“Don’t even think about it, truck. I stupidly agreed to direct a play we’re to put on in three months—with no lead actor. I have no time to tinker with your engine.”

“Excuse me?”

Dani studied the handsome man before her. He had the kind of smile you immediately trusted, which was exactly why she kept up her guard. Hadn’t she learned the hard way that nothing was as it seemed?

She thought she knew everyone in town, but she didn’t know him. But then she had a flickering memory of a church potluck dinner given to welcome Blessing’s newest doctor.

“Yes, Dr. Duke?”

“Um, actually, it’s Luc. Lucas Lawrence. Did you need something?”

Dr. Duke—no, Luc—was perfect for the lead, the answer to her prayers.

LOIS RICHER

Sneaking a flashlight under the blankets, hiding in a thicket of Caragana bushes where no one could see, pushing books into socks to take to camp—those are just some of the things Lois Richer freely admits to in her pursuit of the written word. “I’m a book-a-holic. I can’t do without stories,” she confesses It’s always been that way.”

Her love of language evolved into writing her own stories. Today her passion is to create tales of personal struggle that lead to triumph over life’s rocky road. For Lois, a happy ending is essential.

“In my stories, as in my own life, God has a way of making all things beautiful. Writing a love story is my way of reinforcing my faith in His ultimate goodness toward us—His precious children.”

Heaven’s Kiss
Lois Richer

www.millsandboon.co.uk

We know the love that God has for us, and we trust that love. God is love. Those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.

—1 John 4:16

This book is dedicated to those who in struggling to do the ordinary, accomplish the extraordinary.

Mom, teachers, doctors, preachers—the list covers many. You know who you are.

God bless you.

Dear Reader,

Welcome back! I hope you’ve enjoyed this second installment in my BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE series.

Have you ever wondered what your true calling is, what it is that you were given life to do? And then, once you’ve settled on something, have you found yourself struggling to do it? In this day of multitasking and career change, we often struggle to climb the ladder, make an impression, to be somebody.

Dani certainly had to reevaluate her life; Luc, too. But in doing so, they both learned that humans rarely see the big picture. Isn’t it reassuring to know that whatever happens to us, God uses, molds, adapts and transforms into something far beyond our expectations?

In this time of worry, fear and hurry, I wish you the peace and joy we all may find nestled in the Father’s loving embrace.

Blessings to you,

I’d love to hear from you.

Write me at Box 639, Nipawin, Sask.

Canada S0E 1E0 or e-mail loisricher@yahoo.com

Contents

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Prologue

What a way to begin the second month of a new year.

“Okay, let me get this straight. My father wanted me to have the ranch, to keep the Double D running.” Dani DeWitt waited for the lawyer’s nod.

“Yes. Dermot made you his sole beneficiary.”

“But a beneficiary of what?” She sagged into the high-backed leather chair as the full import of his meaning sunk in. “You just said the bank holds a mortgage on the property and that it’s overdue.”

“Actually it’s quite a large mortgage. Your father recently renegotiated it.”

“So how much do I owe on the place?”

Ephraim Thornbush enunciated the amount clearly and concisely, then folded his thin, long hands with their scrupulously clean and filed nails on top of the manila folder on his desk.

Dani could only stare at him while her mind tried to wrap itself around the latest in a series of unbelievable events. The only thing that brought order to this mess was when she focused on the man in front of her.

Mr. Thornbush’s white hair lay in neat precise waves over his head. His black suit, perfectly tailored, showed no wrinkles, though it was past five o’clock on a Friday afternoon.

Dani glanced around the office. Not a speck of dust covered even one of the solid cherry surfaces. No half-empty coffee cup on his desk. Everything lay in its orderly arrangement, as it had for the past forty years.

Her father’s lawyer abhorred untidiness in himself and his furnishings. He certainly wouldn’t tolerate it in his legal practice. With Ephraim handling her father’s estate, she knew every “i” was dotted, every “t” was crossed. There could be no mistake.

She gulped.

“I owe a fortune,” she finally admitted, more to herself than to him. The massive amount of debt threatened to overwhelm her careful control. “I had no idea he was in so much financial trouble. Why didn’t he tell me?”

Mr. Thornbush did not say a word, but there was a gleam in his steel-gray gaze that made her shift uncomfortably.

“All right, I was out of touch over Christmas and New Year’s. I admit that. But I called. He was never there.” Dani fought to control the guilt that waited to swamp her. “How could I know he was in the hospital?” she whispered. “How could I know he’d die?”

The steel softened to dove gray.

“There is no point in recriminations, Dani. What we must do now is make some decisions. I’ve delayed as much as possible while we located you. But the bank will not wait forever. They want assurances that they will get their money.”

“But I don’t have any money.”

“I know.” He picked up a pen, clicked it once, twice. Evidently he realized that the noise gave away his inner agitation, for he stopped fidgeting immediately and returned the pen to its holder.

“So what do I do now, Mr. Thornbush?” It hurt to ask that, stung her pride to know that she wasn’t the strong independent woman she’d always thought herself. Coming back, especially now, only made her feel like a foolish girl who needed her daddy. And Daddy wasn’t there. He never would be again.

“We could declare bankruptcy.”

She jerked upward, her eyes narrowing.

“They’d take the land?”

He nodded. “Sell the cattle, your father’s horses, machinery, anything that would bring in some money. The land would be auctioned off or they’d ask for bids. With the economy the way it is, I don’t think they’d get top dollar.”

“So not everyone would get their money back.” She squinted at him. “You did say he owed more than the bank?”

“Your father had a few stocks, some bonds. He had me liquidate those just before he died. I paid off the local merchants. No one in Blessing will lose money because of your father, Dani. In fact, I doubt anyone even knows the seriousness of your situation.”

“Thank goodness for that.” At least she’d be spared the humiliation of having her hometown speculating about her any more than they already were.

Dani glanced at him. “Do you think that’s what I should do?”

Mr. Thornbush did not answer immediately, which was, of itself, a most unusual thing, for he’d always been very quick to assess a situation. After all, he’d had two weeks since her father’s death to think about it. She’d only learned of Dermot’s passing on Monday, and about the ranch’s fiscal nightmare just now.

“What is it? Is there something wrong?”

He shook his head. “Not wrong, exactly. It’s simply that I believe your father wanted you to take over the ranch when you came home. Dermot didn’t know when that would be, he certainly didn’t expect that he wouldn’t be here, but he often spoke of his intentions. I can’t believe he would have wanted you to part with the land he loved so much, unless there was no other way.”

“But there is no other way. Is there?”

“You could work it yourself. Cut back to the bare bones, run as tight a ship as you can while we try to find a way to appease the bank. Bankruptcy isn’t in their best interest either, don’t forget.”

“Work it…myself?” She blinked. “But—”

“From the day he arrived in Blessing, Dermot was my friend. He loved that land all his life. I know he raised you to love it too. Don’t you owe him and yourself a chance to see if you can make a go of it? You did say you weren’t going back to college.” He raised one bushy eyebrow, and when she didn’t respond, he continued. “Why not spend some time out there, think things over, decide what your heart wants?”

It struck her as odd to hear Ephraim speaking about her heart’s desire, but over the years Dani had occasionally caught glimpses of the lawyer’s softer side. And he had cared deeply for Dermot.

“Maybe you’re right. Everything’s mixed up, confused. I’m a little shocked by his death—and now this. Maybe time will help me make a decision.” She stood, thrust out her hand. “Thank you very much. If there’s no rush to make an immediate decision, I think I’ll do as you say and think it over.”

“And pray about it. Don’t forget to pray.”

She smiled.

“Yes, I’ll pray, too. Maybe God will send a miracle.”

A wisp of a smile twitched the corner of his mouth.

“Someone once told me that God’s miracles are that He uses time and circumstance to teach us more about Himself. Think of this as a learning curve, Dani. Steep, maybe, but we learn best when we’re in the valley.”

Dani shook his hand gratefully.

“I’ve been away a while,” she told him. “But not long enough to forget Winifred Blessing. I’m sure she’s your source for that advice.”

Ephraim Thornbush only smiled. “Feel free to drop by whenever you wish. I’ll help however I can.”

“Thank you.”

Dani walked through the office and outside to the brisk breeze of a February evening in Colorado. Winter still clung to the land, though a recent chinook had diminished its effects. Now darkness shrouded the little town in the foothills of the Rockies.

Blessing, Colorado. Home.

She strode over to her father’s truck, climbed in and started the engine. Not many minutes later the heater blasted out gloriously warm air. But Dani’s attention strayed to the church across the town square.

“This is our home, Dani. DeWitt roots are here, dug deep and strong into this soil. The Double D is our future. Yours and mine. Together we’ll make it shine.”

She’d been what, five? Old enough to snuggle into his arms and feel safe when a coyote yipped in the distance. She remembered how the sound had jarred her father from his contemplation of the land he loved, how he’d turned his horse toward home, holding her tightly in the circle of his arms.

Dermot was a fighter. He’d never given up on anyone or anything.

Neither would she. Not until she’d exhausted every last possibility.

Dermot DeWitt’s name would not be smirched by bankruptcy.

Not if Dani could help it.

Chapter One

W asn’t home supposed to be the place you ran to when things got tough? So why did she want to run away from the only home she’d ever known?

“It just doesn’t feel the same anymore, Duke.”

