Alec surveyed the calendar nailed to the wall of the clinic. In three more days, it would be June. Only two months left to fulfill his commitments to his father. Thankfully Alec no longer felt worried about the viability of the clinic.
Edward Kent had made good on his promise to recommend Alec as a qualified veterinarian. The three weeks following his treatment of the rancher’s colicky horse saw nearly the same number of people wandering into his clinic as the weeks before, but now they were there for their animals’ care and well-being—not solely for gossip. Alec had also made two more house calls to nearby ranches, one for a foundering horse and the other for an arthritic goat.
Now his days were wonderfully busy as he prepared medicines, answered questions and treated the occasional animal in the clinic. And while not overflowing, the cash box tucked beneath the counter of the apothecary no longer sat empty, either.
His evenings were quieter but no less enjoyable, especially those he spent with Isobel. Twice a week they dined at the restaurant, and on the weekends they went for evening strolls or ate dinner together on Isobel’s outside staircase. On Sundays Alec had the pleasure of sitting beside her during church services.
Their courtship strategy seemed to be working well. There were still plenty of people eager to ask them questions about their relationship and future plans, but he and Isobel were interrupted less often in their comings and goings as a couple.
His other task—that of finding a wife and settling down—was less appealing to him the longer he was in Sheridan. But he’d need to meet that provision if he wanted the rest of his inheritance.
If only he could find a young lady as easy to be with as Isobel. They never lacked for things to talk about. The other day she’d even asked him for business advice, regarding whether she ought to design dresses for more people or continue to focus on expanding her shop through more space. It had been a proud moment for Alec, knowing Isobel saw him as a real business owner and not a novice any longer.
In moments such as those, he found it hard to remind himself that they were only courting temporarily. Of course, he hoped they’d always be friends. But if he let his old feelings for Isobel resurrect themselves, wouldn’t he be right back in Whit’s shadow all over again? He was carving out a life and business here that was all his own. Shouldn’t that apply to the person he gave his heart to, as well?
After locking the clinic’s door, Alec made his way to the back of the building. He still had ample time left before his birthday to find another young lady whom he’d like to marry. Someone with no ties to his—or his brother’s—past. For now, he was content with his arrangement with Isobel. Once they both agreed that the talk about them was as good as gone, they could end things and he’d be at liberty to turn his full attention toward meeting someone new.
Since he and Isobel weren’t eating together that night, he prepared himself a simple supper. The warmth from the stove drove him outdoors to enjoy the early summer evening. Alec took a seat outside on his staircase and balanced his plate on his knees. Before he’d taken more than a couple of bites, he heard a scuffling sound at the side of the steps followed by a soft mewing. Curious, he set aside his plate and stood. He leaned over the railing to find a small gray cat peering up at him.
“Well, hello there.” Alec smiled at the cat. “Are you hungry?”
The feline gave another plaintive meow as if answering him.
He chuckled and turned to grab his plate. He moved slowly down the stairs, but even that action sent the cat skittering away from him. Sitting back down, Alec settled in to wait, knowing the skinny creature would be hard-pressed to ignore the tantalizing smell of his meal—no matter how modest or bland it might be.
Sure enough, a minute or so later, the cat crept back toward him. When it was still a few feet away, Alec extended a piece of meat toward the animal. The cat froze, its eyes on his hand. Then it began to tentatively inch its way forward. At last it grabbed the morsel from his fingers. Alec sampled another bite himself before offering the cat a second tidbit. This time the feline didn’t cower. Instead, it eagerly accepted the food.
The poor thing looked half-starved, but beyond that, Alec couldn’t see any that it suffered from any other physical ailments. The more scraps he fed it, the closer the creature came. Finally, it rose and rested its front paws on Alec’s knee.
“Feeling better with something in your belly?” he murmured, running a hand down the cat’s back. “I feel that way, too.” The feline was a girl and looked to be older than a kitten, though not yet fully grown.
Alec kept alternating between eating and sharing bites with the cat until his plate was nearly empty. Setting it on the ground, he let the feline finish off the rest. “I’ll be back with something to drink.”
Inside his apartment he filled a dish with water. The cat was still licking his plate clean when he returned outside, so Alec placed the bowl next to the plate. Once no trace of his meal remained and the cat had drunk some of the water, she rubbed against his pants leg as if expressing her thanks.
“You’re very welcome.” Alec scratched the tiny gray head. The cat shut its eyes and purred in response. “Too bad you can’t stay here.” The other animals that came into the clinic would likely scare the little thing away.
