“How long do you intend to work here before you return to Pennsylvania?”
Seth’s query shattered Natalia’s reverie. “I won’t know until the end of next April.”
He gave her sidelong glance. “What’s happening then?”
“That’s when I’ll let Dr. Franklin know if I intend to join his practice as a partner.”
“And if you don’t?”
“Then I’ll have to decide where I want to go. It’ll probably be in another small town because I’ve had enough of municipal hospitals with staff shortages, shrinking budgets and endless bureaucratic red tape. I’ve always wanted to be a small-town doctor and living and working here will give me the experience I’ll need to establish my own practice.”
“Let’s hope you’ll find a permanent home here because we need you.”
Seth escorted Natalia into the Wolf Den, his hand resting at the small of her back. He felt her go stiff against his palm before she went pliant. When he’d told her that we need you, he had included himself in that equation. He didn’t want her as a girlfriend but as a friend. It had been a few years since he could count a woman among his friends.
The conversations among those seated at the bar stopped when customers spotted him with Natalia. The locals were used to seeing him come in wearing his uniform, but rarely in street clothes or with a woman. He nodded and exchanged greetings with those with whom he had reconnected since returning to The Falls. Transitioning to life as a civilian had gone smoothly for Seth, which he attributed to frequent trips home. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something about his hometown that drew him back again and again. Even when his mother announced that she was moving to Savannah, Seth had the option of reenlisting or becoming a federal agent with the Marine Corps Criminal Investigation Division. He had taken advantage of his GI education benefit to obtain a bachelor’s in criminal justice and had six remaining credits to complete to obtain a graduate degree in the same field.
He had been truthful with Natalia when he told her he’d wanted to return to live in Wickham Falls, but only after he retired from the military and law enforcement. If he’d served in the corps for twenty years and another twenty as a federal agent he would be fifty-eight, still young enough to enjoy fishing, traveling and tinkering around his house. Not once had the notion of having his own family figured into his future plans once his divorce was finalized.
Seth had known when he married Melissa, life would be challenging for his young wife. She had complained that she felt like a nomad packing up their apartment and moving whenever he received orders to transfer to a different base. The final straw came when he was deployed to Afghanistan. When he returned to the States, it was to discover his wife was carrying another man’s child. Her excuse that she was lonely and he wasn’t there for her fell on deaf ears. Seth filed for divorce, ending their three-year marriage, and then signed up for his second deployment.
“Hey, Seth, where have you been hiding yourself?” the bartender shouted.
One of the regulars, a retired postal worker sitting at the bar, raised his mug of beer. “Fletcher’s right. Me and the boys were talking about not seeing you around. We thought you had re-upped.”
Smiling, Seth patted the older man’s back. “It’s called a vacation, Jesse.”
“Good for you and good for us. Sheriff Jensen would be up the creek if he lost you.” The others sitting at the bar echoed his sentiment. “By the way, who’s your pretty girlfriend?”
Seth stared at Natalia when she glanced up at him. He was suddenly aware that being seen with her would generate some gossip. He lowered his head. “Do you want to introduce yourself?” he said in her ear.
* * *
Natalia knew it was only a matter of time before all of Wickham Falls would know who she was, not as Seth’s girlfriend but as Dr. Franklin’s assistant. “I’m Natalia Hawkins, and Seth and I are just friends,” she added, smiling.
“If that’s the case, I’m available if you’re looking for a boyfriend,” called out a man with a shaved pate, a full strawberry blonde beard and both arms covered with colorful tattoos.
Natalia laughed along with the others. “I just got rid of a boyfriend so I’m really not looking for another one right about now,” she said truthfully.
Seth’s arm curved around her waist. “Let’s find a booth before someone puts a ring on your finger.”
Natalia wanted to tell him someone had put a ring on her finger, and if she could turn back the clock she never would’ve accepted it. “Do women who come here always get propositioned?” she asked Seth.
He waited for her to slip into the booth before sitting opposite her. “I’ve never witnessed it before. I’m glad you took it all in stride because they’re really harmless.”
She smiled, and then lowered her eyes. “I wasn’t insulted.” Natalia wanted to tell Seth that she’d found it flattering that men would flirt with her because it had been much too long since she’d thought of herself as pretty. Wearing scrubs and no makeup had become the norm for her rather than the exception. Even when she’d dressed up for Daryl’s firm’s New Year’s Eve party, what she’d felt inside was reflected in her demeanor when she refused to smile and join in the festivities. It was then she realized no amount of makeup or haute couture could mask the instability of a doomed relationship that was evident by her expression, and now knew moving to Wickham Falls was one of the best decisions she had made in her life, thus far.
The people she’d met were friendly, unpretentious and weren’t afraid to speak their minds. She’d experienced countless catcalls from men who felt it was their right to say whatever came to their mind, but something communicated to Natalia that the men in the Wolf Den were different. She was certain if she had revealed she was Seth’s girlfriend, then the flirting would’ve ended immediately.
“Now that they know you’re not my girlfriend, news is going to spread like a wildfire that you’re available,” Seth said in a quiet voice.
Her eyes met his. “Whether I’m dating anyone or not is not a problem for me because I’m not looking to get into a relationship.”
“Is it true you just got rid of a boyfriend?”
She paused for several seconds, and then said, “He wasn’t a boyfriend but a fiancé.”
“What happened to...” Seth’s words trailed off when a middle-aged waitress with fire-engine red hair came over and placed two menus on the table.
“Hey, handsome,” she crooned, winking at Seth. “I missed seeing you last week.”
* * *
Seth smiled at the woman who’d recently switched with her daughter from the lunch to dinner shift. “I took some time off to visit my mother and sisters.”
“By the way how is your mom?” the waitress asked as she set napkins and place settings on the table.
“She’s well, Sharleen. Thanks for asking.”
“Please send her my regards.” She paused. “Where are your manners, Seth? Aren’t you going to introduce me to your lady