Meeting Mr. Right (17 page)
What was he going to do now? She evidently hadn’t told a solitary soul where she was going. She was running away, not only from him, but from everything she knew and loved.
There was no question that he would go after her. He just had to figure out where she’d gone. It wasn’t going to be easy. But then memories flashed through his head of long conversations via email of plans for the future.
Maybe finding her was going to be the simplest thing in the world.
Chapter Fifteen
V
ee sat at a desk in the far end of the classroom, staring out the window, watching children running around on a playground. They all seemed so energetic. So innocent. So carefree. So happy.
She sighed. She should be examining her syllabus for the class ahead. The introductory training manual for the Sacred Heart Mission was enormous. It was a week-long class, and Vee imagined it would be quite demanding.
She’d been through the fire academy, so she wasn’t too worried about mastering the material, but she needed to keep her mind where it belonged—here at the mission and not home in Serendipity, where Ben was probably at the station, kicking back with Zach and the other guys, eating his
secret
chili and not giving her a single thought at all.
The mission teacher moved to the front of the room and started writing his lecture notes on the whiteboard. Vee closed her eyes. This ought to be one of the most exciting moments of her life—beginning the training she’d waited for years to do.
She had to cling to that—the external goals she’d set. The calling she felt from God to help other people. She had to do something, and this was it. She opened her eyes, determined to make this work despite how her heart ached.
She had read the first paragraph of her syllabus when there was a noise at the door on the other side of the room.
“Excuse me. Pardon me. I’m sorry. I guess I’m late.”
Suddenly, it was as if the atmosphere grew warmer. More humid, making it hard to breathe. Vee’s heart leapt into her throat at the same time she tried to sweep in a breath, and the result was audible.
She would know that deep, rich voice anywhere.
She glanced across the room, unwilling to believe what her ears were telling her.
Ben was there—with his dark curly hair and his luminous green-bronze eyes and his biceps so huge they were straining through his black T-shirt.
Their eyes met and locked. Her world tipped, turning sideways on its axis and making her head rush in a dizzy loop while her heart pounded maddeningly in her chest.
What was he doing here?
Ben—her BJ—was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on, better even than she could have imagined.
His eyes glimmered as he smiled his charming half smile, and she was certain every woman in the room grew just a little bit giddy. Somehow she knew, though, that his smile was only for her.
“Ben,” she choked out as he strode across the room, not even bothering to excuse himself when he bumped a couple of desks.
“Vee.” That was all he said before he framed her face and kissed her. This time there was no doubt of his feelings. He was pouring out all his emotions right here in front of everyone.
And Vee wanted to be nowhere else in the world but in his arms.
“Vee,” he repeated, kissing her once again for emphasis. “You left without saying goodbye.”
“I didn’t think you’d want to hear it from me.”
“I don’t.”
She frowned, confused. “Then why are you here?”
“I don’t want you to say goodbye, Vee. Ever. We can both stay here and complete our introductory courses for the Sacred Heart Mission, but first I have something to say. I love you. Will you marry me?”
Vee would have suspected that she’d heard wrong had the entire class not broken out shouting and clapping. There was no mistaking that.
But the sound faded as her eyes met Ben’s and she read the love shining in his gaze. He meant it. He wanted to marry her—Veronica Jayne Bishop, for all she was both on the inside and the outside. He knew her—everything about her, just as she knew about him. And she felt the same way.
“Vee, honey?” Ben said with a nervous chuckle. “You’re kind of leaving me hanging here.”
Vee laughed along with him, her joy bubbling over. “Of course I’ll marry you, Ben, or BJ, or whatever your name is today. I’ve been waiting for quite some time to tell you that I love you with my whole heart.”
Ben whooped and pulled her into his arms, kissing her again, more fervently this time. He kept repeating the same line between kisses.
“I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Vee couldn’t hear those words enough.
“Um, excuse me,” came a deep voice from the front of the room.
Ben and Vee turned as one, without letting go of each other.
It was the teacher who’d spoken. He had a wry smile on his face. “We’re all really happy for you, and congratulations are definitely in order.”
