Doctor's Orders

“Do you think that’s what happened?” It sounded a lot less dramatic than she’d originally envisioned. “I mean, the idea of my daughter being bullied or teased at school is not a pleasant thought.”

“I know, Cassie,” he said quietly, sincerity shining in his eyes. “And I’m really sorry. But we know a lot more about this now than we ever did before and I’m certain with a little help from all of us Sofie will be able to handle this situation and be just fine.” He hesitated, meeting her gaze. “That is, if you’ll let me help?”

“Let you?” Shaking her head, she laughed, but the sound held no humor. “I’d be grateful for anything you can do or suggest.” When it came to her daughter or her daughter’s welfare, Cassie had no pride. She’d do anything and everything she could to keep her daughter happy, safe and secure, and if that meant dancing with a devil, well, all someone had to do was play the right music and show her the proper steps.

Giving another quick glance toward the back, wanting to make certain Sofie wasn’t within earshot, Cassie shoved back her dark hair with a shaky hand. “I don’t want my daughter thinking that the solution to any problem is running away.”

“No, of course not,” Beau said. “One of the most effective tools we can use right now to help Sofie through this is something we call the three C’s.” He smiled at her look of confusion. “It stands for caring, cooperation and conflict resolution. The caring obviously comes from you and all the adults in Sofie’s life. She needs to know that you understand this is a difficult time for her, and that she should feel free to tell you when anything has upset her, especially at school.”

“That’s fine from my end, but where does the cooperation come in?” Cassie asked, crossing her arms, simply to hide her nervousness. “How do we go about getting the cooperation of the kids who are teasing her?” Thrashing them probably wasn’t a viable option even if it did sound appealing at the moment.

“Why don’t you let me work with Sofie on that?” he asked, and she hesitated, but finally nodded. Beau was thoughtful for a moment. “Generally, Cassie, when a child is teasing or bullying someone else, it stems from their own lack of self-esteem or their own feelings of inferiority. Or perhaps it has to do with an emotional crisis they’re going through. A divorce, a death, any number of things can trigger these feelings in kids, especially when there’s a decided disconnect between the child and his or her parents. If a child feels powerless in a situation, then he tends to gravitate toward behavior that will make him or her feel powerful.”

“Teasing and bullying?” Cassie asked, suddenly understanding, and he nodded.

“Exactly. Sofie’s new at school and the science fair is really a big deal here. Maybe someone felt a bit intimidated by Sofie’s knowledge, maybe they were afraid she might have a better project or show them up. As a result, they began teasing her.”

“And teasing her shakes her confidence and her self-esteem,” Cassie said with a nod as things grew clearer. “And makes them feel better about themselves?”

“Exactly. Maybe that wasn’t the original intention, but it is the result.”

“I just don’t want her to be hurt,” she said softly, blinking away a surprising flash of tears.

“Cassie.” Beau laid his hand on her shoulder and her gaze flew to his. She hadn’t known he’d crossed the room and was standing so close to her. Her heart began doing a wicked two-step. He was so close she could smell his scent. Warm, woodsy, masculine and very appealing. She tried not to scowl.

“I promise you we can fix this, and fix it in such a way as to have as little damage emotionally, physically or psychologically to Sofie as possible,” he said, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze of encouragement. “But, you’re going to have to trust me,” he added quietly.

“Trust you?” She hadn’t trusted a man in a long time and the idea of trusting a man when it came to her daughter, well, that idea was outright foreign to her. She didn’t trust any man that much.

Besides, how was she supposed to trust the man when she wasn’t comfortable standing in the same room with him?

Cassie took a deep breath and forced herself to meet Beau’s gaze. She didn’t have much choice in the matter, she realized. If she wanted to help her daughter, if she wanted her daughter to learn how to deal with life’s problems and not think running from them was the answer, she was going to need his help.

And that apparently meant trusting him. At least in this limited capacity. If only for Sofie’s sake.

But that didn’t mean she had to like it!

“Okay. Fine,” she said abruptly, taking a step away from him to turn and busily fold Sofie’s coat and winter garments. “Do you have a lot of experience with this teasing stuff?” she asked, glancing up at him nervously.

