by Amy Ruttan
She had no one.
“Can I help you?”
Evelyn turned to the young woman who was manning the counter at the Wolf’s Harbor terminal.
“I’m looking for directions to the town clinic.”
The young woman smiled brightly. “It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from here. Do you want me to call you a taxi?”
“That would be great. Thank you,” Evelyn said, smiling back.
The young woman nodded, but didn’t pick up the phone. Instead she got up off her stool, and Evelyn saw the round belly of a pregnant woman under her hoodie.
The young woman opened the back door and shouted. “I have a fare for you!”
Evelyn’s pulse kicked up a notch, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it would be her Uncle Yazzie.
His had been the only taxi cab in town twenty years ago. When her father had been working endless hours at the clinic, or in Juneau at the hospital, Uncle Yazzie would come and pick her up every day in his taxi cab and take her to school. She’d often stay with him and her grandmother. Her mother’s people.
A young man of about twenty, who looked very familiar, came out from the back.
He beamed at her and held out his hand. “Can I take you someplace, miss?”
She didn’t answer as she racked her brain for how she knew this man.
“Are you okay, miss?” he asked, appearing slightly uncomfortable with her staring.
“Sorry, you look so familiar,” she said, before catching herself.
“Really? I look like my dad—or so they tell me.”
“Then it must be jet lag messing with me.” She rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t mean to gawk at you. Just déjà vu.”
The young man smiled. “It happens. Don’t worry. Unless you know my dad?”
“Who is your dad?” she asked.
“Joe—Yazzie Sr. I’m Joe Jr. Do you know him?”
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat as she saw it now. Saw the younger version of her uncle in this young man. Obviously Uncle Yazzie’s son had been born after she’d left. For a moment she had a pang of homesickness. She’d missed Joe Jr.’s birth. Her cousin’s birth.
Evelyn’s heart stopped its racing and she took his hand. “The name sounds familiar...”
She wasn’t lying—she just wasn’t telling him the whole story. There would be time for that later...that was if his father was interested in seeing her again.
“Not surprising. He doesn’t leave Wolf’s Harbor.”
“Well, I’m Dr. Evelyn Saunders. I’m looking for a ride to the medical clinic.”
“Of course—you’re the new OB/GYN in town for the next three months, yeah?” He picked up her suitcase.
“I am,” Evelyn answered.
“My wife...” He pointed over his shoulder at the young woman behind the counter. “Jennifer—she’s due in a month.”
Jennifer beamed and nodded. “I have an appointment with you tomorrow afternoon, Dr. Saunders.”
“Well, I look forward to seeing you then.”
Evelyn quickly reassessed the small bump under her hoodie and some red flags went up. It could be nothing. Some woman were known to carry very small until right near the end. But Evelyn would be sure to check out Jennifer Yazzie’s file as soon as she got access to the patient records.
She followed Joe Jr. out of the terminal and to a blue and orange cab that was painted exactly the same as the old cab she remembered, but a new model of the vehicle.
She slipped into the passenger seat in the front and after Joe had got her luggage in the back he took the driver’s seat and started the cab.
“Is this your first time in Wolf’s Harbor, Dr. Saunders?”
“No.” She wanted to say yes—to serve her three-month rotation and maybe go unnoticed, so she could leave the painful memories of her past behind her—but she couldn’t lie.
She’d lost a piece of herself when she’d been taken away from Wolf’s Harbor, and even though she was only going to be here for a short time perhaps she could lay to rest some of the ghosts that continued to haunt her. Stop the restless feeling she often got. The night terrors which sometimes still plagued her.
“Really?” Joe asked. “I don’t remember seeing your face before.”
“How old are you, Joe?” she asked.
“Twenty—which I know is young to be a father...”
“I wasn’t going to judge you for your age, or tell you that you’re too young to be a father—it’s just that the last time I was in Wolf’s Harbor I was ten, which was twenty years ago.”
Joe beamed. “No kidding? Well, welcome home.”
He didn’t pry further, for which she was glad, but she was sure that he’d soon be getting the word out that she was back.
It would be better this way. To let everyone know that she had come back instead of facing a constant stream of questioning shock. She just hoped they wouldn’t all give her the cold shoulder as they had done for the past twenty years.
Twenty years with no word from her family up here.
Twenty years of silence.
Joe pulled up in front of the clinic and she paid the fare, insisting that he keep the change. The clinic was a new building with red siding. It reminded her of a barn, but it was very clean, with the sign freshly painted. It sat on the main road downtown, and through the gaps in the buildings across from her she could see the tall masts and onboard hoists of the fishing boats in the harbor. Her father had practiced medicine out of a small storefront. This looked so much better than that cramped old space.
Joe set her luggage down beside her.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Saunders.”
Evelyn grinned. “See you tomorrow, Joe.”
She picked up her luggage as Joe drove away. The clinic sign said “Closed” and there was no sign of Dr. Pearson anywhere. It began to drizzle and Evelyn tried the handle. The door was unlocked and she stepped inside.