“Thank you, sir,” Ben responded.
“However,” the teacher continued, “do you think you could continue this happy reunion later, after my class is finished?”
Ben and Vee laughed and slid into adjoining chairs, his warm fingers still clasping hers across the aisle. It was then that Vee knew they would never be parted again.
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt of
Reunited for the Holidays
by Jillian Hart!
Dear Reader,
Thank you for joining me for another heartfelt romantic adventure in Serendipity, Texas. If you happened to have missed the prior books in the Email Order Brides series, the titles are
Phoebe’s Groom,
The Doctor’s Secret Son
and
The Nanny’s Twin Blessings.
You can find these books and many others of my backlist available for order from online booksellers in both print and ebook format.
In
Meeting Mr. Right,
both Vee and Ben struggled with their identities as adults because of traumatic bullying instances in their childhoods. Our past is so firmly etched into our hearts that sometimes it’s hard to let go and learn to live in the present. But unless we focus on what’s going on around us in our day-to-day lives, we’re going to miss out on many opportunities to see God working in our lives and to discover new occasions to love and serve one another.
I hope you’ve been encouraged by Ben and Vee’s story and that it’s been a blessing to you. My thoughts and prayers are always with the readers of my stories, and hearing from you is a great treasure to me. Please email me at
[email protected]
or leave a comment on my fan page on Facebook. I’m also on Twitter (@debkastner). Hope to see you online soon!
Keep the faith,
Deb Kastner
Questions for Discussion
At the beginning of the novel, Vee is suspicious of Ben’s behavior. Why? Do you think she’s right to be suspicious?
Both Ben and Vee had trauma in their childhoods that influenced the people they became as adults. How have the events in your childhood affected the person you are today?
Ben and Vee were tormented by bullies in their younger years. Do you think bullying is still a problem in today’s schools? How can we work toward a better experience for all of today’s schoolchildren?
What are the major themes running throughout this book? Which are important to you, and why?
Vee tried not to care for Ben, but she couldn’t seem to help herself. What character traits did Ben possess that appealed to her despite her initial misgivings?
If you could meet one character in this book, who would it be? Why?
Vee’s best friend Olivia forgave Ben for the way he’d burned her in their relationship, yet for most of the novel, Vee seems unable to do so. Why do you think that is?
In chapter seven, when Ben becomes personally affected by Vee’s dress-and-heels transformation, he begins to doubt his own ability to look beyond outward appearances. Was there ever a time you judged someone by their outward appearance only to ultimately discover you were wrong about them?
Discuss the meaning of the following scripture verses as they relate to the novel:
As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals the man.
Proverbs 27:19 and
For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
I Samuel 16:7.At what point in the novel do you think Vee started to soften toward Ben?
What do you think Vee should have done when she discovered that her online friend BJ was actually Ben Atwood if the fire had not happened directly afterward?
Why do you think Ben believed Vee had been intentionally deceiving him? How would you have felt in his circumstances?
How do you think Vee felt when Ben accused her of viciously and deliberately misleading him?
Both Ben and Vee receive wise counseling from their friends at different points in the novel. Relate a situation in which God has used a friend to help guide you to a good decision.
What is the takeaway value of this book? What will you remember the most?
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.
You believe hearts can heal.
Love Inspired
stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.
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Chapter One
D
r. Brian Wallace plucked the ceramic frog out of the flower bed, tipped it upside down and shook hard. The spare front-door key fell onto his palm as he squinted into the watery afternoon sun. It was good to be home. Late November air crisped over him and he shivered, goose bumps traveling down his arms. Weak from an extended illness, he gripped the railing to steady himself. The long trip from rural Texas had taken a toll on him.
The old adage There’s No Worse Patient Than a Doctor had never been more true, he thought, as he struggled up the stairs. Easily winded, he paused a moment at the top, thanking God he was here to see the colors of sunset. His near brush with death had marked him. He couldn’t deny it. He’d missed his life here in Fort Worth. He missed his kids—although they were grown, they were what he had left of his heart.
