Читать книгу Doctor's Orders - Sharon De Vita - Страница 11

By the time Cassie closed the salon for the night she was late. A last-minute walk-in had delayed her by almost an hour and a half.

It was dark now, and the weather had turned bitter and nasty. Snow was falling much harder, slicking the streets and coating the sidewalks, making both walking and driving hazardous. Luckily, she didn’t have too far to go, and Beau had picked up Sofie earlier because Cassie was running so late.

Cassie shut off the lights for the night, grabbed her purse and let herself out the front door, locking up behind her.

Standing on the sidewalk, blanketed by fast-falling snow, she couldn’t help but grin when she looked at the front of her shop, feeling an unexpected thrill.

She’d done it, she thought giddily, resisting the urge to hug herself as she headed toward her car. It had taken her six long, hard years to accomplish her dreams, she thought with a sigh as she brushed snow off her windshield, then unlocked the car and got in. But it had been worth it. Every terrifying moment. Safety and security for herself and her daughter, as well as her own hard-won independence, were what were important to her, what she’d worked so hard to gain.

While other women her age were living a carefree existence, out shopping for shoes, sipping lattes and partying at night while they patiently waited for Mr. Right to show up, she was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.

She’d learned firsthand how high the cost of trusting the wrong man could be. And she was determined not to make that kind of mistake—with any man—ever again.

Which was why Dr. Beau Bradford frightened her so much, she realized with a shiver. He reminded her far too much of Sofie’s selfish, irresponsible father. An immature young man who had used his good looks and charm to infiltrate her young life and take advantage of her inexperience and her youth. Then just as quickly he had used his parents’ money and power to extricate himself from her life once he’d learned they were going to be teenage parents.

In spite of all the hardships she’d endured in order to keep and raise her daughter, Cassie had never regretted her decision to become a single parent, not for one moment, because Sofie was worth more than life itself.

And things had been going fairly well until about a month ago, when a trip home to Cooper’s Cove for her aunt Louella’s wedding had changed their lives.

Trixie, the owner of the town beauty salon, had said she was retiring and looking for someone to take over the running and managing of the shop—someone who’d also be interested in buying it.

Afraid to get her hopes up, Cassie had spent three days negotiating with Trixie. On the third day, she’d finally signed the papers agreeing to manage the shop for five years with a percentage of the monthly profits going toward a buy-out. Within a week, she’d secured financing for a small-business loan to remodel and update the shop. And she was on her way. In five years the shop would be hers and hers alone. Bought and paid for with her own hands and hard work, she thought now, squinting to see through her snow-covered windshield as she slowly inched down Main Street.

She’d also accepted her mother’s offer to move back home. Now that Aunt Louella had married and moved out, her mother had been living all alone in that big house. Cassie had to admit that her mom wasn’t getting any younger and she worried about her being alone.

Cassie sighed again as she squinted harder in the darkness, trying to find the turnoff to Beau’s house.

Beau’s towering, crumbling house finally came into view, and Cassie let out a shaky breath as she slowly turned into the long driveway. She hated driving in the snow and ice, especially when it was so dark and cold.

The three-story stone house with the wide, straight driveway sat back at least a half mile from the road, making it difficult to see clearly through the snowy windshield. Snow was falling so hard now that visibility was nearly nil.

Lights were blazing inside and out and Cassie had to smile as she turned off her car. The house looked like one of those spooky old mansions in the campy horror flicks she used to love as a teen.

Grabbing her purse and gloves from the seat, she opened her car door, and braced herself for the cold and windy walk to the huge front door. Huddling inside her coat and clutching her purse to her chest, she stood on the front stoop for a few seconds, admiring the beautiful classic lines of the old stone house. It must have been a showplace at one time.

There was an old silver knocker on the door, but no bell, so she lifted the knocker and heard the resounding boom inside. She waited a moment, expecting Dr. Beau to open the door. But when it was slowly pulled open with a creak, Cassie found herself peering into the eyes of a small, rotund man who strongly resembled a mischievous leprechaun.

“Aye, who is it bothering me now?” he bellowed, his voice tinged with a heavy Irish brogue. Scowling, he blinked at her from around the door as if she’d materialized out of thin air.

Cassie swallowed, resisting the urge to step back. She had a feeling this was Dr. Beau’s uncle.

