Free For the Sake of Warwick Mountain (Harlequin Heartwarming) by Charlotte Douglas Page A

matter how much she yearned for Dr. Wonderful, her brain knew he was a playboy who would never commit, never leave the luxurious and exotic Beverly Hills for the hardscrabble mountain life. Any relationship with him would be temporary.
    And disastrous.
    Even after resolving the issue, however, she took over an hour to fall asleep.
    * * *
    E MILY WAS STILL sleeping when Becca tiptoed down the stairs at dawn the next morning, and the door to Matt’s room was closed. She was looking forward to a peaceful cup of coffee alone while she mulled over the best way to approach the McClains about agreeing to authorize Lizzie’s treatment.
    Before she reached the kitchen, a forceful knocking sounded at the front door. When she opened it, three of the four Habersham sisters stood on her front porch. With their large bright eyes, fragile bones and brightly colored dresses, they looked like a trio of colorful sparrows.
    “We’ve come to see the doctor,” Hettie, ninety-one and the next to the eldest, said. “We know he’s here. That’s his car, isn’t it? Here awful early, isn’t he? ’Less he spent the night?”
    “Come in.” Becca ignored Hettie’s question, swung the door wide and ushered them into the living room out of the early-morning mist that swirled on the porch. She had already noted that Grace, the eldest, wasn’t with them. “Is Grace ill?”
    “Her rheumatism’s acting up,” Fannie, the youngest at eighty-three, announced, “so she didn’t feel up to the walk down the mountain this morning. But she’ll be right as rain when the weather dries out.”
    “But you want to see the doctor?” Becca asked, puzzled.
    “Oh, yes,” Sophie’s blue eyes shone with excitement. “We’ve never met a celebrity before.”
    “Unless you count that man at the supermarket in town,” Fannie said. “The one that made all those toilet-paper commercials.”
    Becca suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. “I’m afraid the doctor’s still asleep—” There, she’d said it. The wily sisters probably already knew he’d spent the night.
    “Not anymore,” Matt’s deep, husky voice announced behind her.
    The three elderly sisters collectively caught their breaths.
    “Oh, my,” Hettie said. “You’re even more handsome than your pictures.”
    “And so tall,” Fannie said appreciatively.
    “We wouldn’t have bothered you this early,” Sophie said, “but we heard you were going back to California, and we didn’t want to miss you. Since this would be our only chance to see you, we brought you breakfast.”
    She held up a basket, its contents wrapped in a red-and-white checkered linen napkin. “Fresh-baked buttermilk biscuits.”
    Hettie held up a jar of golden liquid. “With sourwood honey from our own bees.”
    “Or mayhaw jelly, if you’d rather,” Fannie said, holding up another glass jar. “I made it myself.”
    “That’s very kind of you, ladies.” Matt’s voice was gracious, but Becca took delight in watching him squirm beneath the elderly sisters’ scrutiny as he accepted their gifts.
    “What makes you think the doctor’s leaving?” Becca asked.
    “You know how it is on the mountain,” Hettie said evasively. “Word gets around.”
    “That particular rumor’s wrong,” Becca told them. “Dr. Tyler will be here for several weeks.”
    “He’s staying here? ” Fannie asked, and shock registered on the three elderly faces.
    “He’s made other arrangements.” Becca refused to satisfy their obvious curiosity. “He can’t leave Warwick Mountain yet. He has patients to treat.”
    She didn’t miss the questioning glance exchanged between the three. They were dying to know Matt’s plans, but Becca kept quiet.
    “If I can be of help to any of you,” Matt offered, juggling the basket and jars that filled his hands, “let me know.”
    “Oh, we’re as healthy as horses,” Fannie insisted a bit too quickly. “Never had a sick day in our lives—except for Grace’s rheumatism. But she