A Sister’s Vow

To fulfill a promise made to her twin, Dr. Jaclyn LaForge opens a children’s clinic in Hope, New Mexico. She’s determined to prove to the community that she’s the doctor they need. But it’s not just the children of Hope who need healing. It’s the fractured town itself, including handsome widowed rancher Kent McCloy, who steps up to make her dream a reality. As they work together to renovate the clinic, two wary hearts are under construction, as well. Can sweet, stubborn Jaclyn show Kent that life—and love—are worth cherishing?

Enjoy a special 15th anniversary bonus story from Love Inspired Historical, A Cowboy’s Promise by Linda Ford

“There’s a long way to go with this place, isn’t there?” Jaclyn’s voice was quiet, almost solemn. She stood, waiting for his answer as he locked the building.

“It’ll be tough, but it can be done.”

“You have enough on your plate. I don’t want to add to your burdens, Kent.”

“I want to make this clinic happen, Jaclyn. I see it as sort of a rallying point for the people of Hope.”

“You do? How?”

“Your clinic isn’t part of the old system. It’s new, different. Maybe it can help undo past damage and end some of the bitterness. Maybe that’s God’s plan in all of this.”

“Thank you for saying that, Kent. I admit I was a little discouraged when I came here tonight, but I feel reenergized now. You can’t know how much that means to me.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his cheek. “You’re a wonderful man, Kent.”

If only Kent could have a chance to start fresh, like Jaclyn. He’d do so many things differently.

Maybe if he worked hard enough on her clinic, he could finally rise above his regrets.

LOIS RICHER

began to travel the day she read her first book and realized that fiction could take her to places she’d only dreamed of going. Through reading, an ordinary day was transformed into an extraordinary adventure. Creating that adventure for others became Lois’s obsession. Now, having written more than 40 books with three different publishers, Lois had been nominated three times for a prestigious Holt Medallion. With millions of books in print around the world, Lois continues to enjoy creating stories of joy and hope for Love Inspired Books. Married for almost thirty years, their two sons grown, Lois and her husband live in Canada but winter in Arizona. Their love of traveling makes it easy for Lois to find the perfect setting for her next story. Lois loves to hear from other readers. Contact her through www.loisricher.com or loisricher@yahoo.com or friend her on Facebook.

A Doctor’s Vow

Lois Richer

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Love Inspired! We’re celebrating our 15th anniversary this month, and you’re invited to the party!

Love Inspired Books began in September 1997, offering readers inspirational contemporary romances. Fifteen years later, Love Inspired has never wavered from our promise to our readers; we are proud to publish short contemporary romances that feature Christian men and women facing the challenges of life and love in today’s world.

In honor of our anniversary, we are showcasing some of our top authors in September. Irene Hannon, Arlene James and Lois Richer were part of the original lineup in 1997, and we’re supremely blessed that they are still writing for us in 2012. Jillian Hart and Margaret Daley have been part of the Love Inspired family since the early 2000s. And newcomer Mia Ross rounds out the month. We hope you enjoy these sweet stories full of home, family and love.

As a special thank-you to our readers, each book this month contains a bonus story. Give them a try, and we know you’ll find our authors the very best in Christian romance!

Thank you for reading Love Inspired.

Blessings,

Melissa Endlich

Senior Editor

This book is dedicated to the One who makes dreams come true and does so far beyond

what we can ask or think. Thank you, Father.

* * *

Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test my thoughts. Point out anything you find in me that makes you sad, and lead me along the path

of everlasting life.

—Psalms 139:23–24

Contents

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

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

Chapter One

Fire!

Pediatrician Jaclyn LaForge quickly ushered her patients out of her brand-new clinic to safety. Her relief was short-lived when the clinic’s nurse grabbed her arm.

“Randy McNabb and his mom haven’t come out,” RaeAnn whispered. “I think they’re still inside.”

The volunteer fire department of Hope, New Mexico, wasn’t here yet and Jaclyn wasn’t going to wait for them. She kicked off her high heels.

“Wait,” RaeAnn begged.

“No child left unattended, RaeAnn. That’s our motto.” Jaclyn raced inside the building, praying Randy and his mom were safe. Surely God would answer this prayer.

Inside the clinic, she moved from room to room. When choking black smoke enveloped her, she dropped to a crouch, calling Randy’s name as she squeezed her burning eyes closed. Reopening them, she saw nothing. Her hand clutched air. Her lungs gagged on thick heavy smoke. She ripped off her jacket and held it over her face, trying to stem her terror.

Jaclyn reached for a shadow and knocked something over. She knew she couldn’t stay in the clinic, but when she rose to move ahead, shards of broken glass pierced her foot. She collapsed in pain.

Don’t let me die, God. Not before I’ve kept my promise to Jessica.

A gloved hand curled around her arm. Another nudged her jacket away from her mouth to plant a mask over her face.

She lifted it. “Randy—”

“Keep it there,” a gruff voice ordered. “And hang on to me.”

Jaclyn obediently inhaled the pure, clear air in gasps. Her rescuer heaved her over a very broad shoulder and carried her through the building. For the first time in years Jaclyn relinquished all control and allowed someone else to be in charge of her life.

As they emerged into the sunny spring warmth, Jaclyn pushed away the mask and inhaled, forcing her burning lungs to clear as she shot a prayer of thanks heavenward. Her rescuer gently set her on the ground. She lay still, overwhelmed by what had almost happened.

“Are you nuts? You don’t go into a burning building. Not ever.” The fireman in front of her ripped off his headgear and glared at her, his lips tight in an angry frown. But his fingers took her pulse with gentleness. He carefully eased her sooty jacket from her hands and tossed it away before checking her for burns. “Can you breathe okay? Do you need more oxygen?”

He tried to replace the mask but she pushed it away.

“I’m fine.” Well, that would be true if her stomach hadn’t just flipped in reaction to his touch. Jaclyn peered into cobalt-blue eyes and wondered who he was.

“Why would you go into a fire?” he demanded.

“A little boy—Randy—” She blinked at the familiar bellow that came from her left. “That’s him. Where was he?”

“He and his mom used the old fire escape on the side of the building. They’re fine.”

“Good.” She kept her gaze on the fireman, fighting not to look at her clinic. “I’m fine, too.” She accepted his outstretched hand to help her stand, winced and quickly sat down again. “Except for my foot. I stepped on some glass.”

The fireman called for a first aid pack, shredded what was left of her stockings and examined the soles of her feet with a tender touch.

“I took off my shoes, you see,” she said, as if that would explain everything.

“If those are your shoes, I’m not surprised you got rid of them.” He shot a scathing glance at her spiked heels lying not ten feet away. “I don’t know how you can even walk in those things.” He glanced up, his blue eyes darkening to navy. “This is going to hurt.”

“It already does. Go ahead.” Jaclyn leaned back on her elbows and watched him delicately remove bits of glass from her foot. She tried to ignore her pulse-thudding reaction to him by trying to remember where she’d seen eyes so richly blue before.

Her rescuer’s forehead pleated in deeply tanned furrows. So he was an outdoors guy, good-looking with the kind of massive shoulders that not even the bulk of a fireman’s jacket disguised. He’d shed his headgear to reveal a face that appeared chiseled from stone.

His jaw clenched and unclenched as he worked, a tiny tic in his throat betraying his concentration. His hair—dark, almost black—lay in a ruffle of tight curls against his scalp—

“Kent?” Jaclyn whispered in disbelief. “Kent McCloy?”

“Yeah?” He lifted his head, blinked at her.

“I didn’t recognize you. It’s me. Jaclyn. Jaclyn LaForge.” She waited. But Kent only nodded once and went back to work on her foot. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”

“No problem. It’s what firemen do.” His drawl, like his face, gave nothing away.

Oh, no, her soul groaned. Kent was just like the rest of Hope’s biased locals who couldn’t believe the former bad girl of Hope could be a real doctor. Jaclyn was sick of that attitude. As if a mistake from her past made her completely unqualified to actually treat patients.

Kent squeezed the arch of her foot in preparation to draw out yet more shards. The last one was large enough to make her yelp in pain.