Dani curled her fingers in the horse’s thick black mane and surveyed the acres of ranch land that legally bore her name. The warm April winds had nudged the grass into a rich green, encouraged the wildflowers to bloom, melted the tufts of snow that tried to cling to the shadowed clefts of the hills. She could be a thousand miles away and picture this scene, and yet still it didn’t feel right.

“The Double D isn’t home. Not without Daddy.”

Maybe it was the denim-striped overalls her father had wrapped up every year for Christmas, no matter how old she was. Maybe it was growing up on a ranch without a mother to curb her tomboy ways. Maybe it was because her best friend had always been a horse. Whatever the reason, most folks in Blessing had always accepted that Dani belonged on the Double D as much as syrup belonged on flapjacks.

Once, Dani would have agreed.

From her earliest years she’d ridden the perimeter of the ranch while chilly spring blazed into summer. She’d endured blizzard winters when going to town was impossible, and scorching summers when water became more precious than gold. She’d watched new colts wobble to their feet, spent hours waiting for the sun to turn bloodred before it slipped off the horizon. During all those years, Dani reveled in being in exactly the right place.

Until now.

Was it just because she’d been away at college for four years that she was only now realizing what a lonely life they’d led? Was that why Dermot had mortgaged his beloved land for her, so she’d know a different world than that of the Double D? Did it matter why? She was in hock up to her eyebrows and she had to get out.

“Stop whining, girl!” she ordered herself out loud. She didn’t need anyone’s shoulder to bawl on. She’d manage just fine on her own. Daddy would have expected that.

“We’ve got to stop thinking about what was, don’t we, Duke.”

Duke snorted as if to remind her that the past was hard to forget when the bank statements kept arriving.

“I have to put it out of my mind for tonight, though. There’s that meeting at church about the dinner theater, and I’m in charge.”

She’d agreed to help, believing that something other than the ranch and its debt baggage would be a relief to think about. Instead she’d encountered even more problems—when the director left town.

“Can I tell you a secret, Duke? I wish someone else would have volunteered to direct. I’m so tired of being in charge.”

Reality check. There was no one else. Not for the Double D and apparently not for the dinner theater. The onus fell on her.

A whisper touch to his flanks sent Duke galloping across the tufted spring grass of her Colorado pasture as if chased by a pack of yapping dogs. Dani leaned over his neck and felt the wind whipping her hair as Duke galloped toward home—home for as long as she could hang onto it, at least.

At the barn she took her time brushing the big horse down, added a scoop of oats to his feed, ensured his water was topped up. For herself, a quick wash in hot, soapy water, a tug of the brush through her mop of black shiny curls and a change in jeans was enough. Funny how those jeans always made her feel taller, especially when she put her boots on. And goodness knows Dani could use a boost in height. She just hated being short, and no matter how tall your boots were, five foot three was short.

A routine check of the reflection in the mirror made her shrug. She’d do. Her lashes were thick enough to fringe her green eyes—“cat eyes,” Daddy had called them. Not that she’d bothered with mascara since coming home. Life was too short and there were too many things to do on the ranch to fuss about makeup. Besides, her lipstick never stayed on longer than it took to smudge, and she’d never mastered the art of powder or foundation.

Dani stuck her tongue out at herself and giggled. Who cared what she looked like anyway? She was alone most of the time. Tonight she simply had a job to do.

Her father’s ancient half-ton truck sped her off the ranch and into Blessing Township efficiently enough that Dani decided to ignore its belch of protest when she shut off the engine.

“Don’t even think about it, Red.” She glared at one rusted fender. “The lead character’s taken a hike, the cook’s left for California, and I stupidly agreed to direct a play we’re to put on in four months—with no lead actor. On top of everything else, I’ve got to figure out my next move with the ranch. I have no time to tinker with you.”

“Excuse me?”

She whirled around, her eyes wide with shock. Nobody ever snuck up on Dani. Back in her school years, hard experience had taught teasing boys that she hated to be surprised. Maybe she’d lived down her reputation?

“Yes?”

Dani studied the handsome man before her, measured his sleepy brown eyes with their tiny fans of crinkles. He had the kind of smile you immediately trusted, which was exactly why she kept up her guard. Hadn’t she learned the hard way that nothing was ever as it seemed? This lean man in his crisply pressed clothes sent a rush of energy through her bloodstream. Suddenly she wished she’d bothered with the mascara.

Just as quickly, Dani told herself to forget it. She had known a man as attractive as this one, and she’d been burned. It wouldn’t happen again.

Who was he, anyway?

Dani thought she knew everyone in town, but she didn’t know him. Did she? She took a second look at his uncombed mop of sandy hair and mentally shook her head. Nope. It was hardly likely she’d forget a man who looked as he did—loose-limbed, lanky, easygoing, as if he was comfortable in his skin and didn’t care what anyone else thought. In fact, he was so relaxed, he made her feel uptight.

A flickering memory of a church potluck dinner given to welcome Blessing’s newest doctor… It was right after Dr. Darling’s accident. She’d been home for a weekend, she remembered. Dermot had wanted to leave church immediately to tend a sick calf, but everyone else had stayed. What was his name? Duke? she wondered, then nodded. Just like her horse.

“Can I help you, Dr. Duke?” she asked.

“Uh, actually it’s Luc. Lucas Lawrence. But you did get the other part right. I am a doctor.” He grinned, then his eyes widened. “Have you hurt yourself?”

“No.” Why would he ask that? Dani followed his glance down, saw the jagged tear across her knee. Oh yeah. The rip. Well, mending was not her forte, even if she’d had time. “Thanks, but I’m fine. Just running a little late.”

She turned, headed for the church. Behind her, his feet rattled on the pebbled surface. He was following her? Dani frowned, faced him.

“Maybe I can help you?” she offered, suspicion evident in her voice. She never used to be that way, but lately, well—

The doctor shook his head, grinned.

“I don’t think so, but thanks anyway. I’ve been here long enough to know where the church is.” He waited for her to move forward, and when she didn’t, he walked around her, moved up the sidewalk and pulled open the church door. Half bending at the waist, he waved a hand as if to usher her inside. “After you, madam.”

A decidedly English accent.

“Thanks.” Dani stepped through the doorway, then stopped, her mind busy. Dr. Duke—no Luc—was perfect for the part. Tall, handsome—in a mussed sort of way. He spoke clearly, enunciated his words without drawling the vowels. “Say that again, please,” she requested. “With the accent.”

His eyes widened, but he obediently repeated the phrase.

“Excellent. You’ll make a perfect Inspector Merrihew.” She lowered her voice, leaned forward. “I’m pretty sure the part’s yours, but please don’t say anything. Not just yet, anyway.”

“I beg your pardon? What part is mine?” Dr. Luc jerked to a halt, blinked at her, his brilliant smile faltering. His chocolate-brown eyes lost their sleepy look, darkened to a concerned brown-black; his body lost that slouchy appearance.

“Shh.” She checked over each of her shoulders, then leaned toward him. “Inspector Merrihew. The tryouts are tonight. Isn’t that why you’re here?”

“Uh, no.”

Dani frowned. Big Ed Warner wanted that part and wanted it badly. But Big Ed could in no way be made over into an English police inspector, not even if they pried away his ten-gallon hat, goaded his size fifteens from their hand-tooled cowboy boots, and raced him around town until he lost his paunch. Big Ed was a cowboy, plain and simple—a John Wayne wannabe.

“The thing is, I— Uh, that is, I was hoping I could help—”

“You can help. Accepting this part would be the biggest help, believe me.” Dani took pity on his confusion. “Go ahead and grab a seat in the fellowship hall, Doc. I’ve got to get something from the pastor, then I’ll be there.”

“But— But—”

“Don’t worry. You’ll do fine.” Dani tossed an encouraging smile over her shoulder, then strode toward the office, hoping she was right about this new guy. A doctor should be able to act. Didn’t they have to hide their emotions when they gave a patient bad news? This Lucas Lawrence might just be the answer she’d prayed for.

The pastor was out on a hospital call, but, as promised, he’d left the fax from the orphanage officials lying on his desk. Dani’s eyes widened at the dollar figure scrawled across the bottom. Total cost for renovations needed before we can reopen. Tell Dani we’d love to see her again. There’s lots of work here.

Dani brushed away the tear before it could drop. Two short-term mission trips to Honduras after a terrible hurricane devastated the area had left her appreciative of everything she’d once taken for granted. She’d worked hard to accomplish much in those one-month stints at the orphanage. But now they needed more than a girl with a hammer. They needed money to rebuild.

“Money they’ll receive—if we can just get this show off the ground.”

She squeezed her eyes closed and whispered another prayer for help. First the ranch and Daddy—now this. Was all the world hurting?

Gathering her courage, Dani returned to the sanctuary. God would help, just as He was helping her work out things on the ranch. It didn’t mean there wouldn’t be more questions. It simply meant she had to look to Him for the answers. She’d just have to keep plodding away.

Back in the hall, Dani noticed Dr. Lucas Lawrence had chosen a spot four pews from the back. He sat hunched over, staring at the confusion up front. As if he knew she was there, he turned, met her gaze, raised one eyebrow, then returned his attention to the platform, forehead pleated in a frown.

