The Doctor Takes a Wife Read Free Page B

getting into? How in the world had he done this thing? Was it right that he should be marrying this girl? By being firm, he would be able to defend the rights and claims of his profession, so far as the Clinic went—but outside of that his life would be Marynelle ’ s, and he knew it. Was that what he wanted? Was he doing the right thing? Why had he made such a choice?
    Phil had come to Berilo a short, and busy, eighteen months before. At that time, he had completed several residencies in his specialty and had spent a month shopping around for a place to locate. Our Clinic seemed such a place to him; he met our qualifications. He joined us in July, and by October had decided to buy into the place with some money he had from his father ’ s estate.
    This decision pleased everyone. He was exactly the sort of pleasant young professional our community liked to attract. On his part, Phil liked Berilo, its cleanness, the beauty of the mountains, the up-and-coming quality of the city. He could laugh at certain oddities of our ways—but in a friendly fashion. He felt he was doing good work, and lots of it, among people he considered worth while. He fitted immediately into what Min called “the cousins, ” our particular social group of fairly young people interested in the same manner of life and work and pleasure. We were called the Little Theatre crowd.
    In age, we were roughly in the ten years centered around thirty; many of the group were married; we liked each other in a general way, but we squabbled and gossiped with malice toward all when the occasion arose. In any case, Phil was a welcome addition. A handsome bachelor—and a doctor—the men took to him at once, and the girls broke into a positive stampede, with a few wives in that galloping herd.
    But Marynelle won the prize, I don ’ t know how or why. I ’ m a one-woman man myself, and have not even the imagination to figure the operative procedure of such a girl.
    Phil had inside information on this, of course. Marynelle had always been kind to him, he would have said. And her kindness could take on a certain ruthlessness. I know that when we were planning to drive over to Pendleton for the round-up that fall, she ’ d said firmly, “Of course Phil and I will go together.”
    They had—just the two of them in Phil ’ s car. Mine was full, and so were the others that went. But Marynelle and Phil were alone together in his, and when we all got back to Berilo, the engagement was an accomplished fact. I suppose it was a matter of turning out to look at the mountains in the moonlight; Marynelle might be a very satisfactory girl to snuggle, and kiss — Anyway, there it was. Marynelle and Phil would be married at Christmas; they were going to buy one of those new houses on the first bench ...
    And now, easing down that last slope toward Marynelle, (from here they ’ d make their way up to the Inn again, taking short runs where tempting places offered) Phil ran his tongue around the inside of his cheek to realize his own surprise at the engagement.
    His surprise had been as great as anyone ’ s, though I ’ d been warning him of his extreme vulnerability. Even now, a week from the wedding itself, he could ask himself, why was it Marynelle? He could just as easily be marrying one of the other girls. He could just as easily be marrying Min ...
    He laughed aloud at the thought, and came up to Marynelle with his teeth flashing and his cheeks red.
    Marynelle glanced at him, caught the quality of that smile, and turned. “What ’ s the joke?”
    And the big sap told her. After all she ’ d been saying about Min!
    Of course she was furious. “If that ’ s the way you feel,” she said icily, “if you ’ re marrying me from chance rather than choice, it might be better to call the whole thing off!”
    Phil laughed. “It might be better,” he agreed in a teasing voice, “but you know damn well we won ’ t call it off.” He put out his hand, meaning to draw her