by Rita Herron
He paused again. “Well, give me a call if you want to talk.”
Hannah squeezed her eyes shut to stem the tears as the phone clicked into silence. Why had Jake called? Just to say he was sorry; to tell her he’d gotten a dog?
Chapter Twenty-Two
“What are you doing here?”
Jake grimaced. He hadn’t expected Wiley to greet him with open arms, but he…well, hell. He didn’t know what he’d expected. Had Hannah told him about their relationship?
Jake stuffed his hands in his pockets, eyeing Wiley’s Santa suit. “I…we need to talk.”
Wiley tugged on his beard, scratching at the puffy white cottony mass. “I thought your business here was finished.”
“Look, Wiley, I know you’re probably mad I didn’t come clean with you up front, but—”
“You thought I might be the head of the theft ring, didn’t you?”
“At first,” Jake admitted.
“At least you’re not lying about that.”
“I’m done with lies.” Jake poured himself a cup of coffee simply to have something to do.
“I can forgive you for thinking I might be guilty,” Wiley said, glaring at Jake. “But you suspected my daughters might be involved.”
“I had to check out everyone,” Jake said. “That was my job, Wiley.”
Wiley studied him, his frown at odds with the jovial costume he wore. “You hurt my daughter, son. Hannah didn’t deserve that.”
“I know.” Jake’s chest tightened, his legs feeling a little wobbly. “That’s why I’m here. I’d like to make things right.”
“How do you think you can do that?”
“I…” The red outfit complete with shiny black boots and a big bag for gifts suddenly gave him an idea. “I want to talk to Hannah. Apologize. Grovel.”
“Groveling might work.” The corner of Wiley’s fake white mustache twitched. “What makes you believe she’ll listen?”
Jake folded his arms across his chest. “Because I think she loves me.”
Wiley’s fake white eyebrows wagged. “And how do you feel about her?”
“That’s what I’d like to talk to Hannah about, sir.” Jake took a deep breath, then explained his plan.
HANNAH WALKED through the corridors of the ER to the hospital lobby, well aware gossip trailed her every step. Her canceled wedding had only lit the fuse, beginning an explosion of fiery rumors that had escalated with the shakedown that had occurred at her father’s car lot.
So much for the tame, subdued lifestyle she’d planned.
Life holds no guarantees, Grammy Rose had said. Laughing at the irony, she tossed her head, trying to seem oblivious to the stares from the nurses on the floor. In a few minutes, the Christmas party for the kids would start and she wanted to be there. She spotted the Broadhursts exiting the elevator and took a deep breath. Seth followed.
The minute he saw her, he waved her over, but the chief of staff caught him in the hall, postponing the dreaded meeting. She’d known Seth had wanted to talk since that night with Mimi, but she hadn’t been able to face him yet.
What if he wanted a reconciliation? In her heart, she knew she didn’t love him. She cared for him, admired him both as a friend and as a doctor, but Seth deserved a woman’s total love and commitment. Something she couldn’t offer.
Because her heart belonged to another man.
Damn Jake Tippins.
Her reprieve ended when Seth strode toward her. She watched the Broadhursts follow Dr. Porter to the atrium and wondered what they were scheming.
“Hannah, we need to talk.” Seth gently clutched her arm and guided her to the open area where she noticed a large portion of the hospital staff had gathered, probably to help with the Christmas party. Dr. Porter stood at the forefront, the Broadhursts frowning as they settled on a love seat adjacent to the small microphone.
Microphone? What in the world…?
“Seth, what’s going on?” Had he somehow arranged her dismissal?
No, Seth wouldn’t….
Seth leaned close to her as if to guard their conversation. “Hannah, I care about you, you know that, don’t you?”
Her stomach twisted. “Yes, and I care about you, but—”
He held up his hand to stop her. “Let me finish. I admit I was shocked and a little hurt when you called off our wedding.”
