Billy bared his teeth like Astrid after a racoon.
His mother apologized profusely. Luckily, she was so worried about her son that she hadn’t paid much attention to what I was doing. She held on to Billy for the rest of the exam.
As soon as the appointment was done and Billy out the door, I slipped over to my office and lay down on the brown leather love seat there. By another stroke of good luck, Billy had been the last patient before lunch. It gave me a moment to relax and let my blood pressure correct itself and my heart rate slow down.
While I lay there, I made mental notes of the morning. As soon as I felt right, I would run out to grab lunch and stop to get Amy a doughnut and a diet soda as a thank-you.
“You saved me—literally,” I said 30 minutes later as I set the 32-ounce cup at Amy’s computer station.
Amy laughed. “I’ve got your back, Doc!”
She hadn’t seemed to notice my heart episode, and I wasn’t about to draw attention to it. “And my arms too,” I joked, shuddering. I could still hear Billy’s teeth snap together. “It was really nice of you to warn me.”
Not all nurses would have said something. In fact, during my residency, there was a line between nurses and doctors, drawn by the superiority complexes of some of the physicians, that made things uncomfortable. In all honestly, I’d struggled with the formalities of it all. When it came to taking care of patients, we should have the same goals and be able to work together.
“I like you, Doc.” Amy smiled easily. “And I’m glad you moved to town. We could use more people like you around here.”
I smiled. Amy and I were on track to becoming friends—she’d be my first one in Keokuk. Amy was the real deal. I could see her sending me a Christmas card even after I moved. A warm feeling of finding a kindred spirit filled me. “Thanks.”
The next day, when I was going out to lunch, I stopped by her desk. “Do you, uh, want to grab something to eat?”
Amy hopped off her stool and grabbed her purse, like it wasn’t weird that I’d asked. “Sure. Have you tried Hero’s Subs?”
“I haven’t.”
“You’re in for a treat. They call themselves a sandwich shop, but everyone really goes for their brownies.”
“I’m a sucker for baked goods.”
Amy cocked an eyebrow. “Welcome to the club.” She offered to drive, and I settled into the passenger’s seat of her SUV, holding my purse on my lap. “So, did you leave behind a cute doctor when you came to town, or are you in the market for a cowboy?” She pumped her eyebrows.
I tipped my head back and laughed at her brazen question. “There was one guy—he was about 4 years ahead of me in school. You know, the ‘graduating class helping the new incoming medical students’ kind of thing. He’s a good guy, but it didn’t work out.”
“Why not?”
“Because we couldn’t even be classified as hot and cold—we were more like tepid and cool.”
“No sparks?”
“Not a one.” I sighed. “We’re still friends. I’d have no trouble calling him tomorrow to consult on a case. He ended up becoming a cardiothoracic surgeon in Chicago.”
“Maybe you’ll meet someone while you’re here,” Amy replied as she signaled and turned into a small parking lot.
I already have—I pulled my lips in, intent on keeping that piece of information to myself. Spewing tales of Andrew and his rescue tractor ride would only embarrass me. I hadn’t been at my best—and that was treating myself kindly. “Maybe.” I smiled noncommittally. “Have you read anything good lately?” I changed the subject.
We passed the rest of the lunch hour discussing books and loaning them to one another on our Kindle apps. Thank goodness she didn’t press me about Andrew; I was at a loss for words over the cowboy.
Chapter Nine
Harper
Friday afternoon, I had just finished with a small girl who had a case of ringworm when Amy popped in to clean up the exam room. “Any big plans for the three-day weekend?” she asked as she ripped the used paper off of the exam table and unrolled a new one.
I washed with antibacterial soap, letting the warm water rush over my hands. The clinic was closed on Monday for the 4th of July, and the staff was practically giddy over the paid holiday. “Oh yeah, big plans.” I dried my hands on a paper towel. “I’m finally going to unpack. You should see my place—it’s a disaster.”
“You cannot spend the weekend indoors.” Amy grabbed the sanitizing wipes out from under the cupboard and went to work.