A sudden loud noise from next door sent the cat ducking behind the staircase once more. Alec glanced at Isobel’s apartment, trying to figure what he’d heard. A thwack accompanied by a human screech had him jumping to his feet. He hurried over to her staircase. The muffled sound of a chair smacking the floor met his ears as he bounded up the steps to the door.
Was Isobel in trouble? Alec paused before the door, uncertain if he should barge in or not. He opted to try knocking first, but if there was no answer, he was entering her apartment uninvited.
He gave the door a hard knock. “Isobel? Are you in there?”
“Yes,” she answered, though her voice sounded breathless and upset.
Alec reached for the handle. “Can I come in?”
“Not yet. But when I say, I want you to fling the door open.”
Frowning, he studied the worn wood in front of his face. The situation was growing more bizarre by the second.
“Alec, did you hear me?”
He nodded, then realized she couldn’t see him. “I heard you. Open the door when you say.”
“Yes, please.”
Alec wrapped his fingers around the handle in preparation. His confusion and curiosity mounted as he heard another thwack from the other side of the door followed by an audible grumble of frustration.
“Open the door, Alec,” she suddenly cried. “Open it now.”
He twisted the handle and threw the door open wide, bracing himself for whatever might come flying out. But the only thing he saw was Isobel, gripping a broom between her hands. Her dark hair fell around her face and shoulders, and her amber eyes were narrowed in determination. Instead of a stylish dress, she wore a faded yellow robe over what looked to be a long white nightgown.
“There it goes!” she exclaimed as she pointed at his shoes.
Glancing down in bewilderment, Alec saw a mouse dart past him and down the steps. It reached the street in seconds, only to have the cat give chase.
“I’ve been trying to shoo that thing toward the door for ten minutes.” She breathed a puff of air that dislodged a lock of hair from her cheek. “But every time I poked at it, it would scurry in the opposite direction.”
Alec opened his mouth to respond, then shut it just as quickly. The sight of Isobel’s unfettered hair and the way the yellow of the dressing gown enhanced the color of her eyes left him momentarily speechless. Adding in the fact that she’d efficiently driven the mouse out of her apartment on her own, he couldn’t recall in that moment why he didn’t want to court this beautiful, strong, resourceful woman for the rest of his life.
“Are you...all right, Alec?” She studied him in turn, her brow furrowed with evident distress.
He mentally shook himself. “I’m good. Great, even.” He ran a hand over his jaw in an effort to ground himself in the present. “Do you get mice often?”
“Not usually.” Isobel visibly shuddered. “But I don’t like finding even one that’s made its way in here.”
He couldn’t blame her—he didn’t necessarily like mice, either. “I’m impressed with your effective herding skills.” He nodded at the broom.
Color rose into her cheeks. “Thanks for coming over when you did.” She drew the lapels of her wrapper closer together with her free hand. “And for opening the door. How did you know something was wrong?”
“I was sitting on my steps, eating supper, when I heard some strange noises.”
Her blush deepened, but then so did the playful spark in her eyes. “I’ve found that extricating mice isn’t a noiseless process.”
“I can’t say I don’t agree with you there.” They exchanged a laugh.
Isobel fell back a step and set the broom against the wall. “I’d better return to my sewing. I had no idea when I designed those dresses for Maggy that she’d love them so much she’d tell others.”
“I could have told you that.” He hoped she’d sense the sincerity behind his teasing. Alec had felt downright proud of her these past few weeks—as if she actually were his sweetheart—as she’d courageously designed dresses for Maggy Kent and accepted orders for several more unique gowns. “How many other women are you designing for?”
She pursed her lips in thought, drawing his attention to their attractive bow shape. “Two, for now. Mrs. Stone, whose dog you helped, and Lola Winchester. Mrs. Winchester also mentioned that she might be interested in having dresses designed for her older daughters, too.”
“I’d best let you go then.” Alec didn’t want to keep her any longer with all she had to do. He was grateful for the chance to talk, however briefly, on a night he hadn’t expected to see her. “If there are any more mice, let me know and I’ll gladly be your doorman.”
Her lovely laugh pealed across the evening air. “I’ll remember that. Though I hope there won’t be. I’ve considered putting out traps, but I don’t like the thought of finding a dead mouse waiting for me when I came up from the shop.”
“Hold on,” Alec said, an idea forming. “I think I have another solution.”
Isobel’s eyebrows rose in question. “What is it?”
“Give me a few minutes, and I’ll be back.”
