A Midnight Clear

by Hope Ramsay

  “Well, I just think it’s wrong for Savannah to be handing out marital advice to middle-aged divorcés and widows instead of young people.” Thelma turned and gave Teri a meaningful look.

  Teri held Thelma’s gaze. “I’m divorced too,” she said and then looked away.

  “Oh,” Thelma said. “Uh, honey, I didn’t mean—”

  “Yes you did,” Ruby said. “Teri, honey, don’t you listen to Thelma. I think Millie has it right, where there’s life there’s always the hope of finding true love.”

  Teri gave Ruby a smile, but her heart wasn’t in it. How could she find true love when even her own family had banished her for Christmas?

  She went back to decorating the tree. She tried to tune out the gossip, but her ears pricked when Millie said, “Oh, girls, you won’t believe what I heard about Lillian.”

  “Try me,” Ruby said under her breath.

  “I saw her at choir practice yesterday, and she was fit to be tied because that new Yankee doctor refused to prescribe her arthritis pills. He wanted her to see a specialist. Can you imagine?”

  “You’d think he’d let her keep taking her pills while she scheduled an appointment,” Thelma said. “Doesn’t he care that she’s in pain?”

  “Apparently not. I don’t think I’ll be going there anymore,” Millie said.

  “And where would you go?” Ruby asked. “It’s not like there are any other doctors in Last Chance. That’s why the government sent down a Yankee. He’s one of those Health Corps docs.”

  “Well, I’m sure not going to see that Yankee. He sounds insensitive.”

  “I met him, and he didn’t come off that way at all.” The words left Teri’s mouth before she could think about it. She found herself staring into the surprised gazes of everyone in the shop. “He was kind to Aiden. Really, really patient with him, and Aiden was having a very bad day.”

  Ruby smiled. “Well, that’s nice to know.” She turned and glared at Thelma and Millie. “And since when have y’all ever let Lillian Bray color your opinions about folks in this town?” She turned back to her work.

  “Maybe she really does need to see a specialist,” Teri said.

  “That’s exactly what I think,” Ruby said.

  But Ruby’s attempted intervention would probably have little effect on Millie and Thelma. By the end of the day, Teri figured everyone in town would have an entirely wrong impression of Tom Crawford.

  Teri finished placing the pink poinsettias. Maybe she should call Tom—Dr. Crawford—and warn him.

  No, that would be foolish. Tom Crawford was handsome, and kind, and thinking about him made her insides warm up. Calling him was out of the question. Besides, a phone call wouldn’t stop the gossip.

  That would require a miracle.

  * * *

  On Wednesday, Tom left his room at the Jonquil House B&B and headed downstairs into a Christmas tornado. Boxes cluttered every space. More than a dozen red poinsettias lined the hallway like redcoats on parade. A big pile of greenery sat on a drop cloth before the fireplace, perfuming the air with the clean, woodsy smell of fresh-cut pine.

  Teri Summers stood right in the eye of the storm.

  Her hair was pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail. Her face looked fresh and clean. Her outfit today consisted of faded blue jeans and a big, hand-knit snowflake sweater that made her look like the spirit of Christmas decor.

  She was the epitome of cute, with a nice shape and eyes that sparkled with Christmas merriment.

  Tom had been thinking a lot about her since they’d run into each other at Golfing for God. He wondered how she might react if he asked her out for a dinner date. Quite probably she’d shoot him down. But he’d never know if he didn’t try.

  He checked his watch. He still had a few minutes before he needed to leave for the short commute to the clinic. He strolled into the inn’s living room. “Good morning.”

  She looked up from the box of tree ornaments she had just opened. “Oh!” She startled and jumped back a foot. An adorable frown lowered her brow. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m staying at the inn while I look for a permanent home. Housing in Last Chance is wicked hard to come by. What are you doing here, besides making a mess?”

  “Oh, sorry.” She blushed holly-berry red. “Um, I’m here to decorate. I promise I’ll have everything in order by the time you get back from the clinic.” Her eyes looked more brown than gray today.

