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A Mummy For His Daughter
Amy Ruttan
She’s never had a chance at a family…Can happiness be found where she least expects it?Dr Evelyn Saunders has left her orphan past behind, along with the cold Alaskan climes of Wolf’s Harbour. But an unexpected posting back home brings her up close and personal with single dad GP Derek Taylor. Neither is looking for love, but can this doting dad and his little girl bring Evelyn the happy family she’s longed for?
She’s never had a chance at a family...
But could happiness be found where she least expected?
Dr. Evelyn Saunders left her orphan past behind, along with the cold Alaskan climes of Wolf’s Harbor. But an unexpected posting back home brings her up close and personal with single dad GP Derek Taylor. Neither are looking for love, but could this doting dad and his little girl bring Evelyn the happy family she’s longed for?
Born and raised just outside Toronto, Ontario, AMY RUTTAN fled the big city to settle down with the country boy of her dreams. After the birth of her second child Amy was lucky enough to realise her lifelong dream of becoming a romance author. When she’s not furiously typing away at her computer she’s mum to three wonderful children who use her as a personal taxi and chef.
Also by Amy Ruttan (#u54aba5a7-e943-5502-8627-3ee1a799124b)
Perfect Rivals…
Tempting Nashville’s Celebrity Doc
Unwrapped by the Duke
Alejandro’s Sexy Secret
His Pregnant Royal Bride
Convenient Marriage, Surprise Twins
Navy Doc on Her Christmas List
The Surgeon King’s Secret Baby
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
A Mummy for His Daughter
Amy Ruttan
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07500-8
A MUMMY FOR HIS DAUGHTER
В© 2018 Amy Ruttan
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
This book is dedicated to everyone who has been lost and has found their way home.
Contents
Cover (#u6b7b4ef3-66e7-59de-8ffc-c641cb9c2492)
Back Cover Text (#u0e96a7d3-15b5-5cf0-a030-23b6a99a91b3)
About the Author (#u1ffe4136-d2ab-504b-b44e-33a4a64ca122)
Booklist (#udec1758e-59f0-57dc-a353-2b346ef9d70a)
Title Page (#u3f0b9252-9855-54f0-9c32-9fec9db81db2)
Copyright (#u647cb751-8258-55a3-9cf3-6a555697e93e)
Dedication (#u0507c47c-6007-543b-a752-c07b6780d15e)
CHAPTER ONE (#u20493a9a-a45f-5c4b-bf6c-f52d25a333fe)
CHAPTER TWO (#u0340da91-7983-5723-a5f7-68159e4143ad)
CHAPTER THREE (#u4e07cba5-b5c8-5bba-a8f1-7fa5e990782d)
CHAPTER FOUR (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER FIVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SIX (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER SEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER EIGHT (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER NINE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ELEVEN (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER TWELVE (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER THIRTEEN (#litres_trial_promo)
EPILOGUE (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
CHAPTER ONE (#u54aba5a7-e943-5502-8627-3ee1a799124b)
I HATE FLYING. I hate flying.
Evelyn closed her eyes and gripped the armrests tighter as the Cessna C207 Skycraft she was flying in was jostled by turbulence. And being in a small plane that only seated seven people meant that the turbulence really rattled her around, making her stomach twist and knot in apprehension.
Although it wasn’t just the turbulence that was doing that to her.
She’d thought in the twenty years since she’d been here that her hometown might have built a road from Sitka to Wolf’s Harbor, but no.
Nothing seemed to have changed. Wolf’s Harbor was still relying on the service of bush pilots and a small airport and harbor to service the larger hub of Sitka. Although there was a ferry service to Juneau, it took three hours to drive to the ferry terminal and another four hours to cross the channel. That was if the ferry was running. The fastest way was still by air.
Evelyn would have preferred a boat excursion from Sitka to Wolf’s Harbor, but there were no vessels departing on the eight-hour journey from Sitka through Cross Sound and into the small inlet of Wolf’s Harbor. The Cessna had been her only option.
She didn’t like airplanes, even though she was used to flying. Her grandmother had loved taking trips all over the world, but even though air travel was second nature to her she didn’t like it any better.
The plane rocked again but the other people who were on the same flight didn’t pay any attention to it. They were calm and just rocking with the turbulence as if it was nothing. Of course they were probably used to it.
Evelyn was not. She was used to first class. She wasn’t used to a bush plane way of life, nor to this level of turbulence where the pilot would probably have to crab land on the Tarmac because of the wind shear.
The first time she’d flown on a Cessna had been when she’d left Wolf’s Harbor—or rather when she’d been taken from Wolf’s Harbor.
She’d never got to go back.
Of course she’d been only ten when she’d gone to live in Boston. Her father had been killed by a runaway logging truck when he’d gone out one evening. Her mother—who’d died when Evelyn was four—had been Tlingit, and her maternal grandmother and uncle had lived in Wolf’s Harbor, but Evelyn hadn’t heard from them in twenty years.
When she’d first left she’d written letters to them, but nothing had ever come back. She’d been devastated, but her paternal grandmother had taught her to be tough. To harden her heart against disappointment.
Besides, it was really her fault that her father had died. It was no wonder her mother’s family had written her off. Her father had been the beloved town doctor for years until that accident. It had been for the best that she’d left.
Still, it had torn a hole in her soul. She’d got world experience, and a great education, but as a child she hadn’t wanted to leave Wolf’s Harbor.
A social service worker from Juneau had come to take her away. Her father’s estranged mother in Boston had got custody of her. And, as a child, she really hadn’t had a say....
“I don’t want to leave,” Evelyn protested, clutching her small rag doll and looking back at her father’s log cabin with longing.
She loved her cozy home in the forest, where she’d used to wait for her father to come home. But he was never coming back. Her father was gone—and all because he had been on his way to see that woman. The woman who wanted to replace her mother.
“You have no choice,” the social worker said, kneeling in front of her.
She could see the pain in the woman’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, Evelyn, but your grandmother in Boston is looking forward to your arrival and she’s your legal guardian now. Your father didn’t have a will and a judge has ruled in your paternal grandmother’s favor. You have to go live with her.”
“I don’t want to go to Boston.”
“I know.” The social worker squeezed her shoulder. “I wish you could stay too.”
Evelyn picked up her knapsack, which held all her belongings, and took the social worker’s hand as they climbed into the taxi cab which drove them to the airport.
The Cessna was waiting and there were other passengers climbing on board. She gripped the social worker’s hand as she looked back at the town.
The taxi cab driver—Uncle Yazzie—had tears in his eyes as he waved goodbye to her.
“Why can’t I stay with my uncle? Why can’t I stay with my grandmother? They can take care of me. I want to stay with them.”
“Your grandmother in Boston has guardianship over you. The court has decided that you have to go to Boston, Evelyn. I’m so sorry. I know that you want to stay, but you have to be a brave girl. It will be okay.”
A lump formed in Evelyn’s throat. She was leaving everything she knew, everything she loved, to live with a stranger.
Uncle Yazzie scrubbed a hand over his face. “Don’t worry. We’ll see each other again soon.”
