The Doctor's Bride
Patt Marr
Who Wasn't Trying To Fix Up Dr. Zack Hemingway?Even his boss had handpicked two of his three daughters as perfect candidates for the position of Zack's wife. But it was the other daughter who'd caught Zack's no-longer roving eye. A sweet Christian woman who worked with children in need, Chloe Kilgannon possessed everything he wanted in a wife. Except a willingness to say I do. Why?What was Chloe hiding–or hiding from? Zack had to find out before he lost Chloe for good. For when his own family dropped a life-changing bombshell on him, he knew that some secrets were truly meant to be shared.
The Doctor’s Bride
Patt Marr
Dedication
To my three “adopted” daughters,
Pam Dokolas, Cathy Ebalo and Teresa Soliz,
and to my daughter, J Marr,
for the laughter and faith that we share.
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Acknowledgments
Love and appreciation go to my daughter, J Marr, for her endless encouragement and editing skills; to my cousin, Paul Lawrence, for his faithful critique; to my husband, Dave Marr, for learning to cook and to Dr. LeRoy Yates for creating the heroine’s medical history.
Chapter One
Beverly Hills, California
C hloe Kilgannon pushed her red clown nose firmly in place and practiced walking in her oversize shoes. When had she last worn them? As a teenager, she’d performed often, but that was a long time ago, and she hadn’t clowned since the last time she’d been home.
Home—that was a place not easily defined. If home was where the heart is, it would be wherever there were children who needed the assurance they weren’t alone. If she’d still had the job she’d done the last eight years, she could have been heading for a new home today. In India there’d been a horrific mudslide. In Australia, a tornado had touched down. In the aftermath of devastation, there were always newly homeless children separated from their families. Organizing their care and assuring them they were still loved had been her job, a job she’d thought she’d always have.
“Hey, Chloe, are you about ready!”
Nurse Sandy Beechum popped into the hospital’s first-floor restroom where Chloe had made her metamorphosis. The two had known each other since Chloe’s teenage clowning days.
“Who do you think you are, and what happened to my friend Chloe Kilgannon?” Sandy said, looking her up and down.
Chloe pointed to the painted flower on her cheek and did one of her trademark jiggle-wiggle moves that she’d borrowed from an excited puppy. The ringlets on her purple wig shimmied, and the bells on her collar jingled.
“Well, if it isn’t Flower the Clown!” Sandy exclaimed, breaking into laughter. “You funny girl, you haven’t changed.”
Chloe struck a pose that made her friend laugh, but she was glad that Flower had a painted-on happy face and wasn’t expected to talk. If she did, she might break down and tell Sandy how much she had changed. Her future would be far different than the one she’d dreamed of.
“All the kids who were able to leave their beds are assembled upstairs in the Sun Room. Is it showtime?”
Chloe made her eyes go wide with anticipation and clapped her gloved hands wildly. She was officially in character, and it was a relief to be somebody else, even for a little while. Flower the Clown could act on any outrageous impulse if it got a laugh.
Dr. Zack Hemingway waited for the elevator, wondering if there was a way to carry a daisy-bedecked basket of sock puppets that wouldn’t make people snicker at the sight of him. He’d tried carrying it like a gym bag, but he couldn’t get a good grip with springy, fresh flowers decorating the handle. Holding the basket with both hands as if it were a pizza came the most naturally.
The elevator door opened, and Zack did a double take. One of the occupants was a red-nosed clown, who gave him a shy little wave, and the other was Sandy Beechum, a nurse with a whole lot of seniority and even more sass.
“Well, there’s something you don’t see every day,” Sandy said dryly. “Young Dr. Hemingway with a pretty basket. What’s in your basket, Doctor?”
“Sock puppets,” he said, stepping inside and checking to see if the button for the pediatric floor was lit. It was. He should have guessed that peds was the clown’s destination. “I was in the E.R. for a consult when the paramedics brought in a woman who was so frantic about getting this basket to peds that the staff couldn’t treat her. Since I was heading there anyway, I volunteered to be the delivery guy.”
Sandy chuckled. “I’d have loved to see the staff’s reaction to that.”
How had Sandy known they’d acted like it was a big deal? Granted, he might not show his softer, more personable side very often—okay, almost never—but his life was all about surgery. He lived it, breathed it, loved it.
“You must be heading for the party,” Sandy said. “We have the main attraction with us right now. Flower the Clown, have you met Dr. Zack Hemingway?”
The clown shook her head with an emphatic no, and the bells on her collar jingled. She stuck out her gloved hand for a shake, noticed that he had both hands occupied and shook hands with herself. He had to smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Flower. When I tell my mom I met a real live clown, she’s going to wish she’d been here, too. She loves clowns! Would you like to meet her?”
Sandy rolled her eyes, and no wonder. He’d sounded as if he were talking to a little kid instead of a clown, though Flower didn’t seem to mind. She clapped her gloved hands gleefully, then tucked her hand in his arm. Looking up at him, she nodded as if to say she was ready to go meet his mom.
“Looks like you’ve got a date, Dr. Hemingway,” Sandy said with a chortle.
A really cute date at that. “Flower, I’m sorry, but my mom lives in Illinois.”
Flower’s head drooped in disappointment.
She was such a good actress that he actually felt bad for her. “But she’s coming out here for a visit! It’s her birthday!”
Flower perked up in a flash. It was amazing how well she communicated using no words.
“If you give me your phone number, I could set up a meeting.” He couldn’t believe he was making a date with a clown, but this year he was going all out to make his mother’s birthday perfect. One-on-one time with a real clown would make his clown-collecting mom happier than anything he’d planned and he’d made big plans.
The elevator door opened onto the peds floor, and Flower stepped out with him, her hand still tucked in the crook of his elbow, clinging to him like a vine. He didn’t have the heart to disengage.
“You two look good together, “Sandy said, trailing after them. “And I happen to know that neither of you are seeing anyone.”
People were always trying to set him up with their friends, but setting him up with a clown? This was a first. He checked her out, wondering what she looked like under all that makeup. She was fairly tall. He was six foot three, but in her big clown shoes, the top of her puffy purple wig came to his nose.
“What do you think, Flower? Am I your type?”
She looked him over, head to toe, and shrugged as if to say maybe, maybe not. After all that clinging, her indifference made him laugh. A guy had to love a clown who played hard to get.
A nurse on the peds floor saw him carrying the pretty basket and said, “Let me take that basket to the Sun Room, Dr. Hemingway.”
She was probably busier than he was at the moment. “That’s okay. As you see, I’m escorting Miss Flower to the party, so I’ll take the sock puppets and then I’ll see my patient Kendra McKnight.”
“Kendra’s already at the party. You’ll want to examine her in her room, but Kendra will be so disappointed if she has to miss the clown.”
“How long is your act?” he said to Flower. He didn’t want to be the one to disappoint any little girl, and especially not Kendra. Not only had she been a brave child through three surgeries, her mother was a colleague of his.
“Flower never stays long,” Sandy answered for the silent clown. “Maybe ten minutes.”
He checked his watch. He had time to watch Flower’s performance. It would give him something to talk to Mom about. “I’ll wait,” he said to the nurse.
As they reached the Sun Room, Flower detached herself from him and motioned for him to go on in. Maybe she needed a moment to mentally prepare. He needed that before surgery. He followed Sandy, turned the basket over to a tech and leaned one shoulder against the back wall, his arms folded.
Flower skipped into the room, tripped on her oversize yellow shoes and took a pratfall. It made the kids laugh, especially when she struggled to get up only to fall on her face again. He had to wonder if it truly hurt, though professionals knew how to take a fall.
Moving among the children, she tweaked their noses and invited them to tweak her big red nose. He noticed how gentle she was with the children and how she made them laugh but didn’t let them get overexcited. Children who were sick enough to be in the hospital overnight needed to forget how ill they were, and she was superb at her job.