Hannah reached for his arm and squeezed his hand. “Seth, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
Quiet understanding filled his eyes. “I know. And I still think of you as a dear friend. In fact, I realize now you were right. We are friends and always will be, but we shouldn’t have gotten married. I’m glad you were smart enough to figure that out before we both made a big mistake.”
“Then you don’t hate me?”
“I could never hate you. I really do care about you, Hannah,” Seth said in a sincere tone. “And I want you to be happy.”
Hannah’s eyes teared up but she blinked back the emotions. “You’re a great guy, Seth. Someday you’re going to find a woman who deserves you. I hope I’m around to congratulate her.”
He drew her into his arms and hugged her. “Thanks, Hannah. I feel the same way about you.” He gestured toward the crowd. “And now, I plan to put a stop to all these stupid rumors.”
Hannah pointed to the podium. “You called everyone together?”
“You’re damned right. I’m sick of everyone saying I’ve been meditating with a bunch of nude snake charmers. I’m going to set the record straight right now, and I’m going to make sure my nosy parents stay out of our lives from now on.”
Hannah reached up and kissed him on the cheek, smiling as he strode toward the mike.
JAKE STOOD in the shadows of the corridor, hiding behind a cart full of flowers and potted plants, his confidence rocking as he watched Hannah and Seth cuddle together in the hall. He hadn’t been gone a whole week yet, and Broadhurst had already tried to crawl back into Hannah’s good graces.
But he was the man she’d climbed into bed with and he didn’t intend to let her bounce back and fall into another man’s arms. At least not without knowing exactly how she felt.
Sneaking a peak at the Santa costume he’d confiscated from Wiley, he grimaced, wondering if his idea had been a little on the lame side. He wasn’t sure he could play Santa, had never even been around kids much, but he’d thought if Hannah saw him in a Santa suit she might see the good side of him and even forgive him. He wanted her to teach him about family and raising kids.
And he’d come bearing gifts. Both for the kids’ Christmas party, which was the reason Wiley had been dressed as Santa in the first place, and for Hannah, the dolls he’d bought and brought with him.
Another lame tactic, but hell, he was only a man and he’d stoop to anything to win another chance with Hannah. Hefting the heavy burlap sack over his shoulder, he adjusted the padding in his belly, hiked up his red velvet Santa pants and headed to the children’s rec room for the party.
HANNAH HELPED settle the twenty-plus children into the children’s rec room, adjusting IVs and wheelchairs for the in-house patients, gathering the less severely ill kids on the floor in front of the others. Several nurses and doctors from the pediatric floor along with volunteers and parents filled the room for the annual event. The decorations the children had made hung from the ceiling: glittery stars, strings of red and green paper garland, candy canes and snowmen danced above them. An artificial tree adorned with lights and childlike wooden ornaments stood in a corner, its branches spilling over with tinsel, small gifts for the children stacked beneath.
Laughter and excited voices drifted around her, helping Hannah forget her earlier worries.
“Dr. Hannah,” a little blond girl on crutches said, “is Santa Claus really coming?”
“That’s what I heard,” Hannah said with a wide grin.
One of the volunteers played the piano while a cancer specialist burst out in song to lead the children. Soon the crowd joi
ned in singing a litany of Christmas tunes, including the children’s favorites, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman.
Finally, the head of pediatrics stood up and clapped her hands. “How about some refreshments, kids?”
The children yelled an emphatic yes. Simon, a small boy in a wheelchair, raised his hand as the volunteers passed out paper cups full of punch and plates of Christmas cookies. “When is Santa coming?”
Laughter sparkled in the pediatrician’s eyes. “As a matter of fact, I think I hear him now. Just listen.” She cupped her hand to her ear and the room grew quiet, the children all leaning forward in anticipation.
Hannah glanced at the door, expecting to see her dear father bound through any minute.
“Ho, ho, ho. Merry Christmas!” Santa Claus suddenly appeared, jingle bells ringing, boots stomping, his voice ringing out through the room.
Only the voice didn’t belong to her father.
