Midnight Hour

by Debra Dixon

  Mercy’s lovely mouth dropped open and she asked, “Then why did they send you?”

  Crossing his arms, he said, “They didn’t send me.”

  “You’re not the plumber?”

  “No, chère. I’m the doctor.”

  “But I called for a plumber!” She rubbed her bare arms, which the shawl of damp hair had cooled. Better to believe that explanation than admit his earthy accent gave her goose bumps. “Don’t tell me the service got the messages mixed up.”

  Nick fought a smile at the look on Mercy’s face. Even disconcerted, she looked sexy. He wondered if the plumbing situation unsettled her or if the energy he felt flowing between them jumped her train off the track. Either way he enjoyed watching her massage parts of her body as she tried to figure out a solution to her predicament.

  “I’m here,” Nick pointed out, hoping to sidetrack her. “Maybe I could help?”

  “What do you know about plumbing?”

  “Only what I read in the papers,” Nick answered solemnly.

  “Well, that’s more than me. The sum total of my knowledge is that the faucet goes on top, which is why I need a professional. No offense. Someone who can get the job done.”

  Nick shrugged and leaned his shoulder against the wall. “Darlin’, I do have a reputation for getting the job done.”

  Mercy pressed her lips together. Now, why did she believe him? Clearing her throat and with a raised eyebrow, she suggested, “Let’s start over, shall we? Who the heck are you?” She grinned at him as she said, “I know you’re not a doctor, ’cause doctors don’t make house calls anymore. Not even in a small town like Haunt, Kentucky. Especially to people who aren’t patients.”

  Nick grinned back and decided he liked Mercy Malone as much as he was attracted to her. Wet hair, long legs, barely dressed, and a sense of humor. What more could a man ask from a celebrity fund-raiser? Or a woman for that matter, Nick added, surprising himself as he realized that Mercy’s most attractive quality was her sense of humor. That’s why he instinctively responded to her. Listening to her made him feel good.

  “I really am a doctor,” Nick said, and pushed away from the wall. “I recently joined the emergency-room staff at a hospital in Louisville.”

  “Things must be slow if you’re roaming the countryside in search of emergencies,” she quipped.

  Nick ignored the remark and dropped the other shoe. “You probably know the hospital. Mercy Hospital? I understand you were born there.”

  Startled, she almost backed through the screen door. “How do you know that?”

  “Sister Agatha still runs the hospital. She remembers you and your parents quite well. Even tracked down your address for me. Told me that when I saw you, I was to request—strongly—that you get your butt over for a visit.”

  “Sister Aggie?” Mercy smiled, using the childhood name she’d called the nun. She lowered her head in contemplation, fondly remembering the no-nonsense woman. “I haven’t seen her since I was nineteen and having impure thoughts about one of the residents.” Suddenly Mercy’s head jerked up, and she took a couple of steps toward him. “Has she seen the show?”

  Nick nodded once, but didn’t volunteer a word.

  “What did she say?”

  With a straight face, Nick tactfully edited Sister Agatha’s comment and merely said, “She thought perhaps now that your show is a success you could afford to buy more material for your costumes.”

  Laughing, Mercy said, “Sister Aggie has either mellowed or you’re trying to spare my feelings. Which is it?”

  Nick shifted uncomfortably and rubbed his chin. “Mellow is not exactly the word I’d use to describe Sister Agatha.”

  “Not exactly the word? Why do I get the feeling you’ve given a lot of thought to the matter of describing her in one word?”

  “It’s a habit of mine.”

  Mercy put her hands on her hips and studied him for a minute. “What’s the definitive word for Sister Aggie?”

  “Perceptive.”

  “Agreed. What did she say about my show?”

  “She said she was praying that you’d find a husband soon so you could stop advertising.”

  “She said what!” Mercy’s body went rigid, her hands falling to her sides in small white-knuckled fists.

  “She said—” Nick began helpfully.

  “I know what she said!” Mercy eyed him suspiciously, opening and closing her hands in an obvious attempt to control her temper. “What the hell are you supposed to be? The answer to her prayers?”

  “Actually, darlin’, I was kind of hoping you were the answer to mine.” Nick recognized the real truth in that statement.

