always a challenge.”
Loretta nodded. “Folks in Blackwater Lake pride themselves on loyalty.”
“And they’re good at it,” he said wryly.
Jill knew it was a veiled reference to everyone in town freezing him out to protect her.
“Their attitude will change. Doing physicals at no charge for the football team helps,” the mayor said. “And it’s important for everyone to accept you. I was elected to grow the tax base here in town, and to do that we need to attract business. People work in businesses and they’ll need services, like health care.”
Now Jill felt really guilty and personally responsible for hindering town expansion. On her account Adam was being treated as if he’d already screwed up just for being a doctor who rented her apartment.
The mayor smiled at him. “It occurs to me that you might want to do a booth at the Harvest Festival next month.”
“I don’t make quilts or pickle cucumbers,” he joked.
“Health screenings were more what I had in mind.”
“Taking blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes checks. Eye exams,” he said, thinking out loud.
“We could set you up between the pumpkin pies and corn dogs,” she teased.
“That’ll make folks love me,” he said ruefully. “A terrible warning.”
Loretta laughed. “Just a healthy reminder. It would be great exposure and a good way for people to get to know you.”
“Sounds like an idea, Madam Mayor. Who should I talk to about setting it all up?”
“Calvin Johnson.” She pointed out a man across the room who had his arm draped across one of the teenage football players. “I’ll take you over there right now and make introductions.”
“I’d like that. I actually came over here to give you a donation for the team,” he said to Maggie. “Give me a couple minutes and I’ll be back with a check.” Then he looked down at Jill. “See you later.”
Speechless, Jill smiled and nodded, then watched him walk away. The information about contributing his medical expertise to the kids was new, unexpected and something the last doctor hadn’t done. She understood that the money he’d spent tonight was about buying town approval and it was for a good cause. But free physicals was time-consuming, not to mention above and beyond the call of duty. That made it awfully difficult not to respect the gesture. And like him for it.
It was a disconcerting realization. How could she hold out against the new doctor who went out of his way for the high school football team and was extra nice to a pregnant war widow? What could a girl do to put up a defense against a man like that?
Somewhere between talking to the mayor and sweetening her disposition, Jill had misplaced the hostility that was her best weapon.
Chapter Four
Adam drove home from the clinic along Lakeview Road, and it hadn’t been called that for no reason. The street curved around the lake and the view was pretty spectacular. Hence the name. The thing was, no matter how difficult his day, looking at the sparkling expanse of water and the tree-covered mountains of Montana seemed to suck out the bad mood and pump up his spirits. At least that part of his career move had gone according to plan. As for the rest, time would tell.
He stopped at the two side-by-side Quonset hut-shaped boxes on the road leading to the house and retrieved his mail, then pulled into the driveway and parked beside Jill’s small, older, gas-efficient car. Somehow it suited her, he thought, copper-colored and compact. But her curves were the kind that kept him up nights because his imagination tried to fill in the blanks of what it would feel like to explore her.
After turning off the SUV, he headed for the house. Rounding the corner, he spotted C.J. sitting on the front step with a baseball glove beside him. His bony elbows dug into his knees, and his face rested in his hands.
Adam stopped in front of him. “Hey, champ.”
“Hi, Dr. Adam.”
“What’s going on?”
“Nothin’.”
“You didn’t get sick from all that ice cream you ate last night, did you?”
The boy shook his head.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded.
This wasn’t the never-still, never-silent child Adam had come to know. Something was up with him. “Why are you sitting here by yourself?”
“My mom is doing homework. She told me to go outside and play.”
Homework? A question for another time. “So, how come you’re not playing?”
C.J. shrugged. “There’s nobody to play with.”
And there was the downside of living on Lakeview Road near Blackwater Lake. The land wasn’t developed and there weren’t any kids right next door to hang out with like a tract home neighborhood. The closest house was almost a mile down the road. Even if a kid C.J.’s age lived there, a vigilant mom like Jill wouldn’t be comfortable letting him walk there on his own. Besides being cautious, she was a busy working mom, not a chauffeur, and badly needed a day off.
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