Wild and Tender Care

by Haley Whitehall

  “Third if you count the baby boy.”

  “How did the delivery go? I know you were nervous.”

  Dr. Steere laughed and joy filled his eyes. “Nervous for nothing it seemed. Mrs. Morgan did all the work. I just had to catch him.”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

  “The baby?”

  “No, your patients. If you want to build your practice in Big Rock we need to keep our friendship to a businesslike level.” The words were not the ones she had planned on saying, but seeing Mrs. Woodward had suddenly changed her planned speech. Asking him to her house for supper suddenly seemed wrong.

  In fact their whole attempt at courting seemed wrong.

  “Oh.” His lips fell into a frown and his friendly voice turned brisk. “If that’s what you want, ma’am.”

  Ida nearly winced. She knew she’d hurt him, but it had been for his own good. This wasn’t what she really wanted. She swallowed around the lump in her throat. “It is, Doctor. I think keeping our distance is for the best.”

  “But why? What is the reason we shouldn’t court?”

  Didn’t she just explain? It would ruin his career and his reputation, make him even more of an outcast. Somehow she couldn’t get those words out of her mouth.

  “Is that all, Miss Page?”

  Seeing his wounded gaze pained her. She nodded and left before he could catch the tears burning her eyes. Ducking into the privacy of an alley she sunk to the ground and silently sobbed, her shoulders heaving. Heart withering, her chest ached. He had just started getting patients. If he courted her they would stop coming and he’d be forced to pack up and move. At least by putting a stop to his advances she could keep him in Big Rock with her. She drew several deep breaths trying to calm down.

  Women like her weren’t meant to find love. A retired whore was still a whore, plain and simple. No one cared that after her parents died she hadn’t had any other way to support herself. A girl of eighteen turned out of the orphanage didn’t have many options.

  She stood and dusted off the back of her dress. Walking around the corner of the building, she looked up at the doctor’s office again. Damn it, she’d forgotten her washtub. If she saw Dr. Steere again she’d break down right in front of him. No, she would have to retrieve it later.

  Cheeks still hot, she hoped she didn’t look like she’d been crying. At least the high sides of the bonnet did a good job of hiding her eyes. Trying not to draw attention to herself, she ignored the chatter of the morning bustle and made it back to her house.

  A volcano of mixed emotions welled inside her, and if she didn’t work off some of the steam she’d burst. Currently without clothes to scrub she set to work cleaning house. Bucket of water and rag in hand she dropped to her knees and worked on scrubbing the hardwood floor.

  It took her a couple of hours to clean the entire house. As she lugged the last bucket of dirty water outside, her back and shoulders ached. She dumped the water into the lawn and then yawned. Now she felt emotionally and physically drained. She should make herself a pot of coffee and something to eat. Her mind had finally drifted away from the handsome doctor. She was just about to congratulate herself when she spied him strolling up her walk.

  Didn’t he realize he shouldn’t be coming to her house after she told him not to court her? Maybe she hadn’t made it plain enough. She tossed the wet rag into the empty bucket and marched out to meet him.

  “What are you doing here?” she demanded, hands on her hips. Hopefully he would not see through her pretend anger. It was the only thing keeping her from giving her consent for them to court.

  His eyes grew bigger. “My, my, you can be a feisty one. I thought you might need your washtub.” He handed it to her.

  “I have more than one, but thank you just the same,” she said, trying to control her frustration and be polite.

  He leaned back and regarded her with a barely concealed smirk. “And why did you think I had come?”

  “I thought maybe you were going to try to get me to change my mind.”

  “Is that what you wanted?”

  “Of course not! It is just from my experience some men can’t take no for an answer.”

  He looked amused, which raised her ire even more. She should just tell him to leave now. Leave and never come back. But she didn’t, too afraid he might actually take the words to heart.

  “And you thought I was one of those men?” Dr. Steere asked.

  She pressed her lips together and didn’t respond.