He ambled to the door, leaned heavily against the wall and inserted the key. The door creaked open. Every part of him vibrated with a mix of weakness and exhaustion. As he crossed the threshold into the comfort of the house, memories surrounded him. It had been years since his children had lived here, but he recalled the pound of music from an upstairs bedroom, the chatter of his daughter on her phone, the drum of feet as one of the boys prowled the kitchen.
Emotion dug into his chest, claws sharp. Yes, looking death in the face changed a man. It stripped away everything extraneous, leaving what mattered most.
His footsteps echoed in the lonely living room. He eased onto a couch cushion, sighing heavily as fatigue washed over him like water. Maybe he should have listened to his colleague—he’d valued Dr. Travors’s expertise, which had saved his life—but he’d had enough bed rest. He needed to get home; he needed to be here. The Lord had put a deep call into his heart. He couldn’t explain it as he reached for the phone to try his children again. He needed to see them.
He dialed his daughter’s number first. Dear Maddie. Many things had crossed his mind while he’d lain on a spare cot in the corner of a migrant worker’s temporary home—a shack beside many others on a remote Texas farm. His failings and regrets hit hard, but none as cruelly as his missteps in his personal relationships. He’d always had a difficult time opening up. He had to try to fix that. He’d been given a second chance.
He waited for the call to connect. A muffled ringing came from what sounded like his front porch. The bell pealed, boots thumped on the front step and joy launched him from the couch. He set down the phone, listening to the faint conversation on the other side of the door. His kids were here? Theirs were the voices he’d missed during his illness, the ones he’d most longed to hear. He gripped the brass knob, tugged and set eyes on his children. All three of them.
Praise the Lord, for bringing them here safe and sound.
“You got my messages.”
“You left about a dozen.” Maddie tumbled into his arms. “Dad, you have no idea how good it is to see you. No idea.”
“Right back at you, sweetheart.” The endearment stumbled off his tongue—he wasn’t good with them—but he had to get better at speaking his feelings. He had to try harder. His dear Maddie, so like her mother. His chest ached with affections too intense to handle, so he swallowed hard, trying to tamp them down as he held her hands in his after their hug was done. “I was gone a little longer than I’d planned this time—”
“A little?” Her voice shot up. “Dad, you have no idea how worried sick we’ve been over you.”
“I don’t even know how to say how sorry I am—”
“What matters is that you’re all right.” Her hands gave his a warm, understanding squeeze.
“Where have you been?” Grayson, his oldest child, stepped in to join the reunion. Tall, dark and handsome. Pride swelled up, making it hard to look at the boy properly.
“Grayson.” Those couldn’t be tears in his eyes, of course not. Brian wasn’t a man given to tears. Maybe because he had thought of his two other children when he’d been fighting for his life on that cot. Yet another son and daughter, lost to him forever. His biggest regret of all. Emotion clumped in his throat, making it impossible to say more.
“We’ve been looking for you.” Grayson’s hug was brief, his face fighting emotion, too. “We found your wallet in a ditch and we feared you were missing. The police—”
“Missing?” He swiped a hand over his face, grimacing, hating what he’d put them through. “I was in rural Texas, you know that, sometimes without phones or cell service. I would have gotten a message to you kids, but I lost my cell—”
“I know. We found your phone, too.” Carter, his youngest from his second marriage, stepped in, healthy and whole, back from war. “We were afraid you’d gotten ill. Are you all right, Dad?”
“Now I am.” He wrapped his arms around Carter, holding him tight. When he ended the hug, he held on, drinking in the sight of the boy—okay, he was twenty-three, but Carter would always be his youngest, a seasoned soldier home from deployment safely. When Brian let go, it was hard to see again. He was grateful to God for returning his youngest son home unharmed.
“We heard you caught a virulent strain of strep.” Carter ambled into the living room, making himself at home.
“And that you’d been treating a family who were dangerously ill.” Grayson headed straight for the couch.
