Janet (4 page)

She pulled off her muddy clothes, drew her
bath, climbed into the tub and picked up a medical journal. She
read two paragraphs, then gave up and leaned her head against her
plastic bath pillow. Scoliosis couldn’t hold a candle to Coach Dan
Albany.

Janet climbed out of the tub, booted up her
laptop and went straight to email.

From: Janet

To: Belinda, Bea, Joanna, Molly, Catherine,
Clemmie

Re: My dog and Dan Albany

My poor weekend dog apparently got hit by a
car, and I found out this arrogant soccer coach, Dan Albany, thinks
Harvey is
his
dog. The insufferable coach lives around the
corner, and I have the awful feeling I’m going to have to do battle
with
him
in order to keep Harvey happy. Does anybody know
anything about Dan Albany? You know what they say, “Keep your
friends close and your enemies closer.”

Janet

From: Joanna

To: Janet, Clemmie, Catherine, Bea, Molly,
Belinda

Re: Dan Albany

Are you KIDDING ME!!! Dan’s your neighbor?
He’s a DREAMBOAT!!! Grab him before some hussy sinks her claw into
him. Hey, Molly, you remember him don’t you?

Big Hugs!!!

Joanna

From: Molly

To: Janet, Clemmie, Catherine, Bea, Joanna,
Belinda

Re: The HUNK

OMG, Dan Albany was a high school soccer star
when Joanna and I were in grade school. He was a standout player in
college and could have gone pro. Daddy says he came back home
because his mother had a stroke and he wanted to wanted to be near
her. How many men do you see who are drop-dead handsome and sweet,
too? GRAB him, Janet!!!

Hugs,

Molly

From: Belinda

To: Janet, Joanna, Molly, Bea, Clemmie,
Catherine

Re: The Albany guy

Ditto, what Joanna and Molly said. You won’t
be sorry. Trust me on this.

Xo

Belinda

From: Clemmie

To: Janet, Joanna, Molly, Bea, Belinda,
Catherine

Re: Check him out

My brothers rave about Dan Albany. Of course,
they rave about everybody who can handle a ball of any kind. Invite
him to lunch to discuss Harvey, and I’ll come over and check him
out for you!

Hugs,

Clemmie

From: Catherine

To: Janet, Joanna, Molly, Bea, Belinda,
Clemmie

Re: The Coach

Extreme physical fitness enhances as man’s
libido. Janet, you should know this. If I were in your shoes, I’d
check out this soccer coach. He sounds like a man with
POTENTIAL!

Xoxo

Catherine, whose mind keeps running along
those lines

From: Bea

To: Janet, Joanna, Molly, Catherine, Belinda,
Clemmie

Re: Soccer

I’ll bet he has muscles in his legs that are
so delicious they’d make you slap your mama! When you saw him, did
your Virginia stand up and salute? That’s what I want to know.

Of course, you’re going to be cautious, so
ask Mr. Jed about the man’s pedigree. If it’s not suspect,
go
for it!

Bea

From: Janet

To: Bea, Joanna, Molly, Clemmie, Catherine,
Belinda

Re: Medical School

Hello? Has everyone forgotten that I still
have to get through
medical school?
Besides, a man that
good-looking probably has half the unmarried population of Tupelo
at his beck and call. I have one thing to say:
STD!

Janet

Still, after she’d closed her email and shut
off her laptop, Janet couldn’t get Molly and Joanna’s
dreamboat
assessment out of her mind. Maybe she would ask
Mr. Jed’s opinion of Dan Albany. Strictly for informational
purposes, of course.

Dan rose at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, as he did
every morning. Like any well-trained athlete, he kept his body in
superb condition with a strict regimen of exercise. Diet, he fudged
on. He had a fondness for junk food, and so far his body hadn’t
suffered. He didn’t believe half those horror stories put out by
the doctors anyhow. A little pizza for breakfast never hurt
anybody.

After polishing off half a pizza, he went
into the den to check on Harvey. When he neared the fireplace, he
noticed Janet’s green silk scarf lying on the rocking chair. He
picked it up and let the silky material drift through his fingers.
Her scent clung there. Jasmine. Such an old-fashioned, beautiful
fragrance. Without thinking he put the scarf to his nose and
inhaled.

Harvey whined.