She found a coin behind the ear of a child and showed it to the kids before she “accidentally” swallowed it. Her pretense of choking was so convincing that he geared up to help her, but she staggered among the children, opening her mouth and silently inviting them to find the coin.
One little boy thought she was in trouble though and worriedly called out, “Somebody! Help Flower!”
Flower gave the little a guy a hug before she zoomed to where Zack leaned against the wall, her arm outstretched in fake need. Obviously, he was the designated “helper.” She turned to the children, pointed to his lab coat with an expression that clearly said, “Is he a doctor?”
Kendra called out, “That’s Dr. Hemingway. He’s my doctor.”
He gave Kendra a smile and a little wave.
The clown grabbed his hand and pulled him center stage, the better for all the kids to see. Holding her throat, she looked at him beseechingly.
What was the protocol for the imaginary swallowing of a coin? The imaginary Heimlich?
He stepped behind her, circled her with his arms and locked his hands in the proper position. As an orthopedic surgeon, he’d never been called upon to do the Heimlich maneuver for real, let alone for pretend, but the kids weren’t going to criticize his technique, and the nursing staff was laughing too hard to care.
He didn’t apply much pressure at all, but the clown leaned back into him as if he had. Her big yellow clown shoes came at least two feet off the floor. It took three pretend jolts before she coughed into her hand and produced the coin for all to see! He was almost as glad as if he’d helped her for real.
Flower was a bundle of wiggly, over-the-top gratitude. She shook his right hand and his left hand, but that wasn’t enough. She grabbed both of his hands and danced him about as much as he would let her. All of sudden she stopped cold, her hands in the air, her expression one of complete wonder.
The room went silent as they waited for what she would do next. It seemed like a good time for him to inch back to the door, but she snagged his arm. Apparently, he was still part of the act.
She looked at him, her head cocked to one side, and then she slowly covered her heart with both hands. There was no doubting her tender expression. He got it, and so did her audience. Flower was in love. She sighed and made goo-goo eyes at him until every kid and grown-up in the room was laughing.
Zack tried not to. It wasn’t nice to laugh at your new girlfriend.
From somewhere she produced a tall stool, apparently for him to sit on. Then she produced an oversize fake diamond ring. She showed it to the kids before getting down on one knee, her intention so obvious that the kids screamed she was doing it wrong. Kendra yelled out, “Flower, you sit on the stool. Dr. Hemingway is supposed to give you the ring.”
Maybe Flower just wanted to do things her way because she shook her head so hard the curls on her purple wig bounced. He knew she was going to propose even before she reached for his hand. How did a gentleman behave in a situation like this?
“This is so sudden,” he said, holding back a laugh. “Can I have a moment to decide?”
She cocked her head and pretended to think about it, then nodded and turned to the kids, swaying left to right, the perfect pantomime of a ticking clock.
When she stopped abruptly and turned expectantly toward him for his answer, he had one. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t think without a sock puppet on my hand.” He turned to the children. “I need a sock puppet. Does anyone else need a sock puppet?”
Of course they did. The clown clapped her hands as if she, too, were sock-puppet needy. She jumped to her feet, and he thought she was going to help with their distribution, but the next time he looked for her, she was gone.
He found Kendra and asked, “Did you see Flower leave?”
“No,” she said, playing with her sock puppet, “but I think Flower’s special. Sometimes you see her, and then you don’t.”
Before she changed out of her clown costume, Chloe looked at herself in the mirror and tried to imagine what Dr. Hemingway must have thought about Sandy’s comment that the two of them looked good together. That was just Sandy teasing, but when Zack had asked if he was her type, she’d been embarrassed.
If she’d had to answer, it would have been a big no. He’d gone out with both of her sisters! They said he’d merely been a friend to hang out with, and she believed them. But anything they did, Chloe made a point of not doing. In any comparison, she came in last. Why set herself up for that?
But there was something about Zack Hemingway. She’d liked tucking her hand in his arm, and he’d been great about the pretend Heimlich. And he could be a Christian. Gentleness and kindness spoke of a Christ-centered life.
Her older sister, Carmen, stuck her head inside the door. “So, this is where you are! It took me a while to remember you used to change in this restroom.”
“It’s still the hospital’s least-used restroom.” It meant a lot that Carmen had made the effort to find it. As girls, they hadn’t been close, but since Chloe had moved into Carmen’s house, they’d become best friends.
Chloe turned to the mirror and picked up a hand towel to begin the makeup-removal process, but Carmen touched her arm. “Wait. Let me get a good look at Flower. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her.”
Chloe struck one of the silly poses that came naturally to her as Flower. As herself, she was far more inhibited.
“Adorable,” Carmen said softly. “Flower, you are so funny…and so very lovable.”
Chloe swallowed hard, working around the lump in her throat. That was a sweet thing for Carmen to say. As usual when she didn’t know what to say, she went for the laugh. “Thank you, Carmen. Let me give you a hug.”
She took a step forward and Carmen jumped back. “Don’t you dare get that makeup on me.” Carmen was perfection in her trendy outfit and very high heels.
“Do you ever wear scrubs like a real surgeon?” Chloe teased, toweling off her makeup.
“For surgery, I do. But I like pretty clothes. Tell me about Flower’s day. I heard she made a huge hit in the peds unit. I knew she would.”
They’d always talked about Flower as a separate person. “It was fun being Flower again.”
“I guess so! I heard she proposed to the most eligible bachelor in town.”
Chloe had regretted that the moment her knee had hit the floor. “You know me. I’ll do anything to make the kids laugh.”
“You made a big impression on Zack. He’s been asking around, trying to find out Flower’s real identity.”
He was? Chloe felt a little zing of joy…which fizzled out too soon. She knew why he was asking. “His mother’s coming to town,” she said, “and she adores clowns. He probably wanted to set up a meeting.”
“Then why didn’t he just say, ‘Hey! Anybody know how I can get in touch with the clown?’ Instead, he’s asking exactly the way a man does when he’s interested in a woman—as if he doesn’t really care if he gets the answer or not.”
“Since when did you become an expert on men, Carmen?”
“I’m not, but I know Zack Hemingway. He’s interested.”
“Did he ask you?”
“Of course.”
“And you said?”
“That Flower valued her privacy, and I had to respect that.”
“You might as well have told him. Someone will.”
“Maybe not. We have new staff who don’t know you’re Flower. The ones who do know won’t risk the chief of surgery’s wrath by revealing that Flower is his middle daughter.”
“Dad still disapproves of Flower—of me—that much?” She shouldn’t be surprised, but it still hurt.
“Dad doesn’t approve of anything,” Carmen said with a dismissing wave.
“You’re his pride and joy,” Chloe said without envy. The price Carmen paid for that was too high in Chloe’s opinion.
“Would you believe he’s still telling people that he fell in love with baby Carmen before he fell for Mom? Dad’s still Mom’s hero because he rescued her from early widowhood. But enough of that. Tell me. What did you think of Zack?”
“What do I think?” Chloe repeated, giving herself a second to answer. “I think you should have officially dated and fallen for him. He’s great.”
“He is! And we have everything in common, but I need a partner who’ll make me think about something other than surgery.”
“Are you sure you gave it enough time?” Chloe switched from her costume to khaki pants and a T-shirt. “Sometimes it takes a while for love to develop.”
“I’ve given it almost two years!” Carmen protested. “I want a man who’ll be crazy in love with me, not in like with me. Zack’s first love will always be surgery.”
“You’re a surgeon, too. Aren’t you the same way?”
“Not quite. I want a husband, a baby and my work.”
“And Zack doesn’t?”
“He’s pretty self-sufficient,” Carmen said regretfully. “I don’t think he needs anyone.”
“Except a clown for his mother’s birthday party.”
“There’s that. If he asks, will you say yes?”
“I’ll give him the name of a really good clown he can hire. But I never know what Flower will say. She liked the doctor a lot.”
