Finally A Bride

“So I can take extra good care of him.” She tenderly brushed a tear from his cheek. “Is that okay, Eli?”

“But what if—what if he dies? What if he goes to Heaven, too?” He looked toward Gavin and then back at the doctor. “What if I was too late—again? Like I was too late when Mommy and Daddy died?”

Gavin felt punched in the gut. Last year, the kid, at only six years old, had tried earnestly to save his parents, even after all the adults around him had given up.

The vet bit down on her lower lip and Gavin could tell that she was trying to control the emotions pressing forward at the hint of Eli’s tragic past. And he recognized the same deep sorrow that he felt every time he thought of the way this little boy had been left, all alone, with no one to care for him.

Much like that little dog in the woods.

“I’m going to do my very best to make sure that doesn’t happen,” she promised.

“Can I come see him, though? Like, every day?” Eli shifted the quivering dog to one arm and wiped the opposite red mitten across his cheek to knock the tears away before returning it to cradle the pup. “Can I come after school? He needs to know that I love him. It’s important. I’ll need to show him.”

She blinked twice, held on to that lower lip a long beat before finally speaking. “That would be very nice, and I know it would comfort him to know you care.”

Eli nuzzled the puppy, who had fallen asleep in his arms. “Can I, Mr. Gavin? Can I come see him every day until he’s better?”

“Yes,” he said gruffly, as if any other answer would escape his lips. “I’ll bring you after school, after you finish your homework. But you need to give the puppy—Buddy—to Dr....” He’d noticed her name embroidered on her white jacket, but from this angle, he couldn’t read the script.

“Calhoun,” she supplied, and then she softened that clear, lyrical voice, looked at Eli and said, “or you can call me Miss Haley.”

Haley Calhoun. The name sparked a hint of a memory, something he’d overheard recently, but he couldn’t recall what was said.

Gavin shook the scattered thought away and nodded to Eli. “Now give Buddy to Dr. Calhoun, so she can take care of him and help him get better.”

Eli eased the lifeless animal toward the doctor. “O-kay.”

Her eyebrows dropped, fingers probing gently as she took the puppy.

Trying to divert the boy’s attention from the doctor’s sudden look of concern, Gavin pointed to the schoolbag Eli had dropped near a chair by the door. “Eli, why don’t you grab your backpack and get ready to go? We’ll come see Buddy again tomorrow.”

Gavin’s phone rang and he saw that Savvy Evans, who ran the children’s home with her husband, Brodie, was on the other end. No doubt she wanted an update on the mistreated puppy. He answered, “Hey Savvy, we’re still at the vet.”

Eli halted his pace toward the backpack. “Can I tell Miss Savvy about Buddy?”

Gavin nodded. “Savvy, Eli wants to talk to you.” He gave him the phone and listened as the boy recited every detail, from holding the puppy on the way to the vet to everything Haley—Dr. Calhoun—had said since they’d arrived.

While Eli was occupied talking, Gavin took the opportunity to approach the doctor, now quietly instructing her assistant about Buddy’s initial course of treatment. The assistant left for a moment and then returned with a blue blanket in her arms.

“It’s warm?” Haley asked, and the other woman, who looked around twenty, nodded. Then the doctor tenderly transferred the pup, as though he were extremely fragile, to the blanket in the assistant’s arms.

“Hello, Mr. Thomason,” the younger blonde said.

Gavin was clueless and apparently showed it.

“Aaliyah Smith. I go to church with you,” she offered, “at Claremont Community Church.”

“Right.” He hated the fact that he was so often preoccupied with his own world that he rarely noticed others, even during religious services. Or maybe, he was so often preoccupied with his past that he rarely noticed the present.

But he noticed the children in his care, and most everyone else who was involved with helping the boys in his cabin.

Aaliyah gave him a soft smile, presumably not offended that he hadn’t recognized her, and then hurried to the back with the dog. Observing her haste, Gavin feared the worst. So while Eli continued telling Savvy about Buddy, he moved toward the doctor and touched her shoulder. “You can’t let that puppy die.”

Unfortunately his words came out brusquely, more like a command than a request.

The vet’s eyes widened, her mouth formed a small O and then she stole a glance at Eli, still talking, before lowering her voice to match his. “I can promise you I will do my best to bring him back to good health. That’s my job, and I take my job very seriously.”

