One Day in Apple Grove(18)

“It’s OK, Cait,” he reassured her. “I’ve gone through the puppy stage a couple of times over the years.” He eased her onto a chair and opened the medical bag he’d left on the table when he’d come in. Using the penlight, he checked her pupils. They were the same size. “Good,” he said. “They’re clear.” He also noted that she wasn’t slurring her words. When she sighed and told him no, she wasn’t nauseous or dizzy, the knot of worry between his shoulder blades eased.

“So you aren’t mad at us?”

Charmed that she’d stick by the little stray, he shook his head. “Of course not. He can’t help being a puppy anymore than Honey B. can help being dizzy and nauseous for the first trimester.”

Cait slowly smiled. “She’s going to have a baby too?”

He grinned. “After doing a more thorough exam at my office, I was able to pinpoint early November as her due date.”

Caitlin’s happiness radiated from deep within her, encompassing the entire room and its occupants—who at the moment happened to be himself and the little black paper shredder. “Wait until Meg hears this!”

“She was with Honey B. when she passed out and called for help.”

“Can you beat that?” Cait asked. “Meg and Honey B. pregnant together again! Their kids will all grow up together just like they did.” Tears filled her eyes and for a moment Jack wasn’t sure what to do. Was her head bothering her, or was it a female thing?

Before he could ask, she brushed them away and grinned up at him. “It’s life here in Apple Grove coming full circle.”

Her words struck a chord deep within him. He had always wanted to sail anywhere the navy would take him, the seven seas beckoned to him, but now that he’d seen more than he’d imagined and less than he wanted, his gut told him that he was ready to put down roots. Right here in Apple Grove—where he’d caught his first lightning bug in a jar in the pasture behind the Mulcahy house, learned to ride a two-wheeler on the dirt road behind Ned Greely’s farm, and kissed Betty Sue Seymour behind the backstop one summer night when his hormones had been raging and her sweet smile had him following along behind her like a puppy.

“Hey—are you all right?”

The grip on his arm brought him back to the present. “Yeah, sorry, I was just remembering—”

“Growing up here,” she finished for him. “It’s a wonderful place for kids to experience life. Family, friends, neighbors who look out for one another—even if they butt their noses in where they don’t belong,” she grumbled.

“Like today?” he suggested, waiting for her to look up at him again. He liked watching the myriad emotions on her face.

She blew out a breath and snorted. “Yeah.”

He didn’t think she crossed her arms in front of her to draw his attention to her slender curves, but while she looked down at Jamie, his gaze lingered for a moment before he found the will to look away.

Now wasn’t the time to explore this sudden attraction…he had yet to get a good look at the bump on her head.

“Here,” he said, motioning for her to sit. “Let me take a look at that bump.”

“I’ve had worse,” she told him.

“I am sure you have,” he agreed. “Can you undo your braid? I need to see your scalp.”

The man in him chomped at the bit while the physician in him waited for her to comply. Watching the waterfall of strawberry-tinted waves falling to her waist was bound to keep him up nights for the next little while. Digging deep to shove those inappropriate thoughts aside, he warned, “This might hurt a bit, but I need to palpate the area around the bump to assess the damage.”

She tensed. “Ready when you are.”

He sifted through the strands until he uncovered the bump. “It didn’t break the skin, which accounts for the swelling. You need to ice it.”

“Are you done?”

“Just about.” He checked the surrounding area, gently letting his fingers search out any other swelling or abnormalities. His fingers felt a thick ridge of skin—possibly stitches from a childhood injury—but nothing else. “Good,” he said, resting a hand to her shoulder. “Just sit here while I get the ice bag.”

“Don’t you have any frozen peas?”

He chuckled at her request. “I’m a little old school, but I think there’s still a tray of ice cubes that have small-sized cubes in the freezer. It’s easier on the bump. Let me just get the ice bag.”

“Don’t you have a baggie?”

He looked up at the ceiling and then back at Caitlin. “Who’s the doctor here?”