“That’s not funny, Ben.” She slowly opened her eyes, savoring the sight of him.
Mutt trotted over and licked her face.
“Mutt. I missed you,” she said.
“What about me?” Ben asked.
She narrowed her eyes and looked at him again. There was a smudge of grease on his cheek, and his hair was all messed up.
“You’re all dirty.” She sighed. “And you have two heads.”
“And I think you have a concussion,” he said.
“I’m kidding,” Sara said. She started to sit up.
“No. Don’t move. You might have a spinal injury—your neck.”
Sara held out her hand as Ben continued to spout neurological warnings.
“Good grief, I’m fine. Let me be the judge of my neuro status.”
Ben pulled her to her feet. For a moment he held on to her hand and stared at her, his face unreadable. Finally he released her and took a pained breath.
“What are you doing here, Sara?” he asked.
“I’m going job hunting, and I thought you might want to go with me.”
Ben narrowed his eyes. “Job hunting? What about the clinic?”
“I decided it wouldn’t be any fun without you. So I promoted my uncle to director and cleaned out my desk.”
“You quit?”
She nodded.
Ben ran a hand over his face as he took in her words. “And your father?”
“He’s busy scheduling his pacemaker.”
“That’s good news, right?”
“It is.” She smiled. “Thank you. For everything.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Ben, you did everything. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone so selfless and giving.”
He shook his head and grimaced. “Please don’t give me too much credit. The Lord led me to Paradise for another chance because I was wholly selfish. My sister died because of my selfishness.”
“Ben, if God can forgive you, why can’t you forgive yourself?”
“You’re right. He gave the ultimate sacrifice, and I need to remember that.” Ben glanced away, then his gaze met hers. “I guess it’s just that I don’t want you to see me as anything other than what I am.”
“What? A sinner who is saved by grace?” She touched his arm. “Yes, I’m one, too.”
He shook his head at her words. “Thanks, Sara,” he said.
“Ben, can we just start over?”
Hope flared in his dark eyes, and he slowly nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “I’d like that.”
“Then how long do you think we need to wait before I can tell you I’m in love with you?” Sara asked, her head cocked in question.
Ben coughed. “Sorry.” He choked out the word. “Swallowed my gum.”
“Do you need the Heimlich?” she asked with a laugh.
“I’m fine. I just thought you said...” His voice trailed off as his gaze met hers.
Sara reached up and rubbed a spot of grease from his cheek. “What’s this?” she asked as she examined the black smudge on her fingers.
“I’m working on the RV.”
“What are you going to do with an RV?”
“I sort of bought it before I resigned.”
She frowned. “I’m missing something in this equation.”
“This is—I mean, was—our mobile clinic.”
Sara’s eyes rounded with delight. “Oh, Ben—the mobile clinic!”
“Yeah. Think it will work?”
“Only if you and I are driving it,” she said.
“My toy. I get to drive,” Ben countered.
“I might get a turn if you’ll consider working at the clinic with me.”
“I don’t think we can do that again,” he said.
“I’m talking about as staff physicians.”
“Staff physicians?” His brows raised.
“Remember, there is the appeal of year-round altitude sickness, a population of seventeen hundred and nineteen, and the stunning low-end base salary.”
“Yeah. That is hard to resist,” he admitted. “But I’d probably want to do it for the perks.”
“What perks?” Sara asked.
Ben pulled her close into the circle of his arms. “Working side-by-side with the woman I love.”
Sara gulped, surprised and delighted to hear the words tumble from his lips.
“You love me?” she asked.
“How could I not? You put up with me when I was an emotional mess.”
Sara sighed. “Do you think you could possibly kiss me?” she asked.
He looked down at his shirt and jeans. “But I’m all dirty.”
“I love you just the way you are, Dr. Rogers.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled his head down to hers until his lips touched her mouth.
“My mother would have loved you,” Sara whispered when she was done kissing him.
Ben took a deep breath, and his eyes became moist. “Sara, my sister would have loved you.”
“God is so good,” Sara said. “He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.”
“Amen,” Ben said.
Epilogue
“Ladies, are we ready?” Bitsy Harmony asked. Flora Downey, Anna Carter and the rest of the Paradise Ladies’ Auxiliary nodded as they adjusted the sashes on their pale pink attendant dresses. They followed Bitsy through the open French doors of the clinic chapel, down the stone pavers and past the rows of guests, to stand with bouquets of wildflowers in hand around the gazebo.
Once they were in position, Bitsy nodded and the chapel organ began. The lilting, sweet melody of the processional filled the courtyard.
Sara turned to the man in the wheelchair beside her.
“Ready, Uncle Henry?”