“Sorry.” His fingers belied his gruff tone as he gently held her foot and poured antiseptic over the wounds. He began to wrap her foot in gauze—his bandaging skills were as good as or better than hers. “Okay?”

“It’s fine.” Actually his touch was more than fine, which was utterly confusing because Jaclyn had never reacted like this to anyone ever.

“I think I got it all but you should have somebody at the hospital check.” He set her foot down and tied off the gauze. “No stitches needed, though I suspect it will be painful for a while. And wearing those shoes? No way.”

Who cared about shoes? Jaclyn caught a glimpse of her dream—Jessica’s Clinic—and groaned.

“It’s ruined,” she whispered, swallowing tears that would make her look weak. “It’s totally ruined.”

“Yeah, fires tend to do that.” Kent offered a hand to help her rise. When she was upright, he slid his arm around her waist, as if he understood that only force of will and his help kept her standing. If he hadn’t been there she’d have burst out bawling.

“But how could a fire start?” She looked from him back to the blackened, smoking building. “I had the place checked out. I had everything very carefully checked out.”

“Then somebody missed something. Or it’s an accident.” He shrugged. “Sorry, but the place is toast. In my opinion it isn’t salvageable.” Despite his harsh assessment, his blue eyes glowed with sympathy.

Jaclyn didn’t want sympathy. Forget Kent McCloy with his midnight eyes, big broad shoulders and the gentlest touch she’d ever felt. Her dream was going up in smoke.

“I just opened.” Despite her best efforts, a tear slipped out and trickled down her cheek. “I worked so hard to make this dream come true.”

“Then you’ll start over.” Kent turned her to face him, his voice softer. “It’s just a building. Compared to your life, losing a building doesn’t matter. Besides—” he waved a hand “—Hope is full of empty buildings. I should know. I own that one over there.”

She nodded, recognizing it. “Your dad’s old law office.”

“Uh-huh.” He shook his head. A faint smile tugged at his mouth for a millisecond before it disappeared. “You can start over, Jaclyn. Take your choice of where.” He waved a hand, as if it were simple to start again.

She blinked, surveyed the street then twisted to look at Kent again. If he wanted her to reopen he couldn’t be holding her past against her. Maybe he’d even help her.

“Many of these places look worse than the one I was in.”

“Probably are. Unoccupied buildings deteriorate fast.” He turned away as one of the other firemen came over to speak to him. “She’s okay. She should be checked out at the hospital for smoke inhalation. I removed the glass in her foot.”

“Fire department volunteers aren’t supposed to render that much first aid,” the other fireman reminded, eyes dancing. “At least that’s what you said at our last meeting, Chief. I can see why you did it, though.” He gave Jaclyn a smile that should have made her heart throb.

Jaclyn wanted to tell him to save it for someone who would appreciate it, that she was devoted to her work—except for when Kent McCloy made her pulse race by taking glass out of her foot.

“Generally we don’t. Do first aid, I mean.” Kent’s tanned face turned a shade of burgundy.

“Just couldn’t help yourself this time, huh?” the fireman teased.

“The fire, Pete?” Kent reminded, dark brows lowered.

“Under control. But I’ll take the hint and get back to work.” The other man left smirking.

“What did he mean you couldn’t help yourself? Are you a doctor, Kent?” Jaclyn frowned. “But I met the local doctors. At least, I thought I had.”

“Vet,” Kent corrected with a mocking smile. “I can’t stand to see things hurting, though I usually treat a different species.”

“Oh.” She glanced at her foot. “Well, maybe you should broaden your practice. I’ll be a reference if you like.”

“You want me as competition in town?” His chuckle made her stomach quiver again.

“I’m not sure it would matter much,” Jaclyn mumbled. “I could hardly have fewer patients.” She gulped, regrouped. “It’s good to see you again, Kent. It’s been a long time since we were in high school together. We’ll have to catch up sometime.” She’d been so focused on the clinic she’d met hardly anyone—it would be nice to have a social life.

His beautiful smile disappeared, his face tightening into an unreadable mask.

“Sure.” He looked around as if he wanted to avoid further conversation. “The ambulance is here. You’d better go with them, get your foot checked.” His arm left her waist.

“I’m fine.” Jaclyn studied him as she balanced on her uninjured foot, feeling suddenly bereft. “Have you lived in Hope since high school?”

“No.” Kent’s response didn’t invite further questions. He turned his head, nodding when one of the other firefighters motioned for him to join them. “I have to go.”

“Well, thanks for saving my life.” She waited until he’d taken a few steps away. “Kent?”

“Yes?” He turned back, his impatience to get back to work clearly visible.

“Was anyone else hurt?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer.

“Just you.” He studied her for a moment longer, then grabbed the gear he’d thrown down and strode away looking larger than life.

Not that he needs any help there, she thought noting the badge at the top of his sleeve. “Fire Chief Kent McCloy is already the stuff of heroes. But that doesn’t matter to me,” she said aloud, as if convincing herself. “I have no time for relationships. I’m not back in Hope for a high school reunion.”

So what was with her reaction to him?

“Jaclyn, you’re talking to yourself.” RaeAnn frowned. “How much smoke did you breathe in?”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t. Your foot is injured. For once, stop trying to be in control.” RaeAnn slid an arm around her waist for support. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Maybe they could get her head examined while she was there, Jaclyn mused. She checked over her shoulder one last time and saw Kent motion for another fireman to direct his hose on the back of the now-smoking building that had housed Jaclyn’s clinic. That clinic had been the focus of her dreams for more than ten years. It was the place where she was finally going to earn the life she’d been given. The life Jessica had lost.

Why? That was the question that always haunted her. Why had her twin sister gotten leukemia and not her? In all the years since Jessica’s death, she’d never figured that out.

“Ready?”

Jaclyn shook off her stupor and concentrated on getting into RaeAnn’s car while her assistant retrieved her shoes. It must have been smoke addling her brain that made her notice Kent’s broad shoulders again because Dr. Jaclyn LaForge was not interested in men—especially not Kent McCloy, no matter how good he looked in his gear.

Guys like Kent, even though they’re gorgeous, have no effect on me, she thought as she sat alone in a treatment room, waiting to be examined by a colleague. But all the denials in the world couldn’t disguise the way her heartbeat had raced when Kent had touched her.

How was it that the only guy she’d ever had a crush on in high school—the guy who’d stuck by her when everyone else had turned against her after Jessica’s death—still had the power to make her shiver?

Didn’t matter. Overpowering reactions notwithstanding, Jaclyn had no time for personal relationships. She had a duty to her twin sister to get the clinic up and running again. Despite losing the building, she would find a way to do it—no matter what.

* * *

Kent left the fire hall late in the afternoon after learning the fire was the result of an overtaxed electrical outlet. Thankfully no one had been seriously hurt. But the incident reinforced his long-held belief that it was time to get an emergency procedure plan in place in town.

He took his time driving home, surveying the land in its burgeoning spring glory. The last rays of sun sank below the craggy tips of New Mexico’s mountains, bathing the world in a rosy glow as he drove into his driveway. It should have made him feel peaceful. But the usual post-fire adrenaline surge had left Kent antsy. He walked around the yard and thought about the town’s new pediatrician.

Kent had forgotten a lot of things about Jaclyn LaForge since their days in high school—that silver blond hair of hers, for one thing. Then she’d worn it long; now her short, precise blunt-cut caressed a chin that said she was all business. The silky strands cupped her face, drawing attention to her delicate cheekbones and big brown eyes framed by long lush lashes. How could he have forgotten those lashes?

The pediatrician oozed class, from her red silk suit to her spicy perfume. Jaclyn, the rebel teen whom he’d known so well had been totally erased.

In an instant he time-traveled back five years.

“Kent, slow down. I can’t keep up with you wearing these heels.”

His wife would have envied Jaclyn her fancy shoes—they were the kind Lisa loved but said she could never wear in Hope.

“This is Hokey Ville, Kent.” Three years later and Lisa’s accusing voice would not be silenced. “You said we wouldn’t stay. You promised we’d go back to Dallas.”

A promise he’d made but never kept.

Uncomfortable with the memory of his betrayal, Kent clenched his jaw. Rescuing Jaclyn from that burning building had knocked his world off kilter. He doubted he’d ever forget seeing her through the smoke, but he needed to restore his carefully managed equilibrium because blocking out the past and focusing on the present was how he got through each day.

