Too, rehearsals for the Seattle concert began in earnest. Nathan prepared for it, with a renewed spirit, and the house at Angel Cove rang with laughter and music. Determined not to be a wet blanket, Mallory watched and listened as the days passed, but she also called on the administrator of the local elementary school and offered her services as a substitute teacher, read a backlog of books that she hadn’t had time for before, and spent happy hours visiting Trish and Kate. After two weeks, she was fully recovered. Of course, she was delighted when her doctor pronounced her well, but there was a tiny tremor in the pit of her stomach, too. She had almost a month left to run on her contract with Brad, and she still meant to honor it, even though she dreaded every line and scene. Tanned and probably well aware that Nathan was occupied in another part of the villa on Angel Cove, Brad Ranner appeared within an hour of Mallory’s return from Seattle and her doctor’s office, a new script under his arm.
