Page 98 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

Chapter Thirty

FORD

A Little Restraint

Three days later Dr Sheridan still wore that knowing smirk. More than once he’d complimented my handling of the clinic. How everyone he’d spoken to, including Janice, said I’d been a nice addition to the town. He stayed silent about Piper, but his perma-grin told me his feelings about that situation.

He sipped his coffee slowly before setting his mug down on the desk. ‘Hard to get a good cup a joe in some of those European towns. Sure, espresso is fine, but I like plain old coffee sometimes.’ He leaned forward and tented his hands on the desk. ‘Although the way Janice makes it, it can taste a little like tar.’

I smiled because I’d grown used to the strong brew she made. There were a lot of things around Ivy Falls that had grown on me. The gossipy whispers of the office staff when they spotted a cute new tourist in town. How they were all anticipating fall and the return of Barb and Susan’s traditional pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. What kind of booth the office would set up in the square for the festival at the end of October.

An ache swelled in my chest. I’d miss all of it once I was gone.

‘Bring me up to date. What’s happened in my little town since I’ve been gone?’

‘It’s all written down in the charts. Janice was very clear about how I was supposed to keep up so there’d be a smooth transition when you returned.’

‘She can be a drill sergeant, but this place would be lost without her.’

‘I agree.’

His lips pinched together as he leaned forward. ‘Now, tell me the specifics of what is not in the charts.’

‘Sir?’ I said, not sure what kind of information he was expecting.

He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. ‘For instance, how is Greta Vanderpool doing? I got an earful about her fainting spell at Sugar Rush. Is it true you rushed to her care?’

I scrubbed at my chin. ‘I forget how quickly information spreads around here.’

‘This is Ivy Falls. The minute people finished saying “Welcome home” they told me about her.’ He let out a weary breath. ‘I’m shocked nobody texted me. Maybe this town is learning a little restraint, or, better yet, they’ve learned to trust you.’

‘Not so sure about that, but they do know my every move. The other day I walked into the market and Minnie handed me the ground coffee I like without me asking for it.’

‘People around here are special.’ His eyes twinkled. ‘But I see you’ve already learned that considering the time you’re spending with Piper Townsend.’

My cheeks went hot. Shit. I was a grown man. I should not be blushing.

‘Things are good—’ I cut off, not knowing what else to say about the woman who had flipped my entire existence upside down. I was still kicking myself that I didn’t tell her how I felt in the square.

‘Any chance things might be permanent there?’

I hesitated because I’d asked myself that same question too many times to count. ‘Back to Mrs Vanderpool,’ I said, not wanting to explain the complications of Piper with him. ‘She’s in treatment with a mentor of mine at Vanderbilt. I put all of his contact details in her file. I plan to follow up and let him know you’ve returned and will check in with him periodically.’

He gave a thoughtful nod and I tried not to stare at the psychedelic array of camels spread across his shirt. How his shoulder-length white hair was tucked into a low ponytail.

‘Can you stay until the end of our agreement? I’d love to have your help until I get up to speed.’

‘Sure, that’s not a problem,’ I said with relief because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Piper yet.

With Dr Sheridan’s surprising return, Piper and I had been dancing around the subject of my departure. You could feel the tension in our kisses though. How when she touched me it was more tentative, hesitant, like she wanted to remember every single minute we spent skin-to-skin.

Things for me weren’t any different. Every time I put my mouth on her, brought her to the edge of pleasure, moaned her name in the way she loved, I held on to it for a beat longer. Wanted to remember the heady thrum of my pulse, the thrill of anticipation as she climbed toward me on the bed, her hair messy, her lips kiss-swollen. Those were the moments I’d hold on to when I was alone in Africa.

‘I was engaged before I met my Sylvie,’ Dr Sheridan said, bringing me back to the conversation. ‘My fiancée, Nora, was my high-school sweetheart. Six months before our wedding, I did an away rotation in Knoxville. I was having a beer at a local restaurant with some other residents and this blonde beauty walked in with some friends. I’m not lying when I say I swear Sylvie had this glow of light around her. Some of her pals knew the guys we were with, and they ended up sitting at our table. Every word out of her mouth, her dreams and aspirations, aligned perfectly with mine.’ His eyes glazed over like he was recalling the sweet memory. ‘I returned to Nashville after that, but I couldn’t get her out of my head. Even in my dreams she made regular appearances.’ He gave me a devilish grin.

Yeah, I knew what he meant.

‘No matter how hard I tried to forget Sylvie, I couldn’t. It was like my heart understood better than my brain what was right for me.’