“Actually, I do,” he said. “As I mentioned I’ve been working with the schools to develop an anti-teasing and anti-bullying campaign. And,” he added with a sigh, “I had my fair share of teasing when I was in school as well,” he admitted. “Which is what started my interest in this subject and kids to begin with.” He paused for a moment and she watched something dark and unfathomable move into his eyes. “Growing up, there were times I was teased unmercifully. Running away would have been a great option if only I’d thought of it,” he admitted with a self-deprecating chuckle that actually made her smile. “So I know how Sofie feels. It’s hard to be the smartest kid in school, and it’s hard when you’re the object of teasing. Which is why it was so important for me to start this program at the schools in the first place.” He shrugged. “Like I said, it’s been working pretty well, but once in a while…” His voice trailed off as his gaze met hers. Cassie merely stared at him, trying to absorb everything he was telling her.

“You were teased?” she repeated in surprise, then she chuckled. “I can’t imagine anyone teasing you. For what? Being too perfect?” The moment the words were out, she flushed, realizing what she’d said, but he merely smiled. It warmed his eyes, chasing away the darkness, and softening his entire face.

“Uh, actually, I was teased because I was too smart, and because I was overweight and wore glasses. And to add insult to injury, everyone else had parents and I just had my uncle, Jasper—who everyone in town considers rather eccentric.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cassie said, hearing the pain from his youth still radiating in his voice. “But eccentric is a relative term around here. My mother’s the town psychic, remember? And my aunt Louella is the town astrologer. So you have to go pretty far and wide to convince me someone else is eccentric,” she finished with a laugh.

Together, her mother and aunt could easily qualify as the town’s certifiable eccentrics.

“I guarantee Uncle Jasper definitely qualifies as eccentric as well,” Beau admitted with a chuckle. “And he’s also an amateur astronomer. Sofie told me she’s very interested in the solar system and the stars and planets.”

“Yes, she is. In Madison, our next-door neighbor was a retired professor and an amateur astronomer. She would invite Sofie over and show her how to look through her telescope, explaining everything Sofie saw. She’s the one who got Sofie interested in science and astronomy and the solar system to begin with.”

“Well, we actually have an observatory on our property.”

“You’re kidding?” The rambling old house on the edge of town had been little more than a curiosity piece—fodder for gossip for years. It was hard to believe that there was actually an observatory on the grounds. Or much else.

“Nope. Not kidding. In fact, I invited Sofie to dinner this evening so she could see for herself. I think we might be able to use Sofie’s interest in science to help her with this teasing problem.”

“Dinner?” Cassie repeated suspiciously and his eyes twinkled a moment before he threw back his head and laughed. “What,” she demanded. “What on earth are you laughing at?”

“You,” he said simply, stroking a finger down her cheek and almost making her jump out of her skin. He shook his head. “Cassie, I wish you didn’t act like I’d just invited you to dinner in the devil’s den,” he teased, making her flush. “Most people in town think I’m a pretty upstanding citizen,” he reminded her.

“Well, you said…dinner,” she stammered and he nodded.

“That’s right, I did.” Casually, he slipped his hands in his coat pockets and rocked back on his heels. “But I was thinking more along the lines of chocolate, peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches with milk, as opposed to say roses, candlelight and moonlight.” He shrugged. “It’s merely to help Sofie, Cass. Like I said, she’s going to need our help if she’s going to conquer this problem.” He cocked his head and looked at her. “So what do you say? Do you think you can give me the benefit of the doubt and have dinner at my house tonight? For Sofie’s sake, of course,” he added with a twinkle in his eye that only made her more suspicious.

“Just dinner?” she clarified and he nodded, raising his hand in the air as if taking an oath.

“Just dinner. Promise.”

Cassie rubbed her chilled arms. “Fine,” she all but snapped. “Dinner it is then.”

He glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to run, but I’ll see you both around…six?”

“Fine.” Having dinner with the town Romeo wasn’t nearly as bad as having her daughter’s feelings hurt so bad that she was contemplating running away.

Cassie glanced at Beau one last time before he headed out the door and her traitorous heart flipped over and fluttered, annoying her to no end.

She could handle this. And him, she told herself.

She hoped!

Chapter Two

By the time Cassie closed the salon for the night she was late. A last-minute walk-in had delayed her by almost an hour and a half.

It was dark now, and the weather had turned bitter and nasty. Snow was falling much harder, slicking the streets and coating the sidewalks, making both walking and driving hazardous. Luckily, she didn’t have too far to go, and Beau had picked up Sofie earlier because Cassie was running so late.