Oreo, his old Springer spaniel, strolled up to him and rubbed against his knee. Her white-and-gold patches gleamed from the brushing he’d given her this morning. As usual, the dog seemed to sense his mood. She nuzzled under his hand until it rested on her head, then laid her head on his knee.

“Did you get the pups straightened out, girl?” he asked. Oreo’s daughter had given birth to ten pups the week before. Grandmother Oreo seemed to think it was her duty to ensure each one of the offspring received equal attention from their mother.

The dog’s responsive yowl made Kent laugh. Her throated growls sounded as if she was asking him about his day. Since Lisa’s death he’d gotten into the habit of talking to the dog. Oreo had become his companion so he told her what was on his mind.

“Hope needs a kids’ doctor. Jaclyn’s clinic is unusable, but Dad’s old building might make a good replacement.” The dog shifted and he nodded. “I know. It’s probably a wreck.”

Kent didn’t want to admit how much seeing Jaclyn had affected him. He was grateful when a car’s lights flashed as it climbed the hill to his ranch house. Company would be good.

He gulped when Jaclyn climbed out of a sky-blue convertible and walked toward him—limped, actually. She had on a pair of jeans, a perfectly pressed candy-pink shirt and a pair of white sneakers that looked brand-new. Typical city girl.

“Hello.” Her smile displayed perfect white teeth. Everything about her was perfect.

“Hi.” He motioned to a chair. “How’s the foot?” he asked when she’d sat.

“Sore.” She tucked some of the glossy silver-blond strands behind one ear before she bent to pet his dog. “But fine.”

“Good.” Suddenly he could think of nothing to say.

“I wanted to thank you again for saving me this afternoon, Kent. I would have died without your help.” Her big brown eyes stared earnestly into his.

“Don’t thank me.” He heard the gruffness in his voice and wished he could sound less affected by her presence. He didn’t want her to guess how much seeing her again had affected him. “One of the other guys would have found you.”

“But you were the one who did and you treated my foot. So thank you.” She paused a moment.

“Sure. Anything else?” It was rude and ungracious but suddenly Kent didn’t want to talk to Jaclyn. She upset his carefully regulated world.

“Yes, there is. You mentioned your dad’s office building.”

“Yeah.” He kept it noncommittal.

“I noticed it’s unoccupied. Is renting it an option?” Her voice became businesslike.

“I don’t know. I haven’t been through the place in ages.” Why had he ever opened his big mouth? He wanted to avoid her, not build a relationship. When hope flickered in her eyes he blurted out the first excuse he could think of. “There could be some issues with the place.”

“Can you check?” Jaclyn rubbed the sweet spot behind Oreo’s ears and smiled at the dog’s growled appreciation. She refocused on Kent. “It’s really important to me to get the clinic going again.” Her eyes held his. “Please?”

“I’ve got the ranch and my practice,” he reminded. “I’m pretty busy.”

“I’m sure you are.” She kept staring, waiting.

“Fine,” he relented when it became obvious she wouldn’t back off. “I’ll look as soon as I can.” In the meantime maybe she’d find something else and he could forget her and go on with his normal life.

In his dreams. He remembered Jaclyn’s tenacity too well.

“If you’d let me know when you go, I’d like to come along.” Her smile blazed. “The clinic has to be fully operational, treating a certain number of patients, in three months or I jeopardize my financing. This is March. That means I’d have to move in by the end of May.”

“I said I’ll get to it when I can and I will.” He swallowed his harsh tone and focused on his manners. She was his guest and he hadn’t offered her anything. His mother would be appalled. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Iced tea? If it’s not too much trouble.”

Kent went inside and reached for the fridge door. To his shock, Jaclyn followed him and was now looking around the kitchen. He wished he hadn’t offered her a drink. Or anything else. He didn’t want her here, seeing the starkness of his kitchen and realizing that it mirrored his life. He didn’t want her leaving behind the scent of her fancy perfume. Mostly he didn’t want her seeing how pathetic he was.

He held out a brimming glass.

“Thanks. Do you have any lemon?” She accompanied the request with the sweetest smile.

Kent hacked off a wedge of lemon and held it out.

“Oh.” She took it daintily between her fingertips—perfectly manicured fingertips with pale pink polish. “Um, thank you.” She moved to stand in front of the sink, pinched the lemon into her glass and stirred it with a finger. “Lovely.” She held the piece of lemon between two fingers, searching for a place to discard it.

Kent handed her a sheet of paper towel.

“Thanks.” She wrapped the towel around the lemon wedge and set it on the counter before she took another sip. “It feels cool out tonight.”

Meaning he could hardly lead her outside to the patio again. He motioned to one of the kitchen chairs. Jaclyn sank onto it with graceful elegance. Kent couldn’t help noticing her expensive jeans, her tailored blouse, and her three pieces of jewelry—two small gold hoops in her ears and a thin gold chair around her neck—that made her look like a princess slumming it.

“Are you still holding that night at the church against me, Kent?”

“What?” He jerked to awareness, embarrassed that he’d been caught staring at her. “Of course not. Why would you say that?”

“You act as if you’re mad at me.” Her smile grew wistful. “I never came back to Hope for any of the reunions and I haven’t seen you since the night of high school graduation, so I’m guessing your attitude has to be about the night I wrecked the church. I’ll apologize again if it means you’ll forgive me for letting you take the blame for that night, even for a little while.”

Forgive her? He was the one who needed forgiveness. But what he’d done was unforgiveable.

“Am I forgiven?” Her smile faltered.

“Nothing to forgive,” Kent told her, his voice hoarse. “You were hurting. Your sister had just died. You were angry that God hadn’t healed her the way you expected and you lashed out. I understood.”

“You always did.” Jaclyn’s voice softened to a whisper. “Of all the people in Hope, you were the only one who did. But I shouldn’t have let you take the fall, even for the few days it took to get my act together. I’m sorry.”

“I’m glad I could help.” High-school Jaclyn had drawn his sympathy, but this woman disarmed him. His throat was dry. He took a sip of his tea but it didn’t seem to help. Nor did it stop the rush of awareness that she was the first woman to come into Lisa’s kitchen since—

“You helped me more than you ever knew. I won’t forget that.” After an introspective silence her expression changed, her voice lightened. “I don’t suppose we could go into town and look at your dad’s building tonight? Don’t answer. I can see ‘no’ written all over your face. How about tomorrow morning? Say, seven-thirty?”

“Do you ever give up?” he asked in exasperation.

Jaclyn stilled. “Not when it comes to my dreams.”

“This clinic is your dream?” Kent knew it was from the expression on her face. He also knew he wanted to help her achieve it. “I’ll ask a friend of mine to check out my dad’s old office as soon as he can. But be warned it will probably need a painting, at the very least. The company that opened the new silver mine on the other side of Hope was in there last and they weren’t gentle.”

“Your dad’s retired now, I suppose? He and your mom were such a loving couple. I remember she once told my mom the ranch was your dad’s weekend toy but he intended to make it a full-time job after retirement.” She tilted her head to one side, studying the fancy kitchen. “Your mom must love this. Everything here looks brand-new.”

“It is. My wife had it redone several years ago. My parents died in a car accident, Jaclyn. That’s why I came back to Hope.” Kent clamped his lips together.

“Oh, no!” She shook her head sadly. “Losing your parents must have been hard.”

“Yes, it was.”

After a long silence, she asked, “Is your wife here? I’d like to meet her. There aren’t a lot of the kids from our class in Hope anymore. Since my parents sold our ranch right after I finished high school, I’ve kind of lost touch.”

Kent stiffened. But he had to tell her. She’d hear it from someone in town anyway. Better that he laid out the bare truth. Maybe when she knew, she’d stay away and let him get back to his solitary life.

“My wife was Lisa Steffens.”

“I remember Lisa—”

“She’s dead,” he blurted out.

“Oh, Kent. I’m so truly sorry.”

“She died in a fire. A fire I set.” Kent wished he could have avoided rehashing the past.

Jaclyn blinked. She studied him for several moments before she said, “You didn’t do it deliberately. I know you and you couldn’t have done that.”