Evelyn nodded and tried to fight back the tears as she walked away from the only family she’d known.
She would never forgive herself for not stopping her father from going out that night to see Jocelyn—the woman he’d wanted to marry. If she’d stopped him he’d still be alive...
“Ladies and gents, we’re now making our descent into Wolf’s Harbor. Please fasten your seatbelt.”
The pilot made the same announcement in Tlingit and Evelyn felt sad that she’d almost forgotten her mother’s language. She understood it still, but when was the last time she’d spoken it?
Evelyn couldn’t remember. Her grandmother had banned all talk of Alaska and anything of her past because it had been too painful for her, and Evelyn hadn’t wanted to make her grandmother upset. Her grandmother had blamed Alaska for taking her son away, for her having had to disinherit him. Alaska had ruined her father’s promising surgical career.
Evelyn had still loved Alaska, but had said nothing to her grandmother about her love for her former home. She had always been worried her grandmother would send her away, so she’d just tried to please the woman.
She hadn’t wanted to be alone. She hadn’t wanted to be sent away again.
That trip to Boston... She’d known then what alone felt like. It had been terrible, and she’d never wanted to feel that way again.
Except now you are alone!
And it was her fault again this time.
She’d been with Nathan for two years, but her career had always been more important to her. Nathan had a great surgical practice in Minnesota, and he wanted to settle down and get married. Only that was the last thing that Evelyn wanted.
She didn’t want a family. One that could be taken away from her in an instant. One she didn’t deserve.
There was a part of her that should have felt sorrow over losing Nathan, but she felt numb and a little bit relieved.
He’d accused her once of being cold. And maybe she was.
Of course being cold meant that you kept your heart intact. Not feeling was her armor. Her protection against pain. Her grandmother had taught her to guard her heart in order to avoid pain. Emotions were for the weak. And it served her well as a surgeon.
She took a deep breath and looked out through the small window to see Wolf’s Harbor come into view through the misty summer rain that was clinging to the mountains.
Her heart skipped a beat and her palms were sweaty, but she wasn’t sure if that was from the turbulence or from seeing the place where she’d been born. A place she’d never thought she’d see again.
The sight of the boats moored at the town dock and even the vessels that were out on the eerily calm water made her stomach flip in anticipation. It was just as beautiful as she remembered.
For the first year of her life in Boston she’d dreamed about Wolf’s Harbor, dreamed about her father, and then what she remembered had begun to fade as she’d integrated into life in Boston.
Her grandmother had been distant and mourning her son’s decision to head to Alaska, and her grandmother’s grief and bitterness had seeped into their life in Boston. So they’d traveled a lot. Boston had been their home base, but she had always felt her grandmother had traveled so she wouldn’t have a moment to grieve for her son. Boston might have been a base, but it had never felt like home.
She’d excelled in school, to please her grandmother, and had gone to Dartmouth and then Harvard Medical School. During her last year at Harvard her grandmother had died, but Evelyn’s time there had seemed to please her. The more Evelyn had excelled, the more her grandmother had seemed happy with her.
She’d done her residency in Seattle, and earned a fellowship in obstetrics and neonatal medicine. She’d been searching for a new challenge when she’d been contacted by a surgeon friend in Sitka, who had begged her to come and take over her practice while she went on a three-month honeymoon.
Evelyn had thought it would be good—she just hadn’t had any idea that part of the practice was a rotation in Wolf’s Harbor that her friend shared with a couple other OB/GYNs and that she worked there every three months. And the day Evelyn had landed in Sitka had been the day she was to start her three-month rotation in Wolf’s Harbor.
At first she’d thought of not going, of letting her friend down, but she longed to see Wolf’s Harbor again. To help where she hadn’t been able to help before.
She owed it to her father.
To her home.
Not your home.
She had to remind herself of that. There was no place for her here. Not anymore. All she had to do was step in for the next three months and then she could leave with a lighter conscience.
Dr. Pearson, the OB/GYN who was finishing his rotation in Wolf’s Harbor, would be waiting for her at the town’s clinic, where he’d hand over the keys to the clinic, and the furnished apartment they used during rotation, and would show her around before he drove back to Juneau.
The plane landed with a bump on the small gravel airstrip and the props slowed down as the Cessna taxied to the terminal. When it had come to a stop and shut down, the pilot hopped into gear, opening the door as the ground crew pushed over the stairwell, and Evelyn could feel the hatches being opened to unload the cargo.
The two other occupants—both men—grabbed their duffel bags and headed off the plane.
Evelyn took a deep breath. You got this.
She slung her laptop bag over her shoulder and unbuckled. When she stepped out of the Cessna she was hit by the scent of salt water, rain and damp. There was a clanging from the buoys out on the mist-shrouded water. It hadn’t changed.
Home.
Evelyn closed her eyes to stop the tears that were threatening.
“Come here, Evie.”
Her father held open his arms and she ran to him, pressing her face against the soft flannel jacket he wore.
“I love you, Daddy.”
Her dad kissed the top of her head and smiled, his blue-gray eyes twinkling.
“I love you, too, Evie.”
“Do you need help, miss?”
Evelyn shook the memory away and glanced down to see the pilot, in a flannel jacket that was similar to the one her father had used to wear, holding out his hand to her.
She straightened her spine and beamed brightly at him, taking his hand as he helped her down onto the Tarmac.
“Do you need help with your luggage?” the pilot asked.
“No, thank you. I’m okay.” Evelyn shifted the weight of her carry-on bag on her shoulder as she walked onto the chip-sealed portion of the airstrip. She picked up her suitcase from outside the plane, where it had been unloaded, and popped up the handle to roll it.
A gust of wind tossed her hair in her face and she cursed herself for not tying it back before she headed for the small terminal.
I wonder if anyone will remember who I am?
A knot formed in her stomach—because it had been twenty years since she had been taken away...twenty years since her father died. She remembered some faces, but she was sure most folks were long gone.
Like her maternal grandmother.
And her classmates at the small village school wouldn’t remember her.
It was for the best that they didn’t.
It was her fault her father had left that night in the rain and died. She should have stopped him.
She’d taken away Wolf’s Harbor’s finest doctor. Now she was here to make it right.
Or as right as she could in the limited amount of time she was here.
The terminal was quiet. Everyone was dealing with cargo, rather than the few passengers. The other two who had been on her plane were long gone. They had somewhere to go. Loved ones to see.
She had no one.
“Can I help you?”
Evelyn turned to the young woman who was manning the counter at the Wolf’s Harbor terminal.
“I’m looking for directions to the town clinic.”
The young woman smiled brightly. “It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from here. Do you want me to call you a taxi?”
“That would be great. Thank you,” Evelyn said, smiling back.
The young woman nodded, but didn’t pick up the phone. Instead she got up off her stool, and Evelyn saw the round belly of a pregnant woman under her hoodie.
The young woman opened the back door and shouted. “I have a fare for you!”
Evelyn’s pulse kicked up a notch, and she couldn’t help but wonder if it would be her Uncle Yazzie.