“Indeed I am, dear. I’ve waited for this since the moment I met your groom.”
“How did you know, Uncle Henry? I don’t think I really knew until I saw the garden.”
“I recognized something of myself in Ben, I think.”
“Ready?” he asked his niece.
“More than ready,” she said with a smile.
They began the short walk down the path, which had been widened to allow Henry to roam around the chapel garden with ease.
Sara glanced at the guests as they turned to smile at her as she walked slowly past. Rows of satin-covered chairs were filled with citizens of Paradise, dear friends, family and colleagues.
When they reached the halfway point, Henry stopped and lifted her hand, turning his niece over to her father. Sara reached down to kiss her uncle.
How blessed she was to be given away to the man she loved by the two men who had raised her.
Sara smiled tenderly at her father. Today he wore a white Stetson that emphasized the healthy tan he had since starting back to work. He was here today thanks to Ben, who had overcome his own fears to save Hollis Elliott’s life.
They reached the steps of the gazebo, and her father walked up the two short steps to the landing. Large tulle and satin bows of ivory and coral decorated the hand railings.
Her father kissed her cheek and gently placed her hand in Ben’s before he stepped back and sat down.
Only now did she dare to glance up at her groom. She knew her heart was bursting, and she wanted to see him, to sear the memory of his face at this very moment before they sealed their love on her heart forever.
Sara looked up. The lean, dark, serious doctor she fell in love with was smiling, with a tiny sparkle of amusement in his eyes. He was happy. She liked it when Ben was happy. There was no doubt in her mind that he loved her, completely and totally.
He didn’t even realize it, but not only had Ben Rogers sl
ain dragons for her, he had helped her grow into the woman and doctor whom her mother and father could be proud of.
Thank You, dear Lord, for this wonderful partner and colleague. Amen.
* * * * *
If you enjoyed this story by Tina Radcliffe,
be sure to check out the other
Love Inspired books this month!
Keep reading for an excerpt from Rancher’s Refuge by Linda Goodnight
Dear Reader,
Welcome to Paradise. I hope you enjoyed Ben and Sara’s story. They’re head-smart physicians who must learn to listen to their spirit and the leading of the Lord, who will never let them down. As we all do, they find themselves struggling with fear and condemnation and getting a little lost on the path to God’s perfect plan for their lives. During those times we are the most confused, the answer is simple: trust in the Lord for the answer.
I never actually planned to write a medical story, but now that I look back, I think all my stories, published and unpublished, have a medical thread. I just didn’t realize it. When the editors at Love Inspired asked me to consider writing a book with a medical theme, I knew I was ready.
Drop me a line and let me know what you think. I can be reached at [email protected] or through my website, www.tinaradcliffe.com.
Tina Radcliffe
Questions for Discussion
The theme of Mending the Doctor’s Heart is trusting in the Lord. If you are accustomed to relying solely upon your intellect, a step of faith can be difficult. Can you relate to this?
Both Ben Rogers and Sara Elliott are starting over. Have you ever experienced a starting-over point in your life?
Ben feels responsible for his sister’s death. While not logical, this guilt has given him a phobia. Have you ever known anyone with a phobia?
Despite Ben’s phobia about hospitals and treating patients, opportunities continue to present themselves where he must treat the injured. Could this be God’s intervention to show Ben His will for his medical career? What do you think?
Bitsy Harmony is a colorful secondary character who leads the Paradise Ladies’ Auxiliary. What did you think of her?
Sara’s father, Hollis, is a very controlling man. Can you understand how his fears have shaped his personality?
Paradise, Colorado, is a fictional small mountain town located near the real cities of Monte Vista and South Fork. Have you ever been to Colorado? You can find out more about this area at http://www.southfork.org/index.asp.
Rural medicine can be challenging because there are less resources for medical professionals, along with environmental obstacles. Are you familiar with the term rural medicine?
Ben and Sara have both experienced loss, but they respond differently, possibly due to time. Do you think the phrase “time heals all wounds” has merit?
Another theme in Mending the Doctor’s Heart is forgiveness. Ben struggles to forgive himself, and Sara deals with forgiving her father. Forgiveness is an act of faith. Do you agree with this?
Ben’s plan in Paradise is isolation, but the Lord has other plans. Have you ever found yourself chased down by the Lord’s plan for your life?
Uncle Henry is a spiritual mentor for both Ben and Sara. Have you ever had a spiritual mentor in your life?
Sara believes that people are more important than things. Have you ever known anyone who has their priorities backward and puts things before the people in their life?
The chapel garden is a gift from Ben to Sara. He gives up his material possessions to make it a reality. What do you think of this gift of the heart?