“You don’t know me anymore, Jaclyn.”

“I don’t think you’ve become a murderer, Kent.” She held his gaze. “Do you mind telling me what happened?”

Jaclyn’s presence in his house made the place come alive as it hadn’t in a very long time. She brought color to the cold stainless steel, life to the gray tones that only reminded him of death and guilt. From somewhere deep inside a rush of yearning gripped Kent, a yearning to share his life with someone who would talk, listen and laugh with him. If only he could enjoy Jaclyn’s company and the hope that was so much a part of her aura—just for a little while.

“Not tonight.” He drew back, regrouped.

Once Kent had dreamed of happiness, a family, a future on this ranch. He’d failed Lisa and he’d never have that now. But he had to go on; he couldn’t get sidetracked by his crazy attraction to Jaclyn LaForge, no matter how strong. He admired her courage in returning to Hope, in sticking to her promise to her sister, but he desperately needed to resume his carefully structured world because that was the only way he could survive the guilt.

It wasn’t his job to get Jaclyn a new clinic. He didn’t want to get involved. He didn’t want concerns about whether her foot would heal properly or get infected. And he sure didn’t want his heart thudding every time he saw her.

Every instinct Kent possessed screamed Run!

“I’ll meet you at the building tomorrow morning at eight,” he heard himself say.

Chapter Two

“This is a beautiful building. The windows give amazing light.”

“Say it, Jaclyn. There’s a lot of work needed here.” Kent leaned against a doorframe, probably running a repair tab in his mind. Then his gaze rested on her.

Jaclyn frowned. Maybe he was waiting for her to say she didn’t want to rent his father’s building.

“Correction—more than a lot of work.” Kent kept staring at her.

“Perhaps once all the borders are removed?” Jaclyn trailed her finger across a wall.

“My mom went a little over the top with the borders,” Kent admitted. “She loved the themes and colors of southwest decorating.”

His wife definitely hadn’t. Jaclyn wondered why Lisa had chosen the gray color scheme for her kitchen. High-tech certainly, but it seemed clinical, with nothing to soften the harsh materials or unwelcoming, austere colors. Her curiosity about Lisa’s death had been tweaked by Kent’s admission that he set the fire. Jaclyn knew there was no way he’d have deliberately hurt her. Kent had been in love with Lisa since seventh grade.

While Kent became all business, talking about support beams and studs, her attention got sidetracked as her eyes took in an unforgettable picture. The handsome vet probably couldn’t care less what he looked like, but he was without a doubt what Jaclyn’s friend Shay would say was hunk material.

A moment later Kent’s dark blue gaze met hers and one eyebrow arched.

She’d missed something. Heat burned her cheeks. “Sorry?”

“I said it’s going to be a while before you can move in here.”

“A while meaning what, exactly?” She hadn’t been staring. Well, not intentionally.

Liar.

“Are you okay?” Kent tilted his head to study her. “You look kind of funny.”

“I’m fine.” Jaclyn cleared her throat. Business. Concentrate on business. “You’re telling me there’s work that has to be done here, which I know. How long will that take?”

“I can’t tell you that.” Kent frowned. “Since the mine opened last spring, a lot of locals have gone to work there. The place offers good wages, decent benefits and steady work which means there aren’t a lot of qualified trades available in Hope anymore.”

“But? I can hear a ‘but’ in there.” She smiled and waited.

“I’ll start on the demolition. I can do most of that myself and some of the actual renovation. There are a couple of guys I can probably persuade to do other work but it is going to take time.” He looked like he was waiting for her to say “never mind.”

But Jaclyn wouldn’t say that—getting this clinic operational again was her duty. The clinic had been her dream since the day after she’d buried her twin sister. They both should have graduated from high school but Jessica’s diagnosis had come too late, because of the shortage of doctors in Hope. The traveling doctors that visited each week didn’t catch the leukemia early enough. That wouldn’t happen to another child—not if Jaclyn could help it.

She had already checked the other buildings in town. This place was the best of the lot, but Kent was right. It needed a major overhaul.

“I have just over three months until I have to open. Can you do it?”

He frowned, his deep blue eyes impassive. Only the twitch at the corner of his mouth told her he’d rather be somewhere else. “I believe I can.”

Relief swamped her, stealing her restraint. She threw her arms around him and hugged.

“Thank you, Kent. Thank you so much.”

He froze, his whole body going stiff. After a moment he lifted one hand and awkwardly patted her shoulder before easing away. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

“I can see it finished.” She twirled around, her imagination taking flight. “Reception will be here, of course. I don’t remember what your dad had in this corner before, but I’ll get a child’s table-and-chair set for coloring. And we can put—”

“That was Arvid’s corner.”

“Arvid?” She stared at Kent as old memories surfaced. “Your dad’s parrot!” She grinned. “That’s an idea.”

“You’d put a parrot in a doctor’s office?” His nose wrinkled. “Isn’t that against health regulations or something?”

“Not as long as the cage is kept clean and the animal isn’t dangerous. It’s actually a great idea. I wonder where I’d find a parrot around here.”

“At the ranch. I’ve got Arvid out there, hanging in the sunroom for now. He stays there during winter, but soon I’ll have to bring him into the main house so he doesn’t get overheated.” Kent made a face. “He’s never really adapted to the ranch. He doesn’t like my dog. Or me,” he admitted.

“You’re sure it wouldn’t be too much for him? Would the kids overwhelm him?”

Kent laughed. She hadn’t heard that jubilant sound in years but the pure pleasure filling his face captivated her. In the moment, he looked carefree, happy.

“Overwhelm him?” His eyes twinkled. “You must not remember Arvid very well. The only thing that ever overwhelmed that bird was my mother’s broom.”

She giggled, sharing his mirth. But a moment later Kent’s eyes met hers and his smile melted away. In a flash his glowering expression was back.

“You’re certain you can get this place ready for me to use in time?” Jaclyn wished she could make his smile appear again. But she reminded herself that she didn’t have the time for personal relationships with grumpy vets, not even the ones who made her heart skip a beat.

“I’m not certain but I think so. I spoke to a couple of tradesmen this morning.”

“This morning?” And I thought I got up early. “And?” she asked.

“They’ll stop by later today to take a look. Then I’ll have a better idea.” He rubbed a hand against his freshly shaven chin. “You understand I can’t guarantee anything. At the moment there are just too many unknowns. All I can say is that I’ll do my best.”

“I understand. Your best is good enough for me.”

“I’m not sure you do understand.” He tipped her chin so she had to look at him. “Listen to me, Jaclyn. I have my practice and the ranch. I’m the fire chief, the mayor and I sit on several local boards. Right now Hope is a town divided over allowing the mine to open. Some folks saw potential, of course. But a lot thought the mine would bring problems. Which it has. And it’s cost us some of the small town security we’ve always enjoyed. That’s just a few of the reasons which caused a big split and left a lot of people hurting. I’m trying to help heal that rift.”

“You’re saying you will have to juggle a lot and that the clinic isn’t necessarily first on the list.” She nodded. “I get that and I accept it. I have to. I don’t have another option. I have a lot invested in getting this clinic going and I’m willing to do whatever it takes.” She caught his skeptical glance at her hands and smiled. “Just because I haven’t lived on a ranch for a while doesn’t mean I don’t know how to work hard.”

“Okay then. I’ll do the best I can.” Kent nodded once.

“And I’ll help however I can. Just ask.” Her beeper interrupted. Jaclyn glanced at it. “I have to go.”

“What will you do for offices in the meantime?” Kent asked.

“The hospital gave me a room to use for consulting, for now. Not that I need much. People here don’t seem willing to trust me.” She tried to swallow the bitterness.

“Folks in Hope take a while to embrace outsiders.” He blinked, obviously only then remembering that she wasn’t exactly an outsider. “I had my own struggle after Doc McGregor died. It took forever for people to let me treat their cattle.”

“And you weren’t even guilty of almost burning down the local church.” She grimaced. “Nobody’s going to stop seeing me as that stupid kid. Maybe it was dumb of me to think I could come back here.”