His had been the only taxi cab in town twenty years ago. When her father had been working endless hours at the clinic, or in Juneau at the hospital, Uncle Yazzie would come and pick her up every day in his taxi cab and take her to school. She’d often stay with him and her grandmother. Her mother’s people.
A young man of about twenty, who looked very familiar, came out from the back.
He beamed at her and held out his hand. “Can I take you someplace, miss?”
She didn’t answer as she racked her brain for how she knew this man.
“Are you okay, miss?” he asked, appearing slightly uncomfortable with her staring.
“Sorry, you look so familiar,” she said, before catching herself.
“Really? I look like my dad—or so they tell me.”
“Then it must be jet lag messing with me.” She rubbed her eyes. “I didn’t mean to gawk at you. Just déjà vu.”
The young man smiled. “It happens. Don’t worry. Unless you know my dad?”
“Who is your dad?” she asked.
“Joe—Yazzie Sr. I’m Joe Jr. Do you know him?”
Evelyn’s heart skipped a beat as she saw it now. Saw the younger version of her uncle in this young man. Obviously Uncle Yazzie’s son had been born after she’d left. For a moment she had a pang of homesickness. She’d missed Joe Jr.’s birth. Her cousin’s birth.
Evelyn’s heart stopped its racing and she took his hand. “The name sounds familiar...”
She wasn’t lying—she just wasn’t telling him the whole story. There would be time for that later...that was if his father was interested in seeing her again.
“Not surprising. He doesn’t leave Wolf’s Harbor.”
“Well, I’m Dr. Evelyn Saunders. I’m looking for a ride to the medical clinic.”
“Of course—you’re the new OB/GYN in town for the next three months, yeah?” He picked up her suitcase.
“I am,” Evelyn answered.
“My wife...” He pointed over his shoulder at the young woman behind the counter. “Jennifer—she’s due in a month.”
Jennifer beamed and nodded. “I have an appointment with you tomorrow afternoon, Dr. Saunders.”
“Well, I look forward to seeing you then.”
Evelyn quickly reassessed the small bump under her hoodie and some red flags went up. It could be nothing. Some woman were known to carry very small until right near the end. But Evelyn would be sure to check out Jennifer Yazzie’s file as soon as she got access to the patient records.
She followed Joe Jr. out of the terminal and to a blue and orange cab that was painted exactly the same as the old cab she remembered, but a new model of the vehicle.
She slipped into the passenger seat in the front and after Joe had got her luggage in the back he took the driver’s seat and started the cab.
“Is this your first time in Wolf’s Harbor, Dr. Saunders?”
“No.” She wanted to say yes—to serve her three-month rotation and maybe go unnoticed, so she could leave the painful memories of her past behind her—but she couldn’t lie.
She’d lost a piece of herself when she’d been taken away from Wolf’s Harbor, and even though she was only going to be here for a short time perhaps she could lay to rest some of the ghosts that continued to haunt her. Stop the restless feeling she often got. The night terrors which sometimes still plagued her.
“Really?” Joe asked. “I don’t remember seeing your face before.”
“How old are you, Joe?” she asked.
“Twenty—which I know is young to be a father...”
“I wasn’t going to judge you for your age, or tell you that you’re too young to be a father—it’s just that the last time I was in Wolf’s Harbor I was ten, which was twenty years ago.”
Joe beamed. “No kidding? Well, welcome home.”
He didn’t pry further, for which she was glad, but she was sure that he’d soon be getting the word out that she was back.
It would be better this way. To let everyone know that she had come back instead of facing a constant stream of questioning shock. She just hoped they wouldn’t all give her the cold shoulder as they had done for the past twenty years.
Twenty years with no word from her family up here.
Twenty years of silence.
Joe pulled up in front of the clinic and she paid the fare, insisting that he keep the change. The clinic was a new building with red siding. It reminded her of a barn, but it was very clean, with the sign freshly painted. It sat on the main road downtown, and through the gaps in the buildings across from her she could see the tall masts and onboard hoists of the fishing boats in the harbor. Her father had practiced medicine out of a small storefront. This looked so much better than that cramped old space.
Joe set her luggage down beside her.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, Dr. Saunders.”
Evelyn grinned. “See you tomorrow, Joe.”
She picked up her luggage as Joe drove away. The clinic sign said “Closed” and there was no sign of Dr. Pearson anywhere. It began to drizzle and Evelyn tried the handle. The door was unlocked and she stepped inside.
There was no nurse behind the reception desk. It was quiet. Deserted.
Great.
She wandered past the reception desk, looking for someone. Anyone.
“Dr. Pearson?” she called out. She was met with only silence.
Just great.
She peeked into an exam room and flicked on the light. It was modern and well stocked, which surprised her for such a small community. She wandered through the room, taking it all in. She couldn’t believe that she was back here. Back in Wolf’s Harbor.
Home.
Evelyn cursed under her breath. She had to stop thinking about this place as her home. This was not her home. It hadn’t been for some time.
Still, it was hard not to think of those days. And all the time that had been taken away from her.
And whose fault was that?
“Who are you?” a harsh voice demanded.
Evelyn spun round and was taken aback by the sight of the most handsome man she’d ever seen. She felt a bit stunned, and all she could do was stare at him in awe. He was tall, broad-shouldered. He wore a flannel shirt stretched a little tight over his strong, muscular upper arms. His dark hair was close-cropped and his skin was a warm, deep tawny brown. He had a neatly kept beard. But it was his eyes, a green-gray-blue, which were really stunning. Clear, bright—and focused on her.
They held her rooted to the spot.
“You’re not supposed to be in here,” he growled.
“Are you Dr. Pearson?” she asked, finally finding her voice.
His eyes narrowed. “No. He’s gone back to Juneau.”
“What?” Evelyn frowned. “You’ve got to be kidding me!”
* * *
Derek had been in the back. He had been waiting for the new doctor to arrive, annoyed that Dr. Pearson had left for Juneau early and saddled him with the new OB/GYN when he had a full caseload as general practitioner to handle.
He hadn’t left for a bigger city even though he could have.
His mother had begged him to return to Chicago when Vivian died. She’d even offered to retire from her catering business to help him raise his daughter, but he couldn’t leave Alaska.
He might have been born in Chicago but, like his parents—one of whom came from Haiti and one from the Ukraine—he needed to forge his own path. Put down his own roots. And Wolf’s Harbor had been the place to do that.
He loved it here. Loved the people. Loved his life.
Even though as a widower it was slightly lonely.
Whose fault is that?
It had been his choice to be alone after his wife had died from a uterine rupture when their daughter was born. His life was his practice and his daughter.
Still, he was annoyed that he had to deal with these rotating doctors. Doctors who came in and left him with more work in the end. Doctors who saw the patients of Wolf’s Harbor as an inconvenience. He was tired of the extra burden, but he’d gladly bear it for his patients.
Dr. Pearson had left him high and dry by leaving before the new OB/GYN showed up, and Mo was still getting over a bug she’d picked up, so he had to relieve the sitter. He would be glad when school started again. He had no time to deal with another rotation doctor and Dr. Pearson had just dumped this one in his lap.
