Doctor Right
Janet Tronstad
Treasure Creek, Alaska, has only one pediatrician: the very handsome, very eligible Dr. Alex Haven.But the former big-city doc is counting the weeks till his contract with the tiny town is up. All so he can return to Los Angeles to start a clinic in his brother's honor. Nurse Maryann Jenner is determined to keep Alex in Alaska by finding him a bride and giving him a new reason to stay. But when a little boy's life–and Maryann's hope–is jeopardized, Alex may find his own reason to stay forever.
Alex was stunned. “You’ve been matching me up?”
He didn’t know why he was surprised. But it seemed pretty cold to him that his nurse was trying to marry him off to someone he didn’t even know. Somehow, he had thought Maryann was interested in him. Well, it was nonsense, of course.
“I’m sure she won’t do,” Alex said with as much dignity as he could manage. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go write some prescriptions.”
He walked down to the exam room and closed the door.
He was finally interested in a woman, and she was trying to match him up with someone else. Of course, it was probably for the best. He was leaving in a few weeks anyway. And, just because he was interested in her, didn’t mean he had anything to offer someone like that.
Alaskan Bride Rush: Women are flocking to the Land of the Midnight Sun with marriage on their minds
Klondike Hero—Jillian Hart
July 2010
Treasure Creek Dad—Terri Reed
August 2010
Doctor Right—Janet Tronstad
September 2010
Yukon Cowboy—Debra Clopton
October 2010
Thanksgiving Groom—Brenda Minton
November 2010
The Lawman’s Christmas Wish—Linda Goodnight
December 2010
JANET TRONSTAD
grew up on a farm in central Montana, spending many winter days reading books about the Old West and the gold rush days of Alaska. During college she got a chance to see the beauty of Alaska for herself when she worked a summer on Kodiak Island in a salmon factory, packing fish eggs for a Japanese firm. Because of those experiences, she is excited to be part of this series. Janet lives in Pasadena, California, where she writes full-time when not dreaming of other places.
Doctor Right
Janet Tronstad
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.
—Psalms 121:1–2
This book is dedicated to my friends in the Love Inspired Historical discussion group on Goodreads. We’ve taken many exotic trips together in our minds and I hope they’ll love this one to Alaska, too.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Letter to Reader
Questions for Discussion
Chapter One
If she opened the clinic door, Maryann Jenner knew a gust of cold wind would blow inside that would smell of wood smoke, mostly from the stovepipes jutting up from the row of flat and peaked roofs that lined the main road into Treasure Creek, Alaska. As much as she liked the scent, not all of the patients did, so she left the door closed and instead looked out the window at the rugged, green mountains that edged the backside of this small tourist town. She still couldn’t believe she was working in this postcard-perfect place.
For the first time in her twenty-six years, she was beginning to feel like she had a chance at the peaceful life she wanted. She’d been an unwilling participant in other people’s dramas—mostly her parent’s—since she was born. Now she was far enough away that she could love her mother and father without being dragged into the soap operas that were their respective, disconnected lives. As though to celebrate her new life, she’d landed the perfect job, working with the ever so perfect Dr. Alex Havens in this perfect little clinic in paradise.
“Oh, no,” she muttered to herself and took a quick glance over her shoulder to be sure the doctor was still in the back room examining six-year-old Johnny Short’s ear infection. She had a bad habit of actually believing what she conjured up in her day dreams when looking out that window. Treasure Creek was wonderful, of course, but the pediatrician could be, she had to admit, a bit demanding at times. And particular. And downright testy about some things. He’d even been dubbed The Ice Man by her predecessor. And, since Maryann was now his nurse, it was apparently her job to make his days run smoothly.
Ordinarily, that wasn’t much of a problem. She was good at maintaining order. Besides, the doctor might be an ice man around adults, but children seemed to love him, and since they were his patients, everything moved along fine in their small clinic. She and Alex had figured out how to work together.
But if the line of women marching up the slight hill toward them were the ones she thought they were, she was going to earn her salary today. The final thing he’d asked before hiring her last month was if she knew how to keep the fancy women away. She’d assured him she did, even though she was new in town and hadn’t known what—or who—he was talking about.
Today she knew. Several months ago, Now Woman magazine had run an article on the bachelor tour guides in Treasure Creek, and before Maryann arrived, women had started swarming up here in hot pursuit of husbands. The locals called them fancy women because they looked like exotic tropical birds when set against the sturdy, practical dress of the local people.
Maryann had never heard of the women attacking their target all together, though. Not like this. Alex was only a part-time guide with Alaska’s Treasures tour company, earning just one brief mention in the article.
Of course, he was completely single and unattached. But—oh, dear.
The door flew open before Maryann had time to retreat. The smell of perfume followed the women inside, along with a surprising number of the rather large mosquitoes Alaska is famous for. She wasn’t sure if it was the heavy floral scents that attracted these insects so late in the season, or if it was the red shine on the women’s lips and nails. Either way, the fact that the women didn’t complain about the bites they must be getting only proved how determined they were to be here.
“This is a pe-dia-tric clinic,” Maryann raised herself up to her full five-foot-seven-inches and announced in her strictest nurse voice. “Adult patients need to go down the street to Dr. Logan’s clinic.”
She’d worked on that voice in her nurse’s training, until it could silence a group of rowdy boys. It didn’t even stop the women from chattering long enough for them to really listen to her. Of course, part of that could be because they were reaching up to try and tame their windblown hair.
“I have full-coverage insurance, so any doctor will see me.” A showy blonde, with a dandelion head of bleached hair and the plumpest purple lips Maryann had ever seen, sat down in one of the few adult chairs in the waiting room and crossed her nylon-encased legs in a theatrical gesture. Then she looked at Maryann. “It was part of my last divorce settlement. The doctor can do any test he wants on me. My ex will cover it if the insurance doesn’t, so the doctor doesn’t need to worry about the bill being paid.”
“I just need a prescription refill,” a young waif-like woman whispered as she slipped into one of the nearby children’s chairs. She had long brown hair and a slight overbite. “Do you know if the doctor likes to walk on the beach in the moonlight? I adore the beach. Not the Alaskan beach, of course—it’s too rocky and cold—but, you know, the regular beach.”
The wind had ruffled the young woman and she nervously tried to pull her tangled hair into place.
“I can’t—” Maryann said, her voice rising slightly. She looked around. Eight women were in the room. None of them looked sick, especially since the cold outside had given their cheeks higher than normal color. Besides, together they were wearing enough gold jewelry to open a pawn shop. They had marched up here in full battle armor. But why had they come, now of all times—on this cold, blustery day?
And then the realization hit her and she felt a twist in the pit of her stomach. It was her fault. She’d told her cousin last night how much his young patients would miss Alex after his contract expired at the end of the month. Her cousin remarked that if she wanted the man to stay in Treasure Creek, she needed to get him happily married to a local woman. Which led to the unfortunate remark by her that no woman with warm blood flowing through her veins would marry The Ice Man. Which led to her cousin saying that there was a match for everyone and Maryann could find someone for the doctor if she put her mind to it. After all, her cousin added, Maryann was good at managing other people’s romances—hadn’t her parents relied on her to help them find their next soul mates? And the ones after that?
Unfortunately, she and her newly-engaged cousin, Karenna, had been eating hamburgers in Lizbet’s Diner when they’d had their conversation. Someone must have overheard. Gossip traveled fast in a small town like this, and it often got twisted. Maryann knew she shouldn’t have said anything about Alex. And worst of all, she had taken a guess at a woman who might suit him, and, even though it wasn’t one of the fancy women, the whole thing must have resulted in today’s sudden invasion.