“No, it wasn’t. People here will get to know you. Some will remember you were just a kid who lost your sister. Besides, you and your parents repaired the damage. Not that it matters anyway. The church is in bad condition now.”

“Maybe I could find a way to restore it,” she murmured. “Maybe that would make them forget.”

“It’s a nice thought.” His tanned brow furrowed. “But it’s not just your past. Your family only lived here for a few years, Jaclyn—your parents left when you did and neither they nor you ever came back. I’m not trying to hurt you, but to folks in Hope, you are an outsider.”

“But I’m trying to help them!”

“I know.” Kent nodded. “But while you’ve been away things have changed. Because of the mine, people here are more suspicious than ever before.”

“Is that even possible?” she quipped.

“Oh, yeah.” He didn’t smile. “I told you the town had split over the mine, but I didn’t tell you that the split was caused by outsiders who set friends and neighbors against each other, using scare tactics, among other things. Everyone’s suspicious of everyone right now. But folks will come around. We need your clinic, Jaclyn.”

We need your clinic? She liked the sound of that.

“Don’t give up on your dream, okay?”

“No chance of that—I owe it to Jessica.” The beeper sounded again. “Thanks, Kent.” Jaclyn waggled her fingers as she strode toward her car.

After she had treated the baby who’d ingested his brother’s marble, she sat and enjoyed her first cup of coffee of the day, recalling the note of earnestness in Kent’s voice when he’d told her not to give up.

Remembering the forlorn look on his face last night when she’d visited his ranch, she wanted to repeat it back to him.

But now she wondered, what were Kent’s dreams?

* * *

Dr. Jaclyn LaForge possessed remarkable powers of persuasion.

As he watched her drive away, Kent couldn’t quite quash his smile. He walked through his dad’s building a second time, remembering her insistence that she would help with renovations. As if those manicured hands would know how to grip a hammer.

His smile faded as he noted issues he’d missed. He should have been in here before this.

He should have done a lot of things.

Like not notice how Jaclyn’s smile made her eyes as glossy as black walnut fudge. Like escape that hug she’d laid on him. Like ignore the way she’d lured him into helping her reach that goal of hers. The hurt in her eyes when she revealed that she’d been rebuffed by the locals had nearly done him in.

Kent drew on his memories of the LaForge twins. Jessica had always been the serious twin, Jaclyn the prankster. But after her sister’s death, Jaclyn had bottled up her pain and anger until she’d finally exploded on graduation night. He’d understood why. Jaclyn had put so much faith in believing God would heal her sister. She couldn’t reconcile Jessica’s death with that faith. That’s why she’d torn up the newly planted flower beds at the church. It was the reason she’d spray painted the walls and made a mess that had scandalized the entire town. Jaclyn had needed answers that night and she hadn’t been able to find any that satisfied.

He knew how that felt. He’d asked why so many times. He still didn’t have the answer he craved. He wondered if Jaclyn had ever found hers.

Uncomfortable with the direction of his thoughts, Kent reconsidered Jaclyn. She was still stunningly beautiful, but she’d lost the easy, confident joy in life that had once been so much a part of her. Jaclyn now seemed hunted, as if she had to prove something. He recalled her words.

I owe it to Jessica.

Kent knew all about obligations, and about failing them. Boy, did he know. He veered away from the familiar rush of guilt and recalled instead the closeness between the sisters. He, like others in their youth group, had attended many prayer services for Jessica in the small adobe church. But Jessica had died in spite of Jaclyn’s insistence that if they just asked heaven enough times, God would respond.

Clearly the obligation to her sister still drove Jaclyn.

Brimming with questions that had no answers, Kent continued his inspection of the building. He pressed the wall in several places where water leaks had soaked through the plaster and left huge spots of dark brown. Each time he pushed, hunks of soggy plaster crumbled and tumbled to the floor. It would all have to be removed.

His former tenants had complained about something in the bathroom. Too busy with Lisa’s depression, the failing ranch and his own pathetic practice to tend to the matter himself, Kent had hired a plumber. He now saw that the work was substandard. The bathroom would need to be gutted.

There were other issues, too. The roof, for one. Some of the clay tiles had cracked and broken away. Summer rains in Hope were aptly named monsoons. This past summer, the water had managed to find a way in, ruining large portions of the ceiling.

Kent made four phone calls. Then he took off his jacket, rolled up his shirtsleeves and got to work hauling refuse out to the newly arrived Dumpster he’d ordered. He’d been working about two hours before a phone call sent him back to his clinic at the ranch to treat a family pet. One thing after another popped up until it was evening. He wanted nothing more than to sprawl out in his recliner and relax, but he’d promised Jaclyn that building and her deadline would roll around too soon.

After a quick meal, Kent filled a thermos with coffee, grabbed an orange and headed back into town. At sunset his high school chum Zac Enders stopped in.

“Out for the usual run, huh, Professor?” Kent used the old nickname deliberately because it bugged Zac. He tossed yet another shovel full of plaster into a bin.

“Yeah. What’s going on here?” Zac grabbed a push broom and slid a new pile of rubbish onto Kent’s shovel. “You sell the place?”

“I wish.” Kent dumped the load, stood the shovel and leaned on its handle. “You didn’t hear about Jaclyn’s clinic burning?”

“Actually I did. I was out of town for a two-day conference but someone at the office filled me in.” Zac had become the superintendent of Hope’s school district the previous fall. “Shame.”

“Yeah, it is.” Kent waved a hand. “She wants to use this place. She’s got to be up and running within three months.” He gave his buddy the short version.

“This time you’ve really bitten off a big piece, cowboy.” Zac smirked when Kent’s head shot up at the old moniker. “Aren’t high school nicknames fun?”

“Yeah,” Kent said with a droll look. “Real fun.”

“This place is a disaster.” Zac glanced around, his eyes giving away his concern. “I hope you believe in miracles.”

Kent didn’t believe in miracles. Miracles would have saved his wife from the depression that took hold of her spirit and never let go. Miracles would have made him a better husband, would have helped him know how to help her. Miracles would have saved Lisa from getting caught between a wildfire and the backfire he’d set to stop it.

“I didn’t make Jaclyn any promises,” he told Zac. “I’ll do my best here and hopefully it will be enough. But I don’t know what I can do about Jaclyn’s other problems.” He shook his head at Zac’s puzzled look. “Apparently, the good people of Hope are reluctant to go to Jaclyn for medical help.”

“Ah. The vandalism is coming back to bite her. But you can change that, Kent.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” Zac shot back. “Everybody in Hope thinks you’re God’s gift.”

Kent snorted. “Hardly.” God’s failure, maybe.

“It’s true. They look to you for leadership and they do whatever you say. All you have to do is put out a good word about her clinic and Jaclyn will have more patients than she can handle. I should know. That’s how I got my job.”

“Not true. You got your job because you were the best candidate.”

“And because you put in a word with the board chairman.” Zac smiled. “I heard.”

“I only said it would be nice to have someone with a PhD running things.” Kent avoided his knowing look.

“So? You can do the same for Jaclyn.” Zac paused, frowned. “Can’t you?”

“I’ve already tried. But she’s big city now, Zac.” Kent stared at the shovel he held. “Designer everything. You know how that goes down in Hope.”

“I do know. Everyone still feels conned by the city jerks that came here, promised the moon and have yet to deliver. But so what?” His friend studied him for several moments then barked a laugh. “Surely you can’t imagine Jaclyn will leave? Don’t you remember high school at all, cowboy?”

“Which part of high school?” Kent remembered some parts too well. Like how he was going to marry Lisa and live happily ever after.

“Dude! The Brat Pack, remember?” Zac nudged him with an elbow. “Jaclyn, Jessica, Brianna and Shay? Their dream?”

“I had forgotten that.” Kent recalled the closeness of the four, the way Shay and Brianna had rallied around Jaclyn while her sister suffered. He vaguely remembered the friends discussing some future project they’d all be part of.

“They were going to build a clinic. Then Jessica died. The others decided to make the clinic as a kind of monument to her. They were each going to have a specialty. Jaclyn, the pediatrician who made sure no child ever had the lack of care her sister did, Brianna wanted to practice child psychology and Shay was going to be a physiotherapist.” Zac slapped his shoulder. “You’ve got to put in a good word for Jaclyn, man. She’s spent a long time nursing that dream.”