  Jolts of energy zinged through him, leaving him in a decidedly merry mood. It looked as if she planned to trim out every square inch of the inn. He couldn’t wait to see what she accomplished. He was a sucker for pine roping. Not to mention mistletoe. “I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.”

  “Um, Doctor. . . Tom. I heard something yesterday and I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to tell you about it.”

  “What?”

  “Just some gossip. Honestly, the town runs on gossip. I’m sure you’ve figured that out by now. But anyway, Lillian Bray is running her mouth about how you. . .” She stopped speaking and the holly-berry blush reappeared. “Don’t get the wrong idea,” she rushed on, “I’m not prying or casting any doubt on your abilities as a doctor. But Lillian is doing that. And people listen to Lillian. Which is a mystery, really, but they do.”

  His merriment vanished. He’d heard the gossip. He’d even made a quick call to Jeff Cooper. It turned out that, in Jeff’s opinion, Mrs. Bray was just looking for attention. So Jeff had been giving her sugar pills to keep her happy. That wasn’t exactly practicing medicine by the book, but it certainly kept the old busybody from making trouble.

  Tom wasn’t about to tell anyone Jeff’s little secret. He also wasn’t planning on adopting the old doc’s method of handling Lillian Bray. Handing out placebos to troublesome patients wasn’t good medicine. It might ultimately compromise Mrs. Bray’s health.

  He’d have to weather Mrs. Bray’s public disapproval. But it might not be so hard knowing that someone like Teri Summers cared about what people in town said about him.

  He chose his response carefully. “I know Mrs. Bray isn’t pleased with me,” he said. “But if she has RA, she needs to see a rheumatologist so we can get her on the best meds to slow the joint damage and manage her pain.” His voice had dropped into that professional tone he’d learned as an intern at Boston Medical Center.

  “Oh, well, I just thought you’d like to know.” She gave him the tiniest smile and then turned away toward the naked Douglas fir the inn’s owners had set up late last night.

  “So, what are you doing this evening?” Tom asked.

  She turned to look over her shoulder. “Doctor Crawford, are you asking me out on a date?”

  He couldn’t tell if she was shocked or surprised, so he gave her a nonchalant shrug. Maybe he could fool her into thinking he wouldn’t be disappointed if she declined. “I am. I was wondering if you would introduce me to the barbecue in this town. I’ve heard it’s excellent.”

  “It is excellent. Much better than anything you’ve got in Boston.” She turned all the way around to face him. “But I’m afraid I’m busy tonight.”

  “Oh, all right. Some other time then.” He backpedaled, and his prosthesis almost tripped him up. He stifled the urge to massage his knee. He was just proud enough not to want Teri to know about his missing leg.

  He’d lost it as a result of bone cancer at the age of seven. His “peg leg” as Jimmy liked to call it, had been with him for a long, long time, and he was mostly steady on his feet. In truth, his scars from that time were far less visible.

  He took another step back, steadier on his one foot. Luckily, Teri hadn’t noticed his awkwardness. Good.

  “I’m putting up my own Christmas tree tonight,” Teri said in a rush, as if she was trying to explain her rejection. “Well, anyway, I’m going to try. But you know Aiden might not like it, so I was just going to, you know, put up something small and maybe put some angels on it or something. So I . . .�
�� Her voice trailed off. Her face got redder.

  “I see,” he said.

  “Uh, well, Aiden and I are going to be on our own this Christmas, you know. And I need to put up a tree. I haven’t done that in a long, long time. I’m not sure how Aiden will react.”

  “Want some help?”

  She stood silent for the longest moment, either trying to compose herself or weighing the pros and cons. “You’d do that?” she finally asked.

  He opted to play this scene straight. No need to give her a speech about his past. The less said about that the better. “I’m pretty good at putting up Christmas trees. Although”—he looked around at the mess—“I might not be up to your professional standards.”

  Her mouth quirked as if she were trying to keep it from trembling. “My professional standards mean nothing. Aiden has definite likes and dislikes, and this year I thought I’d try to tailor Christmas to his standards, instead of forcing him to celebrate the holiday by everyone else’s.” She bit her lower lip.

