The SEAL's Return Page 11
“That’s fine,” Lisa said. “I want to meet them, too. And I love them at that age. I’m planning to specialize in pediatric surgery.”
Janie looked startled. “What are you doing here, then?”
“Taking the year off,” Lisa explained. She didn’t know how much Janie knew, or how much anyone knew, but she might as well explain it now. She’d learned that nothing remained private very long. But she shortened the story considerably, skipping the part about Gordon’s legal problems and stressing the fact she wanted to spend more time with them.
“Well, I’m grateful and the town is, too. It will give Dr. Bradley time to find a permanent replacement. If you weren’t here, I’m sure he’d kill himself trying to do the impossible.”
“I’m glad it seems to work out for both of us. Now if only I can convince my brother and sister...”
“I know it’s a world away from a big city,” Janie said. “But the sports here are terrific, and most of the kids are really great. There’s always the bad apple, of course, but on the whole, we’ve been blessed.”
“That’s good to know.” She prayed that Gordon wouldn’t be that bad apple. She looked at her watch. “Is there anything we need?”
“We’re out of suckers.”
“Suckers?”
“We always give them out after a ‘no tears’ vaccination,” she said, then added with a smile, “And we usually sneak one to those who do shed a tear or two.”
“The old ‘candy makes the medicine go down’ trick?” Lisa said with a grin. “I’ll run and get some at the general store while you man the office.”
“I can do it,” Janie said.
“I don’t mind. I’ve been wanting to go over there. I’m told I can find nearly anything at the general store.”
Janie nodded. “You can.”
“And what kind of suckers?”
“The red suckers are the most popular.”
Lisa was fascinated the moment she arrived at the general store. There seemed to be a little of everything inside. It even had an old-fashioned counter window loaded with packaged and individual candies.
A woman who looked to be in her forties approached from the back. She took one look at Lisa’s white coat and grinned. “You must be the new doctor. I’m Heather. What can I do for you?”
“I need suckers for vaccinations,” Lisa explained hurriedly. “I am the new doctor, Lisa Redding.”
“Good to meet you,” Heather said as she loaded a paper bag with a handful of suckers in various flavors. “Twenty enough?”
“More than enough,” Lisa said, then realized she’d left her money at the office. “I’m sorry. I left my purse at the office. Is it okay if I pay you later?”
“Nonsense,” Heather interrupted. “We always provide them free to Dr. Bradley. It’s little enough we can do for the clinic and the kids.” She handed the bag to Lisa. “We’re just happy you’re here.”
Touched by the affection for the clinic, Lisa thanked her, then started for the door when she thought about Jubal Pierce and his bloody T-shirt.
“Do you have any T-shirts in—I think—extra large?”
“Sure. For your brother?”
“Ah...yes.”
“I’ll be back later to pick them up.” She hurried back. This small-town thing wasn’t bad at all. A friendly police chief, a welcoming mayor who offered horseback rides, free candy for small patients. The latter wasn’t a big thing, but the openhearted gesture was overwhelming to her. Wouldn’t happen in a big city.
The small waiting room was filling up when she arrived back. Four small people—she always thought of them that way rather than as children—waited with their mothers. She stooped down to their level. “Who wants a sucker?” she asked.
She was greeted with “I dos” except for a little girl who tried to hide.
Lisa nodded her head. “Good. Whoever goes first gets first choice of flavors.”
“Me,” said a girl with a ponytail and well-worn jeans that were too large.
“Good for you. I’m Dr. Lisa. What’s your name?”
“Jenny,” the child said shyly.
“Well, you certainly are a brave girl. I promise it won’t hurt, okay?”
“Okay.” Jenny didn’t sound too sure, though.
Lisa stood and extended her hand to the harried-looking woman with Jenny. She had a toddler with her, as well. “I’m Dr. Redding,” Lisa said. “Mrs...?”
She waited for the woman to identify herself. “Akin,” the woman said. “Alice Akin.”
Lisa remembered the name from looking over the files yesterday. Alice and Robert Akin. They had four children under eight. “Please come into my office,” she said to mother and child.
Janie was inside with the prepared needles. Janie could give it, but Lisa wanted to do it this first day. She wanted that personal contact with the patients.
Jenny sat in a chair and Lisa crouched next to her. “What do you like to do best,” she asked as she rubbed alcohol on the injection site.
“Draw.”
“And what do you like to draw?” Lisa asked as she inserted the needle. Jenny’s lips pursed as she tried to think of an answer. “Flowers,” she finally said.
“Well, that’s a fine thing to draw,” Lisa said as she took the second needle and inserted it.
“That didn’t hurt much,” Jenny said, glancing down as Lisa swabbed the skin again and put a Wonder Woman bandage on it.
Lisa picked up the sack of suckers she’d put on her desk. “And now you can pick which sucker you want and take one for each of your brothers, too.”
“Thank you, Doctor,” Mrs. Akin said. “You’ve been very kind. What do I owe you?”
