The Doctor's Christmas

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“Well, that depends.” He put the jar down, and his hand brushed hers. At once that awareness he’d been avoiding came flooding back.

And they were alone in the quiet room with dusk beginning to darken the windows.

Maggie cleared her throat, as if she’d been visited by the same thought. “Depends on what?”

“In a way, on what happens here.” He folded his arms across his chest, propped his hip against the table and kept talking to block feeling anything. “I’m being considered for a place in one of the best general practices in the city. The chief partner is a big supporter of the Volunteer Doctors program.”

Maggie stared at him. “Is that why you came here? To impress him?”

“He suggested it. He said volunteering would be good experience—that I’d learn to relate to patients in a whole new way.”

Actually, Dr. Rawlins had been rather more direct than that.

Technically, you’re a good doctor, Hardesty, but you keep too thick a wall between yourself and your patients. I don’t want a physician who gets too emotional, but I have to see some passion. Maybe you’ll find that if you get into a new situation.

Rawlins was the best, and Grant wanted that partnership. So he’d taken the advice, even though he wasn’t sure passion was his forte. Being a good physician ought to be enough.

“And is it working?” Maggie’s question was tart, and he remembered what she’d said about volunteers coming here to pad up their résumés.

Anger welled up, surprisingly strong. She didn’t have the right to judge him.

“What’s wrong, Maggie? Isn’t that an altruistic enough motive for you?”

She stiffened, hands pressed against the desk. “It’s none of my business why you came.”

“No? Then why are you looking at me as if you’re judging me?”

“I’m not.” She turned away, the stiffness of her shoulders denying the words. “I suppose we’re just lucky that our needs happen to coincide with yours.”

They were lucky. The people of Button Gap got his services for a month at no cost to the community, and he got the experience he needed to land the position he wanted. It was a fair exchange.

So it didn’t matter to him in the least that knowing his motives had disillusioned Maggie.

Not in the least.

Chapter Four

“You sure keeping the boy out of school is the only way of handling this?” Aunt Elly still looked worried on Tuesday morning as Maggie headed for the office.

Maggie paused, wishing she didn’t have to hide Joey away from his friends. Was she overreacting? Letting her own fear of the county social worker govern what she did with the children? The memory of the deputy’s visit was too fresh in her mind to allow her to judge.

“I know he doesn’t want to stay home.”

She glanced toward the living room, where Joey was trying to convince his siblings to play school. They didn’t seem impressed with the idea of sitting still.

“I just don’t know what else to do. If he’s in school, it’s too easy for Mrs. Hadley to find him.”

Aunt Elly gave her a searching glance, as if plumbing the depths of Maggie’s soul. “What did his teacher have to say about it?”

“She agreed it was just as well.” Nobody at the small Button Gap elementary school would want to give them away, but they also couldn’t risk running afoul of the county. “That way they’re not to blame. It’s not long until Christmas vacation anyway, and Emily Davison will tutor him. He won’t fall behind.”

“Guess maybe it’s for the best.” Aunt Elly’s agreement sounded reluctant, but really, what else could they do? “How are you going to explain it to Grant?”

Her fingers clenched. “I’m not.” She shook her head. “Honest, we can’t take the chance. He can’t know about Joey being out of school.”

“I don’t want to lie to the man.” Aunt Elly’s blue eyes darkened. “I’m not saying I won’t, in a good cause, but I surely don’t want to.”

“We can’t risk telling him the truth.” Aunt Elly might think Grant could be trusted, but Maggie wasn’t so sure. She kissed the older woman’s cheek, its wrinkles a road map of the life of service Aunt Elly had lived. “Trust me. We can’t depend on him.”

Aunt Elly nodded, clearly still troubled. “I’ll go along with you, child. But keep your mind open. The doc might be a better man than you take him for.”

Maggie slipped out the door, shrugging her jacket closer for the short walk to the clinic’s door. Aunt Elly always gave everyone the benefit of the doubt.

We can’t depend on him. She didn’t even want to depend on the man. He was an outsider, and he didn’t mean a thing to her except as an obstacle to keeping those children safe. Not a thing.

She opened the clinic door. Grant, in the hallway pulling on a lab coat, turned to her with a smile lighting his normally serious face. Her heart gave a rebellious jump.

“Morning.”

She concentrated on hanging up her jacket. What did Grant have to smile at, anyway? Certainly the last words that had passed between them the day before had been anything but friendly. She reached for her lab coat, only to find that Grant was already holding it for her.

“Thank you.”

“Sure.” His hands brushed her shoulders as she slipped the coat on.

With an effort, she steadied her breath and took a step away from him. It was just the effect of his closeness in the dim, narrow hallway—that was all. She certainly didn’t have any longing to lean against him or to rely on him. Absolutely not.

“You came in early.” She slipped past him, rounding the corner into the reception area and snapping on the overhead light.

He followed, leaning against the door frame. The harsh light picked out the fine lines around his eyes, the slant of his cheekbone. His usual neat pants, pale blue dress shirt and lab coat seemed to advertise the fact that he was out of his sphere.