She laughed. “That’s not what I meant, but maybe. I was talking about you smiling. You don’t smile very much. I suppose that comes from being a very serious man.”

In her world, was being serious good or bad? He had a feeling it would fall on the bad side and wanted to tell her he could be as much fun as the next guy. But he knew he was wrong. All the fun had been burned out of him a long time ago.

She dropped her hand to her side. For a moment he wanted to protest, telling her that he needed the physical contact between them. Instead he said nothing.

“Come on,” she said. “Everyone in my family is waiting to treat you like the hero you are.”

“I’m not a hero,” he said, following her out of the hotel lobby. Far from it.

Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, he wanted things to be different. He saw the world around him and wanted what other people had. Connection. What was that old saying? No point in howling for the moon.

“You’re a hero to us,” she told him.

They stepped out into the warm afternoon. The sidewalk was surprisingly crowded with families and couples talking as they walked. From the little he’d seen of the town, it was an open, friendly place. Like something out of a movie or a sitcom. Not that it tempted him. When his time here was finished, he would be moving on.

Montana made her way to a beat-up Subaru wagon. A few dings scarred the doors and the paint wasn’t very shiny, but what caught his attention was the large dog in the back. He recognized the big eyes, the slobbery grin and the sweeping tail with nearly magical powers of wreaking havoc.

He stopped beside the car. “It’s that dog.”

“You don’t have to say it like she has a disease. Yes, this is Fluffy. You probably remember her from that little incident at the hospital.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Little incident?”

“What would you call it?”

“You don’t want to know.”

Montana sighed. “I have already admitted I overestimated Fluffy’s ability to change. She’s a happy, exuberant dog and most of the time that’s a good thing. Just not so much for therapy. I’m taking her with us because I want her to meet Kent and Reese. Kent has been thinking about getting them a dog. Fluffy would make a great pet.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare say anything.”

“I’m sure Fluffy would make a great pet.” As long as the dog never got onto his ward again, he would be happy.

“Oh.” She unlocked the doors.

He slid into the passenger seat. Fluffy lunged toward him, but Montana told her to stay in the back.

“Kent and Reese have been going through a bad time. Reese’s mom took off about a year ago.” Montana started the engine, then glanced at him. “She just left. What kind of mother does that? She rarely sees Reese. Kent said she barely calls, but when she suddenly gets an itch to play mom, she expects Kent to drop everything and bring Reese to her. I don’t think that dog can take the place of his mother, but sometimes unconditional love can really help.”

Simon thought of his own mother. Compared to her actions, leaving would have almost been kind. But Montana wouldn’t know much about the monsters in life. She’d been spared, and he found he was pleased by that. He didn’t want her to know what life could really be like.

“I didn’t tell Cece that Fluffy was coming with us,” she said with a grin. “I didn’t want them fighting.” She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “She really has a thing for you. It’s so cute.”

He thought about the small poodle. She wasn’t a bad dog and seemed to do well with Kalinda, which he appreciated. “I think you’re giving her too much credit.”

“You only say that because you don’t know her. Just wait. Cece is going to win you over.”

Before he could respond, she began pointing out the various sites in Fool’s Gold. They drove by the park and through the small downtown before turning into a residential neighborhood.

From what he could tell, the houses were older but well maintained. Large trees and green lawns gave the neighborhood an idyllic air. A few bicycles leaned against porches. He supposed this was normal for a lot of people. Middle America. The kind of place where most kids grew up, or at least imagined growing up. He’d never experienced anything like it. His life with his mother had been spent in a series of small apartments in grim neighborhoods. He’d spent his teen years in hospitals.

No doubt many of his patients lived in houses like this, but he never visited them there. He made it a point to keep his work separate. He didn’t want to know them more personally than necessary. In fact, he had never accepted an invitation to someone’s home. This was a first. And it wasn’t because he wanted to get to know the Hendrix family. It was all about Montana.