  He shook his head. “I’m disappointed in you, Miss Page, putting me in the same category as Austin. Surely you can tell I have more manners than that uncouth stagecoach driver even if I am an Indian.”

  She let out a loud breath. How had he turned the conversation on its head so quickly? “I’ve seen refined gentlemen forget their manners around a lady.”

  “Often thanks to liquor, which I don’t touch.”

  He grinned and her whole body heated. Those pearly whites could melt the ice caps in the Rocky Mountains.

  For a minute the air tensed, turning stagnant in the middle of their silent standoff. The longer he gazed at her with that beaming smile, the closer she came to taking back everything she had said earlier.

  “My business is done here, Miss Page,” he said finally, breaking the spell he had cast over her. “I should get back to my office. Good day.”

  Ida admired his backside as he disappeared down the street. Damn him. Somehow she had lost complete control of the situation. She wanted to tell him to stop, to not come back, but was flustered beyond words.

  The following day she focused on her usual pile of laundry. Scrubbing a pair of trousers, she did not know anyone had approached until she heard a man cough.

  Stomach tightening, her spine snapped straight.

  Dr. Steere nodded to her. “Miss Page, I did not mean to sneak up on you.”

  “That’s quite all right, Doctor,” she said, her insides slowly unwinding.

  “I see you are enjoying the sunshine.”

  “If you consider running clothes over a washboard as enjoyment.”

  He glanced up at the sun. “Colorado Territory does have pretty skies, don’t you think?”

  What was this, a feeble attempt at small talk? She didn’t have the strength to keep up the charade any longer. It was much easier to be friendly. “A blue sky is a blue sky.”

  He shook his head. “But this sky has horses and castles and giant flowers.”

  She peered up at the clouds dotting the stretch of endless blue. Looking for shapes in the clouds had been a fun game when she was little. She pointed to a large cloud. “That one looks like a boat.”

  Dr. Steere sidled up to her and followed her finger to where she was pointing. “Yes, it does.”

  His masculine musk filled the air, surrounding her. A deep-seated ache migrated through her body and settled between her thighs. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man. Even though whoring had been her business, she’d learned to derive pleasure from her clients. A pleasure she’d been long denied. Dr. Steere was not like any of the usual men who had called upon her nightly services. His presence alone aroused her. She didn’t even need his touch to remind her body what to do.

  Her long-suppressed need for male companionship rose to the surface. Watching him out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the corners of his lips twitching. Had he caught her looking at him?

  If this was a game for him, she’d be happy to lose. Her heart raced, beating with eagerness to be with him. It would be more than sex with him. They had a deeper connection. He wanted to court her, make her his wife, and she longed for him to drop on one knee and ask her.

  She could enjoy his strong, steady presence all day especially if it led to the bedroom. Damn, this was a precarious situation. He wanted her and her body wanted to be with him, but she knew the people of Big Rock better than he did. Was she ready for the storm that would follow?

  Whil
e she was in charge of her own life, not the good Christians passing judgment on her, she did have to live within their community. Would it be more or less painful to live as Mrs. Steere?

  Clearing her throat, she got his attention. “What is your business here, Dr. Steere? I take it you no longer require directions around town.”

  “No, you explained the surroundings very well. It will just take time for me to get to know everything.” The way he looked at her left no question of whom he wanted to get to know.

  Her pulse skidded out of control and her core heated. She put both her hands in her apron pockets to keep from running them up and down Dr. Steere’s broad shoulders.

  She gulped air, grasping for her resolve to keep things strictly professional. “Did you come out here merely to discuss the clouds? I figured a doctor would have more important things to occupy his time.”

  He put a hand on his chest. “The lady’s wit strikes again.”

  She scowled. His sarcasm was not becoming.

  “I was actually hoping you could get out bloodstains.” He took off his frock coat and then his vest, standing before her in a white shirt, tie, and trousers.

