Rachel didn’t have her bearings yet about locations in and around Bisons Creek, she was surprised when Garrett turned onto the Circle M Ranch drive before taking her to the clinic. He stopped the truck at the house to let Justino out.
“Miss Caroline will have saved you some dinner,” he told the boy. “Try to take it easy tonight and not worry too much. Lena’s being well cared for and she’s getting better.”
“I hope so.”
“He doesn’t sound convinced.” Garrett drove back toward the ranch entrance. “I guess I can’t blame him.”
“He would have stayed with her all night if you had let him,” Rachel said. “They’re very close for such a young couple.” She paused for a moment. “Did you want to talk to me about something? You could have dropped me off first.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “It occurred to me that neither of us has had lunch or dinner. I thought maybe you’d be interested in getting something to eat.”
“Oh.” The suggestion should have been simple enough, except for the combination of excitement and reluctance ambushing her brain. Garrett Marshall was way too appealing for her to spend a lot of time with. The last thing she wanted to do was get closer to him.
“Is that a yes or a no?”
Still, she was hungry. “Um, okay. Sure. Food sounds like a good idea.”
“Great. We’ve got a diner here in town—the only restaurant, actually—where the cooking is really excellent. You might as well get familiar with it on your first day here.”
“It is still my first day, isn’t it?” She sighed. “I haven’t even unpacked the car. Or gone to my apartment. That’s the way medicine is sometimes.”
“We appreciate your being here for what was clearly an emergency.” He pulled the truck into a parking space beside a building with the sign Kate’s Diner. Then he looked over in the dim light and grinned. “The least I can do is buy you dinner on your first night in town.”
Alarms went off in Rachel’s head—he made it sound way too much like a date. But she could hardly retreat at this point. Maybe she could talk him into splitting the check.
Garrett opened the door for her, a courtesy that upped her discomfort level. Then he pulled out a chair at the table and invited her to sit. Short of staging a fight, there wasn’t much she could do other than take the seat he offered.
She met his gaze directly as he sat down across the table. “This isn’t a date.”
His eyebrows rose. “Not technically. No.”
That response didn’t reassure her. “Not even remotely.”
He folded his arms on the table. “Would it be such a bad idea?”
“We aren’t a couple. Aren’t going to be a couple.”
“That’s a pretty sweeping prediction. We only met this morning. Do you dislike me so much already?”
She had to tell the truth. “No, of course not. But the two of us are incompatible.”
“I disagree. I think we’ve had a good day together.”
A pretty, brown-haired woman came to their table. “Hey, Garrett. Long time no see.”
“Hi, Terri. Yeah, we’ve been pretty busy out on the ranch with the kids plus the regular chores. Let me introduce you to the newest citizen in town—this is Dr. Rachel Vale. She’ll be operating the Bisons Creek Medical Clinic.”
Terri’s face brightened. “I heard we were getting a doctor. Welcome! It will be so great to be able to visit a clinic in town when one of the kids has an ear infection instead of driving half an hour just to get a prescription.”
Rachel smiled. “I’m glad to be here. I look forward to helping you out when you need medical advice.”
“I’ll be sure to call. But for right now, what can I get you two to drink?”
“Water,” she and Garrett both said at the same time.
“Got it.” Terri scribbled on her notepad. “We still have some of the special available, which is meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy and Kate’s slow-cooked green beans. I’ll be back in a minute to take your orders.”
“So,” Garrett said when the server had left, “you were going to tell me why we’re incompatible.”
“We have different worldviews.” Rachel clasped her hands on the table. “As a minister, you operate on the assumption that faith will make things right. But as a doctor, I use science and facts to deal with the world.”
Terri reappeared with a glass of water for each of them. “And what will you have to eat?”
Once they both ordered the meat loaf, Rachel resumed her explanation. “People with such opposite perspectives can’t find common ground for a relationship.”
Laughter sparked in his blue eyes. “Are you hoping to persuade me or yourself?”
She glared at him. “You’re awfully sure I’m attracted to you, aren’t you?”
“I wasn’t, till you started trying to convince me we can’t go on a simple date.”
“There’s nothing simple about dating.”
“So you’ve had some bad experiences?”
“Hasn’t everybody had a bad date?”
“Sure. A few years ago, I went out with a woman who brought her grandmother along with us to dinner.”
Rachel had to laugh. “You’re kidding, right?”
“At first, I figured her grandmother just wanted to check me out. But when Nana showed up for the second go-round, I decided I’d had enough of the two-for-one program.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Especially since Nana monopolized every conversation with details of her surgical adventures.”
“Oh, no.”
“Can you top that?”
“I don’t think so. Most of my bad dates were with guys who thought buying dinner entitled them to play doctor afterward.”
“Rude.” He waited while Terri set their plates down and left again. “I promise to keep my hands to myself.” After a moment, he winked. “Tonight.”
Rachel frowned at him. “You’re a problem.”
They ate in silence for a few minutes, giving the delicious food the appreciation it deserved. “At least now I know where to come for a decent meal,” she said when her hunger had been eased. “I don’t have to depend on peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches.”
“You’re not a cook?”
“I can make a salad, boil pasta or bake a potato in the microwave. Being a doctor hasn’t offered much opportunity to develop complex cooking skills.”
“So what do you do on your days off?”
“There haven’t been many of those. But I usually go for a run if I’ve got an hour of daylight. And I like to read.”
Garrett grinned at her. “See, we do have something in common. I like to read, too. What do you read?”
“Not religious texts.”
“We were talking about free time. And you’re determined to pigeonhole me, aren’t you?”
She pushed her empty plate away. “I’m a doctor. That role defines my whole life. You’re a minister. Wouldn’t you say the same?”
“But you’re also a runner and a reader. And probably