Читать книгу Falling For The Single Mom - Mia Ross - Страница 12

Chapter Three

Heather went through Josh’s front door and into a living room that clearly announced the owner wasn’t around much. The couch and mismatched chairs looked old, the throw pillows were faded and the windows were unblocked by drapes. Through an open side door, she glimpsed a bedroom that looked as if it had recently been through a mini tornado.

In short, the single-story cottage was the very definition of a bachelor pad. Then she noticed the collection of framed pictures on the dusty mantel and walked over for a better look. The people in them bore an unmistakable resemblance to one another, and she smiled at the scenes of picnics and muddy backyard football games. In one, a much younger version of her new boss, Erin, was standing atop a pyramid, arms extended in triumph. Recognizing Josh on the bottom row, Heather asked, “How old were you in this one?”

“Oh, thirteen maybe. Those are my older brothers, Mike and Drew, on either side of me. Right after Mom got this shot, the foundation guys pulled out, and everyone but Erin landed in a pile on top of us. The princess ended up breaking her arm.”

“That wasn’t very nice of you.”

Unfazed by her scolding, he chuckled. “You should’ve heard what she was yelling at the time. That wasn’t very nice, either.”

Heather hadn’t met all the Kinleys yet, but from what she’d gathered, they were one of those big, raucous families that had a lot of fun together. She’d been so occupied by their move that getting acquainted with the rest of Erin’s family hadn’t been a priority for her before. But now Heather found herself looking forward to meeting the rest of the clan.

“All right,” she said briskly, heading for the kitchen. “Let’s get that hand cleaned up so you don’t scare the doctor half to death when you show up at his office.”

“I really can drive myself,” Josh argued while she rummaged through a small bank of cupboards for a clean towel and some peroxide. “You don’t have to babysit me like I’m ten.”

Heather glanced out the window at his vintage green pickup and then gave him a raised-eyebrow look. “I’m guessing that monster has a standard transmission?”

“Yeah. So?”

In answer, she dabbed at the slice cutting across his palm that still hadn’t stopped bleeding and held a thick gauze pad in place before wrapping a thin dish towel around his hand. Leveling a stern glare at this unexpectedly stubborn man, she announced, “You’re not using this hand until it’s been stitched and dressed by a professional. Period, end of story.”

“You sound like my mom.”

“Good, then I must be doing it right.” Tying the makeshift bandage to keep it in place, she grabbed the keys from their hook by the back door. “Now, let’s go. I have plenty of other patients waiting for me at the clinic.”

In truth, she didn’t know that for certain, but she was hoping that the softhearted farmer’s affection for the animals would nudge him to get moving in the right direction. He didn’t protest any further, which she was grateful for, and they walked out to his truck together. She wasn’t used to dealing with patients who talked back, and it was more than a little unsettling.

This one surprised her by strolling to the driver’s door and opening it for her. Considering the fact that he was probably miffed at her right now, the gentlemanly gesture made her smile. “Thank you.”

“Sure. Doc Sheppard’s on Main Street, up a ways from the Oaks Café, right across from the park. It’s a big old Victorian, gray with a red front door and black trim around the windows. You can’t miss it.”

Armed with those directions, Heather engaged the clutch, dropped the truck into Reverse and stepped on the gas. With a stomach-rolling lurch, the pickup flew backward for several yards before her reflexes kicked in and she managed to slam on the brakes.

“Not a word,” she cautioned, easing the shifter into first gear.

He obliged her, but she could almost feel him grinning at her. When she flicked a look toward him, he pulled a sober face that did nothing to mask the humor glinting in his eyes. Deciding to let her irritation go, she focused on moving through the gears on the old truck without shredding the transmission. By the time they got to town, she had the hang of it and parked in a small lot beside a graceful old home with a wrought iron signpost that read Henry Sheppard, MD.

“I’d love to have my office in a place like this someday,” she commented while they walked to the side door marked for visitors. “The house itself is gorgeous, and he can’t beat the commute to work.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty nice.”

Once they were inside, she waited while Josh spoke to a receptionist who looked as if she might have been an original occupant of the stately home. “Hi, Mrs. Sheppard. Is the doc available?”

Tsking at him, the physician’s wife came around the desk to frown at Josh’s towel-wrapped hand. “Oh, that looks bad. What have you done this time?”