“We feared the worst, Dad.” Beautiful Maddie with her auburn hair and a stylish fashion sense swept through the doorway, anguish carved into her dear face.
“I never meant to worry you.” He shut the door, swallowing hard. His case had been severe and there’d been days, even weeks, where it hadn’t been certain he would live. He didn’t know what to do with the emotions coiled in his chest, so he shrugged, tried to play things down. “I survived, so it wasn’t so bad.”
“This is just like you. Always keeping us out instead of letting us in.” Maddie sounded upset, on the verge of anger or tears, maybe both.
He hated upsetting her. Frustrated at himself, he crossed his arms over his chest.
Remember your vow, Brian. You have to try harder.
“I didn’t mean it that way, honey. There’s nothing to worry about now. I’m on the mend. That you kids are here, that you came, means everything.”
It wasn’t easy, but he got out the words.
“Oh, Daddy.” Maddie swiped her eyes. “Don’t you dare make me cry. I’m choked up enough already.”
“What do you mean? What’s got you choked up? Is something going on?”
“Dad, you’d better sit down for this.” Grayson patted the seat beside him.
“This can’t be good.” He studied Carter’s serious face and the troubled crinkles around Grayson’s eyes. “Something happened while I was gone. That’s why you were trying to reach me?”
“It’s not bad news, but it could give you a real shock.” Grayson cleared his throat, waiting until Brian eased onto the cushion. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to do it. We found Mom.”
“Uh...” Brian’s brain screeched to a halt, unable to make sense of those words. He was hearing things. No doubt due to his exhaustion and weakened state. “Sorry...say that again? Your mom’s buried. She died when Carter was three. You remember the car accident.”
“Not Sharla, Dad. Our real mother, at least for Grayson and me,” Maddie added.
“Your real...?
What?
” That’s as far as he got. The mention of the mother of his other son and daughter floored him. How could they know? All they could remember was Sharla, his second wife, the woman he’d married when the kids were very young. “Wait a minute. I don’t understand. You’re not making any sense.”
“I know it’s a shock for you, Daddy.” Maddie settled on the couch across from him. “But it’s true. Take a deep breath. I found our birth mother.”
“No.” He shook his head, refusing to see how that was possible. The only person Maddie could be talking about was Isabella...his first wife, his high school sweetheart, the woman who’d broken his faith in true love.
“I found Violet—” she began.
“Violet?” He blinked, his brain spinning.
“Thanks to a lucky coincidence, Violet and I came face-to-face in a coffee shop and I found Mom from there.” Maddie’s hands cradled his.
Isabella was gone, tucked away in the Witness Protection Program with their two other children, never to be seen again. Their lives depended on it. “My mind’s playing tricks on me because I thought you said—”
“Yes, I did. Mom is in Grasslands, and we’re all together. Violet and Jack, well, they used to be Laurel and Tanner.”
Laurel? Tanner? He shuddered, fighting the memory welling up of the U.S. Marshal driving away in a black SUV. Isabella in the window, cradling a six-month-old in her arms, and a little chestnut-haired boy, just two, waving bye-bye.
He swallowed hard. His lost children were here, in Texas. In Grasslands?
Within driving distance?
All this time he’d grieved for them, missed them with his entire heart for twenty-five years and now the two sets of twins were reunited? They’d found one another?
No, he shook his head, refusing to believe it. It couldn’t be true. The hardest thing he’d ever done was let them go. But he’d had to make an impossible choice to protect his family from unspeakable danger.
“We’re together now, Dad.” Maddie’s happiness was real. Her hands around his were real. “The only one missing is you.”
Her words finally sank in. Realization crashed over him like a cold ocean wave, washing away disbelief.
This was really happening. It wasn’t a hallucination or fever, born from his illness. He rubbed his hand over his face, took a deep breath and willed his heart rate to slow.
“Isabella.” For twenty-five years—nearly all of his adult life—he’d been without her. And for good reason, he’d told himself. He’d done his best not to think of her for over two decades. That’s the way he wanted it.
How could he tell his kids that? Maddie with her delight, Grayson actually smiling and Carter relaxed and at peace. This was good news for them.
