The Nurse's Bodyguard

by Melanie Mitchell

  They rode in silence for a little while, but she was so excited she couldn’t sit still. “I just wish we could have brought Sam and Eli.”

  “Honey, that flight was hard enough on you and me—well, at least on me. You seem to have managed pretty well. But imagine what it would have been like with a two-year-old and a four-year-old.” He shuddered. “I don’t want to even consider the horror of that prospect!”

  She giggled. “I suppose you’re right. I just hope they’ll be good for your parents.”

  He chuckled. “Me, too. What time is it in Midland? We probably need to Skype as soon as we get to the hotel so we can check on them.”

  An hour later, Claire used her iPad to set up a video call from their hotel room. First they talked to Luke’s mother and got a report on what all the boys had done so far. They talked to four-year-old Samuel for a few minutes before he wandered off to play with the family pets. Two-year-old Elijah, they learned, was already in bed for the night. Both had been very good for their grandparents. Claire and Luke had been told not to worry and to have a wonderful time in Seoul.

  While she was getting ready for the upcoming meeting, Claire reflected on the past six years. They’d had a small, lovely wedding on the island of Kauai. Despite the short notice, all of Luke’s family had been able to attend, and the Llewellyns turned the trip into a homecoming celebration for their middle son, a wedding and a family vacation.

  Other than the Llewellyns and Claire’s parents, the only other guests were Tony, Jessica, Bridgette and Brad. Tony had nearly recovered and Jessica’s face was bruise-free, but the cast on her arm would remain another few weeks. Claire smiled to herself as she recalled that within six months, they, too, had married, and the following year Tony had surprised everyone by deciding to leave the Marines. They moved to Southern California, where Tony started a security company and Jessica joined the faculty of UCLA. Their work, along with their two little girls, kept them very busy, but they’d been able to meet last year as Luke and Claire took little Sam to Disneyland.

  Likewise, Bridgette and Brad were able to make the trip to Hawaii to be a part of the wedding. They insisted that Luke and Claire reciprocate, making them promise to travel from Texas to Missouri the same summer for their own wedding. Six years later, Brad was now an Air Force flight instructor and they lived in Colorado. Their son, Brian—to no one’s surprise—was a darling redhead. He was Eli’s age—just past two. Bridgette was pregnant again, this time hoping for a girl, who would undoubtedly also have red hair.

  As predicted, Luke’s mother—Sarah—was crazy about Claire. What hadn’t been predicted was how well Luke’s parents got along with Claire’s parents. During the week of activities before and after the wedding, the Llewellyns and the Olsens became fast friends. After the wedding, they all remained on Kauai while the newlyweds chartered a plane and left to spend a week in a rented beach house on the relatively quiet island of Molokai.

  Claire’s parents further surprised her by moving to central Texas when her father retired a few years later. They said they wanted to finally get away from the cold Minnesota winters, but no one was really fooled. They wanted to be near their grandchildren. They had settled in very well and eventually adjusted to the Texas summers. However, the Olsens remained die-hard Green Bay Packers fans, which led to considerably raucous visits during football season.

  After considerable deliberation, Claire and Luke decided to live in Houston. Luke split his time—working from home several days each week and from the downtown offices that were headed by his brother John the rest of the time. Claire had finished her doctorate and worked for several years at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute, implementing a playroom program based on the one in Seoul, to provide comprehensive care for children with cancer. She worked only part-time after the birth of little Samuel, mostly as a consultant. After Elijah’s birth, she cut back on her work even more but would occasionally take speaking engagements.

  She smiled with pride and pleasure when she thought of their two sons. Samuel had her black hair. He was an easygoing and sweet little boy who loved to play with computers, just like his father. Then, two years later, along came Elijah. Eli weighed nearly ten pounds at birth, and from the beginning, he was all Llewellyn. Her second son was destined—according to his paternal grandfather—to be a football player. His birth, however, had been difficult for Claire, and she’d suffered complications. Her obstetrician had been adamant that it would be dangerous for her to have any more pregnancies.

  Claire was devastated. She adored her little boys and loved being a mother, but her family didn’t feel complete. She wanted—she needed—more children.

  Luke had expressed reluctance when she told him about her desire, but he eventually agreed with her plan. Over the next year, she made a number of contacts, and together they endured multiple interviews and talked to a score of different people. Finally, they were here, and she was nearly overcome with joy.

  * * *

  IN THE BEGINNING, Luke had tried to share his concerns with Claire. During both of her pregnancies, from the moment he’d learned that Claire was expecting, he was ecstatic. Luke was totally in love with the babies he didn’t even know yet. He loved them because they were part of Claire and part of himself. Then when they were born and he held them in his arms, he fell in love all over again. Now, faced with the prospect of adoption, he harbored apprehension that bordered on fear that he wouldn’t be able to feel the same love for someone else’s child.

