surfaces with a clean, slightly soapy dishcloth.
When the kitchen was cleaned and tidy, Noah took his bag and returned to the living room. This time he approached Maddie without caution. Taking out his blood pressure gauge and stethoscope, he sat on the coffee table again, pulled back the comforter and wrapped the pressure cuff around Maddieâs left arm.
Her eyes fluttered opened. âWha-whatâs going on? Oh, itâs you. What are you up to now?â
âIâm taking your blood pressure.â
âI would think a doctor would know enough to let a tired person sleep.â
âYou can sleep all you want to after I check you out.â
âYouâre not my doctor.â
âI am now. Stay silent for a minute, okay? I canât hear myself think, let alone whatâs going on in that puny little body of yours.â
âMy body is not puny! God, talk about a revolting bedside manner.â
âJust shut the hell up!â
Maddie clamped her lips together. Good-looking or not, this guyâwhat had he said his name was?âwas a total jerk, certainly not the kind of man she would ever give a second glance.
Noah removed the blood pressure cuff from her arm, then placed the little round sound receiver segment of the stethoscope on her chest.
âHey!â Maddie slapped away the instrument. âJust stop it!â
Noah was fast losing patience, something that he wasnâtoverloaded with, in any case. He gave his friend Markâs mouthy little sister a look that was colder than the outside temperature and then asked with equal frostiness, âHow many doctors do you know in Whitehorn who would make a house call? Either you let me examine you properly or I swear Iâll call an ambulance and put your butt in the hospital. Itâs up to you. Take your pick.â
Maddie tried to scoff away her immediate misgivings with a snappy comeback but it came off pretty weak. âYou wouldnât dare,â she said, and actually felt a chill go up her spine from the icy expression in his eyes.
âJust try me.â He focused the icy glare onto her eyes.
She absolutely, positively would not look away first. âIâm not afraid of you, you know,â she said, realizing at the same time that she was getting angry. She knew that anger without the physical strength to back it up wasnât very formidable, but common sense wasnât controlling her at the moment. What ticked her off so much was that thisâ¦this cretin doctor thought he was.
Noah was in no mood for foolish bickering, and he spoke flatly, without a dram of warmth. âThereâs no reason you should be afraid of me.â Then he added, sounding angry himself, âGood Lord, woman, donât you know when someoneâs trying to help you? What kind of doctors have you been seeing? What kind of people have you been associating with?â
â My friends and doctors are at least recognizable. I havenât the foggiest notion of what or who you are.â Maddie was literally gritting her teeth. No one told her what to do, no one, and thisâ¦this pompous know-it-all wasnât going to get away with it, either.
âYou most certainly do know. I told you my name before and showed you my medical ID, as well.â He could see confusion in her eyes and added, âMy name is Noah Martinâ¦Dr. Noah Martinâ¦and Iâm Markâs friend.â
âAll right, youâre a doctor, but why should I believe youâre Markâs friend?â
âMaybe because I have a key to his house?â
He was boxing her in, which only made Maddie angrier.
âThereâs no way you could put me in the hospital without my permission,â she said daringly.
âOh, but there is. If a person is mentally unbalanced because of fever or other symptoms of illness, I have every right to hospitalize herâ¦or him.â
Maddieâs jaw dropped. âI am not mentally
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