“Well, since my last hiking experience went so well …”
Amy paused. “What happened?”
I took a deep breath and held it briefly. I hadn’t wanted to tell her about Andrew on Wednesday, but two days later, it seemed reasonable. Two days of swapping books and stories and finding out that Amy was happily married to Nathan. They were planning on a family but wanted to wait another couple of years until they could refinance their home for a lower monthly rate and she could go to part-time in the office.
So, I spilled my guts. I laid all my mortification out there for Amy to pick over like pieces of a garage sale, adding a healthy dash of humor to show that I wasn’t emotionally scarred. However, I left out the part about noticing Andrew’s muscles and the fireworks across my skin when we touched. Those things were just … new and so close to my heart that I wasn’t sure how to put them into words.
Amy gaped at me. “Why didn’t you call me?” Her eyes dropped to my arms, where I was thankfully scratch-free. The bumbles hadn’t caused permanent damage. “I would have come for you.”
I patted her arm. “I know,” I said, because I did know. And I was so grateful for her friendship. It had been so long since I’d had someone to lean on. “I’ll call you first next time. If there ever is one.”
Amy eyed me. “Did you get Andrew’s number? Maybe you should call him.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief and matchmaking.
I bumped her with my hip. “Stop. I’m not here to fall in love.”
“Who said anything about falling in love?”
My cheeks burned. “No one—I, uh …”
“I’m teasing.” Amy pinched my arm. “Go for it. Andrew’s a good guy.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to go into the plethora of reasons why Andrew and I wouldn’t work out. “What I’m going for is order in my life. Which means a weekend of unpacking.”
Amy frowned. “You have all Saturday and Sunday to get that done. Which leaves Monday wide open. The 4th of July is a big deal around here. There’s a carnival, an old car show, and my husband’s work has a team signed up for the annual softball tournament.” Her eyes lit up as if a light bulb had gone on inside her head. She grabbed my arms. “You should play with us.”
I rocked back on my heels. “I don’t play softball.” Anymore. I’d played on a city league in high school to fill a hole in my scholarship applications. But Amy didn’t need to know that—the less anyone and everyone knew about my stint as an athlete, the better. “I’ve always been more of the … studious type.” That was putting it mildly.
“You need to at least come check it out,” Amy encouraged. “It’s Keokuk tradition. As the town doctor, you need to be involved in the community.”
I scowled. She had a point.
Amy rubbed her palms together. “I’ve got you there.”
“Okay. I can see how that might make sense. But that doesn’t mean I’m going this year. I haven’t been here long enough for anyone to expect anything out of me. Is there a pumpkin festival in the fall or something I can put on my calendar?”
Amy’s hands paused. “You can’t be serious.”
“Oh, I am.” I headed out to the hallway and picked up the next chart.
Amy followed on my heals. “Come on, it’s not like I’d make you go alone. Nathan and I would pick you up. Nine on the dot.”
I paused. Alienating my only friend in town was a bad idea, but the idea of playing softball again scared me.
/> Not to mention Andrew could very well be there. He was the kind of guy who would play ball. His athletic build was perfect for a baseball player. I hadn’t exactly left a good impression with him last time I’d seen him—instead of looking like I’d tangled with a swamp monster, I could have passed as the swamp monster. It’d taken thirty minutes of scrubbing to get the pond-scum smell out of my skin.
“Thanks for the offer, but I’m going to pass on this one. Next time, okay?”
Instead of backing down, Amy took my refusal as a challenge and grinned. “You like to exercise, and this will be a great way to get your steps in for the day.”
I rolled my eyes in response.
“Besides—” Amy practically sang the word. “—Andrew Allred will be there.”
I stared harder at the papers in front of me. They said something about an allergy … “I’m not sure why you think that would be an incentive to go.”
