So far the conversation had been pleasant. The women had chatted about various things happening around town. He’d been brought up to date on Pia’s twins, Dakota Hendrix’s pregnancy, the upcoming groundbreaking for a new casino resort north of town, and the fact that the Castle Ranch had finally been purchased by a family who seemed as if they were going to stay.
On the ranch front, someone had said something about a woman named Heidi who raised goats and lived with her grandfather, but he figured they had to be making that up.
Lunch had been ordered and delivered, food mostly eaten and still no one mentioned the actual reason for the meeting. That they were going to do their best to convince him to stay.
He was used to the pressure. It happened everywhere he went. He’d had village chieftains offer him everything from chickens to virgin daughters. In more westernized areas, the enticements included money, positions on boards, stock options and the occasional daughter, with no promise of virginity made.
Their server came and cleared the plates. Simon glanced toward the door and wondered if he could simply make a run for it. Glancing at the women seated around him, he doubted he could make it to the door before them. Senior citizens or not, they were determined.
“I’m sure you’ve guessed why we asked you to join us for lunch,” Mayor Marsha said.
“I have an idea.”
“You’ve brought so much to this community,” she continued. “Your work is extraordinary, but it’s more than that. You have a dedication to your patients that touches us all. You care and we respect that.”
Care? He saw himself as brilliant, gifted and, at times, a complete tyrant. But caring? Had they met him?
“One of the things that makes Fool’s Gold a unique community is that we are so much more than a group of people who happen to live in the same place. We have an emotional bond that makes us more like a family. Many of us can trace our roots back several generations.”
“The Hendrixes are one of our founding families,” Eddie said helpfully. “You like Montana, right?”
One of the other women shushed her.
“What?” Eddie demanded. “We’ve all seen it. Are we going to pretend we don’t know they’re having sex?”
Charity winced, then turned to him. “Sorry. Eddie is…er, unique.”
“Don’t talk about me like I’m not here.”
Simon held up a hand. “It’s fine. I get her point.” At least Montana wasn’t here to witness all this, he thought, not sure if she would laugh or be embarrassed. Probably both.
“As I was saying,” Marsha continued, shaking her head slightly, “you bring a lot to the hospital and we think we have a lot to give in return. Which leads me to my question. What is your dream offer?”
“Excuse me?”
“Tell me what it would take to get you to stay. We’re building a new hospital. You could help with the design—create your dream facility.”
He wasn’t used to that, he realized. All the other places had simply thrown things at him, hoping to convince him with volume. No community had ever thought to ask what he wanted.
He looked at their hopeful faces and knew they would try to fulfill any request. If he wanted to run the hospital board, they would make it happen. It he wanted a fifty-foot picture of himself on the mountain, it would appear.
If only it were that simple.
“What I want,” he said slowly, “is for people to be more careful around fire, because this one life is all we get. What I want is for parents to stop hurting their kids.” He drew in a breath. “That’s not what you meant.”
Marsha smiled gently. “No, that’s not what we meant.”
What did he want? He knew there was no answer to the question because staying wasn’t an option. Selling him on the town wasn’t necessary—he already liked it here. If he could stay…
“I appreciate the offer,” he told them. “Fool’s Gold is great. I’ve enjoyed my time here. My decision to leave isn’t about the town. It’s about me.”
“How can we change that?” the mayor asked.
“You can’t.”
“I APPRECIATE THAT YOU stopped by,” Montana said, “but you look weird lying on the grass in a suit.”
Simon kissed her palm. “I took off my jacket.”
“Well, then, that makes it okay.”
After his lunch with the mayor and her friends, he’d come by the kennel to see Montana. She had been outside with the puppies, enjoying the warm afternoon. He’d joined them, stretching out on the grass, letting the puppies crawl all over him.
He glanced at his watch.
“How long do you have?” she asked.
“An hour.”
She bent over and kissed him. “Slacker.”
He laughed. “Occasionally.”
“So, tell me about this lunch you had with all those sexy women.”
He stared up at her beautiful face. “Not that I don’t admire Mayor Marsha, but the woman is in her seventies.”
“We should all look so good at her age.”
He sat up and studied Montana. He traced her cheekbones, the line of her jaw. “Speaking as a professional, you have nothing to worry about. You’ll always be beautiful.”
He watched color stain her cheeks as she looked down. “Simon, don’t.”
“What? Tell you what I know will happen?”
“I’m not that special.”
“You are to me.”