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Goodness, this heat. She swiped her forehead as she hurried down the dusty road. Several brown curls had come loose from the tight knot at the back of her head. They stuck to her neck and made her itch.
When she entered the store, cool air drifted over her heated face. Was this the cross breeze Mr. Mackenzie had mentioned? What a blessing that would be in the schoolhouse. Ruth pulled her handkerchief from the pocket of her dress and blotted her forehead.
Doc Potter stood by the counter speaking to Lula Stiles, the wife of the storekeeper.
“Good afternoon, Miss Blackburn.” He smiled, his green eyes crinkling. Doc Potter was a nice looking man, but too short for Ruth. She towered above him by nearly two inches.
“Good afternoon. I require your assistance, Doc. One of my students had a near fainting spell. She’s waiting in the schoolhouse with her father.”
“Let’s go,” he said, grabbing his hat and black medical bag from the counter. “Give my best to Manny, Lula.”
* * *
Garth didn’t like how the doctor looked at Miss Blackburn. Kind of like he wanted to eat her for dinner, and then again for breakfast. Was he courting the teacher? Garth stifled a small chuckle. Ruth Blackburn was strong and lovely and resembled an Amazonian warrior princess. Too tall for the diminutive doc.
Mary Alice was doing better, thank God. What would he do without his little girl? He’d had enough loss in his life for five lifetimes. This child was all he had left.
But he wouldn’t let emotion get the best of him. He kept her at arm’s length on purpose. He couldn’t stand any more loss.
“She isn’t drinking enough, is all,” Doc Potter said, after examining Mary Alice. “Miss Blackburn, in this heat, your students need breaks to drink.”
“I know that, Doc. I keep a basin of cool water and a dipper in the back of the classroom, as you can see. The students are allowed to drink as needed. One of the big boys keeps it filled.”
“Well then, Mary Alice,” the doctor said. “Are you getting up to drink as necessary?”
“I thought I was.”
“If you’re not using the outhouse several times a day, you’re not drinking enough. In this heat, water intake is essential. Otherwise, you may faint, as you nearly did.”
“Yes, sir,” Mary Alice said.
“She’s fine for now, Mr. Mackenzie,” Doc Potter said. “You may take her home. But I want her to rest for the remainder of the day. No strenuous activity. And lots of cool water.”
Garth nodded and cleared his throat. Damned doctors. Thought they knew everything. “If this schoolhouse had proper ventilation, it wouldn’t be so hot.”
Doc Potter nodded. “I can’t argue with you there. But this is the schoolhouse we have, and the town is fortunate to have it. And we’re indeed fortunate to have such a fine teacher as Miss Blackburn.”
The doctor eyed the teacher again, and Garth’s jaw tensed. He wasn’t sure why.
“Perhaps you would be interested in making some adjustments to the schoolhouse, Mr. Mackenzie.” The schoolteacher smiled. Such a pretty smile—full pink lips surrounding sparkling teeth. One of her front teeth overlapped the other just slightly. Garth had an overwhelming urge to run his tongue over the lovely imperfection.
He brushed the image away. A pretty smile, all right. A pretty smile with an ulterior motive attached.
The teacher continued, “That way, you can be assured your daughter and the other students won’t suffer so much from the heat.”
Yep, ulterior motive. Just as he’d suspected. “I’m sure I don’t have the time, ma’am.” He turned to his daughter. “If you’re feeling better, Mary Alice, we’d best get home.”
“Yes, Pa.”
“What do I owe you, Doctor?”
“For goodness’ sake, don’t worry about that,” Miss Blackburn cut in. “I’ll bake the doc a pie. This is my responsibility, as it happened in my schoolhouse.”
Garth’s muscles tightened, and he placed his hat on his head while still inside. “I pay my own debts, ma’am.” He fished several coins out of his pocket and handed them to the doctor. “Will this cover it? If not, I’ll make good tomorrow at the store.”
Doc Potter took a few of the coins and placed the remainder back in Garth’s hand. “This will do fine.”
Garth nodded, took his daughter by the arm, and led her out of the schoolhouse, down the steps, and to his buckboard that was tied nearby.