“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave,” Maryann said, as she tried to herd the women to the door. They weren’t budging. She didn’t suppose she could call 911 over something like this. “The doctor is in the exam room with a patient and—”
“He can be my doctor any time,” a woman with bouncy, copper ringlets said, as she wiggled out of Maryann’s herd, walked over to a chair and sat down looking pleased with herself.
The fancy women all giggled.
Why did people seeking romance all become silly as teenagers, Maryann wondered. She raised her voice. “What I’m trying to say is that there are no appointments left for today.”
She hoped that would do it.
“Or tomorrow either,” she added quickly just in case. “We’re all booked.”
She really liked this job; she didn’t want to be fired. Alex had promised to give her a good recommendation to his replacement. Well, it would be his temporary replacement. The agency had already said they could only send someone to fill in for a few months while they kept looking for a new scholarship doctor to take over the clinic for another three years. If they couldn’t find someone, they would close the clinic in six months.
Why did it all have to be so complicated? The children here needed a doctor. And Maryann didn’t want to lose her job and return to the lower forty-eight. The obvious solution was to have Alex put down roots here in Treasure Creek. Of course, he’d have to want to stay. Her cousin was right about a wife being the answer, but—despite her earlier comments about him being The Ice Man—Maryann knew full well he could have his pick of brides. Some women would tell themselves he would thaw eventually; others might not care.
No, he would be the one who was hard to please when it came to marriage. The nurse before her claimed Alex hadn’t dated anyone in the time she’d known him. All he cared about was that clinic he was going to build in Los Angeles.
“I’m Delilah Carrington. I’m sure he’ll see me,” the copper ringlet woman said as she gave a grand wave with an arm wrapped in thin gold bracelets. Then she looked around and slowly frowned. “I would think a doctor’s office would be better equipped though. This place is a little old and scruffy, isn’t it?”
She made it sound as though the patients regularly stuck their old chewing gum under the chairs bottoms, Maryann thought—which she was sure they did not, since she’d checked a time or two.
“He’s a scholarship doctor,” another of the women said, as though that explained any shabbiness. “You know, the government pays for him to go to medical school and he has to work in a place like this for a few years to pay them back. All the poor kids do it.”
Maryann bristled at the implication that because Alex didn’t have money, somehow that made him less of a success. He was a brilliant doctor. She’d known that after working the first day for him. Plus, he really cared about his little patients. He even treated the children from the Taiya Village, part of the Tlingit tribe, for free. If the town got another scholarship doctor, he probably wouldn’t go out to the village at all. It was extra work, and not part of the agreement the doctors signed. That was another reason she wanted Alex to stay on here. The Tlingit kids needed him as much as the kids in Treasure Creek did, and probably more.
“The city owns this clinic,” Maryann said firmly. “The place is charming and very neatly organized. It might be a little scratched up, but we keep it very clean. Besides, Dr. Havens knows all of the latest treatments.”
The room was quiet as the women looked around. Apparently, they’d been surprised enough at that declaration to listen.
“What kind of treatments?” one of the women asked, looking around the office dubiously. “Those herbal things?”
“Medical treatments,” Maryann snapped back. She saw no reason to admit that he studied the native remedies of the Tlingit people. She’d already said too much about the man last night. “They’re the kind any good, well-trained doctor uses. Some from the Mayo Clinic.”
Then she scowled at the women, daring any of them to make more remarks about this building or the doctor who ran it. The clinic was set in one of the restored log cabins that were left over from the original gold rush prospectors who had founded this town in 1897. She’d like to see how these fancy women would have stood up a hundred years from now. Besides, people should be proud to use this place, she told herself; it had solid history.
The town had taken ownership of the cabin decades ago, renting it out to a souvenir shop for years until someone decided they needed a children’s clinic in town. They widened the doorway and added a side ramp off the porch for wheelchairs, and the cabin became a clinic. Except for the thickly lacquered logs, the only other holdover from its tourist days was Horace, the slightly droopy moose head hanging over the door.
“So this means our doctor is poor,” Delilah finally said in the silence, that same frown on her face. “If he had to have a scholarship, I mean. That can’t be good. Does he have any money at all?”
“Honey, a man with looks like Dr. Havens doesn’t need money,” another of the women—Joleen something—declared with a warm chuckle. The woman was wearing a spandex jumpsuit in a leopard print and spiked black heels. A long gold chain hung around her neck, and somehow she’d managed to get her blond hair rearranged after the wind. “Besides, he’s not going to stay poor. He’s a doctor. He’ll be rich before you know it, especially since he’s going back to Los Angeles. You should see the expensive cars men like him drive down there.”
That started the rest of the women talking about the doctor again. And they weren’t just talking about his money.
Maryann didn’t need to hear the women to know what they were saying. Alex was tall, dark and handsome—she’d be the first to admit it. Any woman who sighed over Rhett Butler—and she had a feeling most of those women in the waiting room had—would be drawn to the good doctor. He had that same kind of jaw. Plus, he had strong biceps, a chin with a dimple—just like they said, and with all the glowing adjectives they used. It was amazing that the fancy women had taken this long to fill up the man’s waiting room.
The more they talked, the gloomier Maryann got. Until last night, she’d found working with Alex companionable enough that she’d almost forgotten he was drop-dead gorgeous. Years ago, she’d vowed never to trust a handsome man. Assuming that vow still held, her cousin had made the criticism rather loudly last night over dinner that, because of it, Maryann might be a little bit unfair to her employer when she called him The Ice Man. Everyone deserved a chance to prove himself, her cousin said; maybe Maryann needed to get to know him better. Besides, no boss was perfect.
Which reminded Maryann, if she wanted to keep him as her boss, she needed to warn him about these women, and quickly.
“Let me go see how long the doctor will be,” she announced casually as she started toward the back exam room. There was a good-size window on the side wall. It was a bit of a drop to the ground, but Alex was in excellent physical shape. At least the fancy women had gotten that much right.
If she hadn’t been looking straight at the door, Maryann wouldn’t have seen the knob turn. She formed her lips and called out, “Nooo.”
But it was too late. Her voice came out thin and the door opened anyway. Johnny Short walked out with his mother. Both of them looked surprised at the crowded waiting room.
“Isn’t he cute?” a brunette with diamond clips in her hair and gold chains on her ankles said, as she stood up and beamed at the wide-eyed little boy. She tugged on her V-neck sweater, which only made more skin show. “Aren’t you a sweetie?”
The diamond woman took a step toward the boy before his mother put up a hand to stop her. “He’s only six and his ear hurts. He’s not used to women like—” Mrs. Short stopped and pursed her lips. “Well, let’s just say, most of the women around here wear sweaters to keep their necks warm. This is Alaska, after all, not Las Vegas. It might be September on the calendar, but we’re already feeling the nip of winter. Besides, we’re a small, decent town.”
Maryann half-expected the fancy women to be offended, but it was clear they weren’t even listening to Mrs. Short. They had all stood by now and were arching their backs and puffing up their hair as they stared at him.
Alex stood in the open door of the exam room. The sunlight streamed through the window behind him and made him look bronzed. Maryann blinked. How had that happened? He was wearing the same white lab coat with a stethoscope hanging around his neck that he’d been wearing all day. But he looked different. Maybe because of the angle of the light behind him the lab coat suddenly showed that his shoulders were satisfyingly broad. His dark hair was ruffled and his blue eyes were fringed with black lashes. If it weren’t for the look of dawning horror on his clean-shaven face, he could have graced the cover of GQ magazine. It would have all been comical if Maryann didn’t feel called upon to do something to rescue him.