Chapter Two
Two weeks later
C hloe could work anywhere in the world and feel at home. The filth and danger that followed catastrophic natural disasters were challenges, but she could sleep on a cement floor, be thankful for any food the Red Cross workers dished up and find the bright side to the worst situations.
So why was she scared out of her mind by her new job? All she had to do was walk into the Beverly Hills Terrace Hotel, follow the signs to her Love Into Action workshop and speak on a topic she knew thoroughly. She had the promise that the Lord would give her nothing too great to bear, not even this new skirt that felt too short and this jacket that felt too snug.
Her sisters had said the suit fit just right, but they’d also said she looked great in it. That had to be more like a confidence builder than a true assessment, but then, what did a T-shirt-and-khaki-pants kind of woman like herself know? Her wardrobe had been perfect for the work she’d done the last eight years. If she had her choice, she would still be doing that job and wearing those clothes, but dwelling on that only made her depressed.
Her grand makeover wasn’t much of a morale booster either. She’d liked her natural look, but her sisters had persuaded her to put herself in the hands of pros who’d trimmed her long dark hair and taught her to apply makeup that made her eyes pop and her skin glow. She now owned all these bottles, jars and tubes of makeup that they expected her to use every day.
Since she’d been about six, she’d concluded that God had created her for the express purpose of making her tiny, beautiful sisters look adorable in comparison to herself, but that wasn’t quite as true since her makeover. The ugly duckling had become something of a swan. Sort of an apprentice swan. A tall apprentice swan.
She still towered over her sisters, but she’d gone shopping with them last week without dreading it as much as usual. That hadn’t lasted long. They’d looked appalled at everything she’d pulled off the rack. Granted, she was eight years behind in fashion trends, but was her taste that bad?
At least her suit today was blue, her favorite color, and she loved her new strappy heels. She still wobbled when she walked in them, but they added inches to her height of five feet nine and made her feel really, really tall. From this view she could look anyone in the eye. And she couldn’t miss the sign atop a conference-room door that read The Clayton Room.
That was supposed to be her room, but there had to be some mistake. This room was way too big. This was not the small, intimate environment she’d been promised for her first speaking engagement. Even when she’d pictured herself in a small room with a handful of people, she’d felt queasy. But this room! Her knees sort of buckled, and she sank to a chair on one of the aisles.
Aisles! More than one!
Lord, help! You know my heart. I want to serve You, but I can’t do this! Maybe this new job isn’t Your will, or maybe I’m just in the wrong room.
“Chloe! I see you’ve found your room.” A personable, gray-haired man extended a welcoming hand. “I’m Craig Zook, the workshop coordinator.”
“It’s nice to see you, Craig.” Her voice came out steady, despite her near-panic. “I think I must be in the wrong room.”
“No, this is all for you,” he said with a satisfied smile, scanning the many chairs. “I know it’s not what we discussed, but blame the room change on these pictures in the program. You’re in every one with children from Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Peru and places I’ve never heard of.”
“Since I don’t have experience as a speaker, my supervisor thought the pictures would give me credibility.”
“Then, mission accomplished! You’ve created quite a buzz, Chloe Kilgannon. Our conferees want to see the speaker who’s lived her topic, ‘Loving Children—Face to Face.’ I know God’s going to use you today.”
She’d come here, believing that.
Conferees were drifting in, so she headed for a chair near the stage. Maybe she could pray her panic away. She opened her program to the pictures and felt the familiar heart tug of loving these children.
When she’d first been told that her bout with dengue fever meant the end of fieldwork, she’d thought her heart would break. How could the Lord use her better as a seminar speaker? Raising public consciousness to the need of loving children more was a job that needed doing. And she would do it…if she could make it to the stage without throwing up.
Dr. Zack Hemingway waited at yet another red traffic light, the seventh since he’d been counting. He could see the Terrace Hotel from here, and he could imagine his mom sitting alone at the Love into Action conference, wondering if he would show up for the last workshop before lunch or if he’d show up at all. He’d said he would meet her for breakfast, but an emergency surgery had changed that.
The day after his dad’s funeral three months ago, when she’d mentioned how much she wanted to attend the Love into Action conference here in L.A., he’d wanted to shout. Not only was Mom making plans for a new life, he could give her a gift that didn’t involve him “settling down,” which was Mom-talk for saying she wanted grandkids.
The light changed and Zack inched forward in the heavy traffic. Another five minutes and he’d be sitting in the workshop she’d chosen. It had to do with the global needs of children. They’d show those heartbreaking pictures of little kids with their tearful eyes and ask for donations. He would rather write a check, skip the conference and drive Mom up to Santa Barbara for a day of fun in the sun.
Finally, Zack pulled into the Terrace Hotel drive, tossed his car keys to a parking valet and took off at a jog. What was the workshop called? Loving Children—Face to Face?
He hurried toward the right room, straightening his tan suit jacket. Mom said the color looked best with his hair, a nondescript brown cut so short it couldn’t possibly matter. He tightened his blue tie, a present from her because it matched his eyes. Would she notice he’d made the effort?
Finding the Clayton Room was easier than spotting Mom. The room was packed, and every chair seemed to be taken. There she was—second row, center—sitting beside an empty chair. She must have had faith he would get here.
He slid in beside her and said, “Sorry, I’m late.”
“But you’re not,” she said, giving him one of her sweet smiles, complete with dimples. “It’s just starting.”
From her seat near the stage, Chloe stopped praying long enough to glance around. It looked as if every chair was filled. Bile rose in her stomach.
“Hi Chloe, I’m Marilyn James, your workshop moderator.”
The lovely woman extending her hand looked familiar. Most of the moderators were Hollywood celebrities, but Chloe was too out of touch to recognize her.
“Are you ready?” the woman asked with an encouraging smile.
Chloe opened her mouth to say she was fine. When absolutely nothing came out, the moderator gave her an understanding look and took one of her hands.
“It’s only a little stage fright. Let’s pray about it, Chloe.”
Chloe closed her eyes and gripped the woman’s hand.
“Father God, You’ve given Chloe experiences that we need to hear about today. Strengthen her in every way. Help her remember that she speaks for You, and give her the assurance that You will have the right words for her to say when she needs them. In Your Son’s name, amen.”
“Amen,” Chloe echoed, feeling more like herself. How could she have let herself get so worked up when this was all about the Lord and His children?
“I’m going to introduce you now. Okay?”
“Perfect. Thank you, Marilyn.”
She headed for the dais, and Chloe told herself that all she had to do was stay calm until she made her opening remarks. Then the house lights would dim and she would be in the dark, talking about her friends on the big screen. The children were the story.
“Good morning,” Marilyn began, speaking into the mike. “Our speaker grew up right here in Beverly Hills. At the age of twenty, she’d graduated magna cum laude from UCLA and completed her course work for her Ph.D. Her travels began as research opportunities, but turned into long-term humanitarian service.
“From news reports, you’ve heard of devastating natural disasters all over the globe, but our speaker has been there, on the scene, setting up the care of children separated from their parents.”
The longer the woman spoke, the less calm Chloe felt. Her heart raced, her breath came in short, rapid spurts and she couldn’t think of anything she’d planned to say.
“This workshop will present information on short-term international service and give suggestions for long-term ways to show love close to home. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome home our speaker…Chloe Kilgannon.”
The audience applauded and Chloe stood. If she put one foot in front of the other, she could make it. Had anyone ever died of stage fright? Would she throw up first or just pass out? Would there be a doctor in the house?
Zack watched the speaker approach the podium and wondered if there could be two Chloe Kilgannons. Carmen and Cate said he’d met their sister, but he couldn’t have forgotten this attractive, poised woman. She stood at the podium, looked across her audience and smiled. Wow! What a great smile.
“She’s lovely, isn’t she?” his mother whispered.
It was on the tip of his tongue to say she was terrific, but if he didn’t check that impulse, no doubt Mom would find a way to introduce him to Chloe. He’d rather handle it on his own.
