Chapter 3

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Andrew stood on the doorstep of the Quinn mansion. He had been here before – several times, in fact. Perhaps a half dozen or so as a child, when the senior Drs. Cook and Quinn had been friends, and they'd dined at each other's homes. Tonight, however, was only Andrew's third time here as an adult. The second time had been the guest for supper shortly after his return from Colorado Springs, the Quinn family wanting to hear first hand how Michaela, baby Katie, and the family were doing, though Andrew strongly detected that some family members were more interested than others. The first time, naturally, had been just over a year ago, when Mrs. Quinn had invited him over to discuss the details of their trip out West. Andrew had eagerly accepted the opportunity to see some of the country, put his new medical degree to use, and be paid handsomely for doing so. And the entire concept of a lady doctor had been fascinating in its own right. His father had been less than enthusiastic about that particular aspect and had cautioned Andrew about picking up any bad habits from "doctor" Michaela Quinn, but Edward Cook couldn't argue with the rest of the plan and had given his blessing to Elizabeth Quinn's proposal.

The front door opened, revealing the butler. "Yes?"

"Andrew Cook. I should be expected."

"Yes, Dr. Cook, please come in," Harrison said, taking Andrew's coat.

"Andrew," Elizabeth greeted warmly, "How lovely to see you again."

"And you, Mrs. Quinn. You're looking well."

"Thank you. I must say I was surprised when Colleen informed me that she had invited you to supper. I hadn't realized she knew how to contact you."

"She contacted me at the clinic," Andrew said, omitting the part about Colleen's pretext. That was between doctor and patient. "It's listed in the city directory."

"Yes, she explained how she obtained the address. I would have been happy to invite you over myself if I'd had known how lonely she was feeling."

"Lonely?"

"I'm afraid my daughters are scattered hither and yon at present, and Colleen doesn't know anyone else in town. Of course, she would want to see a familiar face besides mine."

"Andrew," said Colleen, coming into view.

There she stood again. She was in her green dress this time, which he recognized as one of her nicer dresses that she sometimes wore to church. Her hair was up again, though there was no need to add a hat indoors. Flushed cheeks and a warm smile added to the glow about her.

"Colleen. I hope dinner wasn't too much bother. It was rather rude of me to make such a request of you."

"No, no bother. Won't you come in?"

She headed for the dining room. Behind her, Elizabeth privately told him, "Don't let her fool you. She's been fussing over this meal all day."

Andrew wasn't sure what to do with this knowledge, or why Elizabeth felt the need to share it. Fortunately, no response was required of him. He helped Elizabeth into her chair at the head of the table and was about to take a seat to her left when he noticed Colleen still standing, waited to be seated. "Oh," he said, slightly embarrassed. He was used to her seating herself. He went to Colleen's chair to pull it out for her, then sat opposite her.

During the first course of soup, Andrew gave a brief update on his life in Boston. He worked daily at his uncle's clinic, the pair of them joined by two other doctors, one of whom specialized in obstetrics and another who specialized in therapeutics. Surgical cases were typically referred to his father, who worked at the hospital. Occasionally Andrew assisted with those surgeries so his skills wouldn't atrophy. He ended his summary with, "Enough about me. You promised me an update on Colorado Springs."

Colleen began filling him in, starting with the news that his former patients were all doing well, except for old Mr. Furth, who had passed. She then proceeded chronologically with Michaela's malpractice case (which Andrew was fascinated by, since that detail had been left out of the newspaper article on the contaminated bottles); the visit to town by Gilda St. Clair; Teresa Morales coming to town, becoming a widow, then becoming the town teacher; Anthony being allowed to attend school; Preston running for mayor against Jake (and losing); the Thanksgiving tempest when she had been stuck on the train overnight, finally rescued by Matthew, and then the clean up the Chateau afterwards; and Dr. Cassidy taking up residence at the Chateau to run the clinic.

"What's he like?" Andrew asked near the end of dessert. Colleen had baked a pie, but was eating very little of it, he noticed. Of course, she was also doing most of the talking, so it was a wonder she had found time to eat much at all. She had surprised him again, this time with meatloaf, figuring he didn't get to have that in Boston, which, of course, she was right about. Meatloaf was a dish of the middle and lower classes, something his mother would never dream of serving on her fine china. Colleen's meatloaf didn't have quite the same flavor as Grace's, but it was still delicious.

"He doesn't like woman doctors," Colleen replied, getting right to the point. "But he and Ma reached an understanding. They stay out of each other's way unless there's an emergency. They worked together when the Reverend went blind."

"He's blind?" Andrew repeated, shocked at this development. He glanced at Elizabeth, who had a sympathetic expression on her face. Of course, she would have already learned of Reverend Johnson's status from corresponding with Michaela.

"Since Christmas," said Elizabeth. "It happened very suddenly. Michaela said it was optic… something…" she looked to Colleen for help.

"Optic neuritis," Colleen filled in, "but they couldn't find a cause. And they haven't been able to cure him either."

"How unfortunate," Andrew said in sympathy. "Is he still serving as the town pastor?"

