughed.“He is.And he seems to think the world of you.”

“It’s mutual,” said Harper.“I wasn’t joking at the bakery the other day when I said that he might well be the best man I’ve ever met.”She let out a little sigh.“I wish I could have met his Kitty.I wish I could have seen the two of them together.A love like that…”

She sighed again.“I can’t even imagine.Well, no—that’s not true.Icanimagine, but that’s all I’ll ever be able to do.Still, it’s good to know that love like that exists in real life—and not just in romance novels.”

Shelley chuckled.“I never knew you had such a romantic streak hidden away.And who says you’ll never find a love like that?”

Harper rolled her eyes.“I keep my romantic streak hidden because I know how foolish it is—formeto go hoping.You, on the other hand…” She smiled as they emerged from the line of cottonwood trees and the house came into view.“You I have high hopes for.And just for the record, I’m with Jim.I think you should move in with Trip just as soon as you want to.”

Shelley raised her eyebrows.“Are you saying you don’t want to share the cottage with me?”

Harper laughed.“You know damn well how much I’m looking forward to that.It’ll be fun—if it works out that way.Apart from vacations, we haven’t shared space since college.I’d love it.”

She shot Shelley a quick look.“And that should tell you just how excited I am for you and Trip.Would I love for the two of us to be roommates again?Absolutely.But I’d love even more to see you settled with Trip.Okay?And now I’m going to zip it,” she said as she pulled up behind the house.

“I know he’s invited us both to stay for dinner, but I’m thinking I can run up to the grocery store and get something for dessert for the three of us.I need to feel like I’m contributing some… Oh good lord above.Who on earth is that—and please, can I have one?”

Shelley followed her gaze toward the kitchen door, where Trip had just come outside, accompanied by…

He had the look of the MacFarlands about him, but he was older.And Harper was right—hewasgood looking.In a rugged kind of way.

“Oh!That’s Cash.He’s the eldest MacFarland brother.”

“Holy smokes.Please tell me he’s not taken?”

“He’s not, as far as I know, but…” Shelley realized that both Trip and Cash were smiling at them—and she and Harper were still sitting in the car, staring at them like a pair of idiots.

“Put your tongue away and let’s get out,” she told Harper.“And please—behave yourself.”

Harper laughed.“I’m always on my best behavior.You know this.”

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