He cleared his throat and the women looked like they would swoon.
She looked at the salivating women staring at him. So, the man was good-looking. Well, okay, more than good-looking. That didn’t mean he was a rock star or anything.
“What’s wrong?” Alex finally asked. “Is someone hurt?”
He sounded so suspicious that she had to smile. Maybe he didn’t realize how great he looked standing there.
“Careful. They’re all—” Maryann started, but she was too late. The women had broken rank and were rushing toward Alex, waving their hands in the air. There was only one thing to do, she decided, as she put her fingers to her lips and gave a shrill referee whistle.
There was a moment of absolute silence. Even Alex looked stunned.
Maryann gave a decisive nod. She had taken a self-defense class in high school and the whistle was all she had mastered, but today it was enough. “First, Mrs. Short, you take Johnny out on the porch. I’ll be out in a second to give him his lollipop—he likes lime, doesn’t he? We’ll set up a follow-up appointment. Everyone else sit back down, except for the doctor, of course.”
She was almost surprised when everyone obeyed her.
“These women say they need to see you.” Maryann waited for the Shorts to leave the room before raising her eyes to Alex. “For medical reasons.”
The doctor nodded and turned to the seated women. He looked stern enough to make Maryann glad she wasn’t one of the fancy women.
“I’m a pediatrician. You’ll have to go down the street to Dr. Logan’s office. He’s the general doctor in town.” And then, as though he wasn’t sure they understood, Alex added. “I only take children as patients.”
“I already told them that—” Maryann started, but she was ignored.
“My feet haven’t grown much since I was a girl.” Delilah stood up and moved a step closer to Alex, before taking his arm. “And it hurts to walk. Really, feet are feet. It doesn’t matter if I’m a child or not. Men always tell me I have such nice-looking ankles.”
Delilah stood on her toes so her ankles showed to their best advantage. “What do you think, Doctor?”
Maryann watched the thundercloud settle on Alex’s face. He didn’t say anything though.
The waif woman sitting in the corner looked up. “Dr. Logan’s office is closed this morning.” Her voice managed to sound pitiful and sultry at the same time. “There’s no place else to go. I need something for all these mosquito bites.”
Alex removed Delilah’s hands from his arm as he glanced over at the small pink dots on the other woman’s arm.
“Baking soda,” he said in a curt voice and then looked around. “Just to be sure, are any of you really injured? Or having a heart attack? Even an asthma attack? We’ll take an emergency, but that’s all. The rest of you will have to see Dr. Logan instead. If he’s not there, call later and make an appointment.”
The chatter started up. It was impossible to sort out what everyone was saying.
Alex turned and looked at Maryann. “Have them fill out medical forms just in case. And find out if that one woman is allergic to insect bites. Then come back to the exam room. We need to talk.”
“Yes, sir.” Maryann resisted the impulse to salute. She was in trouble enough as it was. He probably expected she should have locked the door when she saw the women coming.
Alex had no sooner turned to go back to the room when Maryann heard footsteps running up to the porch. She recognized a medical emergency when she heard one and wasn’t surprised when Alex turned around to face the door.
“Everybody sit down. Clear some space. We have a patient coming in.” Alex said as he headed toward the door. At times like this he blessed the workmen who had made the new doorway and the ramp outside both sturdy and wide.
He’d been through this drill often enough up here, he thought to himself. A siren never announced an emergency as it did back in Los Angeles; here it was the thump of the heavy boots the men wore. The faster the footsteps were coming up the steps to his porch, the worse the problem. The most serious injuries came by the steps and not the ramp; it was in recovery that the patient used a wheelchair. Alex had the door open before the men outside could touch it.
“It’s Timmy Fields,” the man standing in front said as he pushed his cap back on his forehead and looked behind him to where two other burly men in flannel shirts were carrying the boy. They were all breathing hard and the boy was moaning.
“Easy now,” Alex said when he saw how they were carrying his patient. Every spring he gave a first aid emergency course and showed people how to transport injured hikers, but it never seemed like the right people came. Next time he was going to go down to one of the bars and give his demonstration there. Oh—he stopped. He’d be gone by then. He’d have to leave a note for the next doctor. Or maybe Dr. Logan would do it, although people didn’t tend to bring him the emergency cases since he lived a mile from town and most problems seemed to happen after the clinics were closed.
“Lay him down here.” Alex put his hand on the gurney Maryann had just wheeled over to him.
“Thanks,” he said to her as she stepped back so the men would have enough room. Maryann always knew what to do without him telling her.
Together the men gently laid the boy down.
“What happened?” Alex asked the men as his hand reached out to take the boy’s pulse. It had been several weeks since he’d seen eight-year-old Timmy for that cough of his. The boy’s skin was clammy now, but Alex doubted it was from fever. It was pain making him sweat.
“We found him up on Chilkoot Pass. Fool kid shouldn’t have been up there alone. He said some tourists gave him a ride out of town to the base. They should be shot for leaving a kid like that there by himself. Don’t know what he was doing. He must have slipped on some rocks or something. We wouldn’t have found him if we hadn’t been out looking for that Lawson fellow—the one who’s been missing.”
Alex nodded. He’d been on the search team that had come upon Tucker Lawson’s crashed plane. They’d found some blood and his business card with a stake driven through it, but there was no one around. Searchers, under the direction of the sheriff, had been looking for the man, or his remains, since then. Surely the boy hadn’t been up there looking for Lawson, though. Timmy groaned.
“Easy now,” Alex said as the boy started to move. “Let me check you out first.”
“He’s got a lump on his head,” one of the men said.
“I see that,” Alex said as he ran his fingers over the rest of the boy’s scalp, then he turned to Maryann. “Flash—”
“Here.”
“Thanks.” She’d given him the flashlight before he’d even gotten the word out. Things like this were why he’d promised to write her a letter of recommendation and leave it for the next pediatrician that came here. She was an excellent nurse. She didn’t insist on being personal with him, either. His last nurse had wanted him to—well, he wasn’t sure what she had wanted. She’d resigned when he refused to have dinner with her one night after work.
Timmy opened one eye and stared.
“Don’t worry about focusing,” the doctor murmured to the boy before remembering to use simpler words. “Don’t worry about what you see. It might be fuzzy.”
“I see an angel choir,” Timmy said in quiet awe.
Alex choked back his chuckle as he looked over his shoulder. Children were so honest about their feelings. He saw that Maryann was doing the impossible and getting the fancy women to exit the room. All those women with their dyed blonde hair and sparkling gold might look like a band of angels because of the sun shining on their jewelry as they tiptoed past the gurney, especially when Maryann wore her white uniform to usher them out. No wonder Timmy saw angels.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “It’s Nurse Jenner and some friends of hers.”
“They’re not my friends,” Maryann protested from the door as the men who’d carried Timmy down the mountain followed the last of the fancy women out of the clinic. Alex realized with a jolt that he was teasing Maryann. He’d never done that with any of his other nurses. He believed in professionalism in the clinic. But he liked the way her cheeks pinked up and her brown eyes sparked with indignation. She had dark, fringed bangs, and her hair shone as it floated around her head in the breeze from the open door.
“Is she an angel?” the boy asked.
