Seasons of the Heart

by Susette Williams

  “What, has he been hitting on you and you’re trying to find someone else for him so he’ll leave you alone?” Martha asked.

  “No. He’s a perfect gentleman,” Katie assured them.

  “Probably a momma’s boy,” Kelly suggested.

  Katie couldn’t believe their reactions. What was wrong with them? If they’d met Wade they would be fighting over who got to go out with him. She glared at each one of them until her focus rested on Sasha, the only blonde in the group. “You’re awful quiet, Sasha. What about you? Would you mind being fixed up with a doctor?”

  “He’s not weird or anything, is he?" Sasha pushed the wire rim glasses further on her nose. "I mean… are you sure he’s no psychopath or some kind of stalker?”

  "He's not a stalker." Katie laughed. “You can trust him. I promise.”

  Sasha was a little plain and slightly shy, only a year older than she was. Katie was positive Wade could bring her out of her reclusive shell. Being both patient and warmhearted, he was sure to win her over.

  ♥ ♥ ♥

  Glancing at his watch, Wade sighed impatiently. If Katie didn’t hurry he was going to have to leave without her. No sooner than the thought was in his head, she walked into the clinic. “You’re late. Look, I’ve got to run out to the children’s home, and I thought you might want to come along with me.”

  Katie blushed. It wasn’t a normal occurrence—her being late, and if Wade knew why he might not like it. She had to get Sasha’s phone number if he was going to call her. Then there had been the matter of reassuring Sasha that he was an okay guy. Letting out an exasperated breath, she rushed to clock in. Wade had already grabbed his medical bag and was heading for the back door where his vehicle was parked.

  “Are you coming?” He stood paused with the door handle in his firm grip.

  “Yeah, just a second.” Katie pushed her purse strap further up on her shoulder and tucked stray strands of hair, that had fallen in her face, behind her ear as she hurried to follow him out. “Is something wrong?”

  “Do you remember the kitten the girls have?” Katie nodded and Wade continued, “Apparently a dog got a hold of it. Margaret called to see if we could go out there and take care of it. She said she wouldn’t normally ask, but Lucy was grocery shopping for the home and the girls are all frantic. I could hardly hear a word she said between all the crying in the background and her trying to comfort the kids between sentences.”

  “Is Kee Kee going to be all right?”

  Wade fastened his seat belt, and paused for a moment to look at her before he pulled off. “Who is Kee Kee?”

  “The kitten. That’s what they decided to name her,” Katie told him.

  “And how might you know its name?” He chanced a glance in her direction. If traffic wasn’t so heavy he’d be tempted to look in her direction for a longer period of time, even an eternity, but that wouldn’t be safe. Not while he was driving—at least.

  “When I took some cupcakes out there a couple weeks ago, Mattie told me.” Katie smiled when she thought about the curly, redheaded, five-year-old.

  Mattie had reluctantly agreed to accept the name Annie had chosen for Kee Kee as long as they knew the cat was hers because she found her. Of course, she found her on the porch where a certain doctor left her with a bow. Not that he would admit it and Margaret didn’t have a chance of saying no to the girls. As far as they were concerned, it was a gift from God. The administrator couldn’t refute a gift of God. After all, how would she send the kitten back?

  “What are you laughing about?”

  “Just thinking about the girls.” Katie leaned her head against the headrest and enjoyed the remainder of the ride in quiet.

  Wade parked in front of an older two-story home. Before he could close the door of his maroon truck, he was greeted by a pair of teary eyes and two small hands that frantically pulled at his arm. “Hold on. Let me grab my bag.”

  Katie wanted to cry. Seeing the pain in Annie’s eyes broke her heart. How she wished she could make it go away. These children had already been through enough in their little lives and now this. It would devastate them if Kee Kee didn’t make it. Lord, please help Kee Kee to be all right.

