to now Joshua hadn’t said anything. Suddenly he cleared his throat.
“I understand that Blessing is just a short stop on your path,” he said quietly, as if testing Nicole.
Don’t be so touchy! He’s probably worried that you’ll take off at a moment’s notice.
“Well, Professor Adams did say you wanted a temporary doctor,” Nicole reminded him. “I believe that was the arrangement with your first candidate, though I understand he never actually showed up?”
“No, he backed out at the last minute.” His face tightened, lips pinched in a tight white line.
“I see. Well, I can’t commit to staying permanently, but I’m willing to help out for six months or so, less if you don’t need me anymore.”
“That’s fine. I shouldn’t think it would take much longer than six months to find a new partner,” he mumbled, obviously considering the shortness of her visit a blessing.
“But, Joshua, six months isn’t long at all! I had hopes Nicole might enjoy it here and want to settle down.” The older woman seemed disturbed by this news, as if she hadn’t known her houseguest wouldn’t be a permanent resident of the town.
“Oh, I’m sure I shall enjoy every minute, Miss Winifred.” Nicole glanced around. “Especially in this wonderful home. You can just feel the history, can’t you?”
“Besides, Aunt Winifred, in six months she won’t have a chance to tire of the scenery before she heads back to Boston. Isn’t that right, Ms. Brandt?”
Nicole blinked. Was he afraid she’d stick around too long?
“I thought you were a doctor?” Miss Winifred fiddled with the condensation on her glass, forehead furrowed. “I understood you were fully qualified to work with my nephew.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Then why on earth wouldn’t you want her to stay, Joshua? A lovely young woman like this would be a boon to our town.” Miss Winifred studied him curiously. “Certainly the single men will think so.”
She had the same vivid eyes as Dr. Darling, Nicole noted, vaguely surprised by the discovery. Hadn’t he said they weren’t blood relatives?
His sigh was audible.
“I told you all this before, Aunt Win. Remember? I’m looking for a partner, someone permanent, like I had before….” Joshua Darling’s voice died away. His eyes seemed to lose their shine and harden. Clearly he detested explaining.
“Yes, but…”
Nicole jumped into the awkward moment.
“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to stay anyway, Miss Winifred.”
“Oh. Why, dear?” Miss Winifred looked faintly troubled by the words. “Are you engaged?”
“Oh, no. Nothing like that.” Nicole could just imagine her father’s response to that. “I’m waiting for a spot to open up so I can take some advanced surgical training. A professor of mine thought I should use this time to make sure I won’t regret my decision not to stay in general practice.”
“I see.” Miss Winifred seemed disturbed by this news. “That’s too bad.”
“No, it’s good for us, Aunt Win. It gives me a little more leeway to find a new partner. It’s an important decision and I don’t want to rush it, but I can’t spend every waking moment at the office or the clinic. I’ve got to spend some time with the girls, too. Especially now that they’re growing so fast. This way some of the pressure will be off.”
By the look of his face as he raked a hand through his black hair, Nicole thought Dr. Darling needed a break. His head tilted back. He leaned against the wicker chair and closed his eyes, weariness evident in the etched lines on his face.
Nicole felt a rush of sympathy for him. She actually knew very little of his history except that he was a single parent and his partner had left rather abruptly.
“I was told that you run satellite clinics as well as your regular office. How do you manage that and the office hours?” Perhaps there was more than one way she could help.
“It isn’t easy. For the past month I’ve done the clinics every other week. On those days I open the office here in Blessing from five in the evening until nine, after I return from the satellites. Today’s one of those days.”
No wonder he was tired!
“I could go with you tonight, if you like. Just to give you a hand. Surely with two of us, things would go faster?”
He sat up with a jerk, suddenly wide awake.
“That’s, er, very kind of you. But no, I think I can manage for the rest of this week.”
“But why—” She stopped, surprised by the stern look on his face.
“Look, Dr. Brandt. It’s very important to me that my office operates on a certain routine, within prearranged parameters. I don’t make sudden changes and I don’t adjust anything unless I’m certain it will be either cost-effective or serve my patients better. I’ve managed to keep my practice very successful by following a precise organizational method, and I would like, as much as is possible, for you to adhere to that schedule.”
“Well, yes, of course.” Nicole blinked. What on earth have I gotten into? “I was just offering to help.”
“Which I appreciate.” He drained his glass and stood, peering down at her. “But I think you’ve done enough today. Ruth Ann’s arm was above and beyond the call of duty.”
“It was just a cast!”
Nicole hated to have him towering over her, so she stood and faced him. Something strange was at work here. She just wished she knew what it was. Then she saw the little nerve ticking just under his jaw, and realized there were many things her new boss wasn’t saying. Perhaps it was better to back off now, and find out what was behind all this from his “aunt.”
“If that’s your wish, Dr. Darling, it’s perfectly fine by me. If you change your mind, just let me know. Otherwise I’ll see you in the office Monday morning at eight.”
He blinked, then nodded.
“I hope you won’t mind if I catch a ride back with you. My car’s still at the hospital.”
“Yes, of course. And I still have rounds.” He bent to press a kiss against Miss Winifred’s white powdered cheek. “You’re sure you want to do this? It won’t be too much?”
She laughed, a light musical trill.
“I’ll love it. Nicole, you come on back and we’ll get you settled in. Then we’ll have a chat—just us girls.”
That laugh was infectious. Nicole found herself grinning as she climbed into Dr. Darling’s car and waved at the tiny figure surrounded by flowers.
“Your aunt’s quite a woman,” she