Grinning sheepishly, Dan threw the scarf back
onto the rocker and knelt beside the dog. “Sometimes coaches get
foolish fancies, don’t we, boy?” He rubbed the dog’s head. “How are
you feeling this morning? Up to breakfast?”

When he’d managed to get Harvey to eat a few
bites of cold hot dog, Dan left for a brisk five-mile run. He
returned feeling invigorated and ready for anything—even the
ridiculously outspoken Dr. Hall.

Whistling, he bundled Harvey into his pickup
truck and headed to the veterinarian.

o0o

Janet was waiting for him at the vet’s
office, wearing a suit and classic pumps. Perfectly correct dress
for a doctor. She probably wore the pumps to bed. The thought gave
him a perverse sort of satisfaction.

“Good morning, Doc.”

“Good morning, Coach.”

The labels made clear exactly where they
stood—on opposite sides of the battlefield.

“I’ve already signed Harvey in,” Janet said.
“The receptionist should be calling his name soon.”

Dan watched her move toward him with that
lovely fluid grace he’d noticed last night. She put her hand on
Harvey’s head.

“How are you, boy?” She bent closer and
scratched under the dog’s chin. “Feeling better? That’s a good
boy.” The dog’s tail wagged feebly.

“Quite a bedside manner you’ve got there,
Doc.”

“Would it surprise you to know it’s not a
manner? It’s real feeling.”

“Not in the least. I believe last night
proved you have feeling.”

The memory of his touch burned through her.
Janet unbuttoned her wool suit jacket to let some of the heat
escape. “It won’t happen again,” she assured him.

Although he was absolutely positive she was
wrong for him, he hated being dismissed by her.

“We’ll see,” he said. He figured it was his
male pride talking.

She figured it was his ego. “You need to
practice your technique, Coach. Caveman tactics are out of
style.”

“Not if they work.”

Two minutes together and they were already
battling up a storm. Dan didn’t know why, but he hadn’t enjoyed a
Saturday morning so much in a long, long time.

Before Janet could reply, the receptionist
called her name.

“Janet Hall? You can bring Harvey back.”

“I’ll carry him,” Dan said.

“Fine. Let’s go.”

Together they walked toward the receptionist.
Billie Jean Haskins, her name tag read. She was young and vivacious
and bleached blond and trying very hard to make a good impression
on her first day of work. She’d thought Janet Hall was beautiful
but remote in a cool, professional sort of way. It surprised her to
notice that the doctor had managed to land a man who seemed so...
casual. His hair was windblown, his shirt was open at the throat,
and his jeans were comfortably faded. He was the most devastating
man Billie Jean had ever seen. She decided she could earn Brownie
points with the doctor by complimenting her on her taste in
men.

“My, my, Dr. Hall, I must say that there’s
not a man in Tupelo to equal your husband.”

“He’s not my husband—”

“We’re not married—”

Janet and Dan spoke at the same time. Their
denial was so vehement that Billie Jean was taken aback. She
attempted to correct her mistake.

“Well, I just naturally assumed that he
belonged to you, the two of you being so familiar and all. I mean,
the way you were arguing a while ago, I just knew you were husband
and wife.”

“We weren’t arguing—”

“We were just discussing—”

Janet and Dan looked at each other. He was
the first to laugh. It started as a muffled chuckle and grew to a
full-bodied roar of mirth. Janet joined him.

Billie Jean thought they were crazy. Besides
that, they had made her wonder if she’d chosen the right job. Maybe
she should have stuck to hairdressing the way her sister had
advised her. But what did Mildred Ann know anyway? Billie Jean
heaved a big sigh. Life was so tangled up it was a wonder anybody
could get through without going loony.

“If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you back to
Dr. Bailey.” She turned away from them and started down the hall
toward the examining rooms.

Dan looked at the receptionist’s stiff back
and proud little chin. He hurried forward and fell in step beside
her.

“It was a natural mistake, honey. Please
don’t think you offended us.” The only thing that had offended him
was Janet’s vehement denial that they were married. She thought he
was that unsuitable, did she?

Seeing Billie Jean’s obvious discomfort,
Janet sought to reassure her. She caught up to them and patted
Billie Jean’s arm. “It’s all right, Billie Jean. Anyone might have
made that mistake. I’m certainly not upset.” Except at Dan Albany.
He thought she was that wrong for him, did he?

