Nurse Todd's Strange Summer — Zillah K. MacDonald

The suspenseful story of a valiant young nurse, a dedicated doctor, and the mystery which ensnared them…

Once there was a mansion by the sea…
Where a vivacious, beautiful young nurse plunged into mystery.
Where a handsome, wealthy patient longed to be a lover.
Where the local residents hated the man who healed them.
Where a dream summer became a nightmare?

Nurse Ann Todd, on a special duty assignment on the misty coast of Maine, found two men…and a mystery.

There was Quint Towne, who made her pulse thump though her heart said no…

And there was Dr. Bruce McNab, brilliant and lonely, shunned by the people who needed him most, blamed for some strange tragedy no one would name.

As Ann struggled in the web of hate and suspicion that enmeshed the town, the tension around her tightened its grip on her heart.

Then, on the terrifying gale-lashed waves of Jericho Bay, Ann found the answer to the mystery of Dr. McNab…and the key to her own future.

As a registered nurse, Anne Todd knew the danger of becoming emotionally involved with a patient, but as a woman she couldn't help loving gay, charming Quint Towne. When he and his mother invited her to Maine to nurse him through his convalescence, she grasped the chance. This would be the summer of her dreams.

Arriving at the seacoast village, Ann was appalled to discover that the Towne's had lengthened their Florida vacation and wouldn't be home for a month. Meanwhile she was stranded without a job in a strange town among strange people. Boarding in an old mansion with the Bassett sisters, she seemed a medical mystery. Pretty Lett Bassett had been a talented pianist before she suffered a fractured wrist. Why hadn't she received after-care? Why did Lett's sister resent Ann's attempt at physiotherapy? Above all, why did the entire community mistrust handsome Dr. Bruce McNab?

Ann made inquiries in vain. There seemed to be a conspiracy of silence among the townspeople, and she wondered if Dr. McNab were responsible for Lett's tragedy. Despite her suspicions she went to work for him, for she desperately needed a job until Quint returned. When he did arrive she realized he had changed. Instead of giving her the glamorous rush she expected, he dated Mallie Wade, a promising young artist.

Heartsick, Ann plunged deeply into work. Whatever his reputation, Bruce was a skillful surgeon and they made a perfect team. One stormy night they were called out on an emergency case to the outer islands. Ann was terrified, yet thrilled. As she helped Bruce operated for acute appendicitis, she knew that if he failed his career would be in jeopardy. She also knew that whatever happened, she would stand by him.