Finally A Bride

“Yeah, we need to cover our bases and make sure everything is okay before making any changes at the home,” Brodie said. “But Savvy is planning to give the social worker a call tomorrow and ask. I think the only hesitation is that the kids might bond with the animals and then, when they are placed in a permanent home, won’t want to leave them behind.”

“Maybe some of the adoptive parents would consider adopting a pet, too,” Mark said, grinning. “Sounds like a win-win to me.”

“That’s exactly what Savvy said.” Brodie tilted his head toward Gavin. “Eli could barely concentrate on kicking the soccer ball tonight because he kept wanting to tell the other kids about Buddy.”

Gavin, who had been attempting to coach Eli’s team, nodded. “Trust me, I noticed. He was so busy talking, he almost got pegged with the ball a couple of times.”

Brodie chuckled. “Well, maybe when Buddy is better and Eli gets more time with the dog, he’ll pay more attention at practice.”

“That’s assuming we get the okay to keep the dog at Willow’s Haven.” Gavin decided he would add that to his current prayer requests. Not only for Buddy to get better for Eli’s sake, but also that the boy would be allowed to keep the dog he cared so much about.

Mark laughed as Eli’s voice took on even more volume. “It’s good to see him excited about something, though, isn’t it?” he asked.

“Sure is.” In fact, Gavin was very glad for that. Seeing a kid who’d been through so much pain find hope again, even if it was directed toward a near-dying dog, gave him encouragement for himself. That maybe one day he wouldn’t feel that deep void inside. The one that had only grown since he’d walked out of that hospital—alone—two years ago, a diaper bag he no longer needed draped on one arm and Selah’s overnight bag, filled with clothes and items she’d never use again, on the other.

He thought of the blue blouse she’d planned to wear when they left the hospital. And the tiny matching blue coming-home outfit they’d purchased for their baby boy to wear when she carried him in her arms.

Gavin pinched the bridge of his nose and begged God to control the memories and get him through the remainder of this day...some way, somehow.

“Hey, there’s Miss Haley! Maybe she brought Buddy!” Eli bellowed.

Gavin moved his hand from his face, took a deep breath and turned to see Willow’s Haven cabins come into view and the object of Eli’s excitement.

His chest constricted as his gaze rested on the pretty vet standing beside Savvy on Brodie and Savvy’s front porch, bright rays of the setting sun highlighting her white-blond hair. Even though she shielded her eyes from the light, Gavin knew that, if he could see them now, they’d shimmer the most vivid emerald green.

He’d thought of those eyes, the hair, the striking features of the woman, a couple of times—or more—since they’d left her office this afternoon. And hated that he hadn’t been able to completely get her off his mind.

That wasn’t like him.

And he didn’t like feeling this way.

Especially not today.

Chapter Three

“Here comes the bus now.” Savvy pointed toward the archway of trees that formed the lengthy driveway to the children’s home.

Haley shielded her eyes from the setting sun to spot the bright yellow bus coming into view. Her stomach fluttered. Not so much because of how anxious she was to make sure Eli received his schoolbag, but because seeing the boy would undoubtedly equate to also seeing the formidable man that’d brought him and Buddy to her office earlier.

She’d chatted with Savvy while waiting for the kids to return from soccer practice instead of merely leaving the backpack, partly because she’d wanted to fine-tune the details on the Adopt-an-Animal program and partly because she hadn’t stopped thinking about Eli and wanted to let him know how Buddy was doing. But now she second-guessed her decision to hang around. If she’d simply left the backpack, she’d have lessened the chance of seeing the grumpy man again.

Then again, maybe Gavin Thomason wasn’t on that bus.

“So who went with the kids to soccer practice? Like, which adults?” She tried not to make it sound as though she was referring to anyone in particular.

Savvy wasn’t fooled. “Gavin is on the bus.” She leaned one hip against the porch rail. “I’m guessing he wasn’t on his best behavior at your office today?”

“You mean he has a best behavior?” Haley, still shielding her eyes, turned away from the approaching bus to face her new friend. She had developed a huge respect and appreciation for Savvy over the past few weeks while they’d discussed the program over the phone and via emails. Even more so after seeing Willow’s Haven firsthand.

