“Well, so did I,” he said. “Gabby’s parents were friends of mine, and when the kids were babies, she was a babysitter. She wanted to be a full-time sitter and go to school, so we struck a deal. If she’d work for me full-time, I’d pay her well and cover her tuition. The bonus for me was that she loves the kids. She came with me to Oregon and met Charles here, so I think she’d tell you it was worth it. Any day now she’s going to tell me that Charles is going back to Washington with her.”

Hiring a devoted sitter wasn’t what Peyton had been getting at. Handsome young doctors like Scott shouldn’t have much trouble finding a woman who would live for the chance to be his partner, help raise his kids.... “So, no pretty young nurses lobbying to be the next Mrs. Grant?”

He laughed uncomfortably. “I haven’t dated much. I’ve been out with a few women but not with that in mind. At some point I realized if I didn’t have a social life of some kind, I was going to remain that miserable, unhappy character who moped around resenting two perfect children who wanted only to make me happy. I was turning mean.”

“I can’t imagine you mean,” she said, most sincerely.

He shrugged. “People are all mean in their own way, Peyton. Some will lose their temper and lash out, others just let themselves be negative and moody. I became inattentive and self-absorbed. I had to get out of that cycle. I’ve done my best. Once I got to Oregon, I made it a point to socialize more.”

She impulsively reached for his hand. “It must be impossible to forget your wife.”

“Forget? Forget the mother of my children? The best friend of my youth? Is that required? Because if it’s required that I forget or pretend she wasn’t one of the most important parts of my life, I guess I’ll be alone forever. Of course I won’t forget her. She was amazing, and she’d want me to have a full, happy life. She’d want me to laugh and live fully and find love again.” Peyton pulled her hand away, and Scott reached for it, pulled it back and held it again. “Let me tell you what I think is happening here. We like each other. We’re attracted to each other. You’re probably more nervous about that than I am because you just came out of a painful breakup, but pretty soon you’ll decide it’s going to be all right because you know I don’t treat people the way he treated you.”

“I haven’t told you that much about—”

“You didn’t have to, you said enough. Look at the time, Peyton,” he said.

She glanced at her watch and was startled.

“You got here three hours ago. You played with the kids, ate a big meal with me, had a glass and a half of wine, talked to me for hours. It’s going to be okay, Peyton. I’m not going to use you or take advantage of you. And if this conversation were happening at a nice restaurant I’d be asking you if we could go someplace where we could be alone. But because I have two little kids who wander into my bed in the night and a babysitter who will be walking in the door anytime now, I can’t seduce you. I want to, but I can’t.”

“Look,” she said, trying to pull back her hand, but not trying too hard. “Was I clear? I fell for my boss. He used the workplace where he had all the power to—”

“I’m not going to do that, either. That might be my clinic, but it belongs to the town. And it belongs to Devon. I’m not going to use that venue to try to fumble together a love life for myself. I know the situation isn’t ideal, but I am going to figure out when I can take you out. Besides, I have no power.”

Is he kidding? she wondered. But of course, he didn’t realize it! He thought brute strength or big bucks or notoriety made power. And so did Ted; those were his priorities. What Scott didn’t know was that honesty and integrity held the greater power, far greater than the awards and citations and certifications that could be framed and hung on the wall. Love for your children was a powerful force; kindness and sincerity held more power than money. And how about loyalty and fidelity? She was very fond of those things. It didn’t hurt that he put a kick-ass physique and eyes that seemed to listen and an electrifying smile with it all....

“I would like to kiss you good night,” he said.

And love, she thought. Love for others, that would make life whole. Had Ted ever truly loved her? He’d wanted her, she knew that. To a great extent, he’d needed her. But had he really loved her? Maybe in his own pathetic way, but he had always loved Ted best. Did he love Lindsey as much as he loved himself? Because Ted being Ted might have followers and even worshippers, but until he knew how to share love, Ted would end up being alone with the love of his life—himself.

“I can do that,” she said to the idea of a kiss.

He pulled her over onto his lap, and she put her arms around his neck. He tested her lips softly. Carefully. Then he pressed a little harder, a little longer. He was coming in for the kill, she could tell. She stopped him and said, “What about the kids?”

“They watch TV, Peyton. Kissing isn’t against the law. It won’t cause them to have immoral thoughts....”

With that, he pulled her closer, holding her against him, and went after her mouth like a starving man. He devoured her, using his lips to open hers. One hand rose to her jaw, holding her tight, working her lips with his tongue. His hand slid under her hair at the back of her head, pressing her firmly against his mouth while his tongue deftly played with hers. He groaned into her mouth, and she welcomed him with a little moan of her own.

He was the best thing she’d tasted in a very long time. While he held her tighter, she held him as closely as she could. When he plunged his hand into her hair, she ran her fingers through his. His stubble was rough on her lips and chin, and she didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it. His breathing grew a little more rapid and coarse, panting. She pulled back, her lips still touching his.

“I’m getting immoral thoughts,” he whispered against her mouth.

“I should go before things get out of control.”

“I’m not going to lose control,” he said. “I won’t hold it against you if you do.”

She laughed lightly. “You seem to be...ah...” She wiggled a little on his lap. “Responding.”

“Oh, yeah. A lot of ideas are running through my mind right now. All inappropriate.”

“Like?”