Shane wanted to believe Bella loved him. But as his feet led him in the direction of her brother’s home, he couldn’t prevent his skepticism from mounting. Years of boyhood trauma had left him cynical. Thoughts of his youth had Shane’s mind wandering back to his mother.
Even now, as a successful adult, his heart yearned for the woman Amanda Bartlett had never been. Her unrequited love for Peter Ford had left her bitter. And because of her resentment, she had abandoned her duties as a mother, imprisoning Shane in a world of poverty and loneliness.
He waited for his anger to rise at the memories deluging him. But all he experienced was an overwhelming sadness. How could he condemn his mother when he himself had fallen into her same trap? He was in love with a woman whose heart was still tangled with another man’s.
Caught inside his troubling thoughts, Shane nearly crashed into Beau.
Beau braced his hands on Shane’s shoulders. “Whoa, watch yourself.”
“Sorry.” With a shake of his head, Shane forced his mind back to the present. He heard laughter coming from Charity House’s backyard, heard the sound of wagon wheels rolling along, the call of a bird, Beau’s impatient click of his tongue. “Someone’s in a rush.”
“I have a lot on my mind.”
Beau slapped him on the back. “I’m sure it’s nothing an honest discussion between friends can’t fix.”
Shane cocked his head at that cryptic remark. “I’m afraid I’m not following you.”
“Come have a cup of coffee with me. We need to talk.” Beau punctuated his words with a measuring half smile. Shane had seen the look before, in the Charity House kitchen when he’d first asked Bella to become his assistant. Beauregard O’Toole, firmly ensconced in his role as protective big brother, wanted to discuss his sister.
And although Shane had searched out his friend for that very reason, he found himself reluctant to carry on with his mission now. “I have to check on my patients at Charity House first.”
Beau was not to be put off. “They’re in the middle of a baseball game. You won’t be missed for a while yet.”
Recognizing the hard purpose in the other man’s eyes, Shane resisted the urge to rub at the sudden headache drumming behind his eyes. “I should let them know where I’ll be.”
“Already done. Now come, Shane.” Beau gave him a look that was not becoming to a preacher. “It’s past time we had ourselves a little heart-to-heart.”
Shane had a quick impression of what a man felt like on his way to a firing squad. “Maybe we should go back to my office.”
“We do this in my office today.”
Beau took off toward his house. Shane had no other recourse but to follow. Or rather, no other recourse besides running away like a yellow-belly coward.
“We’ll talk in my study,” Beau suggested.
Trailing behind his friend, Shane removed his coat, all the while thinking hard. Something had spurred this meeting. And he feared he knew what. Bella. Him. Together, with together being the operative word.
One slim thought held his rising desperation at bay. Shane had remained above reproach in his behavior with his friend’s sister. More or less.
As they filed into the study, Shane took in the dark paneled walls, the smooth leather chairs and the wide oak desk on top of rich-colored rugs. All that was missing was a sign that read No Girls Allowed.
Beau dropped into the chair behind his desk, and then kicked his feet on top, crossing his ankles over one another. Hands clasped behind his head, he shut his eyes and took a deep breath.
Clearly, the man was relishing this moment in his private retreat.
Unsure what Beau was about, Shane settled into one of the wingback chairs facing the other man and waited.
It didn’t take long for Beau to open his eyes and settle his gaze on Shane. Although in a seemingly relaxed posture, he’d positioned himself in such a way that there could be no doubt this was not a casual get-together.
Shane sent up a fervent prayer for guidance. “What’s on your mind, Beau?”
“Actually.” Beau dropped his feet to the floor and leaned on his desk, pressing his weight on his forearms. “That’s what I’d like to know.”
Shane considered himself an intelligent man, but no matter how he mulled over Beau’s words, he didn’t understand the question. Was the man talking in some convoluted preacher code? Had Shane missed a portion of the conversation? “Speak clearly.”
Beau’s gold eyes glittered as he studied Shane in that thorough, patient way that had sinners spilling their guts.
“How’s this for clear speaking,” Beau said. “What’s on your mind when it comes to my little sister?”
Shane reared back in his chair. “That was certainly direct.”
“Are your intentions honorable?”
Shane fought a hard battle to keep his voice steady. “I have no intentions, honorable or otherwise.” None he cared to share with her big brother, at least.
“Why not?”
“Pardon me?”
Beau settled back into his chair with a grin lifting the corners of his lips. “Why aren’t you pursuing my sister?”
Shane drew in a hard breath. “Bella is my assistant. It would be inappropriate to pursue her, as you put it.”