People milled about, chattering in small groups. They were willing enough to help, Dani knew, just unsure of where to begin. They needed a goal. With barely four months left until opening night, nothing had been decided. Somebody had to step in, and thanks to Pastor Bob, Miss Winifred Blessing and Dani’s own big mouth, Dani had been elected as director.

She took a deep breath and walked down the aisle.

“Okay, folks. If we can all be seated up here, I’d like to get started.” She smiled as Miss Blessing hushed the two most vocal of her helpers. The staple of Blessing Township, Miss Winifred was a godsend Dani was continually thankful for. If anyone could help her get through this, Miss Winifred could.

“First off, I’d like to know if there is anyone who would like the director’s job. Anyone at all?” Dead silence filled the auditorium. “I was afraid of that,” Dani muttered.

“Come on, Dani. You can do it.” Encouraging voices cheered their support.

There was no way out. Did she really want one? Wasn’t this the opportunity she’d prayed for—a chance to stage one of her own plays? Dani remembered advice she’d once been given in Miss Winifred’s Sunday school class. Be careful what you pray for. You might get it.

“All right, people, you asked for it. But everybody’s going to have to pitch in.” They nodded their agreement. “Great. Tonight I’d like us to strike the committees and get some solid work done.”

“About time we got going.” Murmurs of agreement echoed around the room.

“This is the list I’ve been given. To begin with— Emmy, we need to get some sketches under way for the publicity fliers and handouts. Pastor Bob said you’d offered?”

From the corner of her eye, Dani saw the new doctor move forward, seating himself at the back of the group. He didn’t speak to anyone, merely nodded at a few people who smiled at him.

Emmy described her ideas.

“Excellent. I knew that marketing degree of yours was going to come in handy,” Dani teased. “If you can get some advertising ideas worked up in the next couple of days, I’d love to see them. Now, we need hosts and hostesses for the actual evening. Volunteers?” As soon as one vacancy was filled, Dani moved on to the next. There was so much to do.

“Big Ed, I’m counting on you for the backdrops. Nobody can build like you.” The tall man blushed his pleasure. Dani smiled at him. “I mean it. If ever there was a gift given for building stuff, you’ve got it. We all know that if you put it together, it’s going to stand. No doubts there. How soon can you get the sets organized? Don’t forget Anita has to paint them.”

“I was kinda counting on—” He stumbled to a halt, his face red.

Dani rushed to help him out. “A drawing. Right. I forgot. Sorry.” The details just kept coming. Dani glanced out over the audience. “Will someone volunteer to sketch the backdrops so Big Ed will know what we need? I can give you the information, what there is of it, but when it comes to artwork I’m a washout.” She saw a thin white arm move just the slightest, and grinned at her next-door neighbor. “Aha! Marissa McGonigle, don’t you dare pull your hand back down. You can whip up those sketches without too much fuss, can’t you?”

Marissa glanced at her husband, Gray, noted his shrug, and nodded. Her eyes flashed with excitement. “I’ll do it, Dani. I’d love to have a part of this.”

“Bless you. You see, folks, I knew she’d volunteer if I helped her.”

Everyone chuckled. They were probably glad someone would be taking responsibility, Dani decided. As if she needed more responsibility. She pushed aside the doubts and concentrated on the next job the pastor had assigned.

“‘Table setting and decorations,”’ she read off the neatly typed list, aware that the new doctor was now beginning to fidget. Please don’t let him leave yet.

“The wife and I’ve got that one under control, Danielle. Sure could use some helpers, though.” Barry Quiggle’s voice carried clearly.

“You’ll get them.” Would the new doctor back out? Her nerves stretched taut. So many people were depending on her. She couldn’t let them down. She wouldn’t. “Okay, we’re making good progress. We’ll get down to actually practicing in a second, just bear with me. Next on the list is the meal. As you all know, Maddie took off on us to get married. Hardly a good excuse!”

Muted laughter.

“Any volunteers?” Dani looked around hopefully. But knowing the amount of work involved in feeding a crowd of two hundred, she didn’t have the faintest hope that anyone would volunteer to coordinate this aspect. “Come on, you guys. If it’s a dinner theater, we have to have dinner. Let’s consider this together. We can’t give up now.”

After a long and painful silence, Dani was startled to see the doctor shuffle to his feet.

“I’m new here and I suspect you’ll tell me to mind my own business.” He stopped, pretended to ignore the few teasing catcalls, a forced smile on his lips. His long fingers gripped the pew in front so tight, his muscles bunched.

Why was he so nervous?

“Everybody gets a chance to make suggestions on this project.” Dani held up her hand to quiet the whispering between two of the town’s worst gossips. “Let’s hear what he has to say. Go ahead, Dr. Luc. What are you thinking?”

“It’s just that, um, I heard that Miss Winifred Blessing leads the women’s auxiliary at the church. Well, you know—I presume they’ve fed a lot of people over the years, and no one’s gone hungry.” Nods of agreement seemed to embolden him. “I was wondering if she might give us some idea of what will be involved in a dinner of this magnitude.”

All eyes turned on the town’s gray-haired baker, who stood to her white-sneakered feet, a rose blush tinting her parchment cheeks.

“Luc, that’s very dear of you to say.” She smiled at the doctor. “I suppose I have had experience. As a matter of fact, I have made some notes. Just a few squiggles about quantities and such.” She smiled at everyone. “When you get to be my age, you make lists on everything, you know. Before you forget.”

Appreciative laughter.

“So if recruits were found to handle the various tasks in the kitchen, would you be willing to head up the dinner committee, Miss Blessing?” Luc asked.

Dani stared at the doctor, amazed by his temerity. She wouldn’t have dared ask such a thing, but it was as if Luc knew something the rest of them didn’t. How could that be? He was the newcomer in town!

“If no one minds a bossy old woman fussing at them, I’d be delighted to lend my assistance to this worthy cause.” Miss Blessing smiled happily, apple cheeks glowing. “Working together, I think we can manage quite well. Besides, Dani’s agreed to handle so much, I think this is one area she should be free of.”

“You wouldn’t be volunteering because you’ve tasted Dani’s cooking, would you, Miss Blessing?”

The room erupted in laughter at Big Ed’s knowing wink. Dani grinned, not embarrassed in the least.

“Come on, Big Ed. I burned those cookies years ago. I’ve been to college since then, you know.”

“Yeah, I heard.” He nodded, his Stetson tilted back on his head. “Didn’t think you were studying cooking, though. Dermot said it was some highfalutin stuff you read in books. And I don’t mean recipe books.”

The mention of her father’s name sent a ping straight to her heart, but Dani refused to allow her smile to slip. It had been over three months since his death. When would the pain ease?

She’d learned a lot of things from her father, but one thing she’d never forget. “Personal problems are just that—personal. We don’t spill our guts to the neighbors, Dani.”

“Aw, give Dani a break,” someone called. “Doesn’t matter if she can’t cook, as long as she can get this play going. We’ve got our caterer, and nobody could do it better than Miss Winifred.”

“Well, if you’re sure…” Miss Winifred waited for dissent, then nodded briskly. “All right, I’ll do it.”

The entire group heaved a collective sigh of relief. No one wanted to tackle a meal of such magnitude, but their busy little baker was exactly the right person to bring order out of chaos.

“It seems the meal is taken care of. Miss Winifred, I thank you for offering and we all pledge to do whatever you need. You just let us know how we can help.” Dani glanced around the group, noticed everyone nodding.

“I’ll do my best.” Miss Winifred sat down, her face wreathed in smiles.

“Well, that’s most of my list. Thank you, all.” Dani scribbled a note to herself, then looked up. “I think we’re about ready to rehearse. As soon as we audition for the main character, that is. We won’t need all of you here for that.” She glanced down at her list, then around. “Could I ask that the various committees please use the Sunday school rooms for your meetings? We need to conduct a read-through out here, so I’m asking for a bit of quiet.”

Amid much chatter, the group broke up. Dani bent to pick up her copy of the play and noticed Dr. Luc inching his way up the aisle. They still needed a main character, and the pastor had insisted that it was up to her to find one. Dr. Luc was perfect. She couldn’t let him get away— But Miss Winifred stopped her from following him.

“I do hope I won’t disappoint, Dani dear,” the baker murmured. “It is such a large job.”

“I know you’ll do fine.” Dani stood on her tiptoes, saw Luc in the foyer. “Miss Winifred, I need another favor.” She explained her difficulty. “He’s the only one who suits the part.” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I just can’t see Big Ed as an English inspector. Can you?”

“It does rather boggle the mind, doesn’t it.” Miss Blessing wrapped her fingers around Dani’s. “Come along, dear. Time for a little teamwork. Lucas!” Her voice warbled through the sanctuary, carrying like a wind chime in the forest. “Luc, dear. Dani and I must speak with you. Coffee break, actors. Rehearsal in five.”

They caught him entering the young-adult Sunday-school classroom which had been newly designated for use by the set-building committee.

“Luc, we need to talk to you.”

“Oh.” A wary glance passed over them. “I was just about to get in on this meeting for building props. I thought I might help them out.”

“You?” Gray McGonigle stood beside Dani, his eyes huge with disbelief. “What did you ever build?”

“Nothing.” The doctor’s face darkened in a red flush. “But I can learn.”

“Indeed you can, dear. But not tonight. Tonight we need you to think about a higher mission.” Miss Winifred wrapped one arm through Luc’s and drew him next door, into the nursery. She closed the door as soon as Dani was through. “Much higher, my boy.”

