A Marriage In Wyoming. Lynnette Kent
the face of the hammer directly onto his thumb.
âDamnation!â The hammer clanked to the floor of the porch as Garrett swore. Sucking on the injured finger, he glanced around to see if anybody had heard him. According to his congregation, ministers didnât use such words, except in their sermons about the rewards of sin. Garrett didnât want to shatter their illusions if he could help it.
Luckily, no one had been within earshot, but as he bent to pick up the hammer, a dusty green SUV pulled up to the curb in front of the clinic and stopped. The driver came around the hood of the vehicle to survey the building. âThereâs no sign,â she called. âHow will people find the place?â
âIâm working on it,â Garrett called back. âGive me two minutes.â Aware that he was being watched, he picked up the hammer heâd dropped and blew out a breath. âFocus...â
He didnât hit his thumb again, though it took a few extra taps to get the first hanger firmly seated. The second went in with a little more finesse. Then he picked up the sign and hung it on the wall. âThere you go.â
When he turned, he found the woman standing on the porch with himâand the close-up view took his breath away. Bright blue eyes and rosy lips, long hair in a shade of red he labeled russet, creamy skin and a curvy figure accentuated by a T-shirt and shorts...it all added up to perfection, as far as Garrett was concerned.
âItâs a nice sign,â she said, âbut Iâm not sure it will be visible from the street.â
She was also, he gathered, rather picky. âThere will be a bigger, freestanding sign in the yard for the Bisons Creek Medical Clinic. Itâs not quite finished.â
âThat sounds great.â Smiling, she extended a hand. âIâm Rachel Vale.â
âGarrett Marshall.â Taking off his hat, he held her right hand in his and squeezed, but then couldnât prevent a wince.
Her warm smile became a worried frown. âWhatâs wrong?â
âI hammered my thumb just before you arrived. Donât worryââ
âYour right thumb?â She brought his hand closer to her face. âAre you left-handed?â
âI am, as a matter of fact.â He was also flushing in embarrassment at this point.
Dr. Vale hadnât noticed, her attention being concentrated on his thumb. Her fingers were cool and gentle on his skin, and very clean. As she bent her head, he caught the crisp herbal scent of her shampoo. Unobtrusively, he drew in a deeper breath. Very nice.
âHas the pain diminished since it happened?â
âYes, definitely diminished. Iâm fine, really. Just feeling stupid.â Nothing like looking clumsy in front of a gorgeous professional woman. He might be a pastor, but he had his pride.
âItâll be bruised.â She released his hand. âIce would be a good idea. Iâd offer some, but I have no idea if I even have any ice.â
âIâm okay,â Garrett assured her. Her touch seemed to linger on his skin. âShall I let you inside? Or do you have the keys?â
âThe mayor sent me a set,â she said, pulling a key ring out of her back pocket. âLetâs see how this works.â With a couple of quick twists of her wrist, the door swung open. âTa-da! My own clinic.â She nodded toward the interior. âWant to share my first tour?â
For another smile, heâd hang around all day. âMy pleasure.â He followed her into the waiting room, where a pass-through window opened into the receptionistâs office. âThis building used to be a general store,â he said as she surveyed the space. âIt had been empty for years but wasnât too hard to clean up and renovate into what you needed. Mostly a matter of putting up walls and doors, dropping the ceiling and laying new vinyl over the concrete.â
âThat all sounds pretty labor-intensive to me. I like the light gray walls and charcoal floor. Very soothing.â She went through the door patients would use into the back hallway, where there were two examining rooms, a laboratory and an office. âYouâve made a big effort.â
âWeâre pretty excited to have a medical clinic. Driving to Kaycee or Casper isnât an easy option for some folks.â
The doctor nodded as she peeked behind cabinet doors, opened drawers and examined the boxes of equipment stacked on the counter. âI grew up in a small town, with no local doctor and a mother who had health issues. Getting to and from her appointments could take up most of a day. And as a doctor, Iâve experienced firsthand how beneficial it is for patients in an isolated community to have accessible health care. Problems can be handled relatively easily in the office rather than exacerbated by patientsâ reluctance to make a long drive, especially the elderly. Itâs one of the issues I specifically want to address in my career.â
Talk about commitment! Garrett thought she might be too good to be true. âIâm glad to hear that. We have our share of older folks in Bisons Creek.â He followed her down the hallway. âI understand your training is in family medicine?â
âAt the University of Washington, in Seattle. Iâve also worked in small towns in Idaho and Montana.â She stood at the door to the office. âBut never with an office this nice. Thereâs even a desk and an armchair and carpet, as if this were a real doctorâs study. Next Iâll be thinking Iâm a real doctor.â
âThatâs what weâre hoping anyway.â
âI do have certificates,â she said, grinning at him. âI can fake it pretty well.â
âI wonât tell.â He returned the grin with one of his own. Her bright blue gaze held his and there was a second when he could have sworn he felt the click of a connection between them.
Then she looked away and gestured at a cluster of boxes on the floor. âIâm glad my professional books arrived. I didnât have room for everything in the car. Iâll have to buy some bookcases to put them on.â
âHaving carried them in here, I can say youâd better get heavy-duty shelves. Each of those boxes weighs a ton.â
âAnd they cost a fortune to mail. I hope I donât have to ship them again for a long, long time.â
âI like the sound of that. Youâre welcome for as long as you want to stay.â
âThanks.â She crossed the hall to the lab area. The equipment sheâd ordered was already in place. âFunctional and efficientâjust what I asked for. And thereâs a room set aside for the X-ray machine, right? Iâm hoping that will be my first big purchase.â
âRight here.â Garrett opened the door to show her the windowless space. âWe built it to the dimensions you gave us.â
Eyes shining, she spread her arms wide. âEverything I could ask for. Youâve done a terrific job.â
He held up a hand in protest. âI canât take too much credit. The whole town worked together on raising funds to restore the building.â
âBut you must be the town carpenter, right?â
âUm, no. Kimble Construction did most of the real work. Iâm the minister at Bisons Creek Church. My brother built the sign and I said Iâd hang it.â
âOh.â Her glow of excitement seemed to dim. âWell...thank you for all your help.â She walked away, toward the front of the clinic.