Could he sound any more pompous?
“Inappropriate. Hmm.” Beau gave him a look just short of insulting. “But holding hands in church is altogether suitable?”
Shane’s heart pounded with regret. He should have known that particular detail would come out at some point, but he’d been too stupid to prepare a defense.
“It was innocent enough.” Shane stabbed a glance at the door. Maybe he could leave before this got ugly.
“Have you kissed her yet?”
Too late.
But...
Now wait...
If Shane wasn’t mistaken, Beau’s eyes danced with...delight?
“What is wrong with you?” Shane ground out. “You’re Bella’s brother. Aren’t you supposed to be upset I’ve been chasing after your sister when I promised to protect her while in my care? Yet all along I’ve been thinking about...wanting to...that is...”
Shane gripped the arms of the chair and let his words trail off. His chest tightened at what he’d nearly revealed.
Despite Shane’s telling admission, Beau continued calmly blinking at him, his gaze patient and unwavering as though he had all the time in the world to wait for Shane to collect his thoughts and continue.
Shane had nothing more to say.
At last, Beau broke the silence. “I just have one more question.”
“Fair enough.”
“Do you love her?”
Why lie now? Why turn this farce of a meeting into something uglier than it had already become? “Yes.”
Beau muttered something under his breath about godsends and blessings, then added a little louder, “Then I return to my earlier question. Why aren’t you pursuing her?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Why not?”
“We... I... It... It just isn’t.” Shane shut his mouth. He was blathering like an idiot. But what was he supposed to say? He couldn’t disclose the reasons for his reluctance to begin a personal relationship with Bella. To do so, he would have to reveal her liaison with the viscount. That wasn’t Shane’s secret to tell.
“She calls you Shane, you call her Bella. You hold hands in church. The way I see it, it’s very simple.” Beau said. “All I ask is that you court her properly.”
Shane looked away from Beau’s well-meaning advice. Court her properly. Fight for her. Bottom line, if Shane had any chance of happiness he had to stop waffling where Bella was concerned. He had to act. He had to—
The door burst open and in spilled the very subject of his thoughts. “Shane. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. There’s no residency clause, no time restrictions. Don’t you see? That’s your answer. It’s... Oh!” Her voice trailed off and she simply looked from one man to the other.
Shane rose and stared at Bella. He knew what he had to do. No more doubt. No more allowing the past to rule his actions. It was time he made some concrete decisions. No. It was time he did some proper courting.
Bella looked from one man to the other and then repeated the process two more times. They were two big, beautiful males. And the masculine backdrop of Beau’s office only added to the strong impression they made as they stared at her.
The fact that these men neither realized nor cared how handsome they were made them all the more appealing. Without an ounce of vanity, they were a little too large, a little too confident and utterly terrifying.
Gathering her courage, her eyes connected with Shane’s. “I’ll come back later,” she said.
“No.” Beau rose from his chair. “I was just leaving. Shane has something he wants to say to you.” He looked pointedly at Shane. “Isn’t that right?”
Shane nodded.
Bella sighed. Obviously, something of monumental importance had been said about her.
More than a little agitated at the notion of her brother discussing her with Shane, she stepped to one side to make a path for Beau’s exit.
But instead of looking at her brother as he approached, she kept her eyes on Shane. The intensity of his gaze reminded her of the first time they’d met when Ethan had cut his leg. Even then, before she’d known him, she’d sensed he was a man who made things better for those around him. She hadn’t known he would change her life so dramatically.
Good thing she liked drama.
Through loving him, Bella had learned to think of another. To worry for another’s well-being and happiness above her own.
Bella had found her life’s partner in Shane. It was time he quit fighting her and accepted that fact.
Before exiting the room, Beau stopped beside her and squeezed her hand. “Be tough, Bella. Relentless, as you are with everything that truly matters to you.”
As she stared into her brother’s eyes she saw the truth there. He understood. Shane had revealed enough for Beau to know the situation. And now, he was telling her to battle for the man she loved.
And so she would.
Beau closed the door behind him with a soft click. For a long moment, Bella and Shane didn’t move, didn’t breathe. They were caught in some sort of odd moment in time, as if they were locked inside a photograph.
At last, Shane broke eye contact and looked at the satchel she carried. He lifted a questioning brow.
“I found your solution,” she said.
“Yes?”
“I’ll show you.”
Glad for the distraction, she slid past him, pulling the papers out of the case as she walked. With a thump, she set Peter Ford’s will on top of Beau’s desk and gestured Shane forward. “Page six. Read the tenth line.”