So like Dr. Pearson. So like all these doctors who came through the town, never staying longer than they had too. Never willing to help him out or put in a good word to get a hospital built in town. These big city doctors were all selfish—if it wouldn’t further their career they didn’t lend a hand.
Okay, you’re sounding like a curmudgeon now.
He stuck it out all year in this isolated community, while these specialists fluttered in and out, never staying long enough to get to know the people. There was no real trust between these doctors and the patients. It was a dangerous thing.
He tried not to think about how the lack of a specialist during one of these rotations had cost him everything. How his late wife had hemorrhaged and bled out before they could get her on an air ambulance to Sitka. And the fact that it had happened during a storm that had grounded all the planes had made it so much worse. There had been nothing he could do. But if there had been a hospital here in Wolf’s Harbor maybe she would have had a fighting chance.
He focused on this fiery, auburn-haired woman, who thought it was okay just to waltz into his closed office. He’d been taken back by the beautiful, tall, polished woman who was now standing in his exam room. So like Dr. Pearson to have his girlfriends and paramours just show up unannounced.
Although he was a bit jealous that this one was one of Dr. Pearson’s girlfriends...
He’d seen many of them go through this clinic when Dr. Pearson had been here on rotation, but this one—this one actually made him jealous of Dr. Pearson.
It had been a long time since he’d been attracted to someone. If he didn’t have Mo, or the practice to run—if he was the same man he had been before he’d come to Wolf’s Harbor—he would pursue a woman just like this.
You’re lonely. Face it.
“Pearson has gone back to Juneau,” Derek said again, and moved from the doorway to encourage her to leave. “Sorry for your trouble. I can call you a cab...”
“I’m the new OB/GYN. I’m Dr. Saunders.”
Derek frowned. “What? I thought that this was Dr. Merritt’s rotation?”
“Dr. Merritt just went on an extended honeymoon,” Dr. Saunders said. “I’m covering her practice.”
“What?” Derek asked, scowling. So now Dr. Merritt had just got a replacement without consulting him? Not that Dr. Merritt had to consult him, but it would have been considerate of her to do so.
At least she sent someone else.
Although he knew nothing about this Dr. Saunders. “Well, that’s unacceptable. Just because we’re a small town, it doesn’t mean we’ll take anyone.”
She crossed her arms. “Why is it unacceptable?”
“I know nothing about you.”
“So?” she replied firmly. “You need an OB/GYN and there are appointments tomorrow.”
“How do you know there are appointments tomorrow? You obviously don’t know Dr. Pearson, because you thought I was him.”
“First, I know there are appointments here tomorrow because Joe Yazzie Jr. and his wife are expected for prenatal. I introduced myself to them when I landed from Sitka. And second I assumed you were a doctor—was I mistaken?”
The nerve of her.
Of course he was pleased that she’d already made a connection with one of his patients. She had one up on every other doctor who’d waltzed through here.
But why were redheads always like this? Every one he’d ever encountered in Chicago had been like this. And of course he was a complete sucker for them.
You can’t have her.
He had to keep reminding himself of that fact. He wanted nothing to do with someone who would leave after her rotation was done. He wanted nothing to do with anyone ever again.
Not since Vivian had died.
He was not going to go through anything like that again. Besides, he had Mo to think of, and his practice, his patients. That was what was important.
“I am a doctor,” he said tersely. “I’m the general practitioner of Wolf’s Harbor.”
“Are you on rotation too?” she asked.
“No,” he snapped. “Unlike you and Dr. Pearson, I am here all the time. Wolf’s Harbor is my home. I actually care about my patients and their medical care enough to stay.”
Her eyes narrowed and a strange expression crossed her face, but only briefly.
“If you truly cared about your patients then you wouldn’t object to me being here. I’m here to stay.”
His eyes widened. He was surprised. “Stay? As in permanently?”
She blushed. “Well...no.”
Of course not. He knew better than to get his hopes up.
Who was this woman?
“I’m just as capable as Dr. Merritt,” she said, breaking the tension.
“Are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I at least know Dr. Merritt. I know nothing about you. Not even your first name.”
She smiled tightly. “Dr. Evelyn Saunders. I just completed my fellowship in fetal surgery at Richler Medicine in Seattle. I’m one of the few people in this country who can perform delicate fetal surgeries. I’m also a board-certified obstetrical and gynecological fellow, and a pediatric fellow specializing in premature infants. I completed that fellowship and practiced for three years at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. You can check my credentials, but they speak for themselves. I am more experienced than Dr. Merritt and I will be an asset to your patients.”
Damn. She was right.
And he was completely impressed by her résumé and where she’d studied. She had every right to be confident to the point of obnoxiousness.
She was a triple threat and he’d be an absolute idiot to turn her away—but he couldn’t help but wonder why someone with so much experience didn’t have a thriving practice of her own.
Who cares? She can help your patients even if it’s only for a short time.
He couldn’t help but wonder if someone like her had been here that horrific night five years ago Vivian would still be here and he wouldn’t be alone. Mo would have her mother. He’d still have that piece of his heart and soul that had been torn away the night he’d lost Vivian. The night Mo had lost her mother. His patients needed her.
“Fine.” He sighed and he ran a hand over his head. “I’ll show you to the apartment and get you a clinic key, then give you all the information you need to start tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Dr...?” she asked, extending a hand.
“Dr. Taylor. Dr. Derek Taylor.” He ignored her hand, afraid to touch her and still not wanting her to feel too welcome. “Come on, I’ll show you to your place.”
His mother would totally be slapping him upside the head if she could see how he was being such a jerk to this woman, but he couldn’t get attached. Dr. Saunders would be gone in three months and he had no interest in getting attached to someone who wasn’t going to stick it out for the long run.
It was so much easier on his heart this way. Better for Mo too. He didn’t want her to get hurt. He’d promised Vivian he’d protect Mo. So he planned to treat Evelyn like every other physician who passed through Wolf’s Harbor on rotation. Even if she was easy on the eye and had a spirited personality—the kind which always drew him in when it came to members of the opposite sex...
He was a professional above all else. His patients came first. And even though he knew nothing about her—even though training a new doctor about the ins and outs of Wolf’s Harbor Medical would be an extra burden on him—he’d gladly do it.
Unlike all the other doctors who came and went, he was here for the long haul.
CHAPTER TWO (#u54aba5a7-e943-5502-8627-3ee1a799124b)
HE’S A BIT cool and stand-offish.
Evelyn waited outside with her rolling suitcase as Dr. Taylor—Derek—locked up the clinic. It was beginning to drizzle and it was dusk, but since it was summer it would stay light pretty late.
She glanced at her watch and remembered she hadn’t switched it over to Alaska daylight time.
Derek whistled. “That’s some fancy watch you have there!”
Heat bloomed in her cheeks, because she’d caught the undertone of his sarcasm. Yeah it was flashy and out of place here, but he didn’t have to point it out. “It was my grandmother’s. She left it to me when she passed.”
His expression softened. “Sorry.”
“She had a good life. She was ninety-nine when I lost her to cancer. I miss her—she was the only family I had.”
