The Wrong Side of Midnight (23 page)

Adam’s lips curved into a small smile. “It's really no big deal,” he said, shrugging his broad shoulders. Rex cleared his throat.
Loudly.
The woman named Rosa stood next to Sara, eyes downcast, lips moving in quiet repetition. Her fingers worked the beads of a small black rosary that hung halfway out of the deep pocket of her white apron. “Really,” Adam repeated. “Everything's fine.”

Rosa lifted her head and stared at Adam, her plump fingers continuing their silent litany along
the beads. “'No more women. No more women. No more women.' That's what he
say
.” The words flew out in quick, rapid succession. No more women? Matthew Brandon was swearing off women? Somehow, she found that hard to believe.

“Adam, what does that mean?” Sara asked.

Adam shot a quick look at Rex. “Matt had a bad experience with the last female psychologist I hired.”

“He did? What happened?”
Probably blazed her
ears with his fancy, four-letter vocabulary.

A dull flush crept up Adam's tanned neck, spreading to his high cheekbones. “It seems she was more interested in conducting experiments
of a physical nature than aiding his recovery.”

“Oh.” The woman had come on to her patient. And he'd turned
her down. Perhaps Matthew Brandon had a few scruples
after all. Or maybe she just hadn't been his type.

“But you're nothing like her,” Adam said, his gray eyes warming. “As soon as Matt meets you, he’ll realize that. Everything will be fine.”

Rosa shook her head again in obvious disbelief. The whole scene made Sara uncomfortable. It was as though she'd walked in on the last act of a play where everyone knew their part but her. What was going on? And where on earth was Matthew Brandon?

“Is your brother expecting me?” she asked with growing apprehension. Adam took a sudden interest in the tassels on his fancy loafers.
Hmm.
As Jeff once told her, the answers were always in the seemingly insignificant details, such as Adam avoiding her gaze and her question. “He isn’t, is he?”

“Not exactly.”

Great.
“Is that not exactly as in he knows I'll be here sometime but not when? Or is it not exactly as in he has no clue I'm coming and doesn't even know I
exist
?”

Rex coughed twice and cleared his throat—an innocent sign if one weren’t looking for a deeper meaning.

Adam finally looked her in the eye and said, “Jeff and I felt this was the only way.”

“Jeff? He sent me here knowing your brother wanted nothing to do with another female doctor?”

“It's my fault,” Adam said with an apologetic smile. “I was desperate. Matt’s been getting worse every day and I didn’t know what else to do. I begged Jeff for help. Don't hold it against him, Sara. If anyone's to blame, it's me for pressuring Jeff to send us a miracle before Matt destroys himself and everyone around him.”