“Some days,” Alex said. Then he forgot himself enough to grin at Maryann. He decided it would be okay to relax with her; he’d be gone before long, so what could it hurt?
Maryann tried to give him a stern look, but the blush on her face spoiled the effect. She shut the open door, but her hair still floated around her face.
“Does that mean I’m dead?” Timmy asked with some anticipation.
Alex looked down at the boy and smiled. “Not today you’re not.”
“Oh,” Timmy said, and with that, he closed his eyes.
Alex looked up at Maryann again, but she was one step ahead of him. She held out an ice pack she’d brought from the back room along with the gurney. He pressed that against Timmy’s face. “The cold will wake him up.”
“I’ll call his parents,” Maryann said.
“No.” Timmy opened his eyes in alarm. “You can’t call them.”
“You know we have to,” Alex said gently as he finished running his hands over the boy’s legs. “You took quite a fall. Does your leg hurt?”
Timmy winced and nodded. “They’ll kill me for sure.”
“I’ll tell them you’re a brave soldier,” Maryann said as she walked over to the phone.
Alex imagined she would say those very words to them, too. No one could accuse her of not caring about everyone who stumbled across her path. She was generous to a fault and that was the only reason he could think of for her to have sat in the diner last night talking with her cousin about matching him up with someone. Not that either one of the women had shown an over-abundance of caring when Maryann had called him The Ice Man. Wait until that nickname made the rounds of Treasure Creek. He wasn’t the kind of person who talked about himself to everyone he met, but he’d helped enough children in this town to have some friends among the parents. He’d been warned about last night’s conversation by two sources already.
He watched Maryann as she held the phone to her ear and talked to Timmy’s parents. He couldn’t hear the words she was saying, but he could hear the soft tones of her voice.
He supposed the matchmaking had been inevitable. Maryann was the kind of woman who’d bring home stray cats. He knew that when he hired her, but he’d had no other choice. Women like her just couldn’t accept that some men—like some animals—were better off alone. She must have sensed the sadness in him and decided marriage was the solution.
He’d meant to tell her today that he was fine with the single life, but he hadn’t quite figured out the right words. Usually, he’d just blurt it out. He didn’t know why he was hesitating. As near as he could figure, he didn’t want to make her feel bad for caring that he was alone. Also, it bothered him that she thought of him as an ice man, and part of him wanted to prove her wrong.
He must be going soft from living in Treasure Creek. People around here wanted to be connected. They weren’t content with just loving their neighbor, they wanted to know where the guy was going for Sunday dinner, and if he needed help defrosting anything. Maybe it was some primitive emotional throwback to the freezing winters of old when people relied on their tribes for a safe existence. People needed other people then. And at least in this small town, that feeling seemed to still hold true.
He hadn’t thought much about that until one day when people came from miles around for a simple funeral. Even if people didn’t know the old man who’d died, they knew someone who knew someone who knew him. So they mourned the loss of those connections. The tribe had been lessened.
And then every year there was a Christmas pageant at the church that attracted the whole community. Even though he hadn’t been going to church, he’d always been drawn to the pageant.
He wasn’t used to a place like this. He envied the people here their connections, but he didn’t belong.
He should head south for Los Angeles as soon as he could. He’d been saving his money for years so he could open a clinic there. No one would be inviting him to any Christmas pageant down in L.A.
Not that he had time to think about that now, when it looked like Timmy had a fractured bone in his leg as well as the bump on his head. What had the boy been doing out on the pass, anyway?
Maryann hung up the phone and turned back to them. Alex could see why Timmy had been confused enough to think she was some celestial being. Her pink cheeks made her glow. She looked sweet. He had a hard time believing she had talked so openly about his personal life in front of everyone. If she knew anything about the tour guides of Treasure Creek, she’d know they would be making jokes at his expense from now until he left here. In fact, they’d be making jokes about it long after he was gone.
But seeing her in front of him, he couldn’t convince himself she’d meant any harm. Maybe the gossips had it wrong and it had been her cousin who had said those things about him. That thought made him feel better, although he didn’t dare ask himself why he cared which woman had spoken what.
Chapter Two
Maryann put another cool cloth on Timmy’s head. His breathing was still ragged, and Alex had given him a shot to help with the pain in his leg. Alex planned to put a splint on the injured limb as soon as the boy’s parents came, so he’d gone into the back room to pick out what he needed from the supply cabinet. Ordinarily, Maryann would have done that, but Timmy had asked her to stay with him and Alex had nodded his agreement.
“You’ve got to pray for me,” Timmy whispered to Maryann as soon as Alex left the room. He was still lying on the gurney and she had pulled a sheet over his legs. “Times are dire.”
“Dire?” She was surprised he even knew the word at his age.
But he nodded. “Bad. Real bad.”
“You know I’m not really an angel, don’t you?” She reached under the gurney to find another pillow. “I can pray for you, but I have no special powers.”
Timmy nodded. “It’s just for when my parents come in. Look like you’re praying for me. And do you have a Bible? They never yell when there’s a Bible around.”
She stopped, the pillow still in her hands, to look at the boy. “Your parents don’t hit you, do they?”
She’d only seen the Fields in passing. They must be Christians, if Timmy wanted a Bible. On the other hand, she knew some people took the Bible and twisted what it had to say. She had no idea why Timmy would be so intent on reminding his parents of their faith, unless he was afraid of them.
“They yell a lot,” Timmy admitted. “And my mom cries some.”
“But do they hit you?”
Timmy shook his head. “You’re still going to pray though, aren’t you?”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Maryann set the pillow on the end of the gurney where Timmy’s legs didn’t reach. Then she walked over to the drawer where she kept her belongings. She carried a small Bible with her. She’d been going to the church here with her cousin, and re-connecting with her childhood faith. It had been a long time since she had regularly read a Bible like she was doing nowadays. Her turbulent adolescence, as she played referee to her parents’ arguments and subsequent new loves, had caused her to drift far away from God, like it was His fault in some way that she had to endure it. She was glad to be back. Her restored belief centered her; she should have never stopped going to church and praying. Even those bad years would have been better.
She held the white Bible up for Timmy to see. “You can borrow this if you want to read something.”
“Put it in my hands like I’m dead.” Timmy crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes.
“I most certainly will not.” Maryann walked back to the gurney with the book in her hand. “Your parents are worried enough as it is.” Then she thought a moment. “Besides, it’s a girl’s Bible. You’d look too sweet in your casket if you were holding it. You could as well be holding a bouquet of lilies.”
“Oh.” Timmy opened his eyes and frowned at the Bible. “I don’t want to hold no girl’s Bible.”
“I didn’t think so,” Maryann said as she laid the Bible beside him. “But it won’t hurt to have it close, just in case. Like you’re alive and reading it. You might try a psalm.”
“Maybe you could put a ninja sticker on it.” Timmy cautiously took hold of the Bible. “Then it’d be okay for boys.” Maryann smiled.
She heard more footsteps on the porch and turned to the door. “I bet that’s your parents.”
Maryann walked over to greet the Fields as they opened the door and stepped inside.
“Where is he?” Mrs. Fields asked breathlessly, even as her eyes came to rest on the gurney. She was a slight woman with a harried expression on her face, and she was wearing a stained sweatshirt. Maryann remembered that there were a couple of children younger than Timmy in the family. They were all due for shots and Alex had them on the list for her to call.
“What kind of a fool thing were you doing, boy?” Mr. Fields asked as he followed his wife into the room. He was overweight and puffing hard, but he zeroed in on Timmy right away. “You know better than taking off like that.”