When he explained, she shook her head with a sympathetic expression. “You poor dear.” Then she turned her attention to Heather, offering a slender hand. “You must be the new vet everyone’s been buzzing about. I’m Louise Sheppard, otherwise known as the doc’s wife. Welcome to Oaks Crossing.”

Everyone? Heather echoed silently. She’d been here only a few days, and she was already the hot topic around town? In Detroit, she’d been just another face in a very large crowd, so she wasn’t accustomed to being singled out this way. She did her best to summon a friendly smile. “Thank you.”

“How does your niece like our day care?” the woman continued. “My daughter-in-law Tammy started it over the winter, and she’s thrilled to have another preschooler in the class.”

“This is her first week there, but she seems to be doing fine. Shouldn’t you be getting the doctor to have a look at Josh’s hand?” she added as politely as she could.

“Of course. How silly of me to be rambling along when there’s work to be done. You have a seat, and I’ll go let Henry know you’re here.”

Within a few minutes, a plump woman was escorted into the waiting room by a tall, white-haired man wearing an open lab coat over a navy polo shirt and khakis. “You get that prescription filled,” he told her, “and I’ll be calling you tomorrow morning to see how that cough is. Meantime, get some rest and have your daughter make you that wonderful peach cobbler of hers. Best medicine around,” he said with a wink that suggested he’d sampled the dessert himself.

The woman thanked him and beamed at Josh, who’d jumped up to hold the door open for her. “Such a good boy. Say hello to your mother for me.”

“Will do, Mrs. Gilbert. Hope you’re feeling better soon.”

Covering her mouth with a lace-edged handkerchief, she coughed and held up a hand in farewell as she left. Once she was gone, the doctor turned to Josh with a stern look. “What have you done this time?”

Heather noticed that he’d repeated his wife’s earlier question word for word, and she wondered how often Josh had been here with injuries over the years. With a sheepish look, Josh unwrapped his hand and stood patiently while the physician assessed the damage. Then the doctor did something that stunned Heather.

Angling a glance at her, he asked, “What do you think?”

She waited a beat so her surprise at being consulted wouldn’t come across. “Several stitches will close up the wound itself. The metal was rusty, so if he’s due for a tetanus booster, this would be a good time for it.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Nodding, he smiled proudly at her as if she were his star pupil. Foolish as it seemed, she felt a sense of pride at having earned the approval of such an experienced medical professional. “Come on back, son, and we’ll get you fixed up in no time.”

Suddenly, what had been a straight wind began to howl in the eaves of the old house, and Josh scowled at the ceiling. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“I’ve heard worse,” Dr. Sheppard assured him on their way toward one of two examining rooms. “Just look at it this way—the rain will give you a day off to watch TV and rest your hand.”

Josh grumbled a reply, but she didn’t catch the words before the door closed behind him. Since she had the keys to his truck, Heather realized that she’d be waiting around until he was finished. So she took the opportunity to sit down and check in with the clinic.

“Hi, Sierra, it’s Heather. My walk got interrupted by Josh hurting his hand, so I’m in town with him at Dr. Sheppard’s. I shouldn’t be much longer. Do you need anything in the meantime?”

“It’s pretty quiet here, so we’re focused on those drop-off kittens. Bekah and I can handle things until you get back.”

When she’d accepted Erin’s job offer, Heather hadn’t anticipated inheriting such an accomplished staff. Yet another pleasant surprise in this picturesque town that she hadn’t even heard of until a month ago. By the time she checked her few emails and responded to a thumbs-up text from Bailey’s day care teacher, Josh emerged from his ordeal with a much thicker wrapping on his injured hand and a lollipop in the other.

“I was brave,” he explained before popping the treat into his mouth.

“It’s a good thing you’re built sturdy,” the doctor teased him with a chuckle. “’Cause you sure do take a beating on that farm.”

As if on cue, a gust of wind banged several of the hinged wooden shutters against the side of the house. Before anyone could comment on the noise, a boom of thunder rattled the air, followed almost immediately by a flash of lightning.

Then a deafening crack split the air, unlike anything she’d ever heard in her life. Josh’s eyes zoomed in on something outside, and he tossed away his lollipop as he ran from the lobby. “Doc, call the fire department!”

