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dating him exciting. And for some wild reason, he seemed to find her attractive, too.
    â€œIt’s no big deal,” she told her brother. “Like I said, I met him in the parking lot yesterday. We’ve talked briefly a couple of times, and he asked me out.”
    â€œA doctor seems to be a cut above your usual boyfriend. Don’t you think a guy like that is out of your league?” Jeremy Fortune might be, but that didn’t keep Kirsten from smiling—or from dreaming about being with him.
    It was all very Cinderella-ish, she supposed. And even if she didn’t have stepsisters to tell her that she wasn’t princess material, she didn’t need them to. Between her own doubts and Max’s, she was already having second thoughts about her date with the handsome doctor.
    But she shook off a few lingering insecurities, as well as any possible shortcomings she might have, and looked forward to tomorrow night.
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    Jeremy pulled up along the curb of an older, two-story home in a quiet Red Rock neighborhood. It wasn’t anything like the yard or porch he’d seen in his dream, but then why would it be?
    The house in his dream had only been a random nocturnal image, he reminded himself. It didn’t mean anything.
    Sure, when he’d spotted Kirsten in the parking lot ofthe clinic, he’d thought she bore a slight resemblance to the woman he’d envisioned, but that was just a coincidence. He would have found her attractive anyway. The similarity had only opened his eyes and allowed him to escape his troubles for the time being.
    After parking his car, he made his way to the front door and rang the bell.
    Max answered, a scowl plastered to his face. He invited Jeremy in, but he didn’t crack a smile.
    â€œHow’s it going?” Jeremy asked.
    â€œOkay.” Max closed the door. “My sister will be out in a minute. Have a seat.”
    Jeremy scanned the tidy room, noting the simple furnishings that had been carefully placed around the room: a beige sofa adorned with brightly colored decorator pillows, a wrought-iron floor lamp with a matching shade, dark wood furniture.
    Red candles and a few photographs were displayed on the mantel over a brick fireplace.
    The living room had a cozy, welcoming feel about it, and he could tell Kirsten took pride in her home.
    Max sat in a recliner, his eyes glued to the television, watching a college basketball game. A portable travel crib rested beside him, where Anthony lay on his back, kicking his feet and watching a dinosaur mobile.
    â€œWho’s playing?” Jeremy asked, taking one last stab at being friendly.
    Max was so focused on the game that it took him a moment to respond. “Oklahoma State at Texas A&M.”
    â€œWhat’s the score?”
    â€œThe Aggies are up by five.”
    Silence again.
    Jeremy decided to let it go. He was just about to take a seat when Kirsten entered the living room wearing a simple black dress and heels. Her hair had been swept up into a twist, revealing that small pair of diamond studs.
    She wore only the slightest bit of makeup: mascara to highlight those pretty blue eyes, a pink shade of lipstick to accentuate a natural pout.
    He’d known she was attractive in denim and T-shirts. But the transformation from casual tomboy to classy dinner date was jaw-dropping.
    â€œYou look great,” he said.
    Her cheeks flushed when she smiled. “Thank you.”
    Max lifted the remote toward the television and turned down the volume. Then he stood, crossed his arms and shifted his weight to one hip. “So where are you guys going?”
    Jeremy hadn’t suffered through a date-night interrogation since he’d been a teenager going to his last high school prom. And it prickled him to have to go through it now, especially from a man who was probably more than ten years his junior. But he shook off his irritation and played the game. “I thought we’d go to