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Cover Page
Excerpt
About the Author
Title Page
Epigraph
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Dear Reader
Copyright
“But I love you,” he insisted.
“Love is more than attraction, Brad.” Laura smiled gently. “It begins with friendship, compatibility—”
“I think we have that,” he replied.
“Then it grows into admiration and respect, where aspirations and values are shared,” she continued. “It involves being willing to place someone else’s happiness above your own. And I think it’s knowing you’d rather be with someone more than anyone else in the world.”
She paused and gazed up at him. “Those are the benefits of a sacred commitment. I determined long ago, I’d settle for nothing less.”
Brad’s gaze darkened. He took her hand.
“What about us?” he asked.
“Only time will tell. You never know what will happen when you regain your memory,” she reminded him, her voice husky with emotion.
“There’s nothing in this world that could change the way I feel about you, Laura McBride.”
DORIS ENGLISH
After only one year in college, Doris English left school to marry her high school sweetheart. Forty years later and more in love than ever, he is still the man of her dreams and she would do the same thing all over again.
Although marriage and children—three daughters— delayed her education and put her dream to write on hold, she nurtured that dream by pursuing her education when she could work it in between family commitments. In 1990, just one year before her youngest daughter graduated from college, Doris graduated from West Georgia University with a 4.0 average and a B.A. in history and a minor in journalism. Meanwhile, she fulfilled her writing dreams by writing articles for inspirational magazines, historical journals, newspapers and inspirational novels.
Doris and her husband, Bob, live on a small farm just outside of metropolitan Atlanta where she delights in sitting on the front porch of her modified French country home and watching deer graze in the pasture in front of her house. They enjoy travel and their cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains where Doris spends her most productive hours writing.
Doris’s message to young women in whose heart God has put a dream is don’t despair. Set your priorities in order and God will bring you the desires of your heart.
A Healing Love
Doris English
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature. Old things are passed away, all things
become new.
—2 Corinthians 5:17
To the man of my dreams, my husband, Bob,
whose constant encouragement and steadfast belief
in my dream during the times when I struggled and
doubted, kept me faithful.
Chapter One
Dr. Laura McBride eased her red sports car into the morning rush-hour traffic, headed toward the freeway. Once on the main north-south artery, traffic evened out and the young doctor had time to puzzle over why her former medical school suite mate, Darlene Coleman, had invited her into the city for a visit.
They hadn’t been in touch for several years—not since the two had left to do their residencies. When Darlene’s unexpected invitation arrived last week, curiosity had drawn Laura like a magnet. A weekend in the city seemed a welcome relief from her duties in her dad’s clinic, now a fully accredited hospital located in a quiet hamlet in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The congested neighborhoods of the inner city gave way to larger, towering structures. Laura saw the sprawling new medical center ahead, and beside it Darlene’s office complex. A twinge of envy clouded Laura’s countenance. She had rejected a residency at this very hospital to return to her father’s small clinic. Her refusal proved Darlene’s opportunity.
Laura stepped out of the glass elevator tower into a plush reception room of marble floors, lofty ceiling and a magnificent view of the river. Laura still had trouble visualizing her shy, somewhat stodgy, suite mate managing successfully in such an elite urban environment.
A woman in a tailored navy suit and silk blouse looked up from the reception desk and stared at Laura coolly. She reached a manicured hand behind her for an acrylic pad before asking Laura if she were a new patient.
Laura beamed, ignoring the woman’s frosty look. “No. Please tell Dr. Coleman that Dr. Laura McBride is here.”
“Dr. McBride?” the woman repeated as she scanned a computer screen. “I don’t have you down on her appointment list.”
“Nevertheless she is expecting me. Please tell her I’m here,” Laura insisted softly but firmly.
“Have a seat, Dr. McBride. It may be a while before Dr. Coleman can see you. She is quite busy you know.”