“Uh, I see.”

He clearly didn’t. Dani almost giggled at the panicked look crossing the good doctor’s face.

“The inspector,” she reminded him. “Remember? We need someone to play the inspector.”

“But—” He glanced right and left, as if searching for help. “I don’t think I’m your man. I’ve never done any acting. I just wanted to build something, maybe get to know people.”

“Oh, you’ll meet lots of people. Plus you’ll help us raise funds for an orphanage in Honduras. It’s really not that difficult a part, Luc dear. You just have to get the timing right.” Miss Winifred patted his shoulder helpfully.

“No.” He shook his head, his eyes moving from Dani to Miss Blessing and back again in frantic appeal. “No. I can’t do it. I’m sure there must be someone else.”

“But—”

He shook his head, his brown eyes glittering like dark ice as they settled on Dani. “I can’t. That’s all there is to it. I’m sure there’s someone else you can call on.”

Now what? Dani didn’t know what to say.

“You’re right, Luc.” Winifred drooped, her sigh heartfelt. “It’s too much to ask of a newcomer to town.”

“But—”

Dani frowned, half glared at the older woman. To her surprise, Miss Winifred turned her head and winked. Her voice continued in a sad, almost whining tone.

“Why, think of how long it will take to memorize the lines, to come to practice, to find a costume. And you’re such a busy doctor.” She clicked her teeth together, paused a moment, then continued, as if a new thought had just hit. Her twinkling eyes met Dani’s for a fraction of a second, but that was long enough for Dani to glimpse the mischief glittering there.

“I don’t know what in the world I was thinking of, to volunteer for KP, either. Mercy, girl, I own a business, I’m on more committees than I can name, and I have my great-nephew’s daughters to watch out for. There’s no way on earth I can manage the kitchen for this play. No way at all.”

Lucas frowned at her. “But you have to. There isn’t anyone else who can do it.”

“Someone will step into the gap,” the baker assured him blithely. “If they don’t, well then, we’ll know God has other plans.”

Winifred’s blue eyes brightened. Dani lifted a hand to smother her giggle, risked a quick look at the doctor.

“But—but that’s ridiculous!” He shook his head. “God can’t accomplish things if people aren’t willing to help.”

“Exactly.” Winifred Blessing’s face glowed with satisfaction. “I’ll be willing to help in the kitchen as long as you’re willing to be the inspector Dani needs. Or are you going to wimp out on us?”

“Wimp—” The doctor straightened as if someone had refused to allow him to treat a patient. “I am not wimping out!”

“Of course you are, dear. And if you can do it, I can do it. After all, I’m older, with years of age-wearing troubles to deal with. Managing a meal this size will tire me for days. I’ve got a weak heart, too.”

“Hah. There’s nothing wrong with your heart. I did your physical last week, remember?” Luc cast Dani a dubious glance, then peered more closely into Miss Blessing’s bland countenance. “This is a con.”

“Is it?” Dani shrugged. “Miss Blessing has never said a thing she didn’t mean in all the years I’ve known her. I don’t think she’s about to start now.”

“But you’ve already got someone. I heard on coffee row that Big Ed said he was going to read for the part.” He dared them to refute it.

“He’s offered.” Dani nodded. “He could memorize the lines, play the part.”

“But?” Luc frowned at them both, chocolate-brown eyes wary. “There is a but, isn’t there.”

“Big Ed is a cowboy. He’s a wonderful man, but we could never make him into an English inspector. We need someone younger, better suited to the part. We want the whole project to succeed beyond expectations. We want to see enough funding come in to rebuild that orphanage. Do you honestly think Big Ed can do that?” Dani fell silent, unable to communicate how deeply this need touched her, how certain she was that the doctor was the man for the part.

“There’s a passage in the Bible,” Miss Winifred murmured. “I forget the exact words, and I’ll have to look up the reference, but the gist of it is that we should strive to do the best we can for God, not offer Him the mediocre.”

“But you don’t even know if I can do this,” Luc challenged, glaring at them.

“I don’t know if I can direct, either,” Dani reminded him. “But I’m willing to step into the gap rather than see the whole project go under. Let’s sink or swim together, shall we, Dr. Duke?” She said it deliberately, hoping to rouse some emotion in the reticent doctor.

“Luc,” he corrected her in a loud voice. “It’s Luc.” He sighed. “If I won’t try out, you won’t help with the meal?” He waited for Miss Blessing’s nod.

Her grin made Winifred look far younger than her age, which, in fact, remained a well-kept secret in Blessing Township.

“That about sums it up, Lucas.”

“So, if I don’t step in, everyone will blame me for the failure of the dinner theater.” He sighed. “That’s blackmail, you know.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Miss Winifred shrugged. “Oh well. Whatever works. When you get to be my age, you’ll have learned that. Among other things.”

Dani waited, holding her breath. Finally Luc tossed up his hands in defeat.

“I’ll read for it,” he said. “But you have to promise that if Big Ed is better, you’ll give him the part. No more shenanigans.”

“Agreed.”

He pulled open the door, waited till they’d walked through.

“I just wanted to nail a few boards,” Dani heard him mumble almost beneath his breath. “Saw something, maybe. Just a little construction work.”

“Well, maybe we can arrange—” Gray McGonigle’s hand on her arm stopped Dani midsentence. “Oh, hi, Gray. Did you want to talk to me?”

“Yes. Now. Please.”

Dani stepped aside to let the others pass, stared at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, half-afraid to hear the answer.

“Dani, I’m not trying to run the show or anything, believe me. I only want the best for this dinner theater, just as you do. So trust me when I ask you to keep Dr. Lucas Lawrence away from any and all construction. No saws, no nails, no hammers.” He winced. “Particularly no hammers.”

Dani frowned at the intensity underlying his words. “May I ask you why?”

“You know that house we rent out?”

She nodded.

“Last week Luc moved in. The other day he decided to hang a picture.”

Dani shrugged, impatient to get on with the job. “So what?”

“Three hundred and forty-two dollars and seventy-eight cents, so far. That’s what.”

“Three hundred—” She stared. “How?”

“Looking for a stud, he said.” Gray shuddered. “Made a hole in the drywall, knocked over a floor lamp, which tipped and went through the picture window.”

The giggle just would not be denied. Dani slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle it. “Oh dear.”

“Easy for you to say. I was fool enough to accept his offer to help me fix things.” He held up one hand with a thick bandage around his thumb. “Luc Lawrence is a great doctor and I like him very much, but he couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn door with a sledgehammer. I sure don’t want him touching anything in here.” His eyes rested on the beautiful oak panels the deacons had just ordered installed at the front of the church. “Know what I mean?”

“Yes, I do. Leave it to me, Gray. I’ll think of something.” Dani giggled again before patting his arm. “Poor thing. Maybe you should ask Marissa to kiss your boo-boo better. That seems to work well for your son.”

Ignoring his pained look, she turned and walked back into the hall, aware that Gray followed just a few steps behind. She couldn’t look at him for fear she’d start laughing, so she focused on the doctor. He looked worried. Why was that?

“All right, everyone, let’s start reading.”

The actors scrambled to find their copies and get into character. Everyone except Lucas Lawrence. He stood where he was and glared at her. Miss Winifred perched on the first chair in the first row, arms crossed over her chest, lips pursed. Dani took a deep breath and walked forward.

“What’s the matter now?” she asked, keeping her voice soft so the others wouldn’t hear.

“Luc is being obstreperous.”

“I am not.” He tipped back on his heels, his face rigidly composed. “We’d be wise to look at all the angles. I have a valid concern.”

Dani looked to Winifred, found no help there. She sighed. “Which is?”

“I’m a temporary doctor in this town. What if I leave before the dinner theater is held?”

She frowned. He was too calm. Dani squinted, assessing him. Her daddy would have said the man squirmed just a bit too much.

“Are you planning on leaving Blessing soon, Doc?” she asked.

“No, he’s not.” Winifred shook her head.

“How do you know what I’m planning?”

“I just do.”

Luc frowned at her. “Well, you don’t know about this.”

“You’re not going anywhere.” Miss Blessing swung her foot back and forth, her mouth tipped into a triumphant smile as she winked at Dani. “Otherwise, why did he invite his sister to visit him here at Christmas?”

“Of all the nerve—” He cut off his tirade, fumed silently.

Miss Blessing smiled innocently. “I didn’t deliberately listen in on your conversation, Lucas, but you were standing in my bakery when you said it.”

Defeat dragged his shoulders down. Dani suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him. They had bulldozed over his objections. Still, he would be good, she just knew it. All he had to do was try.

“Give it a shot,” she encouraged. “Just one read-through. Please?”

“You don’t understand.” He turned his back on Miss Blessing, dropped his voice to a whisper. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Stage fright. I stand up in front of a crowd and my mind goes totally blank.” He shook his head, his thin cheeks flushed. “Speeches, stories, poems—doesn’t matter how well I know them, I simply can’t repeat them in front of a bunch of people. My jaw locks up, my heart starts thudding and I can’t get a word out. I’ve struggled with it for years. As an actor, I’m the bottom of the barrel. Choose someone else. Please?”

