His low voice held a strange note of menace. “Explain yourself, Potter. Why do I need to wait for two years to inherit?”
The minister moved to stand directly in front of Niall. Speaking with a carefully neutral voice, the man only added to the mystery. “If you do even inherit, man. You’ve a few tasks to do in order for that to happen.”
With Potter taking a stance in front of the sofa, Niall couldn’t rise. He did the next best thing and leaned forward with his arms warily crossed. Tension vibrated through him. Something Alice easily felt.
“Since you know so much about it, reverend, who do I talk to about my father’s will? I don’t even know which of the two lawyers in town drafted it for him.”
The other man’s expression didn’t change. With an almost toneless voice, he finally directly answered one of Niall’s question. Her employer’s patience up to this point had greatly impressed Alice. While he might be moody when it was only the two of them, the man was showing her his bedside manner through this conversation.
“I am sorry to say it, but I am the executor of the will. Your father and I became friends. When he begged me to see to his last wishes, I couldn’t very well refuse.” The man shook his head to emphasize, to Alice’s way of thinking, how unwilling he was to be the executor.
“Why are you sorry to be in this role?” Niall sounded genuinely mystified. Alice knew even before the minister answered why the man regretted his involvement. Niall MacKenzie was a strong-willed man.
Sighing, Reverend Potter returned to the chair near his wife. Amazingly, that woman had remained silent, though her head was no longer bent. She watched as if memorizing each word and expression. Alice wondered if she would run from house to house after this meeting.
Once he was seated, the older man elaborated on his task. “I’m to see that you serve as a doctor for the people of Kilbourne City. That is, at least for two years.”
Niall’s hands fisted. “Why would anyone want me to doctor them after the gossip?”
Alice watched Potter’s eyes dart to his wife. Frowning at her, he spoke without taking his gaze away. “I can assure you that the talk will be about how wrong it was to condemn you. And about how obvious it is that Milly Murphy’s child was fathered by an unknown man.”
With a shake of his head, Niall refused to accept that. “But Milly herself accused me. She’d need to retract her words, and in front of the church, for me to be willing to practice medicine in this town.”
Squaring his shoulders, the preacher met Niall’s gaze without so much as a flinch. “I expected that. She’s admitted her lie to me and will do so on Sunday next.”
Eyes widening in surprise, Niall held his hands up, palms out. Alice thought he looked like he was trying to stop an attack. Odd since it seemed that everything was working out in his favor.
“I know there’s something more. Something in your face tells me you’ve saved the toughest part for last.”
The preacher’s squared shoulders slumped. “Yes, the best or the toughest part. You decide.”
“Well, before you get to that, I want to tell you that I’d be willing to doctor emergencies. Not sure I want to have open hours and see too many of the folks around here regularly.”
Letting out his breath in a whoosh, Reverend Potter nodded. “Actually, your father expected that and told me the fine nurse he’d hired would be able to see to more general health needs.”
The man smiled at Alice who only nodded her head in his direction. Saying even one word felt intrusive to her. After all, Niall hadn’t even heard the second condition of this inheritance.
“Your father wrote to the doctor in her home community. Also, he telegraphed the hospital she trained at, with glowing results. She will make you a fine helpmate.”
At the use of that last word, Niall and Alice exchanged surprised glances. He spoke first, and Alice closed her mouth before she said anything.
“Are you suggesting that we marry?”
The reverend pulled a small bible from a pocket inside his coat. “It’s your father’s final condition. You being already in your thirties, he felt a nudge toward creating a family was necessary.”
Jumping to his feet, Niall shook a finger at the minister. “Now, sir, I really want to see Father’s will for myself!”
Chapter 6
Alice expected the door to be locked. After Reverend Potter promised to bring the will by that evening, Niall had stomped—yes, stomped, like a toddler—to his study. She’d followed him into the hallway and was sure she’d heard the metal click of the key in the lock.
After seeing the Potters out, she’d gone to the kitchen. The jingle of the horse’s harness reminded her that they’d left the animal standing overly long in the hot sun. Poor thing, and such a good buggy horse, too. It didn’t deserve that.
So, here she was at the study door. Needing help with the horse was as good excuse as any to pull her sulking employer from his lair. At least, that’s what she hoped, as she peeked her head around the door.
Immediately, a sweet odor along with the bite of alcohol hit her nose. Not strong, but definitely present in the room.
Alice gasped with horror at the thought of Niall’s drinking. Temperance had been preached so strongly in her family that she wasn’t sure she could stay here with a tippler.
At the sound Alice made, Niall’s handsome auburn head turned her way. “Did you need something, Nurse Cordell? Perhaps Potter’s already
