A Convenient Wife by Carolyn Davidson

Author:Carolyn Davidson
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Silhouette
Published: 2001-03-25T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

Win’s fingers held the stethoscope against Birdie Watkins’s chest and he closed his eyes, determined to listen intently to the sound of a heart beating in an irregular rhythm. And succeeded only in remembering the first time he’d seen Ellie, when he’d pressed the bell just where the swell of her breast began.

Ellie. Her face swam before his closed eyelids and he blinked, erasing the vision.

“What do you think, Doc?” Birdie was peering up at him, her wrinkled cheeks and rheumy eyes giving away the advanced age she attempted to conceal with powder and touches of rouge. She was a dear, and he made no attempt to conceal the affection he felt for her.

“I think you’re pretty spry for a forty-year-old woman, ma’am,” he said dryly, and then waited for her cackle of laughter.

She didn’t disappoint him, her eyes squinting nearly shut as she swatted at his hand. “Never mind the shenanigans, Doc,” she chortled. “You know as well as I do that I’ll never see eighty again.”

“Would you want to?” he asked, grinning at her cheerful countenance. “You’re not in any worse shape than most women your age, Miss Birdie. And a lot better off than a good share of them.”

“Still gettin’ around,” she bragged. “Don’t even use the cane some days.”

“You need to get your feet up, several times a day,” he admonished her. “Elevating them will relieve the swelling. And don’t forget to take your medicine.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Makes me run to the outhouse.”

“That’s the idea,” he said, patting her shoulder.

“Doc?” Birdie looked up at him, her good humor held in abeyance for a moment. “I heard your new wife’s come up missin’. Is that the truth?”

“Bad news travels fast, doesn’t it?” He folded the stethoscope and placed it in its case. “Since night before last,” he admitted.

“She’s a good girl, that Ellie. I knew her ma. Old George’s a hard man, Doc. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had somethin’ to do with it.” Birdie lifted herself from the chair, and grasped her cane with both hands. Her jaw firmed as she met Win’s gaze. “That Jamison woman came back to town, didn’t she?”

Win nodded, then turned aside, unwilling to bare his pain. Marie Jamison had ridden down the road in a buggy only an hour ago, with James not far behind.

“She’s a conniver, that one,” Birdie said. “And that boy of hers ain’t fit for hog slop.”

A grin twisted Win’s mouth as Birdie spewed her opinion. He turned back to face his patient and rested his palm on her narrow shoulder. “We’ll find Ellie,” he said quietly. “I appreciate your concern, Miss Birdie.”

She nodded and turned to the door. Win held it open for her and watched as her grandson lent an arm, helping her from the office and leading her down the path to the road.

Frustration rode him hard, and he slammed his fist against the doorjamb. “Damn.” Folks needed him, and in all good conscience he couldn’t close his office. Yet,

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.