  “Sounds like a good plan to me.” Man, she had one kissable mouth. Too bad he hadn’t caught her under the mistletoe that she was clearly planning to hang before the day was out.

  “Yeah,” she said with a little nod, “it does sound like a good plan, doesn’t it? I have no idea where this is going to lead though.”

  Neither do I. “I’m adventurous.”

  “I think that’s true. You came all the way from Boston to the middle of nowhere to do battle with Lillian Bray and the rest of the busybodies in this town. That takes courage.”

  He was surprised. Ma had told him that joining the NHSC had been an act of supreme stupidity. “So, what time?” he asked.

  “Uh, well, I guess about six.”

  “Six it is, then.” He turned and made the quickest of getaways before she realized that he’d just sort of invited himself over.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Had she actually invited Doc Crawford for dinner? She parsed through their conversation. She didn’t remember issuing any invitation. But she did distinctly remember that he was planning to show up at about six o’clock.

  They hadn’t exchanged emails or addresses or anything. So maybe the idea of a dinner date with Dr. Crawford was a figment of her imagination. Some “undigested bit of beef” as Scrooge would say.

  Yeah, beefcake. Tom Crawford was like some unholy combination of TV’s Dr. Derek Shepherd and Dr. Doug Ross.

  So why on earth was he coming to dinner tonight? He couldn’t possibly be interested in her. Maybe he was just lonely and she was the only person in town who had a nice thing to say about him. Lillian Bray sure had poisoned the well.

  Well, she sure wasn’t going to do anything stupid or special for him. Not that she would have done anything special if she had purposefully invited Tom for dinner. Aiden was a food tyrant.

  So she popped a frozen chicken lasagna with alfredo sauce into the oven and headed out to the storage shed to find her Christmas decorations.

  She’d boxed up those decorations when she’d moved from Columbia five years ago, right after the divorce. She hadn’t laid eyes on them since. Most of them would stay in the box, but her white twinkle lights should be okay. And the small, artificial tree that had once decorated her dorm room at college would be perfect for the low-key Christmas she would have this year.

  Her throat knotted at the thought.

  She wanted a real tree. She wanted swags and garland and a zillion candles all aflame. But what she wanted conflicted with what Aiden needed. So she’d settle. It would be fine. It would be good. Aiden might actually have a Christmas to remember.

  Besides, it was silly to spend the money on a real tree, since Aiden hated anything to do with Christmas.

  She prayed that white lights would be okay. And she’d dig out her collection of angel ornaments—at least the ones without red on them. She might also try to put out her German Christmas nativity carousel. It had angels by the dozens. Of course, she wouldn’t be able to light any of the candles in Aiden’s presence, but maybe if she set it up without the candles, he’d enjoy it. Or maybe not. He was very particular about his angels.

  She had just pulled the artificial tree from its box when the doorbell rang. Teri glanced at her watch—6:00 p.m. on the dot.

  Damn. He was punctual. Was that a Yankee trait?

  Well, he would soon discover that she hadn’t put on the dog for him. Which was fine, because she wasn’t interested in any romance. And relationships were out of the question.

  In spite of these realities, her heart pounded when she opened the front door and found Dr. Crawford standing there with a bottle of wine in hand.

  He extended the bottle. “I hope you like Soave. I’m partial to Italian wines, and I know that Aiden has issues with the color red. So I brought white.”

  A flush climbed up her body from her toes to the top of her head. He was the picture of male beauty, wearing an Irish fisherman’s sweater and a pair of jeans. For goodness sake, the curl in the middle of his forehead looked Superman-esque. How the heck did he manage that? It was perfect.

  And perfect guys were scary.

  “Uh, come in,” she said. “I was just putting the tree together.”

  He strolled into her living room and stopped to watch Aiden at the spinet piano. Her son was in his music trance, playing one of the exercises from the Well-Tempered Clavier. Teri didn’t know which one or in what key. They all sounded more or less like scales to her. She wasn’t a big fan of classical music, and Bach least of all.