Mae Martin hadn’t lied. The circle of cabins nestled in the center of the woods was beautiful. Peaceful. And with the colorful fall foliage creating a kaleidoscope of reds, oranges and golds in the surrounding woods, the location felt extremely welcoming. Warm and inviting.

She was glad Doc Sheridan had encouraged her to use her experience to benefit the community and to let the town of Claremont truly get to know the newest veterinarian. He’d been the one who’d thought she should find a way to help the children at Willow’s Haven. However, he obviously hadn’t realized that one of the counselors she’d be working with would be such a ray of sunshine.

“Bless your heart.” Savvy moved one finger to her mouth in an effort to cover her smile. “But things aren’t always as they seem. Gavin has been through an awful lot in his past, and he really felt God leading him to work with the kids here. He’s one of our best counselors, even if he isn’t so much of a people person when it comes to adults sometimes.”

“And I managed to get on his bad side from the get-go? Just because I couldn’t guarantee that I could heal the puppy? I told him I would do my best, and I intend to, but to make that kind of promise...”

Savvy sighed heavily. “Bless his heart. He doesn’t want Eli to lose that puppy.”

“I don’t, either. Like I told him, I’m going to do everything I can to heal him, but I don’t see why he had to insinuate that I wasn’t capable.” Especially her first day on her own. She’d been nervous enough, but to add a customer who had no faith whatsoever in her abilities didn’t do anything for her confidence.

The brakes on the bus squeaked loudly as it eased to a stop at the far end of the cabins.

“They will be here soon, but you should know that any other day, Gavin might not have come across quite so grizzly.” Savvy frowned, looked as if she debated what else to say before adding, “Brodie thinks he’s got a tough personality. I think he’s merely protecting himself from getting too close to anyone again. But that’s me guessing. Only God knows for sure.”

“Protecting himself?” Why would he feel the need to shield himself from her?

“As I mentioned, he’s been through a lot, but having him here is a blessing for these kids. Particularly for Eli.”

Haley wondered what the man had been through to make him such a grouch and why her friend thought he was such a blessing for Eli, but Savvy didn’t elaborate.

“You’ll get a chance to see the good in Gavin, I’m sure, with the Adopt-an-Animal program. Brodie and I have decided he’d be great as your main point of contact at Willow’s Haven for the new program.”

“What did he have to say about that?”

“We plan to tell him in the morning.”

Haley winced. After their first meeting she didn’t imagine that would go over well at all.

A waving Brodie Evans caused them to look toward the bus. He wore a red T-shirt that matched those of the kids around him, scrambling eagerly as they exited the bus.

Savvy returned the wave with a grin. “Eli should be getting off soon.”

“That’s great,” Haley said, even if she knew that meant the bear would also arrive soon.

A group of boys in green T-shirts climbed off next, with a man in the center. No sign of Eli or Gavin.

Yet.

“Soccer went well,” Brodie said to his wife as he neared the porch. “A little better once we convinced them it wasn’t cold enough for their winter coats.”

Savvy laughed and then explained to Haley. “The church gave the boys their new winter clothing today. Most of them aren’t used to getting new things, so they wanted to wear it all immediately.”

Haley smiled. “Eli had on a jacket and mittens earlier. I thought it was a little much for the temperature outside, but I didn’t say anything.”

Brodie laughed. “Yeah, he was the last one to admit he was hot, but he ended up taking it off for practice.”

“So, how did the teams do?” Savvy asked.

“I don’t expect we’ll win a lot of games, but we’ll do okay. The guys are having fun.”

“That’s what matters.” She gave a reassuring smile to Haley and then also to her husband. “I’m not so sure the Willow’s Haven girls will win any games, either, but they had a good time at their practice last night. Rose and Daisy were excited about their new pink T-shirts. I think that’s all they cared about.”

Brodie tossed a mesh bag filled with black-and-white soccer balls toward the cabin door. “I figured as much.” He looked at Haley. “Speaking of excited, Eli got pretty excited when he saw you here. The guys from his cabin should be getting off the bus next. They were gathering their gear from the back. I’m sure he’ll make a beeline over here to find out how Buddy is doing. He hasn’t stopped talking about that puppy. I’m hoping you’re here with good news?”

