The Sooner the Better

by Debbie Macomber

  “I didn’t know that at the time.”

  And it was her fault for not telling him.

  “I didn’t know,” he said again. “You wore a wedding band, so I assumed, reasonably enough, that you were married.”

  And when he’d asked her for the name of her husband, she’d given him Gary’s. It hit her then, the gravity of what she’d done. Because of her one small lie, they’d wasted eighteen months of their lives. His own lie had robbed them, too, but Lorraine accepted full responsibility. The blame was hers.

  The sobs began, welling up from deep within her. She wept as if she would never stop, as if regret and sorrow had overwhelmed her.

  “I know, I know,” he murmured, pulling her close.

  She came into his arms and he wiped away her tears. She grew quiet, exhausted from crying, and then passion flared between them again, the way it had that day in Mexico City. By the time the kissing ended, neither could speak.

  They held on to each other for a long time, until Jack finally said, “About this business of having a husband?”

  “Yes?”

  “As soon as we can arrange it, that part will be true.”

  Twenty

  Lorraine read the text a second time, trying to clear her thoughts. Concentrating on her studies was difficult because she was so anxious for Jack’s return. The wonderful news about the baby bubbled up inside her and spilled out in giggles every few minutes. She couldn’t help it—but she really did need to study for an important chemistry exam the following day.

  True to his word, Jack had her at the altar less than a week after his arrival in El Mirador. Father Garcia had performed the ceremony. Thomas and Azucena stood up for them and the entire town of El Mirador had celebrated. Even now, nearly two years later, Lorraine had trouble taking it all in. Most of the people in the small waterfront village were very poor, but they had an abundance of love and generosity. Lorraine’s wedding to Jack was the perfect opportunity for them to show her how much they appreciated the clinic.

  Table upon table of food had been set up in the town square, and small homemade gifts were lovingly offered to her and Jack. The wedding celebration had gone late into the evening and Jack had been forced to steal her away, to the cheers and laughter of the entire town.

  Their honeymoon was incredible. Lorraine’s heart smiled each time she remembered what had proved to be the most marvelous week of her life. Jack had docked a newly purchased cabin cruiser near a small uninhabited island off the Yucatán Peninsula, not far from El Mirador. They’d spent their days swimming and snorkeling, exploring the colorful coral reef, and their nights…their nights had been spent exploring each other.

  That she could actually be in Jack’s arms and love him this completely—it was a gift she’d never expected to receive. In those early days their lovemaking had been frantic, as if they feared that being together couldn’t last. He held her close afterward and they clung to each other. Almost always she’d weep in his arms in sheer wonder and joy. Jack seemed to understand her need to cry following their lovemaking. She cried for all the long lonely months they’d wasted. For the miracle of being together now.

  In the weeks after their honeymoon they had long talks about the future. Increasingly Lorraine had become aware that what El Mirador and the surrounding villages needed was a fully qualified physician. Jack had encouraged her to reapply for medical school, to finish the education she’d cut short.

  It was Gary Franklin who’d told her about a retiring general practitioner who was looking for volunteer work. He’d been considering the Peace Corps. Lorraine wrote him and told him about the clinic—now renamed The Virginia Dancy Medical Center—and he’d come down with his wife for a two-week visit. Lorraine knew the moment she met Dr. Samuel Wetmore that he’d be a perfect choice to replace her while she earned her credentials. After taking a crash course in Spanish, he’d traveled to El Mirador and worked with her until Lorraine received word that she’d been accepted into her third year of medical school at the University of Kentucky.

  She and Jack had been living in Lexington during that time, with frequent visits to El Mirador. Now her schooling was almost over—and she was pregnant. The baby shouldn’t have been a surprise to either of them, but Lorraine had been stunned at the news. Her shock had soon turned into the purest joy.

  She didn’t know how she could possibly concentrate when all she wanted to do was dance around the apartment.

  Lorraine heard the door open and knew Jack was home at last.

  He’d barely made it over the threshold when she flew out of the study and hurled herself into his arms. Before he could ask, she had him pinned against the door and involved in a series of deep hungry kisses.

  They were both breathing hard by the time she finished.

  “To what do I owe this greeting?” he asked, cocking one eyebrow. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

  Lorraine kissed the underside of his jaw. “Because you’re wonderful.”

  “That’s true,” he murmured.

  “And virile,” she added, and started to unbutton his shirt. “That, too.”

  “And potent.”

  “So it’s been said.” He paused suddenly in the task of unbuttoning her blouse. His gaze met hers, and he frowned. “Exactly what do you mean by potent?”

