The Most Eligible Doctor

by Karen Rose Smith

“I make it often during the winter.” She moved to straighten a napkin by one of the plates on the table, and he felt her gaze on him.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I saw you with Brianne…outside.”

  “You mean when we were searching for her bracelet?”

  “Afterward.”

  The soup bubbling on the stove was the only sound in the kitchen. “Say what you have to say, Lily.”

  “I just want to warn you that Brianne’s vulnerable right now. She lost her family and she’s like a ship without an anchor.”

  “You think I’d take advantage of that?”

  “I hope not.”

  “Maybe Brianne shouldn’t be your concern.”

  Lily’s arched brows told him as well as her words that she wouldn’t let him intimidate her. “Brianne is my concern because she’s become like a sister since she moved in. I don’t want to see her get hurt.”

  This afternoon he’d realized Brianne’s childhood hadn’t been the rosy one he’d imagined. These two women probably had confided in each other, and Lily must know Brianne’s background, too.

  Realizing Lily was the type of woman who protected people she cared about, he offered, “I think you misinterpreted what you saw outside. Brianne was just happy she’d found her bracelet. That hug…meant nothing.” At least that’s what he was trying to tell himself.

  “As I said before, Brianne is vulnerable. But I think you see her as young and inexperienced, too. She has more substance than you know.”

  Megan came running into the kitchen then, tugging Brianne behind her. “Mommy, Brianne let me use her raspberry soap to wash my hands.” Releasing Brianne, she ran forward, holding her hands up to Lily’s nose. “Smell them. It’s raspberry.”

  Lily smelled her daughter’s hands and then smiled. “Maybe I’ll have to get some so you want to wash your hands more often.”

  When they all took seats at the table, Jed couldn’t keep his gaze from Brianne—the swing of her curls around her cheeks, her bright eyes, the aura of innocence that told him she was inexperienced with men.

  He didn’t want to hurt her, and he didn’t want her to shake up his world. It had been shaken up enough and now he just wanted to put it in some kind of order. That didn’t include a woman sixteen years younger, or an involvement he’d regret.

  When Lily placed the bowl of soup before him, he thanked her. He’d be on his way as soon as he finished his soup. He’d keep himself busy enough to put Brianne Barrington out of his thoughts, his mind and his dreams.

  Chapter Five

  After lunch, Megan waved from her car seat as Lily drove her to her kindergarten class. Brianne had come outside to see them off, and Jed had, too.

  Now they stood on the porch together, watching the car drive away. “You have a good friend in Lily,” he said.

  “I know. She and Megan have become my family. I guess I’m the kind of person who needs connections…even if I’m afraid to make them sometimes.”

  She was definitely afraid of her growing feelings for Jed and where they could lead. Wasn’t she heading for heartache if she let her feelings for him deepen? Yet not long before graduation, when she was trying to decide what type of nursing position she wanted to pursue, her mother had advised her not only to follow her heart, but to follow her passion. Brianne hadn’t been sure what her mom had meant. But whenever she stood anywhere near Jed, she felt something deep stir. Was that passion? Or simply man-woman attraction?

  The problem was, even if she did decide to get involved, could she be enough for Jed? She’d never been with a man…

  “Don’t you have friends here from when you were growing up?” he asked, studying her.

  “Not really. Most of them have taken jobs outside of Sawyer Springs. How about you? Do you have friends here?”

  “A few. I’ve been meaning to look them up but just haven’t had the time. I haven’t stayed in touch with them, but Dad gave me the lowdown on what they’re doing. A friend I played football with now owns a contracting business. Another buddy manages a Christmas tree farm.”

  “What about your brother and sister? Are you in touch with them?”

  Jed shook his head. “Ellie usually sends a note in her Christmas card. Christopher calls about once a year.”

  “I always wanted a brother or a sister.”

  His scrutiny made her uncomfortable as he asked, “And you can’t imagine not staying in touch?”

  “Every family is different,” she answered diplomatically.