  “Of course.” Mercy nodded and stepped closer, folding her arms across her midriff. She checked for a wedding ring. He wasn’t wearing one, which led her to an interesting conclusion: Sister Agatha was matchmaking. “Dr. Devereaux, you are one smooth son of a gun, but you go right back and tell Sister Aggie I’m a damn sight smarter now than I was at nineteen. I can spot a heartbreaker fifty yards away.”

  “Ah no, I’m a doctor, chère,” Nick argued gently, remembering Sister Agatha’s insistence that he make the trip instead of phoning. “I don’t break hearts. I mend ’em.”

  “But my heart doesn’t need mending. By you or anyone else,” she told him with a toss of her head, giving him a taste of the provocative Midnight Mercy. “Sister Agatha should realize that. Don’t you two ever watch television? Mercy Malone is in the business of breaking hearts, not the other way round.”

  “Now, that I believe, but it doesn’t scare me off.”

  “My breaking your heart doesn’t scare you?”

  “No, being the first man to break yours doesn’t scare me,” he deadpanned. For a second he saw surprise flare in her eyes and knew, however unintentionally, he’d scored a direct hit. Mercy Malone was off balance, and she wasn’t used to being off balance. Nick decided he liked her that way.

  Mercy felt as though the gauntlet had just been flung, that her honor was at stake. She wanted to wipe that smug, sexy, irritating smile off the doctor’s face. Doctor! That certainly explained a lot about his attitude. She had grown up with surgeons for parents and knew exactly how futile it was to argue with doctors who thought they were right. But that never stopped her from trying.

  “I’m twenty-nine years old, Dr. Devereaux. Trust me,” she said in a confidential tone. “I’ve had plenty of opportunities for broken hearts.”

  “Aw, darlin’,” Nick said with a shake of his head. “But how many of those … opportunities did you take advantage of?”

  Irrationally, Mercy wanted Devereaux to leave so she wouldn’t have to answer the incriminating question, and she wanted him to stay until she found out exactly what Sister Agatha had told him! Never before had anyone questioned Midnight Mercy’s experience, even in jest. Usually people tended to mix up her television persona with her private self. As she studied him Mercy drew attention to her bottom lip with one long red fingernail.

  “You’re so sure that I’ve never suffered a broken heart,” she mused, infusing her voice with the same teasing sexuality she used on television. “Is that a professional diagnosis, Doctor?”

  “Oh no. I haven’t asked the question.”

  “What question?”

  “A simple one. Who broke your heart?”

  Nonplussed, Mercy floundered for a snappy reply, and then just tried to figure out something he’d believe.

  As the silence stretched, Nick briefly considered letting the subject drop, but only briefly. The sexy, confident Mercy Malone he’d seen on television seemed perfectly capable of telling him to go to hell, and she hadn’t. So he didn’t back off. “What’sa matter, chère? Don’t remember the details?”

  “I’m thinking.”

  “You’re stalling,” he corrected, and turned away from her, walking toward the wide carpeted stairway that led to the second story. “I’d think twice about getting a dog if I were you. This newel post looks like
a giant, hand-carved fireplug.”

  Exasperated, Mercy gave a small huff, and not just because he’d insulted her post. “How am I supposed to think with you talking all the time?”

  “You shouldn’t have to think. Any woman who’s had her heart broken knows every little detail. She knows who, and where, and when. The lady can even tell you the moment it happened. But not you.” Nick ran his hand along the highly polished banister. He missed her widened eyes, and the way she followed the motion of his hand. Nick paused for a heartbeat and then added, “Now, why is that?”

  The sharp ring of the telephone caught them both by surprise, breaking the spell of intimacy that had been weaving itself around the two of them. When Mercy didn’t move, Nick said, “I believe someone is callin’ you.”

  “I can hear,” she replied, and walked past him to the phone table. Snatching up the black bone-shaped receiver, she answered more sharply than she intended and silently swore she’d wipe that self-satisfied look off Devereaux’s face if it was the last thing she did on this earth. “Oh … Sophie, hi. No, nothing’s wrong.”

