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debt to him. She had just run away from one problem and found herself another.
    Have I jumped out of the skillet into the fire?
    The conversation continued as if she weren’t even there.
    “Are you going to get her a room in a hotel?” Dr. Bordeaux asked. “Don’t tell me you’d let her stay in the Lamplighter.”
    “Hell, no,” Quinn barked. “I’ll not put her there, but she probably couldn’t afford to stay at the Bellevue Hotel.”
    The words that he spoke startled Adrianna. The truth was, she wasn’t without money. She could probably afford to stay at the hotel, but she didn’t want him to know it. She had scrounged every nickel she could find in the house and what she had saved for shopping. It was stashed in her purse in the bottom of one of her suitcases.
    “Isn’t there a rooming house in town where I can stay?” she asked irritably.
    “She could get a room at Ma Parker’s place,” Gabe suggested.
    “Absolutely not,” the doctor disagreed. “The girls who live there have some pretty wild parties.”
    “It’d be like putting a kitten in with a bunch of tomcats,” Gabe said as he glanced down at the girl on the bed.
    “I have a suggestion.” The doctor looked at Quinn and then back at Adrianna. “Quinn, you have plenty of room in your house, and I think Jesse would benefit from being with someone like Adrianna. That girl you have working there isn’t very stimulating company for a teenage boy. Besides that, I think Adrianna would be good for him.”
    “How do you figure?”
    “She’s had nursing experience taking care of her father. Between the two of us, I think we can work out a routine of exercises for Jesse so that he will be able to do more to help himself. You don’t want him staying in that bed for the rest of his life, do you?”
    “Now just a minute,” Adrianna interrupted. “I’m not going to stay with
him.
” She looked at Quinn as if he had just crawled out from under a rock. “And who is Jesse?”
    “Why not?” Quinn snapped, irritated by her haughty attitude. “You don’t think my house is good enough for you?”
    “I didn’t say that. It wouldn’t be proper for me to stay there. Besides, you don’t like me, and I don’t like you. It would not be very pleasant.”
    The doctor looked from one to the other. “You’re both adults. You can put your dislikes aside for Jesse’s sake, can’t you?” The doctor then explained to Adrianna that sixteen-year-old Jesse had been in a school bus accident and at the present time was unable to use his legs.
    “My place isn’t the fanciest house in Lee’s Point, but there’s plenty of room. I can certainly afford to feed one more mouth. Besides, she’s so skinny, it’s evident she doesn’t eat much.” He smiled, suddenly warming up to the idea. “I guess if Jesse can put up with her, I can too.”
    “Well, thank you very much. And how much do you want for your room?”
    Quinn grinned, the smile softening his rough features. “Oh, you’ll work for your room and board. Lola is always complaining that she has too much to do.”
    “Who’s Lola?”
    “She’s our housekeeper, and she takes care of Jesse when I’m not there.” He cocked a brow at the doctor and Gabe. “You’ll like Lola. You two should hit it off.”
    “Quinn . . .” Gabe started to say something, but one look from his friend cut him off. “But Quinn . . .” Gabe persisted. He looked at the doctor for help, but she turned toward the door.
    “She should spend the night here, Quinn.”
    “Fine with me.”
    Adrianna looked at the three people standing at the foot of her bed. Between them they had decided what she would do and where she would stay. If her car was in running order, she would tell all three of them what they could do with their plans for her, then go on down the road.
    Gabe and Quinn walked out the door. Quinn said over his shoulder, “See you tomorrow, Annie.”
    “My name is Adrianna,” she called, and the sound of her