Maryann saw Timmy’s face crumple in misery.
She stepped back to the gurney. “I was just going to say a prayer for Timmy. Would you both join me?”
“Oh.” Mrs. Fields looked up in surprise.
“I—” Mr. Fields started to say something, then stopped.
Maryann walked closer to Timmy and winked at him. She had a moment’s hesitation. It had been a long time since she’d prayed in public and she wasn’t sure if it was the right thing for her to do now since it was all for show. Of course, it was for Timmy’s benefit and God loved children, so it would likely be all right with Him. She bowed her head and started.
“God of all the beings on earth and in heaven,” she began. She thought Timmy would like that since he seemed preoccupied with death and angels. “Timmy here is hurting, and we ask that you make him comfortable. He feels bad for what he did and he asks You to help him do better next time. Amen.”
“Amen,” the Fields both muttered.
When Maryann opened her eyes, she saw that Timmy had been right. His parents did look subdued. They moved over to their son and each gave him a pat on his head before moving back and looking at Maryann, as though waiting for further direction. She nodded approvingly at them, and smoothed the sheets on the gurney. She heard them walk away from the gurney and stop by the door.
They had started talking to each other, thinking she couldn’t hear them. If everything else hadn’t been so quiet, they would have been right, she admitted to herself.
“You were supposed to be watching him,” Mr. Fields hissed at his wife.
“Me? You should have been watching him,” Mrs. Fields said, her voice low and tense. “It’s not like you’re working anymore. You should at least help with the kids.”
“It’s not my fault I can’t find work. These are hard times and you know it. Besides, you’re his mother. Don’t lay it all on me.”
Maryann looked down at Timmy. He could hear his parents, too, and embarrassment covered his face. She remembered what it felt like when her parents were arguing. If someone outside her family heard them, she’d wanted to disappear.
“The doctor will be here in a minute,” Maryann said in her most professional voice. Maybe the couple wouldn’t know she had heard them. If she was calm enough, she might even fool Timmy. “In fact, I think I hear him now.”
The voices all stopped. And then, as if on cue, Alex walked into the room.
Something inside her applauded. He might be an ice man, but she could count on him to show up when she needed him.
“Doctor,” Mrs. Fields said, looking up and giving him a tight smile, “how is he?”
“Your son will be fine. He’s running a slight fever. Keep him inside and warm. Let me know if he develops a cough or the fever goes higher. But the immediate thing is that he fractured a bone in his right leg. I’m setting up a splint for it now. I just want your signature before I treat him.”
“Can it wait?” Mr. Fields asked with a forced smile on his face. “Don’t bones sometimes heal by themselves?”
“Wait?” Alex looked taken aback. “I’m afraid not in this case.”
Mrs. Fields stepped closer. “How much will it be, doctor?” She kept shifting the handle on her purse from one side to the other. “I get paid next week, but—”
“We’ll pay our bill somehow,” Mr. Fields finished for her. His face was red with embarrassment. “We might need to wait until our Permanent Fund checks come. I lost my job. It was the one that carried our health insurance, but we’ll get you paid somehow—” He looked at Alex. “You’ve been here long enough to know about the Permanent Fund checks? They’re the ones we get from the state for all the oil that’s pumped out of Alaska? Those checks are good as gold.”
“Ah.” Alex cleared his throat. “Sure, I know about the checks. Don’t worry, though. I don’t have the figures added up, but I could use some new shelves in the waiting room. If you’re interested, we could trade services.” He looked at Mr. Fields. “I hear you’re a good carpenter.”
“I’ve nailed a few boards together in my time,” Mr. Fields said proudly. “Your shelves are as good as done. I can come back later today to measure everything.”
Alex nodded. “Good. I have some lumber in the back we can use.”
“Thank you,” Mrs. Fields muttered.
Maryann watched the whole scene with satisfaction. She knew she was right that the children of Treasure Creek needed this doctor. She only had to look at the sudden hero worship in Timmy’s eyes to know that. Alex didn’t make anyone look small, and that won him the respect of his young patients.
“We’ll just take Timmy in the back and get him set up,” Alex said as he motioned for Maryann to follow him. He looked at Mrs. Fields. “I’ll need to cut the leg off his jeans, but I’ll do it as carefully as I can, so you can sew them back together later.”
The woman nodded. “Thanks. He doesn’t have enough pairs as it is.”
“Say, Doc,” Mr. Fields said from beside the door. “If the shelves aren’t enough, my wife here can introduce you to some of the local women. You know, it’d be like one of those matchmaking services they have in the big cities.”
“What?” Alex turned to look at the man.
“I heard you were looking,” Mr. Fields said as he reached for the doorknob. “We could help you out. Nothing fancy, but the wife here knows everyone. She’ll fix you up.”
Maryann felt the breath leave her body. She had a bad feeling about this.
“Hush about that.” Mrs. Fields turned to her husband. “How can you be thinking about that when our son lies there in pain?”
Then the woman turned to the doctor. “Should we go back in the room with you when you work on Timmy’s leg?”
Maryann risked glancing at Alex. His face looked frozen.
“I’m fine.” Timmy spoke up from where he lay.
Maryann noticed the boy had a strong grip on that small Bible of hers. She wished she was the one holding it, though.
“Maybe you and Dad could wait here,” Timmy added. It looked as if there was a ragged piece of old paper peeking out from the pages of the Bible. Timmy must have put it there. “In this room.”
“Well, I guess.” Mrs. Fields muttered, as if she didn’t know what to do.
“I could wait with you if you’d like,” Maryann offered. The doctor didn’t really need her for the splint. Besides, she’d give anything not to have to face him right now. She could tell he knew all about the conversation she and her cousin had had about him. “We have a few magazines on the table by the chairs.”
She saw Timmy’s parents sit down in two chairs and noted they left an empty one between them. She figured that was where Timmy usually sat. No wonder the boy was torn apart by their arguing; he’d grown up right in the middle of things. Just as she had.
“Nurse Jenner. You’re with me,” Alex said before she even moved.
“Yes,” she said as she gave the chairs one last look and walked toward the gurney.
“Here, I can do that.” Alex reached the gurney first and put his hands on it.
“But I usually push the patients. That’s my job.”
“We’re a team,” Alex said, wheeling the gurney back to the examining room.
Well, Maryann thought, what was that supposed to mean? If she didn’t know better, she’d think The Ice Man was melting. But that was unlikely. Perhaps he was planning to fire her. Not that she could blame him if he did. She hadn’t intended for the whole town to be talking about Alex’s love life. When would she ever learn to keep her mouth shut?
“It was a mistake,” Maryann muttered, as she followed Alex down the hall. “That conversation with my cousin.”
Alex finished pushing the gurney into the room and Maryann turned on the lights.
“We can talk about that later, Nurse Jenner,” he said.
Maryann nodded as she stepped closer to the gurney and bent slightly to adjust a corner of the sheet. At least Alex wouldn’t fire her as long as there was a patient around to hear him do it.
Timmy gave a weak snicker.
“What?” She glanced over at the boy. His face was still pale, but his eyes were mischievous.
“You still look like an angel,” he said, and chuckled a little louder.
Maryann straightened up and glanced at the mirror by the sink. Her hair was just as windblown as it had been after she’d stepped outside to give Johnny Short that lime lollipop. Why did her hair always have to look so wild? It was puffed up in a circle around her head. No wonder Alex hadn’t shown any interest in the women up here. He probably liked women with their hair smoothly drawn back in elegant styles, like the models wore in those glossy magazines. Ever since last night, she’d wondered what kind of a woman he would marry. She hadn’t meant to accept her cousin’s challenge, but she’d been thinking about it ever since.