“There is no one else, Luc. Just you. Please don’t give up.” Dani offered a smile to bolster his courage, certain it must have been hard for him, a competent doctor, to admit this flaw. “I’ll help. I’m a pretty good director.” I think.

“You’ll need to be.” Seeing the expectant faces around him, Luc sighed, then nodded. “Oh, all right. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you,” he whispered.

“I won’t.”

He lifted his lips in a sickly smile and followed her directions, moving to a seat in the front row. He picked up a copy of the play and read his part. As one of many among the cast, he seemed to lose his nervousness, his confidence growing as he continued through to the end of the play. Dani wondered if he’d been teasing about the stage fright.

“This is very good. Who wrote it?” He turned the sheets over, searching for the author.

Dani smiled, but ignored the question. “I’m glad you like it. I think you’ll make a great inspector.”

Her decision was echoed by the other players, spirits rejuvenated now that someone had finally been found who could read the lines with impact.

“If no one objects, I suggest the part of Inspector Merrihew be assigned to Dr. Luc. What do you think?”

Heads nodded in agreement all around the room.

Big Ed’s beefy fist shot up as he began to speak, his excitement obvious. “The boy’s perfect for that part. No denying that. Has that accent down pat. I never could get the hang of that.”

Dani nodded, delighted with the cowboy’s easy acceptance of Luc.

“Great. It’s unanimous. Now, Inspector, do you want to try the part on stage?”

“I—I guess.”

But he didn’t, she could see that in the hunted look in his eyes. Try, she begged silently. Just try.

“‘Gertrude Mortimer baked the best chocolate cake anyone had ever tasted.’ Now you say it.”

He stood at center stage, stared at her. Dani repeated the phrase.

“Gertrude Chocolate mortimered anyone…” He stopped, gulped.

The others chuckled in sympathy.

“You’ll get it. Just keep trying,” the crowd encouraged.

But Luc didn’t get it. Half an hour later Dani dismissed the rest of the cast and watched them scurry away, undoubtedly grateful they didn’t have to endure any more of his line-mangling.

“It was distracting with the others here,” she excused as the door banged shut for the tenth time. “Way too noisy. We’ll practice one-on-one. Don’t worry about it. Come on, let’s try it down here.”

“You can’t say I didn’t warn you.” He sighed, took the stairs two at a time and flopped down beside her. This time the words emerged perfectly. But as soon as they returned to the stage to practice their movements with the lines, he tightened up, forgot what he was doing.

By ten-thirty Dani was ready to phone Big Ed and beg him to take over. Unfortunately Winifred Blessing didn’t know the meaning of the word defeat.

“Tiredness, that’s all it is. Simply too weary. Everyone’s had a long, busy day. So many things to do.” She cluck-clucked her sympathy, patting Luc’s shoulder as if he were four. “Try again when you’re fresh, dear. You too, Dani.”

Dani hadn’t felt fresh since the day she’d found out her father had left the ranch submerged in debt. But she scrounged for a bit of cheerfulness.

“This is Thursday,” she murmured, trying to remember what she’d planned for the weekend. “I’ve got some stuff to do Saturday morning, but maybe you could come out to the ranch in the afternoon. Around one? I could coach you then.”

“Why prolong the inevitable? I’m lousy at this.” Luc shrugged at her glower. “Oh, all right, fine. Saturday afternoon. I’ll be there, barring a medical emergency. But this is a waste of time. I’m not an actor, I’m a doctor. And no matter how badly you want to, you can’t change me.”

Thus released, he walked quickly up the aisle and left the building.

Dani waited until she heard the outer door squeak closed. Then she turned to Miss Winifred.

“Are you sure—”

Winifred patted her shoulder, her face beaming. “The Lord works in mysterious ways, Dani. But He does perform His wonders. Just you give Him a chance.”

Which was all well and fine, Dani decided as she pulled into her yard half an hour later. But they had only four months, and Dr. Lucas Lawrence hadn’t memorized three paragraphs in three hours. She climbed out, reached in for her jacket and blinked. A little white bakery box with that familiar red script was nestled on her back seat.

“‘Blessing Bakery,”’ she read aloud, stomach rumbling at the thought of delicacies she’d often seen tucked inside boxes like these. “‘Made with love.”’ She lifted the lid to peek inside. “What have you done now, Miss Winifred?”

One of Miss Blessing’s heart-shaped love cookies lay inside. The cookies were famous, appearing in unexpected spots all over the county, but Dani had never before received one personally. She held the box under the truck’s interior light, curious about the message she knew would be piped across the cookie in vivid red icing.

Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to.

As usual, Miss Winifred’s cookie stated the problem with a piercing succinctness that made Dani wince.

“I’m trying to have faith, Lord,” she whispered, lifting the cookie out and nibbling off one corner as she stared at the blanket of stars winking overhead. “But tonight didn’t help. Ranch problems are bad enough. What am I going to do with an actor who freezes up the minute he gets on stage?”

The night breeze swirled off the snow-capped mountains and down around her, a chilling reminder that winter might not be finished yet. Loath to leave this panorama of beauty before her for the silence of her empty home, Dani remained a moment longer, considered nights past when she’d felt as if she nestled in the Father’s hand.

Heaven’s kiss, her dad had called it. A feeling that God leaned down and brushed your cheek with His lips, that He was in charge and everything would be fine. It had been so long since she’d felt that tender care.

“Everyone’s gone home to their families. Dad’s with You. But I’m out here all alone, God.” The words, whispered on the night air, carried back to her in painful repetition.

Alone. Alone. Alone.

Dani waited for that featherlight caress of peace to flow through her weary heart. But only the nip of frosty air brushed over her cheeks.

Evidently heaven wasn’t in a kissing mood tonight.

Chapter Two

O n Saturday, just after lunch, Dr. Lucas Lawrence steered his car around an assortment of potholes that littered the road to the Double D ranch and wondered why anyone willingly chose to live out here.

Just as quickly he chided himself for the criticism.

“Okay, it’s beautiful,” he admitted, gazing at the quilt-block pattern that the variegated greens made across the landscape. “Creation in all its glory.” He winced at the bounce from the right front wheel. “But it’s miles from civilization and a death trap to drive over!”

A sudden thought made him chuckle.

“If Winifred Blessing were here, she’d call me a wimp.” He deliberately pressed down the accelerator. One bone-jarring thump later, he yelped and immediately lifted his foot.

“I probably am a wimp.” He admitted it with a sigh and eased his aching behind more firmly into the padded seat, his attention fixed on the road.

“Now what?” Just on the crest of the next hill, a lone cow stood in the middle of the road, back end facing him. There wasn’t enough room on either side to pass the beast. Luc honked the horn.

The placid cow turned to face him. To his dismay, the cow turned out to be a bull that apparently was not amused by honking car horns. It scraped one hoof against the ground and snorted its protest in a bellow of disgust.

“Carrying bucolic a bit far, aren’t we, God?”

He sat there for several moments, waiting for inspiration to strike. The bull glared at him. Luc glared back. He was no wimp. He was a tough, in-charge doctor. He twisted the steering wheel hard right and edged forward. The bull moved just slightly to the right. Luc shifted to the left, so did the bull.

He considered getting out and chasing the thing away, but he’d chosen his favorite red shirt to wear today, and some echo in his memory reminded him that bulls charged anything red.

“What exactly am I doing out here?” he muttered in disgust. “Saturday afternoon and I’m sitting here trading stares with a bull.” As weekend entertainment, Luc felt it lacked a certain something.

The roar of an engine struggling to climb a hill caught his attention. Moments later Dani DeWitt’s battered red truck drew up beside the bull. Luc switched off his engine, his attention snagged by her chiding voice.

“Marvin, what are you doing out here?” She grabbed one horn and pulled. The beast shook his head free, then leaned over to lick her face.

“Stop that!” She dragged a shirtsleeve across her face. “I’m not impressed with your affections, you know. You’re supposed to be in the south paddock, not out here blocking traffic.”

The beast snuffled a response, rubbing its massive head against her side in a way that made Luc reach for the door handle as fear snaked its way up his spine. She couldn’t weigh one-tenth as much as that mammoth. It would surely kill her. He pushed the door open, freezing when it creaked loudly. The bull turned to glare at him.

Dani DeWitt didn’t even glance his way.

“Don’t get out, Doc. Just stay where you are. I have everything under control.”

Sure she did.

Luc didn’t believe it for a moment, but presumably she did have more knowledge than he about this animal. She even knew the thing’s name, though he’d never have called something so impossibly ugly “Marvin.”

Luc patted the seat beside him. He had his cell phone. He could call for help if he needed it, though he wasn’t clear on exactly whom to call.

“Okay, Marv. Shift your bulk right now, and I mean it. I’ve got my zapper and if you give me a bit of trouble, I’ll poke you right in the rump.”

The bull nudged her thigh again, waggled its horns, then obediently plodded across the road, into the ditch, and daintily stepped over a broken strand of electric fence. Dani followed him and smacked him on the hind quarters.

“You get home right now, Marvin, or you’ll find yourself going without supper tonight. Git now!” She stood her ground, hands on her hips, glaring at the beast’s wavering back end.

Marvin emitted a strange bellow, nodded his giant head twice, then began to trot due north, his hooves thundering against the hard-packed ground.

Luc climbed out of his car, staring at her in astonishment.

“How did you do that?”