She’d show him.

He’d show her.

Both tall people, Dan and Janet looked at
each other across the top of Billie Jean’s head. He saw the wicked
sparkle in her eye and she saw the determined light in his.

If she knew what was good for her, she’d
never see him again.

If he had any sense he’d run like
hell.

The drumbeat of their steps punctuated their
thoughts as they marched down the tiled hallway. When they reached
the examining room, the strong smell of antiseptic wafted through
the open door.

He barely noticed.

Dan bowed from the waist. “After you.”

Janet thought he looked absurd, holding that
big dog and bowing like some seventeenth-century cavalier,
especially when she already knew he had no manners at all. Absurd,
but charming in an offbeat way.

She gave him her most flirtatious smile. At
least, she hoped it was flirtatious. Since it hadn’t been used
since the Dark Ages, she couldn’t be sure.

“How gallant. Thank you, kind sir.”

Dan thought that smile looked as false as his
Great-aunt Hettie’s teeth. False but cute in a funny, heart-tugging
kind of way.

The veterinarian paid their odd behavior no
attention. He was no doubt used to all kinds.

Suddenly aware of Dr. Bailey, they stopped
their game long enough to tell him about Harvey. On the examining
table the dog looked up at his two owners with mournful eyes, but
his tail never stopped its weak wagging.

“He’s gritty, isn’t he?” Dr. Bailey said.
“That wound looks as if it’s old, at a couple of days, and yet he’s
in surprisingly good shape.”

“He’s a fighter,” Dan said.

Janet knew the dog was a fighter, but she
also knew that his wound was quite serious. “What’s the prognosis,
Dr. Bailey?”

“There is a lot of infection. I’ll try to
save the leg, but I won’t know for a few days. I’ll need to keep
him here, of course.” He smiled at them. “He’s in good hands, and
you can come to visit whenever you wish. No set visiting
hours.”

Janet and Dan said their goodbyes to Harvey
and left the office, both so busy with their plans that they barely
noticed each other as they walked across the parking lot to their
cars.

When she reached her car, Janet turned to
Dan. “Do you have a busy day planned?”

“Soccer practice this afternoon.”

She didn’t want to tip her hand by asking
where. She merely nodded and smiled.

“And you?” He opened the car door for
her.

“I’m not on call this weekend. I’m going to
enjoy the wicked pleasures of pampering myself all day, and tonight
I’m going to indulge in the ballet.” Idle chatter, she thought, but
it gave her time to assess her opponent. She slid into the front
seat and treated him to another of her flirty smiles. She fancied
she was getting better with practice. “Take care.”

“You, too.”

He gave her a small salute, then got into his
old Ford pickup. It looked even more battered parked there beside
her sporty Corvette, even if her car had seen better days. But
appearances could be deceiving. Never judge a warrior by his battle
gear. Chuckling, he turned the key and backed out of the lot.

Janet, just in front of him, tooted her horn
and waved.

o0o

The first thing he did when he got home was
look up her address in the telephone book. He didn’t know how he
had managed to see her twice and still not know where she
lived.

His fingers traced the Hs. There were several
pages, but he was not discouraged. When a man sets out to prove to
a woman that he is God’s answer to her prayers, nothing will stand
in his way.

Grinning, he put the telephone book back onto
his cluttered desk and picked up the newspaper. Ignoring the
sports, he flipped to the entertainment section. The Atlanta Ballet
was in town. That had to be it. Gritting his teeth, he picked up
the phone and ordered a ticket. He half hoped the girl on the other
end of the line would say, “Sorry, we’re sold out.” But she didn’t.
She said his ticket would be waiting at the door.

He stood and stretched. It was a good thing
he had soccer practice this afternoon. All that exercise and fresh
air might prepare him for an evening of puny music that sounded
like it was squeezed through a plastic straw. Even worse, grown men
would be cavorting around in tight silk britches.

He went into the hall and plucked his
favorite baseball cap off the hall tree. God, Doc was cute when she
tried to flirt.

o0o

Janet went straight to Mr. Jed’s apartment.
He came to the door with a copy of the Wall Street Journal in his
hand. It made sense to her. According to Molly, her daddy had been
such a whiz at playing the stock market, he’d managed to retire two
years ago at the ripe old age of forty-eight.