Marked for Marriage

by Jackie Merritt

  She crooked her good left arm over her eyes so he wouldn’t see how degraded and defeated she felt.

  “Maddie?”

  He would phone for an ambulance, the wretch. She knew it as surely as she knew anything, and she was going to have to look him in the eye and admit defeat.

  “I’m not getting up with you watching. Wait in the kitchen. I’ll change in the bathroom,” she said dully.

  “You do have more injuries than what I can see on your face and hand, don’t you?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes, damn you!”

  Noah got to his feet. “I’ll wait in the kitchen.” He started to walk away, then stopped for one more thing. “I’d like you to be lying down for the exam. A bed would be better than this sofa.”

  “I’m sure it would be much better,” she retorted with a venomous glare.

  “Don’t get any silly ideas. This is strictly impersonal for me.”

  “Are you married?”

  “Uh, no. Why?”

  “Because I’d feel better about this…this fiasco if you were!”

  Noah was getting very close to giving up on Maddie Kincaid. Not that he’d drive off and just forget about her, but he could probably find another doctor among his peers that would take her case.

  He considered doing exactly that, but only for a few moments. No way was Maddie Kincaid going to best him in this. Who was the doctor here, anyhow, certainly not her! Besides, it wasn’t merely an examination of all of her injuries that mattered to him. She mattered, and he could question why she did until doomsday and maybe never know the answer. But he wasn’t leaving her alone in a blizzard that he could hear growling and snarling outside, getting fiercer by the minute. He couldn’t see the storm, however, because the drapes and blinds on every window in the room were tightly closed, which suddenly annoyed the ever-loving hell out of him.

  Going to a window he yanked open the drapes. The density of the blowing, swirling snow outside actually shocked him. He couldn’t see across the street. He couldn’t even see the big trees in Mark’s front yard! Craning his neck he tried to spot his SUV in the driveway and failed. All there was beyond the window glass was an angrily moving sea of white. This was the worst storm he’d ever seen, and it was scary, damned scary.

  Cursing under his breath, Noah shut the drapes again and left the room, telling Maddie over his shoulder to get up and into that gown. He’d find whichever room she was waiting in, he told her, and added that he’d give her ten minutes before leaving the kitchen. “And put on the gown so that it opens in front.”

  Maddie wanted to bawl. Better yet she’d like to scream Noah Martin’s ears off! “Big man,” she sneered, despising him for backing her into a corner the way he had. People rarely got around her deeply ingrained sense of self, and she had always taken pride in her strength and independence. Well, she wasn’t strong now, was she? Or independent?

  Admitting weakness in the face of adversity nearly killed her, but there was little question that Dr. Noah Martin, first-class jerk and hometown yokel, was holding all the cards. When exactly had he descended upon poor unsuspecting Whitehorn? The town’s citizenry, as Maddie remembered it, was accustomed to kindly doctors, such as old Dr. Slater, who’d taken such good care of Aunt June.

  Memories of June’s last years, especially her final months, gave Maddie a chill. For the first time ever she admitted possessing a fear of invalidism, of having to rely on others for the simplest task. She had taken very good care of Aunt June and had never resented a moment of the responsibility she’d undertaken, but by the same token she couldn’t bear the thought of herself being in Aunt June’s shoes.

  And wasn’t she there right now, far sooner and at a much younger age than even her dread of the possibility had ever placed her? Noah Martin was treating her as though she was his responsibility, and she wasn’t, damn it, she wasn’t! Maddie gritted her teeth. Dr. Noah Martin was not going to examine her, and that was final! She’d playacted her way out of the hospital in Austin a day early and then convinced her brother and sister-in-law that she was doing just fine when she could just barely move without gasping out loud. But Mark and Darcy would not have gone on their honeymoon if she hadn’t convinced them, and she’d suffered in silence until they had finally walked out the door with their suitcases. How could she possibly have guessed that Mark would bring a strange doctor into the picture? One who’d gotten all concerned and determined to heal, damn his hide!

