The Lady Who Lived Again by Thomasine Rappold Page A

have!”
    “I—”
    “You’re not qualified to treat patients! That’s not why you’re here!”
    Maybe not, but she was here. And she’d saved Joey’s life. She snapped shut her lips, biting back a retort that would turn his world on its side.
    “Well, I don’t even wish to be here!” she spat instead. “And I certainly don’t wish to be a nurse. Or a housekeeper.”
    “And I didn’t wish to be your fiancé. So we’re even on that score.” He strode toward the examination room. “Come wash your hands,” he called over his shoulder.
    Maddie followed, then proceeded to wash her hands in the basin of water he’d prepared. He fumbled through his medical supplies. “For someone who doesn’t wish to be a nurse, you certainly spend a good amount of time with your hands soaked in blood.”
    She frowned, scrubbing harder, but had no response.
    “Your unsterilized hands, no less,” he muttered. “Even a minor infection can turn deadly.” He tossed her a towel. “These are people, Madeline, not wounded deer.”
    She dried her hands, then forced herself to face him.
    His voice softened as he collected himself. “I understand the instinct to help, but your interference could have hindered my treatment. Or made matters worse.”
    She opened her mouth to protest, but his scowl warned her against it.
    “You will stick to the tasks of organizing the office and patient records. Nothing more. Is that understood?”
    His condescending tone was infuriating. She nodded, simply to appease him. If nothing else, this incident had taught her one thing about Doctor Jace Merrick. Even if she performed a miracle right under his nose, he would likely never believe it.
     
     

Chapter 7
     
    Jace spent the next morning on another house call, where he remained for several hours treating a man with a fractured arm. Another of the region’s sudden storms struck shortly after he departed from the secluded clapboard house in the woods, making for a slow trip down the mountain. On the outskirts of town, several cabins and cottages surrounded the numerous lakes in the area. Jace hoped he would soon have a better understanding of the roads and pony paths leading to these more remote locations.
    House calls comprised a good portion of country practice, so it was imperative to maintain the buggy in prime condition. Traveling to treat patients in the winter months would be daunting, not to mention precarious in the dark. A few summer rain storms, and already the route was a mess.
    The buggy trudged and slid in the mucky ruts, and rain battered the top. The long trips usually provided Jace with time to reflect on his patients and budding practice. Today, though, his thoughts seemed to wander to Maddie. During the trip up the mountain, and all last night, he had remained furious with her about what happened with Joey Cleary. She had no business challenging his orders when it came to his patients—it was dangerous on every level. And yet he couldn’t help but admire the way she argued her own cause after the fact. The woman was infuriating. Maddening. And far too distracting.
    He’d come very close to kissing her again yesterday. So close, in fact, that he’d been tempted to send her home right then and there—to put an end to this ridiculous scheme of hers before it truly began. But he’d agreed to play her fiancé, and after feeding Henry the bait to set the charade in full motion, he was now bound to see it through.
    If he was being honest, part of him wanted to continue with her. He wished he could claim true indifference, but how could he? Even now, his brain was busy worrying about her, fearing she might be caught walking home in the midst of this downpour. Trees swayed with the force of the wind. The damage to his roof proved how quickly storms in this area could intensify. If Maddie weren’t still at the office when he arrived, he’d go back out to find her.
    By the time he reached the office it was late afternoon, and the