"Urges?" he offered when she suddenly stopped.

She found herself smiling in spite of her frustration. "You're making fun of me."

"Yeah, I am."

She pushed him back. "I'm not going to let you break my heart, Theo. Play your games with the big-city girls back home."

He laughed right in her face. "Big-city girls?"

"Will you be serious. I'm trying to tell you that we don't have a future together, so you should just leave me alone."

He cupped the sides of her face and kissed her passionately, and when he lifted his head, he saw the tears in her eyes.

"Are you going to cry on me?"

"No." The answer was emphatic.

"Good, 'cause I could have sworn I saw tears just now."

"I had no idea you could be so mean. I'm trying to tell you to stop…"

He slowly shook his head.

Her eyes widened. "No? Why not?"

His mouth brushed over hers again in a quick, no-nonsense kiss. "You're a smart girl. You figure it out."

Noah interrupted when he strolled back into the kitchen. He had a large FedEx box tucked under his arm and was carrying a

huge metal pan covered with foil.

"Theo, grab the box, will you? I found it propped against the door when I opened it. There was this lady standing there with

this Cajun fried chicken. She handed it to me and took off before I could thank her. She was a nervous little thing."

"Did she tell you her name?"

"Molly Beaumont," he answered. He set the pan on the table and began to unwrap the foil. "Smells good."

"Was there a card for Theo with the chicken?"

"No, she said you made the chicken, but the pan's hers and she wants it back."

Theo was sitting at the table opening the box. Noah picked up a chicken leg and took a huge bite. Then he nudged Theo.

"You know what else Molly said?"

"What's that?"

"She asked me to tell Coach Buchanan, 'Hey.' Did you hear that, Theo? She called you Coach."

"Yeah, I know. Everyone in Bowen calls me Coach."

"Okay, so now I've got to wonder why," he said.

Theo wasn't paying any attention to him. He finally got the box open and let out a low whistle. "Nick came through," he said. "Playbooks." He picked one up and thumbed through it.

"Football playbooks?" Noah asked with his mouth full.

"Yeah, I'll explain later. Michelle, you can ride to the clinic with Noah. He's spending the day with you."

"He doesn't need to waste his time-"

Theo cut her off. "He's going with you."

Noah nodded. "While you and your friends are organizing the files, I'll start the cleanup in your office. If there's time, I'll paint

the walls."

"I'd be happy for your help, but-"

"Don't argue," Theo said.

"Okay," she agreed. "I appreciate it, Noah."

Then she turned to Theo and asked him what he was going to be doing.

"I've got a meeting with the Carsons and their attorney at one," Theo said. "I'll have to finish it by two-thirty because I promised Conrad I'd show up for practice at three. If you and Noah need a break, drop by."

"The principal offered Theo a contract," Michelle said, smiling now. "He hasn't signed it yet."

"You're making that up," Noah said.

"I think Theo's holding out for more money."

Noah was convinced the two of them were pulling his leg and was waiting to hear the punch line. "Okay," he said. "We'll stop by. What time is practice over? I've promised I'd help tend bar tonight. I should be there by five."

"I thought you were going to hook up with Mary Ann tonight," Theo reminded.

"What do you mean, you're hooking up with Mary Ann?" Michelle asked.

Noah shrugged. "She asked me if I wanted to get together later after her friend's husband picked her up, and I suggested that she stop by The Swan, and if I'm not busy-"

"She asked you to go out?" she asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes, she did. Why is that so difficult to understand? I'm a nice guy."

"It isn't difficult to understand. It's just that she's… and you're… that is, you're very…"

Noah was enjoying her discomfort. "I'm very what?"

The word "experienced" came to mind along with about a dozen others. Noah was the kind of man who had women like Mary Ann for breakfast. Michelle realized she was being judgmental and that she could be wrong. "You're…"

"Yes?" Noah prodded.

"Your friend has the hots for Noah," Theo explained.

Noah nodded. "Yeah, she does."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," she said, clearly exasperated. "Just because Mary Ann was being friendly, you immediately jump to

the conclusion that she had the hots for Noah?"

Theo smiled. "I didn't jump to any conclusions. Honest. Mary Ann said, and I'm quoting here, 'Hey, Theo, I've got the hots

for Noah. So is he married or what?'"

Noah nodded again. "That's about how it happened."

The sad thing was that Michelle thought Theo might be telling the truth. Mary Ann did have the annoying habit of blurting out

her every thought. Michelle started laughing even as she shook her head.

"We've got to get to the clinic," she told them.

"Just a second, Michelle," Noah said as he flipped through the playbook. "Theo, look at page fifty-three. Do you remember-"

"Theodore, take that book away from your friend and get him moving now."

Calling him Theodore did the trick. He grabbed the book and got up. Noah was impressed. "She sounds like a drill sergeant," he said as he watched Michelle standing in the doorway, tapping her foot impatiently.

"She can get tough when she has to." Theo made the comment sound like a compliment.

"That's a real talent," Noah remarked.

"She gives as good as she gets. She doesn't back down. I like that. You know what else she does? Vegetables," he said as he walked through the dining room to get to the front door.

"Did you say vegetables?" Noah asked, certain he hadn't heard correctly.

"Yeah. You should see her cut vegetables with a paring knife. It's incredible. You could put it to music."

Noah followed Theo outside. "What the hell does that mean?"

"She's so… precise."

Noah laughed. "Man, oh man."

"What?"

"Have you got it bad."

Noah and Michelle didn't make it to football practice. There was simply too much work to get done at the clinic. Her friends amazed her. They got the files back in order and stacked them alphabetically in boxes, so that as soon as the new file cabinets arrived, all she had to do was drop them in the drawers. Theo drove over to the clinic to pick up Michelle, while Noah went

back to his motel to shower and change before heading to The Swan to help Jake.

Michelle felt guilty that neither Theo nor Noah had gotten to fish. When she made that remark to Theo, he told her not to worry. Saturday he would be in a boat from sunup to sundown, and, anyway, the anticipation was almost as much fun as the actual

event. He rattled off all the items he thought they should pack in the cooler. like the Boy Scouts, he wanted to be prepared, and God forbid he should run out of sandwiches and beer.

He had parked the car in her driveway, and they were just getting out when Elena Miller pulled up in her little hatchback, tooting her horn to get their attention.

"Dr. Mike," she called as she ran around to the passenger side, "would you ask your young man to carry this box in?"

"What's in the box?" Michelle asked.

"Didn't you get my message? I called you from the hospital and left it on your machine."

"As you can see, I just got home, Elena," Michelle answered.

"I've had it with you doctors cluttering up my ER. This box is full of mail that was scattered all over the counters," she said, motioning with both hands to the backseat of her car. "I started with you, and next Monday I'm taking on Dr. Landusky's junk."