Janie had already coached Lisa on that aspect of the clinic. Many of the residents lived or had retired on a small income, but they didn’t want charity. It was a particularly sensitive issue since children had to have shots to enter schools and it often meant no food on the table. Dr. Bradley charged them only a fraction of the usual fee.
Lisa approved.
After Mrs. Akin and Jenny left, she quickly immunized the other children without a problem. After Jenny emerged with a big smile, none of the others wanted to be less brave than the smallest among them.
The mothers and fathers were curious but friendly as they asked questions and answered a few of hers. They all wanted to know where she went to medical school and whether she would be staying.
Then it was nearly noon. No more appointments until two p.m., but Lisa planned to be back early to get ready for them. She had just enough time to get home, make lunch for Kerry and check on Gordon.
She dropped by the general store and selected two white T-shirts, then walked home. Kerry was teaching Susie how to sit. Or trying to. “Have you seen your brother?”
“He’s in his room on his laptop.”
Lisa knocked on his door and was surprised when Gordon opened it. His laptop was open. “The internet here sucks,” he said.
She’d noticed the same thing. On that they could agree. “I know. Want some lunch?”
He nodded.
“How did it go this morning?” she asked.
“Okay.”
“Chief Morgan seemed like a nice guy...”
Gordon shrugged. “He’s okay.”
“What did he say?”
“He wants me to check in every week.” He shrugged again. “And he wants copies of my grades.” He hesitated a moment, then added, “He said high school graduates can go directly to chopper pilot school and become warrant officers.”
“I rather imagine they must have excellent grades and no juvenile record,” she said, trying to keep her voice calm. Why on earth would the police chief encourage that?
“You said if I didn’t get
in trouble again my record would disappear,” her brother retorted. “And I’m not stupid.”
“No, you’re not,” she said. “Though you couldn’t prove it with your most recent grades. I know you could do anything you want to do. You could be an engineer like Dad.” She knew she shouldn’t continue. Her opposition would only spur his interest in the military.
“You always know best, don’t you?” he shot back. “Well, sometimes you don’t. Maybe I don’t want to be an engineer.” He headed for the door.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“I’m not going to rob a bank if that’s what you’re thinking!” he said while opening the door. He slammed it behind him.
The pleasure of the morning faded. She fought to hold back tears. She couldn’t seem to do anything right as far as Gordon was concerned.
She couldn’t chase after him. She only had enough time to fix sandwiches and canned soup for Kerry and herself. She would do better that night. She would listen, really try to listen, to Gordon.
When they sat down to eat, Kerry didn’t meet her gaze.
“Something wrong?” Lisa asked.
“Ah, well, Susie...she found one of your shoes.”
“And...?”
“She kinda chewed it.”
Lisa closed her eyes and prayed for patience. She didn’t have that many shoes. Money had been really tight the last few years. “Which ones?” she finally asked.
“The blue ones. She ate the heel.”
Her only good pair. But Lisa knew it wasn’t the dog’s fault, and it was a small price for the change in Kerry. The sadness in her eyes was gone. “I’ll train myself to put shoes and other potentially tempting objects out of temptation’s way. Okay?”
Relief flowed from Kerry, and Lisa wondered if her sister had feared her reaction. Had she really been that unapproachable?
“Dr. Morgan said she would help me train her,” Kerry ventured. “I thought I would go over this afternoon and take Susie,” Kerry said tentatively. “If it’s okay with you.”
“I think it’s a terrific idea. You check with Dr. Morgan first, to see if she has time. I’ll drive you over.”
“We can walk,” Kerry said. “I think Susie would like that.”
“If you promise no more encounters with cars,” Lisa said, pleased that Kerry felt comfortable enough to venture out on her own. “I’ll call Mrs. Manning and ask about riding lessons this weekend.”
“Oh, really?” Excitement radiated from Kerry. She was practically wriggling in her chair.
If only she could get half that excitement from Gordon. “That doesn’t mean Eve won’t be too busy, so don’t get too excited, okay?” Lisa cautioned although her heart was warmed by Kerry’s reaction.
“Okay,” Kerry agreed. She looked down at Susie. “Did you hear that, Susie? We’re going to the clinic today and maybe I’ll ride a horse this weekend.”
Susie barked in reply, and both Kerry and Lisa laughed.
“See? She understands,” Kerry said. “She’s a really smart dog.”
Except when it comes to shoes. Lisa resisted mentioning the recent transgression. “I have to go. If you need anything, call me on the cell, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll clean up and wash the dishes,” Kerry offered.
The glow inside Lisa grew brighter. She glanced at her watch. She had about thirty minutes before her appointment. Maybe she would have time to run one of the T-shirts over to Jubal’s cabin to replace the one he lost thanks to her errant dog.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t be there. She would just leave it on his porch with a thank-you note and no more would be said about it. She didn’t like owing anyone anything. The fact that she misled Heather at the general store nagged at her, but the woman surprised her when she’d asked if the shirts were for her brother.