He was about as round as he was tall. His white fringe of hair sprouted in tufts around his ears and temples as if he’d been tugging at it. His eyes were big, blue and twinkling with good humor, but at the moment, they were also a bit confused, as if she’d interrupted him from some intense project. His cheeks were full and rosy, as if he’d been dashing about in the snow.

He looked like a slightly unkempt mad scientist leprechaun. Cassie resisted the urge to chuckle. Now she knew what Beau had meant about his uncle being…eccentric. In spite of it, she had to admit he was absolutely adorable.

“Have you found them, yet?” he asked in a conspiratorial whisper, surprising her as he intently peered around the door at her.

“Found them?” Cassie repeated, blinking back at him.

He nodded. “Aye, lassie, I’m heartily afraid they’ve gone off on their own again.” He looked at her, eyes wide and innocent. “Oh, don’t be alarmed, it’s not the first time, lassie, no siree. They’ve conspired for years to drive me daft. And now, I’m afraid they’ve gone off on their own again. Sprouted legs as sure as I’m standing here.”

“Sprouted legs?” Cassie repeated. She leaned closer to him. “Who?” she whispered, glancing around to see if someone sprouting legs was in the vicinity.

“Me spectacles, of course, lassie,” he admitted with a sad shake of his head. “They’ve gone a’traveling again,” he added with another sigh, and a light, impatient tug on his white hair, making Cassie smile again. “They’re trying to drive me daft for sure.”

“Um…actually,” she began slowly, as she reached toward him. “Um, may I?”

His face was blank as he blinked up at her. “Aye, yes, please, please,” he encouraged with a wave, letting his gaze follow her hands so that his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.

“I think this should do it,” Cassie said, lowering his glasses from where they’d been hiding on his balding head to rest them gently on his nose.

He blinked owlishly at her from behind the thick, heavy glasses as if seeing clearly for the first time in a long time. Then his face cleared and he beamed at her.

“Ah, so that’s where they went off to,” he said. “I’ve been searching for them for hours.” Now that he had his glasses on, he looked her over from head to toe. “Well, for St. Margaret’s sake, lassie, who on earth left you standing out in the snow and cold?” he asked as if there was someone else in the foyer deliberately being rude to her. “Come in, come in. ’Tis colder than an Englishman’s heart out there,” he said with a cluck of his tongue, reaching for her hands and drawing her into the warmth of the huge foyer. “Ah, lass, I’m sorry, you’ll think I’ve no manners now that you’re chilled to the bone.”

Cassie shivered a bit as she stepped inside and snuck a quick glance at the interior. She almost caught her breath. The foyer was as wide as her mother’s living room and twice as long, with black-and-white marble tile floors, peeling wallpaper, and a gorgeous, but delicate fading fresco on the ceiling. There were two large, elegant arched entryways on either side of the foyer, leading to what she assumed were other rooms.

“Uncle Jasper?” Beau walked into the foyer from one of the adjoining rooms, one hand in Sofie’s. The moment he spotted Cassie, he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes meeting hers. She had to swallow hard, knowing that intense masculine gaze was taking in every inch of her.

“You made it.” His smile was wide and welcoming, as his gaze slid over her and a pool of warmth puddled in her center.

Lord, the man’s impact was incredible. No wonder every woman in town was after him.

“Mama!” Sofie skipped toward her, delight shining in her eyes. “Guess what? Guess what?” Hair a mess, Sofie was all but bouncing out of her scuffed and bruised school shoes. “Dr. Beau and I already looked at the stars and the solar system and Dr. Beau’s gonna help me with my science project.”

“He is, is he?” Cassie said, grinning down at her daughter. A fierce surge of love rose up in her. “That’s wonderful, honey.” Absently, Cassie reached out and tightened one of Sofie’s barrettes so her hair wouldn’t fall in her face.

Sofie tugged her mother’s hand. “And you know what else, Mama? Uncle Jasper’s got a telescope, a real big one and he said after dinner I could look through it, and maybe I could see to another planet! And then, Mama, we’re gonna play checkers. Me and Uncle Jasper.” Sofie tugged on her hand again. “And Dr. Beau says he has lots of good ideas for my science fair project,” Sofie continued, obviously thrilled as she turned to stare adoringly at Beau. “And he said…that maybe…” Sofie hesitated, frowning back up at her mother.

“What, sweetheart?” Cassie asked, bending down so she was eye level with her daughter.

“Well, do you think maybe…I mean…could I maybe invite some kids from school over to help with my science project?” Sofie peeked at her mother from under lowered lashes.