He slowly joined her, trepidation sparkling in his eyes.
“Trust me, Shane.” They both knew she spoke of more than his father’s will.
His steps faltered. Then he smiled. Really smiled. “Let’s see what you found.”
She took a shaky breath and turned the pages for him.
He bent his head over the will. She waited as his gaze flew down the page. And then his eyes stopped moving.
“Read it out loud,” she suggested.
Glancing up, he cocked his head at her then lowered his gaze again. “This agreement is contingent on Shane Bartlett practicing medicine in New York City.”
Impatience had her tapping her foot on the hardwood floor. “Well?”
He looked at her, looked back at the will. “I don’t—”
“There’s no residency clause. There’s nothing specifically requiring you to live in New York City.”
“Bella, darling, I can’t practice medicine if I’m not in the city.”
He’d called her darling. Oh, the dear, dear man.
“You could live here. Travel there four times a year.”
He stood rigidly, with the unforgiving posture of a man who refused to yield. “Patients require day-to-day care.”
“Then hire partners, doctors who will be there for the day-to-day care. With your father’s money you could afford to hire several nurses, as well.”
Shane swallowed a few times and she realized he didn’t know how to respond.
“It’s not a perfect solution, but it could work.”
“We’ll have to check the legalities,” he said slowly. “And, of course, we’d have to find the right doctors. But if you’re correct, I could have a clinic both here and in New York.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, Shane. That’s precisely what I was thinking.”
His gaze locked on a point above her head. “Women like my mother would have decent medical care here and in my old neighborhood.” A slow grin spread across his face. “My father would hate that.”
“And best of all, you could afford to care for your sisters, as well.”
“Thanks be to God.”
Bella smiled. “The Lord has blessed you, Shane. Just like I knew He would.”
Shoving the papers slightly away from him, Shane pierced Bella with one of his most intense looks to date. “Bella O’Toole, whether you’re right or not, the real blessing in my eyes is that you cared enough to look for an answer.”
She gave him a shaky smile, realizing no person in his life had cared enough for Shane. Not his mother and certainly not his father. “Of course I looked. I love you, Shane.”
Blinking, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I love you, too,” he whispered into her hair.
She flung her wrists around his neck and clung to him. “It’s about time you admitted it.”
His hold tightened. “Tell me you love me, Bella. I want to hear you say it again.”
“I love you, Shane. With all my heart.”
She felt him relax against her. Bella’s pulse slowed to a lovely cadence, beating in perfect time with Shane’s. This was where she belonged. Oh, thank You, Lord.
Slowly, deliberately, he released her. “We have a lot to talk about. Your past and mine will always be between us if we don’t settle our differences now.”
She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth and allowed herself a moment of hope. “I found a passage in Scripture that I think applies. It’s from Luke, in the story about the woman who comes to wash Jesus’s feet.”
“One who is forgiven little loves little,” he quoted from memory.
“Yes. And it goes without saying, a person who is forgiven a lot, loves a lot.” She smiled. “You know, Shane, I have a lot of love to give.”
“As do I.”
They laughed. He took her hand in his, brought it to his lips. A wave of affection washed over her. She had found the man of her dreams. But the moment his mouth brushed her knuckles, a soft knock came at the door.
“Bella?” Hannah’s lilting voice seeped into the room. “Are you in there?”
Shane released Bella’s hand. “We’ll talk later,” he said.
Bella gripped his arm, a wave of desperation filled her. “Tonight? After we’ve finished seeing patients?”
“Of course.” He smiled at her. “After we finish seeing patients.”
“Does that mean you’re hiring me back?”
He ducked his head. “I should have never fired you.”
“I knew you’d see things my way.”
“What can I say?” He winked. “I’m a reasonable man.”
“Oh. I like reasonable men.”
A grin flashed across his lips. “Come in, Hannah,” Shane called out. “Before Bella has me promising her the moon and the stars and a rainbow or two.”
Hannah popped her head through a small slit. Her gaze slid to Shane in silent apology. “Bella has a visitor.”
At the softly spoken words, a sense of foreboding filled Bella. The same feeling must have passed through Shane, because he stiffened at Hannah’s announcement.
Bella reached to Shane for support. “Who...who is it?”
In answer, Hannah handed her a small piece of paper with engraved lettering on it. “He gave me his card.”
Reading the name, Bella’s knees buckled. Shane reached out to steady her.
Tucked in the safety of his arms, she let the card flutter from her fingers. “It’s William,” she whispered. “He’s come for me.”