“Poor guy,” Casey said. “I’d hate living in a big city.”
“I think he prefers it. He’s leaving in four years.” She needed to keep reminding herself of that. As good-looking as he was, she felt sure he’d have a lot of feminine company while he was here, but she had no intention of involving herself in a temporary relationship. Especially with someone who didn’t respect her.
Casey was still frowning.
“Are all the boxes up here?” she asked, starting to open another one.
Casey groaned and Toby downed his glass of lemonade. “Come on, boy. The lady is cracking the whip.” Both of them headed down the stairs.
Tori continued staring at the sofa. She suddenly remembered a sofa cover she’d used in college. It was royal blue and she thought it would fit the sofa. She hurried next door and searched through her hall closet. She brought it back to the doctor’s apartment, along with several pillows in a blue, green and maroon print. The guys were making a second trip.
“Where did you go?”
“Over to my apartment. I’ll have a surprise when you get back.” As soon as they were out of sight, she slipped the cover over the sofa. It fit perfectly. Then she added the two pillows.
Toby and Casey entered the room, each carrying a box. When they saw the sofa, they set the boxes down and stared.
“You found a new sofa?” Casey asked.
“Of course not. It’s an old cover I used in Laramie.” All of them had attended the University of Wyoming in Laramie.
“Nice job, Tori. It looks a hundred percent better.”
“Thanks, Toby, but that scarred coffee table is the only other piece of furniture he has.”
“Yeah,” Toby agreed. “But maybe he’ll buy some more soon.”
“I think he should buy a TV. He’s only got that little black-and-white thing,” Casey said in disgust. “Man, he’s really roughing it.”
“You’re spoiled, Casey,” Toby told him, laughing.
IT WAS ALMOST TEN O’CLOCK when Jon returned to the parking lot. None of his belongings were still on the gravel. He didn’t know if the Randalls finished the job for him, or if someone had come along and taken what they wanted.
He trudged up the stairs, bone tired. He hadn’t had time to do any grocery shopping. Doc had told him to come back to his house tonight, but Jon was looking forward to puttering around in his own place. He’d skip dinner tonight and eat breakfast at the café in the morning.
Tomorrow was Friday. He’d have the weekend to settle in. He sighed. Hopefully there wouldn’t be any more emergencies of the magnitude of today’s crash for a while.
He placed the key in the lock and swung open the door. The interior was lit with the soft light of a lamp, inviting and warm. He smiled in pleasure. Then he remembered he didn’t have a lamp like that.
Frowning, he reached for the light switch near the door. The kitchen was to his right, behind a wall, but there was a dining area after the kitchen. He discovered a table and chairs he didn’t own.
Had he accidentally come into the wrong apartment? He looked around nervously. If he had, whoever lived here would think he was a burglar. He backed up until he was outside his door. Nope, there was the other door on the left.
What was going on?
He entered his apartment again. This time he made it to the living area. The ugly sofa he’d inherited from another med student had been replaced with a royal blue sofa, the same shape, but with colorful pillows on it. It almost looked fashionable. And there was a stuffed chair and ottoman that he didn’t own. A floor lamp with a built-in round glass table cast a soft glow about the room.
He went to the biggest bedroom. This would tell the tale. If the bedroom suite that his father had given him as a graduation present was there, he was in the right place.
He let out a deep breath. It was there. But the bed was made, looking so inviting he had to fight himself to keep from falling into it. He went back to the kitchen. Figuring he could use his hands as a way to get a drink of water from the sink faucet. He at least needed that before he went to sleep.
Much to his surprise, he discovered his dishes, the few he had, all nicely stored in cabinets that had a shelf lining in place. There hadn’t been any shelf lining there yesterday.
There was a note on the cabinet.
“There’s lasagna in the fridge. Put what you want to eat on a paper plate and microwave it for two minutes. There’s a pitcher of lemonade, too. And Red made you a chocolate cake to welcome you to Rawhide.”
His mouth watered when he caught sight of the cake. And lasagna? He opened the fridge and saw the square dish. He whirled around, ready to heat some up at once. Where were the paper plates?
He opened the pantry door and discovered fresh bread, many cans of food, coffee in a can to be perked and instant coffee in a jar that was caffeine free. And paper plates.
Who had performed this miracle? There was a tea-kettle on the back of the stove for heating water. He filled it at once and turned on the burner. Even though it was June, a good cup of coffee would hit the spot.
He heard the faint sound of a television next door. He went outside and knocked on his neighbor’s door. If the guy had helped, or seen who had done this, he’d like to thank them.
He heard hesitant steps come to the door. He was all ready to ask his questions when the door opened. Until he found himself facing Victoria in a long nightgown topped by a matching robe.
“Victoria! What are you doing here?”
“I live here. I’m your neighbor, Dr. Wilson.” She didn’t appear to be surprised.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“It’s none of your business where I live.” She started to close her door.
“Wait! I want to ask you—” He stopped as he heard the kettle whistling. “I’m heating water. Can you come with me?” he asked, not waiting for an answer. But he was remembering several remarks by both Anna and Doc. In particular, Doc. Talking about what a cute couple he and Victoria made.
Once he was back in his kitchen, he got down a second cup and put instant coffee in both of them and added the hot water. He took both cups to the new table and put them down. His neighbor was just coming into his apartment. “I’m going to warm up some lasagna. Do you want some?”
“No, thank you. I’m about ready to go to bed.”
“There’s also chocolate cake. I don’t know how good it is, but it looks delicious.”
She hesitated, then said, “Thanks. I’ll have a piece of cake. And it is delicious. Red made it.”
Tori moved into the kitchen, noticing for the first time the weariness on the man’s face. She’d talked to her mother and heard about the difficult day. She’d also listened to a lot of praise for the doctor’s medical skills and also his concern for his patients.
“Here, I’ll heat up the lasagna and cut the cake. You go sit down and drink your coffee,” Tori said.
“Thanks.”
She put some lasagna in the microwave and cut two pieces of cake. By that time, the lasagna was done. Taking it to the table, she slid it in front of the doctor, along with a fork. Then she went back for the two pieces of cake.
For several minutes, the doctor ate the lasagna. Then he looked up. “I have some questions for you.”
“What?” Tori answered calmly.
“Who is