  Wade turned the kitchen table into his operating room. An old towel covered one end of the table. The kitten had grown considerably in the last couple of months. Wade carefully laid the kitten down on the towel, trying not to cause it anymore pain. Exasperated cries escaped the children's mouths when he pulled out a needle to give Kee Kee a shot for pain.

  “Is she going to be okay, Doctor Wade?” Mattie asked between small sobs.

  Katie tightened her hold around Mattie’s waist and drew Annie closer, too. Margaret comforted the other girls, gently urging them to stand back and allow the vet room to work.

  They all watched as Wade worked in silence, not offering them any words of hope or encouragement. A couple of the girls turned their heads when he began to stitch a cut on the kitten. When he finished, all eyes were upon him.

  “Why isn’t she moving?” Annie whimpered.

  “She’s resting right now," Wade said. "She was hurt bad and she’s going to be tender for a while. Can you all promise to let her rest without disturbing her?” Wade watched the girls all nod in agreement. “That means you can’t pick her up at all.”

  “I’ll make sure they let her rest,” Margaret assured him.

  Wade nodded. “Katie, keep an eye on Kee Kee, while I go out to the truck and get some things.”

  “Okay.” Katie took her position near the table and gently petted the kitten's head.

  It wasn’t long before Wade came back in carrying a padded bed for the kitten, a litter box, and some food. Katie’s eyes widened and her heart melted. He'd thought of everything. “Oh, Wade.”

  His heart did a flip at hearing his name on her lips. The sight of her comforting Annie and Mattie nearly distracted him while he had worked on the kitten. He probably should have told the kids the kitten would be all right then, but it took every ounce of his strength to stay focused.

  “We can’t afford to pay for all of this stuff,” Margaret told him. “The home doesn’t have very much wiggle room in its budget.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s on me.” Wade set the stuff up for the kitten in Margaret’s room where the children wouldn’t be able to get at it or the kitten so easily. “Don’t let them pick Kee Kee up for three or four days. Then you’ll still have to be careful with her so she can mend properly.”

  “Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to these girls.” Margaret wiped a tear from her eye.

  Wade was sure he had a pretty good idea what it meant to the girls. “Do you know whose dog it was?”

  “Oh, yes. We’ve had a terrible time with that dog," Margaret said. "He’s scared a couple of the children before. They live two doors down, in the house with pale blue siding.” She pointed in the direction of the house.

  Wade handed Katie his bag as they were leaving. “Wait for me in the truck.” Wade took off walking in the direction Margaret said the dog lived.

  Katie turned on the radio and relaxed against the seat while she waited for Wade to return. She smiled when she thought about the things he had thought to bring for Kee Kee. He was always so giving.

  I have to do something for him. Katie thought about it and knew she had to help Wade find happiness. She would make sure he allowed her to fix him up with Sasha. Deep in thought, she jumped when Wade opened the door. “Where were you?”

  “I went to give them my bill.”

  “Give who your bill? I thought you told Margaret not to worry about it?” Katie sat up in her seat.

  “I did, but the nice couple that owned the dog offered to pay for the injuries the dog inflicted.”

  “How did you get them to do that?” Katie asked.

  “I have my ways." Wade laughed. "I don’t think their dog will be bothering anyone anytime soon. They promised to be more responsible with the care of their pet.�
�

  Katie could only imagine what he might have said to them. “It was sweet of you to bring that stuff for Kee Kee.”

  Wade shrugged. “Wanna stop for a hamburger?”

  “That sounds good.” Katie knew he was being modest and didn’t want to take credit. She was proud to work for such a compassionate man and even prouder to call him her friend.

  They pulled up outside the oldest diner in town where the locals grabbed a bite to eat. The Formica tables and padded chairs didn’t particularly appeal to the college crowd. Katie liked the restaurant and the locals. Wade had brought her here to celebrate her first month of employment with him.

  As the sun descended on the horizon, its rays glimmered through the diner’s windows where Wade and Katie were seated. Katie leaned her head towards the shadows, a hand cupped to shield her eyes as she squinted, trying to block out the blinding light.

