What Happens When a Growing Admiration Turns Into Something More?

Posted on Jan 16, 2018 Topic : Fiction

West Virginia, 1869

When Dr. Daniel Kavanagh agrees to see patients in the coal mining town of Owenduffy, complications arise when his new assistant, Addie Rose, begins to stir feelings up inside the handsome doctor. In this romantic vignette from BJ Hoff's latest novel, Dr. Kavanagh struggles with his growing feelings for Addie Rose and the comparisons between her and his unrequited crush, local schoolteacher Serena Norman.

***

Daniel could not have handpicked a more efficient and helpful assistant than Addie Rose Murphy. Over the next two weeks, she proved not only to be a highly competent organizer and office manager, but also to possess an innate nursing instinct. Indeed, in a matter of just a few days he had come to not only admire her and appreciate her, but to rely on her. He could scarcely believe that in such a brief time she had his office running more smoothly than he would have believed possible.

Seated at his desk late Friday afternoon, on impulse he decided to tell her how pleased he was with her work—and to show his appreciation, albeit in a small way. The timing was good, as she stood across from him, about to receive her week’s salary.

“I just wanted to tell you that I think you’re doing a fine job,” he said, handing her the brown envelope that held her pay. “You’ll find a modest increase in there this week. You deserve more, but for now this is the best I can do.”

She actually blushed as she reached for the envelope. “I…thank you,” she said, stammering a little. “It’s…I like the work. I like it a lot.”

“Good! Then I’ll hope I don’t have to worry about losing you. You’ve actually made my job a good deal easier.”

“Oh, no. I mean, I plan to stay.”

She stuck her pay envelope into the pocket of the lab apron he’d provided for her. Daniel couldn’t help but notice—not for the first time—the unusual grace and unexpected elegance of her hands. Long, slender fingers with perfectly shaped nails, yet with a visible strength and grace to each movement.

In contrast to Serena’s small, almost childish hands, often knotted in tense fists…

He started, wondering where that had come from. It wasn’t the first time this had happened. More than once he had caught himself jarred by a sudden, out-of-place thought or observation about Addie Rose in contrast to Serena that caught him completely off guard and left him uncomfortable, to say the least.

Daniel looked at her again. For someone so young, she seemed extremely wise.

He was growing to respect her more and more, this daughter of the mines, for a number of reasons—and not only for the wonders she had worked in his office in such a short time. In fact, if he were to be altogether honest with himself, he was becoming uncomfortably aware that his feelings toward Addie Rose Murphy might possibly be edging toward more than respect.

And that was no good. No good at all. For one thing, she was too young for him to be thinking of her with that kind of interest. And for another, he suspected that hard-edged father of hers might take a very dim view—to say the least—of even the hint of an inappropriate “interest” in his daughter. He liked Dominic Murphy, even respected the man, but he had no illusions about what the irascible miner might be capable of should someone even appear to step over the line with him.

Besides, what about Serena?

Just then Addie Rose appeared at his office door to announce that her father had arrived and she’d be leaving for the day.

With a strange kind of relief, Daniel stood to say goodbye, but he refrained from walking with her to the door as he usually did.