Chloe held on to the podium with both hands just in case her knees gave way. She was that nervous. Nearly every seat was taken, which was amazing considering she was a nobody. They hadn’t shown up to hear a famous speaker, so that had to mean they wanted to make a difference for the Lord. That soothed her nerves and gave her the boldness to begin.
“When God puts a passion in your heart for His children,” she said, the words coming out with surprising ease, “your life is enriched beyond measure. The last eight years of my life have been all I could have asked for, even though the living conditions were far from the luxury you and I take for granted. I’ve come to define luxury as warm water to bathe in and cool water to drink, clean air, a change of clothing, a blanket, an umbrella, a toothbrush, a picture of a loved one.
“I’ve discovered that luxury such as we know becomes a cocoon—a comfortable place that prevents us from experiencing the exhilarating joy of helping people who really need us—children who need us, children like these.”
Chloe nodded to the projectionist. The house lights dimmed and the first picture of her little friends appeared on the screen. Just as she had hoped, standing here in the dark, looking at children she loved, her nerves vanished and she wasn’t scared anymore.
Zack’s eyes adjusted to the dark, and pictures of children flashed across the screen behind Chloe. In the ambient light from the projection, her slenderness gave her a youthful appearance but she had to be in her late twenties.
“You’ll notice that most of these children are well dressed and well nourished. Their physical needs have been attended to.”
None of the photos stayed on the screen more than a few seconds, but the quantity of them made a big impact.
“Many of these children lost their homes, their family members and all that was familiar, but mixed in with their pictures are those of children who live right here in the U.S.A. They live in your neighborhoods. They may lack for nothing materially. They might even have family, yet they share a common denominator. Do you see it?”
The pictures went on and on. As a doctor, Zack had seen misery on many levels and had assumed he was beyond shock, but he’d been wrong. Looking at these children caught him off guard. From the silence in the room, he wasn’t the only one.
Kids who knew they were being photographed usually rose for the occasion and showed plenty of personality, no matter how sick or miserable they were, but not these kids.
“They look lost, don’t they?” Chloe said softly, as if she hated to speak at all. “You may have already guessed that the common denominator is the lack of love in their lives. No government can guarantee love for its youngest citizens, yet, without it, there’s no joy, no hope for a better tomorrow.”
He could see what she meant, and it got under his skin.
“The children in your life need your love,” the speaker said simply. “And the good news is that you are here. That must mean you care.”
She was giving him more credit than he deserved. He hadn’t thought about any of this before, but he should have.
“Most people feel like a monetary gift is all they can provide, and it is a significant expression of your love, but dollars alone won’t put hope back in the eyes of children. When you want to reach out in a personal way and need to know how, Love Into Action can point you to reputable agencies who never have enough volunteers. Would you pray with me about what we can do together?”
Zack reached for his mom’s hand, just as she’d taught him to do when was he was little.
“Father God,” Chloe prayed, “we ask that You show us how we are to love Your children. We want to be Your voice, Your hands, Your feet. Lord, use us…in small ways or big…in our own communities or in faraway places. Through us, Lord, let children feel love, joy and great blessing.”
Zack’s emotions seesawed from wanting to do all he could do to wishing his mother had asked for a birthday cruise. If he were being asked for money alone, he could write that fat check and let his conscience move on.
Chloe then talked about their workshop packets and invited conferees to call, write or e-mail her. There was no hard sell on her part and no overly impassioned plea for their participation, only the statement that she was there to help if they needed it.
“Let me end with this thought,” she said, looking at the final screen, a picture of a little girl holding her older brother’s hand, both of them so pitifully sad that Zack felt a sting of tears behind his eyes. “When you think of the overwhelming need…when you know it’s more than you can possibly handle…you will be right.”
She’d read his mind. He didn’t want to fail kids like these, but what could he do, outside of writing that check?
“You can do more than you think you can.” She paused as if she searched for the right words to bring her message home. “Remember that something is better than nothing. The one smile, the one look of recognition, the one kind word you give to a child may be the only one he receives today.”
Zack hated to believe that was true, but if it hadn’t been for his mom’s smiles and encouragement, he could have been just as sad as the kids on the screen. Would he have had the courage to achieve what he had?
His mom wiped tears from her cheeks.
Chloe was good. Really good. She had him wondering how he interacted with kids in his life. Did he ignore them while he talked to their parents? Did he ever kneel to meet their eyes?
And she had him wondering about her as more than a conference speaker. How could a guy help but admire a woman like her? Was she single? With all that world travel, she might be.
How was he going to meet her? He was terrible at making the first move. If his mother so much as sniffed at his interest, she’d make it for him, he’d be embarrassed, and his chance to know this cool woman would be over. It might be awkward, but he had to make that first move.
Chapter Three
T he house lights came up, and Chloe invited them to look through their packets. “There are plenty of ideas on how you can love the children in your own community. If you want the experience of serving in other countries, there’s information about short mission options and extended opportunities.”
She continued, raising her voice to accommodate the rustling sound of conferees looking through their packets. Zack watched his mother dig through hers. If she wanted to love children at one of those foreign locations Chloe had mentioned, he would gladly pay her way.
His best friend, Collin Brennan, an anesthesiologist, had mentioned a medical missionary trip. Collin’s wife was a nurse, and Zack could provide the surgical skills. Zack hadn’t paid much attention before, but it certainly was a possibility. Collin could put the kids to sleep while Zack used his scalpel to help them, but didn’t it make more sense to fly them to the U.S. where they could get first-class care?
Toward the end of question-and-answer period, his mother raised her hand. Chloe nodded, giving his mom the floor.
“Ms. Kilgannon, thank you for…”
Chloe looked at his mother, saw him and did a visible double take. She knew him. There was no doubt about that.
Was that good…or really, really bad? He nodded, which seemed like the right thing to do even if he didn’t have a clue when or where they’d met.
With a shadow of a smile, she nodded back and focused again on his mom. “Excuse me, could you repeat the question? I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention because I just noticed the very nice man you’re sitting next to.”
Mom looked at him with shock. “Zack? You know Chloe Kilgannon?”
“A couple of weeks ago,” Chloe said, “a friend had asked me to do my act as Flower the Clown at the hospital.
“This man is a doctor who was on the pediatrics floor to check on a patient. Since he seemed like a very kind man with an excellent sense of humor, Flower— not me —took advantage of his goodwill and drew him into the act.”
The crowd responded with “ooh’s” of understanding.
Chloe looked down at Zack and saw that he’d put it together. His smile, so big and wide, made her wobble in her new high heels. “I’m telling you this because what he did that day is a perfect example of loving children, face to face. Just by playing along and helping the children forget how sick they were, he made a difference.”
She glanced back at Zack and was surprised that he looked at her with amazement. Hadn’t he realized that he’d done a good thing?
“Did he want to be the subject of Flower’s silliness? Probably not! But he left his comfort zone to do something good for the kids. Wasn’t that great?”
All over the room people nodded and some applauded.
“I hope you’ll let me know when you’ve experienced new ways of showing children they are loved. You’ll feel so good about it, and so will I. Thank you for being a great audience.”
As Chloe stepped away from the podium, the audience rose to their feet and applauded. The workshop moderator hugged Chloe, and that was it. Her first presentation was over.
People gathered around her for more questions, and she lost sight of Zack. Her disappointment was as keen as a child who’d watched her pretty balloon float away, but she had to focus on the people who wanted to talk to her.
Finally the moderator interceded and sent everyone to lunch. The crowd thinned, and there was Zack, his arms crossed and that great smile on his face. He came toward her with an outstretched hand. “Hi, Chloe. It’s nice to meet you as yourself.”
Though she’d just shaken dozens of hands, the touch of his hand sent a little shiver of excitement up her spine. “I should confess, when we met in the hospital elevator, I did know who you were. My sisters had pointed you out at Collin Brennan’s wedding.”
“You were there? I sat with your family, but—”
“I was at the children’s table, keeping them entertained as Flower.”