She had become fully aware in the past few days of the Covenant Falls gossip machine and, fearing misunderstandings, she instinctively indicated both shirts were for Gordon.
It was dumb, but it was also done.
She reached the cabin. His car was parked in front which meant he was probably home. Instead of feeling relief, she was consumed with confusion. Was this what she really wanted?
No. It was a bad idea. Worse than that. A terrible idea.
She was turning around when she saw him jogging into the driveway. He ran directly to the driver’s side of her car. The T-shirt he was wearing was drenched with sweat, as were his pants. He hadn’t shaved and, darn, but the scruff made him even more attractive. Dangerous.
She’d never been attracted to dangerous before.
He leaned into the window. “Dr. Redding. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to see how you were recuperating,” she said, hoping she wasn’t babbling. “And I brought you a new T-shirt to replace...”
“That isn’t necessary.”
“I thought it was,” she replied defensively. She handed him the new T-shirt beside her.
“Thank you,” he said with a trace of amusement. He opened the door of the car, inviting her to come out.
“I have to get back,” she said.
“Don’t you want to inspect my wrist and other various injuries?”
She looked at all the fine lines defined by the shirt and pants sticking to his body and soaked in the masculine smell of him. Heat bubbled up inside her.
“You look healthy, and I have appointments. I mainly wanted to drop this off. There’s a thank-you note, too.” More babbling. She never babbled.
“Until next time, then,” he said. He took his hand from the window, turned and jogged to the porch.
Lisa took a deep breath. Get yourself together. She turned on the engine and drove out to Lake Road.
CHAPTER NINE
LIGHT CREPT THROUGH the gauzy curtains to wake Lisa on Friday morning. She stretched and thought of the day ahead. So much had happened since they’d arrived on Tuesday, she hadn’t had time to unpack except for essentials.
She looked at the clock. It was six a.m. on her fourth day in Covenant Falls and she’d been so busy. They’d been living out of suitcases. She’d emptied the small rental trailer, and Eve had sent a city employee to return it in Pueblo. But boxes still sat unopened.
She stood and went over to the window where she had a glorious view of white-tipped mountains.
It was a nice way to greet the day. Unfortunately, she hadn’t fallen to sleep until the early morning hours. A tall man with piercing blue eyes kept haunting her thoughts. Go away, she commanded silently.
The dog barked, apparently wanting to go outside. She sighed. Susie was worth the trouble if she made Kerry happy, and even Gordon seemed to have mellowed a little since Susie’s arrival. It might have been guilt, however, for letting Susie escape.
She went to the kitchen and made coffee. While it was brewing, she stepped outside into the backyard and took a deep breath. It tasted sweet, and the silence was soothing. The mountains were gorgeous in the gleam of early-morning sun.
The door opened and Kerry and Susie joined her.
“I hope Susie didn’t wake you,” Kerry said. “She really needed to go outside.”
“I hope not every morning at six.”
“I don’t think she’s lived in a house before,” Kerry said protectively. “She’ll get better.” Kerry looked anxious as if Lisa would snatch the dog and throw her out. Had she given her sister that impression? Did her siblings think she didn’t care about them or what was important to them?
“I think you’re exactly what Susie needs,” Lisa said, and gave Kerry a hug and Susie an ear rub. “Why don’t you take her for a walk and then we’ll have breakfast together. Your brother will probably sleep until noon.”
“Are you going to be here today?” Kerry asked.
“Can I help Dr. Morgan at the clinic? She said she can use me anytime and I can bring Susie.”
“Sounds like a great idea. Maybe she can give you some more tips for Susie.”
Kerry grinned. “Okay.” She turned to the dog. “Come on, Susie. We’re going for a walk.”
“Don’t forget to clean up after her.”
“Okay!”
“I’ll make pancakes when you get back.”
Kerry’s smile turned to a big grin. Pancakes were Kerry’s and Gordon’s favorite.
She went to the front door and watched as Kerry marched Susie down the street as if they owned it. She wished they had been able to get a dog in Chicago now that she saw how happy it made Kerry. Why hadn’t she recognized her sister’s needs then? Or Gordon’s? She’d been too wrapped up in her own career and justified it by looking toward the future, hoping to send her siblings to good colleges when the time came.
She swallowed hard and vowed to be more aware of their needs.
If only Gordon could find something to make him happy. He’d lost more than Kerry had, in a way. He’d had such a close relationship with their parents. Kerry had been too young to remember much.
Lisa whipped up the batter for pancakes before going to Gordon’s room. She knocked lightly. To her surprise, he answered the door.
“Want some pancakes?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
“They’ll be ready as soon as you get dressed.”
He nodded and closed the door.
All she had to do was put the batter on a griddle. She set the table and poured orange juice into glasses. She’d finished her coffee when Gordon, then Kerry, came into the kitchen. In minutes, she had a heaping plate of pancakes, which, to Lisa’s gratification, quickly disappeared.
“I’m taking Kerry to the falls later this afternoon,” Lisa said. “They’re really beautiful. Want to go with us? We can take a picnic,” she added hopefully.