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excessive in addition to spelling out that a tenant is on the hook to pay the agreed-upon rent for the duration of the contract or until an alternative renter is secured.”

      “Also necessary,” she said. “The costs of cleaning and painting between renters adds up. Then I have the costs of advertising to fill the vacancy on top of the lost revenue.”

      “But I’m not going to skip out on the rent.”

      “That’s what they all say.” Even if the tone hadn’t given her away, skepticism was there in the expression on her face. “This covers the winter months. In spring and summer there’s a better chance of getting a tenant who sticks.”

      “What makes you so sure I won’t?”

      “The last doctor took off after the first snow.”

      “I’m not the last doctor.”

      “Right,” she said. “The clinic will replace you when you go.”

      “That’s not what I meant and I’m pretty sure you know it.”

      “Doesn’t make it any less true.”

      He leaned a hip against her desk. “Are you trying to talk me out of renting from you?”

      “Is it working?” she asked, neither confirming nor denying the accusation.

      “Correct me if I’m wrong, but real estate is business. It feels like you’re making this personal.”

      “It’s both. I already spelled out the business part in the contract.” Her gaze rested on the photo he’d noticed moments ago. “I’m a single woman with a child. That gives me a personal interest in who lives upstairs. It’s why I do a pretty thorough background screening before even showing the place to a prospective tenant. The town sheriff is a good friend of mine.”

      He guessed that she’d hoped to turn up something that would give her a reason to tell him no. As a businesswoman she needed to show the empty apartment to everyone who didn’t have a black mark on their record. But he asked anyway. “Did I pass the test?”

      Her smile seemed reluctant, but that didn’t detract from its beauty. “I usually take families’ testimonials with a grain of salt, but yours are different.”

      “I’m aware of that, but why do you think so?”

      “When your dad is a Nobel Prize–winning economist and your mother a nationally known biomedical engineer, not to mention your brother is one of the country’s top cardiac surgeons, that tends to carry some weight.”

      “You have no idea.” The burden of being related to the gifted and geekish had finally worked in his favor.

      “And you’re a family practice doctor.” There was a thoughtful expression on her face as she tucked a strand of curly red hair behind her ear. “Did your folks bring the wrong baby home from the hospital?”

      “I get that a lot.” Long ago he’d learned not to take it personally. His line of work was exactly what he wanted. “I’d probably have done a DNA test except I look like my dad and I have a twin sister.”

      “Is she a doctor, too?”

      “Yeah. Rocket science. She works for NASA.”

      “Wow. Your family has some very impressive credentials,” she commented.

      “So you know my background. That doesn’t explain your hard-line rental policy.”

      “If you think about it, it kind of does.”

      Adam looked at her. “How?”

      “I have to wonder why you’re here at all.”

      “I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.” Actually he understood exactly what was on her mind.

      He’d fielded lots of endless questions about his career and life choice, especially from the overachievers in his family. The perception was that he wasn’t as good if this was the best medical specialty he could do. His ex-wife had no problem dumping him when he’d made the decision. It wasn’t flashy enough for her and Adam was still bitter enough to make Jill say straight out what he knew she was thinking.

      “Blackwater Lake is a small town.”

      “But growing,” he pointed out.

      “Yes.” There was a sexy little dent in her chin that was more pronounced when her full lips were pulled tight. “But right now it’s not very big. Summer is winding down and winter comes early in northern Montana. You could have your pick of warm places to practice medicine.”

      Someone, probably his mother, had shared information about offers he’d fielded from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Dallas, where he’d been working until recently. Taking any one of them in a major metropolitan area would have gone a long way toward reassuring his family about what they considered his lack of ambition.

      He’d accepted a long time ago that they would never understand why he wanted to treat the whole person, whole families, rather than be a world-renowned expert in a single body part. If the people who knew him best didn’t get it, there was no way to explain it to a woman with a chip on her shoulder.

      Adam decided to try anyway. “I found out early in medical school that factors beyond disease and diagnosis affect an individual’s health. Treating the whole patient and not simply specializing in a certain organ of the body was important to me. Knowing the people in their world factors into the medical protocols. I like people.”

      “That’s very noble of you.” She sounded sincere and hopefully impressed. “But why here?”

      “I came to a camp in Blackwater Lake. My parents were busy and gone a lot, so keeping us kids busy and out of trouble was important. I fell in love with this place and never forgot it. Being part of a community is important to me. So, when an opening came up in the clinic, I applied.”

      “I’m guessing you spent more than one summer here at camp?”

      “Every one for nine years.” He nodded emphatically. “Dallas is great, but big. Seeing the contrast between there and here convinced me that small-town life was just my cup of tea. I want to live and work here in Blackwater Lake.”

      “That’s easy for you to say when the weather is beautiful, like it is today. But what about when you have to fight your way to the clinic through a blizzard?” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to protest. “I can tell you what happens. You change your mind about small-town life. You run, not walk, to the closest airport and it’s not all that close. You get on a flight to the nearest big city and guess who’s left holding the bag—or the lease. I have a family to support.”

      That sounded like confirmation that there was no ex helping her out with raising her son. Someone had obviously done her wrong, so he had to sign a legal contract to give her peace of mind.

      Adam didn’t react well to negative vibes, and Jill Beck had N-O with a capital N coming off her in waves. That made him want to challenge her and he could feel his stubborn streak going radioactive. It didn’t always lead to the best personal decisions, and he had the only divorce in the family to prove the point. But the obstinate side always made his life interesting.

      “I still want to rent your apartment, Miss Beck.”

      Her gaze narrowed on him. “You do realize what kind of money is involved?”

      “In spite of my less challenging career choice, I did make it through medical school. I can do the math.” He looked around at the living room with fresh flowers and more than one oval-framed needlepoint sampler. “This is charming. And the cost is not a problem.”

      “All right, Doctor—”

      “If my personal check isn’t satisfactory, I’d be happy to stop at the bank for cash or a cashier’s check.” He took a pen from her desk and signed the agreement.

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