“You’re very good at that,” he said with awe. “Now that I know how good, I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up that Flower genuinely fell for me, should I?”
“Flower hoped you’d forget that.”
“Forget? I never forget a red-nosed woman who literally falls at my feet.”
“You know, I hurt my knee on that move.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, switching from a smile to a look of genuine concern. “Knees are my orthopedic subspecialty. Does it still bother you?”
“No, but I’ll never do that particular fall again.”
“Good!” His grin was back. “Flower shouldn’t fall for just any guy.”
She knew he was teasing, but she felt a little zing of joy. “I never know what Flower will do next,” she said, trying to explain away her silliness.
“When she works the peds floor again, have her give me a call. I’ll be her straight man any day. It isn’t much, but I have it on good authority that anything we do for kids is better than nothing at all.”
Chloe felt a smile deep in her soul. “Thanks for remembering that.”
“I think everyone did. You could have heard a pin drop. You’re a very good speaker, Chloe.”
The sincerity in his sky-blue eyes had to be real. “Thank you. This was my first presentation, and I thought I would be sick.”
“When you walked on stage, you seemed a little nervous. I even asked the Lord to help you. But then you seemed so poised I thought I must have been wrong.”
“You didn’t consider that your prayer could have helped?” she teased.
“Not even once,” he admitted with a rueful smile.
“Well, it may have, along with the prayers of my coworkers. They all knew I felt as if I were going to the gallows.”
He shook his head and grinned. “Seriously, you were terrific up there. My mother thought so, too.”
“That was your mother beside you?”
He nodded. “This really made her day, her birthday, as a matter of fact.”
“ That’s why you’re here!” Chloe said, putting it together. “I did wonder.”
“You don’t see me as guy who’s interested in loving children, face-to-face?” he quipped.
“ Everyone can love children, face-to-face,” she said, teasing back. “But I know how busy surgeons are. I can’t see my dad or my sister taking time to attend a conference like this.”
“You’re right,” he said candidly. “I’m here for Mom. My dad died recently, and Mom’s looking for a new direction for her life. I think she’s found it.”
“I hope so! I want to meet her, but I’m due in the conference dining room. Each speaker hosts a table. Perhaps you and your mother could sit with me.”
“Mom would love that! I’m supposed to meet her outside the ladies’ room. Shall we surprise her?”
Walking out of this big room with Zack Hemingway she felt so different than she’d felt walking in. She’d been scared to death, but look at her now! She had the attention of the most sought-after bachelor in Beverly Hills.
He was quite a bit taller that she was, six feet two at least. She always noticed a man’s height because she was taller than average. Zack’s clean-shaven jaw angled before squaring off a bit at the chin, and his nose was less than perfect, which she liked a lot, considering the man lived in the plastic-surgery capital of the world.
His tan suit looked as expensive as the ones her father wore and probably was, the way it fit his wide shoulders so well. Usually she preferred the rugged look of a guy in a T-shirt and jeans, but Zack in a suit and tie looked…
Though she had an IQ of 170 and a vocabulary to match, yummy was the word that came to mind.
Zack put his hand on Chloe’s elbow and stopped their progress outside the restroom. “This is where I agreed to meet Mom,” he said.
The words were barely out of his mouth when a pretty blond woman in a pink suit and low-heeled pink pumps entered the hallway. She spotted Zack right away, but when she saw Chloe, her blue eyes lit up as if it were Christmas.
“Oh, Chloe! Zack said he would introduce us, and here you are!” She embraced Chloe in a light hug.
“Chloe, this is my mother, Bonnie Hemingway, a retired high school biology teacher from East Moline, Illinois—my hometown.”
“I’m happy to meet you, Mrs. Hemingway,” Chloe said, impressed with the joy of life this woman seemed to have.
“Please, call me Bonnie. Chloe, your presentation touched my heart more than I can say.”
“I’m so glad. I’ve never been more nervous in my life.”
“It didn’t get the best of you! You’re a natural-born speaker and teacher.”
“Thank you,” Chloe said from the bottom of her heart. “You don’t know how I appreciate the encouragement.”
“I couldn’t believe it when Zack said he knew your family.”
“And even when the moderator said your name, I couldn’t believe you were Sterling’s daughter,” Zack added.
“You didn’t recognize me?” Chloe asked with feigned dismay. “After all we’ve meant to each other?”
“I know! What can I say?” He hung his head in mock shame.
“Oh, I wish I’d been there to see your clown act!” Bonnie said. “I love clowns! I even collect them.”
“She does,” Zack affirmed with his great smile. “She has all kinds. Salt and pepper shakers, figurines, you name it. Is there any possibility that Flower could make a special appearance in honor of Mom’s birthday?”
For the opportunity to spend time with this guy, it was a done deal. “Flower loves birthday parties, but she’s pretty busy today.”
“I’m here until a week from Monday,” Bonnie said.
“Name the day, Chloe. This is Mom’s week. Not only is it her birthday, it’s her first visit to California. I took vacation time, so I’m available as a chauffeur, sock-puppet carrier or anything that doesn’t involve me in a clown suit.”
“Bonnie, would you like a clown lesson from Flower?” Chloe asked.
“Oh, my! Yes!”
“You’ll have to decide on your clown name and persona so we can design your makeup and costume.”
“I’ll have my own clown personality?” Bonnie’s blue eyes sparkled at the thought.
“Well, sure. Once you’re in costume, you’re not you anymore.”
“This will give me something to think about! Chloe, this has been such a pleasure. I wonder if you could join Zack and me for lunch? It would be so special to celebrate my birthday with you.”
“As a speaker, I’m hosting a table. I thought you and Zack might join me.”
“But of course we could. That would be marvelous!”
“I should be there now.”
“Then we shouldn’t dawdle. Those tables could be filling up fast.” Bonnie turned to walk ahead.
Zack fell into step beside Chloe. “That’s my mom, leading the way.”
“She’s wonderful,” Chloe said softly before turning to catch up. She would love to have a close relationship like that with her own mother.
“Mom, I need to call the hospital. You two go ahead and grab those seats. Okay?”
Bonnie waved him on, then took Chloe’s arm and set a pace that would get them there quickly.
“Chloe, are you seeing anyone?” she asked bluntly.
“No,” Chloe answered, wondering where this was going.
“I hope you’ll forgive a mother for saying so, but I think you and Zack would make a perfect couple.”
Bonnie had said she collected clowns, but this took hobbying to a whole new level. “Your son, the doctor, and Flower the Clown?” Chloe teased.
“No, my son, the man who says he’s too busy to fall in love and have a family, and Chloe, my tender-hearted new friend who seems to know that a life without love is no life at all.”
Chapter Four
Z ack draped his arm over the back of his mother’s chair, the better to observe Chloe during the luncheon speaker’s presentation. In this environment she was a star, though no one would think it from her humble attitude. Humility wasn’t a Kilgannon trait he’d noticed before, but it seemed to be as much a part of Chloe’s personality as her sense of humor.
It took very little to make her laugh. A minute ago the speaker had made a comment that Zack thought was funny even if the others at the table didn’t. Chloe had glanced at him, seen that he had no reservations about holding back a grin and burst into a goofy little giggle. It had only lasted a second, but for him it was the high point of the luncheon.
What a shame that he hadn’t followed his instincts after he’d met her as Flower two weeks ago. He remembered thinking how good the clown was at her job—which, as it turned out, wasn’t her job at all, but something she did to show love. When she’d disappeared, he’d made a halfhearted effort to find out her real name, but he’d told himself it was so Mom could meet the clown.
The clown—that was how he’d thought of her that day, not even as Flower. Had he become so self-absorbed that individuals weren’t important to him unless they had something wrong with them that he could make better? And if he had, could he change? Did he even want to?
He liked his single life just as it was, and he’d worked very hard to get what he had. His Mercedes, the expensive clothes and his condo—they were all nice, but not what he’d aimed for. What he really wanted was the opportunity to give people a pain-free life. Lots of people, lots of surgeries, lots of time in the OR—his favorite place to be.