Cassie shut off the lights for the night, grabbed her purse and let herself out the front door, locking up behind her.

Standing on the sidewalk, blanketed by fast-falling snow, she couldn’t help but grin when she looked at the front of her shop, feeling an unexpected thrill.

She’d done it, she thought giddily, resisting the urge to hug herself as she headed toward her car. It had taken her six long, hard years to accomplish her dreams, she thought with a sigh as she brushed snow off her windshield, then unlocked the car and got in. But it had been worth it. Every terrifying moment. Safety and security for herself and her daughter, as well as her own hard-won independence, were what were important to her, what she’d worked so hard to gain.

While other women her age were living a carefree existence, out shopping for shoes, sipping lattes and partying at night while they patiently waited for Mr. Right to show up, she was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads.

She’d learned firsthand how high the cost of trusting the wrong man could be. And she was determined not to make that kind of mistake—with any man—ever again.

Which was why Dr. Beau Bradford frightened her so much, she realized with a shiver. He reminded her far too much of Sofie’s selfish, irresponsible father. An immature young man who had used his good looks and charm to infiltrate her young life and take advantage of her inexperience and her youth. Then just as quickly he had used his parents’ money and power to extricate himself from her life once he’d learned they were going to be teenage parents.

In spite of all the hardships she’d endured in order to keep and raise her daughter, Cassie had never regretted her decision to become a single parent, not for one moment, because Sofie was worth more than life itself.

And things had been going fairly well until about a month ago, when a trip home to Cooper’s Cove for her aunt Louella’s wedding had changed their lives.

Trixie, the owner of the town beauty salon, had said she was retiring and looking for someone to take over the running and managing of the shop—someone who’d also be interested in buying it.

Afraid to get her hopes up, Cassie had spent three days negotiating with Trixie. On the third day, she’d finally signed the papers agreeing to manage the shop for five years with a percentage of the monthly profits going toward a buy-out. Within a week, she’d secured financing for a small-business loan to remodel and update the shop. And she was on her way. In five years the shop would be hers and hers alone. Bought and paid for with her own hands and hard work, she thought now, squinting to see through her snow-covered windshield as she slowly inched down Main Street.

She’d also accepted her mother’s offer to move back home. Now that Aunt Louella had married and moved out, her mother had been living all alone in that big house. Cassie had to admit that her mom wasn’t getting any younger and she worried about her being alone.

Cassie sighed again as she squinted harder in the darkness, trying to find the turnoff to Beau’s house.

Beau’s towering, crumbling house finally came into view, and Cassie let out a shaky breath as she slowly turned into the long driveway. She hated driving in the snow and ice, especially when it was so dark and cold.

The three-story stone house with the wide, straight driveway sat back at least a half mile from the road, making it difficult to see clearly through the snowy windshield. Snow was falling so hard now that visibility was nearly nil.

Lights were blazing inside and out and Cassie had to smile as she turned off her car. The house looked like one of those spooky old mansions in the campy horror flicks she used to love as a teen.

Grabbing her purse and gloves from the seat, she opened her car door, and braced herself for the cold and windy walk to the huge front door. Huddling inside her coat and clutching her purse to her chest, she stood on the front stoop for a few seconds, admiring the beautiful classic lines of the old stone house. It must have been a showplace at one time.

There was an old silver knocker on the door, but no bell, so she lifted the knocker and heard the resounding boom inside. She waited a moment, expecting Dr. Beau to open the door. But when it was slowly pulled open with a creak, Cassie found herself peering into the eyes of a small, rotund man who strongly resembled a mischievous leprechaun.

“Aye, who is it bothering me now?” he bellowed, his voice tinged with a heavy Irish brogue. Scowling, he blinked at her from around the door as if she’d materialized out of thin air.

Cassie swallowed, resisting the urge to step back. She had a feeling this was Dr. Beau’s uncle.

He was about as round as he was tall. His white fringe of hair sprouted in tufts around his ears and temples as if he’d been tugging at it. His eyes were big, blue and twinkling with good humor, but at the moment, they were also a bit confused, as if she’d interrupted him from some intense project. His cheeks were full and rosy, as if he’d been dashing about in the snow.

He looked like a slightly unkempt mad scientist leprechaun. Cassie resisted the urge to chuckle. Now she knew what Beau had meant about his uncle being…eccentric. In spite of it, she had to admit he was absolutely adorable.