Gavin wasn’t influenced by the fact that he’d irritated her. He needed answers, pure and simple.

“Okay, what does that involve? What’s wrong with the dog, and what are you planning to do?” He hated the accusatory tone, but he also couldn’t control it. Whether she liked it or not, she’d become a key factor in whether Eli lost something else he cared about, and Gavin wasn’t about to let that happen. Not on his watch.

She narrowed those green eyes again. He’d offended her. That hadn’t been his intention, but if it got him the information he needed, so be it.

“Buddy has been on his own for at least three or four days. He is dehydrated and needs to be treated for parasites.” Her voice had taken on a clinical tone that he knew all too well. It’d been the same one the doctor had used when Gavin received the news that his wife—the true love of his life—died giving birth to their son. And then, merely an hour later...that their baby boy had died, too.

Two years ago today.

Gritting his teeth to combat the pain of the past, he forced himself to listen while the doctor continued.

“We will start by putting him in a quiet, safe area away from other animals, lights and activity. We want to keep him as calm as possible. Aaliyah is taking his temperature now, but he felt cool, so we’ve wrapped him in a warm blanket and will regulate his temperature slowly. If this is done too quickly, it could harm his delicate nervous system.”

Gavin kept an eye on Eli while he took advantage of his preoccupation to learn more about what the doctor planned for Buddy’s treatment. “And then what?”

Still in that clinical tone he loathed, she explained in detail the steps planned to help the pup.

She paused when a white-haired woman carrying a pink floral bag walked toward the lobby from one of the exam rooms. The bag mewed continually as she crossed the floor. White fur and green eyes pushed against the mesh end.

“Why, Mr. Thomason, what brings you here?” Mae Martin asked. Then she saw Eli, his back facing her as he talked on the phone on the other side of the lobby. “Oh, my, was that crying child I heard one of your darling boys?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mae was a regular visitor to Willow’s Haven, one of the volunteers who read library books to the children. The readers had become a part of the kids’ world, so that, even though they didn’t have a real family, they still had a family of sorts through Willow’s Haven and the small Claremont community. Mae had been assigned to Gavin’s cabin, so she knew each child. Her eyes moved to Eli, who’d turned in her direction but was still too focused on his conversation to notice Mae.

She shook her head. “Bless his little heart. Those children have already been through so much. I could tell he was upset when I heard him crying, but I didn’t realize when I was in the back that it was Eli. Such a tenderhearted child. Is everything going to be okay?”

“It will be.” He looked pointedly to the doctor. “Right?”

“That’s. My. Goal,” she said, her words clipped.

“Well, you won’t find a better vet than our Haley, that’s for sure,” Mae said. “She and Doc Sheridan have been taking care of Snowflake for five years now.” She pointed a finger at the vet. “And, like I told you, don’t you worry about being on your own now that he’s retired. You’re going to do a great job here.” She smiled at Gavin. “Today’s her first day on her own, you know.”

Not what Gavin wanted to hear. His face must’ve shown it because those green eyes grew sharper, daring him to comment. He held his words.

“Thank you, Mrs. Martin,” Haley said as Aaliyah returned to the front counter.

Gavin knew better than to say anything else to the doctor about his fears, so he turned to Aaliyah. “The puppy—he’s doing okay?”

“He is,” she answered with a smile. “Temperature is coming up. I have him under the warmer while he’s waiting to be seen by Dr. Calhoun.”

“Great.” Gavin nodded once toward her then returned his focus to the veterinarian while Aaliyah spoke to Mrs. Martin. “How long do you expect the treatment to take?”

Again, looking incredulously at him but answering calmly, she explained, “There is no way to know, but the minimum amount of time I’d anticipate to stabilize him is around seventy-two hours. That wouldn’t be when he’s ready to be released, but stable enough to begin eating and hydrating normally.” Glancing toward Eli, she added softly, “He could be here awhile.”

Gavin couldn’t control his frown. Eli wouldn’t be happy about that, but if it was necessary, then that’s what would have to happen. “As long as you keep him alive and get him better, that’s fine.”

One eyebrow lifted slightly. “I’m so glad that’s fine for you.”

Gavin hadn’t been much of a people person over the past couple of years. He had a big heart for children and had always interacted with them well, but the ability to communicate effectively with adults, particularly attractive females, no longer fell into his list of finer attributes. Clearly that was still the case with this vet.