No, she wasn’t, a little whisper said in her mind, but she ignored it. She knew now that Uncle Yazzie was still around, but Léelk’w probably wasn’t. Still, she’d been gone for twenty years and had had no contact with any of them. It was apparent that they hadn’t thought of her. Joe Jr. hadn’t even blinked an eye when she’d told him her last name.
So she had no family left. Not really.
“I understand,” he muttered, but then shook his head as if he felt bad about what he’d said. “Look, let’s get out of this drizzle before it turns to full-out rain.”
“That’s fine with me. Is the apartment far?”
“Nope.” Derek shoved his hands in his hoodie and headed up an alleyway behind the clinic.
Evelyn rolled her eyes and followed him. It wasn’t really an alleyway after all, but a steep slope up to a set of wooden stairs that were at the back of the clinic.
“This is the place,” Derek said. “There’s no connection to the clinic on the inside, however.”
“Great—well, at least it’s summer.” Evelyn would hate to climb those open wooden steps to the second floor in the winter. She wouldn’t be here then.
A shudder ran down her spine as she thought of those cold Alaska nights. How the sun had set early, the northern lights had shone and there had been hot chocolate by the fire with her father in the cabin.
He had read to her for hours, until her eyes were so heavy that he’d had to carry her to bed and tuck her in while the snowstorms had raged outside her window.
She’d been safe in her father’s arms.
“Come on, then,” Derek said, interrupting her thoughts as he jogged up the steps, not even offering to take her suitcase for her.
Evelyn cursed under her breath and lugged the case up, bumping it with each step. So much for her new luggage.
At the top Derek was waiting, and he was smirking. She wanted to wipe it off his face.
“You okay there?” he asked, a hint of humor in his voice.
“Perfectly,” Evelyn said through gritted teeth.
Derek opened the door and stepped inside. She dragged her suitcase in. The apartment was a mess.
Derek was annoyed. “Yeah, sorry about this. I forgot. Dr. Pearson is a bit of a slob.”
“It’s fine,” Evelyn said. She could clean it up, no problem. She was definitely not a fan of Dr. Pearson, though. First the jerk had left without waiting for her, leaving her to the mercy of Dr. Derek Taylor, and now this.
Derek handed her a key ring. “The clinic key is this large one and the other is the apartment.”
“Is there a car that’s available for me while I’m here?”
“Unless you drove one in from the ferry terminal that connects to Juneau then, no, but everything is in walking distance.”
Great.
She’d been hoping a car would be available because she wanted to see if her father’s place was still standing. She was wondering if it had changed. From going through what had been left to her after her grandmother had died, she knew that the property had been sold shortly after she’d left Wolf’s Harbor.
Grandma hadn’t want any part of Wolf’s Harbor. She hadn’t wanted any reminders of her son’s worst mistake.
“Your father could’ve been a great surgeon, but he left for Alaska and took up with your mother and I never saw him again. He could’ve been great, Evelyn, but he threw it all away for a woman who was not part of the world he was brought up in.”
Evelyn shook her grandmother’s voice from her head.
Her father might not have become the kind of surgical god her grandmother always envisioned, but he’d been a respected general practitioner in Wolf’s Harbor. People had looked up to him. He’d saved lives and her grandmother had never got to see it.
Now she, Evelyn, would finish what he’d started and lay the memories of her father to rest. Maybe then she could move on.
“I flew in from Sitka,” she said as she pocketed the keys. “So if I want to order in a pizza I just say the back of the clinic?”
“Yeah—they’ll know,” Derek said. “The clinic opens at nine.”
“And how do I access patients’ records? Is there a computer password?”
“No password—and you can access the patients’ records by opening the filing cabinet. Your schedule is on the receptionist’s calendar.”
There was that smug sense of humor again. As if he was trying to shock her with the fact that they still had hard copies of their records.
“Okay. Well, I’ll be there earlier than nine to get myself acquainted with everything.”
Derek reached out, grabbing the arm with the fancy watch, and stared at its face. “Not if you don’t set your alarm to Alaska Daylight Savings, you won’t.”
Just that simple touch caused a shiver of anticipation to run down her spine. He was annoying, but there was something about him which drew her in.
He was dangerous.
She had no interest in any relationship. Every relationship she’d been in had ended with her being dumped because she could never commit—because she was never there and was too focused on her career. Or so those men had believed. She’d actually pushed them away because she knew she didn’t deserve what she secretly wanted.
A family of her own.
She shook him off. “I’m well aware of the time-change.”
He smirked and raised an eyebrow, then moved past her through the open door. “Okay, then. I’ll see you tomorrow—bright and early. Good night, Dr. Saunders.”
Evelyn shut the door after him and was glad to be rid of him. For now.
She’d see him tomorrow, but after a good night’s rest she knew that she would be better suited to dealing with him.
She could handle guys like Derek. Guys who were arrogant and used to being the lone wolf. They saw every new arrival as a threat.
Nathan had been nothing like Derek. When she’d first met him he’d been nice and almost too accommodating. Still, look where that had got her. It had got her nowhere. She’d spent two years of her life with Nathan and he’d left her.
You really gave him nothing, though. Remember?
She locked the door and scrubbed a hand over her face, staring at the apartment and feeling completely exhausted and hungry.
There was a clock that was showing Alaska time, so she quickly set her watch even as her stomach growled, reminding her that she hadn’t had much to eat since leaving Sitka. While she’d been dragging her bag up the stairs she’d noticed a pub across the road, and it had looked like the kind of bar that might serve a quick meal. She was starving. She didn’t feel like waiting for pizza. She felt antsy, trapped in this messy apartment. It would be better for her to get out of there and grab a breath of fresh air.
She grabbed her purse and her keys. First she’d eat and then she’d tackle this mess—even though she was still running on East Coast time and needed to sleep.
The drizzle had dissipated and a damp mist hung in the air. Outside it was quiet, with only a couple of trucks slowly puttering through down town. She knew that it was at least three hours to the nearest ferry terminal, and then four hours to Juneau. Wolf’s Harbor was remote, and surrounded by the dense, mountainous forests of the Inside Passage.
She remembered when her father had used to drive her to the far side of the island, to the ferry terminal, so she could watch the large ferry bringing people to the island and sometimes a cruise ship on its way to Skagway. And sometimes she’d see the orcas.
For the most part Wolf’s Harbor relied on logging and fishing, and it was only fishing vessels or large logging trucks that would go by.
A shiver ran down her spine as she thought of her father’s death. How he’d been hit by that runaway logging truck that had been going too fast through town. And how a ring had been in his pocket.
“Evelyn, your mother has been gone a long time now. Jocelyn isn’t going to replace her. She makes me happy. Be good. I won’t be long at Jocelyn’s.”
That had been the last time she’d seen her father alive. The last words he’d said.
Don’t think about it.
She dashed across the road and straight into the pub.
As soon as she took a step inside the murmur of hushed talking stopped and people stared at her. There’d never been a lot of visitors when she was a kid.
“Hi,” she said, waving uneasily. “I’m the new doctor in town.”
There was another few seconds of stares, which felt like an eternity, but then most people returned to their food, their conversations or their drinks.
Except one.
Derek.