“Have you found them, yet?” he asked in a conspiratorial whisper, surprising her as he intently peered around the door at her.

“Found them?” Cassie repeated, blinking back at him.

He nodded. “Aye, lassie, I’m heartily afraid they’ve gone off on their own again.” He looked at her, eyes wide and innocent. “Oh, don’t be alarmed, it’s not the first time, lassie, no siree. They’ve conspired for years to drive me daft. And now, I’m afraid they’ve gone off on their own again. Sprouted legs as sure as I’m standing here.”

“Sprouted legs?” Cassie repeated. She leaned closer to him. “Who?” she whispered, glancing around to see if someone sprouting legs was in the vicinity.

“Me spectacles, of course, lassie,” he admitted with a sad shake of his head. “They’ve gone a’traveling again,” he added with another sigh, and a light, impatient tug on his white hair, making Cassie smile again. “They’re trying to drive me daft for sure.”

“Um…actually,” she began slowly, as she reached toward him. “Um, may I?”

His face was blank as he blinked up at her. “Aye, yes, please, please,” he encouraged with a wave, letting his gaze follow her hands so that his eyes nearly rolled back in his head.

“I think this should do it,” Cassie said, lowering his glasses from where they’d been hiding on his balding head to rest them gently on his nose.

He blinked owlishly at her from behind the thick, heavy glasses as if seeing clearly for the first time in a long time. Then his face cleared and he beamed at her.

“Ah, so that’s where they went off to,” he said. “I’ve been searching for them for hours.” Now that he had his glasses on, he looked her over from head to toe. “Well, for St. Margaret’s sake, lassie, who on earth left you standing out in the snow and cold?” he asked as if there was someone else in the foyer deliberately being rude to her. “Come in, come in. ’Tis colder than an Englishman’s heart out there,” he said with a cluck of his tongue, reaching for her hands and drawing her into the warmth of the huge foyer. “Ah, lass, I’m sorry, you’ll think I’ve no manners now that you’re chilled to the bone.”

Cassie shivered a bit as she stepped inside and snuck a quick glance at the interior. She almost caught her breath. The foyer was as wide as her mother’s living room and twice as long, with black-and-white marble tile floors, peeling wallpaper, and a gorgeous, but delicate fading fresco on the ceiling. There were two large, elegant arched entryways on either side of the foyer, leading to what she assumed were other rooms.

“Uncle Jasper?” Beau walked into the foyer from one of the adjoining rooms, one hand in Sofie’s. The moment he spotted Cassie, he stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes meeting hers. She had to swallow hard, knowing that intense masculine gaze was taking in every inch of her.

“You made it.” His smile was wide and welcoming, as his gaze slid over her and a pool of warmth puddled in her center.

Lord, the man’s impact was incredible. No wonder every woman in town was after him.

“Mama!” Sofie skipped toward her, delight shining in her eyes. “Guess what? Guess what?” Hair a mess, Sofie was all but bouncing out of her scuffed and bruised school shoes. “Dr. Beau and I already looked at the stars and the solar system and Dr. Beau’s gonna help me with my science project.”

“He is, is he?” Cassie said, grinning down at her daughter. A fierce surge of love rose up in her. “That’s wonderful, honey.” Absently, Cassie reached out and tightened one of Sofie’s barrettes so her hair wouldn’t fall in her face.

Sofie tugged her mother’s hand. “And you know what else, Mama? Uncle Jasper’s got a telescope, a real big one and he said after dinner I could look through it, and maybe I could see to another planet! And then, Mama, we’re gonna play checkers. Me and Uncle Jasper.” Sofie tugged on her hand again. “And Dr. Beau says he has lots of good ideas for my science fair project,” Sofie continued, obviously thrilled as she turned to stare adoringly at Beau. “And he said…that maybe…” Sofie hesitated, frowning back up at her mother.

“What, sweetheart?” Cassie asked, bending down so she was eye level with her daughter.

“Well, do you think maybe…I mean…could I maybe invite some kids from school over to help with my science project?” Sofie peeked at her mother from under lowered lashes.

“You want to invite some kids from school over, honey?” Cassie repeated in surprise and her daughter nodded, then grinned, rocking back and forth on the heels of her school shoes.

“Dr. Beau said sometimes it’s good to have the help of your friends with a big project. ’Specially a big science project.”