There was no nurse behind the reception desk. It was quiet. Deserted.
Great.
She wandered past the reception desk, looking for someone. Anyone.
“Dr. Pearson?” she called out. She was met with only silence.
Just great.
She peeked into an exam room and flicked on the light. It was modern and well stocked, which surprised her for such a small community. She wandered through the room, taking it all in. She couldn’t believe that she was back here. Back in Wolf’s Harbor.
Home.
Evelyn cursed under her breath. She had to stop thinking about this place as her home. This was not her home. It hadn’t been for some time.
Still, it was hard not to think of those days. And all the time that had been taken away from her.
And whose fault was that?
“Who are you?” a harsh voice demanded.
Evelyn spun round and was taken aback by the sight of the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She felt a bit stunned, and all she could do was stare at him in awe. He was tall, broad-shouldered. He wore a flannel shirt stretched a little tight over his strong, muscular upper arms. His dark hair was close-cropped and his skin was a warm, deep tawny brown. He had a neatly kept beard. But it was his eyes, a green-gray-blue, which were really stunning. Clear, bright—and focused on her.
They held her rooted to the spot.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” he growled.
“Are you Dr. Pearson?” she asked, finally finding her voice.
His eyes narrowed. “No. He’s gone back to Juneau.”
“What?” Evelyn frowned. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
* * *
Derek had been in the back. He had been waiting for the new doctor to arrive, annoyed that Dr. Pearson had left for Juneau early and saddled him with the new OB/GYN when he had a full casel
oad as general practitioner to handle.
He hadn’t left for a bigger city even though he could have.
His mother had begged him to return to Chicago when Vivian died. She’d even offered to retire from her catering business to help him raise his daughter, but he couldn’t leave Alaska.
He might have been born in Chicago but, like his parents—one of whom came from Haiti and one from the Ukraine—he needed to forge his own path. Put down his own roots. And Wolf’s Harbor had been the place to do that.
He loved it here. Loved the people. Loved his life.
Even though as a widower it was slightly lonely.
Whose fault is that?
It had been his choice to be alone after his wife had died from a uterine rupture when their daughter was born. His life was his practice and his daughter.
Still, he was annoyed that he had to deal with these rotating doctors. Doctors who came in and left him with more work in the end. Doctors who saw the patients of Wolf’s Harbor as an inconvenience. He was tired of the extra burden, but he’d gladly bear it for his patients.
Dr. Pearson had left him high and dry by leaving before the new OB/GYN showed up, and Mo was still getting over a bug she’d picked up, so he had to relieve the sitter. He would be glad when school started again. He had no time to deal with another rotation doctor and Dr. Pearson had just dumped this one in his lap.
So like Dr. Pearson. So like all these doctors who came through the town, never staying longer than they had too. Never willing to help him out or put in a good word to get a hospital built in town. These big city doctors were all selfish—if it wouldn’t further their career they didn’t lend a hand.
Okay, you’re sounding like a curmudgeon now.
He stuck it out all year in this isolated community, while these specialists fluttered in and out, never staying long enough to get to know the people. There was no real trust between these doctors and the patients. It was a dangerous thing.
He tried not to think about how the lack of a specialist during one of these rotations had cost him everything. How his late wife had hemorrhaged and bled out before they could get her on an air ambulance to Sitka. And the fact that it had happened during a storm that had grounded all the planes had made it so much worse. There had been nothing he could do. But if there had been a hospital here in Wolf’s Harbor maybe she would have had a fighting chance.
He focused on this fiery, auburn-haired woman, who thought it was okay just to waltz into his closed office. He’d been taken back by the beautiful, tall, polished woman who was now standing in his exam room. So like Dr. Pearson to have his girlfriends and paramours just show up unannounced.
Although he was a bit jealous that this one was one of Dr. Pearson’s girlfriends...
He’d seen many of them go through this clinic when Dr. Pearson had been here on rotation, but this one—this one actually made him jealous of Dr. Pearson.
It had been a long time since he’d been attracted to someone. If he didn’t have Mo, or the practice to run—if he was the same man he had been before he’d come to Wolf’s Harbor—he would pursue a woman just like this.
You’re lonely. Face it.
“Pearson has gone back to Juneau,” Derek said again, and moved from the doorway to encourage her to leave. “Sorry for your trouble. I can call you a cab...”
“I’m the new OB/GYN. I’m Dr. Saunders.”
Derek frowned. “What? I thought that this was Dr. Merritt’s rotation?”
“Dr. Merritt just went on an extended honeymoon,” Dr. Saunders said. “I’m covering her practice.”
“What?” Derek asked, scowling. So now Dr. Merritt had just got a replacement without consulting him? Not that Dr. Merritt had to consult him, but it would have been considerate of her to do so.
At least she sent someone else.
Although he knew nothing about this Dr. Saunders. “Well, that’s unacceptable. Just because we’re a small town, it doesn’t mean we’ll take anyone.”
She crossed her arms. “Why is it unacceptable?”
“I know nothing about you.”