Scarcely five minutes had passed before a svelte blonde with long shiny locks pulled back in a fashionable chignon entered the room. Thick lashes fringed her large doe-shaped eyes. Perfectly applied makeup accented high cheekbones, and bright-red lipstick emphasized a full, sensuous mouth. The cranberry wooljersey dress she wore caressed her slender, well-contoured figure, and an expensive cameo surrounded by diamonds and seed pearls nestled demurely at her throat.
“Laura, how good to see you,” the blond vision said. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“Dar-Darlene?” Laura began hesitantly. “Is that really you?”
Darlene’s laugh was low, melodious. “A new improved version. A change was long past due for me. You, on the other hand, were always disgustingly perfect.”
“You look great!” Laura exclaimed.
“Thank you. I have enjoyed the change. As someone put it—from mousey to peacock.”
“No one would ever dare call you ‘mousey’ again.”
“I hope I’ve put those days long behind me. Now, enough of me. I want to hear about your exciting adventure in that mountain hospital and clinic with your famous dad. Tell me all the details about your work, the hospital, everything, but first give me fifteen minutes to finish seeing my patients and I’m free for the rest of the day.”
“You’re free this afternoon?” Laura cast a questioning glance toward the receptionist.
Darlene chuckled. “I’ve blocked out the rest of the day and weekend for you.”
Laura finished the last bite of her omelet and reached for a steamy cup of tea. Sitting in a sunny nook of Darlene’s kitchen, she relished this last full day in the city. It had been a perfect holiday for her. They’d attended a concert, dined in a fine restaurant and toured the hospital. The highlight of the weekend had been a lecture by Dr. James McNulty, a renowned endocrinologist. Once again, envy tugged her heart at the opportunity Darlene had working here and being exposed to the cutting edge of medicine. She quickly suppressed the thought, feeling somehow disloyal to her father and the choices she had made years ago.
She was about to ask what their plans for the day were, when Darlene interrupted.
“Laura, why did you choose to go home to help your father, when you could have had all this?”
“You captured this job on the basis of your performance,” Laura hedged, ignoring Darlene’s question.
“But why did you go back? I saw your eyes when Dr. McNulty was lecturing. You hung on his every word,” Darlene pressed, refusing to be diverted.
Laura shook her head, her eyes bright, candid. “Can’t deny I enjoyed it, and maybe envied your advantages for a moment, but I chose to go back because it was the right thing to do.”
Darlene narrowed her eyes. “Why do you think that?”
“It was something my dad had looked forward to since I was a little girl.”
“But what about what you wanted to do?”
“I’ve just never considered anything else.”
“What about your skills, your goals? I’ll wager that you live in your father’s shadow.”
Laura winced; her friend had hit too close to home. Having grown up in and around the hospital, she had yet to prove her mettle as a doctor. To most she was still Doc Dave’s little girl, Laura.
Darlene’s keen eyes noted Laura’s reaction and she pushed her advantage. “It’s time to take control of your future. Stop living someone else’s dreams.”
“Easier said than done,” Laura admitted lamely, once again feeling disloyal to her father.
“Why don’t you come to work here with me?”
Laura’s eyes widened; surprise rendered her speechless.
Darlene laughed. “Things are changing here. There is plenty of opportunity for both of us.”
When she found her voice, Laura asked breathlessly, not believing, “You’re offering me a job?”
“Maybe a partnership. As you can gather—” Darlene waved her hand around her well-appointed penthouse “—it doesn’t come without its advantages.”
“I’m overwhelmed,” Laura responded, then after a long moment shook her head, something akin to longing briefly flaring in her eyes. “But I couldn’t.”
“Don’t say no until you’ve met Brad. I’ve told him all about you. You’ll meet him tonight.” A knowing smile twitched one corner of Darlene’s scarlet mouth. “I haven’t met a woman yet who could resist his charms. Even I couldn’t You see—” she hesitated, a flash of uncertainty in her eyes “—we’re engaged.”