  Obviously, she was going to have to endure another game of pretense, Maddie thought with a sigh of premeditated distress. What’s more, time was rushing by and she probably only had another few minutes before that nosy-Nellie friend of Mark’s came looking for her, expecting her to be in that awful gown and lying on a bed awaiting his examination.

  “That’ll be the day,” Maddie mumbled, and pushed away the comforter. Gritting her teeth again because it hurt like hell to move, even though groggy from painkillers, she swung her feet to the floor, forced herself up and then hobbled her way to her bedroom. Shutting the door behind her, she immediately began undressing. Mark…or someone…she wasn’t clear on that point…had brought a lot of her clothes in from her trailer. She pulled on a long skirt and her biggest, baggiest sweater.

  Her next stop was the bathroom, and she washed her face, applied moisturizer and makeup and then brushed her hair until it looked almost respectable. For good measure she gave herself a small squirt of cologne, then wasted no time in exiting the bathroom and heading for the kitchen.

  Noah jumped a foot when she walked in. “What in God’s name are you doing?” he asked, sounding a lot like a bear with a thorn in its paw.

  “Grump and complain all you wish,” she said in a saccharine tone that didn’t sound remotely genuine. “But I’m not getting into that gown, and you are not going to examine even one small part of me. Oh, I guess I wouldn’t mind if you checked my cast. Would that satisfy your craving to play doctor today?”

  “You little idiot,” Noah said. His lips were thin and disapproving, and he looked as though he really did think of her as an idiot.

  She frankly didn’t care what he thought. “Whether you like it or not, you are not going to be my doctor. I’ll check the phone book and make an appointment with one without your help.” Maddie suddenly saw the storm through the window above the sink. “Oh, my God!” she cried. “When did that start?”

  “About an hour ago. It’s a serious storm, which isn’t nearly as crucial as your seeing a doctor today. So, if it’s not going to be me, I’m going to phone for that ambulance.”

  Maddie turned toward him with blazing eyes. “You go right ahead and do that, and the second you’re off the phone, I’ll call the police department and file a complaint against you for home invasion and…and—” she lifted her chin in a defiant gesture “—and I might even include sexual harassment in that charge.”

  “Which would be a damn lie,” Noah snarled. “Is that what you are, a liar?”

  “Not usually, but your pushy attitude just might drive me to do a lot of things I wouldn’t ordinarily do. Now, let’s get to the bottom line, all right? I believe you’ve accomplished quite enough in this house for one day. Your uncooperative patient is out of bed and dressed. As any fool could see, if there were more than one in this kitchen with me, I’m fine and functioning under my own steam. In other words, I don’t want you hanging around any longer. Are you getting the message?”

  Noah was just about to growl an appropriately nasty comeback when Maddie suddenly shrieked, “Fanny! My God, where’s Fanny?”

  He thought she’d lost the last of her marbles, which he’d been suspecting were already dangerously low in quantity, especially when she hung over the sink to get her face closer to the icy window to see outside. “She’ll die in this,” Maddie moaned. “What did Mark do with her? Fanny, Fanny, where are you?”

  Chapter Four

  Something akin to panic assaulted Noah’s senses. Who or what was “Fanny”? A pet? A child? A
nd was Fanny outside in that raging blizzard?

  He went to Maddie’s side and tried to see out the same window. There was nothing outside but the density of whites that only a winter storm of this magnitude could produce. Noah glanced at Maddie, who had her good hand curled around the inside edge of the sink and seemed to be holding on for dear life. Her face was deathly pale, and what she was really doing up and dressed struck him like a ten-ton truck.

  “You little fake,” he muttered, and moved closer to her, just enough to place his hands on her upper arms. “You’d walk through fire to avoid a trip to the hospital or an exam from me, wouldn’t you?” His intention was to support and steer her to a chair, because she looked ready to fall down. The second he touched her she cried out, sounding so much like a wounded animal that he instantly released her and jumped back.