“You want to invite some kids from school over, honey?” Cassie repeated in surprise and her daughter nodded, then grinned, rocking back and forth on the heels of her school shoes.

“Dr. Beau said sometimes it’s good to have the help of your friends with a big project. ’Specially a big science project.”

“He did, did he?” Cassie said, glancing up at Beau. That was some miracle act the man had performed, Cassie realized, wondering just what he’d said to her daughter. This afternoon Sofie had wanted to run away from the very same kids she now wanted to invite over.

She was definitely going to have to learn the man’s secret.

“Well, I think it would be wonderful to invite your friends over. How about on Sunday? The shop is closed and I’ll be home all day, and I can make my special homemade pizzas.” She brushed Sofie’s dark hair from her eyes. “What do you say?”

“Really?” Sofie breathed, her eyes going wide in excitement. “Mama makes the bestest pizzas ever.”

“She does?” Beau said with a smile and a lift of his brow. His gaze remained on Cassie, making her want to fidget. She should probably invite him for pizza, she realized, considering how kind he’d been to Sofie. But she just couldn’t get the words out, not wanting to willingly spend more time than necessary with the man. “I guess I’ll have to try some.”

“Wanna come for lunch Sunday?” Sofie asked and Cassie almost groaned.

Beau saw the look on her face before she could disguise it and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “I think that would be lovely, Sofie. Thank you.” He merely flashed Cassie a grin as she scowled. He’d done that deliberately, she realized. Deliberately agreed to come to lunch simply because he knew he made her uncomfortable. The blasted man!

While Cassie and Beau merely stared at each other, Sofie tugged her mother’s hand again. “And Mama, Uncle Jasper says I’m really, really smart, and that being smart is a good thing, and not any reason to run away. Isn’t that right, Uncle Jasper?”

“Aye, absolutely, lassie, ’tis a truly wonderful thing,” Jasper confirmed with a nod of his head, reaching for her free hand. “The very best thing,” he added, taking Sofie’s hand and giving Cassie and Beau an encompassing glance. “And now, if you’ll excuse us, the littlest princess and I have a date.” He winked at Sofie, who beamed at him, clearly delighted to be the center of attention. “Isn’t that right, lassie?”

Sofie’s dark head bobbed. “That’s right, Uncle Jasper.”

Uncle Jasper’s voice trailed off as he led Sofie out of the foyer. Cassie couldn’t help it, she started to laugh.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Beau, trying to contain herself. “But he’s absolutely…adorable.” Still laughing, she shook her head. “And totally charming. He’s just wonderful.”

“Yeah, he is,” Beau said as he glanced after his uncle. “The best thing that ever happened to me,” he added softly, and Cassie was surprised by the genuine emotion in his voice.

“He raised you, didn’t he?” she asked gently, remembering what he’d said this afternoon about being teased, and Beau nodded.

“I was five when my parents were killed in a car accident on the way home from a scientific seminar. All I knew was that my parents went away for the weekend and never came back.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cassie said, her heart aching for him. She could still hear the shock and pain of the enormous loss somewhere in the deep timbre of his voice. Unconsciously, she reached out and laid a hand on his arm, instinctively wanting to comfort. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to have been orphaned at such a young age.

“My uncle Jasper was my father’s only brother, and the brilliant eccentric in the family, according to my dad, who was no slouch in either department himself. I’d never met Uncle Jasper, at least not that I remembered.” He laughed suddenly, dragging a hand through his black hair. “So here I was, sitting at the bottom of the steps in this big old house—my parents’ house,” he clarified, glancing around the familiar foyer. “Which wasn’t much different from this place. I’m all alone in the world, and scared out of my mind when the front door bursts open and this ball of Irish energy comes bounding in. I could only stare at him with my mouth open,” he recalled, humor glinting in his eyes. “He had on a shirt that was buttoned crookedly and hanging out of pants which weren’t zipped, but were held up by some kind of metal chain he’d somehow gotten tangled and knotted around him. He had on two pairs of glasses, one pair on his eyes, one pair resting on top of his head, and a pair of mismatched shoes.” Beau chuckled. “Actually, it was a slipper and a shoe. He usually gets distracted halfway through getting dressed so that’s why he’s only half-dressed most of the time. Either Shorty or I usually catch up to him to fix him up before he goes out in public, but I didn’t know that then. Then, I was just a scared, bewildered five-year-old,” he admitted quietly. “Especially when the first words out of Uncle Jasper’s mouth were ‘Can you cook, laddie?’” He did a fantastic imitation of his uncle’s heavy Irish brogue and Cassie covered her mouth to smother a chuckle, visualizing the picture.

