Molly Evans - One Summer In Santa Fe

He opened his mouth to protest and then thought of how much more difficult it would be to argue. “I’ll call him.”

Piper stood. “And I’ll check in with Emily. Thanks for the coffee.”

PIPER had survived her first very long day at the hospital. The high desert capital city of New Mexico was lovely with its classic southwest architecture and way the city seemed built into the cliffs and hills rather than taking over the landscape. No highrises here. Living at 7000 feet was going to be a challenge for her, having come from sea level at her last assignment. The air was much thinner at elevation and would take some getting used to.

Piper sighed. Exploration would have to wait for another day as she was scheduled for three more days of work before her first weekend off. Some of the staff had given her information on must-see places and restaurants around the area, so she had a plan for when her time was free. Santa Fe was starting to look like a great assignment. Her travel nurse assignments satisfied her need to travel and explore exotic places that she wouldn’t otherwise be able to visit. Most of the time she stayed close to her sister, but some assignments were too good to resist.

New Mexico so far seemed a spectacular mix of cultures from the old-world Mexican and Native American that had blended over the years to form a new culture altogether, one unique to the area. No wonder people were drawn here, as she had been. There was magic in The Land of Enchantment, as the state motto claimed. She was thoroughly looking forward to getting to know this place before she moved on to her next assignment. If there was another assignment. Though she had hoped to find a place to settle down eventually, the lure of travel and another city to discover seemed firmly enmeshed in her blood. She loved the travel and had no reason to put down roots yet.

As she entered the ER the next day, a small case of nerves shot through her. This would be a quick assignment. Just six weeks, then she’d be off somewhere else. Eventually she’d have to find a place to settle down for good. She’d put her life on hold long enough. Her own needs had always taken a backseat to those of her sister. Now her sister wouldn’t need her financial support any longer, and she could…have a life of her own. What a concept. She’d been so dedicated to supporting her sister and providing financial stability for Elizabeth that Piper hadn’t really had her own life in a long time. Except for one disastrous relationship that still stung her ego, she had remained relatively free of entanglements. Even thinking of her ex-boyfriend made her clench her jaw and narrow her eyes.

She sighed, trying not to think too hard about him and his wandering ways. After this assignment her responsibility would be over. Then what? She tried to put the question out of her mind when voices from behind her interrupted her train of thought.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, Alex, but I have no choice today.” Dr. Taylor Jenkins and a boy she assumed to be his nephew entered through the doors right behind her.

Turning, she took in the sight of the very tall man dressed in scrubs and the tousle-haired boy dragging his feet beside him. Once again, she noticed what an incredibly handsome man Taylor was. Part of being a nurse was paying attention to details, and she noticed every detail of him. Part of her wanted to allow her eyes to linger on his tall, lithe form, but another part of her shuddered. Finding a man attractive and being attracted to a man were two different things. She was too far into the being attracted to Taylor, and every red flag in her system was waving.

He was danger on a grand scale. Attraction was what had gotten her into trouble with her last failed relationship. Being attracted to Taylor was out of the question. She’d sworn to herself, never again. Unfortunately, it appeared that never had arrived.

Attraction needed to leave her alone, but she had a feeling that wasn’t going to happen. Especially as that little flutter in her stomach grew wings.

“It’s way early, Uncle T. I should be in bed, sleeping away my summer vacation, not hanging around a gross hospital all day.”

“Be that as it may, this is where I work, and where you are going to spend the day. The babysitter wasn’t available and, frankly, after yesterday’s fiasco, you can’t be trusted at home by yourself.”

“But it was an accident, I told you that. I said I was sorry.”

Clearing her throat, Piper caught their attention, watching as the two males who couldn’t have been much more different in physical appearance entered the lobby. “Hi, guys.”

As if just noticing he was about to plow her over, Taylor stopped a few feet from her. “Oh, hello, Piper. Back for more?” he asked, but his eyes were distracted.

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”

“They could drag me away. Pu-lease.” Alex made a rude sound deep in his throat.

“Piper, this bundle of enthusiasm and joy is my nephew, Alex.”

“Nice to meet you, Alex.” The kid couldn’t be more miserable looking. He didn’t look at her and kicked at the floor. The backpack slung over one shoulder looked weighty. She supposed that he had every book for summer reading in there.

“Hi.”

Hearing the tension in his voice, she fished into her purse and extracted a large mixed package of bubble gum and candy. “I was going to put this in the staffroom, but I’ll bet you’d like some.” Piper tore the bag open and offered it to him.

“Whoa, yeah. Awesome.” Alex took two packs of gum and a few wrapped candies, and for the first time looked up into her face, his dark brown eyes intelligent and curious.

“What do you say?” Taylor prompted.

“Thanks.” Ducking his head, he flushed and looked away.

“See you inside, Piper,” Taylor said with a sigh.

“Okay.” Piper followed a few paces behind.

As they walked away, Alex leaned closer to Taylor, who bent over to hear what he had to say. “Wow. She’s hot.”

Taylor straightened with a look of amusement on his face and turned to Piper with an extremely male glance. “Yes, she is.”

At that moment, Piper heard her name paged overhead. “Oh, gotta go.” She dashed around the two and hoped that Taylor hadn’t seen her flush. She colored ridiculously, and it was something she had tried to overcome, but couldn’t.

Arriving at the nurses’ station, she found Emily.

“Oh, you are here. I was hoping that we didn’t scare you off yesterday with that wild start to your contract. Some nurses would have headed for the hills.” She shook her head and her straight black hair bobbed around her shoulders.

“Not me. I’m tougher than that.” She’d had to be. When her parents had been killed, she’d had little time to feel sorry for herself or grieve the loss. So she’d found strength that she hadn’t known she’d had. Anything else, compared to that, well, just didn’t compare.

“Well, good. I’d like to pair you up with one of the nurses for the orientation you were supposed to have yesterday, and then we’ll go from there. After yesterday, I’m certain you won’t have any problems.”

Emily introduced her to her preceptor, and she spent the rest of the morning familiarizing herself with the ER.

At lunch, she entered the staff lounge to find a sullenfaced Alex sitting with a book on his lap.

“Hey, kiddo. What’s wrong with you?” she asked, and took a seat beside him. He looked as if he was about to have a meltdown.

“I’m s-o-o-o bored.” He snapped the book shut and held it out to her to see. By the look of Alex, it certainly was going to be a long, hot summer. “Reading isn’t part of my summer plans. Uncle T. gave me this. Said it was a good book, but I just don’t get it.”