She eyed Alex as he stood beside the gurney. Whoever he married would need to fit into the world of a prosperous doctor in Los Angeles. Those fancy women were probably right about the expensive cars he would drive. Cooperative hair would be important. He’d want a young trophy wife to ride in his red BMW convertible. Or maybe it would be a top of the line Lexus.
“You might want an angel by your side for the next few minutes,” Alex muttered to the boy, as he removed the sheet that had covered his leg. “I’ll have to cut off part of your jeans before we can set your leg.” Timmy nodded.
“It’ll do my best to be careful, but it’s bound to hurt some.” Alex smoothed down the sheet beside the boy.
“Okay,” Timmy said, as he gripped the Bible.
“I can take that for you,” Alex said, as he held out his hand for the book.
Maryann noticed the boy was reluctant to give it up. “We can put it on the shelf by the doctor’s desk,” she said. “You’ll be able to see it.”
Timmy shook his head.
Alex looked over at her. “It’s okay. He can keep it.”
It was time for them to get to work.
Alex was focused on getting the plaster splint on Timmy’s leg quickly. At times like these, he liked working with an efficient nurse like Maryann. Even though he could sense she was nervous, she anticipated what instruments he’d need and she had them ready for him. More importantly, she kept up a steady stream of soft conversation with the patient, so he didn’t need to think of words to say to distract the patient. For some reason, she was talking about cars today.
He’d given a local anesthetic to Timmy to dull most of the pain in his leg, and the boy was groggy, but Timmy still laughed at Maryann’s chatter.
“There. We’re done,” Alex said, as he finished the splint.
“I think our patient will need a minute to recover,” Maryann said.
He looked up at Timmy’s face and saw he was almost asleep. The book had slipped from his hands and was lying on the gurney beside him.
Alex picked up the Bible. “I’ll move this to the shelf so it won’t fall off the gurney.”
“Careful with it,” Maryann said.
Alex nodded as he walked over to the bookcase. “Timmy sure is attached to it. Although I suppose that’s true for lots of children.”
“It’s natural for children to believe in God,” Maryann said, with a nod.
Alex grunted as he laid the Bible down on an empty shelf. “Maybe, but it passes soon enough.”
Maryann looked over at him curiously. “Why do you say that?”
“The minute we’re born people start having problems. Sooner or later, everyone comes up with a problem God can’t solve for them. And it’s usually sooner.”
“Oh.” Maryann looked at him and then blinked.
“I’m not the only one who has been disappointed in God,” he added, softly. The sympathy in her brown eyes grew and he found the words escaping him. “And, at that, I’m better off than—” He broke off, but he didn’t stop. “Well, I’m better off than my brother.”
Alex held his breath. He never talked about God or his brother. He must be more bothered than he’d thought about Maryann calling him The Ice Man. Why did women judge a man by how easily he spilled his emotions, anyway? Or maybe it had nothing to do with her. Maybe it was the confidence Timmy had in his face when he held onto that Bible. It made Alex remember the way he used to feel a long time ago. Back then, he’d embraced God in the same way he loved his pet frog and the stack of comics under his bed. It was all part of a carefree childhood.
But then came the moment when everything that was good in his family shattered—the day Alex’s life had been spared when his older brother shoved him out of the way of a runaway car. Even though they had carefully checked that the light in front of them said it was okay to walk, the car’s brakes had failed and the driver couldn’t stop for the two boys crossing the road. Within seconds, Alex had landed safely back on the sidewalk, while his brother, Frank Rocco Havens, was crumpled on the street, with his body so damaged he’d never walk again.
“You mean your brother that phones?” Maryann finally asked.
Alex nodded. “His first name is Frank, but we don’t call him that anymore.”
Now, why did he have to say that? He never even thought about Rocco’s old name anymore. Their mother was the one who had renamed Frank after the accident. The first time she’d heard another kid draw the name Frank out into Frankenstein, she’d told the family they’d use Frank’s middle name, Rocco, from now on. His mother had been kind back in those early days; she fought the whole system to get her son care. It wasn’t until later, when the doctors said his brother would always be paralyzed, that she drew away from the rest of the family. Shortly after that his father started traveling more.
Alex had felt like it had been only him and Rocco that made up the family after that. Alex had to fight his guilt, wondering why he couldn’t have stayed out of the crosswalk that day, instead of trailing behind his brother who’d already made it clear he wasn’t to come with him. If Rocco had been alone when the car came, he could have jumped to safety. Instead, he’d turned and pushed Alex out of the way. Alex had idolized his older brother. Couldn’t he have obeyed and stayed behind just that once?
“I’m sorry,” he finally said. He looked over at Maryann. “I don’t mean to stand here talking about someone you don’t even know.”
“But I feel like I do know Rocco a little,” Maryann answered gently. “I didn’t know his real name was Frank, but when he calls, I answer the phone. He always wants to know what the weather is like up here, so I look out the window and describe what I see. Once we saw a bald eagle fly by.”
Alex was surprised. “I thought he just asked to speak to me and that you put him straight through. He doesn’t usually talk to strangers.”
“I’m not a stranger, I’m your nurse,” Maryann said. “Besides, he seems nice. He likes what I say about the mountains. Why wouldn’t he talk to people?”
Alex could hardly say it was because Rocco was bitter. His brother’s mouth might still work, but he was so self-conscious about his legs he’d managed to become a recluse in the middle of the largest city on the west coast. Granted, Rocco hadn’t sounded as grim the last few times Alex had talked to him, but something was wrong. Rocco kept saying he wanted to talk in person and Alex kept saying he needed to just speak on the phone for now. Alex would be in Los Angeles in three weeks anyway, so he couldn’t make a special trip down there now, not when he had so much to do to wrap up his practice here.
“How long does he talk to you anyway?” Alex finally asked.
Maryann shrugged. “It’s only a few minutes. He usually wants to know if we have snow on the mountain yet. And what the lunch special is at Lizbet’s Diner. And if you’ve been out on any tours lately as the guide. He’s very interested in Treasure Creek. You should invite him up to visit.”
“Rocco? He never goes anywhere.” Alex’s voice sounded harsh to his own ears. He knew Rocco could go places, but he never even went to the grocery store anymore.
It was silent again, but finally Maryann said, “Maybe he likes to stay home.”
Alex grunted. “He has a choice. I’m not saying it would be easy. He’s in a wheelchair. My brother can only go out if someone is with him. I got him an attendant last year, to help him with this exercise program that could make him more independent, and if he wanted to go outside he could—”
Timmy moaned and Alex looked down at the boy.
After that, he and Maryann worked in silence.
By the time they had Timmy ready to go back to the waiting room, the child was almost able to sit up. The boy was still disoriented, but his parents could take him home with crutches.
This time Maryann wheeled the gurney back into the waiting room. Alex swore he could hear her singing a lullaby to the boy as they went down the hall, but he had to get the prescription written, so he sat at his desk in the examination room while she took Timmy back to his parents.