He was positively glowering at her from the far side of the bar. And he was next to the only empty seat in the place.
Great.
Maybe it would be better to wait for pizza? But of course now that she’d made her entrance and he was staring at her she couldn’t really back down.
So she pretended to ignore him and sat down, picking up one of the vinyl-covered menus and pretending to study it, ignoring the sensation of his staring at her.
“I thought you would be cleaning,” Derek said gruffly.
She glanced at him. “Usually a gentleman would introduce himself or offer to buy a woman a drink before trying to strike up a conversation with her.”
Derek snickered, staring ahead at the bar. She could see his reflection in the mirror.
“I’m no gentleman. And you know who I am.”
“Do I?” she muttered.
He got up and just stood there, saying nothing until she turned and looked at him.
“What?” she asked.
“Hi, I’m Derek Taylor. Can I buy you a drink?”
“Not interested.” And she turned back to her menu, trying not to smile.
“Oh, for the love of...”
“Sit down.” She chuckled. “I don’t need a drink.”
Derek sat down, setting his mug of beer back on the bar. “I’m surprised to see you out and about.”
“Why is that?” she asked.
“Because usually the specialists who come into town to do their rotation don’t bother with the locals. They order in, keep to themselves—it’s somewhat of a burden.”
“Well, the cleaning of that apartment is �somewhat of a burden.’”
She set down the menu. She was hungry, but she wasn’t sure she really wanted to eat at this moment. Her stomach was twisting and turning from being back here. And as she glanced around the dim bar she had faint memories of this place.
Her father and Uncle Yazzie playing pool here, and her mother singing up on that stage. Her last gig before she’d got sick with the cancer that had killed her. And as she studied the room further she remembered the booth that was reserved for live entertainment. It had seemed so much bigger when she’d been curled up in it, eating ice cream.
“Daddy, what’re you doing?” Evelyn asked, seeing her father with another woman.
Her dad stood up, shocked. “Evie, what’re you doing here?”
Her eyes brimmed with tears. “I saw your truck outside. I was running an errand for Léelk’w. Who is that woman?”
“This is Jocelyn. She’s my girlfriend.”
Jocelyn smiled and waved. She was pretty, blonde and young—and not her mother.
“No!” Evelyn screamed. “No!”
And she turned and ran out of the bar.
Her father yelled for her to come back.
“Hey, you okay?” Derek asked, interrupting her memory.
“Yeah,” she said, and ran her hand through her hair in the nervous twitch she’d always had. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You totally zoned out,” Derek said. “Tired?”
“A bit.”
“Where did you say you were from?” he asked, trying to draw her into conversation.
“Boston, but I’ve been in Sitka a couple of days.”
“Still, the change is a bit jarring if you’re not used to it.”
“I’m used to it,” she whispered. “It’s just been a long time.”
Derek cocked an eyebrow. “Pardon?”
The door opened and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She slowly turned around in her seat, because instinctively she knew what to expect and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it.
She wasn’t ready to face a ghost from her past.
Taking a deep breath, she stood and looked up at the man who had been her family. A man she’d never thought she’d see again because her grandmother had cut off all ties to Evelyn’s life here in Alaska.
The man her father had thought of as a brother, because he had estranged himself from his WASP mother back in Boston, “throwing his life away” to live in the wilderness.
It had been Uncle Yazzie who had introduced her parents. Her mother’s loveable, goofball little brother. A man who had represented everything her grandmother had hated about her son’s life and his wife in Alaska.
Tears stung her eyes as she stared into the dark eyes of Joe Yazzie Sr. She could still see him standing on the Tarmac of the airport all those years ago when she’d been forced to move to Boston.
“I had to see with my own eyes,” Yazzie whispered. “I thought my son was bluffing me.”
Her stomach twisted into a knot as she wondered if he would turn his back on her. She wanted to run. She was afraid of his rejection in person, because his silence had hurt her as a child.
No. You have to face him. Good or bad.
“Uncle Yazzie...” she whispered, her voice faltering.
Derek was highly confused. “What’s going on here?”
Evelyn sighed and turned back to Derek. “I’m from Wolf’s Harbor. I’m a local.”
* * *
She’s a local?
If Evelyn Saunders was a local he would know that. He’d lived here for fifteen years and he knew everyone in this town because he was the general practitioner.
And he would remember her.
She was local?
He was still in a bit of disbelief over it all, but there was no denying it when he saw Joe Yazzie Sr.’s reaction to her.
The man who was usually stone-cold and emotionless had his arms wrapped around her, holding her and crying.
Crying?
Derek did a double-take. He’d never seen Joe Sr. cry. Ever.
“Am I missing something?” Derek asked.
Joe took a step back, tears glistening in his eyes as he spoke some words in Tlingit.
Derek could only make out a piece of what he was saying. Something about someone being home?
Joe turned to him. “Dr. Taylor, this is my sister’s child. She’s been missing for over twenty years.”
“Missing?” Derek asked, confused.
Evelyn smiled up at Joe and then looked back at Derek. “My father died when I was ten and my guardian was my grandmother in Boston. A social worker came and—”
“Took her away,” Joe interrupted. “We were her family. Her father left her care to me and my mother. Evelyn is half-Tlingit and we would’ve cared for her, but we lost out to the Matriarch Saunders in Boston. There was no will, and a judge determined Georgina Saunders a better fit. She had the finances...we didn’t and couldn’t afford to fight. Georgina had sole custody. It broke my mother’s heart, being separated from her. We tried to call, but Georgina changed her number and blocked us at every turn.”
“I see.” Derek was in shock.
Joe turned back to Evelyn. “We tried to get in touch with you, Evie. I swear!”
Evelyn nodded, only Derek noticed a strange expression on her face, as if she didn’t quite believe it. “I know.”
“So you’re related to the Yazzie family? You didn’t mention it before,” Derek said.
Evelyn shot him a warning look. “It didn’t come up naturally in conversation.”
“I asked where you were from.”
“I am from Boston.”
Joe frowned. “Well, I’m glad you’re back, Evie. We have a lot to catch up on.”
“I think that’s my cue to go,” Derek said as he stood up.
“You don’t have to,” Evelyn said.
“I have things to do. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He quickly slapped down money for his beer.
He had to get out of this place. He had to put some distance between him and Evelyn. Fast. He’d overstayed anyways. He’d only come for a quick drink before he had to head home to relieve the sitter and deal with a cranky, fussy five-year-old who wanted the sitter to stay longer because Jessica read stories better than Daddy.
Derek looked back at the reunion scene. He smiled and for one brief moment wished he could stay. Evelyn’s smile made his heart skip a beat. It made him feel like his old self.
Seeing Evelyn with Joe Yazzie made him feel lonely.
She was from here.
She had family.
He frowned at the realization.
Evelyn had a reason to stay, and if she stayed...
He didn’t want to get his hopes up that another doctor would stay. They never did. So he was going to carry on believing she was like every other doctor before her. A doctor with a time limit.
Even if secretly he wouldn’t mind if she stayed, because he was so drawn to her and it would be nice to share the load—
That thought scared him.