Which was fine. He didn’t want anything beyond a surface acquaintance with any woman. “We’ll stop by tomorrow then, after school, so Eli can see for himself that Buddy is getting better.” Then, without giving her a chance to respond, he turned to the boy clicking the end button on the cell. “Come on, Eli. We’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Okay, Mr. Gavin,” he said, handing him the phone. Then he rushed into the arms of Haley Calhoun. “And please get him well for me, Miss Haley. Okay?”

Gavin waited for her to give the correct response.

“I will do my best.”

The little boy who held Gavin’s heart in his hands turned and gave him the first semblance of a smile since finding the puppy. He truly believed the vet could save Buddy.

Gavin forced a smile and prayed for God to heal the pup, because he didn’t want to be there if Eli’s heart was shattered again. He had a feeling it would take God’s intervention, too, for the animal to pull through.

Mae Martin turned from the counter toward Eli. “Why, Miss Haley will take the absolute best care of your little Buddy.”

The memory Gavin had sensed earlier clicked into place and he recalled exiting the cabin to find Mrs. Martin speaking to Savvy about her concern for a former church member. Haley Calhoun.

What a shame, she’d said, that such a beautiful young lady who’d been so involved in the congregation seems to have given up on God when she gave up on men.

Chapter Two

Even though her office would close in five minutes, Haley still sat at the computer behind the front counter entering notes from her last patient.

She couldn’t focus. Instead of thinking about the details pertaining to Abi Cutter’s accident-prone chocolate Lab, Roscoe, who’d pried the lid off a bin of horse feed and eaten more than his share, she continued dwelling on her earlier interaction with Gavin Thomason.

She hadn’t missed the fact that he’d been talking to Savvy Evans, who ran Willow’s Haven with her husband. That, coupled with Eli’s statement that his parents were in Heaven, told her this little boy would be one of the children she could help with her new program.

Did it also mean she’d be dealing with Mr. Gavin, too?

She cringed at the thought.

“Roscoe seems to be doing better now,” Aaliyah told her, returning from checking on their “overnighters.” Today they had four animals currently in their long-term care: Buddy; two golden retrievers, Honey and Sugar, currently boarded while their owners were on vacation in Tennessee; and Roscoe.

“I’m glad to hear that.” Haley clicked a few keys on the computer. “We probably would’ve been fine letting Roscoe go home with the Cutters, but I’d like to watch him overnight.” She was also glad Aaliyah’s presence helped her to focus on the task at hand—documenting their most frequent customer—instead of dwelling on the man who had gotten under her skin like a burr beneath a saddle blanket.

“Honestly, Roscoe probably sees this place as his home away from home.” Aaliyah smirked. “Isn’t this his third time in the past month?”

Haley scrolled through Roscoe’s file. “Fourth, if you count when I treated him on-site.”

“Oh, yeah, when he got his head stuck in that fence rail. I forgot all about that.” Aaliyah sprayed the counter with disinfectant and began wiping it down. “You should start using the bigger office now that Doc Sheridan is gone.”

“I’m comfortable here.” Haley liked being visible to clients as much as possible. Plus, Aaliyah only worked two days per week so, most of the time, Haley would be the only one to greet customers, maintain files and treat patients. Before, she’d had Doc Sheridan to share in that burden. But she didn’t mind staying busy. Beyond talking to her mother and grandfather on an almost-daily basis, the animals provided her primary semblance of family now.

And she was okay with that. Really.

She completed the notes on Roscoe and closed his file, which brought Buddy’s to the forefront of her computer. “How did Buddy handle that bit of liquids?”

“Kept everything down so far. He’s sleeping again.”

“Poor little thing.” He’d been covered in almost as much dirt as Eli when he’d arrived and was just as cute. She looked forward to seeing the boy again tomorrow when he came to visit the puppy and anticipated Buddy might be a little more responsive after twenty-four hours of hydration.

The alarm went off on Aaliyah’s cell. “Closing time. Ready to call it a day?” She lifted her brow. “Until you come back to check on the animals before bed, that is. Why don’t you come to the ladies’ Bible study tonight at Mandy Brantley’s house? You seemed to enjoy it that one time you came.”