“Hey, Doc. Didn’t think you were coming.” Dani touched her cheek with one finger, grimaced and wiped her face on her shirttail. She made a face at the wet spot of bull saliva, then grinned at him. “That dumb ol’ bull thinks I’m his daughter.”

“His daughter?” He chuckled. “You scared the daylights out of me when you grabbed his horn.”

“Oh, Marvin won’t hurt me. We grew up together. But don’t ever put yourself between him and me. He’s very protective. My dad once yelled at me and Marvin charged him.” She giggled. “He’s really just a big old softie, but he doesn’t like everyone to know that. Especially men.”

“I see.” Luc swallowed. This—this girl had used a few choice words to single-handedly manage what he’d seen grown men twice her size fail at. His appreciation for Dani DeWitt’s courage soared. “I’m sorry I’m so late. M-Marvin wouldn’t let me past.”

“No, he doesn’t want any strangers on the ranch. He’s afraid I’ll sell him like I did the other cattle.” Her face changed, lost its glow of fun.

“Will you?” He saw how little she wanted that to happen.

“Probably have to,” she murmured. “I don’t have any cows to breed him with and he’s worth a fair bit.”

“I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what else to say.

“Thanks. It’s been tough since Dad died, but I’m getting through.”

“From all I’ve heard, you’re doing very well.”

Her head jerked up at that, eyes narrowed. Luc realized he’d just told her the entire town was talking about her. He hurried to change the subject.

“Is this your land?”

She nodded. “Far as you can see.”

She told him exactly how many acres she owned, but the number didn’t compute in his brain.

“It sounds big, but I know less than nothing about ranches.”

“Why would you? You’re a doctor. I know less than nothing about medicine.” She pointed down the road. “If you want to follow me, I’ll take you back to the house.”

“Weren’t you headed somewhere? I don’t want to take up your afternoon.” Maybe he could get out of this yet.

“I was expecting you. I just came out to check on Marvin. I knew he’d head out here. He does it whenever he wants to make a statement.” She turned toward her truck. “Keep driving straight ahead. You’ll see the house in about five miles.”

Luc followed her at some distance, hoping to avoid the cloud of dust that trailed behind her truck, but also wanting to save wear on his shocks. Pavement appeared to be in short supply in Dani DeWitt’s neck of the woods.

As he drove, Luc noted that the place was huge—miles of green stretched before him. She ran it virtually alone, he knew from gossip in town. He couldn’t help his smile of admiration. Dani DeWitt was one very unusual woman. She’d handled a bull with an attitude, agreed to direct a play that involved half the town. She was feisty. And she sure didn’t back down from a challenge. He’d experienced that personally.

The house, when he saw it, made his eyes widen. A large, cedar-sided two-storey, it sat in the lee of a south-facing hill, huge windows offering what must be a stunning vista over the surrounding valley. A few scraggly flowers struggled to show their blooms against the house, but mostly the yard was grass. He parked beside her truck, climbed out.

“It’s very beautiful country,” he told her sincerely. “You must love to come home.”

“Yes, I do. I was away at college for four years, but every time I came back, it was as if I’d never left.” She motioned to the willow furniture on the deck outside the front door. “Would you like to sit out here in the sun? I can get us some lemonade.”

“Sure.” Luc gingerly lowered himself onto the cushion atop a web of woven willow and found it quite comfy. He waited, content to study the magnificent view, until she returned with two frosty glasses. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” She took a sip, stared at him for a moment. “Are you enjoying Blessing, Dr. Lawrence?”

“It’s Luc.” He nodded. “Yes, I am. Now that Joshua’s recovered and I have a few minutes of spare time, I’m looking forward to really getting to know the area.”

“It was a terrible accident. I know both he and Nicole were glad you were there.” Dani stared out across the billowing grasses. “They seem very happy together.”

“I’m sure they are. The girls love their new mother, and Nicole doesn’t let Joshua get away with much. She’s got her own opinions about things.” He didn’t want to talk about work, Luc discovered. He wanted to talk about her. He didn’t bother to ask himself why. “Tell me about the ranch.”

A mask fell over her eyes, shielding her thoughts from him.

“What do you want to know?”

He shrugged. “Whatever you want to tell me. What it’s like to live out here. Whether you intend on staying or not.”

“Staying? Of course I’m staying. Who told you otherwise?” Her brows drew together in a frown of dismay.

“No one’s said anything. I just assumed with you being so young, you’d rather move back to the city.” He glanced around, noted the unmown grass, the windows that needed painting, the broken board in the balustrade. “You must get lonely out here by yourself.”

“I don’t really.” She smiled. “Maybe because I’m so busy, or maybe it’s because I grew up here, cut my teeth on a horse’s bridle. This is my world.”

“And you love it.”

It didn’t take the nod of her head to tell him that. Luc could see it in the way she stroked the arm of her chair, in the softness of her eyes as she watched horses frolic in a distant pasture. Dani possessed a beauty he’d seldom seen. She had a youthful vitality that glowed in her vivid green eyes, glittered in the sheen of her black hair where the sun struck, but it was more than that.

Her beauty stemmed from the easy way she fit into her world, accepted its problems and refused to moan about it. He’d heard enough talk to know she’d inherited trouble.

“Yes, I do love the Double D. I just hope I can hang onto it.”

Luc wasn’t sure how to answer that. He’d got the impression she was sensitive about gossip, but he also had a hunch she needed someone to talk to. Listening was something his profession had made him fairly good at, and Dani DeWitt’s low melodic voice was easy to listen to.

“I’m sure it’s a lot of work for one person.”

She glanced at him, then shifted her eyes away. “I have— I had help. I had to let most of them go. Now I share a hand with Gray McGonigle. He does most of the heavy work, so it’s not too bad.”

Luc glanced down at her fingers, saw the calluses that covered her small palms and felt a pang of sympathy for the chores she’d undertaken. She was so young to be saddled with such a demanding task.

“I’ll soon have to get rid of the rest of the stock,” she murmured, her eyes on a herd grazing a quarter of a mile away.

He understood she was thinking out loud, so Luc leaned back in his chair and sipped his lemonade.

“They’re too much for me to handle and I can’t afford to feed them come winter. Besides, I need the money they’ll bring.” Her voice dropped until it emerged a faint whisper. “I wish he’d told me about the loan. I didn’t have to go to college. I would have been quite happy to stay right here.” She peered up at Luc, her eyes glassy with tears.

“I’m sure your father wanted his daughter to experience college life, Dani. I didn’t know him well, but I don’t think he would have begrudged you the opportunity, no matter what it cost. Let me tell you something I’ve learned, just from watching Joshua Darling. Nothing is too much for a man’s daughters.” He kept his eyes straight ahead, pretended he wasn’t paying attention to her soft sniffles as she struggled for control.

“Daddy insisted I go. At first we even argued about it. But I never could disobey him. Still, I should have refused. I didn’t realize he was so short of cash. He shouldn’t have taken out a loan to send me on that overseas study trip last summer. He should have told me. I’d have come home sooner if I’d known.”

“If you’d known he didn’t have long to live, you mean?” Luc did look at her then, touched by her sense of loss. “Dani, your father wouldn’t have wanted you to put your life on hold, waiting for him to die. He was happy living each day. He put the most he could into his time here, and then his heart failed him. Some men suffer for years, but he didn’t. Be glad you had the time you did.”

“I am.” She sighed. “It’s just…hard. You know? I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

“I know.” He met her tear-filled eyes. “I was there, I heard him talking about you. He loved you very much.” Who was he to give advice? Still Luc searched for encouragement. “Try to remember the good times you shared. And if you need a friend, I’ll be here.”

“Thanks. I might take you up on that.” She nodded, took a swipe at her tears. “Do you have a family?”

“One sister, two brothers.” He remembered suddenly that he hadn’t written any of them in ages. E-mail wasn’t that difficult to send. He chided himself for not keeping better touch.

“That must have been fun.” A wistful longing filled her voice. “I would have loved a sister.”

“Not mine, you wouldn’t. She was a pain.” Tracy’s stubbornness had not abated in the years since her pre-school temper tantrums, though Luc had never told her that outright. He preferred a hassle-free existence.

“Did you argue?” Dani’s face lit up with interest, green eyes sparkling.

“All the time. She always knew what was right and, unless you did it her way, she nagged you like a festering boil.”

“Doc!” Dani’s laughter bubbled out in spite of her shocked look. “That’s not very flattering.”

“Tracy’s not the kind of sister you flatter. I’m just glad I was never a patient under her care.” He made a face. “You’d get well just so you could escape.”

“She’s a doctor or a nurse?”

“A bossy, cantankerous nurse who always knows what’s best for everyone. Believe me, it wasn’t any hardship to give her away when she got married.” He strove for a lighthearted tone, hoping to ease her sad memories—while hoping Tracy would forgive him for enhancing his characterization of her managerial ways.

“Stubborn? Oh, she’s like you, then.” Dani giggled at his frown, held up her hands. “Teasing, just teasing. I have no basis for comparison. I haven’t even been in your office. I don’t get sick very often.”

No, she glowed like a beacon of good health, her youth and vitality making Luc feel far older than his thirty-three years.

“What about your brothers? Are they stubborn too?”

