Yankee Surgeon (21 page)

John found the letter and began to straighten the pages. “From Claris? Sure, she writes me every few days.”

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Sally felt the chill John
’
s words had given her slowly warm to anger. “If Claris writes to you as often as that why are you so pleased to see me?”

John let out a whoop of laughter that startled the ducks into fresh protests. “Sally, you slay me! Honestly you do. One minute you throw buckets of ice over me because I like you too much or so you think, and now because I mention Claris those blue eyes of yours are shooting green sparks at me! Now let
’
s get a few things straight. I
’
ll start with me because I think I
’
m less muddled than you, but I could be wrong. One ... I came over at very short notice because of Mother
’
s illness. Two ... my lists had to be canceled because being August there weren
’
t enough orthopedic surgeons to take them over. Three ... the patients who already had had their operations will be in for some time yet. Four ... Claris was the only one available to take them on for me as George and one or two others have their hands full anyway.
Five ...
Claris being a reasonably conscientious house surgeon duly sends me reports on my patients and being a friendly soul throws in bits of news
as well ...
Okay? Or am I still in the dog house?”

“I don
’
t know,” Sally said with painful honesty.

John heaved an enormous sigh. “Gosh, you
’
re hard on a guy, and I suppose I
’
d be a real mean brute to remind you that the very last time we were out together you told me it was no go between me and thee and why didn
’
t I console myself with Claris? You probably didn
’
t mean it quite that way so we
’
ll skip that part. You might remember in case you don
’
t know that a guy doesn
’
t have to be in love with every girl he takes out. I know the nurses find Claris a pain in the neck because she chucks her weight around, but off duty she
’
s not so bad and she is fun to take out.” John looked across to Sally sitting so still beside him. “I know it
’
s easy to call a girl like Claris names, but at least you know where you are with her. She
’
s told me in so many words that she
’
s out to get me—and a guy can be human enough to be flattered and even to
feel it a challenge. That doesn
’
t have to mean he intends to drop from the tree at her feet, but he could have fun showing her she
’
s wrong, couldn
’
t he? Or is that wrong too?”

“No, I don
’
t suppose it is.”

“Now let
’
s talk about us,” John said warmly. “I
’
ve told you where Claris and I stand and I don
’
t think you have to worry your pretty little head
about her ...
unless of course you shove me back in her direction of your own sweet will. How about you and George? He still carrying the flag for you?”

“He never was as far as I was concerned,” Sally said slowly. “But if you mean he was keen about me, perhaps he was for a bit, but I didn
’
t encourage him. He writes sometimes but not even
y
ou could call them love letters.”

John sighed. “Do you know something, Sally? I don
’
t think you know the first thing about love. I don
’
t think that heart of yours has ever given an extra flutter. You may be twenty-seven but you could be eighteen. Maybe it
’
s because you
’
ve put so much of your energies into being a first-class staff nurse. Could be that your parents have kept you in the nest too long. Don
’
t get me wrong. There
’
s nothing I don
’
t like about the result. It
’
s just I don
’
t know quite how to deal with it. I suggest to you that I
’
m crazy about you and I get the frozen mitt. M
a
ybe I could try the good friend line for a bit. How about it? Suppose for the next two weeks we try being good pals and then decide at the end of it? Okay?”

Sally tried to make out his features in the growing darkness. “All right, if that
’
s the way you want it.”

John turned toward her. “That isn
’
t what I
’
d call a hundred percent enthusiasm. What
’
s the matter?”

“It
’
s too long!” Sally burst out and then subsided in confusion.

“Too long for what? My company
or...”
He stopped suddenly. Sally could feel the silence between them spreading like the ripple on a pond after a stone has been thrown. She could answer him honestly and risk the embarrassment of having misunderstood him or she could take refuge in vagueness
or ...
“Sally.”

“Yes.”

“Are you thinking what I
’
m thinking?”

“I don
’
t know. Maybe I am.”

“Sally, come here.”

Sally remained where she was for the briefest of moments and then as if John
’
s arms were magnets she moved very slowly toward him. John didn
’
t try to hurry her or to help her until she was actually close enough to be within their circle.

“Would you scream if I kissed you, Sally?”

Why, his voice was trembling, she noticed with amazement. “I don
’
t think so, John,” she said softly.

Then his arms were tight around her and he was kissing her as if he had been waiting to do so for nearly a year. Sally felt her doubts dissolving in the warm flame of his love and her hands slipped upward to clasp the back of his neck and her kisses began to answer his.

It was John who eventually called a halt. “Have a heart, Sally. This guy is only human and I
’
ve waited a long time for this.”

Sally became apologetic. “Sorry, John.”

