“Like what?” The corners of her mouth tipped up.

“Us. But first . . .” He leaned down and—

The curtains swished aside, and he jerked up.

A nurse grinned at him. “Sorry to interrupt, but I have to get another blood sample. Give me a minute, and you can carry on.”

Except that didn’t happen. As the nurse exited, a parade of other ER personnel began to circulate through the room. And when the last one left, Cate and Eve returned.

Grace sent them a disgruntled scowl. “Can I go home now?”

“Not for three days. That’s the word on the street.” Cate glanced between the two of them. “Are we interrupting anything?”

“You and everyone else in the hospital.” Grace arched an eyebrow at them. “Don’t you two have places to go, jobs to do?”

“Nope.” Eve plopped into a chair against the wall. “We’re sticking close until they sound the all clear. Sorry, Nate.”

“Don’t be. I think it’s great you three are so tight. Family should come first.”

“Well said.” Cate transferred her attention to her youngest sibling. “This one’s a keeper, Grace.”

A hint of pink tinted her cheeks. “You two are going to scare him off if you keep this up.”

“Not a chance.” Nate smiled at her. “I’m not going anywhere. We haven’t had our dinner at the lake yet.”

“You two also have my wedding to look forward to.” Cate zeroed in on him. “You’re coming, right?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. I’ll take any excuse I can get to hold Grace in my arms, even if she has to endure a few stepped-on toes on the dance floor.”

“Definitely a keeper.” Eve stood and grabbed Cate’s arm. “Let’s go outside and see if we can get a cell signal. I’m sure we both have messages we should respond to.”

“Hey. We just got back. And you said you wanted to stick close.”

“I’m not going to Alaska, Cate. Get with the program. These two need a few minutes alone to finish their . . . conversation.” She winked at him, pulled Cate out of the treatment room, and swept the curtain back into place.

“Sorry about that.” Grace gave him a rueful shrug.

“No apology necessary. I like your sisters.” He strolled back to the bed and eased onto the edge. Took her hand.

After a few seconds, she cocked her head. “Don’t we have some unfinished business, from before the parade started?”

“I’m rethinking my impulsive move.” Especially with a crash cart within reaching distance. “I don’t want to strain your heart.”

“Trust me, I can handle a kiss—if that’s what you had in mind. I’m a doctor, remember? I can assess my own medical condition.”

“This isn’t the most romantic setting for a first kiss.”

“But it will be memorable.” Her features softened, and she lifted a hand to play with a button on his shirt. “Besides, anywhere with you would be romantic.”

“You’re putting a major strain on my self-discipline, you know. If you keep this up, it’s going to crumble.”