  Lorraine led him into the bedroom. “You don’t know?” She didn’t give him a chance to respond. Instead, she kissed him and undressed him at the same time. His own hands were busy removing her clothes.

  Soon they were on the bed, their mouths greedily seeking and finding each other, their bodies on fire with need. She opened herself to him—her heart, her future, all her being—and sighed with immense satisfaction as he slowly linked their bodies. Although he’d been brutally injured in the fall from the cliff, the muscles of his back and shoulders remained firm and hard. Her fingertips roamed his skin, and she traced his scars, each one a badge of courage.

  Afterward Jack held her close and whispered into her ear, “You’d better explain what you said earlier.”

  “You mean you still haven’t guessed?” She smiled at him mysteriously.

  “Lorraine?” He paused and swallowed hard. “Could you be…is there any possibility you’re pregnant?”

  “Yes! Oh, Jack, isn’t it fantastic?”

  He went very still. Raising her head, she smiled up at him again, this time with unconcealed delight. “Don’t tell me you hadn’t guessed.”

  “I hadn’t guessed.” His voice sounded odd, raspy and shaken.

  “Oh, Jack, I’m so happy about it.”

  He buried his face in the curve of her neck. “I can’t believe it.” His kiss was filled with tenderness. “What about finishing school, working at the clinic? We hadn’t planned on a baby this soon.”

  “Some of the best things in life are unplanned.”

  He laughed outright. “Isn’t that the truth!”

  “I’ve got it all figured out,” she told him, snuggling close to his side.

  “I want you to finish school.” He pressed his hand against her flat stomach as if to welcome the child growing inside her.

  “I will, I promise. And I’m looking forward to my residency—and then working at the clinic.”

  “I’ll help with the baby.”

  “I’m counting on that. When we move back to El Mirador, Azucena will watch the baby during the day. I know Dr. Wetmore will stay on another couple of years to run the clinic—and you can start that boat-building company you’ve been talking about.”

  Jack chuckled. “You do have this all figured out, don’t you?”

  “I have a few other plans, but we don’t need to discuss them now.”

  “You mean there’s more?” He laughed and kissed the top of her head. “I swear, marriage to you is about as much adventure as a man can take.”

  Coming from an ex-mercenary, that was quite a compliment.

  Epilogue

  2011

  “Hey, Raine, we�
�ve got company,” Jack said, walking into The Virginia Dancy Medical Center one afternoon in late January.

  Lorraine, who generally went by Raine these days, sat at her desk, exhausted after a long day of seeing patients. It seemed that between the two of them, Dr. Sam Wetmore and Raine still couldn’t keep up with the demand. A third doctor would soon be joining them, a Canadian who was a good friend of Sam’s. Dr. Larson wanted to be of service following his own retirement and after briefly visiting the clinic, had volunteered.

  “Company?” Lorraine repeated. “Who’s coming?”

  “We can feed four extra people at dinner, can’t we?”

  “Four extra? Dinner?” She must sound as if she was in a daze, Raine thought. It was always like that during the first few months of pregnancy. This third baby was a surprise. So for that matter was Jackie, their first. And Tommy, born two years after his sister. Raine was a little shocked that someone as organized and in control as she was could be so sloppy when it came to birth control. She hadn’t told Jack about the pregnancy yet….

  As it turned out, he wasn’t very good at being an expectant father. He fretted and worried, convinced that every ache or pain she experienced meant she was in mortal danger. If she’d ever doubted Jack Keller loved her, all she had to do was remember the two times she’d gone into labor. Seeing her in that kind of pain had nearly killed him. Twice while delivering Jackie, Raine had heard Jack swear he was never going to make love to her again if this was the result. It went without saying that she was able to persuade him otherwise, although at the time he’d sworn that their love life was over.

  “Murphy and Letty are here,” her husband told her.

  Raine nearly leaped up from the desk. “Now? Today?”

  Even before Jack could respond, Letty entered the clinic. The two women immediately ran into each other’s arms and hugged fiercely.

  “Letty, my goodness, look at you!” It’d been more than a year since she’d last seen Murphy’s wife. “Are the kids with you?”

  “Luke and Rose are at your dad’s with Hector and Alberto.” The four preteens were like Velcro whenever they got together. Luke was excellent with languages, the way his namesake, Letty’s twin brother, had been. He’d already started to learn Spanish. And although he’d never had the opportunity to meet his uncle, Raine could tell from the pictures she’d seen that there was a striking resemblance. Rose, their daughter, was a lot like Letty. Gentle, shyly charming, a true nurturer, the eleven-year-old possessed an incredible green thumb. She liked nothing better than gardening and had astonishing success with planting just about anything—flowers, vegetables, herbs…

  “Jackie and Tommy will be so excited to see them.” Their children thought the sun rose and set on Letty and Murphy’s two.