  Tom turned toward her. “That’s Bach, isn’t it? Is he playing without music?”

  “It is Bach. He can memorize the music with just one glance. He thinks in music, instead of words. But here’s the thing, I’ve taken him up to Columbia to play for experts. They say he has potential, but that to be a virtuoso, he needs to learn how to play with more emotion. I’m not sure that’s possible for him. But he’s young yet. When he gets a little older, I’ll need to figure out how to get him lessons with a master piano instructor. Right now, we’re just working on our verbal and life skills.”

  She was babbling. He couldn’t possibly be interested in all the details of Aiden’s profound gift for music. It was a gift that came with a huge price tag.

  So she shut her mouth abruptly and turned toward the kitchen, needing to put distance between herself and Dr. Dreamy.

  “We’re just having frozen chicken lasagna with white sauce and a green salad. And when I say green, I mean green. We don’t eat tomatoes or red peppers or anything like that. We can only have other green things in the salad, so there will be some green peppers and green onions. No white ones. Food has to be one color.”

  Damn. She was still babbling. Well, maybe it was a good thing to give Tom a full accounting of Aiden’s rules about food, so he’d understand what he was getting into. And so he wouldn’t even think about getting too close.

  He followed her into the kitchen. “The wine’s already cold. Where’s your corkscrew?”

  She handed him the bottle opener and pulled down a couple of glasses. He made short work of opening and pouring the wine; his long-fingered hands were as beautiful as his face.

  Boy, she really had been living in her own little cloister for too long.

  “I’m surprised a florist puts up an artificial tree,” he said.

  “I don’t want to spend the money for a real one. At least not until I know that trees are one of the things Aiden likes.”

  He handed her a glass. “You don’t know?”

  She took the wine, practically strangling the stem in her grip. “No. Most Christmas trees have something red on them. Red is evil in Aiden’s world. And to be honest, I haven’t put up a tree for myself in five years.”

  He lifted his glass. “Well, then, this is a green-letter day. Here’s to discovering Aiden’s Christmas likes and dislikes.”

  The wine was super dry and almost astringent. It made her mouth pucker. She wondered where he’d gotten it. Surely
not anywhere in Last Chance. It wasn’t the kind of wine people bought in this little town. It was the kind of wine a Yankee might have brought down from Boston. Was he trying to impress her with his northern ways?

  Well, she was more of a beer drinker. Most folks in town were beer drinkers first. Tom would learn that eventually.

  And then in two years he’d go back to where he came from.

  “Brace yourself,” she said. “We’re likely to discover that Aiden likes absolutely nothing about Christmas.”

  * * *

  Teri Summers was putting up one barrier after another, and using Aiden to deflect Tom’s advances. He understood why.

  He’d seen his own mother do the very same thing. After Pop died, Ma made a point of telling every man who walked through their front door that Tom was a cancer survivor. She’d get long-winded about the yearly tests, the uncertainty, the long days in the hospital when he was younger.

  And she fiercely protected him long after he needed her protection. He loved Ma, but sometimes she was a little bit too fierce. He could see that in Teri, too. She was a terrific mom, but she needed more in her life, just like Ma did.

  After dinner, they adjourned to the living room—a long space with a big bay window at one end. Teri resumed the job of assembling a small artificial tree and tried to engage Aiden. The kid was completely uninterested.

  Tom could hardly blame him. The tree was lame.

  It looked exactly like a plastic version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree. All the more so because the gigantic bay window dwarfed it. Teri made the situation worse with her bright and shiny conversation about how much fun it was going to be to put lights on the dreadful thing and hang angel ornaments all over it.

  Tom didn’t know whether she was trying to convince Aiden of this lie or herself. Either way, it wasn’t working.

  Instead of engaging, the kid pulled out a plastic storage box filled with Matchbox cars and dumped them on the floor. Jimmy had cars like that, and Tom’s nephew would make engine sounds and stage spectacular crashes with his cars.