  He was stripping in front of her. She couldn’t believe it! Yes, she’d seen many men strip for her before but that had been in the privacy of her room, not on the front lawn where anyone could see. Heat spread from her ears all the way down to her toes, and yet she could not tear her eyes away from the enthralling sight.

  She wetted her lips and clenched her thighs, already feeling the moisture down below. He slipped off his tie and then proceeded to take off his white shirt.

  Speechless, she gaped at his toned chest covered in a dusting of black hair.

  “I suppose I should have changed at the office,” he said in an apologetic tone. “I wasn’t thinking. I knew it was best to clean the bloodstain quickly. I was changing the bandage on a patient and my sleeve fell down.” He handed the shirt to her.

  The right sleeve was coated in blood, still damp.

  Somehow her lust-filled mind still managed to form a coherent sentence. “I will see what I can do.”

  “Thank you. After medical school and the war I don’t have too much savings. I figure I’ll be scraping by until I build up a good practice. Of course, I realize many patients pay in kind out here.” His gaze migrated lower, pausing for a hairbreadth at her thighs and she pulsed with need. “How much do you charge?”

  “Charge?”

  He pointed to the shirt she was holding. “For the washing,” he said, a taut smile tugging at his lips.

  “Oh. Two bits.”

  He nodded and began buttoning up his frock coat to hide his bare chest.

  “I-I can deliver your shirt tomorrow,” she stammered.

  “That will be fine, Miss Page. You know where my office is.” He walked all the way to the street and then stopped and turned around. “A doctor keeps long hours,” he called to her. “My door is always open.”

  Chapter 5

  So far William had seen a handful of patients since arriving in Big Rock. A good start. He rearranged the bottles in his medicine cabinet for the tenth time. It was something to do to pass the time until Miss Page knocked on his door. The bottles in the medicine cabinet had been perfectly fine in their previous order, but organizing them seemed a more productive use of his time than staring at the clock.

  Aside from delivering Mrs. Morgan’s baby, none of his patients had come to him with any serious injuries. He’d stitched up a woman’s sliced finger, set a man’s broken arm, and removed an abscess. Not that he minded the easy cases. After the war, he wouldn’t care if he never had to amputate another limb in his life.

  At the Independence Day picnic, he had made a promise to himself: heal Miss Page’s loneliness. Nearly ostracized by the community and ignored during the celebration, she needed a friend and he had gravitated toward her. For some reason she had changed her mind about them courting. If she didn’t want to be with him then he had to find another man to be her husband—a hard task to do in this small town.

  A knock at the door drew him out of his thoughts. Setting the last medicine bottle back into place, he answered.

  “Your shirt, Dr. Steere,” Miss Page said, handing it to him.

  He took in her beauty and his heart gave one loud thump. Flinging the shirt over his shoulder, he reached into his coat pocket for the change.

  “Your two bits.” he said, placing the coins in her palm.

  She let her hand linger in his grasp.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Ida shook her head. “No, I’m fine.”

  He folded his arms across his chest. “Then step inside. Would you like a cup of coffee? I do have a fresh pot.”

  She arched an eyebrow and her jaw tensed. “Do you invite all the townspeople in for coffee?”

  Was she worried about people gossiping again? There was no need. “Yes, I do. Everyone who drops by. It is part of a doctor’s hospitality to make the townsfolk feel welcome,” he said, continuing to hold the door open for her. “Many people are afraid to go to the doctor. I figure if I become friends with them, then maybe they won’t be so nervous about sharing their problems.”

  “I don’t have any problems to share with you, Dr. Steere,” she said with a small smile as if to help soften the blow, and then she hurried down the steps. “Perhaps I will see you later.”

  He shut the door to his office and silently cursed, hurrying after her. Was that an invitation to call on her? He needed to know. “Miss Page, wait.”

  She stumbled on the last step and fell onto the sidewalk.

  He hurried to her side and bent over her. “Are you all right?”