  “Hold on.” He reached up and lowered the blinds behind him.

  “Thank you,” Katie said and retrieved her menu.

  Wade ordered two iced teas from the waitress who promised to return soon and take their order. When she left their table, he laid one arm on the table in front of him and the other across the back of the chair next to him. “Do you know what you want yet?”

  “I thought I’d have the Lumberjack Special.”

  “Pancakes for dinner?” Wade chuckled.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that. Haven’t you ever eaten cold pizza for breakfast?” Wade nodded and she continued, “See, so if you’ll eat something like that for breakfast, why not eat breakfast for dinner?”

  Their waitress returned with their drinks. “Have you all decided what you’d like tonight?”

  “We’ll take the Lumberjack Special and the Grand Slugger’s breakfast.” The waitress wrote down their order, and picked up the menus before leaving their table.

  Katie smiled at Wade’s choice of food for dinner. She wanted to talk to him about going on another date with one of her friends, but didn’t know how to begin. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out with Margaret.”

  Wade shrugged. “That’s the way it goes. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I have someone else I want you to meet. I’m sure you’ll both get along,” Katie assured him.

  Biting back the irritation that threatened to rise, he gritted his teeth. “I really don’t need to be fixed up. I’m capable of finding my own dates.”

  “I know you are. You just haven’t met the right woman yet. Please, give it a try.” When he didn’t respond, she added, “What can it hurt?”

  He wanted to tell her she was wrong, he had met the perfect woman. Unfortunately, she didn’t look at him the way he did her. What was it going to take to get her to stop playing matchmaker? Maybe if she saw this date didn’t work out either, perhaps she’d finally leave the issue alone. “Is this what you want?”

  “Well, I want you to be happy.”

  The air in his lungs expelled in an exasperated breath. “Will this make you happy?”

  Katie could tell by the frown on his face that he wasn’t too pleased with her at the moment but he’d see. Things would work out. They had to.

  “Yes.”

  Chapter Four

  Katie couldn’t help feeling angry. At least that’s what she thought it was. Oh, who am I kidding, she chided herself. You’re just upset because Wade’s not talking to you and you’re dying to know what happened on his date.

  So, she was curious. Why shouldn’t she be? On Sunday, Wade hadn’t shown up to give her a ride to church. After not getting an answer at his house, she went on to church by herself, arriving late. He hadn’t even saved her a seat either. All week long, either Wade was polite and indifferent or not even at work for very long. Not once did he offer to take her with him on any of his calls.

  Only once during the past week had she laid eyes on Sasha. Catching up to her was a different story. One would have thought Katie had the plague the way Sasha scurried to get away from her. In her attempts to out-pace Katie, Sasha bumped into another student who was loaded down with books. When she knocked his books out of his arms while trying to get away from Katie, Sasha had dropped her books, too. In an effort to bend over and retrieve her own books, it appeared Sasha hadn’t made sure she had picked up the right text because the other student went chasing after her as well. Sasha's brisk walk became a run when she looked over her shoulder and saw that the guy was trying to catch her, too. Katie might have caught Sasha if she hadn’t been laughing so hard at the way Sasha was trying to get away from the guy chasing her.

  After that, Katie sat down and laughed, too worn out to continue her pursuit of the run-a-way Sasha. With three failed attempts to reach Sasha by phone, Katie finally figured out she was avoiding her. But why?

  Since Alice had left work early to take her husband to the dentist to have a tooth pulled, it was up to Katie to put away client files. Sorting through the stack on Alice’s desk, she silently wished they could have seen their patients alphabetically. It would have made her job easier.

  Slamming one file drawer shut, she grabbed for the next file off the desk. In her haste it tumbled to the floor. “Ah…”

  Katie knelt down to pick up the scattered papers. With the back of her hand, she brushed a few stray strands of hair out of her face. Standing with the contents of her mess, she set them on the desk before she tightened her ponytail and then continued to file them.

