The Sheriff Of Wickham Falls. Rochelle Alers

police. Once I was sworn in, Mom told me she was moving to Savannah, so I utilized my GI bill and bought the house from her. She moved into a townhome several blocks from my younger sister.”

      Natalia smiled. “So, you’re one of the rare ones who left and came back to stay.”

      The last car of the freight train clattered past as Seth put the car in gear and drove over the tracks. “It wasn’t something I’d planned until I was much older, but even the best made plans can go awry.”

      “I hear you,” she said under her breath.

      When she’d accepted Daryl’s marriage proposal, Natalia felt as if all of the pieces of her life were falling into place. She’d realized her dream to become a doctor, and had met and fallen in love with a brilliant litigator who’d landed a position with one of Philadelphia’s most prestigious law firms. He had pursued her relentlessly for two years until she’d agreed to become his wife, but then he changed much like a snake shedding his skin when he went from easygoing to someone she didn’t recognized. She’d made allowances for the shift in his behavior to the added responsibility of becoming partner, but once his controlling and ongoing criticisms about her appearance impacted her emotional well-being, Natalia decided she’d had enough and began pushing back. Disagreements escalated into shouting matches after which they wouldn’t speak to each other for days. Physical intimacy declined and then stopped altogether when Daryl spent more time in his condo than he did in hers. They continued to attend social events as a couple unbeknownst to others that their relationship was as fragile as eggshells.

      “How long do you intend to work here before you return to Pennsylvania?”

      Seth’s query shattered Natalia’s reverie. “I won’t know until the end of next April.”

      He gave her sidelong glance. “What’s happening then?”

      “That’s when I’ll let Dr. Franklin know if I intend to join his practice as a partner.”

      “And if you don’t?”

      “Then I’ll have to decide where I want to go. It’ll probably be in another small town because I’ve had enough of municipal hospitals with staff shortages, shrinking budgets and endless bureaucratic red tape. I’ve always wanted to be a small-town doctor and living and working here will give me the experience I’ll need to establish my own practice.”

      “Let’s hope you’ll find a permanent home here because we need you.”