Two days later, Tina stood on the front porch of the Big House, surrounded by women. Over the last fifteen minutes, cars had pulled up and parked in front. Serena arrived first, bounding up the steps with an energy Tina envied.
Next, Tessa showed up. She climbed from her car, opened the back door, and filled her arms with canvas bags, boxes, and what looked like white binders. Within a few minutes, Beth and Jamie arrived with Renee. Jamie immediately ran to Tina, throwing her arms around her waist, talking a mile a minute, telling Tina that since it was Saturday, she didn’t have school, and her mother promised her ice cream if she was good, and wanting to know if she could go see Otto, the Boudreaus’ donkey. At her mother’s nod, she raced through the house, and Tina heard the back door slam as Jamie went to visit her equine best friend.
“I swear, some days I think I’m going to collapse before noon trying to keep up with all her energy.” Beth leaned against the pillar of the front porch and blew out a long breath. “She woke up this morning before six, and she’s been going nonstop ever since.”
“And you offered her ice cream? I doubt that will calm her down, all that sugar.”
Beth smirked before answering. “I’m gonna stuff my baby girl full of ice cream, and then hand her off to her daddy, and then I’m going to take a long-deserved nap.”
Tina chuckled at the evil gleam in Beth’s eyes. “Sounds like an excellent plan. Now, would anybody care to tell me why you’re here? I have the feeling you’re not here to visit with Ms. Patti, because she’s in town.”
Serena looped her arm through Tina’s and led her through the front door. “Nope, we’re here to see you. Figured since you were still in Shiloh Springs, we’d come out and keep you company. Plus, we have wedding stuff to go over with Tessa, and thought since you’re here and don’t have anything else to do, you can help us. A new, fresher set of eyes, so to speak.”
“I thought Tessa had all the wedding stuff already handled,” Tina protested as Serena guided her to the Big House’s living room, where Tessa had spread out a plethora of stuff on the coffee table. So…much…stuff.
“We’re in the final stretch,” Tessa answered without looking up, pulling something else from her seemingly bottomless bag and adding it to the wavering stack. “There’s only two months until the wedding, and I have to make sure I have everything taken care of, because it has to be perfect.”
Tina slid onto the sofa beside Tessa and grabbed her hands before they could dive back into the bag and pull out even more stuff. “Slow down. I’m sure you’ve got everything handled. Let me give you a word of advice. I worked as a wedding planner for almost a year, and I can assure you that no matter how much planning and scheduling, double and triple checking everything, something always gets skipped or forgotten. The only thing that matters is having your friends and family around you, standing up before God and the people you love, and pledging your heart and life to Rafe. Everything else is just stuff.”
Tessa’s eyes filled with tears, and she shot forward and flung her arms around Tina, hugging her tight. Over Tessa’s shoulder, she saw Beth with her hand over her heart. When she met Tina’s gaze, she mouthed the words, “thank you.”
Tessa pulled back slowly and wiped at her eyes. “You’re right. I guess I’m obsessing over all the small things that might go wrong, instead of focusing on the fact I’m marrying the man of my dreams.”
“It’s perfectly normal to want everything to be perfect. This is your wedding, the thing every girl looks forward to from the time they pin a pillowcase to their hair and parade down an imaginary aisle. And I know you’ve planned everything exactly the way you want it, and it will be beautiful. Just don’t let it get in the way of you living.”
“I bet you were an amazing wedding planner.” Beth perched on the arm of the chair, and Serena took up space on the ottoman, nodding at Beth’s words.
“You’d be wrong. I was awful at it. You might not have noticed, but I’m not the most patient person in the world, and brides tend to be a tad overexcitable. Especially over the small stuff. I dealt with one too many bridezillas, and decided I needed a different profession.”
“I find that hard to believe. Not about the bridezillas, because that seems to be the norm nowadays. But the part about you not being patient.” Beth waved her hand in Tina’s direction. “I see how you are with Jamie, and she can be a handful.”