“Ah, yes, Brianna.” Kent frowned. “You wouldn’t still be waiting for your former fiancée to come back to Hope to work in this clinic, would you, Professor?”

“No.” Zac shook his head, his eyes sad. “I gave up that dream long ago when I heard Brianna had married.”

“Then what’s your interest?” Kent raised his shoulders.

“I live here. I knew and liked Jessica. I think it would be cool if Jaclyn finally got to make her dream come true and cooler still if you helped her do it. But that’s up to you.” He looked around, flexed his arm. “Want a hand? I haven’t got anything going on tonight.”

“Great. You’re better at cleaning than me,” Kent teased.

“If you consider this place clean, then I certainly am.” Zac and Kent worked as a team for several hours. As usual, Zac brought the conversation around to discussing his first love—Hope’s schools. “Are you listening to me?” he asked.

“Sure.” Kent blinked, grinned. “Not really.”

“Thinking about Jaclyn, huh?” Zac snickered. “I hear she’s changed.”

“I told you, she’s turned big city.” Kent shrugged.

“That doesn’t mean she’s different inside.” Zac drank from his water bottle while Kent sipped his coffee. “She’s still focused on that clinic.”

“I’d substitute ‘driven’ for ‘focused.’” Kent sat on an upturned pail. “It’s like the clinic will happen or she’ll die trying.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Zac asked.

“Lots.” Kent waved a hand around them. “What’s going to happen if I don’t get finished in time? She’ll lose her funding. But Jaclyn doesn’t hear my warnings and, far as I can tell, she doesn’t have an alternate plan. It’s the clinic or nothing.”

“So you finish this place.” Zac blinked. “What’s the problem?”

“The problem?” Kent made a face. “Oh, just a few insignificant issues, like finding someone to do the work, paying for it, spending time here that I should be spending on my own practice or the ranch—take your pick.” Suddenly the magnitude of what he’d agreed to swamped him. “I don’t want to be responsible for ruining her dream.”

“Her dream? Or Lisa’s?” Zac tilted his head to one side, his expression sober. “It wasn’t your fault Lisa didn’t get her dream.”

“Yes, it was. I’m the one who dragged her away from the city. I’m the one who wouldn’t leave the ranch when she asked me to.” The guilt multiplied every time Kent thought about his actions. He’d loved Lisa yet he’d hurt her deeply.

“How could you have walked away from the ranch?” Zac asked quietly. “You would have lost everything. That’s not what a responsible man does.”

“Not even at the cost of his wife’s happiness?” Kent growled.

“There’s no evidence that moving would have guaranteed happiness. Lisa was sick. You told me the doctors said moving would change nothing.”

“They said it, but I don’t know that. Maybe if I’d forced her into treatment—”

“You can’t force someone to be well, Kent,” Zac said, his voice somber. “You did what you could.”

But Kent knew he hadn’t done enough. He’d tried to force Lisa to see the good things about living on the ranch, but all she saw was a trap that kept her from the fairy tale dream in her mind of a happy, party-style life in the city.

Zac helped awhile longer then offered some advice before he left.

“Lisa’s gone. Leave her with God. He knows you did your best. He loves you and understands. Move on.”

God loved him?

After Zac left, Kent tidied up the place, gathered his thermos and shut off the lights while thinking about Zac’s words. Kent felt he couldn’t accept God’s love because he wasn’t worthy of it. Lisa would still be alive if not for him. So what if they’d lost the ranch? He’d persisted because he wanted to make his dad’s dream for the place come alive when he should have let it go and started again.

Shoulda, woulda, coulda.

The awful truth was that he’d chosen his father’s dream over his wife.

Kent wouldn’t make that mistake again. Somehow he’d get this building ready for Jaclyn, no matter what it cost him. It couldn’t bring Lisa back or erase his guilt over her death, but maybe it would ease Jaclyn’s grief.

He had to remember only one thing.

No matter how beautiful or how interesting Jaclyn was, no matter how many times he felt that zing of attraction when she smiled at him, there could be nothing between them.

Kent’s love had failed the one woman he’d pledged to cherish. That would not happen again because as far as he was concerned, he had nothing to offer a woman but failure.

Jaclyn was a friend, but that’s all she could ever be.

Chapter Three

“I’m begging, Pete. I know you’re full-time at the mine, but I just need a couple of hours of your time. That’s all.”

Jaclyn paused in the doorway, struck by Kent’s tone. Were plumbers so hard to get? She hadn’t considered that. She’d figured Kent would pick up the phone, hire someone to do the renovation and she’d move in. But he sounded almost desperate.

“I didn’t realize you had an exclusivity clause. Maybe if you asked them to waive it, they’d let you help with the clinic. It’s for a good purpose, for our town’s benefit. That’s what their people promised when they begged us to let the mine in.” He paused for effect. “This would be a good opportunity to keep that promise.” There was silence as he listened. “I really appreciate it, Pete. Thanks.”

Not wanting to be caught eavesdropping, Jaclyn waited a few moments before she let the front door bang behind her. “Hello?”

“Hi.” Kent blinked at her. He was covered in a chalky dust that turned his dark hair gray. He’d been putting on goggles but now pulled them away, his blue eyes meeting hers. “Are you slumming?”

“Pretty fancy slum you’ve got here,” she teased.

“Not yet, but it will be if I can get it done.” He frowned. “Did you need something?”

“No. But I thought you might. I came to see if there was something I could help you with this evening.” Jaclyn made a face. “Emergency was busy today—an issue with the mine. I need to work off the stress. I figured if you were into demolition, I’d channel my energy into that. Have you eaten dinner?” She glanced around amazed by the mess he’d created.

“I haven’t had time for dinner.” Kent gave her pristine clothes a dark look. “You can’t work here dressed like that. Leave this to me, Jaclyn.”

“Nonsense. I make a perfectly good gofer assistant and I can clean with the best of them. Besides, I’ve got the clothes issue covered. But first we eat. Deal?” She waited for his nod before setting down the two bags she’d carried in. She removed containers of Chinese food from one. “Come on. Let’s sample this while it’s hot.”

At first it seemed as if Kent would refuse. Maybe he was used to working alone, or maybe he thought she’d get in his way. Either way Jaclyn wasn’t going to let it dissuade her from pitching in.

“Thank you,” he said when she handed him a loaded plate of stir fried vegetables.

“Welcome.” She separated her chopsticks then speared a piece of pineapple. “Yum.”

“It is good. Thanks,” he said again, looking directly at her, his blue eyes bright.

“I don’t know if Chinese is rancher’s food but nobody in town has takeout steaks.” She giggled at his droll look. “I’m guessing by that kitchen of yours that Lisa was a gourmet cook.”

Kent’s hand froze halfway to his mouth, his face pale at the mention of his wife.

“I’m so sorry,” she said, feeling a fool. “I didn’t mean to bring back painful memories.”

“No, it’s okay.” He inhaled slowly then let out his pent-up breath before he spoke. “Lisa liked to cook if it was for entertaining—invite people over and she would go all out.”

“I remember some parties Lisa invited me to in high school. She was a fantastic hostess back then, and an amazing cook.” She watched the sadness of his face ease. “I suppose entertaining does provide an incentive to create. Not that I’d know. I can do basic cooking, which means I can open soup cans.” Jaclyn took a bite, waiting to see if Kent would continue talking about Lisa or if he would change the subject.

“What happened at the mine?” he asked. “Anything serious?”

Note to self, she thought: stop bringing up Lisa.

“A chemical explosion left burns on a number of miners. Emergency was swamped. This isn’t the day for the traveling doctors so the hospital asked me to help. There were no critical injuries, so that’s a blessing.” She shuddered. “I loathe treating burns.”

“Why?” Kent studied her with a puzzled look.

“Because of the pain. Kids or adults, it doesn’t matter. Burns are the worst for continued pain. After initial treatment there’s always the task of debrading the scar tissue to allow new tissue to grow—very time-consuming and more pain for the patient.” She blinked. “As a firefighter, you probably know that.”

“Since I’ve been on the job we’ve never had anyone badly burned, thank heaven.” Kent said.

