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It was Harry Gowan.
“What’s wrong? Can I help?”
“No. I have to find Caroline.” She tugged on her arm, but Harry didn’t let go.
“She’s patching up the guy who got cut. You’ll have to wait a few minutes. Come in and sit down. I’ll tell them you’re here to see Caro. Is it— I mean, are you sick?”
“No, but I need to see her at once!”
He led her to the waiting area. “Just sit here. I’ll be right back out as soon as I talk to her.”
Melissa wondered why he could talk to Caro and she couldn’t. Caro was her cousin, not his!
She fixed her gaze on the door through which he had disappeared, trying to be patient, but her thoughts were bouncing off the walls of her mind.
Harry came back out and sat down beside her on the couch. “She’s got about ten more minutes of stitching up the guy. Then she’ll be out to talk to you. I told her what you said, that you needed to speak to her.”
He pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping her cheeks as if she were a child. Leaning closer, he said, “It won’t do me any good to mop you up if you keep crying.”
Melissa stared at him as if she couldn’t comprehend his words.
When he reached out to her again, she tried to pull away, but he held her in place and pressed his handkerchief to her cheeks once more.
One of the nurses opened the door. “Harry?”
He stood. “Come on, Melissa. Caroline’s free now.”
Melissa followed him, so anxious to see her cousin she didn’t even think about why Harry was with her.
Caroline turned as they entered her office. “Melissa, what’s wrong?”
“You have to tell me! Mom—”
“Did your mother say anything to you?” Caroline’s tone changed from a concerned cousin’s to that of a physician.
Melissa shook her head.
“Then I can’t discuss her case with you, not without her permission.”
Melissa took a deep breath, gathering herself together. “Give me the phone. I’ll call her and get permission.”
“Melissa, she didn’t want to spoil your holidays at home,” Caroline said softly.
Melissa ignored her and dialed. As she did, she heard Harry ask Caroline, “Is she going to be okay to drive herself home? She was sobbing as she came in, and the tears haven’t stopped.”
“I’ll make sure she’s okay, Harry. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“My pleasure. Call me if you need me.” He left without a word to her. Before she could call out to him, her mother answered the phone.
Without preamble, Melissa blurted, “Mom, I have to know how you are. I won’t let you sacrifice yourself just so I can enjoy the holidays. I want to help take care of you. It’s my privilege.”
She had to push her mother to get permission to talk with Caroline. And she had to promise not to tell her father. Melissa couldn’t believe her mom was keeping something this important a secret from her husband. It was another example of her mother’s strength that few people ever saw.
“Thanks, Mom,” she said. “Now tell Caroline it’s okay.” She handed the phone to her cousin.
After speaking to Camille a moment, Caroline hung up the phone. “I wasn’t sure you’d convince her, Melissa, but I’m glad you did.”
“Me, too. Now tell me.”
“Your mother has a tumor on one of her ovaries. Since she’s past childbearing age, we suggested she have a complete hysterectomy.”
Melissa studied Caroline’s face. “What are you not telling me?”
The woman hesitated, and finally said, “I was hoping to impress you with my doctorly manner so you wouldn’t ask questions.”
Melissa said nothing, just continuing to stare at her cousin.
With a sigh, Caroline said, “There’s the possibility of cancer.”
“Then why in hell are you waiting? Won’t it improve her chance of survival the sooner it’s treated?” Melissa demanded.
“Yes, and we explained that to your mom. We also told her it’s possible it’s not cancer. But she refused surgery until after you went back to France. She promised we could operate the moment she put you on a plane back to France.”
Melissa shook her head. Her worry turned to anger. “I’m going to wring her neck just before I march her down here.” Then, realizing what she’d said, she asked, “Can you do the operation here?”
“Yes. Both Jon and I have a lot of experience with this type of surgery. It’s not unusual. And we’ve expanded the clinic since I came back home.”
That was true. Melissa hadn’t stopped to notice before how big and up-to-date the facility was, compared to when she’d lived in Rawhide six years ago. Caroline and their cousin-in-law, Jon Wilson, must have worked day and night to elevate the level of care they could provide right here in Rawhide. If anyone was capable of that, she knew Caroline was.
“You’ve done a hell of a job, Caro,” she said.
“Thanks.” Caroline smiled. “Jon and I can clear our schedules with a day’s notice. I hope you can convince your mother. I had no idea she had such steel inside of her.”
“She doesn’t reveal it unless an issue is important to her. I can’t believe she hasn’t told Dad.”
“You can’t tell him, either,” Caroline warned. “Not unless she agrees.”
Melissa nodded. “I’ll talk to Mom now. I’ll call you and let you know what she says.” She hugged her cousin, grateful for her expertise and support.
As she made her way to the door, Caro called out to her.
“I almost forgot. Harry wanted to know if you would be okay to drive home. It might be nice if you stopped off at his office to tell him you’re okay.”
Melissa wrinkled her nose. “He’ll probably run in the opposite direction.”
Caroline gazed at her in surprise. “He seemed very concerned when he brought you in here. Harry is the sweetest man in town, next to Mike, of course.” She grinned.
“He didn’t look too sweet when he was breaking up the fight in the café.”
“Well, no, he knows when he needs to be sweet, like when he found you sobbing. Not when he’s breaking up a fight.”