  Nick chuckled and wandered toward the opening into the living room, which looked comfortable but still reflected the century-old character of the house. Without sacrificing any of the architectural flavor, Mercy had managed to make an inviting home—something he hadn’t been able to do with his apartment even though he’d hired an interior-design firm.

  “No, he’s not the plumber,” Mercy patiently explained to her elderly neighbor as she eyed her guest. “He’s a doctor. No, I’m not sick. Devereaux. Dr. Devereaux. No, not France. He’s from New Orleans. Yes, the one in Louisiana.”

  When he heard his name, eavesdropping became too great a temptation for Nick, but he salved his conscience by facing her so she’d know he was shamelessly snooping. Fleetingly, Nick wondered if she’d forgotten her plumbing problems as completely as he’d forgotten about being tired.

  “No!” Mercy’s answer to the unheard question was sharp. Suddenly she clenched her teeth as though trying to hold out against pressure. She shot him a furtive glance, then turned away and lowered her voice. “No, I’m fine. Really. Now is not a good time, Sophie. Sophie … Sophie!”

  Gingerly, Mercy replaced the receiver. She turned and announced, “We’re about to have company. Sophie would like to meet you. She’s never met anyone from New Orleans.”

  Something in Mercy’s tone of voice straightened Nick’s spine. He ran his fingers through his hair. “Should I be worried?”

  Mercy’s sense of humor began to surface and her mouth twitched. “I would. She’s afraid you’re ravishing me.”

  “She’s afraid I’m what?”

  “Ravishing me,” Mercy said pleasantly as she passed him on her way to the screen door to wait for Sophie.

  “You can’t be serious,” Nick declared.

  “Oh, I’m perfectly serious. Sophie says she saw you drive up and you’re just the sort of man who might, and I quote, try something.”

  “And Midnight Mercy is just the sort of woman who could handle it if I did,” Nick replied sharply.

  A shiver raced up her spine. He had used her nickname. “Why did you call me that? I mean—Midnight Mercy. Why’d you call me that?”

  “Chère, I look at you and see two incredibly sexy women who excite the hell out of this poor Cajun.” He joined her by the door and leaned against the jamb. Mercy Malone was a complicated woman; not what he had expected, and she fascinated him. He gently lifted her chin and forced her to look at him as he explained. “One woman breaks hearts so easily while the other seems to be very careful with her own.”

  This time the shiver raced through her entire body, and a flush of heat quickly followed. The new intensity in his eyes belied the shadows beneath them. Nick no longer looked like he needed sleep; he looked dangerously intent on getting what he wanted.

  “Mercy dear!” Sophie called out as she started up the porch steps. As usual in the summer, Mercy’s neighbor wore a comfortable and brightly embroidered Mexican sundress. “I just needed to borrow a little brown sugar. You don’t mind, do you?” Sophie crossed the wooden porch and affected surprise, “Oh, dear me! I see you’re busy at the moment.”

  Startled, Mercy realized that Nick’s thumb was slowly but surely tracing her collarbone as he slid her soft, white cotton shirt off the shoulder. “Oh, for God’s sake,” Mercy ground out, and shrugged off Nick’s hand. “Come on in, Sophie.”

  This time when she opened the screen door, it screeched its usual banshee protest. Once the sprightly octogenarian scooted inside, Mercy made the introductions. “Sophie Jensen, Dr. Nick Devereaux. There. All introduced.”

  Without rushing, Sophie tapped the plastic measuring cup against her thigh, sized Nick up, and said, “So how long have you known our Mercy?”

  Nick laughed, crossed his arms, and gave her an equally careful once-over. “Not quite long enough to ravish her, but don’t you worry. I’m wearing her down.”

  Mercy choked and muttered hopelessly, “Oh God, what else can happen today?”

  “My!” Sophie exclaimed as though nothing embarrassing had transpired. “Don’t the floors look nice. This entrance hall seems enormous now that you’ve gotten all that nasty old green carpeting out of here. Mary Jane Hiller, rest her soul, did so like shag carpeting. But this is much better, dear. More spacious.”

  “You think so?” Mercy took the cup from Sophie and looked pointedly at the two of them. “I was just thinking how crowded it felt. You two get acquainted while I swim through the kitchen and get some sugar.”

