least once a month.
Harold had almost missed the delivery, because they’d had a whopping
fight and he’d taken off to Ted’s Tavern and gotten drunk. Cabs took a
while to get from Atlanta to Sugar Hill.
“Maybe I’ll just find someone else.” Her tears dried, her eyes glinting
with what he knew could be trouble. He moved aside to escape her
clutches when a knock sounded at the door. Thankfully Hannah poked her
head in and he slid from Dorothy’s desperate grip.
“I…I was just leaving, Dr. Hartwell.” Dorothy pulled herself together
as Hannah and Mimi appeared in the doorway.
“Take care of that little one. I’ll see you next year.” At least, he
hoped she wouldn’t be back before her yearly exam. By then he would be gone.
Hannah raised a curious eyebrow, and Mimi giggled, “Got your hands
full?” Hannah asked.
“You could say that. Did someone spray pheromones in the air?”
Mimi laughed. “Now, there’s a thought.”
“Do you have a minute?” Hannah asked.
He nodded, although he’d planned to spend the next few minutes racking
his brain on some way to approach Rebecca about her father.
“When I moved into the practice,” Hannah said, “I didn’t have time to
finish all the renovations. The exam rooms really need painting.”
“I can’t argue with you there.”
“Mimi and I were talking, and she had a wonderful idea.”
He glanced at Mimi and the sleeping baby in her arms and smiled.
Motherhood hadn’t tamed the feisty redhead at all. In fact, she still
wore gutsy clothes and kept the town talking, but Mimi was impossible
not to like. “I’m all ears.”
“I think you should have some pretty murals painted on the walls.
Something calming to help patients relax.”
He nodded. “You know someone who does that kind of work?”
“Yes, I do. She painted the sweetest mural of dancing teddy bears on the
playroom wall for Maggie Rose.”
“She would be perfect,” Hannah said.
“All right, you sold me. I hope she’s local.”
“As a matter of fact she is,” Mimi said excitedly. “It’s our cousin
Rebecca.”
Thomas coughed. “Rebecca’s an artist?”
Mimi looked pleased with herself. “Yep.”
“She paints beautiful landscapes,” Hannah said.
“We think you should ask her,” Mimi added with a devilish glint in her eyes.
“You do?” Suspicion snaked in. “Why?”
“Because we’re related, and she never believes us when we brag about how
talented she is,” Mimi said. “But if someone else does, she might
believe it.”
He frowned, then wondered why he was even hesitating. This would be the
perfect opportunity for him to get to know Rebecca better, to probe her
about her father without being obvious about his intentions.
He’d be crazy not to jump at the chance they’d offered.
Maybe if she saw him at work, she’d realize he was basically a nice guy,
not some temperamental jerk, and give him a good recommendation to her
father.
Still, he’d have to walk a fine line. He couldn’t become too involved
with her. Friends, that’s all they would be.
“All right,” he agreed. “Maybe I’ll run over to the bookstore at lunch
and ask her.”
“Great.” Mimi lowered her voice. “Oh, but act like it was your idea. We
don’t want her to think we’re interfering with her business.”
“No,” Hannah agreed. “We wouldn’t want her to think that.”
He nodded, although he wasn’t quite sure they weren’t interfering. But
he had bigger things to worry about.
Like how Rebecca would react to his request. That is, if she didn’t run
the other way the minute she saw him.
Haunted by the erotic words and images of her grandmother’s poetry,
Rebecca found herself meandering over to the small erotica section she
housed in the far back corner and searching the titles and authors to
see if her grandmother had contributed to any other selections. An
artistic cover drew her eye, the
Harold had almost missed the delivery, because they’d had a whopping
fight and he’d taken off to Ted’s Tavern and gotten drunk. Cabs took a
while to get from Atlanta to Sugar Hill.
“Maybe I’ll just find someone else.” Her tears dried, her eyes glinting
with what he knew could be trouble. He moved aside to escape her
clutches when a knock sounded at the door. Thankfully Hannah poked her
head in and he slid from Dorothy’s desperate grip.
“I…I was just leaving, Dr. Hartwell.” Dorothy pulled herself together
as Hannah and Mimi appeared in the doorway.
“Take care of that little one. I’ll see you next year.” At least, he
hoped she wouldn’t be back before her yearly exam. By then he would be gone.
Hannah raised a curious eyebrow, and Mimi giggled, “Got your hands
full?” Hannah asked.
“You could say that. Did someone spray pheromones in the air?”
Mimi laughed. “Now, there’s a thought.”
“Do you have a minute?” Hannah asked.
He nodded, although he’d planned to spend the next few minutes racking
his brain on some way to approach Rebecca about her father.
“When I moved into the practice,” Hannah said, “I didn’t have time to
finish all the renovations. The exam rooms really need painting.”
“I can’t argue with you there.”
“Mimi and I were talking, and she had a wonderful idea.”
He glanced at Mimi and the sleeping baby in her arms and smiled.
Motherhood hadn’t tamed the feisty redhead at all. In fact, she still
wore gutsy clothes and kept the town talking, but Mimi was impossible
not to like. “I’m all ears.”
“I think you should have some pretty murals painted on the walls.
Something calming to help patients relax.”
He nodded. “You know someone who does that kind of work?”
“Yes, I do. She painted the sweetest mural of dancing teddy bears on the
playroom wall for Maggie Rose.”
“She would be perfect,” Hannah said.
“All right, you sold me. I hope she’s local.”
“As a matter of fact she is,” Mimi said excitedly. “It’s our cousin
Rebecca.”
Thomas coughed. “Rebecca’s an artist?”
Mimi looked pleased with herself. “Yep.”
“She paints beautiful landscapes,” Hannah said.
“We think you should ask her,” Mimi added with a devilish glint in her eyes.
“You do?” Suspicion snaked in. “Why?”
“Because we’re related, and she never believes us when we brag about how
talented she is,” Mimi said. “But if someone else does, she might
believe it.”
He frowned, then wondered why he was even hesitating. This would be the
perfect opportunity for him to get to know Rebecca better, to probe her
about her father without being obvious about his intentions.
He’d be crazy not to jump at the chance they’d offered.
Maybe if she saw him at work, she’d realize he was basically a nice guy,
not some temperamental jerk, and give him a good recommendation to her
father.
Still, he’d have to walk a fine line. He couldn’t become too involved
with her. Friends, that’s all they would be.
“All right,” he agreed. “Maybe I’ll run over to the bookstore at lunch
and ask her.”
“Great.” Mimi lowered her voice. “Oh, but act like it was your idea. We
don’t want her to think we’re interfering with her business.”
“No,” Hannah agreed. “We wouldn’t want her to think that.”
He nodded, although he wasn’t quite sure they weren’t interfering. But
he had bigger things to worry about.
Like how Rebecca would react to his request. That is, if she didn’t run
the other way the minute she saw him.
Haunted by the erotic words and images of her grandmother’s poetry,
Rebecca found herself meandering over to the small erotica section she
housed in the far back corner and searching the titles and authors to
see if her grandmother had contributed to any other selections. An
artistic cover drew her eye, the
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