In a Doctor's Arms

by Lisa Mondello

  “It could be a good solution. That is, if you’re really sure,” she said.

  “I’m sure. And if you end up hating it there, you can always explore some other possibility. But at least this way you have an affordable option.”

  An affordable housing option was important. But there were other things Teresa wanted to explore, too, such as Dennis and the way he made her feel. She’d worked with men in the past. It had never been a problem. In fact, Teresa found that a good working relationship many times meant gaining a friend like she had in working with Spencer. But this was different. Teresa could already see Dennis affected her in a way she hadn’t felt with any of her other colleagues, even when he was being practical and professional.

  There was something warm and safe about Dennis. It wasn’t just that she enjoyed his company. Something about him settled her to the core, grounding her. He seemed so solid, and in her life there had been men who were anything but.

  Her mother’s three marriages during the span of Teresa’s youth had made her believe that lasting love was something that only existed in fairy tales. The men Teresa had known had always been nice, treated her well and then something would end it. Teresa knew that the problems usually stemmed from her reluctance to let someone in. During college, it was easier to push herself into her studies than to give any of the men she’d met there serious attention. As an adult, it was work and the kids that drove Teresa. She couldn’t exactly blame any of the men she’d known for leaving when she’d given them every indication that her heart wasn’t in the relationship.

  And now there was Dennis. Did she really want to be in such close contact with a man who seemed to occupy her thoughts so frequently? “Thank you.”

  “After you’re finished with Benny, I’ll take you out to the house and show you around,” he said. “I don’t have anything else on my schedule today other than paperwork.”

  As she walked out of Dennis’s office, a wave of panic hit her square in her chest, choking the air out of her. Was she really ready to meet Benny again? And what about this move to the cottage at Dennis’s place?

  Both moves seemed too close for comfort. Yet Teresa knew she couldn’t continue to run from everything that sent her heart into a panic.

  The only thing Teresa knew for sure was that she’d been running for a long time. Right now her feet were pointed in a direction that scared her. But her feet were still moving forward. That had to be a good thing.

  Chapter Five

  “Don’t look at me that way, Dennis,” Karen said. His sister was standing in the doorway of his office, her arms crossed in front of her. Benny was still in his session with Teresa, and he was sure the wait was eating at Karen.

  “What way?”

  “I know you too well. You’ve got something to say, and you don’t know how to say it.”

  “Come in and have a seat.”

  Karen’s face registered steep panic as she quickly sat in the seat opposite his desk. “What is it? Is there something wrong with Benny? I thought you said he was going to be fine.”

  He dispelled her panic with the wave of his hand. “No, Benny’s a strong kid. He’s going to be fine, physically.”

  Realization dawned in her eyes. “You mean emotionally. But isn’t that why he’s meeting with Teresa, so she can help?”

  He nodded. Dennis couldn’t deny that he’d been preoccupied with Benny and what his sister had termed the boy’s distance ever since he’d arrived back from Iraq. He respected both Karen’s and Frank’s privacy where their marriage was concerned. But now Benny was in his clinic and a patient under the clinic’s care.

  “I can’t deny that I was thrilled Teresa agreed to help Benny. But she can’t do it alone.”

  “I know that,” Karen agreed.

  “You know I don’t want to pry, but I can’t help but think there is something else going on that is adding to Benny’s distress.”

  Karen’s posture stiffened. “You mean at home with Frank and me?”

  Dennis sighed. His sister was a private woman. Although they’d always been close, there was a boundary they never crossed. He’d just taken his first step over that invisible line.

  “If there is anything you can tell me to share with Teresa about what might be going on at home, either with you and Benny, Frank and Benny or anything else, I think you should do it now. It may help.”

  Tears welled up in Karen’s eyes, and it was hard for Dennis not to jump out of his chair and try to ease his sister’s suffering.

  “There’s so much talk, Dennis. You know how Stockington Falls is.”

  “Teresa’s a professional. You don’t even have to confide in me about whatever it is, Karen, if you’d rather wait until Benny is done and tell Teresa directly. Of course, you know I’m here if you do want to tell me anything. I’ll leave that up to you. But Teresa should know.”

  Karen shrugged. “If there is anything to tell, you mean.”

  “Yes.”

  Karen looked away and fiddled nervously with her hands in her lap. Then she turned to him, her voice almost a whisper. “You know Frank hates talk.”

  Dennis fought to keep hidden the surge of anger that gripped him. “This isn’t about Frank right now. It’s about helping Benny. And the only reason people here will talk is because they care.”

  She sputtered. “Do you really believe that?”

  “You and I have known the people of Stockington Falls our whole lives. It’s not just a place to live. It’s family. That’s why I came back.”

  “Frank thinks…”

  “What?”

  “He thinks you want to rub in his face that he’s not doing as well as you are. That’s why he never goes out to your house with me.”

  “That’s his insecurity about the layoff and having to take a job he’s not happy with taking.”

  “I told him you gave up a lot to be here in Stockington Falls with us and that you don’t make as much money at the clinic as you could have if you’d stayed in Boston.”

