please.”
He waved her away. “You’ll find I’m a man who speaks my mind, Doctor Merrick. I haven’t the time nor the wind to waste on decorum, so you must forgive my bluntness, even if my granddaughter can’t.”
Maddie rolled her eyes.
“Of course,” Jace said, clearly amused.
Rhetta whisked into the room, depositing a tea tray on the table. Her shy glimpse at their guest quickly prompted another.
Maddie rolled her eyes again. This house had gone far too long without company. “Thank you, Rhetta,” she said.
With a nod of her capped head, Rhetta left them to their tea.
“So, you don’t miss the excitement of the hospital?” Maddie asked as she poured the tea.
His smile faded. “My memories sustain me. Brutality, disease, starvation. All the worst of human suffering housed under one convenient roof.” His expression was casual, but she saw the dismay in his eyes, felt his tension as she handed him the cup. “You have a very fine house, sir,” he said, glancing around. “I’ve passed it often on my house calls.”
“We have the best site on the lake.” Grandfather puffed his chest. “What started as a summer retreat eventually became home. Maddie oversees the entire estate. Account books and all.”
“Is that so?” Jace turned to her with a nod of approval. “Very impressive, Miss Sutter.” He regarded her intently, his gaze dropping to her mouth.
“Please, call me Madeline.”
Something flickered in his eyes. “Madeline.” He spoke her name as though testing the sound, and she’d never heard anything better. Straightening in her seat, she shook off the sudden heat that slivered through her.
“My granddaughter keeps things running smoothly. I rest easy in her capable hands.” He released a long sigh. “Speaking of rest. I hope you don’t mind, Doctor Merrick, but it’s time for my nap.” Grandfather endeavored to rise, and Jace stood to help him.
“It was good to meet you, sir.”
Grandfather steadied himself with the handshake Jace offered. “And very good to meet you, young man. Please stay and enjoy your tea.” He tossed a wink at Maddie, and she lowered her eyes, hoping Jace didn’t see it.
“Please don’t mind my grandfather, Doctor Merrick. It’s been a while since we’ve had company.”
Jace returned to his seat. “Call me Jace.” His gaze followed Grandfather’s excruciatingly slow departure from the room. “How long has he been ill?”
His observation didn’t surprise her. Although he was a doctor, one had only to glance at Grandfather to detect his poor health. To Jace’s credit, he’d refrained from humbling Grandfather by mentioning it in front of him.
“Going on four years now,” she said.
“Rheumatic fever?”
She nodded. “The after effects are more apparent every day.”
“Heart disease progresses at various rates, depending on the patient. There’s little that can be done to stop it.”
“Yes, I know.” She sighed. Even Maddie’s miraculous power hadn’t checked the forward march of Grandfather’s illness.
“I’d be happy to examine him if—”
“Thank you, but there’s little that can be done. You said so yourself. Besides, he’d never allow it.” She shook her head. “After being examined by a specialist in Albany, he accepted his condition, and now he refuses to be poked and prodded by more doctors.”
“His words, I suppose?”
Maddie smiled.
“If he changes his mind…”
“He won’t.” She took a sip of her tea and tried to relax. “I also owe you thanks for not mentioning the incident with the deer.”
“I see no need to worry your grandfather with your recklessness.” His brow arched as he pointed his finger in a playful threat. “So long as you don’t go repeating such a stunt.”
She shook her head, grateful for the reprieve. “No, of course not.”
“I never found the deer, by the way.”
“No?” she asked, trying to sound sufficiently surprised.
“But I did find something else.” He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out Amelia’s letter.
Maddie gaped in surprise. In her haste to escape him that day, she hadn’t realized she’d lost it.
“I assumed you’d want your letter returned, since it’s personal.”
She blanched, snatching the folded page from his hand. “But not so personal you refrained from reading it?”
“I had to read it to discern ownership.” He leaned forward. “Though I must admit, I was hoping to learn more about you.”
For a moment she felt flattered. How could she not? A handsome man was declaring interest in her. The urge to sail off on the sappy emotion was overwhelming. And pathetic. She stiffened, cursing the lilt in her spirit for what it was: a prelude to pain and disappointment. She’d had far more than her fill of both.
“You have merely to ask around town for enlightenment.”
“I did that as well.”
She stared, startled by his honesty. He’d been as kind to her as he’d been to Grandfather—avoiding any mention of her diseased reputation in the hope of sparing her feelings. But she sensed he’d gotten an earful just the same.
She dropped her gaze to the floor, disappointment prickling under her skin. Why this stranger’s opinion of her mattered, she wasn’t sure. She knew only that it did, and the revelation filled her with anger. Anger at him for prying and anger at herself for caring that he had.
She waved the letter. “Well, thank you for returning it.” She stood. “I’m sure you’re still busy settling in, so I’ll show you to the door.”
Ignoring her abrupt dismissal, he remained seated, staring up at her. “Upon going through Doctor Filmore’s files, I came across yours.”
She braced herself against a rush of dread. “And?”
“And I’m intrigued. Survivors of trauma often struggle with emotional after-effects, and some are forced to seek treatment for the assault on their mental faculties. Others find ways to cope with the stress. As a doctor, I’d like to know more about your injuries and recovery.” His expression stilled. “Would you mind answering a few questions?”
And there it was. The reason for his interest. It wasn’t physical attraction to her that had brought him here; it was clinical curiosity,
