Union.”
“Tennessee’s a Southern state! They joined the Confederacy.”
Joshua shrugged. “They were the last to secede and the first to be readmitted. One county furnished more federal soldiers than it had voters. To make a long story short, the Mention Marlowes sided with the Union, and the Bodewell Marlowes are descended from the brother who fought for the South.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Dead serious … even though no one’s killed anyone since about 1936, when Harlan Marlowe shot James Marlowe in a driveway dispute. Ah, here we are!”
By the time she came to the end of a narrow dirt driveway and found the house which was hidden by a screen of trees, Victoria still hadn’t decided if he was teasing her. Bracing herself, Victoria murmured, “This doesn’t look so bad.”
Clothes hung limply on a line stretched between two wooden posts. The barren brown rows of a played-out garden were a small distance away from the clothes, and a shed nearby looked ready to fall over at the gentle push of one finger. Both the shed and the house were sided with roof shingles.
Victoria killed the engine and took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”
“You go. I’ll wait out here and catch twenty winks.”
Turning on him, Victoria ordered, “Think again, Joshua Logan. You just spent close to half an hour convincing me that these women are going to be suspiciousof me no matter what I do. You were born on the mountain, and that ought to count for something. So you get out of this truck and come with me. Having you along might even get my foot in the door.”
When he hesitated, Victoria noticed the dread in his expression. What on earth did he have to be apprehensive about? “Joshua, it’s just a visit. Help me do what I came to Tennessee to do. These women need me, or someone like me.” She touched his arm, gently resting her hand until he could feel the weight of it. “And I need this practice. It’s all I have.”
“I’ll knock,” he finally agreed, wishing he hadn’t helped her unload her damn truck when she moved in. Regardless of where she grew up or came from, he knew she was telling the truth about the practice. He pulled the door handle and got out. Resting a forearm against the roof of the truck, he leaned back in and told her bluntly, “But I don’t shake hands, and I wait on the porch. Understood?”
Stunned, Victoria realized that Joshua was serious. This wasn’t simply a male aversion to being stuck in a room full of baby talk. Something about these visits spooked him. Genuinely spooked him. Grateful for his help under the circumstances, Victoria smiled and said, “All right. Let me get my things.”
Quickly, Victoria got out and retrieved her medical bag and Naomi’s file from the cardboard box on the backseat. By the time she returned her attention to Joshua, he stood at the edge of the porch, hands on his hips.
“Hello!” he shouted, and when the front door opened he climbed the steps.
Victoria walked up beside him, surprised at the tension she could feel in the air. She wondered if it was coming from the woman or from Joshua. Calmly, she caught and held the wary gaze of the blonde behind the screen door as she asked, “Naomi Marlowe?”
“What do you want? I haven’t got the money to buy anything.”
“Only a flatlander fool would come hell and gone up this mountain to sell you somethin’,” he told her.
Victoria’s eyes widened at Joshua’s curt response and the subtle change in his speech. His voice had always been rich and strong, but now had an edge to it that proclaimed him a native son. The woman they’d come to see noticed it too and gave the duo on the porch a little more respect when he made introductions.
“I’m Joshua Logan, and this is Victoria Bennett. She’s an associate of Dr. Grenwald’s.”
“I paid my bill,” Naomi told them, and started to close the wooden door.
“It’s not about that, Naomi,” Victoria told her quickly. The
“Tennessee’s a Southern state! They joined the Confederacy.”
Joshua shrugged. “They were the last to secede and the first to be readmitted. One county furnished more federal soldiers than it had voters. To make a long story short, the Mention Marlowes sided with the Union, and the Bodewell Marlowes are descended from the brother who fought for the South.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Dead serious … even though no one’s killed anyone since about 1936, when Harlan Marlowe shot James Marlowe in a driveway dispute. Ah, here we are!”
By the time she came to the end of a narrow dirt driveway and found the house which was hidden by a screen of trees, Victoria still hadn’t decided if he was teasing her. Bracing herself, Victoria murmured, “This doesn’t look so bad.”
Clothes hung limply on a line stretched between two wooden posts. The barren brown rows of a played-out garden were a small distance away from the clothes, and a shed nearby looked ready to fall over at the gentle push of one finger. Both the shed and the house were sided with roof shingles.
Victoria killed the engine and took a deep breath. “Okay, let’s go.”
“You go. I’ll wait out here and catch twenty winks.”
Turning on him, Victoria ordered, “Think again, Joshua Logan. You just spent close to half an hour convincing me that these women are going to be suspiciousof me no matter what I do. You were born on the mountain, and that ought to count for something. So you get out of this truck and come with me. Having you along might even get my foot in the door.”
When he hesitated, Victoria noticed the dread in his expression. What on earth did he have to be apprehensive about? “Joshua, it’s just a visit. Help me do what I came to Tennessee to do. These women need me, or someone like me.” She touched his arm, gently resting her hand until he could feel the weight of it. “And I need this practice. It’s all I have.”
“I’ll knock,” he finally agreed, wishing he hadn’t helped her unload her damn truck when she moved in. Regardless of where she grew up or came from, he knew she was telling the truth about the practice. He pulled the door handle and got out. Resting a forearm against the roof of the truck, he leaned back in and told her bluntly, “But I don’t shake hands, and I wait on the porch. Understood?”
Stunned, Victoria realized that Joshua was serious. This wasn’t simply a male aversion to being stuck in a room full of baby talk. Something about these visits spooked him. Genuinely spooked him. Grateful for his help under the circumstances, Victoria smiled and said, “All right. Let me get my things.”
Quickly, Victoria got out and retrieved her medical bag and Naomi’s file from the cardboard box on the backseat. By the time she returned her attention to Joshua, he stood at the edge of the porch, hands on his hips.
“Hello!” he shouted, and when the front door opened he climbed the steps.
Victoria walked up beside him, surprised at the tension she could feel in the air. She wondered if it was coming from the woman or from Joshua. Calmly, she caught and held the wary gaze of the blonde behind the screen door as she asked, “Naomi Marlowe?”
“What do you want? I haven’t got the money to buy anything.”
“Only a flatlander fool would come hell and gone up this mountain to sell you somethin’,” he told her.
Victoria’s eyes widened at Joshua’s curt response and the subtle change in his speech. His voice had always been rich and strong, but now had an edge to it that proclaimed him a native son. The woman they’d come to see noticed it too and gave the duo on the porch a little more respect when he made introductions.
“I’m Joshua Logan, and this is Victoria Bennett. She’s an associate of Dr. Grenwald’s.”
“I paid my bill,” Naomi told them, and started to close the wooden door.
“It’s not about that, Naomi,” Victoria told her quickly. The
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