“Of course.” He nodded. “But you can reason with them, if you can understand them.” He caught her puzzled stare. “They speak an unknown language—at least to me. Computer mumbo jumbo. They’re partners in a tech company in Arizona. I love them both, but a lot of the time I don’t understand a thing they’re saying. Mostly I just nod and slap them on the shoulder.” He shrugged. “Works for me.”

She giggled at his silliness. “And your parents?”

He blinked up at her. “Hey, what is this? Twenty questions?”

“Just curious. But if you have something to hide, then—”

“I never said that.” Luc knew perfectly well that one whisper of a secret in Blessing and he’d be under the microscope of every busybody in town. He resigned himself to explaining.

“It’s just that I don’t talk about my family much. My parents died when we were young. We lived with my grandparents.” He decided that was enough information. “Okay, herein endeth the history lesson. Maybe we should get started memorizing those lines.”

“If I’d known you were so eager, I would have suggested that ten minutes ago.” Dani whipped out her copy of the play and grinned. “Where do you want to begin?”

“Truthfully? I don’t want to begin at all. That’s why I’m here. I was hoping you’d found someone else. You’re sure there is no one?” His heart sank when she shook her head.

“I’m sure, Doc. There’s no one else. It’s up to you.” Dani looked at him through her lashes. “The first line goes…”

He gave in then, reconciled himself to the torture of embarrassment that could not be avoided.

“Doc!” she squealed for the fifth time, ten minutes later. “Think about what you’re saying. You can’t ‘pry the tattles.’ It’s ‘try the paddles.’ Say it again.”

Luc tried, he truly did. But as time went on, and he thought more and more about standing in front of a bunch of people he knew mostly from their presence in his very private examining room, he simply got worse. His tongue twisted into knots that not even Dani’s soft coaching could undo.

“Face it, I’m lousy at this. You have to find someone else.” He lurched up from his chair and paced across the faded boards. “I’m simply no good when it comes to public speaking.”

“Anyone can be good at it. You just need the right method.” She tapped one finger against her bottom lip. “How about singing your lines.”

He groaned. How much could one man take? “I don’t think singing is going to help,” he mumbled.

“It might help you loosen up if you focus on something else. Try this.” She repeated the first of his lines in a catchy little melody.

Luc repeated the notes and words as best he could.

“Again.”

She repeated that word nine times, but by the time he made it that far, she had both ears covered and was curled up in a tight little ball.

“Stop, Doc. Please, have pity on me and stop.”

He stopped, immediately forgetting what he was supposed to say next.

Dani unwound herself, pulled her fingers from her ears and stood. Her eyes were huge.

“Look, Doc, no offense, but I think the singing is out. You are tone deaf.” She blinked at him. “Come on, I’m hungry. Maybe eating will help.”

She didn’t sound hopeful. Luc didn’t feel hopeful. He felt defeated and at the end of his rope as he followed her into the house.

“Why don’t you just let Big Ed do it?” he mumbled, watching her bend over to peer into the fridge. The jeans she wore had a jagged tear just above her knee. All her clothes seemed to be in tatters. He wondered why.

She twisted to glare at him. “We can’t have a cowboy English detective. It won’t work.” The fridge door slammed closed. Now she stood on tiptoe, stabbed one finger at something in the freezer. “Are you hungry?”

He shrugged, then nodded. Breakfast seemed a distant memory. Lunch—had he eaten lunch?

“What if we put some steaks on to grill while we try to think of another method. I studied acting in college. One course, anyway. I should be able to come up with something.” She didn’t wait for his agreement, but thrust a package into the microwave and set the timer. “Can you make a salad, Doc?”

“Are you kidding? I’m a genius at salad making. Piece of cake.”

He accepted the ingredients she handed him and set to work slicing and dicing, hesitating only when he remembered the comment about her cooking. Just how bad was she? Surely no one could mess up steaks….

“I’ll get some potatoes.” Dani was gone for three minutes and returned with two fat potatoes. She lifted the meat out of the microwave, put the potatoes in, then glanced at him. “What if we recorded the words on a tape and you listened to them while you were sleeping at night?”

Luc shook his head, turned back to his work.

“It’s a nice thought, Dani, but I’d be hesitant about wearing a headset at night. I’m usually on call. Besides, I freeze up in front of groups. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can find someone else.” He spread tomatoes over the salad.

She butted his arm, forcing him to face her.

“If you think your sister is stubborn, Doc, you’re in for a surprise. I do not give up. Not ever. Not with this ranch, and not on that play. There is a way around everything. We just have to find it.” She nudged a piece of tomato to the edge of the bowl with one fingertip. “Tomatoes on the side, not in, please,” she ordered.

“I like them in.” He pushed the tomato back. “And since I’m the salad maker, I get to say.”

“Do not.”

“Do so.”

She smacked her hands on her hips. “For a doctor, you are very immature,” she informed him, her green eyes dancing with fun. Then she snatched the steaks from the counter and stalked outside.

“Am not,” he called after her, then grinned at his foolishness. Being with Dani DeWitt made him feel young, expectant, as if life might just have a surprise or two left to show him.

Which was crazy. Dani was a kid, barely out of college. He’d buried his grandparents, pushed his siblings through school, put his own life on hold until theirs were settled, and then finished his own training. In terms of life experience, he was Methuselah and Dani DeWitt was in kindergarten.

But knowing that didn’t stop him from glancing over one shoulder before he picked up a wedge of tomato and, with a little snicker of delight, buried it under half a dozen lettuce leaves.

It had been a long time since he’d relaxed long enough to tease and joke. Maybe Dani was young, but she was also fun—and she was grilling the juiciest steaks he’d ever seen.

Luc could use a friend like Dani.

Chapter Three

“L ucas, my boy. What brings you into my bakery again today?” Miss Winifred peered at him over the rim of her bifocals.

She hated those glasses, he remembered. Complained that they made her nose stuffy. Luc wondered if she remembered she was still wearing them.

“I, uh, well…I need some help,” he muttered, feeling his cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Help? With what?” She deftly rearranged the doughnuts into a more attractive display, her fingers nimbly moving from there to the next tray in the glass case. “Well?” She stopped what she was doing to glare at him.

“Is something wrong, Miss Winifred? You look frazzled.” It was true. It was also shocking. During the months he’d been in Blessing, Luc had never seen Winifred look anything less than calm and competent.

“If you’re trying to flatter her, it isn’t working.” Dani DeWitt stood behind him in the doorway. “Most women don’t like to be told they look frazzled, Doc.” She took a second look at the little baker. “Though I have to admit, it is true. Hey, Miss Win. What’s up?”

To Luc’s utter dismay, Winifred Blessing burst into tears. He hated tears. He scanned the room hopefully. Shucks. Dani was blocking the doorway. He was stuck here.

“If you must know, Furly and I had an argument.”

He opened his mouth to ask a question, but Dani nudged him with her elbow, shook her head, her green-gold eyes flashing a warning.

“I’m so sorry. Here, why don’t you come and sit down for a minute on one of these dainty little chairs. You need a break.”

“What I need is to apologize.” Miss Blessing allowed herself to be shepherded to one of the four café tables she’d installed last year. She sat down, dabbing at her eyes. “Furly Bowes and I have run this place together for thirty years. We’ve never argued even once, not until today. I yelled at her. She quit.” She burst into a paroxysm of new tears.

Luc stared over her head at Dani, hoping he’d find some answers there. She shrugged her slim shoulders, pushed one fat black curl behind her ear and gnawed on her bottom lip, thinking. He hoped she would come up with something soon. Those sobs were getting to him.

“Miss Winifred, Furly loves you and she knows you love her. I’m sure she’s hurting as badly as you are. Why don’t you run over to her house and make up. Doc and I will watch things here for you.”

He opened his mouth to protest, but Dani’s black-fringed eyes flashed a warning he couldn’t misinterpret: Be quiet!

“Would you?” Miss Winifred smiled. “Oh, you are such dears. Yes, that’s exactly what I will do. Poor Furly. It wasn’t her fault at all. It’s just that dratted oven. I should have replaced it years ago, but I thought I’d be retired by now, you see.”

“You can’t retire. Blessing needs you too much.” Dani frowned as Miss Winifred burst into new tears. “There’s something else wrong, isn’t there.”

The gray head bobbed once, twice. “I didn’t want to admit it, Dani, but this dinner theater thing has me tied in knots.”

Now this he could empathize with. Luc knew how she felt.

“What, exactly, is the problem?” Dani sat down beside her and waited.

“Well, you see, to seat that many people is a strain on our church fellowship hall. Getting waiters to and from the tables will be almost impossible in the short time between acts, and the limited space only makes it worse.” She sniffed pathetically.

“So we’ll find a new hall,” Dani said. “No big deal.”

“But the seniors’ hall won’t be ready in time. That fire was bad.”

“Miss Win, you’ve been worrying about this too much. Doc and I will check into things, see if we can come up with an alternative. But you are not to worry about it.”

Luc sat up straight. How had he gotten roped into this?

Dani wrapped an arm around the slumped shoulders and hugged. He couldn’t help noticing how frayed her cuff was, or that she’d been less than successful at repairing a tear on the arm.

“Promise me there will be no more of this, Miss Win. You tell me what you need and I’ll see to it. I don’t want you taking on the cares and woes of that project. You do enough.”