Haley lifted the backpack. “I’m actually here to return this. But I wanted to give him an update on Buddy, too.”

“So, how is he?” Brodie asked, climbing the porch steps to stand next to his wife. He wrapped an arm around her and she smiled up at him.

Haley swallowed. They reminded her of her parents back when things were still good, and of the kind of relationship she’d always thought she’d have.

“Buddy?” Savvy asked him. “I didn’t realize we knew his name. Was he wearing a collar?”

“No,” Haley said, “but apparently Gavin named him when they found him.”

“Did he, now?” Savvy asked with a grin.

“From what he told me earlier, it wasn’t intentional,” Brodie said with a chuckle. “But, anyway, how’s he doing?”

“He’s doing...” Haley paused. She didn’t want to say something that wasn’t true, and the little dog was a far cry from being out of the woods. “He’s doing okay.”

Brodie’s mouth slid down and he gave her a single nod. “Well, we’ll just have to pray for him to be doing better than okay soon,” he said as Haley saw Eli hop off the bus, with Gavin right behind him. They wore bright blue T-shirts that matched those of the other boys currently climbing out of the bus.

Eli said something to Gavin and then took off running toward Haley. She smiled at the boy but kept an eye on the big man also making his way toward Brodie and Savvy’s front porch.

In addition to the bright blue T-shirt, Gavin Thomason wore well-worn jeans and tennis shoes. Nothing overly fancy, for sure, and similar to what Brodie and the other cabin counselors wore. But on Gavin, with the T-shirt accenting the firm, broad planes of his chest and shoulders, coupled with the jeans outlining lean hips and long legs, he looked more like a walking advertisement for an outdoor apparel store.

She caught herself staring, which really couldn’t be prevented. He was just so easy on the eyes. But she glanced away in time to see that Savvy hadn’t missed her reaction. One corner of her mouth had curved upward and Haley did her best to act like she hadn’t noticed.

“Miss Haley! Did you bring Buddy? Is he better already?” Eli’s feet slid to a stop near the bottom of the porch steps, where he dropped his jacket, mittens and bright yellow shin guards that matched his soccer cleats. “Did you? Is he here?”

She was grateful the sweet boy interrupted the uncomfortable moment and, hearing the hope in his tone, almost hated showing him the backpack. “Buddy is still at my office so I can take care of him, but I did bring you this.” She held up the bag. “I thought you could use it for school tomorrow.”

His expression fell in one big swoop. “Oh. Okay.”

Gavin neared the porch, his jaw set firm and those intense blue eyes focusing on the little boy, barely acknowledging Haley or the other adults. “Eli, we talked about how it would take some time for Buddy to get better, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Eli said solemnly, climbing the steps toward Haley. “Thank you for bringing my backpack.”

“You’re welcome.” She couldn’t stand the sadness in his face, or his tone, so she added, “And I look forward to you coming tomorrow afternoon to visit Buddy. I know he’ll be happy to see you.”

As she’d hoped, his mouth eased into a slight smile, full cheeks lifting with the action. “I will be happy to see him, too.” Then his eyebrows inched up and he asked, “Hey, can you take him something for me, Miss Haley?”

“Take Buddy something?” She saw Brodie and Gavin exchange a look. “Um, sure. I’d be happy to. What do you have for him?”

Eli unzipped the backpack and rummaged through binders and papers until he found what he was looking for. A small library book. “I get to check out two books, ’cause I’m in the second grade. I can keep one for me to read, and you can take this one to read to him, if he wants to hear a story before he goes to bed.”

Haley squatted to be eye to eye with the little boy. “Eli, that’s so sweet. But I don’t want to mess up your library book.”

“You’ll be careful.” He put the book in her hand.

She glanced up to catch Savvy holding a hand to her chest. “You’re right... I will be careful. And I’ll read it to him tonight, when I go back to check on him.”

“You promise?”

No way could she let him down. “I promise.”

“It’s a chapter book. You might not be able to read it all to him tonight, but you can do your best.”

Haley was instantly reminded of her words to Gavin earlier, that she would do her best to heal the puppy. She glanced up to see his stern expression and assumed he recalled the same statement. “Yes, I will.”

“I’ll show you my favorite part.” He opened the book.