With a shrug, she started to close the door. “Just knock when you’re ready.”
Alec descended the steps to the street. There was no sign of the stray cat, but he figured he knew how to coax it back. After grabbing a few more morsels of supper that were stuck to the pan, he returned outside and sat on his stairs again.
“Here, kitty,” he called softly as he held out the food. “Come here, kitty.”
He didn’t have to wait long. The feline appeared up the street, then it scampered past Isobel’s place and up to Alec.
“How would you like a new owner?”
The cat eagerly snatched up the tidbits Alec offered, as if it hadn’t eaten already. Once his fingers were empty, Alec scooped up the feline and cradled it to his shirt. Instead of protesting, the creature nestled against him. He carried the cat into the clinic, where he located a brush. Alec brushed the gray fur until it was shiny and free of knots. A quick examination confirmed his earlier assessment—the cat was hungry and skinny but in good health otherwise. Nothing that regular meals and a warm place to sleep wouldn’t fix.
He held the cat in his arms and retraced his footsteps to Isobel’s door. She answered his knock right away, but the expectancy in her expression dimmed when she saw what he held in his arms.
“A cat?”
Alec nodded. “Hear me out, and if you still don’t want her, you don’t have to keep her.”
“All right.” She folded her arms over her wrapper. “I’m listening.”
“This little thing found me tonight, and I gave her some food. What she really needs, though, is a good home and you need a mouse catcher.”
Isobel frowned. “What do I feed it? And where is it to go when I’m at the dress shop?”
“She can eat most of what you do for meals,” he explained, “and during the day, all you have to do is let her outside to explore and find her own snacks until you come back in the evening.”
Was he wrong in thinking her skeptical look had softened? “Is she healthy?” Isobel put out a tentative hand and the cat slipped its head beneath her palm. It began to purr as Isobel stroked its head.
“My prognosis after looking her over is that she is fit as a fiddle.”
A chuckle escaped Isobel’s lips. “She is rather small, isn’t she?”
“She’ll grow, though my guess is she’ll never be an overly large cat.”
Isobel lowered her arm to her side and pushed out a sigh. “I’ve never owned a pet before, Alec.”
“Never?” Even in the city, his family had owned horses and a number of birds.
She shook her head. “What if she doesn’t like it here, with me?”
“I can’t see any reason why she wouldn’t.” Any person or animal would be blessed for knowing Isobel. “Do you want to hold her?”
Hesitation radiated from her before she held out her hands. Alec passed her the cat, hoping the thing wouldn’t scratch or bolt. His fears were unfounded, though. The feline snuggled into Isobel’s arms as if she belonged there. Isobel ran her hand along the cat’s head and back, and soon soft purrs filled the air.
“A proper cat needs a proper name,” Isobel said after a few moments, bringing her gaze to rest on Alec’s.
The quiet appreciation glowing in her eyes sent a zing of emotion through his chest. She’d not only accepted his gift, but she was grateful for it, too. “You’ll keep her, then?”
“I’d like to, yes.” She smiled down at the cat. “What if we call her...Duchess?”
Alec wasn’t sure if she had inadvertently used the word we, but it brought a smile to his face nonetheless. “I think Duchess is a great name.”
“Goodnight then, Doctor Russell.” Isobel lifted the cat’s paw in a wave. “Thank you for helping us.”
He pantomimed tipping a hat to the pair of them. “Night, ladies.”
As he moved down the stairs, he heard Isobel’s door click shut. She now owned her first animal and Duchess had a real home. Happiness filled him as he returned to his own apartment and went to work tidying his small kitchen.
A sobering thought pushed back at his joy some time later. His past feelings for Isobel hadn’t stayed buried as he’d hoped. Seeing her earlier after she’d expelled the mouse, talking with her now and giving her that cat had stirred the dormant ashes in his heart. And Alec feared it wouldn’t be long before they became a tiny flame he wasn’t sure he wanted to snuff out a second time.
Isobel absently rubbed Duchess’s soft fur as she carried the cat through the kitchen to the sitting area. She sat in the chair drawn up to the sewing machine and placed the feline on her lap. Duchess continued to purr at the attention.
Alec had given her a cat. Isobel’s lips curved upward as she stared unseeing at the dresses and cut pieces of fabric that adorned the settee, the armchair and the mannequin. It had been years since a man had brought her any sort of gift. And while the pleasure of owning her first animal made this present particularly special, that wasn’t the only thing on her mind.
