A Perfect Homecoming

Not long after that, Ashleigh pulled up in front of Paula’s. “I’m here,” she called out cheerfully when she entered the house.

“I’m still in bed,” Paula groused, her tone of voice cool.

Her sister was sitting up in bed, paperwork spread out around her that appeared to be bills. Her hair was damp and secured with combs away from her face. Her creamy complexion was flushed. She looked at Ashleigh, apparently waiting for her to speak first.

“Did it work out with Emma?” Ashleigh asked.

Paula shrugged unenthusiastically. “I guess so.” She wasn’t about to make this easy, was she? “She just left.”

“What did she make you for lunch?” Ashleigh asked.

“I told her I wasn’t hungry.”

Unacceptable. Lunchtime had come and gone a few hours ago. Keeping her censure to herself, she went to fix Paula some lunch, whether she wanted it or not.

* * *

LESS THAN AN hour later, Ashleigh was entrenched in her former office at the pediatric practice her father opened in the late sixties. She drummed her fingers on the desk as she waited to see her first patient in two years.

She took in the strangely unfamiliar surroundings. This was Stan’s domain now, with his diplomas and awards displayed on the walls. Pictures of his wife and two grown daughters were arranged on the credenza, along with a photo of a black lab with a stick in its mouth.

Stan initially told her he wanted to work part-time after putting in so many grueling hours at his last job. Ashleigh expected to have her work cut out convincing him to return to his hometown, but it hadn’t taken much coaxing after he realized he’d be able to play golf and tennis at the refurbished country club. As soon as they’d settled into their newly renovated farmhouse on ten acres outside of town, his wife had jumped right into the Grand Oaks Garden Club.

How was Linda doing now? Ashleigh could only imagine how worried she must be.

She was reaching for the phone on the desk to call her when a knock sounded at the door. Cammie must be coming to tell her that her first patient was in exam room one. “Come in,” she called out. “I’ll be right—”

It wasn’t Cammie at the door, but Kyle. Her mouth stopped functioning.

He yanked at the collar of his button-down shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to the elbows, and her gaze was drawn to his forearms. The instantaneous memory of running her hands down his arms to entwine her fingers with his had her blood heating to a rapid boil.

“I saw your car parked outside and figured you’d heard about Stan.” His voice was both solemn and sexy.

She nodded hesitantly and recovered her voice. “How is he?”

Kyle filled her in on Stan’s condition, ending with, “He’s scheduled for a triple bypass tomorrow.”

Ashleigh did the recovery calculation in her head. “So he won’t be able to come back to work anytime soon.”

“That’s if everything goes smoothly.”

There was an uncomfortable silence until Kyle finally spoke. “Stan put his own stamp on this office, didn’t he?” He gestured to the mementos spread around the space.

“I remember coming here as a little girl when it was my dad’s office.” Her throat thickened with emotion. “He had that huge oak desk that had been passed down from his grandfather. The one I used to use.” She’d put it in storage when she moved away from Grand Oaks.

“He would set me right here.” She motioned to the area on the desk in front of her. “And he would point his finger at me and say, ‘You can be anything you want to be. Just because I chose medicine doesn’t mean you have to.’ Then he’d wink and say, ‘But it sure would be nice to work next to you.’” Then he would pull a lollipop from the desk drawer and hand it to her.

“He was a great guy,” Kyle said with a sad smile. “It’s too bad the two of you didn’t get to live out his dream for longer than that one year.”

A cloud of melancholy blanketed her as the memories of her now-deceased father bombarded her. “He used to tell me how, back when he first opened the practice, people would pay him in chickens and vegetables or even cigarettes when money was scarce. Especially the families who had someone serving in Vietnam, leaving the women to deal with everyday life at home, including their sick children.”

“Those must have been tough times,” Kyle said.

Ashleigh nodded. “My dad would make house calls back then. Not only to those with sick children, but he regularly visited homes where food was scarce. He’d bring them the food other patients had paid him in, saying he couldn’t use all of it before it would spoil.”

Kyle spoke gently. “I always considered him as much a mentor as a father-in-law.”

Ashleigh missed her father so much, but he would have been extremely disappointed in her. He wouldn’t have liked knowing she’d left town when her marriage failed, abandoning the practice he’d built.

Kyle walked over to the credenza under the window to look at Stan’s framed photos. He finally broke the silence with a change of subject. “Stan won’t be able to work for a while. Do you have anyone to help out with the practice?”

Ashleigh related her plan to fill in until Samantha arrived.

“What about Paula? You can’t be two places at once.”

“I’ve got someone coming in to help while I’m here. Paula’s not happy about it, but I’ve given her no choice.” Paula’s compassion for Stan was the only reason she gave in about hiring help.

“She understands, though, right?”

Ashleigh met his dark blue questioning gaze. “I guess so. Not that she’s pleased about it.” She stood and shoved the wheeled desk chair back into the bookshelves. Blood rushed in her ears. “Can’t blame her, though. First, she didn’t want me here, and I tell her that I’m here whether she likes it or not. Then I say I’m sorry but I have to help out somewhere else and, oh, by the way, here’s a stranger I hired to take care of you.”

She knew her voice was getting louder and louder, but she couldn’t help herself.

“It’s not like you’re responsible for Stan’s heart attack.”

Ashleigh turned away, crossing her arms over her chest. “I’m not sure that’s a true statement.”

“Ashleigh?”

She didn’t say anything. The guilt was eating her up. Stan wasn’t well this morning. Why hadn’t she suggested he see a doctor right then and there?

She spun in Kyle’s direction, changing the subject before she blurted out the truth.

“Anyway, Kyle, I’m not sure why you care so much about what’s happening with me and this practice. You’re the one who told me to go home last night!” Ashleigh came around the desk until she was a few feet from him. She lowered her voice to an angry whisper. “‘You’re not needed here,’ you said. Well, if I took your advice, then I’d never have a chance of repairing my relationship with my sister. Or maybe that’s what you’re hoping. As long as Paula and I are estranged, then I won’t be back to visit and you won’t have to risk running into me.”

His jaw dropped open and he quickly snapped it shut.

A knock sounded on the door and Cammie stuck her head in. “Your first patient is waiting in exam room one.” She was gone as quickly as she’d appeared.

Kyle didn’t say a word. Said nothing to contradict Ashleigh’s statement. He merely left the office and never looked back to see the hurt that had to have been apparent on Ashleigh’s face.

CHAPTER FIVE

PAULA GLOWERED AT KYLE as he removed the blood pressure cuff from her arm a little while later. She waited until after the distinctive ripping sound of Velcro to hiss, “Of course my blood pressure is going to be high. It’s not like I’m living a stress-free life here.”

“Get over it,” he mumbled. He was sick of having his mettle sorely tested. His patience was growing thin. “You love the attention.” He spoke more gently, knowing Paula wasn’t to blame for either her predicament or his own. “You know we’re all concerned about you.” He returned the equipment to his medical bag. Keeping his gaze averted, he confessed, “That’s not the only reason I stopped by.”

“Go on,” she said.