Strains of chamber music from a string quartet greeted Darlene and Laura as they entered Dr. Michael Bradford Jeremiah’s lavish apartment perched high above the street facing the river, now a mere ribbon of liquid gold in the departing sun.
People in evening attire gathered in small groups around the large sunken living room. Laura was glad she had worn her new violet crepe. The dress clung gracefully to her slender body, revealing her feminine curves. Above the deep blue, her eyes sparkled like sapphires and excitement flushed her cheeks. Conversation diminished when the two exquisite blond women entered the room. Laura’s hair fell like a cloud in lustrous waves to her shoulders, while Darlene’s was caught up in a French twist, held in place with glittering combs.
A tall man with close-cropped dark hair detached himself from a group in the back of the room and made his way toward them. He moved with the grace of a dancer, his broad shoulders looked wide enough to fill a doorway, yet his torso tapered to slender hips. His evening jacket and trousers were tailored perfectly. When he came nearer, the soft light revealed chiseled features a Greek statue could envy. His generous mouth turned up in a smile of greeting as he reached over to kiss Darlene’s cheek, but his dark, brooding eyes never left Laura.
When he turned to her, having assessed her, he nodded his approval and observed, “This must be the wonder woman I’ve been hearing about.”
Darlene’s smile had a hint of triumph in it as she acknowledged, “The very same.”
Laura handed her hand to the ebony-eyed giant and smiled broadly, her cheek dimpled. “Dr. Jeremiah, I’m pleased to meet you.”
He exuded charm and confidence with almost a touch of arrogance, yet she detected sadness, a wariness in his eyes, as he inquired, “Well, are you?”
“Am I what?” Laura asked, a puzzled wrinkle in her brow.
“Wonder Woman.” He chuckled.
“The last time I looked I was Laura McBride.”
“I know. I’ve heard about you for two years, and of late how much you need to come to Louisville.”
“And what was your response to that?” she challenged, lifting her chin a bit.
He laughed. “Guarded. That is, until I saw you walk through that door. Now, I’d say, you have definite possibilities.”
Dawn streaked the eastern sky just as Laura reached the interstate. Unwelcome emotions buffeted her as she rushed toward home. Like a forbidden fruit, the memory of Darlene’s offer kept playing through her mind. The lure of the city, the opportunities of a modern research hospital, couldn’t be denied.
But then there was her father, the clinic and Mark.
Mark! Yes, there was Mark. Capable, wonderful Dr. Mark Harrod, assistant chief of staff, was Dr. David McBride’s right-hand man and devoted to Laura. She shook her head attempting to dismiss Mark from the equation that plagued her. She frowned as his dear familiar face smiled from the corridor of her memory, only to be pushed aside by the image of a handsome, dark-eyed giant who whispered, “Well, are you Wonder Woman?”
Thunder rolled across the old heart pine floors, reverberating against the wall and waking Laura from a much-needed afternoon nap. A bolt of lightning illumined the curtained dimness of the room, followed by another peal of thunder and a gust of wind that shook the old farmhouse. Reluctant to move, she gathered the cool, smooth sheets beneath her chin and flinched as the furious storm outside vented its fury.
She closed her eyes and memories of last evening’s frenzy matched the rhythm of the squall outside her home. What a homecoming last night proved. No sooner had she reported for duty than she learned that for the first time she was to be left in charge of the clinic, with neither Mark nor her father in calling distance. They had been gone only a couple of hours when a major crisis had occurred.
She chuckled mirthlessly as she remembered her frustration tinged with envy when she had left Darlene yesterday. Driving home, she’d daydreamed of what it would be like to show the clinic that the youngest Dr. McBride had the skill and intelligence to be a competent physician and surgeon.
Her fantasy had become reality too soon. Near panic had engulfed her when Tom Watson arrived on a stretcher, his mangled limbs covered with blood from a logging accident. One look told her there would be no time to wait for assistance. She shuddered. The muscles in her shoulders still ached from the long hours holding a scalpel in her hand while fighting for the injured logger’s life.
