Amish Country Box Set: Restless HeartsThe Doctor's BlessingCourting Ruth

by Marta Perry

  “He says I can’t come home yet. What does he know?”

  “He’s one of the best in Honolulu. He knows a lot. You’re making progress.”

  “Maybe so. It’s just hard to be here and not there. Everyone writes, though. I’ve gotten lots of mail. So tell me, who did you see today?”

  After describing the patients he’d seen in the clinic and their conditions, he recounted Martha Nissley’s accident.

  “Yes, Amber told me about that. It’s a shame. Martha kept house for me years ago, before she was married. I don’t know why some teenagers think it’s fun to torment the Amish. They are such gentle people. They’d never hurt anyone. I will pray for her recovery.”

  “The family wouldn’t make a police report.”

  “It’s their way.”

  “That’s what Amber told me.”

  There was a long pause on the line, then Harold asked, “How are the two of you getting along?”

  “Fine.” Phillip wasn’t about to get into details when he wasn’t sure what his feelings were.

  “Yes, that’s what Amber said, with exactly that same tone in her voice.”

  Phillip felt like a college freshman pumping his best friend for information about the cute girl in English class. “What did she have to say about me?”

  “Nothing much.”

  “Oh.” He hoped he didn’t sound as disappointed as he felt.

  “She did mention you were a nice-looking guy.”

  “She did?” That was promising.

  “I think what she actually said was that you look a lot like me.”

  “Gray-haired and wrinkled? Oh, joy!” he replied with teasing sarcasm.

  Harold laughed out loud. “Tell me what you think of her.”

  “Are you going to repeat this conversation to her?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Then I’m not telling you a thing. Except she’s a very good nurse. She’s brave, incredibly foolish, stubborn to a fault and—”

  “And what, Phillip?”

  He searched for the right word but came up short. “I don’t know. Sweet.”

  “She’s pretty as the day is long, too. Don’t you think?”

  Now Phillip was sorry he’d gotten himself into this conversation. “I hadn’t noticed.”

  The sound that came through the phone had to be a snort. “Didn’t know you were thickheaded, boy.”

  “Okay, she’s cute, but being a skilled nurse is a lot more important to me.”

  “She’s the best midwife I’ve ever worked with.”

  Phillip decided it was best to avoid that topic. “Is there anything you need, Harold?”

  “No, your stepdad has been here every day to check on me and bring me some decent food. Some of this Hawaiian stuff is good. Have you had poi?”

  Phillip chuckled. “Many times.”

  He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Has my mother been to see you?”

  “No, and she won’t.”

  “Don’t you think it’s about time one of you told me what happened between you?”

  A long silence followed Phillip’s question. Finally, Harold said, “That’s between her and me.”

  “It certainly affected me. We could have known each other for thirty additional years. I could have learned so much more about my father from you!” He was almost shouting as his resentment surged to the forefront.

  Calmly, Harold said, “Phillip, you have to let go of your father. Nothing you learn can bring you closer to him or bring him back. All you can do is live your life for God and others and pray you will see him in heaven.”

  Sighing heavily, Phillip struggled to gain control of his raw emotions. It was hard to admit, but he said, “I know you’re right.”

  “But you can’t accept it.”

  “Not until I know why my mother kept me away from you all these years. Nothing you tell me can be worse than the things I imagine.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that. Tell Amber I’m thinking of her and hoping Sophie Knepp has an easy delivery. The poor woman has already lost two of her seven children before they turned two.”

  “You’re changing the subject, sir.”

  “Yes, I am. Good night, Phillip.” The line went dead.

  Chapter Eight

  By Sunday morning Amber had complete control of her emotions. Her feelings for Phillip were a silly infatuation and nothing more. Once she had spent a few more days working with him, this odd attraction would die a natural death. They had bonded because of their danger-filled rescue of Martha Nissley. It was a common occurrence between people in tension filled situations. Such intense emotions rarely lasted. Satisfied that she understood what was going on, she headed with light steps toward the Hope Springs Fellowship Church.