Chloe turned her head toward him, but slowly as if she were studying the entire audience. He waited for her gaze to land on him, which it did for a nanosecond before it skittered past. Was she interested in him?
He hadn’t been nearly as subtle when he’d checked her out. He’d stared long enough to notice that her long dark eyelashes curled at the ends, that her eyebrows arched over her remarkable eyes and her nose tipped just at the end. Chloe was pretty, really pretty, and really sweet. Around her a man could lose his heart if he wasn’t careful.
She hadn’t looked his way again, though the luncheon speaker was long-winded and not half as interesting as Chloe had been in her workshop. Was Mom enjoying the speaker?
He glanced at Mom, and his heart sank. She was having the time of her life…and probably hadn’t heard one word of the speaker. Her eyes flicked from Chloe to him as if she were watching a tennis match.
He leaned over and whispered, “What are you doing?”
“Never mind,” she whispered back. “I know what’s going on. I’m going to invite Chloe to my birthday dinner tonight.”
“Good.” Sometimes he ran out of things to talk about with his mother. It would feel like more of a party with Chloe along.
All this matchmaking was giving him a headache. He rubbed the back of his neck and told himself everything would be back to normal a week from Monday. Mom would be back in Illinois and he’d be back in the OR, where he didn’t have to deal with people and how they felt until their anesthesia wore off and he could prescribe something for real, physical pain.
Dealing with people and their feelings was tough. He would love nothing more than to give his mom a hug and say, “I know you want grandchildren, but, please, can’t it be enough that I’m happy?”
Because his mom loved him, she would nod and try to hide how it crushed her, and he would feel terrible. He never wanted to disappoint her…if he could help it.
Chloe hadn’t heard much of the speaker’s presentation. She’d been too busy thinking that she’d finally met someone with boyfriend potential, but Zack was her polar opposite. She wanted to raise children who would know what it meant to be loved, and Zack had a reputation for not needing anyone.
Her sisters, Carmen and Cate, agreed that he was a great guy. He didn’t have an inflated ego, which was a remarkable quality considering the attention he got from the doctor-groupies who seemed intent on becoming the second half of “Dr. and Mrs.”
Chloe had never understood women like that. Didn’t they realize that they would see their pool guys more than they would see their husbands? At least that was the way it had been in her house. Surgeons like her dad lived at the hospital.
When the speaker finally finished, Chloe gave Zack’s mother her business card. “Call me when you know when you’d like that clown lesson, Bonnie. I’ll be out of town next weekend doing a workshop, but any weekday after four is fine.”
“That’s so nice of you, Chloe.”
“Well, it is your birthday.”
“Oh! You have to see what Zack did for my birthday. Could you come up to my room for a minute? I’ve got to share this with someone.”
“I’d love to!” How could she turn Bonnie down?
“I see someone I’d like to talk to,” Zack said. “You two go ahead, and I’ll meet you upstairs.”
When Bonnie opened the door to her room, Chloe could see why Bonnie had been so impressed. The place had California luxury written all over it. Outside the balcony, the tops of tall palm trees swayed in the breeze. On the bar counter was a basket of luscious-looking fruit, and centered on the dining table was an enormous bouquet of roses.
“Bonnie! What a wonderful place to celebrate your birthday!”
“I’m staying with Zack for the rest of my visit, but he wanted me to have a room at the hotel during the conference. A room, Chloe! Do you call this a room?”
“I call it the effort of a son who wants to show his mother he loves her.”
“But he’s done so much. He set up a day at a spa back home for me to have a makeover. He made sure I had new clothes, and he flew me out here first class. I feel like Cinderella!”
Chloe laughed at the woman’s exuberance. “I’m sure you deserve it!”
“On top of everything else, he had the roses waiting for me—sixty of them—one for each year I’ve lived. I didn’t know I’d raised such a thoughtful son…or that he could afford all this!”
“From what I hear, Zack has become the orthopedic surgeon to see in Los Angeles. His patients are among the most celebrated in a town full of celebrities.”
“Really?” Bonnie’s blue eyes rounded with pleased surprise. “I wish Zack’s dad could have heard that. Zack had so many achievements, but Roland never had a kind word for Zack. It made me so mad.”
Chloe had to wonder why Bonnie had put up with that. She was a teacher. She knew how withholding praise affected a child.
“Zack seems happy, but I have to wonder if he isn’t lonely.”
“Being alone isn’t the same thing as being lonely. Maybe he’s just wrapped up in his work. That’s how it’s been for me.”
“Chloe, you’re such a wonderful person. I can’t believe you haven’t found your Mr. Right by now?”
Bonnie’s woeful expression struck Chloe as funny. “It’s okay, Bonnie. I haven’t really been looking for him.”
“And now that your life has changed directions?”
“I don’t know if I’ll find Mr. Right. Many women don’t. Outside of literature, do you think people experience that earth-shattering love that we read about?”
“Yes, I do. I felt it for Zack’s father. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to last, but it’s what I want for my son and all my single friends.”
It was hard to believe this lovely woman claimed that kind of love for a man who hadn’t taken pride in his son. It wasn’t for Chloe to judge, but how could Bonnie have loved that man?
There was a knock on the outer door before Zack entered, holding up the card key he’d used to get in. “Am I interrupting?”
“You are, but in the best way,” Bonnie said. “Chloe and I have been talking like old friends. I haven’t even gotten around to asking her if she’ll join us for dinner tonight. Can you celebrate with me, Chloe?”
The invitation came as a surprise, but who could say no to this nice woman? “I’d love to join you, Bonnie.”
“Great!” Zack said. “Chloe’s sister is joining us, too.”
“How wonderful. It will be a party!” Bonnie exclaimed.
Bonnie must have told Zack she was inviting Chloe for dinner, and Zack must have called at least one of her sisters. “Which sister, Zack?”
“Carmen. I called Cate, too, but she had plans.”
Bonnie’s eyes narrowed. “Zack, if you can invite these women at the last moment, you must know Chloe’s sisters very well.”
Zack sent a silent SOS to Chloe. As intelligent as she was, she had to have realized that Mom was in match-maker mode. With more people around, Mom couldn’t zero in on just the two of them.
Chloe’s eyes said she got it. “Bonnie, Zack is a favorite in our community, professionally and socially.”
That was good so far. He threw her a grateful glance.
“In fact,” Chloe continued, “he’s such a favorite that my parents are hoping Zack will choose a Kilgannon bride. Our mother is rooting for my younger sister, Cate, but our dad is staunchly behind Carmen, my older sister. She’s the one you’ll meet tonight.”
“Oh my!” his mother gasped.
Zack almost groaned out loud. Chloe hadn’t lied, and everyone in the Beverly Hills medical community knew it, but did his mother have to know?
“I don’t believe you’ve mentioned this before, Zack,” his mother said in her teacher voice. “Is Carmen the sister you’re interested in?”
“Chloe’s sisters are my friends, Mom. Just that. Friends.”
“Then why do their parents expect you to marry one of them?”
He felt sweat break out on his forehead. “Possibly for the same reason you’re hoping I’ll find someone.”
A smile broke through the tension on her face. “Then, good for them!”
“Bonnie, my parents are fierce matchmakers,” Chloe said.
He held his breath, hoping she wouldn’t make it worse.
“Mom and Dad began their courtship of Zack two years ago. It was the first night I ever saw him, but we didn’t meet.”
“And why not?” his mother asked before he could.
“Zack and I talked about that before lunch. We were at a wedding reception. He sat with my family, but Flower the Clown entertained the children at the kids’ table.”
“And you wore pink!” he said, suddenly remembering. “Pink hair, pink costume, pink clown shoes—”
“It was the bride’s color,” Chloe said with a grin.
“I remember! You were so cute.”