That’s when she noticed his hands, not moving as easily as she’d have expected for a boy his age. Then she saw the wrinkled skin across the top. When he turned the pages, she also noticed the fingers that weren’t quite complete, the skin and bone melded together to join digits that should have been separate.

Her breath caught in her throat and she looked up to see Gavin, those blue eyes staring directly at her, telling her without words that she should maintain her composure...for Eli’s sake.

Eli, swiftly moving through the pages despite his gnarled hands, smiled broadly when he got to the one he wanted. “This part. It’s about when the boy finds his dog, like when I found Buddy.”

Haley didn’t know how much more her heart could take. She forced a smile. “I’ll be sure to read that part to him.”

Eli handed over the book, wrapped both arms around her and gave her a hug. “Thank you, Miss Haley. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She inhaled the outdoorsy scent of a boy who’d been running on the soccer field, a combination of a little sweat, a lot of dirt and an abundance of...adorable. She squeezed a hug in return. “I can’t wait to see you again, Eli.”

And she meant every word.

“Okay, then—” Gavin ran a palm across the top of Eli’s head “—you should go get your shower and get ready for bed now.”

“You’ll come read some more to us before we go to bed, Mr. Gavin?”

“I always do.” Gavin reached out and ruffled Eli’s hair as he walked away. The boy grinned back at the man who undeniably held a special spot in his world.

Regardless of his gruffness, he had such a soft spot for that child.

“I should start getting the guys moving toward bed,” he said, nodding his goodbye and then turning to follow Eli toward the cabin.

But Haley couldn’t end her day without knowing what happened to that poor child. “Wait!”

* * *

Gavin didn’t need this, not today. But he’d seen the moment Haley Calhoun had noticed Eli’s hands and he’d prayed she wouldn’t want to discuss it.

But his heart had told him that she would.

Why hadn’t she asked Savvy or Brodie? And why hadn’t he made it to his cabin before she’d called out to stop his retreat from the attractive—and unnerving—woman?

Bracing himself as her footsteps approached, he stopped and turned to face her. “Yes?”

She glanced behind her toward Brodie and Savvy, now standing in front of their cabin speaking to several of the teen boys. “Can we talk in private for a moment?”

No. That was what he wanted to say. Not only because there weren’t a whole lot of private places to talk at Willow’s Haven—it was always saturated with kids and counselors, one of the things Gavin liked about working there—but also because he didn’t want to be anywhere private with Haley Calhoun.

Or any other woman, for that matter.

However, he also didn’t want to explain that, nor did he want to appear rude, when she was clearly concerned for Eli.

“We can sit at the fire pit for a moment,” he conceded. “But I’ll need to get my cabin ready for bed soon.” Without waiting for a response, he started toward the circle of wooden benches and stumps surrounding the devotion area. She walked in silence beside him, but in spite of the lack of communication, he could sense the tension, the undeniable anxiety in the way she moved, and he dreaded the upcoming conversation. Eli had hit his own heart hard, and it’d be difficult explaining the boy’s past without enlightening her to his own.

But he also knew she wouldn’t leave without knowing. That was the way women were. They cared too much. Needed to know too much. Pulled at a man’s heartstrings...too much.

Instead of taking a seat on one of the benches, which might have caused her to sit beside him, he selected one of the larger stumps. He watched as she took a bench nearby, sitting slowly and then rubbing her hands down the sides of her jeans.

Gavin waited for her to say something. But she merely sat there, looking nervous and like...she might cry.

No, God. I can’t handle this today and You know it. Help me out here, Lord. Let her say whatever she needs to say, learn whatever she needs to learn...and let me be.

He cleared his throat. “What did you need, Dr. Calhoun?” The abrupt tone returned, but he couldn’t help it. Maybe that would cause this conversation to end quickly.

She shivered, even though there wasn’t any sign of a chill in the air. “What...happened to Eli?” Her hands flattened over her knees, fingers tightening as though visibly steadying herself for his answer.

Gavin thought of the boy, so loving and trusting, regardless of every letdown in his past. He’d known what she would ask, but that didn’t make telling her any easier. He inhaled, let it out.

“He was at home with his parents, a little over a year ago, and they were all sleeping when their house caught fire.” His mind painted a picture of Eli amid those burning flames.