He chuckled happily. “You
’
ve been reading too many books, honey! I was only wanting to save some for next time! Now we
’
d better do some thinking. I don
’
t know how your Aunt Agnes and my mother are going to react to all this. Suppose we carry on with my original idea of being just good pals and see how we get along. If the strain gets too much we can take an evening off like this.” His hand traced the outline of Sally
’
s cheek. “You see, honey, if I start kissing you I mightn
’
t have time to get to know you, and I think it
’
s a good idea if a guy gets to know his wife before he marries her, don
’
t you?”

Sally wasn
’
t sure whether to laugh or to cry. “Are you wanting to marry me then?” she asked rather unsteadily.

His hands gripped her. “Sally! What a thing to ask a guy! I
’
ve been wanting to marry you ever since that morning we climbed up above that wild common! Didn
’
t you know?”

Sally put her head against his shoulder. “No, I didn
’
t know, or perhaps I knew in an instinctive sort of way that you liked me rather a lot. But I had so many things I wanted to do first like coming over here and—”

“—but you could have come with me,” John interrupted.

Sally laughed softly. “And you might have remembered that I was the girl who announced that I was going to ask John B. Tremayne for a ticket to America as soon as I met him.”

“Jeepers! Was that you? I met so many nurses that first evening that I never did sort them out except that I did remember one had the kind of snappy blue eyes and black hair that could be calculated to set my thoughts a-dreaming. Come on, honey, give me another kiss before we
’
ve forgotten how and then we
’
d better be making tracks. Mother isn
’
t quite up to late nights yet.”

The second kiss was even better than the first and this time it was Sally who drew away and it was several moments before the stars in the sky sorted themselves out from the ones that were singing in her heart.

“Oh, John!”

She said it in such a tone of bewildered delight that John had to kiss her again to convince her that it was really happening to them. “Come on, honey. Time we were heading back.”

Sally felt a little shy as they walked back into the house. She was sure the joys of the past hour would be imprinted for all to see, but to her astonishment no one seemed to notice anything different about her.

Aunt Agnes glanced up with a smile. “There are cold drinks in the fridge and there
’
s some beer if John would like it.”

She turned back to continue her conversation with Mrs. Tremayne. “If we make an early
start...”

Hand in hand Sally and John went through to the kitchen. They sat on tall stools, drank cool drinks that held a sparkle that must have come from paradise, explored tins marked cookies and cakes, and talked in quick broken-off sentences as they took short trips into the new territory that lovers always find.

“Oh, John, I never knew it could be like this,” Sally sighed happily.

“It will get better all the time,” he promised her.

Sally looked at him quizzically. “That the voice of experience speaking or something?” she teased him.

John
’
s eyes were steady. “I
’
m thirty-two, Sally, and you would have something to worry about if I hadn
’
t at least thought I was in love before now.”

Sally became serious. “How do you know this is any different from all the others?”

“Take it easy! I didn
’
t admit to being a Casanova, you know. I can
’
t guarantee the future, honey. That
’
s something we have to do together and it will be what we make it. But I can tell you one thing—I
’
ve never let any girl keep me waiting so long for a kiss before.”

“Oh, John, I
’
m sorry.” The curve of Sally
’
s lips did more than her apology to put things right.

“John, I think we had better be heading homeward.” Mrs. Tremayne stood in the doorway.

John was on his feet. “I guess you
’
re right. Sally and I got to talking and didn
’
t notice the time.”

Mrs. Tremayne laughed softly. “I guess you spend so much of your time keeping an eye on the clock I
’
ll let you off this time. I
’
m so glad you can come with your aunt to Cape Cod with us next week, Sally. Could be you need the sea breezes as much as this son of mine says
I
do.”

Sally approached the older woman and held out both her hands. “It
’
s the nicest thing that
’
s happened to me for some time, Mrs. Tremayne, and some nice things have come my way since I came over here.”

Mrs. Tremayne kissed Sally
’
s cheek. “It
’
s a treat to have a young thing like you so appreciative.”

Sally felt a little lost after the good-byes were said. She wandered out into the kitchen and rinsed out their glasses and then the soft darkness of the garden beckoned to her.

Sally turned and walked slowly toward her aunt and wondered what the older woman would say if she suggested that she had never felt less like sleeping, that she must treasure every waking moment until she felt sure that she hadn
’
t dreamed this
evening...

She smiled at her aunt. “Just being out of the city has made a new woman of me,” she said gaily.

Agnes Raynor laughed. “You
’
re looking better already,” she admitted. “Did you like our surprise?”

“Going to Cape Cod? I think it
’
s wonderful. It sounds such a lovely place.” Sally put her arms around her aunt. “Thank you for planning
i
t this way.”

Agnes Raynor touched the cheek so close to hers. “I can
’
t take much credit for it. You could say it just happened. I knew John wanted to get his mother to the sea and if they had gone, just the two of them, his mother would have tried to do too much. This way I can help. John could show you something of Cape Cod, and days Mrs. Tremayne feels like it we can do a short tour to the various spots. One thing about the Cape, everything
’
s handy and once you
’
re there nowhere is far off. Off to bed, honey.”