Alex decided it was a good thing he was leaving in a few weeks. This whole thing about the ice man label and people worrying about him getting married had him feeling strange inside. He’d never told anyone about his brother. He didn’t know why he was opening his mouth about it now. Fortunately, he’d stopped before he told Maryann everything. Knowing her, she’d just feel sorry for him. Then he’d need to do more than stop her matchmaking, he’d also have to stop her from poking around in his heart to see what his guilt and sadness was all about. And then she’d move on to worrying about Rocco. He knew her kind. And his older brother wasn’t any more free with his emotions than Alex was. They’d never even talked about “that day” with each other. There were just no words for some things. Alex wasn’t even able to say he was sorry, not until he could do something to make up for the part he’d played in the accident.
When he finished writing the prescription, Alex took it out to where the Fieldses were sitting. He reminded them to bring Timmy back if he developed a cough or high fever, and they agreed. Then they left.
The second the door closed behind the family, Maryann turned to him. “I’m sorry. I had no business saying anything about you last night.”
Alex felt himself relax. As long as she forgot about him and Rocco, he didn’t care what she wanted to discuss.
“Just for the record,” Alex said to keep her talking, “what exactly did you say, anyway?”
He wondered if what he’d heard was true. Maybe she’d said something completely different, and the gossip had turned it into something else.
Maryann hesitated. Her whole face looked pinched by nervousness. “I said that you needed to be poleaxed by love.”
“What?” Alex was amazed. “I don’t even know what ‘poleaxed by love’ means.”
“It’s a Jenner family expression,” Maryann muttered. “You get sick. You want to die. All for the sake of love.”
“Sounds awful.” Alex noticed that his nurse was getting her color back. He felt they had averted some crisis.
Maryann smiled up at him. “I think it is actually. You should see my parents when they’re in love. Not with each other, of course. They’ve been divorced for years. But each time one of them is poleaxed, they stare into the eyes of their latest and get all disoriented just talking about it. They’re like children.”
Alex was quiet for a bit. Maybe there had been no discontent in the words she’d spoken about him to her cousin after all. “And how about you? Did you ever fall in love like that?”
“Me?” Maryann squeaked. She looked alarmed. And then much too pale. Finally, she shook her head. “I’m immune to that kind of stuff. I’ve seen it go wrong too many times.”
Alex frowned. That didn’t seem right. “But surely you plan to get married.”
“If I do, I plan to pick my husband based on reason. And genetics. I think good genes are important, don’t you?” Her cheeks were still pink, but he suspected it was indignation turning them rosy this time.
“Yes, but…” Alex was taken aback. He’d never met a woman who didn’t long to feel some intense emotions, especially when it came to marriage. He knew he had a reputation for being a little detached, but it didn’t seem right for someone like Maryann to feel that way, too.
Finally her face went back to its normal color, and she swallowed. “Look. There’s no need to beat around the bush about what happened the other night. I want you to know I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just talking with my cousin about how much I wanted you to stay on as the doctor here and, before you know it, she was talking about how you’d stay if you met someone to marry.”
Alex was beginning to feel better already. “So she was the one who was supposed to match me up with someone?”
Maryann swallowed again. “No, that was me.”
“You’re the one who was supposed to help me get poleaxed? With some woman you picked out?” He wondered if Maryann knew how cute she was. Funny, he’d never noticed before how her nose turned up just enough to make her look mischievous. And her eyes—the gold flecks in the brown made them look like they were twinkling. “I suppose I should be grateful I have a strong constitution. That whole thing sounds a bit tough.”
“Now see, that’s why I told my cousin I shouldn’t mention anything to you. I knew you’d just make fun of it and—”
Alex put up his hand. “I think it’s kind of sweet that you’re worried.”
The sun was shining in the window and Maryann’s face lit up in a smile. “You do?”
“You’re not thinking of one of those fancy women, I hope.” Alex said, wondering why he was going so easy on her.
Maryann shook her head. “I was thinking of Belinda Edwards.”
“Who?” Alex’s smile disappeared. He hadn’t really thought she had someone specific in mind for him. That changed everything.
Maryann took a step back. “You know. She’s the single mom who works in the office at the grade school. Long red hair and glasses. Midtwenties. She’s taking some online college courses to improve herself. She likes camping and watching DVDs at home. I’m pretty sure she’d go out with you if you asked.”
Alex was stunned. He still couldn’t believe it. “You haven’t just been talking? You’ve actually been matching me up?”
“Well, I haven’t asked her if she’s interested, but she does seem nice.”
Suddenly Alex didn’t feel like teasing her anymore. How could she call him an ice man, when she was trying to marry him off to someone he’d never even had a conversation with? That was more than a little cold. “Do you even know this woman?”
“Belinda gets her hair cut at the same place I do. She’s got gorgeous hair, by the way. And I like her.”
“You haven’t been in Treasure Creek much more than a month. How often have you had your hair cut in that time?” he asked.
Alex couldn’t believe Maryann was standing there smiling at him, like he should be grateful she was trying to find some woman to marry him. Like he was desperate. Like he didn’t have things he needed to do before he settled down and got married.
“I don’t have time to date anyone,” Alex said with as much dignity as he could manage. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to do some paperwork.”
He walked down to the exam room and closed the door. He didn’t have anything to write, and she probably knew it.
But at least he’d gotten away with his self-respect intact. He’d been so sure the story had been reported to him with errors. He hadn’t admitted it to himself until now, but he’d been confident she’d started that conversation with her cousin because Maryann was interested in dating him herself. Her, not some Belinda Edwards who liked to camp.
He had been planning to turn Maryann down gently, of course. They’d had a quiet friendship that was building during the time she’d been here, and he was afraid to disrupt that. He didn’t want her to hand in her resignation as his previous nurse had done, either. But apparently he’d been mistaken. She wasn’t interested in dating him at all.
It took him a moment or two, but he finally told himself it was for the best.
He already had his plane tickets to leave in three weeks. He’d get someone to fly him to Juneau, and then on to Anchorage. He’d take a flight south from there. A month from now, he’d be looking for property in Los Angeles where he’d build his clinic.
He had plans. He’d been awarded a large grant from a local foundation to cover the cost of the ground he needed. And he’d saved every extra penny he made moonlighting as a tour guide up here, to help with the construction. He’d have to take out a loan of course, but his savings would provide just enough for the needed downpayment. Until he did something to pay back his brother for saving his life, Alex didn’t feel free to live a normal life. The small clinic would be named after his brother.
After all, Rocco couldn’t get married, since he couldn’t even meet a woman, as long as he confined himself to their parents’ house. Worse yet, his brother couldn’t realize his childhood hope of being a surgeon, not with his hands and his legs as crippled as they were by the accident. Alex knew he could never give his brother his dreams back, but the plaque for the clinic he planned to build would show his brother how much he appreciated the sacrifice he had made.
He needed to do something before he could even say he was sorry.
He’d tried to give his brother other things in the past. So far, the only thing Rocco had accepted was the money to pay for that attendant. His brother said no to anything else, saying money couldn’t buy him what he really needed. There was nothing else Alex could give him, except a clinic built in his name. He knew Rocco liked the idea, because he smiled every time Alex mentioned it. Maybe, once the clinic was built, Rocco’s bitterness would fade.
And if Rocco was happier, maybe Alex could ask him for forgiveness. Maybe his parents could also forgive the past and live in the present. Right now, no one was free of the accident. His parents avoided each other and Rocco. Maybe, when the clinic was completed and Alex was home, he’d have his family back again.
Chapter Three
Later that afternoon, Maryann was sitting at a small desk in the waiting room, staring at the wall when the bell over the door rang. She should have been going through the list of patients to call for tomorrow’s appointments, but she’d become distracted thinking about what had happened that morning. Alex was in the examining room and it was good that he was. She felt closer to him because of what he’d told her about his brother, and farther apart at the same time, because of the gossip she’d caused. Mostly, she didn’t want to think about it, even though she couldn’t get it out of her head.