  Sliding a hand into his vest pocket, he turned toward her. “Actually, since I’m here now, I’ve been thinking about trying to get my brother and sister to fly in to see Dad. It’s been years since we were all together under the same roof.”

  Although Brianne noticed the mailman approaching, she didn’t let that distract her from her conversation with Jed. “How would your dad feel about all of you being here?”

  “I’m not sure. I haven’t decided yet whether to talk to him about it or just surprise him. I’m afraid he’ll think it’s a lot of expense and folderol—as he calls it—for nothing. But he’s not getting any younger, and it just feels like the right thing to do.”

  The mailman came up the walk, smiled and said good-afternoon. Then he handed Brianne a legal-size envelope. Jed saw the return address from a national foundation that sponsored cancer research.

  “I imagine you get a lot of that kind of thing, asking for donations.”

  “Yes, I do. And I’m taking them all seriously right now. I have to make a decision about an endowment my parents left.”

  His brows hiked up. “About where the money goes? They didn’t specify?”

  “No. They left that up to me.”

  “That’s a big responsibility for someone so young.”

  Instead of becoming angry this time, she asked gently, “Do you think of yourself as old?”

  He gave her a rueful smile. “No. Not old as in senior citizen.”

  “Well…” She hesitated, then went on. “I don’t think of myself as young. I’ve worked with charities since I was a teenager, helping my mom. I’ve even written grants. I might not be as worldly-wise as you are, but I’m more mature than you give me credit for.”

  When he studied her this time, his expression told her he might be looking at her differently. “Maybe you’re right.” With a small smile he added, “Right now my experience is telling me you’d better go inside.”

  She’d come out without a coat and she was getting cold. But something about being with Jed make her warm, and the Wisconsin winter almost felt like spring.

  Before she could protest or admit he was right, Jed started down the steps. “I’ll see you at work tomorrow.” With a lift of his hand, he strode toward his dad’s truck, which was parked at the curb.

  Brianne watched him drive away, just as she had Lily and Megan. When she thought about everything she and Jed had discussed today, her tummy flip-flopped. Whether she wanted to or not, she was getting to know Dr. Jed Sawyer. Apparently certain subjects weren’t off-limits for him, and they’d somehow tumbled into those.

  If she got to know Jed better, was she headed for heartache?

  Jed spent the rest of the afternoon buying a vehicle—a black SUV. Once home, he took his dad out for a ride. Grudgingly, Al admitted the car seemed to handle well. Then, while his dad dozed in his favorite recliner, Jed did the laundry and eventually hung two of his dad’s flannel shirts on hangers in his clothes closet. Since his father usually grabbed his laundry from the laundry room and took care of it himself, Jed hadn’t been inside the closet since he’d been home.

  He was about to close the closet door when he saw something in the corner that made him go still. It was a cane. Did his dad have a condition he wasn’t telling him about?

  Deciding to take the bull by the horns, he returned downstairs and stood by his father’s recliner in the living room, the cane in his hand. “I found this up in your closet. How long have you needed it?”<
br />
  “What were you doing in my closet?”

  His father’s voice was almost angry, as if Jed was prying into his life. “Nothing sinister. Just hanging up your shirts.”

  “I can hang my own shirts,” Al grumbled, then waved at the cane in Jed’s hand. “I had a bad spell with my hip last year. I was laid up for a few weeks. But it went away.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me? I called every few weeks and you didn’t say a thing.”

  “And just what were you supposed to do from Alaska? Would you have flown back here to nurse me?”

  Jed wasn’t sure what he would have done, but he hadn’t been given the chance to find out. “Did Ellie and Chris know?”

  “Of course not. Women from the church brought me my meals. My buddies brought me everything else I needed and kept me company. Why would I want you worrying about me?”

  When Jed was silent, Al’s voice softened a bit. “Look. I know you sank into a black hole after Trisha died, and you just wanted to disappear for a while. But don’t blame me for not telling you about my life. You didn’t tell me what was going on with you, either. Whenever I asked, everything was hunky-dory. Like hell it was. Do you think I didn’t know that? Do you think I didn’t worry?”

