us. It gives me a chance to catch up on what is happening in town. Things like kidnappings and such.” He added the last smoothly.
She pulled a sharp breath. She hadn’t thought through what would happen next after forcing him here. If he went to the sheriff...
She put down her fork, no longer hungry. All she’d done to get him here...was wrong. She was ashamed she couldn’t pay the doc like most folks and instead had to go and do such a terrible thing. It couldn’t be helped, she told herself for the tenth time since Tommy had hurt himself yesterday. She’d do it again if she had to. But Tommy was innocent in all of it and she didn’t want him sharing in the burden of the guilt she now carried.
She stole a glance at her son. He was done eating and had lain back down. His eyes were closed, but his breathing wasn’t the deep, even breathing of someone who was asleep. Most likely he was listening to all that was being said. She didn’t want Tommy hearing what she’d done.
Doc Graham leaned back in his chair and studied her.
Her gut knotted. It was like he knew the predicament he’d put her in by his words. Guess she’d better say something despite Tommy. The doc deserved that after all he’d done. She couldn’t look him in the eye, so she stared at her plate. “I’m sorry for the way things happened last night. I—I guess I panicked some. I was afraid if you knew I couldn’t pay you, that you wouldn’t help Tommy. I just didn’t know any other way to make you come here.”
“All you had to do was ask.”
His soft words struck right to her core. She drew in a sharp breath, feeling even more remorseful.
“I take my oath seriously, payment or no payment, although a hearty breakfast eases the lack of coin immensely. While I was learning medical skills, you were obviously learning to cook.”
He liked her cooking? The tightness inside her eased. Slowly, she raised her gaze. He was sopping up the yolk with his toast and appeared to be enjoying the meal immensely.
“Seems a man who can’t cook should hire one,” she said cautiously. “That’d be the smart thing. Then maybe he wouldn’t be out in the evening and getting himself caught up like a rabbit in a snare. Ain’t nothing good that happens after the sun goes down.”
Did his eyes just twinkle?
“Odd you should mention that. Those were my exact thoughts. The celebration going on at the new town hall was to welcome a handful of women from back East. They came to marry. I hope to take one of them as my wife, thereby solving my problem of lack of a cook.”
“Can’t believe a woman would come so far just to marry a man. What if she ends up with a lout?” Carl came to mind. Anyone who ended up with him was in for a rough time of it.
Then she realized that she’d as much as called the doc a lout. “Not that you are a lout, Doc.”
He flashed a grin. “I’ve been informed that I would be impossible to live with. That I am married to my work.”
Her astonishment must have showed on her face. His eyes twinkled—again! “You mean a woman said that straight to your face? In my mind, a man who takes his work seriously is a good thing.”
“She said it right after I’d missed our third social engagement at the opera house in Boston. A patient was in need of my medical skills. Josephine called off the courtship that night. Looking back, it was smart—a practical response. At that time, I didn’t have time for a wife or a family. And she was correct. I did put my career ahead of everything else.”
She thought about Tommy. “Well! There are some who would appreciate that quality in a man. I surely would.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment but studied her silently.
Her cheeks heated. Guess the conversation was getting a mite personal. She finished her toast in one dry mouthful.
“Doc, you could easily get tricked and end up married to a woman who can’t cook but one thing. Or you could end up with a nag. A woman wanting to marry might not show you that part of herself until after the vows are said.”
“True. It is a risk—for me as well as the woman.”
“It’s a scary thing to contemplate,” she said, shaking her head. “I can’t figure why anyone would do it.” She and Thomas had known each other since they were babies. Their families had grown up in the woods there in Virginia. She couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t known him. Meeting a stranger and deciding to spend the rest of your life with them seemed like a crazy thing to do.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that there are many valid reasons. A person must realize their circumstances need changing and then they do something about it. Not all women are that brave.”
She hadn’t thought of it like that—being brave. “You got a gal in mind?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. I want to speak with each one individually. I have certain qualities I’m looking for to narrow my choice down to the best woman.”
She’d never heard of such a thing. “I guess you’ve figured a way to find a flower among the weeds, then. Could be smart,” she said slowly.
He raised a dark brow. “I’m so glad you approve.”
He was teasing her, she realized, her heart skipping a beat. Like they were friends. Imagine that! A man like him—smart, intelligent and handsome.
In the next breath, she reined in her delight. Don’t be silly, she told herself. You’re a grown woman with a seven-year-old son. No doctor is going to want to be friends with you. He’s just being kind.
She stood abruptly. “It’s time I got you back.”
She checked on her son once more and then grabbed her coat. When the doc stood and reached out to help her with her sleeve, she pulled back from him with a sharp tug. “I can handle it myself.” She plopped her old hat on her head for emphasis.
He looked to be about to say something but then turned to her son. “In the future, please refrain from climbing on the shed and scaring your mother. You may like to think you are a cat with nine lives to spare, but you are a boy with only one life. You need to take care of it.”
Sylvia looked from her son to the big man. He took a lot on himself to school her young ’un. Schoolin’ Tommy was her place. But what he said had truth in it.
“I’ll get my mule,” she said.
She hitched Berta to the wagon and fifteen minutes later they arrived at the river. They journeyed along a short piece, among the fledgling cottonwood trees that grew only along the southern bank. Buds had formed. Wouldn’t be long before leaves unfurled.
Nothing like her insides that were curled up tight.
Now that the deed was done, she couldn’t let loose of fretting about it. Would he tell the sheriff what she’d done? Would the entire town know that he’d spent the whole night at her place?
“Why was Carl Caulder bothering you at the mercantile?”
She tightened her grip on the reins and kept her gaze on the road. “We