Melissa had to admit the logic in Caro’s response. And she acquiesced. “Okay, I’ll stop by and thank Harry. Then I’m going home to fight Mom.”
“I hope you win,” Caroline said, her face suddenly serious.
Melissa left the hospital, wrapping her coat more tightly around her. In one pocket she felt a damp cloth, and pulled out a man’s handkerchief. It must be Harry’s. She had a vague memory of him wiping her cheeks.
She received some curious stares as she walked along the sidewalk in Rawhide, where she’d grown up. It seemed almost no one remembered her, except for her cousins. Thank goodness for them, she thought. It certainly seemed strange to be almost anonymous in a town like Rawhide.
She made a mental note to ask Caro how it felt being away for so long and coming back to town.
Her mother had told her about Caroline’s belief that she couldn’t have children. She hadn’t wanted to come home from Chicago, where she did her internship, because all the Randalls seemed focused on babies. Then she’d met the sheriff and they’d fallen in love and gotten married one Christmas, and now she and Mike Davis had two little boys.
Melissa knew the family thought the world of Mike. But she herself wasn’t ready to settle down. Especially in Rawhide. It was like a company town, and the company was named The Randalls. It seemed at least half the population was kin to her.
Deep in her reverie, she almost walked past the Sheriff’s Office. Stopping, she opened the door and stepped in. There sat Harry Gowan, doing some paperwork. She cleared her throat.
Without lifting his head, Harry said, “You got anything to report, Wayne?”
Blinking in surprise, she said, “There was an hysterical female, but she’s recovered.”
He got to his feet and walked around his desk to where Melissa stood. “How are you doing?”
“I’m fine. I wanted to thank you for helping me. I was…a little distressed.”
“A little?” he questioned with a smile.
She lifted her chin. “Yes, a little.” Then she remembered she needed to keep him in a good mood so he’d agree to her request. “I, uh, need to ask you something.”
“Sure. What is it?”
“I know I lost my temper and I’m sorry, but…could you not tell my father about our meeting this morning?”
“You mean about opening the door when you shouldn’t have? And shoving the cookies at me and stomping off?”
She gritted her teeth. Did he have to list every offense? “Yes, that’s what I mean.”
“I think I can manage to forget that.” He smiled at her. “The cookies were really good, by the way.”
“I’m glad you liked them,” she said, but she didn’t smile. “I should warn you that my father was matchmaking. You need to be on your guard.”
Harry looked puzzled. “Why would he do that?”
“He wants me to stay here in Rawhide. He’s trying to find someone to marry me.”
Harry grinned and raised his brows. “That shouldn’t be too difficult.”
“If that’s a compliment, thank you, but I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. Dad has chosen you as the prime candidate for my not-so-future husband. You’d better start running in the other direction whenever you see me.”
“Assuming I’m not interested.”
“It doesn’t matter if you are or not,” she told him, her voice firm. “I’m going back to France after Christmas.”
“Oh, yeah? Then I might as well kiss you goodbye,” he said, as if his words were normal, acceptable.
Without any more warning than that, he pulled her into his arms and planted a kiss on her lips like none she’d ever received. When he had her reeling, he abruptly put her away from him.
“Have a nice trip, Melissa Randall.”
She stared at him blankly, unable to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then reality poured in and she glared at him. “I will!”
And she left the Sheriff’s Office the same way she had earlier.
Chapter Three
Harry buried his head in his arms after Melissa Randall left the office. He figured he’d just made a bad mistake. He’d been tempted by her several times since he’d met her, but he’d merely imagined how it could be between them. Now he knew.
She had the most kissable lips he’d ever tasted. She fit against him perfectly.
Could she be right? Could her father be looking for a husband to keep her at home?
Harry didn’t want that role. Forcing a woman to do something she didn’t want to do was a losing proposition. He’d seen it in his parents. His mother had had hopes of going to Hollywood and being a star. His father had gotten her pregnant and married her, to keep her with him. They’d had a miserable marriage, and he and his sister had suffered.
He thought he’d learned that lesson, but when he finished college he’d almost made the same mistake as his father. The woman he’d been seriously dating had wanted to go to Denver, a big city, and he’d chosen Rawhide. He’d assumed she’d change her mind and come with him. Fortunately for both of them, she’d gone to Denver.
Forced relationships meant someone was sacrificing something that mattered a lot. He suspected whatever Melissa was doing in France—and he didn’t know what that was—it mattered to her a great deal. If she chose to live abroad, then there was no hope for a relationship. He could accept that.
As long as he kept his distance.
“Harry? What’s wrong? Are you sick?”
One of the other deputies had entered.
“No, Wayne, I’m fine. I was just thinking.”
“Where’s the sheriff?”
“He went out to the Miller place, south of town. They think they’ve been having some cattle rustling out there, and he wanted to look around.”
“We haven’t had any cattle rustling in a while. Hope we don’t have it start up again. Is that what you’re worrying about?”
“Uh, yeah. The holidays are a bad time to be hit by rustlers,” Harry said, hoping he sounded believable. Compared to the attraction he felt for Melissa Randall, rustling was a small blip on the radar.
The door opened again and Mike Davis, sheriff of their county and husband to Dr. Caroline Randall Davis, came in.
Harry wondered how difficult it had been for Mike, being attracted to a Randall woman. He’d never really asked him about that.
Before he could do so, Wayne asked about the cattle rustlers. “Did you find anything, Sheriff?”