Following his line of sight, Heather saw what had propelled him to make such a dramatic exit. On the other side of the town square was the old Colonial that housed the day care Mrs. Sheppard was so excited about. The front section of the house had been crushed under an enormous oak tree, obviously felled by the lightning strike.

Bailey.

Stifling a horrified scream, Heather raced after Josh, only to be thrown back by a stiff wind driving a wall of rain so fierce, it nearly knocked her down. Struggling against the storm, she doggedly fought her way across the park, arriving at the building a few seconds after Josh.

The door to a side landing was open, and three women stood there, apparently trying to decide how to best get the children to safety. Dodging fallen limbs and a tangle of branches, Josh pushed toward the porch with Heather close on his heels. When they reached the house, she was terrified to see that the tree had only partially fallen, the rest of it hanging precariously by what appeared to be nothing more than a few splinters.

“Everyone okay?” he asked no one in particular, glancing at the roiling clouds overhead.

“I think so,” one of the teachers said. “We’re counting heads right now. We need to get out of here before the rest of that tree comes down on us.”

“Good idea,” he replied in a voice that Heather thought was abnormally calm considering the perilous situation. “How many kids are here today?”

“Ten, and they can all walk on their own.”

“They’ll fit in my truck. I’ll be right back.”

Heather gave him back his keys and begged him to hurry, but he was already dashing across the park. She stayed behind to help gather the children together, all the while searching the frightened group for Bailey. Just as Josh’s truck pulled up alongside the landing, the fourth teacher joined them, a grim expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Heather demanded, feeling panic starting to creep in. “Where’s Bailey?”

“She went to the bathroom just before things got bad. I tried yelling in to her, but I couldn’t hear anything over the wind. I didn’t see her anywhere else, so I think she’s still in there. I’m so sorry, but I couldn’t get through to her. We’ll have to wait for the fire crew.”

The emergency siren in town began wailing as the young woman sent a look toward the front section of the house buried beneath the trunk of a tree at least six feet in diameter. Seized with dread, Heather took one step in that direction before a pair of strong hands clamped down on her shoulders to stop her.

Infuriated by the manhandling, she jerked free and glowered up at Josh. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Give these ladies a hand getting the kids over to the church,” he replied in that calm, steady voice, cradling her trembling hand in his as he pressed his keys into her palm. “You’ll all be safe there until the storm’s over.”

“I’m not leaving Bailey here. She could be hurt.” Or worse, she added silently.

“I’ll get her, and we’ll meet you over there in a few minutes,” he said as if they were discussing plans to rendezvous at the playground. When she refused to move, he gave her a gentle smile. “I promise.”

Recognizing that she wouldn’t be much help with the dangerous heavy lifting he’d have to do just to reach the bathrooms, Heather reluctantly gave in. “She hasn’t met you, and she’s been taught never to go anywhere with a stranger. Her safe word is unicorn. That little girl means everything to me,” she added as tears slipped down her cheeks. “Please don’t let anything happen to her.”

“I won’t.”

With that simple vow, he was gone.

* * *

The restrooms were at the very front of the house, and Josh carefully picked his way through the rubble, moving as quickly as he dared. If he could safely slide an obstacle aside he did, but for the most part he was ducking and crawling. Built of century-old oak, the remaining trusses overhead didn’t look like much to him, and the groaning timbers indicated that the structure wouldn’t hold up much longer.

After what felt like forever, he found the door to the girls’ bathroom lying askew on the floor, the painted picture of Little Bo-Peep torn from all but one of its screws. The jamb was cockeyed but more or less intact, and he murmured a quick prayer for Bailey’s safety before stepping inside. The lights had been knocked from their sockets, so the only light came from a small window. Dust and debris hung in the air like a dense fog, making it nearly impossible for him to see.

Taking out his phone, he turned on its flashlight and swept the room, hunting for a child who was probably scared out of her mind. A huge limb had crushed the stalls, but thankfully no one was in either of them. The shrieking wind died down for a few seconds, and he heard a whimper off to his right. He swung the light around to find a dust-covered little girl cowering under one of the sinks.

“Hey there,” he said in a purposefully casual tone. “I’m thinking you must be Bailey Fitzgerald.”

Blue eyes wide with fear, she mutely stared back at him. She was holding her left arm but otherwise appeared to be unharmed. The roof shifted ominously overhead, and he realized that if he didn’t get her out of here quickly, they might be trapped inside when the rafters caved in. He didn’t dare crawl over to her, for fear of disturbing the pile of debris that was currently holding up what remained of the ceiling.