Her smile broadened. Tom had survived and, without any unforeseen complications, would have only minimal disability. A warm glow spread through her even now as she remembered her dad’s arrival and the soft words of praise he spoke. Last night she had met a challenge and passed it with flying colors; now she no longer had to wonder about her ability to respond when the chips were down.
Suddenly, a sense of freedom released the tensions of last night and she sighed with relief and thanksgiving. Throwing back the covers, she hopped out of bed and bounded down the stairs to face the storm with a newfound confidence.
The red-gold boards of the flooring felt smooth and cool to her bare feet as she walked toward the front door of the stately old farmhouse. She tightened her robe around her waist and peered through the leaded-glass window in the massive oak door. The muted afternoon light caressed Laura’s face, revealing faint lines of fatigue around her eyes. She pushed against the door and stepped through.
The fierce spring squall that had rolled down from the mountains behind her, depositing a downpour on the valley, had departed as quickly as it had arrived, leaving the air washed sweet and clean. A heavy fog clung to the mountains, shrouding their peaks. Laura breathed deeply and savored the change.
A movement behind interrupted her reverie, and she turned to meet the warm affection in the eyes of her grandfather Jonah McBride. He sat in the oak swing that had been hanging serenely at the end of the porch for as long as she could remember.
She knew he had been watching the storm. “God’s fireworks,” he called them, claiming it helped a man to be reminded of the Almighty’s awesome power, lest he take it for granted.
Now his serene gaze questioned hers and he shook his head.
She explained sheepishly, “The storm awakened me.”
“Storm or not, you didn’t get enough sleep, Laura,” he barked in his gravelly voice.
“Is the doctor diagnosing the doctor?” She grinned, turning one corner of her mouth up, revealing a dimple.
“I don’t diagnose since I retired from practice. I’m just speaking as a concerned grandfather to the apple of his eye,” Jonah stated, his eyes bright blue under craggy brows. He patted the seat beside him and added softly, “Rough night, honey? Come over here and tell me all about it.”
Her smile broadened as she returned the warmth in his eyes. “As if you didn’t already know.”
“I’d still like to hear the whole story from you.”
“Dad told you about Tom?”
“Yes, but mostly he told me about a certain Dr. McBride, third-generation physician. Glowing report. Seems she saved a man’s life.”
“Not by myself.”
“You were the only physician available,” he reminded her.
“I thought I really wanted that opportunity and when it came—”
“You found out you were really a doctor,” Jonah proposed, an ancient wisdom firing his eyes.
“Yes, I found out, Papa,” Laura murmured, more to herself than him.
“And how did it feel?”
“Like sweet relief.”
Jonah chewed the side of his lip and raised one eyebrow questioningly.
“I didn’t let Dad down,” she explained haltingly.
“Is that what’s behind all this?”
“How could I ever measure up to everyone’s expectations? To most of the people around the clinic, I’m still his little girl playing with stethoscopes. Sometimes I think he still thinks I am.”
“Then why did you come back here, Laura?”
“Because I love him, and if I didn’t return, who would carry on his work? This clinic was his dream.”
“One man can’t choose another man or woman’s dream. I can’t choose for you.” He smiled, but sadness turned the blue in his twinkling eyes to gray as he added, “And neither can your dad. I should know. That’s what I did to him and it almost destroyed our relationship.”
“But his dream is noble and pure.”
Jonah chuckled a bitter little laugh, remembering. “Even so, you must find your own destiny, the one God has tailored just for you.”
“And what about the clinic? You know how vital it is to these people.”
“Then God will send someone else to pick up the mantle if you’re not the one.”
“Who’s to say I’m not?”
“No one except you. Search your heart to find the seat of your reluctance. When you find it you’ll have your answer.”