  But Luke would do anything for Claire, so he’d endured the interviews and the visits and the forms and the discussions with lawyers. And now he’d traveled back to Seoul with her to pick up the child—a little girl—to take her home.

  He watched Claire get dressed for the interview and the introduction to the baby and he said a silent prayer: Please let me not disappoint Claire. Please let me pull this off...

  “Okay, I’m ready.” She was radiant. Beaming, she smoothed her skirt and asked, “Do I look okay?”

  “Claire, she’s six months old. She won’t care how you look.” He managed a smile and kissed her lovingly on the temple.

  As they got into the cab, Luke’s stomach was churning. He wasn’t sure he could go through with it. His smiles and cheerful demeanor were forced and awkward, but with her excitement, Claire didn’t seem to notice.

  The cab finally dropped them off at the Asian Social Welfare Agency. Luke’s edginess was making him queasy. Nevertheless, he composed himself and was able to walk up the steps and enter the building.

  Mrs. Lee, who seemed not to have aged in six years, met them in the waiting area. Luke managed to greet her, smile and responded appropriately to her questions and comments.

  Mrs. Lee seemed genuinely delighted to see Luke again, but her attention quickly turned to Claire, because of the peculiar situation. It was almost unheard of for an adoptee to return as an adoptive parent. With a great deal of enthusiasm, Mrs. Lee called all of the workers over to meet the couple, and Luke was subjected to a host of well wishers, who said overly polite things to him in Korean. He forced himself to be gracious and feign pleasure because it was important to Claire.

  Finally, it was time. “Let us go meet your little angel,” Mrs. Lee said.

  Claire was glowing with anticipation as she grabbed Luke’s hand and smiled into his eyes. Once again he said a quick prayer for strength as they were shown into one of the small family rooms that they’d viewed six years ago. “Please sit,” Mrs. Lee said. “I will only be a moment.”

  For several minutes, they waited in silence. Luke’s heart was beating erratically and his palms were sweating. He badly wanted to flee. At last the door opened and Mrs. Lee returned with the baby. He and Claire stood.

  At first glance, she was the most beautiful baby Luke had ever seen. With a muffled sob, Claire held out her arms to take the tiny, six-month-old girl. “Hell
o, little one,” she cooed. “We’re going to name you Rachel.” Tears flowed down her cheeks, and her voice cracked. “I’m your new Mommy.” She kissed the baby’s temple and continued to talk. “This is your new Daddy. I know he’s kind of big and seems scary, but he’s really wonderful. Together, we’re going to take very good care of you.”

  The baby’s soft black hair was surprisingly long for an infant and had lovely waves. She looked at Claire with interest, and although she didn’t understand English, she seemed to comprehend the loving tone in which the words were uttered. Tentatively she smiled.

  “Oh, my goodness,” Claire exclaimed. Still cradling the child, she sat down on the small sofa and continued to talk to the baby sweetly, quietly, lovingly.

  Luke had been standing to the side, unable to move any nearer. Finally, drawn by an unseen force, he came over to sit on the far side of the sofa. Then he looked, really looked at the baby and saw...

  Her eyes.

  He was stunned. “Oh, dear Lord,” he whispered. “Mary Claire, her eyes—they’re like yours.” After a while, he realized he was holding his breath as he stared at the child. He exhaled and thrust his hands in his pockets.

  The baby’s eyes were not an exact replica of Claire’s, but the similarity was striking. They were an unusual dark blue, but the child had the same anomaly in which an outer section of both irises was a light amber color. The baby’s eyes, like Claire’s, revealed that she was mixed race and therefore not adoptable by most Korean families.

  Hesitantly, he leaned over, touching her lightly on her plump little cheek with his finger. When he did, she looked at him directly and smiled. Her happy little smile revealed two tiny teeth and she reached her arms toward him. Language wasn’t needed to understand what she wanted.

  At that moment—that very moment—Luke’s concerns and fears evaporated like vapor on a hot, sunny day. They were replaced by something warm and simple and enduring. Unable to do otherwise, he gathered her into his arms.

  He closed his eyes tightly and murmured a brief prayer of thanks as he savored the moment. He kissed her downy head. “Hi, Rachel,” he said. Luke’s big hands were infinitely gentle as he held her. “We’re going to take you home to Texas. You’ve got two big brothers who are going to help take care of you.” His voice was gravelly and broken when he whispered, “I’m your Daddy.”

  His eyes were filled with tears when they met Claire’s. He should have known. After all these years with her, he should have known that giving and receiving love could be so simple and so easy.

  He kissed the baby again and smiled at Claire. “Let’s go home.”

  * * * * *

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  ISBN-13: 9781460337615

  THE NURSE’S BODYGUARD

  Copyright © 2014 by Melanie McEwen

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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