“And what did you say?”

Tongue in cheek, he shook his head. “The truth. I said very solemnly, ‘I’m sorry, sir, but I’m only five years old.’”

Cassie’s tender heart almost melted. She could almost see him, she realized. The small, scared vulnerable little boy, all alone in the world, not knowing what was to become of him, facing Uncle Jasper for the first time.

She thought of her own daughter at that age, how totally vulnerable she’d been, and Cassie’s heart ached a little more for him.

“Uncle Jasper just nodded, then he took one good long look at me, went down on his knee so we were eye level, opened his arms and said, ‘Aye laddie, I’m sorry this happened to us, but I’ve been waiting my whole life for you. ’ One single tear slowly ran down his face and I knew then Uncle Jasper was probably just as scared as I was. He just hugged me tight and said, ‘Me and Shorty, we came to take you home, laddie.’” Beau’s voice had dropped, but now he chuckled again, then shook his head. “And I knew everything was going to be okay,” he said with a careless shrug that she knew hid a well of emotion. “We’ve been together and a family ever since.”

“That’s a wonderful story,” she said quietly, blinking the mist from her eyes. “Did you ever learn to cook?” she asked, making him chuckle again.

“Nope, can’t even boil eggs,” Beau said with a grin, closing the distance between them to help her off with her coat. He leaned close until his breath warmed the back of her neck, making her vividly aware of the pulsing ache of yearning slowly spreading its hot fingers through her belly. Cassie had to swallow to dispel some of her nervousness, smothering the wave of awareness that was making every female nerve ending stand at attention.

She was supposed to be immune to this type of man, she reminded herself firmly.

“Cassie,” he whispered close to her ear. “I want you to know I feel exactly the same way about your mother and your aunt as you do about Uncle Jasper,” he said, looping her coat over his arm and stepping back from her. “They’re wonderful as far as I’m concerned.”

“Well, thank you, but I’m going to remind you of that the next time mama or Aunt Louella rushes into your office and tells you to do some outrageous thing like turn all your faucets on so that your pipes don’t freeze when it’s not even cold out.”

Beau chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve had plenty of experience with the outrageous?”

“Living with Mama and Aunt Louella was always one outrageous adventure after another,” she admitted. “But I adore both of them and wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He chuckled again, then grew sober, his gaze finding hers and sending a fluttering straight through to her timid heart. “I’m glad you made it,” he said softly. “It’s a miserable night.”

She wanted to glance away, to break contact with those gorgeous blue eyes, but mentally scolded herself for being a coward.

He was just a man, for goodness sake. She’d dealt with hundreds of men in her life, probably thousands. There was certainly no reason to get all flustered every time this one looked at her.

Still, there was something very different about this man that made her very aware of her own feelings and emotions. It was just a tad unnerving since she truly thought herself immune to any kind of man.

She rubbed her hands together and glanced back at the windows on either side of the large front door, wanting to break the connection between them.

“It is getting bad out,” she admitted with a rueful smile. “I could barely see driving here because the snow’s coming down so hard. And I don’t even want to think about having to drive home in it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, taking her arm and leading her out of the foyer. “I’ve got a heavy four-wheel-drive vehicle so I can make house calls no matter what the weather. If it gets much worse I’ll drive you and Sofie home, and Shorty can return your car in the morning. Deal?”

She looked into his eyes and had to remind herself she was merely here to help her daughter. She was doing this for Sofie. There was nothing between them. Nothing personal at all, she reminded herself. So all these feelings coursing through her, confusing her, alarming her, were to be ignored.

“Deal,” she agreed reluctantly, making him smile.

“When I picked Sofie up from your mother’s, we had a chance to chat,” he said with a mysterious smile, glancing down at her as he led the way through the foyer. “And before I picked up Sofie, I made a couple of other stops at a couple of other first graders’ house’s as well,” he said with a knowing lift of his brow. “Seems there is a bit of disruption going on with two of the boys. One’s parents are separating—”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Cassie said softly.

“And the other’s grandmother recently passed away very suddenly. They were apparently very close so the boy’s quite traumatized by the loss.”

“Oh, Beau, the poor thing,” Cassie said, her heart softening toward the boys whom just this afternoon she wanted to thrash. “So they’re both having some personal problems of their own. I guess their behavior is understandable under the circumstances.”