Hannah gasped in surprise when she recognized Jake’s dark eyes twinkling from beneath a Santa hat that had flopped over his forehead, his voice slightly muffled through the thick white beard.
“Jake?” she mouthed.
He grinned, a lopsided sexy-Santa grin that sent a shiver up her spine.
The children all clapped and yelled. “Santa Claus is here!”
“Look at his big belly!”
“He’s got boots!”
“And presents!”
“Is your beard real?”
Jake gave his beard a yank, playing along with the children, then sailed through the crowd shouting, “Merry Christmas.” He stopped to pat and shake the children’s hands, bending to their level so he could greet each one, then pulled a gift from the burlap sack and placed it in their eager hands.
“And this one’s for you,” he said to Simon with a wink. “And here’s to the pretty princess on her throne,” he said, stooping to place a long box in the hands of a tiny little girl in a wheelchair.
Hannah’s eyes misted over. He was supposed to give out the gifts from beneath the tree, but her father had obviously bought extra gifts, or maybe Jake had. Whatever the reason, the children squealed with delight as they opened the packages, parents and staff members roaming about to help and admiring the generous gifts and gathering the discarded wrapping paper. When his sack seemed empty, Hannah handed him the smaller presents from beneath the trees, packages filled with art paper and crayons for each of the kids, and Jake passed those out as well.
Tammy, a toddler who’d recently broken her leg when she’d jumped from a table pretending to fly like a superhero, wrapped her arms around Jake’s neck. “Thank you, Santa. I wuv you.”
Hannah saw Jake hug the little girl. “And I love you, too.”
Her throat felt suddenly full of emotions. Jake might not know it, but he’d make a wonderful father. He gazed up and looked at her, the smile in his eyes so meaningful it took her breath away.
He gently eased away from the toddler. “I have a present here for one of your doctors, too,” he said.
“Who?” the little girl shouted.
“Let’s see!” some of the other kids yelled.
Jake moved toward Hannah, the heat flaring in his eyes obviously meant only for her. When he’d maneuvered through the crowded room, Hannah sensed all the children and volunteers and other doctors watching.
“Being Santa,” Jake said, patting his red-velvet padded belly for emphasis so the kids laughed, “I have it on good authority that Dr. Hartwell once was a kid herself. A kid who collected dolls. But one year she forgot about those childish dreams and packed away her dolls.”
“That’s sad,” the little girl in the wheelchair said.
“Well, Santa’s here, hoping he can make Dr. Hartwell believe in dreams again.”
“Yeah!” the children shouted.
“And Santa has a gift, something to add to her collection.”
Hannah’s pulse raced. Did Jake know she’d packed up the dolls and planned to give them away?
He pulled a box from his sack and handed it to Hannah. She stared at the package, wondering why Jake had chosen to bring her a doll after the way they’d parted. Could he possibly have changed his mind about the two of them?
Then she remembered his phone call about the dog and the conversation with her grandmother and Mimi on Thanksgiving, when he’d claimed he wasn’t a settle-down guy, didn’t even own a dog. Was the pet a symbol he was ready to settle down? She’d thought him a big fearless man, but she knew his family history—had he been just as afraid of love as she had?
“Open it!” the little girl in the wheelchair shouted.
“Yeah, let’s see!” the other kids yelled.
“Please open it, doc,” Jake said softly.
Hannah’s fingers trembled as she slipped them beneath the bright green paper and tore the edges. The paper fell away, and she lifted the lid of the box to find not one, but two dolls inside.
“The Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz,” she whispered, holding the doll up for the children to see.
Oohs and aahs filled the room.
“We’re off to see the wizard,” the children began to sing.
“And the Cowardly Lion.” As she lifted the doll, she stared into Jake’s eyes, questioning, yearning for an explanation.
Jake cleared his throat, his gaze locked with hers, his expression part embarrassment, part mischief. He addressed her and the children, “You kids remember the story of the Wizard of Oz?”
“Yeah, the Tin Man wanted a heart.”