Since she was much smaller than him, he thought Bailey could wiggle out of her hiding place and over to where he was standing without compromising the stack. Hoping to coax her into the open, he forced a grin. “I’m Josh Kinley, Erin’s little brother. Your aunt sent me in here to make sure you washed your hands.”

That got him nothing, and panic started creeping up his spine. If she wouldn’t come to him, he’d have to go in after her and risk toppling the pile onto them both. Just when he was beginning to think that was his only option, he remembered what Heather had told him about unicorns. He didn’t know what a safe word was, but he figured he had nothing to lose by trying.

“Your aunt said that when I found you, I should tell you ‘unicorn.’”

Like a key to a lock, the single word opened her up, and in a trembling voice she said, “I’m scared.”

“I know, but you’re gonna be fine. If I hold this beam up, do you think you can crawl over here?”

She nodded, and he braced his hands on the timber to keep it steady while she shimmied across the floor. When she reached him, he let the beam go and swept her into his arms, backing into the hallway as quickly as he could. Several chunks of ceiling rained down on them, and she shrank against him with a fearful scream. Hunching around her to protect her as much as he could, he hurried from the collapsing building, maneuvering around upended furniture and sections of the roof that were hailing down on him at an alarming rate.

Each chunk was larger and heavier than the last, and by the time he burst from the side door, every inch of him felt as if it had been bruised in a fight. But Bailey was in one piece, and that was all that mattered. Josh didn’t stop to check her over but ran straight to the church, where an anxious Heather was waiting just inside the entryway doors, her worried gaze fixed on the ruined day care center.

When she saw them coming, she bolted down the front steps and into the driving rain. She met them in the middle of Main Street, oblivious to the storm still raging around her. Without a word, Josh handed Bailey over to her, watching as they hugged and cried in a touching reunion that might have ended so differently.

“My arm hurts,” Bailey said as they made their way up the steps to where it was warm and dry. It struck Josh that the small white chapel was serving as a sanctuary for all of them, and he looked up with a grateful smile. He was too exhausted to do more than that, but he was sure that God knew what he meant.

“Doc Sheppard can take care of that,” Josh assured her, nodding to where the kind man was tending to one of her classmates. “And if you’re brave, he’ll give you your choice of lollipops.”

“I like grape.”

“Yeah? Me, too.” Grinning at the resilient child, he shifted his gaze to Heather, whose face was beginning to regain some of its color. “How ’bout you?”

It was obvious she was still trying to shake off their ordeal, though she looked up as if thinking it over. “I like cherry.”

“I’ll ask the doctor to give you a cherry one, Aunt Heather,” Bailey suggested. “You were brave today, too.”

“Thanks, bean. I appreciate that.” Wrapping her in a hug, Heather looked up at Josh with tears of gratitude shining in her eyes. “I know it’s not close to being enough for what you did, but thank you.”

“Aw, it was nothin’,” he replied, ticking Bailey’s nose with his finger. “Always glad to lend a lady a hand.”

“You’re a hero,” the girl informed him. “Like Superman.”

“Well, now, that’s kinda cool.”

“Yes, it is,” Heather agreed, “but right now, I think we should get you both taken care of.”

“I’m fine,” Josh assured her. When she nodded at his left hand, he looked down to see that the nice, neat wrapping was now filthy and shredded into several pieces. “Huh. How ’bout that?”

Tired and half-drowned, the three of them crossed the church to where Doc Sheppard was using one of the front pews as a makeshift office. He gave Josh a proud smile, then turned his attention to Bailey. “And what brings you by to see me, young lady?”

“My arm hurts. And I like grape lollipops.”

“I see you’ve been talking to Josh.” The grandfatherly man chuckled as he examined her arm. “He’s one of my best customers, you know.”

While he chatted with Bailey and assessed her injuries, Heather glanced over at Josh and gave him a sweet smile that warmed him from his dripping hair to his waterlogged boots. He didn’t want to ruin one of the antique oak pews, so he braced his back against the wall and slid down to sit on the carpet runner that stretched the length of the side aisle to wait for his turn with the doctor.

What a day, he mused, taking advantage of the relative calm to close his eyes. Right now, that plan of watching TV that Doc had mentioned was sounding pretty good to him.