Sacred Trust - Hannah Alexander Mills & Boon Steeple Hill

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a brow at her in query.

      “Everyone knows you didn’t hit it off with Ivy.”

      “I don’t think there’s a problem just because—”

      The funeral director chose that time to usher in the family.

      It was a small group, and since this was a Baptist church and not a funeral home, there was no private room for grieving. The family consisted of both Richmond women and a little girl with long, chocolate-brown hair and serious brown eyes who looked like a small reproduction of Mercy. Mercy, in turn, looked like a younger version of Ivy. Dr. Jarvis George accompanied the ladies.

      Dr. George presented another reason for Lukas to keep his mouth shut, his head down, and get out as soon as the funeral ended. The man had made his antipathy to Lukas quite obvious, and since he held the directorship for the emergency room, he was Lukas’s immediate supervisor. Not a good situation.

      “Dr. George was partners with Ivy’s late husband, Dr. Cliff Richmond,” Lauren volunteered quietly. “He’s always been close to the family.”

      Lukas nodded. Just great.

      “Poor Tedi,” Lauren whispered.

      In spite of himself, Lukas raised a questioning brow.

      “Mercy’s daughter,” Lauren explained, leaning closer. “The little girl. She’s ten, and she’s a darling, very precocious. Her dad’s not a darling, and he’s had custody since the divorce five years ago. He doesn’t mind causing trouble for Dr. Mercy, and he isn’t above dragging Tedi into it to keep Mercy from defending herself.”

      Lukas cleared his throat. “Um, perhaps I don’t need to know this.”

      “If you don’t, you’ll be the only person in the county who doesn’t. Dr. Mercy doesn’t smile and laugh like she used to, and I miss that. She used to be a warm, outgoing lady, always ready with a joke or a one-liner to make the patients laugh and relax.”

      Lukas glanced sideways at Lauren. She wasn’t exactly a gossip. She was just filling him in on some inner workings of the community she apparently felt he needed to know. He didn’t feel the same way.

      “Ivy’s kind of a loose cannon,” the nurse continued, apparently unaware of Lukas’s discomfort with the conversation. “Everyone loves her, just like they did her mother, but she can sometimes go off on a harebrainer. Three years ago she decided she wanted to backpack the Appalachian Trail.”

      “And did she?”

      “She hiked for two weeks and got through part of Georgia before she got a stress fracture in her left leg and had to call Mercy. As usual, Mercy flew to the rescue. Ivy can be outspoken about a lot of things, and she takes a special interest in the hospital since she helps support it. The problem is, she sometimes throws her financial weight around. I think she means well, but the administration has trouble convincing her to trust them and keep out of politics.” Lauren paused and waved at someone across the aisle.

      Lukas was rescued from any more information by the pastor, who rose from his seat on the stage and bowed his head to pray.

      Mercy stood for a moment at the casket after the service, tears sliding down her cheeks. She heard Tedi sniffling beside her and laid an arm around her daughter’s shoulders.

      “I can’t believe he came,” Mercy heard Ivy mutter as they filed out of the church behind the casket.

      “Why not, Mom?” The question came out more sharply than Mercy had intended. Ivy Richmond was one of the most stubborn people in Knolls, and she wasn’t afraid to express her views. She was obviously still laying blame at Dr. Bower’s feet for Grandma Jane’s death. “He seems to be a caring doctor, and he was very concerned about Grandma. He’s not her murderer.”

      Ivy shushed Mercy, then glanced pointedly at Tedi, who walked ahead of them.

      Mercy shrugged. “Just because the two of you disagreed on ideology doesn’t mean he’s a bad person. May I remind you I agreed with him.”

      “You didn’t try to force me or manipulate me into changing my mind. Besides…you don’t understand my reasoning. Not really.”

      “You expect a stranger to understand something your own daughter doesn’t?”

      Tedi glanced up at her mother as they reached the vestibule. “It’s because Granny Jane wasn’t saved, Mom. Grandma Ivy was concerned for her soul.”

      Mercy sucked in her breath in a sigh of irritated frustration. That again. This Christian business was just going too far, and Ivy never wasted a moment in her attempts to try to indoctrinate Tedi into every aspect of it.

      As they turned to greet the first of the funeral attendees, Mercy had no time to comment.

      This part of the funeral procession was the most trying to Mercy, as it had been five years ago at Dad’s funeral. As with Dad, it looked as if the whole town had shown up to pay their “respects.” Mercy had learned long ago not to trust what people said to your face. At times like this, they were all high on emotionalism. Try them later, when you were fighting for custody of your child and needed a friend, or you lost your practice and needed patients.

      She saw Dr. Bower coming toward them, walking beside Lauren McCaffrey. He probably didn’t realize it, but his expressive face showed his discomfort clearly. So why was he here? He didn’t even know Grandma. And he didn’t seem like the politicking type.

      He took Mercy’s hand gently. “Again, Dr. Richmond, I’m sorry.” He seemed sincere, his clear blue eyes steady and earnest as he spoke. When he reached Ivy he hesitated.

      To Mercy’s surprise, Mom took his hand. “Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to attend Mother’s funeral.”

      If he caught the sarcasm in her voice, he didn’t show it.

      Then Jarvis spotted him. “Hello, Dr. Bower. Who’s watching the shop?”

      “Dr. Camp agreed to spell me for a couple of hours. Today’s his day off.”

      “You might consider going through me next time.”

      Jarvis’s tone held no rancor, but Mercy tensed. She would not allow Jarvis to reprimand one of his staff right here at her own grandma’s funeral.

      “Sorry, Dr. George,” Dr. Bower said quietly. “I tried to contact you.”

      “No harm done. Camp’s a good doc.”

      To Mercy’s surprise, Jarvis shook the younger man’s hand and even smiled, though it looked more like a grimace.

      Later, as the four of them rode in the limousine to the cemetery, Mercy overheard her mother speaking to Jarvis quietly under cover of the soft gospel music that floated over them.

      “What’s up between you and Dr. Bower?” Ivy asked. “You waiting for him to hang himself?”

      Jarvis tugged at the collar of his starched white shirt—probably the only starched shirt he had. “He’s too smart for that. Do you know he ranked third in his class when he graduated from Kirksville?”

      “You checked his personnel file?”

      “Yes, and I called Cunningham today to find out more about the little contretemps Sal mentioned to us yesterday. I have an old friend who works there. Nurse. Great gal.”

      “And she told you about Dr. Bower?” Ivy asked.

      “She told me what she knew, which wasn’t much, except that about the rank, and the fact that Bower never dated, had very little social life at all, and spent most of his spare time—which was rare—at the hospital working and learning. She liked him. I mean, she really liked him.”

      Mercy suppressed a smile at the hint of frustration in Jarvis’s voice. Ivy’s brows rose in surprise. “So isn’t that good news?”

      “Of

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