One of her hands moved to her throat and the other to her stomach. “They—didn’t make it out? His parents didn’t make it?”

He shook his head. “Neighbors called 9-1-1. The firemen were able to get to Eli, but the house started caving in and they couldn’t get to his parents.” He ran a hand across his mouth, hating the truth of Eli’s past. “From what we know, he somehow got free of his rescuers and ran back to the house, trying to get inside and save them.”

“That’s what happened to his hands?” Her voice was thick and raspy, filled with the same emotion Gavin experienced every time he thought about what Eli had been through at merely six years old. “He burned his hands trying to save his parents?”

He nodded, cleared his throat again and stood. “Eli needs that puppy to be okay. He can’t lose someone else he was trying to save.”

Gavin turned away before he saw her response. He hadn’t wanted to hear the soft sob that tore from her throat. But he did. She was hurting for Eli and he understood why. However, it wasn’t his place to comfort Haley Calhoun. Or any other female.

He couldn’t go there.

Not today.

Not ever.

Chapter Four

“We’d like you to head up the Adopt-an-Animal program, Gavin.” Brodie glanced up from the sheet of notes he held in front of his breakfast plate. “It makes sense, with you already establishing a rapport with Dr. Calhoun.”

Gavin had thought this morning’s staff planning breakfast would be like any other: going over the week’s activities, conveying issues concerning the children in their care and discussing current projects at Willow’s Haven.

Which, of course, was what Brodie was doing now. Gavin simply hadn’t realized he was on today’s agenda.

He swallowed the bite of scrambled eggs that had tasted good a moment ago but now moved past his throat in a thick lump.

“I don’t know that I’ve established a good rapport, necessarily.” He didn’t want to let Brodie and Savvy down if they’d selected him to run the program, but there had to be some other program he could run instead.

Unfortunately he couldn’t think of a decent alternative to recommend.

Brodie grabbed a corner of toast and pointed it toward Gavin. “Now that you have those daily visits with Eli lined up, to take care of the puppy and all, we thought you might as well go ahead and meet with Dr. Calhoun about the program. Be her key point of contact for the activities and keep us aware of what she has planned for us at Willow’s Haven, as well as at the Cutter farm.”

“She’d mentioned the kids going to the Cutter Ranch to hike and spend time with the horses there as part of the program,” Savvy added, “in addition to her bringing animals here for the children, and we think that’s a great idea.”

Obviously they’d put a lot of thought into this and Gavin should be happy to lead one of the programs. As a matter of fact, at last week’s staff breakfast meeting, he’d asked for more responsibility at the children’s home.

Now he was getting it.

But that meant spending additional time with Haley Calhoun.

“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Mark mumbled beside him. His grin said he didn’t mind Gavin’s discomfort with the notion.

Gavin leaned toward his fellow counselor. “Did you tell them they should put me in charge of this?”

Mark popped a couple of red grapes into his mouth, smiling as he chewed. “Not me—” he held up his hands, palms forward “—but it does seem like a good idea, given your good rapport with the pretty vet and all.”

“I don’t have a good—”

“Gavin? Can you do this for us?” Brodie said from the other end of the dining table, Savvy smiling reassuringly beside her husband.

As reluctant as he was to team up with Haley, Gavin couldn’t deny that he wanted to do whatever he could to help them succeed in their goals for the kids.

“I can,” he said at last.

“Great.” Brodie popped the rest of the toast in his mouth, chewed and swallowed. “We talked to Haley about it this morning, and we’d like you to go meet with her. She said she would be available most of the day.”

Not what Gavin wanted to hear, but since he had to see her later anyway... “I can speak with her when I take Eli to visit Buddy.”

“She wanted to spend a bit more time with you than that, I think,” Savvy said. “She mentioned y’all deciding which animals to bring, setting up the groups of kids, scheduling dates for traveling to the Cutter Ranch and so on. We were hoping you could meet during the day, while the kids are at school, so y’all could have more time to iron out all the details.”

More time with Haley Calhoun? Again, not what he wanted.

“I can call her. We can discuss it over the phone, I’m sure,” he offered. When he watched Brodie and Savvy exchange a disappointed look at his suggestion, he added, “Or I could ride over there after we get done with this meeting.”