“And the Lion wanted courage.”
“We’re off to see the wizard,” they began to chant the song again.
Jake pressed his hand over his heart, his gaze full of emotions. “You have the Dorothy doll so I thought you should add these to the collection.”
Hannah’s eyes searched his.
“When the Lion and the Tin Man met Dorothy, they weren’t whole. She helped them find the parts they were missing. Doc, you helped me find my heart, you helped me realize that it was empty without you. And you helped me see that all I needed was the courage to love someone and I would be whole.”
“Jake—”
“He’s Santa Claus!” Simon shouted.
“You also gave me a Christmas star so I could find my way home.” He dropped to his knee and took her hand in his, kissing the top of her hand gently. Hannah’s breath caught. The children giggled, along with the other doctors and volunteers.
“But Jake, it’s too late, too much—”
He urged her to see the truth in his eyes. “Please Hannah. I followed that star and it led me back here. I want that home with you. I love you.” He kissed her hand again.
“Will you marry me, doc?”
“I thought Santa already had a wife,” Simon said.
Hannah laughed, tears slipping down her cheeks as she saw the truth in his eyes. He had been afraid, but he was willing to take the risk—and so should she. “I love you, too.” She threw her arms around him, forgetting all her fears. “And yes, I’ll marry you.”
Jake lifted her in his arms and spun her around as the children laughed and squealed.
“Click your heels,” a little girl shouted.
“You have to say ‘There’s no place like home’ three times,” another child yelled.
“But then they’ll disappear and go to the North Pole,” Simon said.
Jake stopped spinning and clicked his boots together three times as he repeated the line, “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” Hannah broke into a grin as the kids chimed in.
“I don’t know much about family,” he admitted, dipping his head for a kiss. Will you teach me, doc?”
Hannah looped her arms around his neck. “You know the Hartwells are a pretty crazy bunch?”
“I know, and I love all of you.”
She tousled his furry cap. “Then welcome to the Hartwell clan, honey. I think you’re going to fit right in.”
A FEW HOURS later, Hannah stared at the heirloom hope chest at the foot of her bed, smiling at the changes in her life since its arrival, then crawled into bed with Jake, ready to make mad passionate love to her soon-to-be husband, the man she intended to spend the rest of her life with. She finally understood what her grandmother had meant when she’d included the note about the rock—Don’t let the man you marry weigh you down. Jake wouldn’t weigh her down—he was rock hard in all the right places.
Epilogue
Mimi fluffed the train to Hannah’s bridal gown while Alison adjusted the layers of netting from her veil. Deciding superstition and the folk legend might have something to do with her destiny after all, Hannah had worn her grandmother’s dress and included something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue in her wedding theme, taking advantage of each of the items her grandmother had placed in her hope chest. The bride doll served as a centerpiece for the lace-draped gift table and the pearl ring gleamed from her right hand—she was saving her left ring finger for her wedding ring.
Her father stepped up and offered his arm, his gray suit and hot-pink tie a perfect accent to her sisters’ rose-colored dresses and the roses that were scattered everywhere. Jake had insisted on red roses. They decorated the refreshment table, the red carpet on which she would walk, and the wedding arch of the gazebo where they would exchange their vows. Right on top of Pine Mountain. She and Jake had decided to marry at her grandmother’s house in the old-fashioned gazebo in the backyard overlooking the beautiful countryside. Grammy Rose waved a dainty handkerchief from the front row of white chairs, her eyes twinkling with pleasure.
Soft strains of a guitar began, “I Will Always Love You,” and her sisters took their places, beaming as they walked down the aisle. Hannah recognized several of her father’s friends in attendance, along with a few doctors and nurses, including Tiffany, from the hospital. Even Jake’s partner, Trevor Muldoon, showed up. And she was grateful Seth had decided to join them, too. But the biggest surprise of the day was her mother—she had shown up unexpectedly. Hannah still wasn’t sure how she felt after not seeing her for so many years.