There was no room in his heart for anyone else.
His heart was too broken, too damaged, for him to make room for someone again.
CHAPTER THREE (#u54aba5a7-e943-5502-8627-3ee1a799124b)
EVELYN GOT UP before her alarm in the morning. Of course it had been hard to sleep, because her emotions were all over the place.
The reunion with Uncle Yazzie had wrung her out completely, even if she had managed to keep it all together. And every time she’d closed her eyes she’d seen her father, her mother or Derek. And the fact that Derek had invaded her thoughts irritated her greatly.
He shouldn’t be in her thoughts.
She was here to serve Stefanie’s rotation in Wolf’s Harbor and then she’d return to Sitka. And then... She didn’t know where.
There were so many opportunities.
Nathan hadn’t understood that about her. She wanted to keep learning and expanding her curriculum vitae. She wanted to learn from the very best in her field of work. And all Nathan had wanted to do was stay put, have kids and settle down.
You want those things too. You’re just afraid.
Evelyn ignored those thoughts. They were dangerous to have, and she was never going to entertain them. She was never going to have a husband or kids. She didn’t want to put her heart at risk or, worse, have her kids go through the traumatic experience that she had.
Evelyn swore she would never do that. Even if she wanted it badly.
“You’re restless, Evelyn.”
Nathan’s words echoed in her head.
Maybe she was, but she could protect herself better this way.
She took a sip of the instant coffee she’d made from the powder she’d found in a cupboard and winced.
It was awful. Bitter.
She dumped the coffee down the sink before gathering up her things and heading outside. She shivered, even though it was summer. It was brisk compared to Boston, and she was glad she’d brought her sweater.
Down the steps and through the alleyway beside the clinic was a small coffee shop, and she could smell coffee brewing.
The bell above the door jingled as she walked in and a sudden rush of being there before, washed over her. The scent of coffee and the sugary sweet smell of pies wafted in from the back.
She’d been here before, but she was having a hard time remembering it.
A middle-aged woman looked up from cleaning the counter and beamed. “Well, I’ll be...”
“Hi,” Evelyn said unsurely.
“Joe told me that you had come home.”
The woman came out from behind the counter and before Evelyn could stop her she was being wrapped up in the woman’s arms and crushed in a bear hug.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” the woman asked, her smile not disappearing.
“No, I’m sorry.”
“That’s okay.” The proprietor walked back behind the counter. “You left so long ago. Your father used to come in here every day to get coffee. I’m Sally.”
Evelyn smiled at Sally. “Nice to meet you...again.”
Sally grinned. “No worries. What will it be, Evie...? I mean, Dr. Saunders. That’s going to be hard for me to get used to saying. I can’t believe you’re a doctor. Your dad would be so proud.”
Just the simple mention of her father caused Evelyn a pang of longing. And then the memory came back to her.
Yellow curtains filtering in the bright sunlight on those odd days when the sun would peek through the clouds. Chocolate milk and her father blowing the steam across the top of his coffee before he took a sip. And her. That woman Jocelyn with her bright smile and golden hair. The one who’d tried to take her mother’s place.
Evelyn shook the memory away. She had to focus on today.
“Can I have a coffee, please?”
“Of course, Dr. Saunders.” Sally turned and picked up a carafe of coffee. It smelled heavenly. “Would you like it to go?”
“Yes, that would be great, Sally.”
Evelyn took a seat at the counter, her pulse thundering in her ears because nothing had changed. The drapes were faded, but everything was the same. She’d forgotten about this place, but the moment Sally had mentioned her father it had come flooding back to her.
And the pain was just as raw as it had been twenty years ago.
She hated feeling it again.
You knew this would be hard. That’s why you’re here.
The door chimed again and Derek walked in, pulling down the hood of his hoodie.
“Brisk out there today, Sally. Can I get...?” He trailed off as those brilliant gray-green eyes locked onto her, sending a shiver of the dreams from the night before through her.
His eyes were the most intense she’d ever seen.
“Good morning,” she said, breaking the gaze so she could look away and try not to let him see her blush by hiding behind her long hair.
“Good morning,” Derek said carefully, and took the stool next to her at the counter. “I see you got up early.”
“I told you that I would.” She held out her arm and pointed to her watch. “See—it’s set on Alaska time.”
A brief smile flitted across Derek’s face. “So it is.”
“And I have my key. So I’m not going to be a burden for you.”
Sally handed her a coffee. “There you go, Dr. Saunders.”
“Thanks, Sally. How much do I owe you?”
Sally shook her head. “Not today. It’s on the house. A welcome back gift from me.”
“Thank you!”
“Hey, I’ve been your physician for fifteen years—how come I don’t get a free coffee every now and again?” Derek complained.
Sally frowned. “You’re not local.”
“I’ve been here longer than she has,” Derek teased.
Evelyn playfully stuck out her tongue and beamed at Sally. “I’ll see you later, Sally. Thanks for the coffee.”
She felt like skipping out of that coffee shop, but she refrained.
She didn’t get very far before Derek, carrying his own paper cup, came jogging up beside her. “You won over Sally pretty fast,” he said, sounding impressed. “Not many people do.”
“She seems cheerful enough.”
Derek’s eyes narrowed. “She knows you—but you don’t remember her, do you?”
“I told her that,” Evelyn said. “I was young when I left. Are you telling me she’s usually a grump?”
Derek frowned and took a pull of his coffee. “Maybe she’s only a grump with me. She said once that she didn’t like doctors.”
“I hate to break it to you, but I’m a doctor,” she said lightly.
“Yeah, but you’re Thorne Saunders’ daughter, and those who remember you have a warm fuzzy feeling when it comes to you. Which will change when you leave again.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Evelyn asked as Derek sidestepped her to open the door of the clinic. “And how do you know my father’s name? I never told you.”
“Come on—you’re not going to be here forever, Saunders,” he said as he stepped through the door and flicked on the fluorescent lights. “It’s just a phase. And I did some research last night. Your father was the first general practitioner to stay in Wolf’s Harbor. He was the first to stay and help the people here. I’m impressed.”
That gave her a punch in the gut that she hadn’t been expecting, because he was right. They remembered her father with fondness, but really they were just being kind. These weren’t her people.
She’d been gone too long.
And you’re the reason why your father’s dead.
“I’m just here to do my job. I can’t control people’s reactions to me. But if I instill some kind of trust in them while I’m here, then all the better.”
“Don’t get your feathers ruffled,” Derek said as he set his coffee cup on the counter. “I’m just stating a fact.”
“Yeah, because you’re annoyed by the townspeople’s reaction to me. My guess is they never really warm up to the other doctors that rotate through here. Am I right? And that gives you some sort of power.”
Those intense eyes flickered with something close to anger and she realized she’d struck a nerve.
Good.
“You have use of exam rooms three and four. One and two are mine for today.” He picked up his coffee cup and stormed away to the first exam room.
Evelyn was going to ask him more when the clinic’s door chimed and a young woman in scrubs came in, stopping dead in her tracks as she looked up at Evelyn.
“Oh, you’re not Dr. Merritt,” she said.
