of the house halfway up a foothill, Becca could see a town nestled in a narrow valley below. Curious, she brought up the subject of the town over supper.
Sue was happy to give Becca a short history of the town, named Forest Hills, for obvious reasons. There were a lot of forested hills, not to mention mountains completely surrounding it.
“That town dates back to the eighteen eighties,” Sue began. “It started up when veins of coal were discovered.”
Sue paused, and Becca inserted, “I didn’t see anything while on the porch that looked like a mine.”
“That’s ’cause you can’t see it from here,” she said. “It’s located in a fold of the mountains nine or so miles from here.” She smiled, sipped her tea and said, “I was born in this town. My ancestors settled here before it was a town. They were farmers, heading west, this little valley looked good to them. So they stayed, settled. We’ve been here ever since.”
Becca took the opportunity to ask another question when Sue took another sip of tea.
“You’ve lived here all your life?”
“Lord, no,” she replied with a quick head shake. “I shook the dust of this place off my shoes right after I graduated high school. I went to the city to college to become a nurse.”
“Really?” Becca smiled. “That had to take courage. I mean, growing up in a small town, then going off alone to a big city.” She hesitated, but asked outright, “Did you make it—the nursing, I mean?”
Sue gave a proud smile. “Sure I made it, even got my bachelor’s degree in science.”
“Good for you. That’s wonderful.” Becca returned a small shy smile. “I did, too.”
“Oh, honey, I know,” Sue said, giving her a thumbs-up. “I know all about your work in Africa, too. I hear you almost worked yourself right into the ground.”
Sighing, Becca shook her head. “No such thing.”
Sue pulled a skeptical expression. “That isn’t the way I heard it.”
“Overplayed by the media.” Becca shrugged.
So it was all well and good—for the first week. There was one little problem with Becca: she continued to dream about Seth every night, erotic fantasies that made her blush come morning. Night after night, in each dream, she was alone and naked, always in a beautiful but different setting than the first. In every dream, he was suddenly there.
They would not talk. His naked, slim, muscular body was impressive in full arousal. Becca would open her arms to him at once, and he would lie next to her, holding her, his hands caressing her, his mouth tormenting her. In desperation, she would tug at his hair, his shoulders, urging him closer, closer. He’d murmur without speaking, and move sensuously between her thighs. His tongue would thrust deep into her mouth, drawing a moan of need from her throat into his. His mouth and tongue owning hers, he’d move and…
Becca would awaken, her breathing ragged, her body moist all over, longing, longing. Frustration became her constant companion.
She wanted…she wanted…Seth—all of him.
Toward the middle of the second week she confided to Sue some of her restlessness. She wasn’t about to describe her dreams. She was embarrassed even thinking about them. Not that she wanted them to end. Oh, no. Since she knew the dreams were all she would probably ever have of him, she cherished each and every one…but her frustration grew. It had been a long time—back to her college days, in fact—since she had been intimate with a man. The experience had not been earth-shattering.
“I’m getting antsy sitting around here,” she said, between bites of a delicious stew. She was almost amused by the understatement.
“No kidding,” Sue said, rolling her eyes. “I’d have never known, if not for seeing you prowling back and forth like a caged animal.” She grinned.
Becca grinned back. “Can I help with your work, if only a little?”
“Absolutely not,” Sue said resolutely. “I’m getting paid for taking care of this place and you, and paid very nicely, thank you.”
Becca’s shoulders drooped. “Oh, well, I might as well pack up and leave. I’ll go flaky with nothing to do. I’m getting cabin fever already.”
“Weeelll,” Sue began, pausing as she got up to pour coffee for both of them. “Maybe I can help you find something light to do.”
“The dusting?” Becca asked eagerly, accepting the steaming cup.
Sue shook her head. “No, I told you, this place is my job for now. But…”
“But?” Becca prompted.
“I have another job, part-time, and I was thinking you might be able to help there.”
“Where?” Becca asked, and immediately added, “Doing what and with whom?”
“Nursing.” Sue paused for a reaction. She got it as the word left her lips.
“Nursing, where?”
“At the small clinic in town.”
“I didn’t know there was a clinic in town.” Becca was anxious to hear more. “Tell me about it.”
“First let me give you a thumbnail background.” She slid her soup plate aside and cradled her coffee cup in her palms. “The clinic is run by Dr. John Carter. He was raised here—I’ve know him most of my life. John was ahead of me in school. Like me, he left after graduating high school to attend college, followed by med school.”
She took a tentative sip of her drink before going on. “Unlike me, he came back here to set up a practice. He’s been serving the community ever since.”
“And you work for him?”
Sue nodded. “On a part-time basis.”
Becca frowned. “But you said something about a clinic. Where does that come in?”
Sue laughed at her eager tone. “There were times, accidents and such, when John’s small office was overcrowded with hurt or sick people. There were a few times with mine accidents when it was chaos. You see, the nearest hospital is over a half an hour away.”
“But that means…” Becca began, appalled.
“Yes,” Sue nodded. “Some men died in transit.” She drew a breath and took a swallow of coffee. “So, ten or so years ago, the mine owner paid to have an addition attached to John’s building, which he owns and lives in, in the apartment above. I must admit, the owner, Carl Dengler, didn’t skimp. The clinic is well-equipped, not state-of-the-art, but good. John does X-rays and blood work. Everything except surgery. It has saved more than a few lives.”
“Oh, my gosh!” Becca said. “That’s right up my alley.”
Sue smiled. “That’s what I thought.”
“When can I go to meet Dr. Carter?”