“That’s lucky. Now—” Jaclyn lifted out a surprise “—I scored this from the bakery. Are you interested?”

“Who wouldn’t be interested in key lime pie?” Kent raised an eyebrow when she cut a slice.

“What?” She studied the piece then chuckled. “Too small? Well, okay then.” Jaclyn whacked out a much larger hunk of pie with her plastic knife. “Better?”

“Much better. Thank you.” He dug in with relish.

“I’ll have to jog for hours after this.” She tasted her pie and sighed.

“You can join Zac. He’s always jogging.” Kent told her about their other school friend, Nick, and she shared the latest on her best friends Shay and Brianna.

“I remember Shay was offered some kind of contract just after her dad lost his job,” Kent said.

“Modeling, yes. She felt she couldn’t decline it because they needed the money so badly. Her father was broke. But he’s gone now and she’s finishing her physiotherapy degree. And Brianna is a practicing psychologist now in Chicago.”

Kent finished his pie and added the plate and plastic fork to his garbage load.

“Both Shay and Brianna have gone through tough times.” Jaclyn gnawed on her lower lip. “It’s difficult to understand why things happen. Sometimes it seems to me that God expects too much of us humans.”

“I’ll second that.” The words spilled out of Kent in a rush of bitterness.

“I’m sure you miss Lisa,” she said before she could stop herself. So much for not bringing her up.

He nodded, accepted the cup of coffee she offered and they drank in silence for a while.

“I’m on call tonight so I might have to take off at any moment. We’d better get to work.” She cleaned up the remains from their meal then met his gaze. “What can I do to help?”

“It’s not necessary, really, Jaclyn.” Kent glanced at her clothes again then quickly busied himself donning his mask and gloves. “The meal was more than enough.”

Jaclyn let him go back to work then put on the white paper coveralls she’d brought, along with gloves and a mask. She began tapping the wall, trying to imitate Kent’s motions on the plaster surface. She must have tapped too hard because huge chunks dropped down at her feet.

“I’m not sure I need this much help,” he said, blue eyes twinkling.

“So tell me what I can do to help because I’m not going away.” She met his stare head-on, relieved when he finally gave a half nod.

“How about stripping the wallpaper?”

“I can do that.” She followed his directions and for the next hour worked feverishly, spraying, scrubbing and peeling away the old borders as she forced the stress from her mind and her muscles.

“How’s work going? Are you swamped yet?” Kent steadily removed the damaged material from the walls, never missing a stroke as he spoke.

“Ha! I wish. My practice is on the way to failure. People won’t even look me in the eye when I meet them on the street. Especially since I asked about the church and how it could be restored.” She yanked extra hard on a strip of paper and smiled as the entire piece came loose. “At last.”

He shrugged. “It might take a while but you’ll break through their reserve.”

“When will that be?” she demanded. “The day after the clinic closes because I don’t have any patients?”

“It’s not that bad,” he muttered.

“You think not? A woman came into the hospital with a sick baby today. I tried to help, but the mom took the kid away, saying they’d drive to Las Cruces. You know how far that is, especially for a sick child?” Frustration leached through though she tried to suppress it. “If this continues, it won’t matter if I open this clinic or not.” She gulped down her panic. “I need patients, Kent.”

He put down his hammer and turned to her.

“I’m really sorry this is happening, Jaclyn. It must feel terrible to be treated like that when you’re just trying to help.”

“I don’t care about me,” she sputtered. “It’s the kids that matter. Their parents won’t let me help.”

“None of them?” His voice softened, flowing over her with compassion.

“Not many. Officially I have eleven juvenile patients on my books. Eleven, Kent, in a population of—what’s the population of Hope? Three thousand?” She clenched her left hand as tears welled in spite of her efforts to suppress them. “I came here because I’m trying to make sure no other kid gets missed like Jessica did. Why is that wrong?”

“It’s not wrong.” He rested a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’s a wonderful, unselfish, kind and generous thing to do.”

“It can’t be that wonderful.” She dashed the tears away. “I know that God has a purpose for each of our lives, something only we can accomplish for him. I believe the clinic is my purpose. I’ve been praying about it for years. I’m here. I’m ready. So why doesn’t God help?”

* * *

If only Kent McCloy were privy to God’s thoughts.

“I don’t think I can explain God’s actions.” Kent lifted his hand off her delicate shoulder and turned so she couldn’t see his face. “I think I’m on a need-to-know basis with heaven.”

“Because of Lisa’s death, you mean?” Jaclyn sat down on an old sawhorse he’d brought from home, watching him carefully, her big brown eyes inviting him to share. “I can’t even imagine how hard it must have been for you. Do you want to talk about it?”

Hard didn’t begin to describe it, but no matter the release he might find sharing with Jaclyn, Kent wasn’t going to do it. He knew he was to blame. He didn’t want to watch the pity fill her eyes.

“No, I don’t.” That came off sounding harsh so he changed the subject back to her. “Eventually people will get to know you and realize your heart is right.” The last thing Hope needed was to lose yet another doctor. “Don’t give up.”

“Oh, I’m frustrated, Kent. But I’m a long way from giving up.” She rose, took another swipe at the wallpaper. “So how do I go about getting to know the people of Hope?”

“I’m not sure.” He carried a bucket of refuse out to the Dumpster. When he returned, Jaclyn was grinning. “What?”

“I have a great idea. I’m going to join some of their local groups. I can’t cook and I haven’t got a clue how to quilt, but if those groups exist here, I’ll join them.” Her chin lifted in determination. “You’ll have to tell me what kind of activities Hope offers because this place isn’t at all as I remember.”

“It’s the same place, but we’ve gone through some issues. When the town split over the mine almost two years ago, there were a lot of hard feelings. Cliques developed.” She frowned at him and he sought an example to illustrate his point. “Like there used to be a ladies’ aid society, but it’s for the pro ladies now,” he told her. “Pro meaning pro-mine. The ladies against the mine and the problems they thought it would bring to their families left that group and started their own. That one is called Hope Circle and it has no relationship with the other group.”

“Should I join one, or both?” She frowned, rubbing her chin.

“Don’t ask me. I don’t even know what they do in their meetings.” Kent shrugged. “I only know they do not do it together. We used to have a family bowling night. Everyone came out, brought their kids and had a great time together. Now we have the Christian night and the Followers’ night.”

“You’re kidding me,” Jaclyn said with a wry smile. Despite her messy work, she still looked as if she’d stepped out of a magazine. Her white paper suit did nothing to disguise her beauty.

“I wish I were kidding.” Kent forced his gaze off her. “The rift goes a lot deeper. Neighbors don’t talk to neighbors. Old friends don’t have coffee together. Fellow citizens bicker over fence lines and every other petty issue. It’s bad. They even insist on different services at the church. The place needs repair badly but nobody is willing to work with anybody else on it.” Talking about this made him feel worn-out. “I was a town councilor when it happened. Now I’m the mayor. It’s my fault things got so bad.”

“You feel responsible?” Jaclyn blinked at him. “Why?”

“I couldn’t find a way to mediate, to bring them together.” Painful reminders of arguments he’d interrupted, friends he’d tried to reunite and the bitterness underlying everything weighed on his soul. “In the end the town voted on it, the majority won and the mine went ahead, but the issues remain.”

“Democracy worked. How is that your fault?” When he stored his hammer in his toolkit, Jaclyn asked, “We’re finished for tonight?”

“I am. I’m beat. I had a very early morning.” Kent turned away as she shed her paper suit.

There was so much about this woman that spoke to him. Her beauty, her determination to give, her spunky grit in coming here to help him and her strength of purpose in keeping the vow she’d made her sister all demonstrated a woman filled with resolve and fortitude. Her determination astounded him—joining town groups after being virtually ostracized by the community was a gutsy move.

This was one amazing woman.

“There’s a long way to go with this place, isn’t there?” Her voice was quiet, almost solemn. She stood, holding the leftover pie, waiting for his answer as he locked the building.

“It’ll be tough, but it can be done.” Kent hoped he wasn’t going to regret saying that.

“But it’s costing you a lot. I should have considered that.” Under the streetlight, Jaclyn’s pale hair glowed like a halo around her heart-shaped face. “If you want to back out, tell me. I can find another way.”