  It was a beautiful summer morning. Late July could be frightfully hot in Ohio but the temperature had been mild lately. The sky was clear except for rare fleecy clouds floating past.

  They reminded her of Fluffy. The cat who was most likely curled up at home asleep on Amber’s blue sofa. A few white hairs on the furniture were a small price to pay for such a loving companion. Looking toward the white spire of the church silhouetted against the sky, Amber allowed the peace she always felt on this day to soak into her soul.

  That peace lasted until she reached the church steps. At the top of them, Phillip stood talking to Pastor Finzer as he greeted his flock. Her hope to slip inside unnoticed was dashed when the minister caught sight of her.

  “Amber, look who’s joining us this morning.”

  She nodded in their direction and slowly climbed the steps. “Pastor, good morning. Dr. White, nice to see you.”

  Beaming a bright smile at the two of them, the friendly young pastor said, “We’re delighted to have Dr. White as a visitor to our church while he’s in town. I’m sure Amber will introduce you around, Phillip, and help you feel at home. Won’t you, dear?”

  “Of course.” The smile on her face was fake. She hoped neither of the men realized it.

  As they passed through the doors, Phillip leaned down and softly said, “Sorry about that. I know you didn’t want to get stuck with me on your day off.”

  Was that how he was feeling? That he was stuck with her? She couldn’t hide the sting of disappointment she felt. “Don’t worry, Dr. White. I’ll find somebody to pass you off to quickly.”

  “That wasn’t what I meant.”

  Amber spied the perfect candidate sitting to the left of the aisle. Stopping beside an ample woman in a pink suit with a matching pink hat, Amber said, “Mrs. Curtis, how lovely to see you’re feeling well enough to attend church today.”

  “Thank you, Amber dear. I struggled this morning. I don’t know how I managed, but the Lord gave me strength.”

  “Mrs. Curtis, I’d like you to meet the new doctor in town. Dr. White, this is Gina Curtis. She’s one of your grandfather’s most frequent visitors.”

  “Dr. White, do have a seat.” Gina scooted over to make room for him, her eyes bright with interest.

  After he sat she said, “You know, I’ve been having this terrible pain in my neck. What do you think it could be? Oh, and my left heel hurts dreadfully when I stand up in the mornings. What can cause that? Your grandfather has never been able to figure out what ails me.”

  Amber felt a little ashamed, but if Phillip was going to be practicing in Hope Springs, he had to take the good with the bad. He might as well get his first meeting with Gina over with. She’d stop listing her ailments as soon as Pastor Finzer began the service.

  Amber suspected the spinster harbored a secret crush on the good-looking blond preacher who was at least thirty years her junior.

  Amber started to turn away, but Phillip grasped her wrist. “Please, sit with us.”

  It wasn’t so much a request as a command. Unless she wanted to make a scene by twisting away from his firm grip, she had no choice. With another false smile in place, she said, “I’d be delighted.”

  He stood to let her in the
pew. “I doubt it,” he muttered as she slipped past and sat down

  Gina leaned forward to look past Amber. “Isn’t this cozy?”

  “Very,” Phillip replied, a twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

  Amber took her punishment like a big girl. For the next ten minutes she listened to Gina’s litany of complaints and answered the odd medical question aimed her way. Phillip got the brunt of them. Between Mrs. Curtis’s painful heel, clicking knee, sciatica and the nervous twitching of her right eye that only happened during the late show, she put Phillip through his paces.

  Amber glanced his way once and saw his eyes about to glaze over. Taking pity on him, Amber turned to Gina. “How is your nephew in Cleveland getting along? Didn’t he have surgery not long ago?”

  “Oh, honey, you don’t even want to know the things that went wrong for Gerald. First, they checked him into the wrong wing of the hospital.”