  She bent from the waist and laid her forehead on her hand clutching the edge of the sink. Noah couldn’t see if she was crying, but she made a pathetic picture all huddled over as she was, and her being so small and desperately in need of help, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

  He felt an unfamiliar confusion. He couldn’t leave her and she wouldn’t let him help her.

  What should he do?

  Anger began gathering in his gut, and with it came a clearing of his mind. Somehow Maddie had tricked Mark and Darcy into believing she was well enough to be left alone. Noah knew that now, because she’d just tried to pull the same stunt with him. Only she’d seen the storm and remembered Fanny, whatever or whomever Fanny was, and Maddie’s personal plight had taken a back seat to that concern.

  Noah was almost afraid to ask about Fanny, but he’d seen that long sleek trailer parked behind Mark’s garage, and what if there was a pet in it? A little dog or cat that Maddie had decided would be better off in its own home than in a strange house. That concept really didn’t make sense for Noah, but he couldn’t let himself think that Fanny might be a person.

  He was on to Maddie’s dangerous game of pretense now, and it infuriated him as a physician that she would let modesty, resentment and stubborn pride stop her from accepting treatment from him. Yes, Mark should have told her that he’d be dropping by, but…

  That point was suddenly clear to Noah, as well. Mark had told Maddie. She just didn’t remember it! Those damn pain pills! How many had she taken today? A person alone could so easily get off schedule with painkillers and take more of them than had been prescribed. Plus, some people were overly sensitive to pain medication, and a perfectly acceptable dose for one patient could knock another for a loop. That would explain Maddie’s slurring of words, her desire to be left alone so she could sleep and even her physical weakness when she was on her feet.

  Noah was pretty certain that he’d figured everything out—except for Fanny’s identity. He drew a long breath and felt a tightening in his gut, but he had to ask.

  “Maddie?” She slowly straightened her back but didn’t look at him. “Maddie,” he repeated from his position behind her, “who’s Fanny?”

  “My horse,” she said dully.

  Noah experienced such enormous relief that his knees got weak. But just for a second, because both he and Maddie couldn’t be weak in this crazy situation.

  “And you’re thinking your horse is where?” he asked calmly, hoping his gentle demeanor would inspire calm in her.

  “I…don’t know. Wait…I…I think I went outside this morning, and…and…”

  That explained the unlocked door, Noah thought. “And what?” he prompted.

  “I couldn’t…find her.”

  “So she’s not in Mark’s garage or staked out in the yard someplace?”

  “No…she’s not. There’s something…” Maddie let go of the sink and raised her hand to her temple. “I can’t seem to think very well, but…I…I have a foggy glimpse of memory about Mark saying something about boarding Fanny.”

  “Then you have nothing to worry about. I’m sure if Mark said he was going to board Fanny so you wouldn’t have to care for her while he and Darcy were away, then that’s what he did.”

  Maddie finally turned around, wincing visibly as she did it, apparently forgetting, Noah observed, that she’d gotten dressed to convince him that she was perfectly all right.

  “Boarded where?” she asked with a note of panic in her voice.

  “Probably a nearby ranch. There are several not too far from town that board horses. Maddie, you have got to lie down again. You look terrible.”

  “What every girl wants to hear from a man. But I…I do feel sort of…” Once again she started folding up, and once again Noah rushed forward and caught her before she reached the floor.

  “You little fool,” he muttered, picking her up and carrying her from the kitchen. Ignoring the sofa this time, he brought her to a bedroom and laid her on the bed. Rushing around, he got smelling salts from his medical bag and a wet washcloth from the nearest bathroom. Returning, he laid the cloth on her forehead and was just about to wave the vial of ammonium carbonate under her nose when he got a better idea.

  Very cautiously he raised the hem of her blouse, saw the bruising on her right side, then did the same with her skirt and scrutinized the continuing bruising all down her hip and thigh. She had darned good reason to wince every time she moved, he thought with loads of sympathy, and then decided that he’d better check for infection while he had the chance. He saw nothing in that regard and he quickly straightened her clothing and then held the vial under her nose.