“Well, thank you, dear. That’s very kind of you to say.” Winifred stood, removed her spotted white apron and patted her hair. “Now I must go see Furly. I’m ashamed of myself.” She bustled out the door without a backward look, her steps firm and determined.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, Doc.” Dani grinned. “Ever worked in a bakery before?”

“No. And I can’t now. I’ve got to visit a patient.”

“Really? Who is it?” She blinked at his frown, her clear skin glowing with some inner translucence. “Maybe I can help.”

“It would be wrong for me to reveal a professional confidence,” he muttered, wishing he’d stayed in his office instead of racing over to get Miss Blessing’s help. If everyone in town did that, it was no wonder she was frazzled.

“So don’t reveal any confidences, Doc. Just tell me what you need.” She walked over to a coffeepot sitting in the corner, poured two cups and carried them back to the table. “Go ahead.”

“There’s a man,” he began, trying to remember not to give too many details. “He’s elderly and he lives alone. I’m concerned that he isn’t eating properly and I was going to ask Miss Blessing to help me find a way to get him a healthy meal—at least once a day.”

“I see.” She chewed her bottom lip, eyes thoughtful as she swung one slim leg back and forth.

Luc forced his attention back to the subject at hand. Dani DeWitt distracted him too easily.

“He’s proud, you see. It would hurt him to think I’d gone behind his back to ask for help.”

“I get your drift, Doc.” She grinned at him. “Obviously today is not a good day to ask Miss Winifred to work on this. She’s a little stirred up, and in my opinion she needs a break from thinking about meals.”

“What do you suggest?” He waited, knowing she’d come up with something. That was one thing he was learning about Dani—she always had an idea.

“I have a hunch we’re talking about old Mr. Potter, aren’t we.”

“I never—”

“No, you didn’t. And that’s to your credit. But I’ve lived around here almost all my life, Doc. Nothing stays a secret in Blessing. Let me think for a minute.”

She tapped one blunt fingernail against the table, obviously tossing around the possibilities. Her worn leather boots tap-danced their own rhythm against the ceramic tiles.

He frowned. This was taking way too long. He’d been so careful. Wouldn’t the gossips just love seeing the two of them huddled together at Blessing Bakery?

“I’ve got to get out there. I promised to drop off his medication before lunch.”

“Hang on a sec, Doc. I’m thinking as fast as I can.”

Luc watched her glance around the bakery, saw the way her eyes lit when they rested on the individual meat pies chilling in the cooler.

“You’ve thought of something. What is it?”

“I don’t have a long-term solution, yet. But for today, why not take him a couple of those potpies and one of those little salads from the grocery? You could pick up an apple or something for dessert, and maybe a quart of milk.”

“I guess.” It wasn’t exactly the solution he’d hoped for.

“If you took three, you could eat lunch with him.” She studied his face. “What’s wrong with that?”

Luc tried to hide his reaction. “I—uh, that is, I don’t know that I’ll have time to wait while they heat up. I’ve got a clinic this afternoon.”

Dani glanced at the clock.

“Miss Winifred’s oven is empty by now. Let’s pop three of them in and let them heat while we wait for her. Then there won’t be any delay.” She snatched three of the pies off the shelf and scurried into the back, returning with empty hands a few moments later. “Won’t take long in that monster.”

“I can’t wait here, Dani. I’ve got work to do.” Which wasn’t exactly true. His last two patients had canceled this morning, which was why he’d agreed to take Mr. Potter’s tablets out to him.

“Is there something you don’t like about Blessing, Doc?”

Luc’s head jerked back as he stared at her, only now realizing how tiny she was. Somehow Dani seemed like one of those people who were larger than life. She inspired thoughts of grandeur. Which was about as fanciful as a guy could get.

“Why would you say that?” he demanded. “I certainly never gave—”

“No, no.” Dani brushed away his objections. “You never said a word. It’s more the way you act. Take the church groups, for instance. I heard that you don’t join in, haven’t signed up to be on any committees, except for the dinner theater. Why, you even missed the pie social last week, and nobody in their right mind misses that!”

“I didn’t realize it was imperative I be there. I’ll be sure to attend the next one.” He couldn’t disguise his sour tone.

“Keep that attitude and no one will give you even a sliver.” She frowned and cupped her palm around her chin, elbow perched on the table. “What’s with you, Doc? Why are you so afraid to get involved with us?”

“I’m not afraid. Not at all.” Luc searched desperately for another subject, but nothing came to mind.

“Sure you are. In the social department, you act like a big chicken. Why is that? Have you got some secret you don’t want us to know about?”

She was like a dog with a bone, relentless.

“I don’t have any secrets,” he insisted, wishing he’d never walked through the bakery door. “I just enjoy my privacy.”

“Uh-huh.” Dani rose, dealt with a customer, then plopped back down beside him. “You’ve been in town long enough that you should be getting tired of your own company.”

He smirked. “What can I say? I’m an interesting person.”

“Uh-uh. Not buying that, Doc.” She pursed her lips, narrowed her cat eyes and frowned. “How old are you?”

“What?” He couldn’t believe she’d asked that, today of all days.

“Your age, Doc. Forty?”

“Hardly!” He was furious until he noticed the tic of laughter at the corner of her full lips, begging to be released. “Thirty—uh—thirty-four,” he admitted.

“When’s your birthday?”

Oh boy. “Why?”

She shook her black head, the curls dancing around her cheeks as she tut-tutted at his prevarication. “When?”

When he didn’t answer, Dani got up, walked to the phone and dialed. “Hi, Nicole. This is Dani DeWitt. Do you know when Doc—Luc’s—birthday is? Sure, I’ll wait.” She twisted to face him, her eyebrows rising as she listened. “I see. Well, thanks so much. Very interesting. Yes, indeed. I will let you know. Bye.”

“Dani, I—”

She waggled a finger at him. “If I were you, I wouldn’t say another word, Doc. Your secret is out. Thirty-four today.”

He sighed. “Let it go, okay. I saw what the town did for Joshua’s birthday. Believe me when I say I do not want crows all over my yard. Not in the least.”

“So what were you going to do? Pick up a cake and celebrate at home alone tonight?” She clucked her tongue at his guilty look. “Birthdays are meant to be shared, don’t you know that?”

“Well…”

“You have friends here, Luc. Blessing folks would love an opportunity to wish you happy birthday and share in your special day, especially after all you’ve done for them in that clinic.”

“I guess I’m not really into sharing,” he muttered, embarrassed by her soft remonstrance.

“I wonder why that is.”

“Why what is, Dani?” Miss Winifred waltzed through the door, her face beaming. She glanced from Dani to Luc, then shrugged. “Thank you so much for minding the store, my dears. I’ve had a word with Furly and the rift is mended. I’ll make a special note to watch my cantankerous tongue from now on, you can be sure.”

Her curious stare moved from Luc to Dani, then back to Luc, her forehead pleated in a frown of contemplation.

“Have I missed something?”

Dani shot to her feet. “Not a thing, Miss Win. Luc’s going out to a patient’s house to drop off some medicine. I’m going to show him the way. I popped three meat pies in the oven to warm. Hope you don’t mind?”

“Of course not. Are you headed out to Gordon Potter’s?”

Luc stood, shook his head in disbelief. How did these women know this stuff?

“I’m hoping you are because I made a banana loaf for him today. I don’t make them often, but yesterday Dr. Darling mentioned something to the druggist about a refill while I was in there. I meant to phone him.”

“We’ll take it.” Dani prodded Luc with her elbow. “Won’t we, Doc?”

“What? Sure.” We? He’d intended to make a quick trip out, to drop off the pills and something to eat for the man who shared his birth date. He hadn’t intended the whole town to get in on the act. “I’d also like you to box up that small chocolate cake. I’ll take it along too.”

“Is it Gordon’s birthday?” Miss Winifred checked a large white calendar on her wall and nodded. “Yes, it is. I’d forgotten that. Thank you for thinking of it, Luc. Gordon loves chocolate. Just let me write on it, okay?” She picked up a tube of bright yellow icing and wrote across the cake. “There now.”

“Hey, Doc, why don’t you pick up that milk and those salads from the store and meet me back here? It will take a few minutes to wrap up those pies so they don’t get cooled off on the way out.”

“No, it won’t. I have—”

Dani began coughing loudly so that the rest of Miss Winifred’s words were drowned out. He didn’t need his medical degree to know it was a fake cough.

“Go ahead, Doc,” Dani said huskily, patting her chest. “I’ll meet you back here. We’ll take my truck. The road out there isn’t great.”

And what was new about that? Luc wondered. None of the side roads around Blessing were in great condition.

“Fine. It will only take me five minutes,” he warned.

“That’s great.”

He glanced from Dani to Miss Winifred, trying to decipher the strange looks passing between the two. It was no use. He’d never been good at figuring out that unspoken stuff. He pulled open the door and stepped outside.

By the time he returned to the Blessing Bakery, considerably longer than five minutes had elapsed. It was as if everyone in the small grocery store had conspired to delay him by chatting about the most inconsequential things. Luc shoved open the door, and stopped short when Dani’s head popped up and Miss Winifred stopped midsentence.

“Are you ready?” he asked when no one said anything.

“Ready?” Dani frowned.

“Of course she is, Lucas. We just got gabbing and lost sight of the time. I’ll pack those pies into my new Styrofoam boxes and they’ll stay warm as toast.” Miss Winifred bustled away, humming a little tune as she worked in the back room.

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