  She could hear Wade moving around in his office. This couldn’t go on forever, she reasoned and decided it was time to settle things between them. His door was closed, again. That wasn’t normal for him. Usually he left it open. That was until this week. This week, nothing was normal and it nauseated her. They’d never had anything come between them before. Why was he so upset with her?

  Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. It was time she found out. She couldn’t go on working with him like this.

  “Come in,” he ordered curtly.

  Katie was almost afraid to open the door. She inhaled a deep, calming breath, turned the handle and stepped into his office. “Are you busy?”

  He looked up from some papers he'd been studying. “Does it look like it?”

  “Good.” Katie ignored his sarcastic tone and took a seat in the upholstered chair in front of his desk.

  Wade laid the papers down, sat back, and folded his arms across his chest. “Something you wanted?”

  “Yes,” she stammered. “Why are you so upset with me?”

  He looked at her without saying a word. Fidgeting, she sighed. “All right. So maybe this date didn’t work out either. I’m sorry.”

  “You know…,” he said and unfolded his arms as he stood. He walked around to the other side of his desk and pulled the other matching upholstered chair around so that he faced her. “I’m curious. Were these the kind of women you could see me with? I mean… What were you thinking?”

  Katie bowed her head and stared at her hands. “I just wanted to make you happy. I’m sorry neither date worked out. If you want, I’ll reimburse you for them.”

  “I don’t want you to do that.” Wade lifted her chin and turned her face so he could see her better. Her tear-filled eyes melted his heart. “You may have been trying to help me or whatever—but please do not try to fix me up with anyone again.”

  A lone tear trickled down her cheek. Wade wiped it away before it reached her chin. Katie absorbed the warmth of his touch. She had missed him this week. Even though they’d been around each other, it wasn’t the same.

  Her sensuous pink lips parted. It took all his strength not to kiss her. Wade moaned and rested his head against her shoulder.

  “I promise I won’t try to fix you up on any more dates,” Katie whispered next to his ear.

  Wade stood up abruptly and walked over to the metal file cabinet. He didn’t turn around right away, but rested an arm on the top of it until he could compose himself. Watch it, he warned himself. You almost kissed her. What do you want to
do, blow it?

  When he turned around she sat motionless, watching him. “Aren’t you going to ask me about my date?”

  “I wasn’t sure you wanted to talk about it.”

  “Mm.” Wade shrugged his shoulders as he raised his brows, then took a seat at his desk, and picked up the papers he had been holding when she came into the office.

  Katie watched as he leafed through the papers. When he didn't speak for a long moment, she wondered if he forgot she was there. “Well?”

  “Well, what?” he asked innocently.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me?”

  He pretended to be confused, enjoying her frustration. “Aren’t I going to tell you what?”

  “Wade McAlester. If you aren’t the most infuriating…,” Katie stormed angrily as she rose from her seat and headed for the door.

  “Hold on.” Wade chuckled. “Have a seat and I’ll tell you.”

  Turning back to face him she crossed her arms over her chest. “You can be so mean.”

  “I’m mean?” He laughed again, placing his hand against his chest. “Ha. Some would call me a saint after the date I endured this weekend.”

  Frowning, Katie eased herself back into her seat. “Was it that bad?”

  “Why don’t you tell me?” Katie stared at him in silence as he continued to talk. “When I went to pick Sasha up, she greeted me on the porch. My educated guess is that she was afraid to let me in.”

  Katie laughed. “I doubt that she was afraid to let you in. Maybe she was just eager to go out with you,” Katie suggested.

  Wade grunted. “Sure. When we got to the restaurant and I offered to take her coat she practically jumped halfway across the room. Needless to say I let her take off her own wrap.”

  Maybe she was just excited by his touch and didn’t know how to react, Katie reasoned. Wade was too naive to realize the effect he had on women, which was probably a large part of the reason he didn't date. He didn't realize how attractive he was. “Is that all?”