“So?” she replied firmly. “You need an OB/GYN and there are appointments tomorrow.”
“How do you know there are appointments tomorrow? You obviously don’t know Dr. Pearson, because you thought I was him.”
“First, I know there are appointments here tomorrow because Joe Yazzie Jr. and his wife are expected for prenatal. I introduced myself to them when I landed from Sitka. And second I assumed you were a doctor—was I mistaken?”
The nerve of her.
Of course he was pleased that she’d already made a connection with one of his patients. She had one up on every other doctor who’d waltzed through here.
But why were redheads always like this? Every one he’d ever encountered in Chicago had been like this. And of course he was a complete sucker for them.
You can’t have her.
He had to keep reminding himself of that fact. He wanted nothing to do with someone who would leave after her rotation was done. He wanted nothing to do with anyone ever again.
Not since Vivian had died.
He was not going to go through anything like that again. Besides, he had Mo to think of, and his practice, his patients. That was what was important.
“I am a doctor,” he said tersely. “I’m the general practitioner of Wolf’s Harbor.”
“Are you on rotation too?” she asked.
“No,” he snapped. “Unlike you and Dr. Pearson, I am here all the time. Wolf’s Harbor is my home. I actually care about my patients and their medical care enough to stay.”
Her eyes narrowed and a strange expression crossed her face, but only briefly.
“If you truly cared about your patients then you wouldn’t object to me being here. I’m here to stay.”
His eyes widened. He was surprised. “Stay? As in permanently?”
She blushed. “Well...no.”
Of course not. He knew better than to get his hopes up.
Who was this woman?
“I’m just as capable as Dr. Merritt,” she said, breaking the tension.
“Are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I at least know Dr. Merritt. I know nothing about you. Not even your first name.”
She smiled tightly. “Dr. Evelyn Saunders. I just completed my fellowship in fetal surgery at Richler Medicine in Seattle. I’m one of the few people in this country who can perform delicate fetal surgeries. I’m also a board-certified obstetrical and gynecological fellow, and a pediatric fellow specializing in premature infants. I completed that fellowship and practiced for three years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. You can check my credentials, but they speak for themselves. I am more experienced than Dr. Merritt and I will be an asset to your patients.”
Damn. She was right.
And he was completely impressed by her résumé and where she’d studied. She had every right to be confident to the point of obnoxiousness.
She was a triple threat and he’d be an absolute idiot to turn her away—but he couldn’t help but wonder why someone with so much experience didn’t have a thriving practice of her own.
Who cares? She can help your patients even if it’s only for a short time.
He couldn’t help but wonder if someone like her had been here that horrific night five years ago Vivian would still be here and he wouldn’t be alone. Mo would have her mother. He’d still have that piece of his heart and soul that had been torn away the night he’d lost Vivian. The night Mo had lost her mother. His patients needed her.
“Fine.” He sighed and he ran a hand over his head. “I’ll show you to the apartment and get you a clinic key, then give you all the information you need to start tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Dr...?” she asked, extending a hand.
“Dr. Tay
lor. Dr. Derek Taylor.” He ignored her hand, afraid to touch her and still not wanting her to feel too welcome. “Come on, I’ll show you to your place.”
His mother would totally be slapping him upside the head if she could see how he was being such a jerk to this woman, but he couldn’t get attached. Dr. Saunders would be gone in three months and he had no interest in getting attached to someone who wasn’t going to stick it out for the long run.
It was so much easier on his heart this way. Better for Mo too. He didn’t want her to get hurt. He’d promised Vivian he’d protect Mo. So he planned to treat Evelyn like every other physician who passed through Wolf’s Harbor on rotation. Even if she was easy on the eye and had a spirited personality—the kind which always drew him in when it came to members of the opposite sex...
He was a professional above all else. His patients came first. And even though he knew nothing about her—even though training a new doctor about the ins and outs of Wolf’s Harbor Medical would be an extra burden on him—he’d gladly do it.
Unlike all the other doctors who came and went, he was here for the long haul.
CHAPTER TWO
HE’S A BIT cool and stand-offish.
Evelyn waited outside with her rolling suitcase as Dr. Taylor—Derek—locked up the clinic. It was beginning to drizzle and it was dusk, but since it was summer it would stay light pretty late.
She glanced at her watch and remembered she hadn’t switched it over to Alaska daylight time.
Derek whistled. “That’s some fancy watch you have there!”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, because she’d caught the undertone of his sarcasm. Yeah it was flashy and out of place here, but he didn’t have to point it out. “It was my grandmother’s. She left it to me when she passed.”
His expression softened. “Sorry.”
“She had a good life. She was ninety-nine when I lost her to cancer. I miss her—she was the only family I had.”
No, she wasn’t, a little whisper said in her mind, but she ignored it. She knew now that Uncle Yazzie was still around, but Léelk’w probably wasn’t. Still, she’d been gone for twenty years and had had no contact with any of them. It was apparent that they hadn’t thought of her. Joe Jr. hadn’t even blinked an eye when she’d told him her last name.