  Before Amber had to hear the entire story, Pastor Finzer entered and the congregation rose to its feet. Opening her hymnal to the first song, Amber softly joined in the singing. She couldn’t carry a tune very well, but the Lord only asked for joyful noise. Phillip had no such trouble. His deep baritone rang out clear and strong.

  She had been surprised to see him standing on the church steps earlier. He hadn’t struck her as a religious person. The moment the thought crossed her mind she amended it. She wasn’t being very Christian this morning.

  Determined to do better, she gave her full attention to the sermon when it started. Pastor Finzer spoke eloquently on suffering for being a Christian and the prejudice that existed in their own small town.

  Once or twice, well, okay, four or five times, she glanced at Phillip out of the corner of her eye. He was listening intently, not fidgeting or yawning as a few others in the congregation were doing. It warmed her heart to know he was truly listening to God’s word.

  Since first meeting him, she had cast Phillip in the role of a villain because his decision played havoc with her career. He wasn’t a bad guy, and she owed him an apology.

  When the closing hymn began, he glanced down at her and smiled. She smiled back before she could stop herself. Clearly, it was time to admit that she liked this man in spite of their professional differences.

  When the service ended and they began filing out, Amber saw her chance to separate Phillip from Mrs. Curtis when the woman stopped to compliment Pastor Finzer on his sermon. Grabbing Phillip’s hand, Amber tugged him toward the corner of the building. Once they were out of sight, he pulled her to a stop.

  “Miss Bradley, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

  “I am. I’m so sorry. She’s one of our town characters.”

  “Remind me to look up late show twitching tomorrow so I can at least sound like I know something.”

  “Okay, but I warn you, it will be her left shoulder that hurts or her right thigh the next time you see her. Gina’s ailments travel from one place to the next.”

  He nodded. “She must be lonely.”

  Tipping her head to the side, Amber said, “You’re right. She is. Her family is gone or moved away.”

  “She needs a hobby or, better yet, a cause.”

  “A cause?”

  “Yes, doing something for others helps diminish our own troubles.”

  “Very wise. Did Harold teach you that?”

  “No, my stepfather. He got my mother involved in raising money for a women’s shelter shortly after they were married.”

  “Sounds like a worthy cause.”

  “It is.”

  “What’s your cause?” She was curious about every aspect of his life.

  “Me? Getting my practice up and running and hitting the beach when I can.”

  Disappointed, she said, “Not very altruistic.”

  “Maybe I’m trying to maintain the stereotype of surfers as self-centered thrill seekers.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “I’m familiar with stereotyping.”

  Grinning, he said, “I thought you might be. If you must know, I’m on the board of a private relief agency called Surf Care. It’s an agency that combats diseases inside the prime surfing areas of Indonesia.”

  “I’ve never heard of it.”

  “I’m not surprised. A friend of mine, a doctor named Jake Taylor, started Surf Care. Jake wanted to show our thanks to the people of Indonesia for allowing us to surf in their islands. Jake was horrified at the poverty and suffering he saw when he first traveled there. He quickly saw that ninety percent of the suffering could be prevented with simple medications.”

  “That’s very noble of him, and of you.”

  “Thanks. We’ve been working together on the project since day one. To date, we’ve raised more than one million dollars for treatment teams and supplies.”

  He had surprised her once more. In a good way.

  Tipping his head, he regarded her intently. “So what is your cause, besides mothers and babies?”

  “I’m active in my Ohio midwifery chapter, and I foster animals for the local Humane Society.”

  “No kidding? Are you like a dog whisperer person?”

  “No, I’m the woman with the food bowl.”

  He laughed. The masculine sound of pure joy sent a thrill straight to her heart. Still chuckling, he asked, “How many animals do you have?”

  A number of other families were gathering in the area so they began walking toward a small footbridge that arched over the stream behind the church.

  Amber said, “I’ve had as many as four. Right now I have one. A big white cat named Fluffy.”

  “How original.” Humor danced through his voice. His smile brightened his often-stern face and made him even more attractive.

  Shaking her head, Amber said, “I didn’t name him. The shelter did.”