  “I was fine,” Jed insisted.

  “Not at first. Not that first year, you weren’t. But I just rode it out. It was months between calls that year. Finally, when you went north, I figured out Alaska was giving you something you were looking for, even if it was just an escape. But coming back here now…” Al shook his head. “Don’t think you’re going to run my life. I do fine without you. When you leave again, I’ll do fine then, too.”

  Was his father telling the truth? Did he really have a network of people who helped him? Could he function on his own?

  Whether his dad wanted him to run his life or not, Jed knew there was a suggestion he had to make. “Maybe you don’t want help. Maybe you don’t need it in most cases. But there is something you do need, and that’s a cleaning lady.”

  Al almost came out of his chair. “A cleaning lady? Somebody messing with my stuff? Moving it around so I can’t find it? I’d have to clean up before she came! What’s the point in that?”

  Resistance was his dad’s middle name, and Jed should have realized this idea would go over like a lead balloon. “All right. If you won’t let me hire a cleaning lady, then I’m going to have to do it myself. I hate cleaning, Dad, and I don’t know what kind of job I’m going to do, but this place has a layer of dust that’s three inches thick, and it isn’t healthy. And I’ll bet the floor in the kitchen hasn’t seen a wet mop in years. That can’t continue.”

  “I hate the smell of those disinfectants and stuff.” Al wrinkled his nose. “They make me cough and sneeze.”

  “I don’t have to use them. I’ll just get something antibacterial—orange or lemon.”

  Al gripped the arms of his recliner. “You’re set on interfering in my life, aren’t you?”

  “I’m set on keeping you healthy and making your life comfortable.”

  His father gave a frustrated shake of his head. “You do what you gotta do.”

  “Then you’ll think about a cleaning lady? I could put a notice up at church.”

  “No cleaning lady.”

  “How about just once a month?” Jed cajoled.

  “Once a month?” Al asked, thinking about it. “It depends on who she is. I don’t want some female with her hat set for me coming in here. I don’t want someone talking a blue streak, either. Or poking into my stuff. There’d be a list. She’d do what’s on that list and nothing else.”

  That was a big concession. Despite his father’s grumbles and gruffness, Jed knew his dad had to see the reality of his life.

  “Think about making that list. I’m going to the store to buy cleaning supplies.”

  “I have one of those sponge mops. It’s in the basement. I just don’t like climbing those steps.”

  “You won’t have to. Maybe we can make a place in the pantry for everything. Do you want to come along to the store?”

  “No, I don’t want to come along.” Al aimed his remote control at the TV and switched the channel. “That show where they kick people off the island is on tonight. I’m not going to miss it.”

  Jed had to smile in spite of himself. His dad was an ornery old codger sometimes. But his idiosyncrasies made him lovable, too.

  Fifteen minutes later, Jed was wandering the cleaning supplies aisle in the grocery store, thinking that if he flew his brother and sister in, it would definitely have to be a surprise, or his father would grouse from here till next year.

  Jed studied the products on the shelves. He’d sounded as if he’d known what he was talking about when he told his father about antibacterial soaps. The truth was, he only knew what he’d heard or what he’d seen in advertisements on TV. The plethora of products was confusing. Would buying one of the mops with the prepackaged, wet refills be better than soap and a bucket and a squeegee?

  “Looking for something special?” a soft voice asked.

  When he turned, he gazed into Brianne’s blue-green eyes and felt his insides lurch. She was dressed in a royal-blue wool jacket with a red knit scarf slung around her neck. Her red leggings matched the scarf, and he bet the outfit cost a bundle because the patch of embroidery on the jacket matched the same patch on the sides of her leggings. Caroline had worn similar designer suits when they’d gone skiing. Yet Brianne’s pretty smile did things to him that Caroline’s never had. On top of that, he’d seen a compassionate, caring side to Brianne he’d never even glimpsed in his ex-wife.