“Can you?” Kent doubted it.

She looked so small, so delicate. A sudden urge to protect her from the gossip and the hurt she might endure overwhelmed him. Silly. He barely knew Jaclyn anymore.

And yet Kent did know her. He knew her heart was for her patients. He knew her commitment was total. After tonight he also knew her resolve was firm.

“I shouldn’t have asked you to do it. You have enough on your plate.” A tight little smile curved her very kissable mouth. “I don’t want to add to your burdens, Kent.”

“Too late.” He grinned. “I want to make this clinic happen, Jaclyn.” In that moment he realized it was true. “If they could forget their differences, the pristine countryside they’ve lost, the promises made and broken, the hurt feelings because they didn’t see things the same way—if they could only see that their differences are making us all weaker—” He sighed. “Maybe if they could unite in your clinic’s cause—well, I guess I see it as a sort of rallying point for people in Hope.”

“You do?” A fan of tiny smile lines appeared at the edge of her shining eyes. “How?”

“Your clinic isn’t part of the old system. It’s new, different. Maybe it can help undo past damage and end some of the bitterness. Maybe that’s God’s plan in all of this.” Kent had no business saying that since he wasn’t in touch with God anymore. But his idea about the clinic felt right.

“Thank you for saying that, Kent. I admit I was a little discouraged when I came here tonight, but I feel reenergized now. You can’t know how much that means to me.” She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his cheek before shoving the pie at him. “You’re a wonderful man, Kent. Lisa would be proud of you. Good night.” Jaclyn got into her car and drove away.

Lisa would be proud of you.

The surge of hope Kent had experienced drained away. Lisa wouldn’t be proud. She would know he was trying to make up for past mistakes. She would recognize that he was trying to redeem himself by getting this clinic up and running.

As if you could redeem yourself for causing your wife’s death.

God has a purpose for each of our lives, something only we can accomplish for him. The clinic is my purpose. Jaclyn’s words echoed inside his head as he drove the familiar route home.

What’s my purpose, God?

But as he pulled up to his house, memories of the past crowded out whatever answers God might have whispered.

If only Kent could have a chance to start fresh, like Jaclyn. He’d do so many things differently.

Maybe if he worked hard enough on her clinic, he could finally rise above his regrets.

Chapter Four

“But Dr. LaForge is a member of our group.”

“She can’t be! She’s a member of ours.”

Two days later the presidents of Hope’s two women’s committees glared at each other on Main Street—because of her. Jaclyn gulped. What had she gotten into?

“Can’t I be a member of both groups?” She heard the timidity in her own voice. Two heads swiveled to stare at her.

“Pro ladies have no relationship with Hope Circle. We stand for different things.” Heddy Grange’s rigid shoulders tightened even more.

Jaclyn swallowed hard and searched for some middle ground.

“But at the last meeting you discussed doing something to start restoration on the church. Hope Circle is also going to initiate fundraising for that.” The moment the words left her lips, Jaclyn knew it was the wrong thing to say.

“You copied our project?” Heddy’s voice rose with every word. “How dare you?”

“How dare you?” Missy Sprat snapped back. “We chose it first.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Ladies, please. Does it matter that you have both chosen to help the place where we all go to meet God?” Jaclyn thought the role of peacemaker ill-suited to her, but in this instance she had little choice. This was her fault. “Aren’t both of your groups really trying to extend God’s love? Can’t that be done better by working together? Won’t He bless all efforts to restore His house?”

The two frowned at her. Their silence lasted only a few seconds before the wrangling began again. Jaclyn laid a hand on each arm.

“I’m sorry, ladies. Perhaps it’s better if I resign from your groups,” she told them in a no-nonsense tone. “The church is an important part of my faith which is why I wanted to help restore it. I never meant to cause problems between you. I apologize.” Then she turned and walked down the street, aware the women were staring at her retreating back.

“Trouble?” Kent stood in front of his father’s building clad in jeans and a faded chambray shirt. His blue gaze hid behind sunglasses. “The three of you don’t look very happy—you least of all, Doc.”

“Happy? No, that would not apply to me at this precise moment in time.” Jaclyn grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “Please, can we go inside?”

“Need to escape, huh?” His rumbling chuckle shook his shoulders as he unlocked the door. “As mayor, I’ve come to know that feeling very well.”

“Why didn’t you warn me about what I was walking into?” Jaclyn flopped down on the sawhorse and exhaled. “I’ve probably ruined any church restoration plans.”

“I doubt it.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Those two were vying for supremacy long before you showed up in Hope. I don’t think your presence here has changed much.”

But Jaclyn couldn’t laugh. She’d added to the friction in town and she felt awful. “I should have minded my own business.”

“What happened?” he asked. Before she could finish her explanation he burst out laughing.

“This is not a laughing matter!” She glared at him.

“Sometimes you have to laugh. Or cry at the stupidity of it all.” His smile disappeared. “It really isn’t your fault. They would have found something to argue about. That’s how stupid this quarrel is.”

“But I want to be part of the town. That’s why I joined those groups, to work toward a common goal. I had this dumb idea that maybe I could make up for the past.” She bit her lip. “Instead, I’ve probably alienated them so much they’ll never speak to each other.”

“Oh, they’ll speak to each other. Otherwise holding the grudge would be pointless.” He smiled at her. “Forget about it. You tried to help. Let it go.”

“I can’t. Somehow I’ve got to do something to restore that church. If I can do that, maybe the town will find healing there.” She blinked, suddenly noticing the floor. “What happened?”

“Mildew. I had to tear out the carpet. Then I found some of the floor boards damaged. The roof leaked during the summer.” He scuffed his cowboy boot against a newly installed sheet of plywood. “Renovating this place is like removing an old woman’s makeup. You just keep pulling away layers.”

“I’m not sure I like the allusion.” She frowned. “Why do men always use women as their scapegoats? Cars are ‘she.’ Fires are ‘she.’” Jaclyn saw his shoulders shake with laughter and sighed. “Now I’m bickering! It’s contagious.”

“Yep. That’s why I say forget it. It can get you down if you let it.” Kent pulled off his sunglasses and studied her. “We can’t afford to lose you, or let you get caught up in somebody else’s feud. You’ve got things to do in Hope, remember?”

And suddenly she did remember. “Oh, brother, now I’ve done it.”

“What?” After a moment he stopped and leaned nearer. “You look funny.”

“I feel sick.” She slid off the sawhorse onto an upended pail. “How could I be so stupid?”

“What?”

“Kent, I promised I’d speak at those ladies’ groups.” She watched his smile die.

“What, both of them?”

She nodded. “Separately, of course.”

“Well, in light of today’s argument, maybe they’ll cancel and find somebody else,” he offered.

“By tonight?” She shook her head. “Heddy told me how hard it’s been to get speakers. Hope isn’t exactly sitting in the mainstream of a speaking route. She seemed to like my fundraising ideas and wanted me to tell the Pros about them. Truthfully I was kind of looking forward to it, too. I thought it would make things easier if I provided a little history about my night of terror.” She groaned. “Why didn’t I shut my mouth? Why did I even try?”

“Because you are generous and trying to help. Relax.” Kent pulled out his cell phone and dialed. “Hey, Margie. This is the mayor.” He listened for a minute, laughed and then said, “Is there a ladies’ group meeting tonight?” His blue eyes twinkled as he listened to the response. “Okay. Sounds like a good time. Thanks.” He flipped the phone closed. “It’s on and so are you. Apparently the word has gone out about your fundraising ideas for the church and a fair crowd is expected. Margie said she just talked to Heddy and nothing’s been canceled, not tonight and not tomorrow night.”

“I guess I’ll show up then.” Jaclyn got hung up on the dimple that sometimes appeared when his eyes crinkled with laughter. “Thanks, Kent. I hope you’ll pray for me while I’m there. It’s funny but walking into the church’s basement makes me feel like Daniel going into the lions’ den.”

He chuckled but he didn’t say he’d pray.

She checked her watch. “Yikes! I’ve got an appointment. I have to go.”

“So I guess that means you won’t be by tonight to work,” he teased before she dragged open the door.

Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.