“Perhaps I’m afraid of what I’ll find,” she confessed. Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“And join millions of others who have traded fulfillment for safety and security. You are unique with gifts and dreams fashioned by a loving God just for you. Choose any other game plan and you’ll miss the excitement of fulfilling your destiny.”
“Sometimes it’s easier said than done.”
“True. However, life’s not about being easy but about being productive,” Jonah added with a shake of his head.
“I can be productive here,” Laura insisted, not yet willing to reveal her doubts.
“Sure you can.”
“Then what do you mean, Papa?”
“That it needs to be your dream and not a lukewarm extension of your father’s. I only want for you to know it is here before you commit yourself. So you’ll never have to wonder or struggle with regret.”
“But how will I know?”
“Know what?”
“The difference between mine and his.”
The question hung suspended in air, unanswered, as a muffled roar sounded.
Jonah stood and moved stiffly toward the railing, looking up. He cupped his ear, tilting it upward toward the steady drone.
“Can you see anything, Papa?”
“It sounds like a plane, but who would be foolish enough to fly in this weather? Must be a truck down on the state highway straining up Clingham’s Bluff with a heavy load.”
Then from directly above the house came the unmistakable whine of an airplane engine.
Laura joined Jonah and the two of them stood transfixed as they watched a small, single-engine plane lose altitude, its bright-red stripes glowing valiantly in the gray afternoon light.
Laura moaned, “He’s too low. He’ll never clear the mountain.”
With one last sputter, the engine died. They stared at the mountain now enveloped in fog, unable to tear their eyes from the little plane hurtling toward disaster. The small craft struggled on, before disappearing into the fog. A few moments later a flash of light pierced the gray shroud, then only silence reigned.
Laura whirled from the porch railing. “Papa,” she yelled over her shoulder as she climbed the stairs two at a time. “Call the hospital and tell them we’ll need to get a medivac copter from Louisville. I’ll saddle Maleeka and go on ahead. It may be a while before they can take off, since that storm is between the city and us.
“But, Laura, what can you do all alone up there?” Jonah protested.
Laura shot her grandfather a mischievous look. “Who was just reminding me what a competent doctor I am?”
Jonah McBride, acquiescing, nodded, a lock of thick white hair falling across his forehead. “Do you think there is a large enough level space for the copter to set down?”
“I believe there is a small plateau near the top,” Laura answered, her voice muffled by her closed bedroom door.
Laura had suited up and returned with bag in hand in record time. Her heart was pounding when Jonah met her at the bottom of the stairs, his deep-blue eyes grave with concern.
“I called the hospital. They’ll be ready. Won’t you wait for Mark? That trail is pretty treacherous after a storm. You know your mom got stranded on it one time.”
Laura smiled reassuringly at her granddad, all the while fighting the temptation to wait for Mark. She knew he had the afternoon off and her father was in surgery. She couldn’t risk the wait. Besides, didn’t she need to assume more responsibility?
“There’s a difference between Mom and me. I know the trail—she didn’t.”
“Nevertheless, it’s not safe to go up there alone. You know what kind of condition it’ll be in after that storm.”
“Do you think Mark could change the condition of the trail?”
“No, but being a man—”
“I can ride just as well as he can, Papa.”
“And doctor, too, but you might need just a little more muscle than you’ve got.” His eyes lingered on her small slender frame.
“We don’t have time to wait,” she responded gently when she encountered the fear in his eyes. Then she added with more confidence than she felt, “I’ll take some extra rope and let Maleeka make up for the muscle I lack. Suit you?”
“I guess it’ll have to. I’d give anything if these old legs would let me go up there with you. Maybe if we saddled up Stormy I might make it—”
Laura shook her head at her grandfather. “Dad would have my hide, Papa. Anyway, I need you here to direct the rescue and keep an eye out for my flares. I’ll drop some about every quarter of a mile once I get on the mountain, so you can follow my path. You will be more assistance here than on that narrow trail.”
“How are you going to get back down?”
“I don’t plan to let night catch me up there,” she said.