“Did I?” Haley kept her eyes on the computer screen while silently willing her assistant to drop the subject. But after waiting a couple of beats, she glanced up to see Aaliyah’s frown.

“Okay, so you didn’t. But we enjoyed having you there. Have you had a chance to look at the new study we’re doing on forgiveness?” She tapped the thin blue book she’d given Haley last week, still sitting on the desk where Haley had put it that day.

“No, not yet. And I think I’ll pass, but thanks for the invitation.” She saved Buddy’s file and shut down the computer.

Before Aaliyah could plead her case further, like she did each week, the office door burst open. Mae Martin entered, bracelets jangling as she waved off her apologies.

“I’m so sorry, Haley. I know you’re about to close up shop for the day, but I realized after I started getting Snowflake’s dinner ready that I left those supplements here. I’m beginning to believe I’d lose my head if it weren’t attached.” She laughed and crossed the lobby to where Aaliyah had already reached beneath the counter and pulled out the white bottle.

“You must have placed them behind the computer when you were writing your check,” Aaliyah said. “I found them after you left.” She placed the bottle in a brown paper bag this time, probably so Mrs. Martin would have a better chance of keeping up with it.

Mae leaned over the counter toward Haley. “Tell me, how’s that little puppy doing? I could tell Gavin was concerned about him.”

“He’s doing better,” Haley said, frustrated that Gavin’s lack of confidence had been so easily visible.

“Good. That little boy has been through so much already.” She looked knowingly toward Haley. “I’m sure that’s why Gavin was intent on making sure the little pup would be okay.”

“He isn’t always so full of sunshine?” Haley didn’t disguise her sarcasm.

Mae put a hand to her chest, laughing deeply. “Oh, my, you’ve got his number already, don’t you? Actually he’s always like that around adults. But when you see him around those kids at Willow’s Haven, especially Eli, you get a glimpse of the heart hiding beneath the surface. Both Brodie and Savvy will tell you that he’s one of the best cabin counselors they have.” She tilted her head and lifted one corner of her mouth in a smile. “Gavin’s a good guy. He’s just a pro at hiding it.”

Haley wondered why that was. And why, if he was so good with kids, he didn’t have an equal affinity toward adults.

Then she shook those questions away. She didn’t need to be wondering anything about the devastatingly handsome and undeniably annoying man. Plus, they were already fifteen minutes past closing and she had no desire to prolong this discussion.

Mae started toward the door, then stopped and pointed beneath one of the lobby chairs. “Oh, dear. That’s Eli’s backpack. I’m sure he’ll need it for school tomorrow. I hope he isn’t upset at leaving it. He’s already had such a bad day, being worried about the puppy and all.” She turned and frowned. “I’d take it to him, but I need to get back and feed Snowflake.”

“And I need to get home to see Cierrah,” Aaliyah said, referring to her adorable four-year-old daughter.

Mae’s smile widened. “Looks like you’ll probably need to take this out to the children’s home, hmm? You wouldn’t want Eli to be sad about leaving it, and you’ll definitely want to make sure he has it for school tomorrow.”

Haley stared at the red-and-blue backpack then stole a glance at the two women, smiling and nodding at each other as though thrilled with this predicament. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say one of you left it there so I’d have to go see that bear of a man.”

“You are good with animals.” Aaliyah barely stifled her giggle.

Mae winked at her, charm bracelet clanging as she pointed a pink-tipped finger her way. “Oh, that was good.”

Haley did her best to ignore any additional remarks, because both ladies were obviously on a roll.

With a heavy sigh, she headed for the door.

* * *

“Eli is really taken with that dog, isn’t he?” Mark asked while he and Gavin rode in the front seats of the Willow’s Haven bus with some of the other cabin counselors. Most of the kids behind them chattered about this evening’s soccer practice. But Eli, who sat a couple of rows back and had a voice a little louder than the average seven-year-old, couldn’t stop talking about Buddy.

Gavin glanced over his shoulder at the boy. “Yeah, he is.”

“So, does the vet think the dog will be okay with treatment? Because I’m not sure how Eli will take it if he isn’t.”

Gavin wasn’t surprised the other man’s thoughts mirrored his own. “She said she would do her best.”

“She? You didn’t take him to Doc Sheridan?”

“From what I gather, he retired, and this was the new vet’s first day on the job.”