  “Oh dear, your plumbing problem!” Sophie snatched her cup back from Mercy’s hand. “I wouldn’t think of borrowing sugar at a time like this. I’ll just run down the street to Joan’s and get some sugar there.” She whisked the door open before Mercy could protest. “Nice to have met you, Doctor.”

  “A pleasure to be met, I assure you,” Nick said, and reached to flip on the porch light. “It’s beginning to get dark. I wouldn’t want you to slip before you got that sugar.”

  “How thoughtful,” Sophie murmured as she toddled off. “Now, Mercy,” she said, “you call me if you need me.”

  Mercy shook her head. “What I need is a plumber.”

  “I offered to help,” Nick reminded her.

  Without taking her gaze from the receding figure of Sophie, Mercy asked, “And which of us do you want to help? Midnight Mercy or Mercy May Malone?”

  TWO

  “Now why do I feel like I just entered the bonus round of Truth or Dare?” Nick asked, and walked away, shaking his head. “Not being stupid, I think I’ll let that sleepin’ dog lie a bit longer. Which way to the kitchen?”

  Mercy shut the wooden door and leaned against it. To his back she primly said, “I haven’t said you could help.”

  Nick chuckled and kept walking toward the rear of the house. “You haven’t told me to leave either. Besides”—he paused and opened a door, finding the downstairs bathroom mentioned earlier—“if I left now, you’d have Sophie over here in five minutes wanting to know why you ran off such a promising young man.” He flashed her a confident grin. “Careful. I think that one kinda likes me, chère.”

  Following him, Mercy grumbled, “She can afford to be generous with her opinion. Sophie has lower standards and sounder plumbing than I do.”

  “Ah, getting warmer,” Nick announced, and stepped into the dining room, glancing first at the elegant cherry table and sideboard. Then he noticed the eight mismatched chairs. As he passed through on his way to what he assumed would be the kitchen, he discovered that not only was every chair of a completely different style, but the needlepoint seats were mismatched as well. “What you runnin’ here, darlin’? A home for orphan chairs? Nice rug, though. Persian?”

  “Chinese silk,” she snapped. “And don’t talk like that about my chairs. I’ll have you know that each and every one of these babies probably has a better pedigree than you.”

  Nick pivoted and b
umped the swinging door open with his backside while he made a point. “Well now, maybe they do, but I can keep you warm all night, and that makes me the better bargain, no?”

  Only the fact that he disappeared into the kitchen stopped Mercy from informing him that she had a perfectly adequate electric blanket upstairs. Of course, he would have had something to say about that too. Something devastating like “Ah, chère,” which he’d say with a sad shake of his head, as though having to use an electric blanket was a poor substitute for having a man in her bed. A man like Nick Devereaux to be exact. Unfortunately, Mercy was beginning to agree with him.

  “Get a grip,” she whispered to herself. She wasn’t in the market for a man, didn’t need her hormones all screwed up. Besides, her bed was warm enough without Nick Devereaux’s hot body sliding between the sheets. There she went again! What on earth was it about this take-charge Cajun that had her mind constantly on the bedroom?

  The man was too damn clever for his own good. Too damn sexy for her peace of mind. She stared at the kitchen door and knew that if she had an ounce of common sense, she’d march right back to the phone and try to get a real plumber over here fast. Someone with grungy overalls and a fully loaded tool belt. Someone named Ralph. Someone who didn’t have dark, smoldering eyes and thick black hair begging for her fingers.

  However, pride kept her from making the call. Good ol’ St. Nick wouldn’t have been offended by her lack of confidence in his plumbing skills. Oh no, not him. He’d interpret a call to the real plumber as a cowardly way to get rid of him. And he’d be right, her conscience added. Face it. The man had her pegged. She was beginning to wonder if he didn’t have some voodoo magic charm in his pocket.

  How else could he know that she never encouraged relationships? What was the point of encouraging them anyway? Judging from the marriages of her friends and their parents, and her own parents, the vows should be changed from “until death us do part” to “until we get a better offer.” Nope, relationships that began brilliantly and ended bitterly were not her style. She liked her heart in one piece, thank you very much.