“Thank you! Bonnie, Zack can be excused for his lapse in memory. The poor guy was on sensory overload sitting between my sisters and across from my mother. They’re charming and far more than cute. ”
They were gorgeous, but he remembered how adorable Flower had been and how she’d been completely undeserving of her father’s harsh admonition to “grow up.” He particularly remembered Sterling saying that, and his respect for the man had taken a nosedive.
“I remember trying to talk to you that night,” he said.
“Flower doesn’t talk,” she replied with a grin.
“That’s why I said ‘trying.’ I wanted to get to know you.”
“You did?” She seemed surprised…and pleased.
“Sure, I even called you at your parents’ house, but you were gone.”
She thought for a moment. “That was the mudslide in the Himalayas. It took out a whole village.”
“How terrible,” his mother said. “Chloe, you’ve lived a remarkable life for such a young woman. I’m eager to hear more about it at dinner tonight, and I’m looking forward to meeting your sisters, who are such good friends of my son.”
“Just Carmen tonight, Mom,” he corrected.
She gave him a knowing glance. “Carmen tonight, but Cate very soon.”
Okay, Mom had made a point of showing him she remembered both names and forgot nothing. His plan had been to steer clear of the Kilgannons while Mom was here to avoid all this, but Chloe had stirred the pot and left him in hot water. And what did she think of herself?
A glance said she was enjoying herself way too much.
Chloe picked up her purse and her gift for Bonnie and met Carmen standing by the front door, tapping her foot. “I’m not late,” Chloe said defensively.
“I know, but if I’m not early, I feel late,” Carmen replied, leading the way to her car. “Why are you carrying your shoes? I’m pretty sure it’s ‘no shoes, no service’ at The Hilltop.”
“I’ll wear them, just not until I’ve gotten past these broken tiles that pass as a path. I’m not as good at wearing these stilts as you are.”
At the car, Chloe slipped her new shoes on. They were only a couple of straps across her toes, but they did make her legs look great. Sliding into the passenger side of Carmen’s sports car, she reached for her seat belt. It would wrinkle her new dress, but a few wrinkles might make her feel more like herself.
With her long hair swept up at one side and secured by one of Cate’s combs, she hadn’t recognized herself. In the past she would have chosen something so awful that the contrast between her appearance and her sisters’ would have seemed deliberate, not something she had no control over.
But tonight the apprentice swan had done what she was told, and Chloe had to admit she looked pretty good—not as good as Carmen, who was petite perfection in her little black dress and big diamond earrings, but no one looked as good as Carmen. She carried their beautiful mother’s genes and the DNA of her gorgeous birth father. Chloe had seen a picture of him once.
Before she started the car, Carmen turned to her and said, “Chloe, do you understand why Zack invited me tonight?”
“I think you’re sort of a decoy.”
“Right. He says his mother is crazy about you.”
“No! It’s just the clown connection.”
“Zack says it’s more than that, and I believe him. You, Chloe Kilgannon, are exactly who Bonnie Hemingway wants for the mother of her grandchildren.”
Chloe swallowed hard. She wouldn’t be having anyone’s biological grandchildren. She would love to, but her body couldn’t do the job.
“Zack thinks you’re great, but—”
“I got it, Carmen. He’s not about to let his mother push him into marriage, yet he’s not the kind of guy who can say, ‘Back off, Mom,’ especially when she’s celebrating her birthday.
“That’s it. Zack’s been a good friend, and I’m willing to help him by playing the decoy, but I’m terrible at acting. I won’t be believable playing the role of prospective bride.”
“Then use my motto. Keep it simple, keep it honest, and pray before you act…or in your case, try to act.”
“What is it with you and prayer?” Carmen asked, exasperated. She turned on the ignition of her car and backed out of her drive very fast. “I pray for the Lord to guide my hands in surgery. I pray for Him to do what medicine can’t. But I’m not going to bother God with prayers about things I should handle myself!”
“Okay, but the Bible says you’re supposed to.” She’d prayed for openings like this. “The Word says we’re to pray about everything…all the time!”
Carmen shook her head.” I don’t know. Every day I see situations where God is a person’s only hope. It just doesn’t seem right for me to take God’s time with whiny prayers about the little stuff.”
“There is no ‘little stuff’ with God,” Chloe said, unwilling to argue past that. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll pray that Bonnie will relax and not worry about her son. I’ll pray that God gives you the words you need for tonight, and I’ll pray that Zack—” What should she pray for him? “I’ll pray he’ll enjoy his mother’s vacation as much as she does. How’s that?”
Carmen shrugged her shoulders as if it didn’t matter.
Lord, You gave me an opening to talk about You, and I think I blew it. If You give me another chance, I’ll try to do better.
“Chloe, if you’re really going to do all that praying could you throw in something about Dad’s reaction when he realizes Zack and I aren’t seeing each other?”
“He doesn’t know that?” Chloe didn’t want to be around when he found out. “Why haven’t you told him? Having second thoughts?”
“No! I’ve tried to tell Dad, but he’s just obsessed with Zack becoming part of our family. He’s never gotten angry with me before, but I’ve seen how he gets with you. You can take it, but I don’t have your courage.”
Courage? It was more like she’d had no choice. Dad could lose his temper with her any time, any place, and she’d never known when it was coming.
“Carmen, I can pray that Dad takes the news calmly, but that’s a very big prayer. I’ll need your help with that one.”
The corners of Carmen’s mouth twitched. “You’re probably right. Tell me what to say.”
Chloe laughed out loud. “To begin with, you don’t need a script. When I talked to the Lord while I was getting dressed—“
“You did that?” Carmen sounded shocked.
Chloe nodded. “I asked the Lord to keep my head straight tonight. Since neither you nor Cate fell for Zack, there’s no reason to think I will, but he was all I could think about this afternoon.”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“Everything. Nothing. It just makes me nervous to be this interested in a guy.”
Carmen grinned knowingly. “You could always try praying that away.”
Chapter Five
Z ack pulled up to The Hilltop and watched his mom’s face light up. High on a hill as the name suggested, the view from the restaurant was one of the best in Los Angeles. They would catch the tail end of a spectacular sunset and, later, watch the city’s twinkling lights.
It was the kind of restaurant Zack’s dad would have despised. He’d have griped about turning the car over to a parking valet and complained about waiting to be seated by the ma?tre d’. When he saw the fancy menu, prices and manners of the waitstaff, he might have walked out.
Zack remembered how self-conscious he’d felt the first time he’d dined here. When the waiter had plucked the white linen napkin from the goblet and flipped it onto his lap, Zack had felt exactly like who he was—a country boy from Illinois. Tonight he took the waiter’s flourish for granted and smiled when it surprised his mom.
He’d made sure she was seated at an angle so she could see the fabulous view or scan the room and perhaps see a celebrity she recognized. He’d taken the seat beside her so he could watch for Carmen and Chloe.
But Mom saw them first. “There’s Chloe! Oh, my. The girls are lovely!”
Carmen looked fabulous as usual, but it was Chloe, in a terrific red dress, who made his heart rate pick up.
He stood when they approached the table. Carmen gave him a wink that said she was ready for his matchmaking mom. Chloe headed straight to Mom, gave her a warm embrace and said, “I’ve brought you a big birthday present, Bonnie. Here she is, my sister, Carmen. She’s a surgeon like Zack, but she’s ready to settle down.”
Had Carmen coached her to say that? It was perfect.
Chloe stepped aside so Carmen could give Mom a pair of Hollywood air kisses and a little hug. “I have a present for you, too,” Carmen said, producing an elegantly wrapped gift.
“Should I open it now?” Mom asked, already tearing the paper off.
Zack recognized the designer gift box before Mom pulled out the tiny crystal bottle of perfume.
“If you don’t care for it, we can exchange it for a scent you might prefer more,” Carmen said.
“Oh, no! The fragrance is lovely!” his mother exclaimed. “And it will make me think of you, Carmen.”