  “Money has never been what drove me, Karen. You know that.”

  “Yeah. I know how unhappy you were to be so far away from Stockington Falls. That’s why I was thrilled you came home and decided to stay here after your tour in Iraq. I missed you.”

  Emotion choked him. “Me, too, sis. Just think about it, okay? I’m not going to let up on this. I love you all and want to see you, Frank and Benny get back to where you need to be. Happy again.”

  That earned him a smile from his sister. He’d gotten through the tough part of the conversation. The rest—actually following through with talking to Teresa—was up to Karen.

  “So that takes care of my happiness,” Karen said. “What about yours?”

  “What about mine?”

  Karen rolled her eyes. “You haven’t so much as smiled at another woman since Donna left. But I’ve seen the way you look at Teresa. You like her.”

  “What’s not to like?”

  “You’re evading the issue.”

  “I didn’t realize there was an issue.”

  “She said she’s not staying in Stockington Falls. She’s only going to be here long enough to help Benny. Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful for anything she can do. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Dennis didn’t relish the idea of repeating the pain of a past breakup. And if it were any other time, yeah, he could see trying to pursue a relationship with Teresa. But there were more important things he needed to focus on right now.

  “Let’s just worry about Benny right now.” He didn’t want his sister worrying any more than she had to. It would be up to Dennis to worry about his growing feelings for Teresa and what, if anything, he’d do when she ultimately left Stockington Falls.

  As she’d expected, Benny’s session was uneventful. He’d stared at the ceiling, the window and the empty bookshelf behind Teresa’s desk rather than confront his feelings. Every once in a while she was rewarded with a short answer or, more often, a shrug of
his shoulder. He was moving a little easier, which meant his body was healing, which was good.

  They had a lot of work ahead to help him with his frame of mind, and she was glad when the session was over, if only to clear her head.

  In truth, she hadn’t expected much with this visit. Most kids copped an attitude instead of opening up to a stranger. It took time to earn trust, and since Teresa had agreed to sign on for this job, she was going to have to give Benny the time he needed to learn to trust her.

  She knew very little about Benny. Even the small amount of information Karen had given her on the phone made Benny seem like a generic kid. What she knew about him could apply to any kid in America. She needed more, and she only hoped that through seeing him interact with others, perhaps his peers, she’d get a better feel for the real Benny. Dennis had mentioned he loved basketball and played at the church community center. She’d have to ask what the protocol was for her to make a visit there. The last thing she wanted to do was intrude on a place teens thought of as a sanctuary.

  But she was overthinking. Stockington Falls wasn’t Hartford. The kids who went to the church community center didn’t necessarily go there as a means of escape, like many of the kids she’d met in Hartford. They may just be there to enjoy good, clean fun.

  It didn’t take long for her to clean up her work area, such as it was. There wasn’t much in the way of paperwork because it was her first official day.

  Once back at the condo at the resort, it didn’t take long for Teresa to gather her things and pay her final bill. Vanessa stopped her as she was halfway out the door with her bags, pouting.

  “So you’re already leaving me?” she asked.

  Teresa stopped to talk to her friend and offered up a friendly smile. “I’m not leaving you. I’m just moving across town. We talked about this.”

  “Of course, but I didn’t think you were serious. I certainly didn’t think you’d be leaving today. Where did you end up finding a place on such short notice?”

  Teresa smirked. Vanessa was going to make more of this than it really was, but she couldn’t keep it from her. “Dennis offered me the guesthouse on his property.”

  Vanessa raised one eyebrow with interest. “Oh, really? Do tell me more.”

  With a chuckle, Teresa said, “There’s nothing to tell. I mentioned needing to find an apartment, and his cottage was empty. End of story.”

  “You’re no fun.”

  “So you keep reminding me.”

  “Well, at least I’m not losing you completely. Have lunch here at the resort later in the week?”

  Teresa dropped her bags and gave Vanessa a warm squeeze. “Sure thing. I’ll give you a call tomorrow, and we can make plans.”

  In the end, leaving the resort felt a little bittersweet. It wasn’t home and she’d never thought of it that way, but she had enjoyed her time there. The atmosphere, while sometimes hectic, was also relaxing.

  She met Dennis at the clinic, and they drove the distance to his house on the other side of the town. The winding mountain road was dotted with the open fields of farmland, old red barns that were shut tight for the winter and silos. They passed over another covered bridge that was much shorter and not as spectacular as Abbey Bridge but still pretty with the snow-covered roof and thick wood beams.

  Dennis pulled into the long driveway of a colonial two-story home that was mostly hidden from the road by maple trees and pines. It looked like an old New England farmhouse like you’d see on a calendar or in a postcard. Teresa pulled in behind him and parked her sedan in the parking space out back between the main house and the small cottage with two large sliding glass doors and a wide deck overlooking the open backyard.

  Fresh snow that hadn’t been trampled on covered the yard like a clean blanket, broken only by the path that had been cleared from the house to the parking area, as well as the much shorter path to the cottage.

  Dennis got out of the car and slammed his door. “Here it is. Home sweet home.”