  She winced. “No. I think I twisted my ankle.”

  Taking a couple of steps toward her feet, he carefully lifted her skirt to see her ankles. “This one,” he asked touching her right ankle.

  “Yes,” she groaned.

  He helped her to her feet, but she did not try to put weight on her right foot. “Would you like me to help you into my office where I can examine you?”

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you? No, I don’t want you to examine me! I just want to go home.”

  “All right. I will help you home. Do you have Epsom salts? You should soak your ankle.”

  “Yes, I have some.”

  She draped her arm around his shoulder and he assisted her down the street. Their bodies now intertwined, his core heated, the fever building with each step.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “I’m just doing my job, ma’am.” As he said the words he knew they were a lie, and her sheepish look told him she knew it too. So what was the charade for? The townspeople?

  “How are you going to pay for the doctor’s care, Ida?” Austin called from across the street. “Sleep with him?”

  William clenched his teeth. How dare the man say something so vulgar! He lowered Miss Page onto the bench outside the mercantile. “I’ll take care of this.”

  Miss Page touched his arm. “Please, don’t get into another fight. Not on my account.”

  “You don’t think you’re worth fighting over? You’re wrong.”

  Leaving her flushed and speechless, he strode across the street to confront the stagecoach driver. The last thing he needed was for Austin to open his big mouth and spread nasty gossip around town.

  “I do not appreciate you implying I would accept such payment, Mr. Austin,” William said, a bite to his voice. The two of them faced off on the sidewalk.

  His large adversary grunted. “I think most men would accept such payment. Or does the half-breed have high-and-mighty principles?”

  “Miss Page twisted her ankle and I am helping her home. Any doctor or gentleman would do the same.”

  “Are you saying you are more of a gentleman than I am?” Austin sneered.

  Muscles tense, William stood tall, meeting the stagecoach driver’s pointed glare. “Skin color does not make a gentleman, sir. Your lack of manner
s is obvious.” Provoking the larger man was not wise, but he took lip from no one.

  The fingers on Austin’s right hand inched closer to his pistol.

  William’s heart charged forward, ramming his ribs. The man hadn’t been armed at the Independence Day picnic. Surely he wouldn’t gun him down in front of so many witnesses. William held his arms away from his sides. “As you can see, sir, I do not carry a gun.”

  Austin’s hand rested on the butt of his pistol. “I suggest you get one then,” he said in a low growl.

  William shook his head. “I will never carry a gun. During the war I sewed up men shot full of holes day in and day out.”

  The stagecoach driver looked over William’s shoulder to Miss Page. “Some protector you got yourself, Ida. He won’t even touch a gun.”

  Miss Page jumped to her feet and winced. “You leave him alone!”

  He laughed, and his gaze dropped to her chest for a second. “You gonna make me, darling?”

  William’s pulse throbbed wildly in his neck. He wouldn’t let the man lay a hand on her. It was bad enough he couldn’t keep him from ogling her body. “This has nothing to do with her, sir,” he said, raising his voice. He let out a small breath when the man’s gaze snapped back to him.

  “If you don’t want to make enemies in this town I suggest you leave her alone.”

  That was not going to happen. “I’m sure you have work to do, Mr. Austin. Shouldn’t you be driving the stage?”

  The man bent over and spat on the ground. “No. Not too many people coming to Big Rock. It was a thankless job anyway. I’m going back to work my mine.” The man stepped to the side to get a better look at Ida. “I strike a rich silver vein and you’ll come running to me, won’t you, honey?”

  “I’m not going to run to you even if you had a million dollars!”

  Austin laughed. “I like my women feisty. You’ll just make it more fun for me.”

  “Go back to your mine then,” she shouted. “Leave the doctor be. He’s a peaceable man.”

  Austin snorted. “The Injun ain’t worth my time. The sooner I strike it rich the sooner you’ll be in my arms.” He turned his back on William and strode off.