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.
Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!
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Chapter One
Left hand riding lightly on his thigh, Austin Blackwell held the reins with the other and picked his way through the thick woods above Whisper Falls, Arkansas. If one more calf strayed into this no-man’s land between his ranch and the cascading waterfall, he was putting up another fence. A really tall one. Barbed wire. Electrified. Let the folks of the small Ozark town whine and bellow that he was ruining the ambience or whatever they called the pristine beauty of these deep woods. They just didn’t want to lose any tourist money. Well, he didn’t want to lose any cattle money, either. So they were on even playing field. He’d never wanted to open the waterfall to tourism in the first place.
Now, every yahoo with an itch to climb down the rock wall cliff and duck behind the curtain of silvery water traipsed all over his property just to mutter a prayer or two. Wishful thinking or pure silliness. He’d made the trek a few times himself and he could guarantee prayers whispered there or anywhere else for that matter were a waste of good breath.
Something moved through the dense trees at his left and Austin pulled the horse to a stop. Cisco flicked his ears toward the movement, alert and ready to break after the maverick at the flinch of his master’s knee.
“Easy,” Austin murmured, patting the sleek brown neck while he scoped the woods, waiting for a sight or sound. Above him a squirrel chattered, getting ready for winter. Autumn leaves in reds and golds swirled down from the branches. Sunlight dappled between the trees, although the temperature was cool enough that Austin’s jacket felt good.
He pressed his white Stetson tighter and urged the bay onward in the direction of the falls, the direction from which the movement had come. Might be the maverick.
“Coyote, probably.” But black bear and cougar weren’t out of the question. He tapped the rifle holster, confident he could handle anything he encountered in the woods. Outside the ranch was a different matter.
The roar of the falls increased as he rode closer. Something moved again and he twisted in the saddle to see the stray heifer break from the opposite direction. Cisco responded with the training of a good cutting horse. Austin grappled for the lariat rope as the calf split to the right and crashed through the woods to disappear down a draw.
Cisco wisely put on the brakes and waited for instructions. Austin lowered the rope, mouth twisting in frustration. No use endangering a good horse in this rugged, uneven terrain.
At least the stray had headed in the right direction, back toward the ranch.
“Yep, I’m puttin’ up another fence.” He patted Cisco’s neck with a leather-gloved hand. Somewhere along the meager stretch of old barbed wire the calves had found a place to slip through. Maybe in one of the low places or through a washout from one of the many creeks branching from the Blackberry River. Finding the break across three miles of snaggy underbrush would be a challenge.
But Austin liked it up here on the grassy, leaf- and hickory-lined ridge above Whisper Falls. Always had, especially before the stories started and people came with their noise and tents and plastic water bottles. Before the name changed from Millerville to Whisper Falls—a town council decision to attract tourists. He understood. He really did. Ruggedly beautiful, this area of the Ozarks was isolated. Transportation was poor and there was little opportunity for economic growth, especially since the pum
pkin cannery shut down.
The remoteness was why he’d come here. The economy was why he ranched.
Those were also the reasons the little town had changed its name and started the ridiculous marketing campaign to attract tourism. Whisper Falls. Austin snorted. No amount of marketing moved God to answer prayers.
He shifted in the saddle to look toward the ninety-feet-high waterfall.
Here, the Blackberry River tumbled faster than near the ranch, picking up speed before plummeting over the cliff in a white, foamy, spectacular display of nature’s force and beauty.
The solitude of the woods soothed him, helped him forget. Nature didn’t judge the way people would. He could be himself. He could relax.
The air was clean here, too, tinted with the spray of freshness from the bubbling falls. It almost made him feel clean inside again. Almost. He breathed the crispness into his lungs, held the scent. Hickory and river, moist earth and rotting leaves. Good smells to an outdoorsman. Great smells to a man whose past stank like sewage.
“Better get moving, Cisco. Maybe we can find the fence break before dark.”
He pulled the bay around and that’s when he saw the woman. A slim figure in dark slacks and bright blue sweater moved quickly from tree to tree in some game of hide-and-seek. Curious, Austin took out his field glasses to look around, expecting a child or lover to join the game. No one did.
Austin swung the binoculars back to the woman. What he saw spurred him to action.
* * *
Annalisa Keller stifled a sob. She had to hide. She had to get away. “Please, God. Help.”
She heard him coming, thrashing, crashing through the dry leaves and underbrush like the madman he was. Knees rattling, she cradled her left arm and stumbled down the rocky incline. Straight ahead, the falls roared, a rush of sound with the power to sweep her away. The thought tempted, beckoned. Jump in and be swept away. He could never find her. No one would.
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