“You’re welcome.” Nevada touched her arm. “What can I do to help with your friend?”
Tucker noticed the phrasing. Not “Can I do anything?” but “What can I do?” There was a difference. An assumption of getting involved. Another small-town characteristic?
“Nothing right now, but I’ll let you know if that changes.”
“Please do. You’re one of us now, and we take care of our own.”
Heidi’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Thank you,” she said, and hugged Nevada. Then she turned back to the ranch, leading the goats.
“That was nice,” Tucker said when they’d started back to the construction site.
“I meant it. If she needs help, we’ll be there for her. We can do a fundraiser or check with the local hospital to see if they can give the guy a break on the cost.” She frowned. “I’ll go back later today and explain all that. Maybe talk to the mayor.”
“Why would the mayor get involved?”
“That’s the beauty of a small town. Or, at least, Fool’s Gold. If anyone tries to mess with Heidi or her grandfather, he or she is going to be messing with the whole town.”
“You should put out a warning sign.”
“We prefer the thrill of the surprise.”
THE GOLD RUSH SKI LODGE and Resort sat up on the mountain at just over four thousand feet. There was plenty of snow in the winter for skiers and snowboarders, and the cold weather was also a great excuse for those who simply wished to look good sitting around the fireplace. The elegant resort was home to Fool’s Gold’s only five-star restaurant and had a monthly “chef in residence” dinner that brought in people from as far away as New York and Japan. It was the kind of place where anyone who enjoyed food looked forward to going for dinner. That meant Nevada should be thrilled to be there. Except she wasn’t.
The invitation had come when her mother left a message on her voice mail. “Family dinner at seven. You’ll be meeting Max.”
As Nevada had already seen Max naked, she wasn’t sure an introduction was necessary at this point. Nor was it especially welcome. What was she supposed to say? Where was she supposed to look? There were dozens of potential pitfalls and she wasn’t confident in her ability to avoid them all. Not that staying home was an option.
She’d briefly thought about bringing Tucker with her as a distraction, but if she asked him she’d have to explain why she needed him, and she didn’t want to have to relive the moment by talking about it. Instead, she deliberately arrived a few minutes late, hoping the crowd of her brothers and sisters, their families and significant others would shield her.
She saw Simon, Montana’s fiancé, in the lobby, talking on his cell phone. His expression was intense, so she hung back until he’d ended the call, then crossed to him.
“Hi, Simon.”
He tucked the phone into his suit jacket pocket, then smiled and took both her hands. “Nevada. How are you?”
After kissing her cheek, he tucked her arm in the crook of his elbow and led her toward the private dining room off the lobby.
She came to a stop, forcing him to do the same. “I need to ask you a medical question.”
He faced her, his gray-green eyes meeting hers. “Of course. How can I help?”
Simon was possibly the most handsome man Nevada had ever seen. There was a beauty to his face that made him slightly separate from others who were merely good-looking or attractive. But that was only half the picture. The other half was a set of burn scars that savaged half of his features.
He was both beauty and beast—outwardly. From what Nevada knew of him, on the inside he was a gifted healer who sacrificed all for his patients and loved her sister with a devotion that would cause the happiest of women a slight case of envy.
“Is there some way to erase a specific memory?” she asked. “Hypnosis or maybe some kind of electronic probe in my frontal lobe?”
The perfect side of his mouth twitched slightly.
“This isn’t funny,” she added, knowing she sounded defensive.
“It’s a little funny.”
“Fine.” She sighed. “Be amused, but I still want an answer.”
“What do you know about your frontal lobe?” he asked.
“Not much.”
“Trust me. It’s not a place you want to go messing around in.” He kissed her cheek again. “Your mother is an amazing, vital woman. You should be happy for her.”
“I am. I just didn’t want to see her ‘vital’ side. She’s my mother. It’s not natural.”
He chuckled. “I’m sorry. I can’t help. For what it’s worth, the memory will fade with time.”
“That’s not worth very much.”
“It’s the best I have.”
“And here I thought you were a gifted doctor.”