“He did, did he?” Cassie said, glancing up at Beau. That was some miracle act the man had performed, Cassie realized, wondering just what he’d said to her daughter. This afternoon Sofie had wanted to run away from the very same kids she now wanted to invite over.

She was definitely going to have to learn the man’s secret.

“Well, I think it would be wonderful to invite your friends over. How about on Sunday? The shop is closed and I’ll be home all day, and I can make my special homemade pizzas.” She brushed Sofie’s dark hair from her eyes. “What do you say?”

“Really?” Sofie breathed, her eyes going wide in excitement. “Mama makes the bestest pizzas ever.”

“She does?” Beau said with a smile and a lift of his brow. His gaze remained on Cassie, making her want to fidget. She should probably invite him for pizza, she realized, considering how kind he’d been to Sofie. But she just couldn’t get the words out, not wanting to willingly spend more time than necessary with the man. “I guess I’ll have to try some.”

“Wanna come for lunch Sunday?” Sofie asked and Cassie almost groaned.

Beau saw the look on her face before she could disguise it and his eyes twinkled mischievously. “I think that would be lovely, Sofie. Thank you.” He merely flashed Cassie a grin as she scowled. He’d done that deliberately, she realized. Deliberately agreed to come to lunch simply because he knew he made her uncomfortable. The blasted man!

While Cassie and Beau merely stared at each other, Sofie tugged her mother’s hand again. “And Mama, Uncle Jasper says I’m really, really smart, and that being smart is a good thing, and not any reason to run away. Isn’t that right, Uncle Jasper?”

“Aye, absolutely, lassie, ’tis a truly wonderful thing,” Jasper confirmed with a nod of his head, reaching for her free hand. “The very best thing,” he added, taking Sofie’s hand and giving Cassie and Beau an encompassing glance. “And now, if you’ll excuse us, the littlest princess and I have a date.” He winked at Sofie, who beamed at him, clearly delighted to be the center of attention. “Isn’t that right, lassie?”

Sofie’s dark head bobbed. “That’s right, Uncle Jasper.”

Uncle Jasper’s voice trailed off as he led Sofie out of the foyer. Cassie couldn’t help it, she started to laugh.

“I’m sorry,” she said to Beau, trying to contain herself. “But he’s absolutely…adorable.” Still laughing, she shook her head. “And totally charming. He’s just wonderful.”

“Yeah, he is,” Beau said as he glanced after his uncle. “The best thing that ever happened to me,” he added softly, and Cassie was surprised by the genuine emotion in his voice.

“He raised you, didn’t he?” she asked gently, remembering what he’d said this afternoon about being teased, and Beau nodded.

“I was five when my parents were killed in a car accident on the way home from a scientific seminar. All I knew was that my parents went away for the weekend and never came back.”

“I’m so sorry,” Cassie said, her heart aching for him. She could still hear the shock and pain of the enormous loss somewhere in the deep timbre of his voice. Unconsciously, she reached out and laid a hand on his arm, instinctively wanting to comfort. She couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to have been orphaned at such a young age.

“My uncle Jasper was my father’s only brother, and the brilliant eccentric in the family, according to my dad, who was no slouch in either department himself. I’d never met Uncle Jasper, at least not that I remembered.” He laughed suddenly, dragging a hand through his black hair. “So here I was, sitting at the bottom of the steps in this big old house—my parents’ house,” he clarified, glancing around the familiar foyer. “Which wasn’t much different from this place. I’m all alone in the world, and scared out of my mind when the front door bursts open and this ball of Irish energy comes bounding in. I could only stare at him with my mouth open,” he recalled, humor glinting in his eyes. “He had on a shirt that was buttoned crookedly and hanging out of pants which weren’t zipped, but were held up by some kind of metal chain he’d somehow gotten tangled and knotted around him. He had on two pairs of glasses, one pair on his eyes, one pair resting on top of his head, and a pair of mismatched shoes.” Beau chuckled. “Actually, it was a slipper and a shoe. He usually gets distracted halfway through getting dressed so that’s why he’s only half-dressed most of the time. Either Shorty or I usually catch up to him to fix him up before he goes out in public, but I didn’t know that then. Then, I was just a scared, bewildered five-year-old,” he admitted quietly. “Especially when the first words out of Uncle Jasper’s mouth were ‘Can you cook, laddie?’” He did a fantastic imitation of his uncle’s heavy Irish brogue and Cassie covered her mouth to smother a chuckle, visualizing the picture.