  “How does fostering an animal work?”

  “The shelter has a limited amount of space. When they have more pets than they have room for, they send them to foster families. Sometimes they stay a week, sometimes a month, but they always go back and then to good homes.”

  They had reached the bridge and Amber stopped to lean on the wooden railing. The water in the small stream slipped like quicksilver over and around the stones in its race down the hillside from its birthplace in the bubbling spring that had given the town its name.

  Phillip stopped beside her and leaned his forearms on the rail, too. “This is a pretty little spot.”

  “It’s one of my favorites.”

  Amber kept her gaze on the water. How did he do this? How could he twist her around so easily? Each time they were together she started out annoyed with him, and for good reason. Then before long she was sharing a sandwich or cinnamon roll or her favorite spot with him and wishing their time together wouldn’t end. It was perplexing in the extreme.

  He turned around and leaned against the railing. “I’ve found some very lovely things to admire in Hope Springs.”

  She stared at her hands. “Now you’re making fun of us. Hawaii is much more beautiful.”

  “Each place has its own unique beauty, just as each person does.”

  Surprised, she gazed up at him. “That’s so true.”

  Their eyes locked, his darkened with emotion. “Yes. There are some very, very lovely things in Hope Springs.”

  He slowly lowered his head toward her. Amber knew he was going to kiss her. Her heart began to race.

  Chapter Nine

  It could have been the sun on her upturned face, or the wind that toyed with a few wisps of her hair at her temples that made Phillip want to kiss her. It could have been the secluded bridge with the sound of the brook babbling underneath and the smell of mossy rocks and pine needles in the air.

  It could have been anything, but it wasn’t just anything. It was those beautiful mermaid eyes looking up at him. Eyes a man could get lost in.

  He bent toward her slowly, giving her time to realize what was happening. That was his mistake.

  She leaned toward him a frac
tion. He sensed her willingness and tilted his head to meet her. Abruptly, she pulled back and took several steps away. A rosy blush flooded her cheeks with color.

  She looked down, her hands fluttering nervously as she gestured toward the church. “I have to get going. I…I need to visit my clients today and tell them I won’t be delivering their babies.”

  Spinning around, she hurried away from him and back up the grassy lawn toward the building.

  Heaving a heartfelt sigh, he leaned against the rail again. “Phillip, old boy, you messed that up big-time.”

  * * *

  Amber ran to her car without stopping. She didn’t care about the odd looks being thrown her way by the congregation members still visiting near the church steps. She had to get away.

  Why had he tried to kiss her? Did he think that was what she wanted?

  Okay, maybe it was. The thought of what it would be like to kiss him had entered her mind, but she was sure she’d been careful not to let on. Hadn’t she? Had he seen through her pretense? Oh, please, no.

  Reaching the sanctuary of her blue station wagon, Amber quickly started the engine and drove home. When she pulled into her own driveway, some of her panic started to fade. She turned off the engine and sat in the quiet car. Leaning forward, she rested her forehead against the steering wheel.

  How was she going to face him again? How was she going to work with him after this? She sat back slowly and pressed her fingertips to her lips. What would it be like to kiss him?

  Would it have been as wonderful as she imagined? Closing her eyes, she relived those moments. The way the sunlight brought out the highlights in his hair. The way his blue eyes matched the color of the sky beyond. She’d never forget the quiet way he said, “There are some very, very lovely things in Hope Springs.”

  She knew by the way he was gazing at her that he wasn’t talking about scenery. He’d been talking about her.

  “He thinks I’m lovely.” No one had ever said that before. Reaching up, she turned the rearview mirror to see her reflection. What she saw couldn’t be described as beauty.

  She had nice hair when she kept the curl contained. It was a light blond color that was as common as dirt among the Amish communities. Her nose was short and turned up at the tip. A classical beauty wouldn’t be caught dead with a nose like that. Her eyes were a muddle of blue and green without being either. If she had her way, she’d have dark, mysterious eyes like her friend Katie Lantz.