Rory straightened when she heard the front door open and looked up.

Her heart stuttered, then slammed hard into her ribs.

Jacob Hunter.

She found herself staring, riveted. He looked like he always had, and yet even better. Tall and lean, with angular features that were still startlingly beautiful, dark eyes that could see right through a person and lips that were perfect for his face. The black, silky hair she’d loved to run her hands through long ago had been cut short enough to be respectable for the town doctor, but still, it brushed his collar, not fully tamed.

He was wearing a T-shirt that showed his shoulders and biceps, which were maybe even more muscular than seven years ago at her father’s funeral. The jeans he wore fit his physique perfectly, making him look more like an Alaskan cowboy than a medical professional.

Her heart beat its way up into her throat, making it hard to breathe. She thought she’d been prepared to see him. But not tonight. Not when she was barely ready to deal with being back in town at all.

“Hello, Aurora.”

“Hello, Jacob.”