Derek shrugged out of his jacket and handed it over, his hand brushing hers. His eyes darkened for a second as if he’d felt the same spark that shot up her arm.
Static electricity, she told herself. Simple static electricity.
“Is this your house?” His expression gave nothing away. It was almost as if they were polite strangers, which was what they were … right?
She clutched his coat tight against her. Still warm from the heat of his body, it retained the spicy scent of his cologne. “The house belongs to a friend of mine, Mary Karen Vaughn. She and Travis go way back.”
“Do they live here together?”
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, my goodness, no.”
Everyone knew Mary Karen and Travis were tight. But living under the same roof with three small boys was a Travis impossibility.
“Derek, my man.”
Travis’s deep voice sounded behind her. “Glad you could make it. Looks like you and Rachel are getting acquainted.”
Derek smiled, relieved to see the man who’d invited him. And even more relieved to know Travis and Rachel weren’t involved. “Actually, Rachel and I crossed paths last weekend at the Pitching and Catching Workshop.”
“Really?” Travis turned to Rachel with a questioning glance. “I didn’t know you liked base— Oof.”
A small boy who looked to be about five years old slammed into Travis’s side. A second boy who was the spitting image of the first—with the same mop of blond curls—immediately appeared. If not for the devilish gleam in their eyes, the two might have been mistaken for little angels.
“Mom needs your help,” the one who’d done the initial body slam said to Travis.
The second boy shoved his twin hard, almost knocking him off his feet. “She told me to ask him.”
“Enough.” Derek stared in amazement as Travis grabbed both boys by the shoulder with firm hands and turned them around to face him.
“These two hellions are Connor and Caleb Vaughn.” Travis’s gaze shifted and his lips curved up in a smile. “That beautiful creature headed our way is their mother—and our hostess for the evening—Mary Karen.”
The young woman looked more like a college student than a mother. Her blond hair was a little lighter than Rachel’s and eyes weren’t quite as blue. While her smile was warm and friendly, her eyes had a decidedly curious gleam. She held out her hand.
“Welcome. I’m Mary Karen Vaughn.”
“Derek Rossi.”
Her expression brightened. “You’re the guy Mickie hit with a baseball.”
“The girl has a wicked throw,” Derek said, his smile widening at the memory. “But Rachel patched me up good as new.”
Okay, so it was a bit of an exaggeration, but the pretty nurse had come to his rescue. And Derek had no doubt if there had been patching up to do, the woman standing to his right would have taken care of him.
During the five days since he’d last seen her, Derek had told himself she couldn’t be nearly as beautiful as he remembered. But when she’d opened the door, he realized he’d been wrong. The blue of her sweater brought out the color of her eyes and her hair wasn’t just blond, it was golden honey.
“Rachel is the best.” Travis looped an arm around her shoulders.
Derek stiffened at the familiarity between the two. Had Rachel minimized her relationship with Travis? But he was almost certain Travis had also said he wasn’t in a relationship. And where did Mary Karen fit into the picture?
“I wish I had a hundred Rachels,” Travis added.
“Thank you for the compliment, Dr. Fisher.” Rachel brought a finger to her lips, her eyes dancing. “But I think I’ve heard you give that same compliment to a dozen nurses in the past month.”
“That’s Travis.” Mary Karen chuckled. “He’s nothing if not consistent.”
Derek felt the tension leave his shoulders at the warmth in her voice. Yes, there was definitely something going on with Travis. But whatever it was, it was between Mary Karen and the doctor.
Doctor?
Derek settled his gaze on Travis. “You’re a physician?”
Travis tightened his grip on the squirming twins who were desperately trying to break free. “Yep. OB-GYN. It’s a tough job, but someone has to do it.”
“Don’t let him fool you,” Mary Karen said. “He loves the adoration.”
“Mary Karen.” A feminine voice rang out from the kitchen. “Could you come here, please?”
“Be right there,” Mary Karen called out. She turned to go, then paused and refocused her attention on Derek. “Can I get you a beer? Or some wine?”
“A beer sounds good,” Derek said. “I can get it myself if you just point me in the right direction.”
Mary Karen smiled. “No worries. I can bring it to you.”
“Connor said you needed me for something,” Travis said before she walked away.
“It can wait,” Mary Karen said with an airy wave. “Why don’t you introduce Derek around?”
“After I drop his coat off in the bedroom, I’ll start the sloppy joes.” Rachel hugged Derek’s jacket close and made her way to Mary Karen’s bedroom at the back of the house, an extra spring in her step. Before Derek arrived she’d been having a perfectly fine time. But something about the former ball player brightened the cold winter night.
It had to be his smile. Derek Rossi loved life and it showed. Who wouldn’t be drawn to a guy like that?
Rachel skidded to a stop. She wasn’t attracted to Derek … was she? The woodsy scent of his cologne teased her nostrils and she realized not only did he look good, he smelled wonderful.
Not fair. Not fair at all.
Pressing her lips together, Rachel marched to the bed and threw his jacket on top of the other coats.
“He means nothing to me,” she muttered.
“Are you okay?”
Rachel whirled. “Derek, what are you doing here? I mean, here, in the bedroom.”
Even though her heart skipped rope in her chest, she relaxed her shoulders, determined to act casually. She only hoped the fire heating her cheeks didn’t show.
Thankfully, he didn’t appear to notice. He merely gestured to the bed with one hand. “I left my cell in my coat pocket.”
Reaching past her, he retrieved the tiny phone and dropped it into his pocket. When he turned back, he was. Right. There. The large room suddenly seemed much too small.
“You look lovely tonight,” he said.
A nervous chuckle slipped past Rachel’s lips.
“I’m serious.” His gaze darkened and the laughter died in her throat.
He was a mere heartbeat away and, without warning, Rachel found herself drowning in the deep blue of his eyes. She realized for the first time that there were tiny flecks of gold in the aquamarine depths. “You have beautiful eyes.”
“So do you,” he whispered.
Rachel wasn’t sure who made the first move, but a second later she found herself ensconced in Derek’s arms … and she was