“And I worked with you, remember? I’ve seen you handle the most belligerent customers and never break a sweat.” Renee walked in from the kitchen, carrying glasses and the pitcher of tea from the fridge. “The coffee shop could be crowded, I mean wall-to-wall people, and Tina never lost her cool. By the time she got them all served, they were laughing and smiling and happy to be there.”
“Okay, sheesh. Let’s just say it wasn’t my favorite job. Weddings are beautiful, but they are a lot of work.” She pointed to the mound of wedding paraphernalia on the coffee table. “Now, anybody want to tell me why you’re really here? Oh, wait, let me guess. You’re my new babysitters!”
She almost laughed at the guilty expressions crossing each woman’s face. Yep, she’d guessed right. Chance was definitely working to earn his Boy Scout badge for being overprotective.
“It’s not like that,” Beth protested. “We all want to spend time with you.”
“I get it.” Tina let her smile grow, because she couldn’t be mad at these women. They’d become friends since her time in Shiloh Springs, and she’d have missed them all terribly when she went back to Portland. Or she would, when she actually left.
“Okay, I’m gonna lay all the cards out on the table,” Tessa leaned forward, catching Tina’s eye.
“Where are you going to put them?” Tina joked, point to the mound of things already decorating the coffee table. “I think you’re out of room.”
“Hardy har har, Miss Jokester. Laugh it up. Seriously, our guys told us what’s going on with your ex-husband. That he has been looking for you, and he actually found out where you live in Portland.”
“Tessa’s right.” Renee narrowed her eyes at Tina. “We’re friends. I stayed at your place in Portland. I worked beside you every day. How did I not now you’d been married?”
Tina drew in a shaky breath, a rush of memories flooding her. Other than her Aunt Maxie and Uncle Stanley, nobody knew the true facts of her life with Jared. And even they didn’t know everything.
“It’s not something I like to talk about. It wasn’t a happy marriage, and the divorce was less than amicable. Jared can’t seem to accept the fact that I didn’t want to be married anymore.”
“Men. Pfft. Can’t live with ’em, can’t bash ’em in the head with a shovel.” Serena lifted her glass and drained it in one long swallow. “Tina honey, all of us,” she waved the hand holding the glass around, pointing at each of the women, “could tell you about our personal nightmares with the men in our lives—pre-Boudreau. We’ve all had moments where our lives have been threatened or put in danger, right down to and including Jamie. Just know this, with us you’re in a safe place. You can tell us as much or as little as you’re comfortable with, and we’ll keep your confidence.”
Tina scanned the faces of the women assembled in the living room of the Big House and read the truth of Serena’s words. Each woman there had been through their own personal nightmare, and come out the other side whole and able to move forward and find love again.
Her thoughts turned to Chance, the sweet, stubborn man who both tormented and titillated her alternatively. Even from the moment they’d met, there’d been a spark there, unlike anything she’d experienced before. Now, sitting here amidst these strong, self-sufficient women, she wondered if she’d found the sisters she’d always craved.
Bracing herself mentally, she sat up straighter, and made her decision.
“Alright. I’d like to tell you about my life.” And she did, not leaving out any details, knowing they’d keep silent about what she told them. These women had formed their own family, the Boudreau women, and she trusted them.
And secretly wondered if maybe she’d be part of them. She hoped so.
Chance pulled into the parking lot of the emergency clinic. He’d promised to come back for a follow up visit, though he didn’t feel like he needed to. The shoulder hadn’t given him any problems, other than the unsightly black and blue bruises that had now turned to an ugly yellow-green.
The waiting room contained a bunch of sniffly, snot-nosed kids who were hacking and coughing, and he hoped he didn’t catch anything contagious. He had far too much to do, and getting sick wasn’t on his agenda. He checked in with the front desk and took a seat in one of the plastic chairs, nodding at Felicity Warren. He’d gone to school with her, though she’d been a year ahead of him. The minute she’d graduated, she’d married her high school sweetheart and started popping out kids. At last count, if he remembered right, she had six young’uns.