"Yes. He moved in with Mr. Bray, and he's been getting out a lot more since Aunt Marjorie's last visit."

"Really?"

"She encouraged him to be less dependent on Mr. Bray, to step out more on his own. Ma helped him get – I mean, she helped him become comfortable riding a horse again."

The thought brought a small smile to his face. "I'm sure he's more comfortable on a horse now, even being blind, than I ever was with my eyesight."

"You haven't had a chance to practice since you've been back," said Colleen in that understanding way of hers.

This time, however, she was off the mark. "Oh, I've had the opportunity to ride, but I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Ruth. She's an excellent equestrian."

"Ruth?"

"Uh, yes, Ruth." Andrew hadn't intended to bring up his personal life this evening, but the name had slipped out naturally at the mention of horse riding. Thus, he was now obligated to explain. "Ruth Carrington. We've been… courting for some time now."

"Yes, I remember," said Elizabeth, drawing Andrew's attention away from Colleen. "She was with you at that gala hosted by the Channings. If I'm not mistaken, her father's a partner in that law firm, Colby, Channing and Carrington."

"Yes, that's correct. Her father is my father's lawyer. That's how we met." Andrew looked across the table and saw that Colleen's expression had changed. "Colleen… are you alright?" His question drew Elizabeth's attention to her granddaughter, who now looked pale and distressed.

"I… I'm sorry, I'm suddenly not feeling well… if you'll excuse me." Colleen rose and hurried out of the room to head upstairs.

Andrew also began rising from his chair. "I should check on her."

"Just a moment, Andrew." He heeded Elizabeth's request and sat back down, waiting for her to continue. "I think I know what Colleen's problem is. Or at least, I suspect. She's sweet on you."

Andrew was taken aback. "What makes you say that?"

"You forget who you're talking to," Elizabeth said pointedly. "A woman with five daughters."

And just like that, the pieces fell into place. Colleen's traveling all the way to Boston for the summer, tracking him down, pretending to have a sprained wrist to see him, wearing her hair up, showing off her adult shoes, inviting him to supper, fussing over the meal, and now suddenly feeling sick when he'd mentioned Ruth… He shook his head in dismay. The symptoms were all present for him to see and he'd botched the diagnosis. Spectacularly. "I should have seen it."

"How could you? Colleen's been in Colorado Springs all this time. You had your own concerns to worry about."

"I should talk with her."

"Perhaps it would be better if you didn't."

He shook his head. "No, I don't feel right about this. We parted on such good terms before. Excuse me, Mrs. Quinn."

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Colleen was on the bed, trying not to cry.

Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could she have been so stupid? Of course, Andrew wouldn't be sitting around waiting for her. He had his own life in Boston. He had moved on. In hindsight, it was so obvious. But she hadn't wanted to consider the possibility. Hadn't wanted to contemplate a life without him. So, her hopes had been pinned on him remembering her as fondly as she had remembered him, of his being too socially reserved to express a desire to see her again just as she had wanted to see him again these last nine months.

But he had barely given her a second thought.

There was a knock on the bedroom door. "Colleen?"

Oh, God, it was him.

"Colleen, it's Andrew."

Of course, she knew that voice, knew who was at the door.

"I just want to make sure you're all right. Please open the door."

He'd said please.

Colleen wiped the tears from her eyes before opening the door. And there he stood, a concerned look on his face. But his concern was entirely professional, not personal. "It's nothing serious, Andrew. I just want to lie down for a while." And she went to the bed and sat, as it would just be too melodramatic to actually lie down with him there.

He took a step inside, but only one step, keeping his distance. And, keeping the door open. "Colleen… I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It was insensitive of me."

"You didn't hurt my feelings," she lied, not looking at him. "I'm just tired is all."

He hesitated before responding, perhaps unsure if he should say anything more or not. "Before I go, I wanted to thank you for the dinner. And I'd like to be able to repay your hospitality. I was going to ask you before…" He didn't finish the sentence, swallowing instead. "Uh, well, they give clinical lectures at the hospital. I could take you to one. That is, if you'd like to go."

Her heart leapt at the idea, of attending a lecture with him. And then it fell again. "What about Miss Carrington?"

"She's not interested in medicine. But I know you are. That hasn't changed, has it?"

He was asking about medicine, but Colleen felt like the question had a double meaning. Our friendship hasn't changed, has it? That's how Andrew thought of her – as a friend. She looked at him and admitted, "No, it hasn't."

He smiled in acknowledgement. That smile that warmed - used to warm - her heart. But that smile didn't belong to her. It belonged to Ruth Carrington. "Glad to hear it. I'll send word about the lecture. And thank you again for this evening. You really are a wonderful cook, Colleen." And with that, he closed the door behind him.

Once he'd gone, Colleen looked down at her hands in her lap. He wanted to take her to a lecture. He'd complimented her cooking. He'd said those things not because he was interested in her, but because they were friends, as they had been in Colorado Springs.

Well, having a friend in Boston was better than not having a friend in Boston.

Wasn't it?

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