  Moving away from the shelves, he shook his head. “Dad’s house hasn’t been cleaned well in the past few years. I decided to do the job. The truth is I don’t know where to start. He doesn’t like the smell of disinfectants.”

  Stepping forward, Brianne plucked a bottle of orange cleaner from the shelf. “This is a good one.”

  “You know about these things?”

  She didn’t take offense at the surprise in his voice, but simply shrugged. “I didn’t have a maid in college, you know. And since I moved in with Lily, we share the chores. Because of Megan, I know which products are safe and which ones aren’t. Lily’s picky about that.”

  “Then there’s the kitchen floor,” Jed said, putting the cleaner into his cart.

  “Did you say it’s been awhile since it was scrubbed?”

  “A long while.”

  “You probably want a squeegee with a scrubber on the front. Just use a bucket with good old-fashioned detergent. A scrub brush might help for the tough spots. Are you going to do the whole house?”

  “I’m going to try. Dad needs to have a cleaning lady come in, and he’s thinking about that. It’ll be hard, though, because he says he doesn’t want a stranger messing with his things.”

  “Is that so surprising?”

  Jed laughed, realizing Brianne already knew his father fairly well. “I guess not.”

  “It sounds as if you could use help if you want to do this well. You’d be surprised how long it takes to really clean a place.”

  “Are you offering?” With a quick glance, he checked her hands and noted her nails were average length and painted the palest pink. Caroline had spent a couple of hours at the manicurist every week and had made emergency visits when she chipped one.

  “I’d be glad to help. Lily and Megan are visiting her mother tonight. When they’re not home, the house feels big and empty.”

  Jed knew that feeling of emptiness well. After Trisha was gone and Caroline had left, he’d sat in his den many nights listening to the silence. “Are you sure you want to start this tonight?”

  “It’s amazing what we could get done in a few hours.”

  “I’ll let you help under one condition.”

  “What?”

  “You let me take you to a restaurant in Madison for repayment. I saw a French bistro there that’s supposed to be really good.”

&
nbsp; When he’d first spotted it, he’d thought about Brianne and how it was the kind of place she might be used to and like.

  Although she hesitated a few moments, she finally said, “You’ve got a deal. Let’s pick out a few more supplies and we can get started.”

  Standing on the porch while Jed opened the door, Brianne mentally kicked herself. If only Lily and Megan hadn’t gone to Bea’s tonight. If only Brianne hadn’t decided to go grocery shopping. If only the exasperated, lost look on Jed’s face as he’d studied the shelves of cleaning supplies hadn’t urged her to leave loneliness in the Victorian and help him. Putting it all in perspective, she decided she really was just helping Al by cleaning his house.

  When Jed crossed the threshold loaded with cleaning supplies, Brianne could hear Al begin to grumble. Then he saw Brianne. “Well, now. Jed didn’t say you were going to be my cleaning lady. Are you?”

  Setting one of the lighter bags on the chair—the only one Jed would let her carry—she took off her coat. “I told Jed I’d help. We’ll finish twice as fast.”

  “Maybe this isn’t going to be too bad. Where are you going to start?” Al asked, as Jed took his bags into the kitchen and shrugged out of his coat.

  “The kitchen,” Jed called back.

  “The upstairs bathroom,” Brianne said at the same time.

  “I guess you’ll stay out of each other’s hair that way.” Al’s smile was wide.

  “You can supervise,” Brianne offered, knowing Al needed to feel as if he were involved, too. “You can tell me what you don’t want to have disturbed. Is it all right if I air out those throw rugs in the hallway upstairs?” She remembered how well-trodden they’d looked.

  “That’s all right, I guess. Do you think airing them out is better than sweeping them?” Al asked seriously.

  “We can do both. Do you mind if I take down the curtains?”

  “You gonna put ’em back up again?”

  Brianne suppressed a laugh. “Sure. If I get them into the washer quickly, they’ll dry and be ready to iron before I leave.”

  “I doubt if my son’s ever used an iron,” Al confided in a mock whisper.