She parked in front of one of the houses. It looked freshly painted and the roof was new. The yard well cared for. There were already several cars in the driveway. As he got out of the car, he braced himself to once again deal with people he didn’t know. Not his strong suit, he thought grimly.

Montana let Fluffy out of the back and quickly clicked the leash onto her collar. Even so, the large dog practically dragged her toward the porch. Before they got there, the front door burst open and people spilled out.

“Welcome,” Denise said, hurrying toward them. She held her arms open.

He wanted to take a step back, to turn away, to make his excuses. But everything happened too fast. Denise embraced him, holding on as if she would never let go.

“He came home this morning,” she said as she hugged him tight. “Just like you said. He’s going to be fine and it’s because of you.” Still holding on to both his upper arms, she stepped back and looked at him. “I want to spend the next several hours thanking you, but that might make you uncomfortable. So I’m going to say it now and try to let it go. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound as awkward as he felt.

She linked arms with him and led him toward the waiting family.

He remembered Kent from the previous day. After they shook hands, he was introduced to Ethan, the oldest of the six children, and Ethan’s wife, Liz. Next up were the remaining triplets, Dakota and Nevada.

Dakota was holding a toddler. Hovering close by was Finn, Dakota’s fiancé.

“The kids are in the backyard,” Denise told him. “You know Reese, of course. Then there are Ethan and Liz’s three. My youngest son, Ford, is overseas in the military.”

As she spoke, she led Simon through the house. The large, bright rooms and comfortable furniture were welcoming. He found himself relaxing almost against his will.

Once they went outside, everyone drifted to the tables set up in the shade under the trees. He heard the other two sisters teasing their mother about eating outside. Montana moved next to him.

“You doing okay?” she asked.

He glanced at her. “Fine.”

“I’m only asking because I know this isn’t your thing.” She smiled. “Families. Groups.”

He wondered if it was that obvious. “I appreciate the invitation,” he began.

She cut him off with a laugh and a shake of her head. “Oh, please. You can say that to them, but we both know the truth. You would rather have a root canal than be here today. Which makes me really appreciate you agreeing to come.”

He had never considered himself the kind of man who had a preference for a physical type. The women in his life were temporary, a convenience. But now, staring into Montana’s brown eyes, he wondered if he would ever be able to look at another woman without thinking of her.

They settled in chairs next to each other. Nevada joined them, sitting across the table and leaning toward him.

“I won’t get into the whole ‘we really appreciate what you did’ thing,” she said. “Mom will thank you for all of us. I would guess at some point the thanks get tedious.”

“Not tedious,” he corrected. “Uncomfortable.”

She smiled. “Not into the gushing thing?”

“No.”

The curve of her mouth, the flash of teeth, was nearly identical to Montana’s. Yet his reaction could not have been more different. He wasn’t the least bit interested in Nevada. She was nice enough and pretty enough, but nothing like her sister. Quite the trick, considering they were identical triplets.

“Montana tells me you’re in town for a temporary assignment. You go from place to place doing surgery and then leave?”

He nodded. “I don’t usually go to large cities unless there is a special case. Every couple of years I spend a few months in other countries. I’m going to Peru as soon as I’m done here.”

“Doctors Without Borders?” Montana asked.

“I’ve worked with them and with other organizations. There is a massive need for surgeons in the Third World.”

“But you mostly work with burn patients, right?” Nevada asked. “Don’t they require long-term care?”

“Yes. I do the preliminary surgeries and their local doctors follow up with long-term care. Sometimes I go back a few years later.” If the case was difficult enough.

“Aren’t you kind of young to be doing what you do?” Nevada asked. “You’re what? In your early thirties?”

“I started college early and got through quickly. I knew what I wanted to do and was motivated.”

Montana enjoyed listening to the exchange. She didn’t know very much about Simon and having her sister grill him would make it easier for her to make some headway with Mayor Marsha’s request.

Although from what she could tell all he did was move around. While that sounded exciting, didn’t he eventually want a home?