Amy folded her arms. “You aren’t fooling me, Harper. I saw how your eyes got all sparkly-gooey when you talked about him. Not that I blame you. Other than my husband, he is the best catch in town.” She winked. “Quite a few women cried when Nathan slipped a ring on my finger—I’ll tell you what.”
“I can believe it. He’s such a great guy.” I easily handed over the compliment.
Although gentlemanly ways seemed to be the town’s calling card, there were a few men who stood out above the rest. Nathan was one of them. He’d brought Amy a candy bar the other day when she’d been yelled at by a mother after giving vaccines. She’d followed procedure perfectly, but the child had screamed like the floor was opening up to swallow him. Scared for her son, the mom had lashed out at Amy, telling her she should have never gone to nursing school, and who did she think she was when her mother was just a checker at the grocery store?
In a small town, things like that were hard to brush off.
But there was Nathan, with a Caramello and a hug for his wife. He didn’t even wait until she got home; he left a job site to make sure she was okay.
That was a good man.
“I could help with Andrew …” She nodded slowly, waiting for me to take the bait and ask what I could do to catch Andrew’s eye.
But I wasn’t going there—especially not to a softball game. The next time I saw Andrew, I wanted to be at my very best—or at least at my professional best. The fact that I’d survived two seasons on the city team did not mean I had skills to impress a man like Andrew.
I couldn’t cook. I couldn’t drive a tractor. Heck, I could barely keep track of my dog in Andrew’s eyes. There was no way on this green earth that I was going to show up on that field. No matter how good my imagination was at conjuring up the image of Andrew in a baseball uniform. My face flushed as I pictured him at the plate, his long legs in a pair of tight pants and his biceps straining against the fabric of his jersey. No wonder he was prized, grade-A beef around town.
I pulled myself together and faced Amy head-on. “I’m a doctor. It is who I’ve always been and who I always wanted to be. I don’t have time for anything else.” At this point, I wasn’t sure who I was trying to convince more … myself or Amy.
Maybe I could go and cheer on the team …
No, it would be better to stay home and get things organized. That way, my heart stayed safe and my dishes were unpacked. It was a win/win. “My goal is to be the best, and to do that, I have to stay focused.”
“Uh-huh.” Amy exaggerated her head nod. “But you are also a flesh-and-blood woman who needs romance and love. There is more to life than work.”
I couldn’t tell if Amy was joking or serious. Her tone was light, but her eyes were sharp.
I reacted to what I saw more than what I heard, and my defensive walls went up. I snapped the folder shut and simply but firmly said, “I’m sorry, I won’t be able to go.”
Amy frowned and nodded once. She didn’t mention it again.
Guilt tore at me for the way I’d snapped. I searched for a way to make it up to her and ended up loaning her the new book I’d downloaded before I’d even had a chance to look at it. She accepted my peace offering and asked if I’d read anything by the historical fiction author she’d discovered last night. We ended up chatting easily as we closed down for the night.
When I walked out into the humid evening air, I breathed a sigh of relief. I had a long, glorious weekend of unpacking and organizing ahead of me.
It sounded … lonely.
I shook off the feeling as best as I could, but I couldn’t help but think that hauling boxes around would be a lot more fun if Andrew and his bulging muscles were there to help.
Chapter Ten
Harper
I sat on the cool tile floor of my new kitchen, removing bubble wrap from my teal and white dish set. I’d had my eye on the set since right before I’d passed out in the operating room during a surgical rotation in med school. When things had been up in the air about my future, I’d put everything on hold—including splurging on all new dishes. But after I’d passed my family practice boards, I’d felt a renewed sense of purpose and focus. The dishes reminded me that hard work paid off and that life didn’t take the road you mapped out; God sometimes had a different path in mind.
After a weekend of decorating, unpacking, and being covered in dust and sweat, most of the house was organized. I’d started in the bedroom Friday night after work and pushed through all day Saturday. The pizza I’d ordered for lunch doubled as dinner. I just couldn’t bring myself to eat it for breakfast, though, so I’d had oatmeal with raisins this morning instead. There was something satisfying about making breakfast, even a simple one, in my own kitchen that made me feel decidedly grown-up.