  She came to with a gasp and a cough, and then slapped at his hand. Once she got her breath she demanded to know why she was on her bed and then stated emphatically, “You are not getting me out of my clothes for an examination!”

  “That’s fine with me.” Noah sat on the edge of the bed right next to her and spoke plainly. “Here’s my diagnosis. You ingested at least one too many pain pills today. Do you remember how many you took since waking up this morning?”

  She frowned and looked perplexed. “Uh, no.”

  “That’s what I thought. Okay, you will not have access to your medication from this moment on. I brought with me what I feel is a better antibiotic for your injuries, and I will administer that along with your pain pills.”

  “You most certainly will not! You’re not moving in here, you know.”

  “You’re dead wrong about that, and don’t waste your energy arguing. When did you last eat?” He saw the stricken look on her face. “Don’t strain your brain. I can see clearly that you’re not remembering much of anything. That’s all right, that mushy sensation in your head will pretty much wear off by tonight. In the meantime I’m going to fix you something to eat. From the look of the kitchen trash can that greeted me when I first walked in today, I’d hazard a guess that soup is a favorite of yours, so that’s what I’ll fix for now. You stay here. I’ll bring in your comforter, and when the soup’s hot I’ll bring that in, as well. Rest and try not to worry.” Noah rose and started for the door.

  Maddie made no reply, but even with that “mushy sensation” fogging her brain, she knew she would not stop worrying until she knew where Mark had taken Fanny.

  Darn it, why couldn’t she remember anything in its entirety? Surely Mark had told her where he was boarding Fanny!

  Several hours later Noah paced between kitchen and living room. He had opened curtains, drapes and blinds to bare the windows so he could see the storm, which hadn’t let up an iota since reaching its peak of ferocity around noon. It worried Noah, and he had phoned the hospital to let personnel know where he could be reached, in case an emergency situation arose and he was needed.

  Maddie had eaten a bowl of soup, drunk some herbal tea and then, almost immediately, had fallen into a deep sleep. She worried Noah as much as the storm, possibly more. She would recover, of course. Her injuries, though undoubtedly painful, were not life threatening. Rather, they didn’t appear to be, he thought wryly, wishing he had access to whatever notes and X-rays the attending physician had generated at the
time of her accident.

  At any rate, it was Noah’s professional opinion that Maddie should not be left alone, and his third worry was that the hospital would call and he’d have to leave her alone. When that concern became dominant, he phoned the hospital again and talked to the head nurse, explained the situation and asked if she knew of an off-duty nurse—either registered or practical—who would come to the house and tend Maddie Kincaid for a few days.

  She’d been polite and respectful, but Whitehorn was a small town and there never had been a surplus of nurses just biding their time and hoping for work. “I’m sorry, Dr. Martin, but everyone I know works a very tight schedule. Also, we have the storm to deal with. I’ve already called in my off-duty nursing staff.”

  “Vehicular accidents?” Noah asked.

  “And frostbite and some broken bones from slipping on ice. I understand the state patrol has issued a warning for everyone to stay at home. Everyone won’t, of course. Folks around here aren’t afraid of bad weather, and so the accidents will keep the E.R. busy throughout the blizzard. Sorry I can’t help you, Doctor.”

  After that conversation, Noah racked his brain for the name of someone—a friend, a neighbor, almost anyone would do—he might phone and ask to come to the house. He didn’t miss the irony of the situation. Since moving to Whitehorn he’d avoided casual friendships. Hell, he’d avoided any kind of friendship, preferring to suffer the pain of Felicia’s desertion all by himself. Mark Kincaid was an exception, but Noah knew that even though he liked Mark they would never be close enough to confide their innermost thoughts and feelings to each other.

  They’d gotten acquainted at the gym, where they both worked out or, on occasion, played basketball. The thing that Noah liked best about Mark was that he didn’t pry. In fact, Mark seemed to sense that Noah didn’t want to talk about “life before Whitehorn,” thus never asked.