  “Come on, Dr. Keller,” Letty said, leading Raine out of the clinic, one arm around her friend’s waist. “Good news! You’ll never guess who we talked into joining us.”

  “Tell me!”

  “Cain and Linette!”

  This was going to be a real, honest-to-goodness reunion of the Deliverance Company. Raine couldn’t remember the last occasion when the three men were in the same place at the same time. Four years ago? Five? She needed to think about it. Okay…Tommy was three, so it would’ve been four years ago.

  “Murphy told me Cain and Linette plan to arrive tomorrow afternoon.”

  Raine wanted to shake her head in exasperation. If Jack knew about this beforehand and hadn’t told her, she’d let him know what she thought of that. Some secrets should be kept, but others—like this one—were best shared.

  “I’m going to shoot Jack,” Raine muttered. “He might have mentioned this a bit earlier.”

  “I thought you already did shoot him,” Letty teased.

  “To be perfectly accurate, that wasn’t me. Although there were a few times when we first met that I gladly would’ve done it myself.”

  Letty wore a look that said she understood all too well. “I know the feeling.” They continued toward the house at a leisurely pace. “I’m not sure but I think I overheard Murphy tell Cain that Francine and Tim are hoping to come, too.”

  Raine had only met the other couple once. Francine and Tim had six children and lived on an island in Puget Sound, where they raised llamas. So for them, planning time away was difficult. A visit from them would be a rare and special treat. “That’s wonderful!”

  “What is?” Jack asked, coming into the house with Murphy, hauling suitcases and backpacks.

  “Francine and Tim might be joining us.”

  “Really?” Jack looked to Murphy for confirmation.

  Murphy laughed. “Who would’ve thought Tim would end up with six kids?”

  “Or you with two,” Jack returned.

  “Or you with three,” Raine inserted.

  “Funny one, Raine,” Jack said, as he handed Murphy a cold beer. “We have two children and we agreed that’s it. Our family’s complete and—” Suddenly he paused. “Unless you’re telling me something I don’t know.” He set the beer on the counter and walked over to where she stood. Taking her by the shoulders, he studied her through narrowed eyes. “Raine?”

  She smiled back at him ever so sweetly.

  “Raine?” he repeated. “Are you…”

  “Pregnant?” she finished for him.

  All he seemed capable of doing was nodding. “Expecting? Encinta? With child?” she went on.

  He nodded again.

  “It appears so,” she said with a light shrug.

  Jack sank into a chair and pushed the hair roughly away from his forehead. “I can’t believe this happened!”

  “I know what causes the condition if you haven’t figured it out,” Murphy joked.

  “I know, too,” Jack muttered. “I can’t seem to keep my hands off my wife.”

  “Then that’s your trouble,” Murphy said, completely deadpan. “It’s not your hands that are the problem.”

  “A third baby,” Jack murmured, ignoring the joke. “Thing is, I’ve always been partial to round numbers.”

  “I’ll lend you one of mine,” Murphy said.

  “Very funny.”

  “I have a feeling you and Raine are going to end up being another Francine and Tim.” Murphy downed a swallow of his beer. “It just might take you a bit longer.”

  Jack glanced up at Raine and grinned sheepishly. “You did say I was a potent son of a gun.”

  “I don’t believe those were exactly the words I used.”

  “Probably not, but there are children outside with big ears.”

  “You’ve trained him well,” Letty whispered. “Rose makes her father pay her a quarter every time he uses a swearword.”

  “I’ve already paid for her college education,” Murphy said.

  Everyone laughed. Jack stood and slipped an arm around Raine’s waist. “I think I knew,” he told her in a low voice. He kissed the side of her neck. “You’ve been more tired than usual lately.”

  That was true enough.

  “It’s a good thing we’ll have a third doctor. Getting you to slow down is nearly impossible.”

  “I’m happy about this baby, Jack. I hope you are, too.”

  His eyes held hers and she read the answer in their depths. No, life didn’t always go as planned. Yes, it was often filled with surprises—some big and some small—but she didn’t want to miss a single one of them, especially if Jack Keller was at her side.

  ISBN: 978-1-4268-7560-1

  THE SOONER THE BETTER

  Copyright © 1998 by Debbie Macomber

  This work was first published as MOON OVER WATER by Harlequin Enterprises Limited in 1998.

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