With my stomach full, I started on the last big project. Deciding that the silverware drawer needed to be first, I reached for the box labeled flatware.
There was a knock at the door, and I glanced at the clock, wondering who would come by on a holiday. The microwave said 9:00. My stomach dropped out. “Amy,” I growled under my breath, not quite believing that my new friend would be so stubborn as to come over when I’d told her not to. She wouldn’t. Then again, how well did I actually know Amy? For all I knew, the woman could be a Tupperware salesperson on the side and was here to guilt me into buying plastic ware I didn’t need.
Who was I kidding? She was here to coerce me into attending the town festival.
I stood up and brushed off my backside. The floor had turned the back of my legs numb with cold, which was nice, considering the temperatures rising outside.
Astrid beat me to the door and barked out a warning to whoever was on the other side.
I shooed her back. “It’s Amy. She’s going to try to make us play ball.”
At the word ball, Astrid’s ears perked up and she doubled her barking efforts.
If I was looking for an ally to keep me away from the ballpark, I wasn’t going to find one in my pooch. “Traitor,” I whispered to Astrid as I flipped the dead bolt and pulled open the door.
“It’s game day!” Amy threw her arms out wide, showing off her baseball-style tee shirt. She wore a hat with her hair gathered loosely in a low ponytail.
I stepped away from the door and waved my arm. “Come on in. You might as well see the damage.”
Amy followed me inside, shutting the door behind her to keep Astrid from escaping. “What damage?”
I led her though the living room with the blue shag area rug situated exactly so in front of the couch and the knickknacks arranged on the coffee table. “From here it doesn’t look so bad, but …” I stopped at the archway into the kitchen. Boxes of all sizes were piled on every possible surface. Bubble wrap was all over the floor and puffing out of the garbage. Doors and drawers were wide open, and the sink was full of dirty dishes. “I can’t live like this anymore.” I threw my arm at the mess. “It has to be cleaned—today.”
Granted, half the mess was there because I’d brought all the packing supplies in here as I put the other rooms tog
ether. It just made sense to keep the mess with the mess. Looking at it now, though, I wished I’d taken the time to break the boxes down and walk them out to the garage.
It was really quite embarrassing.
“Pft.” Amy flapped a hand. “This is an hour’s worth of work, tops. Besides, it’ll do you good to have some fun. You’re getting pale.”
My hands flew to my cheeks. I wasn’t a sun worshipper by any means, but I liked to have a healthy glow—tempered by SPF 30. I glanced out the window where the sun was shining down on the lilac bush. It did look inviting. By contrast, the inside of the house was dark.
I had been inside for two days straight …
A day at the ballpark, in the sunshine, would be a nice break from these four walls. “I don’t know …” My old insecurities about playing sports in front of other people made my stomach hurt.
Amy cocked out a hip. “I’m invoking the good friend clause and making this decision for you.”
I laughed. “I didn’t realize I’d signed a contract.”
“It’s part of the girl code.” Amy nodded. “Trust me, you’ll have a good time.”
I took in the determined glint in Amy’s eye and coupled that with having seen her hold back a thirteen-year-old boy—her cousin, no less, who’d fought like crazy as I’d given him a shot of Bicillin to clear up his strep throat—and realized that Amy could, and probably would, drag me to the truck.
It was the middle of summer.
“Okay, okay. But I can’t go in my pajamas.”
We both looked down at the pink, purple, and blue striped pant legs.
Amy frowned. “They’re not exactly screaming, I’m a doctor; you should trust me with your children.”
“Right!” I headed to the bedroom. “I’ll be out in five minutes.”
“I’m taking Astrid with me,” Amy called.
I stopped. “Maybe I should leave her here.” The last thing I needed was Astrid running amok in the middle of a softball game. She had a mean competitive streak when it came to catching a ball.
Opposites Attract: His Country Doctor (The Journal of Medical Romances Book 1) Page 5