“Understandable, yes, but certainly not justifiable, Cassie,” he said quietly. “Just because they’re having personal problems doesn’t give them the right to take out their pain on someone else.”

“You’re right,” she said, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “But at least we know there is a reason for this behavior and they’re not just being cruel to Sofie.”

He chuckled. “It would be hard to find anyone who’s deliberately cruel in Cooper’s Cove. I think the mayor forbade it decades ago. But it does explain what I was trying to tell you this afternoon, those feelings of insecurity I was talking about.”

Cassie nodded, listening intently as he continued.

“So, I had a little chat with both boys, and then with their parents. Separately of course, which is how I found out all this info. And I think I’ve worked up a solution for all involved, at least to the teasing and bullying problem.” A shadow passed over his features. “Let’s hope it’s enough to do the trick.”

She was desperately trying to pay attention to his words, but he was so close she could see the sparkle in his eyes and the small laugh lines around his mouth….

He’d changed into more casual clothes, she suddenly realized. Gone was the professional suit he’d always worn in his office. Now, he had on soft, well-worn jeans, a heavy Irish cable knit sweater and work boots. Much to Cassie’s annoyance it made him look far less intimidating and a great deal more appealing.

She forced herself to keep her mind on the subject at hand. “Judging from the change in Sofie’s attitude since you brought her home from school this afternoon, she’s feeling better about the situation as well,” Cassie said, still shocked by the difference in her daughter. This problem with Sofie hadn’t been far from her mind all afternoon. “It’s amazing, isn’t it? How quickly their emotions change?”

“With kids this age, it really is just a lot of confidence,” he admitted as he pulled open a closet door in the expansive foyer and hung up her coat. “So much of their emotions and attitudes are fed by their immediate world. Parents, family and friends make up everything, and are everything to them, and as long as everything is copacetic with all three, they’re happy.” He shrugged. “But when they’re not, that’s when problems develop.”

“And you think that’s what’s happened here?” she asked, and he nodded.

“Yes, I’m afraid that’s exactly what happened. But I’ve talked with the boys, and with Sofie, so now let’s see if we can work out some kind of truce to keep them all happy. Are you hungry?” he asked abruptly and she paled a bit.

“I’m…uh…fine,” she said, avoiding his gaze and placing a hand on her growling stomach. He watched her carefully, then tried to smother a chuckle. “What?” she demanded. “What on earth are you laughing about now?” It was as if he could read her mind and it was unnerving.

“You,” he said. “And the look on your face when I asked you if you were hungry.” His eyes gleamed. “Let me guess, the prospect of a chocolate, peanut butter and banana sandwich is not exactly at the top of your dinner choices, am I right?” he asked with a lift of his brow.

“You’re right,” she admitted with a laugh and rueful shake of her head.

“Well, don’t worry about it. I told Shorty we were having guests for dinner and he almost blistered my ears when I told him what I wanted to serve.” He held out his hand to her. “So he’s prepared Sofie her favorite sandwiches and something a bit more adult for us. Shall we?”

She looked at his outstretched hand as if it were a snake about to strike. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time she was so skittish around a man. But then again, she couldn’t remember the last time she was this close to a man. Her experience with Sofie’s father had left a bitter taste in her mouth and scared her off all men. As far as she was concerned, she couldn’t trust her own judgment, not when it came to men, so she simply kept her distance.

Besides, she was far too busy trying to support herself and her daughter to worry about impressing some man or squeezing time out of her hectic life to accommodate him. There had always seemed so many more important things to do.

But now, with Beau, Cassie simply couldn’t fall back on her usual routine of indifference and disdain. Like it or not, she needed his help and so did her daughter. So she was going to curb her own feelings and put Sofie’s needs ahead of her own. Again. It was something that had become second nature to her from the moment of her beloved daughter’s birth.

I’m doing this for Sofie, she mentally reminded herself and immediately felt a bit better. But she’d feel a lot better if Beau Bradford looked less like a movie star and more like a toad.

“Shall we?” he repeated, still holding out his hand to her, as if daring her to take it.

Cassie pressed her free hand to her shaky tummy as she let him escort her out of the foyer, reminding herself once again she wasn’t the least bit interested in him—personally.

Her obligation was to Sofie and Sofie’s welfare. Sofie’s health, heart and happiness came first in Cassie’s life, and she wasn’t about to jeopardize any of them because of one gorgeous man. No matter how charming he was.