“Aw, man, that doesn’t sound good for Eli’s puppy.” Mark propped his arm on the back of the seat and ran his hand across his mouth in a that’s-too-bad move.

Gavin felt the same way. “Yeah. Well, according to Mrs. Martin, she’s been there for a while working as his assistant, so I’m praying she’ll be able to help.”

“Wait a minute. Doc Sheridan’s assistant? Haley? Haley Calhoun?” Mark asked, his tone livening with every syllable. “She’s the vet taking care of the puppy?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I didn’t realize you were talking about Haley. She’s awesome. I’m surprised you haven’t seen her around town already. She’ll be coming to Willow’s Haven on a regular basis soon, since she’s the one running the new Adopt-an-Animal program, where she’ll bring animals to Willow’s Haven.” He smiled broadly. “We’ll also be taking the kids out to the Cutter Ranch to spend time with the horses, hiking and all of that, and I’m sure she’ll be part of that, as well. It was Haley’s idea, actually, and she’s donating her time. Pretty cool.”

Gavin wasn’t certain how “cool” it’d be. He hadn’t liked that niggling attraction he’d felt when he’d seen the pretty lady, and he certainly didn’t want to experience it on a regular basis. Especially when he had no desire for any relationship again. He’d had the perfect relationship, with Selah, and he didn’t want—or need—another.

Maybe he wouldn’t have to see the good doctor when she worked with the kids.

Yeah, right. His cabin would undoubtedly be involved with the Adopt-an-Animal program, so he’d be interacting, in some manner, with Haley Calhoun. Even after they finished seeing each other because of Eli’s puppy.

Gavin swallowed past the grumble in his throat.

Thankfully, Mark didn’t seem to notice. “She’ll do her best with the puppy,” he said, nodding, “I feel certain of that.”

And that’s what she’d told Gavin. That she’d do her best. He just hadn’t trusted her best to be good enough. Selah’s doctors had also said they would do their best. But Mark sure seemed to trust Dr. Haley Calhoun. “How do you know her?”

Mark shifted in his seat, scanned the group of boys behind them and answered, “When I first moved to Claremont, I had an English-American bulldog mix named Roman. When I took Roman to the vet, I’d typically see Haley. She did a great job. Roman was old already, lived a couple of years past his life expectancy, and Haley was so gentle with him. That dog loved her.” He shrugged. “I don’t see her that often anymore. Used to see her at the church, but she hasn’t been there in a while.”

Gavin recalled Mae’s comment that Haley’d given up on God when she’d given up on men and he wondered what had happened in the feisty vet’s world. He knew personally what it was like to give up on God. He’d given up on Him, gotten angry at Him, on this very day two years ago. But then, he’d felt so alone and eventually recognized that the One he blamed...was the only One who could heal his pain.

While Gavin contemplated what had happened to the lovely vet, Eli’s voice overpowered the others on the crowded bus. “And then Miss Haley told me that I could come and see him every day after school,” he told Ryan, the boy sitting beside him.

“I wish I could find a puppy in the woods,” Ryan said.

Mark grinned. “Some things never change. Every little boy wants a dog.”

Brodie Evans, sitting on the opposite bench seat, nodded. “Savvy and I were actually discussing that this afternoon. Dylan, Rose and Daisy have been asking for a dog and we think the new Adopt-an-Animal program might be good for all the children.”

“I can see how that could benefit the kids,” Gavin agreed, even if he wasn’t thrilled about the vet who would lead the program. She made him uncomfortable, set him off balance. However, he remembered how protective Eli had been of the puppy this afternoon. And how much he hadn’t wanted to leave him behind.

“We just want to make sure we can keep animals on site before we get them for our kids, because we wouldn’t want Dylan, Rose and Daisy to have pets if all of the other children couldn’t have animals, too.”

Brodie and Savvy were amazing at not only taking care of the needs of their own children but also those of the children in their care. In fact, after learning about the Christian environment and the way they provided for children, Gavin had moved from Memphis just to work at Willow’s Haven. He’d also considered an amazing children’s home in Oregon, but had decided that, while he wanted to get away from the town where he’d made a home with Selah, he hadn’t wanted to move clear across the country.

Mark leaned forward in his seat. “So we’d have to get it approved by the state before Eli could keep the pup?”