Evelyn sighed and plastered a fake smile on her face, bracing herself to explain who she was again. Hopefully the nurse wouldn’t gave the same contempt for her that Derek did, but she wasn’t going to hold her breath just yet.
* * *
Derek had been managing to avoid Evelyn all morning, but to give her credit she was taking good care of her patients and they genuinely looked happy to see her. Or at least that was what Janet, his nurse and current spy, had said.
He picked up the next file in his pile.
Great.
He always had trouble with this patient, and he couldn’t even begin to think why she was here today.
“Katlian Yazzie?”
The venerable old woman stood up and fixed him with a stare that meant business. “Well, it’s about time. I’m not getting any younger.”
Derek tried not to roll his eyes—and then a thought crept through his head. If Evelyn was related to Mrs. Yazzie’s son Joe, then she was probably familiar with Katlian Yazzie. For one brief moment he thought about palming her off on Evelyn.
Mrs. Yazzie made it clear time and time again that she didn’t trust doctors. “I like you, Dr. Taylor. I just don’t trust you. I don’t trust any of you.” And he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d trusted Thorne Saunders. Most had.
Thorne was a bit of legend. He had been the first doctor to stay and after his death no one had stayed. Not until he came.
Of course the Yazzies didn’t speak of Thorne the way the other locals did, and now he understood why. Thorne had been family, and he understood how grief could devastate. How it was too painful to talk and just easier to bottle it up.
“It’s good to see you again,” Derek said, grinning at her.
“Don’t even!” she teased. “I know you’re not thrilled to see me, but I’m not here to see you. I’m here to see the OB/GYN. This Dr. Merritt.”
“Dr. Merritt isn’t here, Katlian.”
“Joe Jr.’s wife is supposed to see her this afternoon and I wanted to talk to her about Jennifer’s birthing plan. I didn’t trust that Dr. Pearson.”
“That I can agree with you on, but Dr. Merritt got married and sent in a replacement. Have you talked to your son?” he asked gently.
Katlian’s brow furrowed. “What does it matter if I talked to Joe. He knows nothing. Why would I...?” The words died in her throat as Evelyn stepped out of one of the examination rooms.
Evelyn wasn’t paying attention to them at first—she was flipping through a file before she stepped back into the exam room. Not even noticing them.
Katlian turned away and covered her mouth with her hand. She’d gone pale, as if she’d seen a ghost.
Derek reached out and held her shoulders, steadying her. “That’s why I was wondering if you’d talked to your son.”
“Is that...?” Katlian’s voice wavered.
“Dr. Evelyn Saunders,” Derek answered. Then he guided Katlian toward exam room number one, away from some of the curious onlookers in the waiting room. He helped Katlian take a seat and then shut the door.
Katlian was wide-eyed. “I haven’t talked to Joe since the day before yesterday. I’ve been staying with Joe Jr. and Jennifer. They didn’t tell me.”
“Joe Jr. didn’t know who Dr. Saunders was. But I think he told his father, because Joe Sr. and Dr. Saunders had a reunion last night.”
He’d seen the love there in Joe Sr.’s eyes when he’d looked at Evelyn, but he’d seen fear in hers. The way she’d held herself, her body rigid, her smile fixed—she had been throwing up walls.
Derek knew the art of going through the motions. He’d practiced that art so many times after Vivian had died, when all people had done was offer him condolences and feel sorry for him. What he’d needed was help. So he’d learned to put on that act. Worn that armor to shield his heart from pain.
He wondered why Evelyn felt she needed to do that.
What had happened when her parents died?
He knew she’d been taken away, but there must be more to the story.
Is it really your business?
No, it wasn’t and he was annoyed with himself for caring so much, but for some reason he couldn’t help himself when it came to Evelyn.
She drew him in. Just this short time of getting to know her and he was completely drawn to her. He wanted to know more about her, and that was a dangerous thing indeed.
Katlian Yazzie smiled. “Evie’s mother was my daughter. Evie...”
Katlian wept.
Derek was taken aback by the usually stoic woman’s crying and was at a loss as to what to do. He slipped his arm around the old woman. “Joe mentioned she was taken away?”
Katlian nodded. “By Thorne’s mother. Because a judge deemed that she was better for Evelyn. That Boston was better than Wolf’s Harbor.”
“Why would a judge decide that? Evelyn knew Wolf’s Harbor not Boston,” said Derek.
“Because Boston had access to more healthcare. Thorne was our only doctor... Well, you know no one replaced him after he died. Not until you came. So the judge decided in favor of Boston and not here.”
Derek’s stomach twisted in a knot. He understood that. If there had been a local hospital on the day of that storm that had grounded all the planes to Sitka, Vivian would have had a chance of survival, instead of bleeding to death.
“Thorne died at the scene—no hospital could’ve saved him. Joe and I fought. We fought hard—spent money that we didn’t have—but we lost. We didn’t have the money or the power that Georgina Saunders in Boston had. We had to walk away. I wrote to Evie constantly, but my letters were returned to sender. Once Joe went down there to see her, but Georgina had taken Evelyn away on a long vacation so he had to come back. Georgina had sole custody. We had nothing.”
“I’m sure if you explain...”
Katlian sighed. “I need a moment.”
“Do you still want to talk to her about Jennifer?”
Katlian shook her head. “I don’t know if she would want to see me. I don’t know if I’m ready to see her or even if she’ll remember me.”
Derek was moved by Katlian Yazzie. There was a heart in there. Everyone in Wolf’s Harbor loved Katlian Yazzie, even Mo, but with Derek she’d always been untrusting and a bit cold. This was a different side to her.
“She’s a doctor!” Katlian said in disbelief. “A doctor!”
“Maybe you’ll have to change your stance on doctors now, eh?” he teased.
Katlian’s dark eyes glittered as she frowned, but then she smiled. “Perhaps.”
“Do you want me to get her?”
Katlian shook her head. “No, you let her work today. She’s going to see Jennifer and I want her to be focused on her work. I will see her later.”
Katlian stood up and Derek opened the door for her. She walked out of the clinic, past a few people who were still concerned about the always strong and steadfast Katlian Yazzie breaking down in the waiting room.
Derek ran a hand over his head.
Was this what his rotation with Evelyn Saunders was going to be like? All these relatives coming out of the woodwork and daily emotional reunions? As much as he was all for family coming together, he couldn’t let this keep happening.
The office door chimed and a pregnant woman hunched over came in.
“I need help!” she cried out. “I’m in labor and my husband is out in the bush on a logging run.”
“Evelyn!” Derek shouted over his shoulder as he dashed toward the woman.
He held on to her as she breathed through a contraction.
“Christina...” Derek said in a soothing tone. “Don’t worry we have an OB/GYN here.”
Christina nodded. “But it’s too soon. Dr. Pearson said last week my baby was breech and he was going to try and turn it this week.”
Damn Dr. Pearson.
“He didn’t turn it?” Derek asked as he helped Christina toward the exam room while the receptionist worked to rebook the couple of patients who were waiting. She knew the drill when an emergency patient came in.
“He was supposed to turn it today,” Christina said. “I was coming here to have it done, but labor started...”
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