“How are you, Felicity?”
“We’re getting along, Chance. The twins haven’t been doing good the last couple of days, so I brought them in for a quick check up. I haven’t seen you in ages. Hope everything’s okay. How’s your momma and daddy?”
“They’re fine. I just need the doctor to give me a clean bill of health. Banged up my shoulder, that’s all.”
“That’s good. There’s a nasty bug going around, which is why I wanted to make sure the twins haven’t caught it. The last thing I need is them spreading it to the rest of their brothers and sisters. Ugh. You might as well commit me if all six of them come down with a flu bug at the same time.”
Before he could come up with a response to the thought of six puking, screaming kids, his name was called and he was escorted to a room. He didn’t have to wait long before Dr. Shaw strode through the door, looking a little disheveled, his hair mussed and the stethoscope around his neck hanging at an angle.
“Afternoon, Chance. Looks like you’re here to follow up a shoulder injury.”
He nodded. “It wasn’t much, just banged it on the truck door when I had an accident. It’s fine.”
“Let me be the judge of that.” His words were followed with a tired smile. “I looked at the x-rays from your last visit, and they looked good. Lose the shirt and let me get a gander at the bruising.”
He turned his back, and Chance unbuttoned and shrugged out of his shirt. Dr. Shaw slid on a pair of gloves, and gently examined his left shoulder, having him move it several times, and reach over his head.
“I’m not seeing any swelling. Any pain or discomfort with reaching out to the side or overhead.”
Chance shook his head. “It’s fine.”
“Alright. You’ve got an all clear for full use. Anything else you’re having problems with?”
“Not physically. Can I pick your brain with a couple medical questions?”
“Sure.” Dr. Shaw pulled off the plastic gloves and tossed them into the trash can beside the tiny sink. “As long as it doesn’t have anything to do with patient confidentiality.”
“Nothing like that. It’s more of a physician thing.”
Dr. Shaw’s lips quirked up into a full-blown smile. “A physician thing? Now I’m curious what you consider a physician thing.”
Chance shrugged back into his shirt, doing up the buttons and tucking it into his jeans. “I guess that wasn’t the best turn of phrase. I’m wondering about ethical behavior with regards to a physician. Someone who is in a position of authority. Let’s say for the sake of this discussion, chief of a department at a major hospital.”
“What type of ethical situation are we talking about?”
“What kind of action could be taken against, let’s say a surgeon, who was accused of spousal abuse? Would he lose his job at the hospital? Lose his standing as the chief of the department but still have privileges to treat patients? What about his private practice, how would an accusation affect it?”
Dr. Shaw leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed over his chest, a contemplative expression on his face. “I’m assuming this hypothetical question has something to do with a case you’re working on?”
Chance debated whether let him believe that, or to tell him the truth. The man had been in Shiloh Springs a little over a year now, having relocated from out of state. It had been something of a coup for a small town like Shiloh Springs to snag a big city doctor who was willing to relocate. Of course, the last year had been overflowing with one drama after the next within his family, and he hadn’t taken the time to get to know him well. He had testified at one deposition regarding a fraudulent disability case, confirming the guy claiming to be incapacitated with a debilitating back injury was lying through his teeth. Trusting his gut, he decided to give him the truth.
“Dr. Shaw—”
“If we’re going to talk off the record, you might as well call me Gabe.” He accompanied the statement with another smile.
“Gabe. This isn’t for a case. It’s personal. I’m helping somebody whose ex-husband is threatening her. He has no convictions or arrests for abuse, because she divorced the jerk.”
“Good. I hate to see people staying in relationships where they’re basically punching bags for their spouses, and too scared to leave.”
“Then we’re on the same page. Anyway, she hasn’t come right out and said he physically abused her, but there was definitely emotional and verbal abuse. I suspect there was physical too, but she will not confirm or deny.”
