It Must Have Been the Mistletoe(5)

She shivered. “I—I’m a little cold.”

Drew grabbed an afghan from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing her arms to warm her. His palms slipped to her back and he continued to massage her. “Better?”

She looked up and their eyes met. For a long moment, they stared at each other. He was so used to looking after his patients’ well-being that it was only natural to try to make her more comfortable. But when he realized they were nearly embracing, he quickly stepped back. “Hypothermia can set in very quickly,” he murmured.

It was obvious she’d been a bit shaken by the physical contact. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “Miss Harper, my name is Alison Cole. I’ve been searching for you for a long time.” She held out her hand, a puzzled look coming over her face when Ettie didn’t move.

Drew walked over to Ettie’s side and took her by the elbow to lead her forward. “She wants to shake your hand, Ettie.” He smiled at Alison. “Miss Ettie is blind.”

“Don’t say it that way,” Ettie scolded in a deep drawl. “Tell her I just don’t see things the way regular folk do.” The old woman held out her hand and Alison took it in hers. “So you heard my recording? There was a man came by here last summer asking about those songs. Wanted to put them on a new record.”

“Someone else knows about them?” Alison asked. Her expression fell and Drew wondered why the songs were so important to her.

“But I ran him off,” Ettie continued. “Didn’t like the sound of his voice. He came back twice, tryin’ to get me to sign some papers, but you can never trust a man with papers.”

“When did you record the songs?” Alison asked.

Ettie smiled. “My Lord, I remember that day like it was yesterday. It was 1939. My fourteenth birthday. And my daddy borrowed his friend’s truck and drove Mama and me into Knoxville. It was the first time I’d been away from home and I thought I’d faint from all the excitement.”

“You had a beautiful voice,” Alison said.

“She still does,” Drew commented.

Alison glanced over at him and his breath caught. Had he been staring at her this whole time? She was even more beautiful than he’d originally thought. He found himself undressing her in his head, discovering the body beneath the damp clothes.

He held out his own hand, challenging her to take it, to touch him. It was clear she was attracted to him. He could read the signs. “I’m Drew Phillips. I’m the doctor around these parts. I was just paying a house call to Miss Ettie when you came along.”

The moment she slipped her fingers into his, Drew felt a current of anticipation race through him. It had been so long since he’d thought about a woman in a purely sexual way. Though he was considered quite a catch among his patients and their single female relations, Drew made it a point not to mix his professional life with his personal life. But this woman seemed as if she’d been dropped on this mountaintop for a reason—and maybe it wasn’t just to talk to Ettie about her music.

“I like the sound of you,” Miss Ettie said. “Why don’t you two sit down near the fire and I’ll get us all some tea? We’ll have a nice chat.” Ettie moved to the stove. “It’s chamomile. I pick it myself.”

“I’ll do that,” Drew offered, stepping to her side.

“No, no,” Ettie whispered. “You throw a few more logs onto the fire and have a nice chat. She sounds like a very pretty girl. You could use a pretty girl in your life,” she added, patting Drew on the arm.

Drew turned to face Alison, certain she’d heard everything Ettie had said. “Sit,” he said, pointing to a chair near the hearth. “And don’t mind her. She likes to play matchmaker whenever she can.”

“Yeah, I can tell you probably have all kinds of problems finding women to date,” Alison teased.

Drew chuckled. “I spend most of my free time with an eighty-five-year-old woman,” he said. “That should tell you all you need to know.”

“I wasn’t asking,” Alison said, tipping her chin up. “I’m not interested in you. Only Ettie.”

“We’re a package deal. I watch over her. If you take advantage of her, you’ll have to answer to me.”

Their gazes met again and Drew fought the impulse to lean forward and kiss her. He might have given in and done it if he could guess her response. But she watched him with a wary expression and he decided to wait.

“I—I need to get my recorder from my car. I don’t want to miss anything she says.”