  Teresa grabbed her purse and one of her bags from the backseat. “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “Thanks. My parents’ home, the one Karen and I grew up in, is just up the street. They have a condo in Florida and spend their winters there. They won’t be back for a few months.” Teresa nodded.

  Dennis angled his body and pointed through a patch of pine trees. “The Shepherd Hill Bed and Breakfast is right next door. You can just see it through the trees. So if you get sick of me you can always run over there.”

  She laughed. “I’m sure I’ll be fine here.”

  He smiled, reached in and grabbed her last bag from the backseat of the car. “Come on, I’ll show you around.”

  She followed him up two steps of the cottage’s deck and to the first door, which he quickly opened with the key.

  “You’ll get a lot of sun during the day. These windows make the cottage passive solar. So you may want to shut the curtains if it ever gets too hot with the stove going.”

  “Okay.”

  “The cottage used to be an old barn that I had converted when I came home from Iraq. Having lived here most of my life, I knew the previous owners and mentioned that I’d be interested in buying this place if they ever wanted to sell. They were nice enough to hold the place until I got out of the army.”

  “Well, you can’t beat the locations, especially since it’s right up the street from family.”

  As she walked through the windowed door, Teresa was immediately taken aback. Although it wasn’t as lavish as the condo she had at the resort, the cottage was indeed newly renovated and beautifully decorated, with colorful throw pillows and linens contrasting with old Vermont relics and black-and-white pictures hanging on the wall of covered bridges and waterfalls from Stockington Falls.

  Teresa’s eyes were drawn to the cathedral ceiling, planked with knotty yellow pine and the railing draped with an old quilt that hid what she guessed was a sleeping loft. In the far corner, a compact kitchenette sat next to the narrow wrought-iron spiral staircase that led upstairs. To the right of the stairway was a small potbelly stove and a few stacks of wood waiting to churn out heat.

  For all its compact size, the guesthouse was warm and incredibly inviting—just the kind of place where she could sort out all the things clouding her head.

  “I thought you said it was one room,” Teresa said, still marveling at the charm of the cottage.

  “No walls. You could hardly call upstairs a bedroom. It’s more of a loft.”

  “It’s wonderful.”

  He chuckled, clearly pleased she liked the place.

  She glanced at him. “Are you making fun of me, Dennis?”

  “Would I do that?” He gave her a mischievous grin.

  “Yeah, you would.” She laughed, too, enjoying his lighthearted teasing.

  “See, you already know me well. Let me get this stove going so you won’t freeze to death tonight,” he said. “Luckily, the place is small, so it heats up fast.”

  Dennis moved to the stove, adding logs and kindling to get the fire going. After a few tries with a match, he closed the door and played with the damper until she could feel heat coming from the stove.

  This was a different, more relaxed Dennis than she’d seen in the past few days since the accident. She liked seeing him this way. The sound of his boots on the wide-planked flooring and the way he busied himself with his task made him look right at home.

  She liked Dennis Harrington. She had from the start. But she’d have to find a way to keep some distance between the two of them. There was no way she was ready—mentally or emotionally—for a romantic relationship. And Dennis was such a good man that he deserved to find someone who wasn’t such a mess, someone who had come to Stockington Falls to stay, not just to hide from the “real” world.

  When he was done, Dennis turned to her. “I’m afraid there isn’t much in the way of supplies here in the cottage.”

  “No problem. I don’t expect you to stock me up. Is the Groce
ry Mart in town the only store to get supplies around here?”

  He made a face. “You’ll pay an arm and a leg there for a loaf of bread. It caters mostly to the tourists. The nearest real grocery store is about thirty minutes away.”

  “Oh.”

  Her stomach was empty, and she was sure it’d be protesting loudly in a little while if she didn’t get something in it soon.

  “I guess it’s takeout then. I don’t suppose you have any pizza places that deliver out here?” She wasn’t used to the long country roads and traveling distances to get simple items. The thought of driving an hour round-trip and unpacking groceries tonight wasn’t too appealing.

  “’Fraid not.” He hesitated a second. “Why don’t you have dinner with me tonight?”

  “Aren’t you sick of me yet?”

  “Never.”

  “You say that now, but wait until I’m underfoot all day and encroach on all your quiet here.”

  “I told you earlier. It’s a little too quiet here sometimes. Besides, I like the company.”

  “It’s kind of you, but I haven’t even unpacked yet.”

  “There’s time enough for that. Besides, your cupboards are empty. Mine are full of food—well, not full but there’s at least enough to pull together a dinner.”

  She thought back to the little lunch she’d had earlier with Vanessa at the diner. If she was going to be stubborn, it meant she was going to go hungry or be forced to drive back to town to pick something up. She didn’t have the energy for that.

  “I hadn’t thought of how long it would take me to do errands out here. Okay, you win but only because I’m starving. Give me a few minutes to freshen up, and I’ll be happy to join you.”

  Dennis’s smile touched his eyes and just about bowled her over. Teresa was feeling the effects of it long after he turned and walked toward the house, leaving her to watch him amble down the cleared path he’d shoveled.