“That’s a nice gift,” Chloe said, producing a small colorful bag, “but you’re going to like mine better.” Mom dug under the bright tissue and pulled out a red clown nose with an attached tag that read, “IOU one clown lesson and all of my ‘how-to-clown’ books.”
His mom squealed with delight. Carmen sat beside him, and they brought her up to speed about Bonnie’s clown obsession. The waiter took their drink orders, and Zack leaned back in his chair.
His mother had a birthday glow that made his heart swell with gratitude. The joy and contentment on her face was worth more than money could buy. Carmen flirted with him as planned, to throw his mother off track about his interest in Chloe.
He knew Mom had noticed him and Carmen. She’d given him a bunch of assessing looks, as if she were trying to determine if he and Carmen had more going for them than he’d claimed. Exactly what he’d hoped for.
Was he only imagining it, or was Chloe flirting with him, too? Her brown eyes sparkled with fun, and she was just so pretty he could hardly take his eyes off her. With Mom concentrating on Carmen, he didn’t have to be as careful.
He noticed her sweet consideration of his mom, her quick glance of gratitude toward the waiter who filled her water glass, the way she graciously accepted her menu and her pleased expression as she looked at the menu offerings.
He hadn’t thought about it, but being unimpressed with fine dining was part of the code of conduct among the rich. He’d probably adopted that attitude as well, but not Chloe. Enthusiastically, she described her favorite dishes to Mom and said this was her favorite restaurant in Los Angeles.
He’d never been this interested in a woman. He was sure of it. When his foot accidentally touched hers, his heart actually raced. Did she have any idea of how pretty she looked in that red dress? She didn’t seem to, and that made him like her even more.
Chloe gripped her menu, the better to steady her nerves. What was the matter with her? She’d dined at the Hilltop so often it should feel like a second home, but she’d almost tipped over her water goblet and her salad fork had just skittered off the table and landed noisily on the hardwood floor.
It wasn’t the end of the world, and Flower the Clown wouldn’t have been embarrassed, but Chloe was…until Zack’s dinner knife clattered to the floor, too.
With all eyes on him, he merely shrugged, smiled and said to their food server, “We seem to have flying silverware.”
Had Zack copied her clumsiness to make her feel less like a klutz? Bonnie beamed at him as if she thought he had.
“You aren’t worried about your reputation, Doctor?” Carmen teased. “Who’s going to trust a surgeon who can’t keep his silverware on the table?”
“I may have to consider a new career and enroll in Chloe’s clown class,” he said. “Any chance I can get Mom’s rate?”
Chloe smiled to herself. She’d give him lessons for free.
They placed their orders and made small talk until their waiter served their appetizers. Bonnie looked at Zack, and without missing a beat, he said, “I’ll say grace.” He offered one hand to Bonnie and the other to Carmen, who looked a little startled, but quickly followed suit. They might be the only diners holding hands while they prayed, but Chloe loved it.
Zack bowed his head and spoke in a normal conversational tone. “Lord, we praise Your name, especially on Mom’s birthday, and we thank You for Your many blessings. Thank You for giving me a wonderful mother. May this next decade be the best in her long, healthy life. Bless the food, Lord, and thank You for letting us share this special occasion as family and friends.”
Zack looked up to see his mom blinking back tears. He hadn’t done anything that special. Maybe she was glad he still knew how to pray.
“That was a beautiful prayer, son,” his mother said. “The best gift a mother can receive is knowing her child has a relationship with God.”
Temporarily flushed by his mother’s praise, Zack cleared the lump in his throat and said, “When I planned this dinner for you, Mom, I had no idea that your favorite conference speaker would turn out to be our new friend, Chloe, or that Chloe’s sister would be my old friend, Carmen.”
“‘Old?’” Carmen protested playfully. “Watch it!”
“Sorry,” he said with a grin. “It’s great that such a cool coincidence brought us together.”
“It is wonderful that we’re together!” Bonnie agreed. “But I would say it was more God’s direction than coincidence. When I look back over my life, I see how often I thought God wasn’t hearing my prayers, but He was. Often the bad times were preparation for the good things God had ahead for me.”
Zack bit his tongue as he always did when she talked about this. He loved her too much to mention she’d chosen to stay with his dad and go through those bad times. He’d finally gotten away after high school, but not without guilt because he’d left Mom to serve her sentence. That was how he thought of her life with Dad.
“I don’t know what I’d do if I didn’t have faith that God has my best interest at heart,” Mom said, her sweet face fervent with her belief.
Carmen nodded her head in understanding. “Since Chloe’s been back home, I have to confess, some of her faith is rubbing off on me.” Carmen gave Chloe a sisterly squeeze on her arm.
Zack tried not to show his surprise. What was Carmen talking about? She’d always had faith—the same kind he had. It might be faith on a more generic level than his mother or Chloe seemed to have, but he believed in a Higher Power. Sometimes his patients lived when his skills hadn’t been enough.
“Hey, everybody.” Collin Brennan stopped by their table.
Zack stood to shake Collin’s hand and whispered in his ear, “Don’t mention our surgery this morning.”
Collin gave him a questioning look, but blinked agreement.
“Mom,” he said with a hand on her shoulder, “This is Collin Brennan, grandson of the founder of Brennan Medical Clinic where I have my office. Collin has an office there, too, and we both do our surgeries at Cedar Hills Hospital.”
Color drained from her face—alarmingly so.
“I understand it’s your birthday, Mrs. Hemingway, and I want to add my good wishes,” Collin said with his usual charm, but he looked at Zack, silently inquiring about her sudden paleness.
“Thank you, Collin.” Mom stared at Collin as if she couldn’t look away.
What was wrong with Mom?
Carmen and Chloe greeted Collin like the old friends they were. Chloe leaned toward his mother and said, “Our father and Collin’s uncle Albert were roommates at Stanford in their undergrad days. We’ve grown up together.”
“Collin’s an anesthesiologist, Bonnie,” Carmen added. “In fact he worked with Zack this morning on their celebrity patient.”
Collin gave Zack a look as if to say he hadn’t blabbed.
“Did anyone catch Zack on TV?” Carmen asked.
“You were on TV?” his mother asked.
“When our patients are celebrities,” Zack explained, “the media always wants details. Meeting with them is the worst part of my job. The cameras, the mikes in your face—I feel like a deer caught in headlights.”
“And get this,” Collin said, leaning down and dropping his voice, “Zack suggested that your dad, as chief of surgery, do the interview, but…our new PR guy shut your dad down.”
“He didn’t!” Carmen’s dark eyes were wide with awe.
“Oh, but he did. The guy said, ‘Dr. Kilgannon, the public needs a bright, young doctor like Dr. Hemingway to put a face to the excellence that is Cedar Hills Hospital.’”
“How did Dad take it?” Carmen asked.
Collin rolled his eyes. “If it had been anyone but Zack to take the spotlight, your dad would have stroked out, but Zack’s his boy.”
Zack didn’t know what he’d done to gain Sterling Kilgannon’s favor, but he’d had it from the moment he’d taken an office at Brennan Medical Clinic.
“Since Zack was running late, I offered to do the media interview. I was the anesthesiologist, and I’m a ‘bright, young doctor,’ but your dad said I looked too much like a soap-opera actor for the public to take seriously.” Collin flashed a brilliant, TV-worthy smile. “Can you believe it?”
“Yes!” the sisters said in chorus.
“Collin, do you take after your father or your mother?” Zack’s mom asked.
“I can answer that,” Chloe chimed in. “Collin is blond, blue-eyed and good-looking like his dad, but he has his mother’s good sense.”
That was a nice way of putting it. Collin’s dad was a notorious womanizer and not a man Zack could admire.
“Since it’s already been on the news,” Chloe said, “your patient’s identity isn’t confidential. May we ask who it was?”
Collin looked at Zack, clearly leaving that answer up to him.
“Madison Haines,” Zack said.
“Madison Haines!” His mom almost came out of her chair. “What happened?”
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