But it wasn’t good news. He thought about the reason for their separation in the first place. Was it safe to reunite the twins? What about the murderous drug dealer they’d been hiding from? His stomach clenched tightly as he pressed his hands to his face, overwhelmed.
“Violet and Jack are waiting to meet you, Dad.” Carter stood, holding out his hand. “C’mon. I’ll drive you.”
“Good, because I’m not steady.” A lot had changed in twenty-five years, but not his love for his kids—for
all
of his kids. He took Carter’s hand. “Then let’s go.”
As for Isabella, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. The last thing he wanted was to see her again.
* * *
“Mom, you don’t have to be so stubborn.”
“Me, stubborn?” Belle gripped her walker, refusing to give in to the limitations her head injury and consequent coma had left her with. She had work to do—work she missed back home on the ranch—and being cooped up in Ranchland Manor wasn’t in her plans for much longer. “What makes you say that?”
“Oh, no reason.” Violet, her beautiful, redheaded daughter, rolled her eyes. “Will you get in bed already?”
“I’m not sleepy.” The evening was still lovely, with the big Texas sky stretching like a soft blue canvas. She missed horseback riding beneath that canopy with the wind on her face. She breathed in, longing for the tangy scent of grass and open prairie. The biggest problem with being stuck in this place was the walls. At forty-three, Belle lived a very active lifestyle and liked her wide-open spaces. Maybe that had to do with those early years when she’d been in hiding, when her children were small.
“Mom, you’re here to heal, remember?” Jack, her handsome, strapping son, tugged around the armchair, so it would face the window instead of the bed. “Can you take it easy for once?”
“That would be against my better judgment.”
“Do something because we ask, okay?” Jack took her elbow.
“Yeah, Mom, it won’t kill you, right?” Violet’s loving laughter filled the room.
“It might,” she quipped, clunking the walker to a stop beside the armchair. Here came the hard part. She stopped her walker a few inches away, giving her just enough distance so that she would have to take a step on her own.
“Do you have to do everything the hard way?” Jack’s dry humor washed over her, making it easy to push off from the walker and lurch toward the chair. His strong hand banded her elbow, assisting her. Violet caught her other arm and she plopped onto the cushion. Goal achieved.
“Next time, it will be two steps,” she declared, determined to push along her recovery from what they hoped was a temporary deficit of motor functions.
“Next time, it better not be.” Violet plucked Belle’s hairbrush off the nightstand. “You don’t know what we went through when you fell off your horse and had to be rushed to the hospital.”
“Our world stopped turning.” Gruff, Jack turned away, striding fast to the window. He planted his hand on his hips, staring out at the courtyard, his whole body reverberating with emotion.
“I hate that you were worried.” She hadn’t been there to comfort them or to ease their troubles, because she’d been in a deep coma. It tore her apart. All she’d ever wanted was to be there for her children.
“Worried doesn’t begin to describe it.” Violet leaned in, brushing Belle’s thick auburn hair. “Terrified.”
“Heartsick,” Jack groused.
“You waking up was the best thing that could have happened.” Violet blinked dampness from her eyes.
“The doctors say you are a wonder, too, coming back to us with hardly any impairment.” Jack didn’t turn from the window, but his gratitude vibrated in his voice.
“Which I’m grateful to God for. He is good.” Belle patted her daughter’s arm, love brimming for them, her precious children. More grateful for them because of the two children she’d left behind. “My big problem is how do I convince the doctors to stop with the tests? That’s what I want to know.”
“Think of it this way,” Violet suggested. “The quicker all the testing is done, the sooner you can recover. The faster you can recover, the sooner you can come home.”
“Home.” Nothing sounded as good. To be in her own bed, to sit in the peaceful quiet of her living room and watch the horses graze in the paddock. The restless wind, the crisp scent of fall-becoming-winter air, feeling the sun on her back as she walked through the fields. That’s the medicine she needed right now. She’d never been one to sit around and let grass grow under her boots. “Any chance either of you can smuggle me out?”