The Doctor Takes a Wife by Laurie Kingery Page B

reticule. “Prissy asked me to give you this for her parents.” She held out a vellum envelope.
    Curious, he opened it, and saw that it was an invitation to an open-house party at the home of the mayor and his wife on New Year’s Day. “A party,” he murmured. “Are you going?”
    â€œOf course. I live right on the grounds now, you know, in that little cottage with Prissy.”
    She’d mentioned her move when she’d been in his office the last time, after her fall. She would have been surprised to know he thought of her every night when he went into the hotel restaurant right across the street from the mayor’s house for his supper. If he had been on better terms with Sarah, he would have called to bring her some little thing as a housewarming present, but he hadn’t thought she’d welcome such a visit.
    â€œGood. I’ll see you there, and I’ll bring your cakedish and cover with me—unless you need them before that?”
    She must have thought it was a dismissal, for she arose and said, “No, at the party will be fine. Good day, Doctor.”
    He couldn’t bear for her to leave so soon, but he had no good reason to keep her here—unless she would allow him to share the concern that had been weighing on his mind. He’d thought about waiting to bring it up till he knew her better, but after Ada’s disturbing visit, he wanted to speak of it now.
    â€œPlease,” he said, rising, too. “If you have a minute, may I discuss something with you?”
    She glanced at him sharply, her eyes wary. Probably she feared he was going to revisit their conversation about why she would not let him court her. He sat back down, and as he was hoping, she sank back into her seat, too.
    â€œI’m worried about the lady who just left, Miss Spencer. How well do you know her? Are you friends?”
    She blinked. “Friends?” She gave a shrug. “I used to think so…I’ve known her for years, and she was a part of the Simpson Creek Spinsters’ Club when it started, but lately…”
    Her voice trailed off, and her eyes looked troubled. He wondered if that meant she knew about the baby.
    â€œWhy do you ask?” Her tone was curious, but not guarded. No, Ada hadn’t told her.
    Here was the tricky part. He wanted to make sure Ada Spencer had friends to help support her, but he didn’t know if she’d told anyone about the baby she claimed to carry. He was no more certain than he hadbeen at Ada’s last visit that she actually was with child, and had been troubled to see that once again she’d come alone, disregarding his request to bring another female with her. And she’d seemed even more brittle, emotionally, when she’d come today than she had before.
    He took a deep breath. “It’s difficult for me to say,” he began, “without violating her confidence…but I will say she seems troubled. I—I’d hoped she had friends to confide in.” He waited to see what she would say.
    She hesitated, but at last she said, “Ada’s been keeping mostly to herself lately. She used to seem as carefree as any of us, but…that all changed after that Englishman came to town—the first man who was killed the day of the Comanche attack, remember?”
    He nodded. Despite all the horrors Nolan had seen in the war, the image of the arrow-riddled, bloody figure slumping on his horse was a sight he’d never forget.
    â€œThey were courting,” Sarah said. “She stopped coming to the Spinsters’ Club meetings once that began. Afterward, we all assumed she was grieving, but then…” Her voice trailed off and she bit her lip, looking away.
    â€œThen?” he prompted.
    â€œForgive me, Doctor…Nolan…I, uh…thought that you—that is, the two of you—were…um…”
    Her face was scarlet now, and he guessed what she had been