She kept recalling the admiration in Alec’s eyes after he’d opened the door for the mouse. “It isn’t how a friend would look at you,” she mused aloud to the cat. Then again, the way her pulse had tripped in response as she’d gazed back had certainly stemmed from more than friendliness, too.
“What am I doing, Duchess?” she whispered in confusion.
Isobel gazed at the half-finished and nearly finished gowns that surrounded her. This had been her life for so long, and for the most part she loved it. But spending regular time with Alec the past three and a half weeks had ironically made her aware of the loneliness deep inside her that had been growing for some time. She had Aunt Jo and Uncle Evan, of course, but they didn’t live nearby. Even Stella, whom Isobel considered a close friend, went home to her own family every night.
Then Alec had stumbled back into Isobel’s life, and she found she now looked forward to those evenings when she would see him. Apart from her aunt and uncle, she had also discovered she could simply be herself around Alec. Perhaps it was because he was simply himself with her, too. He certainly frequented her thoughts more than any other person now.
“Still, that’s to be expected, isn’t it? I mean, we are courting, even if it’s only temporarily.”
Duchess snuggled her head against Isobel’s palm, seeking another rub. With a soft laugh, she obliged. Her merriment faded quickly, though. How did she make sense of the kaleidoscope of emotions Alec inspired in her?
“I don’t know the answer to that, Duchess,” she admitted aloud as she lifted the cat and stood. “But I must figure it out sooner rather than later.” She buried her face in the gray fur, the vibration of the cat’s purr humming against her cheek. “Because if Alec is somehow vying for my heart, I’m afraid he might be succeeding.”
The next day Alec looked up from examining the goat in front of him to find West coming through the front door of the clinic. He waved at his friend, then turned back to the farmer. “She looks much improved, Pete.”
“She is to be sure, doc. And I can’t you thank you enough for helping her.”
Alec smiled as he stood. “Glad to be of service.” He waved away the few dollars Pete extended toward him. “Consider this a follow-up visit to my house call the other week.”
“Appreciate that. Come on, Gladys.” The farmer tugged on the goat’s lead rope and guided the animal out the door.
“The place looks busier every time I come in,” West said with a grin as he crossed the room.
Alec shook West’s hand and nodded. “If things remain steady like this, I think the clinic may actually make it.”
“You had no doubts from me.”
He appreciated the statement of confidence from his best friend. “What brings you to town today? Picking up a new group of guests for the dude ranch?”
“Nope, I just dropped off a group at the train station. I was also picking up the phonograph we ordered last month. Vienna thought the guests might enjoy listening to some music in the evenings.”
“Speaking of things being busy...” Grabbing the broom, Alec commenced ridding the floor of animal hair. “Sounds like your ranch is even more popular this year than last.”
His friend took a seat on one of the benches. “It is, and we feel truly blessed for that.”
“How are Vienna and Hattie doing?”
“They’re doing well. In fact, that’s the reason I’m here.” West leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “They’ve both been asking when you can come to dinner again.”
Alec paused in sweeping. Between things with the clinic and spending time with Isobel, he hadn’t returned to the HC Bar in nearly six weeks. “Tell them I’d love to come.”
“How about tomorrow night at six o’clock?” West asked as he rose to his feet.
“I’m taking Isobel to a restaurant for dinner tomorrow night.”
His best friend wouldn’t be surprised by Alec’s plans. The last time West had come into the clinic, curious about the rumors he’d heard in town, Alec had been more than happy to tell his friend the truth. He had explained his courtship with Isobel was more of a business partnership, and he’d been grateful when West had acknowledged the validity of their plan.
“Could you come to our place, instead? Vienna specifically asked if the two of you would come to dinner.”
Alec studied his best friend’s face, but West’s expression appeared innocent, even hopeful. Was there more to this request? “Wouldn’t you rather be alone as a family after a week of ranch guests?”
“What we’d like,” West countered with a chuckle, “is for you and Isobel to join us.”
Though still wary of their motive, Alec finally nodded. “I think that should work. I’ll talk to Isobel to be sure, but I’d say plan on the both of us.”
“Wonderful. I’ll let Vienna know.”
Alec set aside the broom and followed West to the door. “You know nothing’s changed between Isobel and me. We’re still just friends.”
“I know.” West grinned. “See you tomorrow night, Alec.”
Instead of smiling himself, he frowned as he watched West through the clinic window. He couldn’t quite decide which bothered him more—that his friends seemed to be up to something or that his words about himself and Isobel only being friends had sounded rather hollow, even to his own ears.