“Amy!” Maryann said as she looked up and saw the owner of the local tour company. The young red-haired widow always had a smile on her face, and she was one of Maryann’s favorite people in Treasure Creek.
For the first time, it occurred to her that Amy James came to the office more than was necessary. There always seemed to be a good reason about the twins to stop by, but maybe she was interested in Alex in a romantic way. Maryann wondered if the answer to who the doctor should marry was right in front of her.
“Here to see the doctor?” Maryann asked, keeping her voice neutral. She should feel more excitement at the thought that she might be talking to Alex’s future wife, especially because Amy had deep roots in this place and could convince Alex to stay.
Oh—Maryann just remembered that she hadn’t combed her hair back into place after being out in the wind.
“Am I interrupting something?” Amy walked over to the desk. “I can come back.”
Amy was always neatly dressed, and Maryann didn’t want to look like a hooligan. Not that she was competing with Amy for anyone’s attention. It was just that all women liked to look their best.
Maryann smiled. “No, I just—well, my hair.” Then she reached up to smooth her hair back into its usual bobbed shape.
Amy laughed a little. “That happens up here, especially this time of year. I know it’s happened to me. Of course, Ben always thought it was funny. I’d be there with my hair going every which way, and he’d be grinning like a kid at the circus.”
The widow’s laugh faded as she remembered her late husband. Then she seemed to shake off her memories. “Well, I just came around because I’m putting together a choir for the Christmas pageant, and I wondered if you’d come help us sing.”
“Oh, I can’t,” Maryann said as she heard footsteps in the hall. “I’m not much of a singer.”
Amy shrugged. “That’s not important. Ben always said it was the spirit of the thing that counted. I’m hoping to do the best pageant ever, in his honor this year, but I’m not sure I’m up to it. I figure if we can get started early by practicing the carols, we’ll have a chance of pulling it off.”
Alex entered the room. “The pageant is nice. Every year it gets a little better.”
“Well, that’s going to be hard to do this year,” Amy said, as she sat down in one of the waiting room chairs. “I’m hoping that, if we can get going now, maybe we’ll gain some enthusiasm.”
“Well, I’m sure whatever you do will be great,” Alex said, then he looked at the woman more closely. “Are you all right?”
Maryann watched Alex walk over to Amy. Now why did he have to stand there and look at the woman as if she was a delicate flower?
“I can give you a vitamin B shot if you need one,” Alex offered as he reached out his hand to touch Amy’s forehead. “You’ve been going through a tough time. If anything troubles you, let me know.”
Maryann hoped none of the fancy women heard about Alex being willing to treat Amy, even though she wasn’t a child.
Amy looked up at him and Maryann wondered if the two of them needed to be alone.
“I have been worried,” the widow said softly before Maryann could think of an excuse to leave. “Something’s been missing and I don’t know where…well, it’s the treasure map we talked about. You know the one?”
Then Amy dropped her voice even further, until Maryann couldn’t hear her words. Maryann walked toward her desk and sat down to finish the filing she had to do. She told herself she should be happy. She wanted Alex to stay in Treasure Creek. If he fell in love with Amy, he’d have to stay. Maybe the treasure map that Amy’s sons had found would bring them together. Some people thought the map showed where an ancestor of Amy’s had hidden the gold.
Maryann saw Alex frown as he looked down at Amy. “That doesn’t sound good. Have you reported that it’s gone?”
Maryann couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t act anything like The Ice Man when talking to Amy. He leaned over her most solicitously. Maybe it was only nurses and fancy women Alex wanted to avoid. She supposed he figured one was work and the others were gold diggers.
“I don’t want to report it to anyone official yet,” Amy said in a louder voice and gave a glance at Maryann. Then she shook her head and turned back to Alex. “I just wanted to ask you to keep your eyes open.” Alex nodded.
“Anyway,” Amy said with a bright smile that included Maryann, “I hope you can both sing in the pageant.”
“I’ll pass,” Alex said as he turned to go into the exam room.
Maryann tried to remind herself of her goal to get Alex to stay in town.
“You should sing,” Maryann said.
Alex frowned. “What’s the point? I’m not going to be in town for the pageant.”
“Well, coming to a few practices wouldn’t hurt,” Maryann said. “Maybe some other men will join if they see you’re practicing.”
Alex lifted an eyebrow in protest. “I’m not that influential.”
“You are,” Amy stepped in, fairly gushing. “And it’s not just the men you’ll inspire. I’m sure half of the single women in town will volunteer, too, if you do. That’ll give me plenty of people for the choir.”
Maryann figured Amy had underestimated the doctor’s impact. If all of the single women were there, the single men wouldn’t be far behind.
“You won’t need to wear a costume or anything,” Amy promised.
“But,” Alex tried again, “You need to remember I won’t be here at Christmas. I’ll be down in Los Angeles, putting together my new clinic.”
“Oh,” Amy said. “That’s right.”
Maryann felt her enthusiasm fall to the floor right along with Amy’s. He was still so set on leaving town.
“You could still practice with us,” Amy finally said. “Even just one or two times might be enough to get the women there. You wouldn’t even need to sing. Just stand around. I could put you in charge of lighting or something.”
“I could do that,” Alex said. “I’m sorry I won’t be here for the pageant.”
“Thanks,” Amy said, and then straightened up as if she was bracing herself. “I was going to wait a few weeks to start rehearsals, but I better get them going now.”
“Three weeks,” Alex reminded her. “That’s how long I’ll be here.” Then he grinned. “Maryann will be there, too. She can take over my place when I’m gone. Singing.”
“But I—” she sputtered.
“That’s perfect,” Amy beamed at them both and stood. “I better get going so I can tell everyone. We have the tour team meeting tonight so we’ll plan to meet Thursday night at the church for the carol rehearsal. Let’s say five-thirty to nine.”
“People can’t sing for three and a half hours,” Maryann managed to gasp. “Not amateurs anyway.”
“You’re right,” Amy said. “We’ll need snacks and something to drink. Maybe hot tea. We’ll take a nice long break.”
“They’ll still strain their vocal chords,” Maryann added.
“That’s it.” Amy snapped her fingers and looked at Alex. “You can be the choir doctor. You won’t have to sing a note.”
“I treat children,” Alex protested.
“That’s why you’re perfect,” Amy said as she headed for the door. “Children are screaming all the time.”
Maryann and Alex both watched her walk toward the door. Just before she got there, Amy turned around. “Oh, and Maryann, why don’t you come to our team meeting with Alex tonight? I’ve wanted to get your perspective on our tours, since you’re new in the area. You know, specialty tours, that sort of thing.”
“But I—” Maryann protested.
“It won’t take long,” Amy assured her as she turned the knob and half-opened the door. “We’re meeting for hamburgers in the back room at Lizbet’s Diner at seven.” And then Amy turned to flash a smile at Maryann. “I hear you like eating there.”
With that, the other woman turned to walk through the door.
“She knows,” Maryann muttered glumly as the door was closed.
“The whole town knows,” Alex replied.
They stood there for a minute.
Finally, he put his hands in his pockets. “I have those insurance forms to fill out, so I plan to stay late tonight. I’ll just walk over to Lizbet’s at seven, if you want to go with me.”
Maryann nodded. “I have some paperwork, too.” She paused. “You know, I’m really sorry I said anything last night.”
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