"Now, don't you two fret." Phyllis Cooper stood on the sidewalk in front of the general store, consoling Maureen Cooper's twins, her charges for the afternoon. "This is nothing for Dr. McAlester. He treats ornery bulls and even tended a sick tiger when the circus came to town five years back. He'll get that kitten down in no time. You'll see."
Alex glanced at the kids' anxious faces and sighed. Gee, no pressure here. He shinnied up another foot, ignoring the scrapes to his arms. The kitten was obviously frozen scared and the only way he was going to come down was if someone carried him.
"Doc Alex? You won't let the kitty fall, will you?" one of the twins asked.
He glanced down and met large blue-green eyes. He couldn't tell if it was Randi or Robin-they looked too much alike. Not that it mattered. Both little girls gazed at him with a mixture of trust and concern that made his gut tighten.
"Don't worry, honey, I'll get the kitty down safely. You just be really quiet so we don't frighten him, okay?"
Both girls promptly nodded.
What would his life have been like if he and Sara had had a couple of children, if they hadn't postponed starting a family? They'd always assumed there would be time later. They'd been horribly wrong.
But he couldn't afford to think about that now. The kitten let out a plaintive meow, and Alex inched up the last couple of feet until he could reach the gray tabby. Alarmed, the cat struck out and clawed his arm, but Alex managed to grab him.
"Easy, boy," he said in a low, soothing voice. "I know you're scared, but we're going to get your feet planted on the ground again."
The kitty didn't believe him. He screeched and squirmed, and Alex had to tuck him inside his shirt to free his hands for the climb down. The cat dug into Alex's skin. He winced but continued another couple of yards until he was able to hand the nervous animal to Phyllis.
"Be careful," he warned. "The poor guy's spooked. He'll try to claw you, so hold him by the back of his neck."
Phyllis didn't seem to be listening. Something across the street had distracted her. Absently, she held up her hands for the kitten.
"Phyllis?"
She squinted in the direction of the bank as she took the cat. "Isn't that Jenny Taylor?"
Damn it. Alex nearly slid the last few feet to the ground. "Who?"
"You know, Ed's daughter?"
He knew who she was. He just hadn't expected her to arrive until this evening. As soon as he landed on his feet, he peered across the street. Her back was to him, her long, light cinnamon-colored hair pulled into a ponytail.
"Of course, she's come for the funeral. I don't think I've seen her in over five years." Phyllis frowned in disapproval. "Too bad she didn't come see her father when he was alive. Guess she's been too busy living the high life in Boston."
"New York," he mumbled, craning his neck for a better look and tucking his loose T-shirt into his jeans. "She got transferred there two years ago."
He doubted Jenny had been living the high life, but he didn't say anything. Phyllis would only argue. She and her husband, Philo, had owned Cooper's Corner General Store for over three decades and knew just about everyone in town. They both pretty much figured they knew everyone's business, too. Probably did.
Except Alex knew all about Jenny, even though he hadn't seen her in years. Her father had read him every one of her letters chronicling her ten-year career in the hotel industry, from her first job as assistant to the general manager to her present position as head of the marketing department in the chain's newest boutique hotel in New York.
Ed had been proud of each of his daughter's promotions and worried sick when she'd broken her leg skiing in Vermont three winters ago. Hell, as Ed's closest neighbor and best friend, Alex knew when Jenny had had a cold. Damn, he was going to miss the guy. Only fifty-seven and dead from a sudden heart attack. It wasn't right.
Sara had only been thirty when cancer had claimed her young life.
Alex ruthlessly pushed the thought aside. He needed to focus on Jenny. She wouldn't be prepared for what she'd find at the house where she'd grown up. Ed hadn't had the heart to tell her about the hard times that had hit the farm. He'd been unable to make ends meet, and the place was old and had started to require extensive repair.
Alex had found out by accident that Jenny had been sending Ed money until two years ago. But then it stopped, and Ed had been too proud to accept Alex's offer of help. Now all Alex could do was offer Jenny a shoulder to lean on. He owed Ed that much.
He kept his sights on her as he waited for an old van and an SUV to go by before crossing Main Street. Jenny stopped briefly at a mailbox, deposited an envelope and turned to climb into a blue sedan. It was an older car with a dent in the door. Not what he'd expected her to be driving. He figured something newer, sportier would be more her style.
Of course a car didn't mean anything. He had a thriving veterinary practice, busy enough that he'd taken on a partner. Yet he still drove the same ugly ten-year-old truck he and Sara had picked out a year before she'd died.
Anyway, he was more interested in the direction the car was pointed. She'd been heading toward Church Street when she came into town, which meant she probably hadn't been to the farm yet. Better he was with her when she stepped inside the house. Ed had gotten used to the state of disrepair. Alex doubted Jenny would be as indifferent.
But maybe he was wrong. She hadn't visited her father in quite a while, always claiming she was too busy with work. Ed never said much, only that he was proud of her becoming such a success. The poor guy must have felt neglected, though. Alex had tried to reserve judgment, but it was hard to ignore the disappointment in Ed's eyes as each holiday approached and Jenny made no effort to come home.
Her past visits normally lasted just two days ... a long weekend. But Ed was grateful for every minute. She was his only daughter, his only living relative. And now he was gone, and Jenny wouldn't have any more chances to visit him.
None of that mattered to Alex at the moment. Even if he did feel any ill will toward Jenny for her apparent neglect of her father, he'd never let her suffer the trauma of the next two days alone. Alex understood the devastation of loss all too well.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from For Better Or For Worse by Debbi Rawlins Copyright © 2003 by Harlequin Enterprises Ltd.
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