“How big a hospital are we talking about? Big city, prestigious, or a smaller place with an insular population?” Gabe’s stance had shifted, becoming more relaxed, as if he’d weighed Chance’s worth and found him acceptable.
“California. Large, prestigious. Family comes from old money and lots of it.”
“Hmm. I’ll say that makes things trickier. I’d say he’d be removed from the chief position immediately, pending an investigation. And the wheels turn slowly when it’s an accusation without definitive proof. As for his practice, he might lose patients but this isn’t an instance of malpractice, which would be the biggest reason he’d lose his practice.”
Chance bit back the curse that rose to his lips. “Pretty much what I suspected. Appreciate your feedback.”
Gabe straightened from the wall. “If you feel like you could use the assist and can trust me with the name, I’d be happy to put out any feelers. I know quite a few people in the medical field in California.”
“Would this be considered patient confidentiality?” Chance was only partly joking.
“In our case, yes.” He held out his hand and Chance shook it.
“The physician I’m referring to is Dr. Jared Webster. Graduated from Stanford. He’s chief of surgery at their teaching hospital and has a thriving private practice.”
The lines around Gabe’s mouth tightened and Chance noted his hands fist at his sides.
“Jared Webster. Are you talking about Tina? You think he hit Tina?”
Uh oh. What were the odds a doctor in the middle of small-town Texas would know not only the physician he was talking about, but his wife?
“How do you know Tina?” Chance heard the hardness in his voice and didn’t care. He hoped he hadn’t made a mistake in confiding in Gabe.
“I went to medical school at Stanford. While I didn’t associate with them a lot, I know them. Tina is one of the smartest women I’ve ever met. Sharper than Webster, that’s for sure. She was on the fast track. Professors loved her. Then Webster got his hooks into her and charmed her, seduced her into helping him. It started out as private tutoring after class. In my opinion, he was stupid as a stump, at least about learning and following instruction. Man’s a brilliant surgeon, don’t get me wrong. I watched him do things most veteran surgeons wouldn’t be capable of, and saved lives. But he was rotten inside, if you know what I mean.”
“Never met the man personally, and he’d better pray I never do.”
Gabe moved over and stood beside Chance, until they were basically shoulder to shoulder, and stayed quiet for a minute before asking, “Is Tina alright? Tell me she isn’t still with that SOB.”
“She’s doing fine, other than her ex stalking her.”
“Wish I could say I’m surprised, but he’s one of those OCD-type people, where everything has to be exactly the way he wants. He got that from his mother. Talk about a piece of work. I only met her once and trust me, once was one time too many. Cold woman, the kind that freezes your blood in your veins. I can’t imagine how Tina dealt with having Liliana Webster for a mother-in-law. Definitely the monster-in-law type.”
“The more I find out about Tina’s ex-husband, the more I’m glad she’s out of his reach. He has no idea she’s in Texas—”
“Texas? Wait—is she in Shiloh Springs?” Gabe’s surprise was evident, and he spun to face Chance.
“Yeah, she’s staying at the Big House.”
“I don’t know her all that well because she kind of dropped out of sight after she got involved with Webster. Tossed aside her intention of getting her medical degree for that—”
He cut off his words, but Chance got the gist. He felt pretty much the same.
“I have somebody with her all the time, so she’s never alone. Momma and Dad know what’s up, and they’re in agreement she stays here until we neutralize Webster’s threat.”
“Do me a favor? Let Tina know I’m here, if she wants to talk with an old friend.”
“I will.”
“I’m going to make a couple of calls, see if I can find out anything from a couple of colleagues who work at the teaching hospital. I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Chance held out his hand and Gabe shook it, his grip firm and steady.
“Appreciate it.”
“Now get outta here. I’ve got a room full of snot-nosed kids waiting for their lollipops.”
“Can’t have that. I know how important a good sucker is.” With a quick wave, Chance headed to the front desk and checked out.
Time to head to the Big House and to Tina.