The Doctor's Redemption

Her door had hardly opened before Allie ran toward a basset hound, whose ears dragged along the ground. Not far behind him strolled Mark. For a second her breath caught. He had all the markers of an eye-catching man. Tall, blond wavy hair and an air about him that said he could take care of himself and anyone else he cared about. It was a dazzling combination.

She’d been asked out a number of times by one of the men at the hospital, but she’d never had a man both irritate her and draw her to him at the same time. That was exactly what Mark Clayborn did.

He looked down with a smile at Allie, with her arms wrapped around Gus, and Jeremy, patting him, then at Laura Jo.

Her middle fluttered. If it wasn’t for all the baggage she carried, her inability to trust her judgment of men, maybe she might be interested. She’d let Allie have her day and make a concerted effort not to see Mark again.

“Hey. Did you have any trouble finding it?”

“No trouble. I knew which one it was when you told me you lived in Fairhope.”

“Really?”

“I remember passing it when I was a kid.” She’d been aware all her life where the Clayborn summer home was located.

He glanced back to where the children played with the dog. “I think they’re hitting it off.”

Laura Jo couldn’t help but agree.

“Allie, did you bring some clothes for Gus? I got a few things just in case you didn’t,” Mark said, strolling toward the kids and dog.

“They’re in the car.”

“I’ll get them, honey,” Laura Jo called, as the kids headed toward the large open yard between the house and bay. “Don’t go near the water and stay where I can see you.”

She walked to the car and Mark followed her. “You’re a good mother.”

Laura Jo glanced at him. “I try to be.”

“So when did Allie’s father leave?”

Laura Jo opened the passenger door then looked at him. “When I was three months pregnant.”

Mark whistled. “That explains some of your standoffishness.”

She pulled a large brown sack out of the car and closed the door with more force than necessary. “I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are. For some reason, you don’t want to like me, even when you do.”

She was afraid he might be right. Thankfully, squealing in the front yard drew their attention to the two children running around as a dog almost as wide as he was tall chased them.

Mark checked his watch and called, “Allie and Jeremy, we need to get started on what Gus will wear because the parade starts in a couple of hours.”

The kids ran toward them and Gus followed.

“Why don’t we go around to the deck where it’s cooler? We can dress Gus there,” Mark said to the kids.

Mark led the way with the kids and Gus circled them. Laura Jo hung back behind them. Mark was good with children. Why didn’t he have a wife and kids of his own? She imagined she was the only one of many who didn’t fall at his charming feet.

The deck was amazing. It was open at one end. Chairs and a lounge group were arranged into comfortable conversation areas. At the other end was an arbor with a brown vine that must be wisteria on it. Laura Jo could only envision what it would look like in the spring and summer, with its green leaves creating a roof of protection from the sun. She’d love to sit in a comfortable chair under it but that wasn’t going to happen.

“Allie, why don’t you and Jeremy pull the things you brought out of the bag while I go get what I bought? Then you can decide how to dress Gus.”

Allie took the bag from Laura Jo. With the children busy pulling feather boas, old hair bows, purple, green and gold ribbon from the bag, Laura Jo took a seat on the end of a lounge chair and watched.

Mark quickly returned with an armload of stuff.

“I thought you only got a few things,” Laura Jo said.

He grinned. Her heart skipped a beat.

“I might have gotten a little carried away.” He looked directly at her. “I do that occasionally.”

For some reason, she had the impression he might be talking about sex. She hadn’t had a thought like that in forever. Not since Phil had left. He’d made it clear that she hadn’t been wanted and neither had their child.

Mark added his armload to the growing pile on the deck.

“Okay, Allie, I want you and Jeremy to pick out a winning combination. They give prizes for the funniest dog, best dressed, most spirited and some more I don’t remember. Let’s try to win a prize,” Mark said, as he joined them on the planks of the wooden deck and held Gus. “I’ll hold him while you dress him.”

Laura Jo scooted back in the lounge to watch. It was a February day but the sun was shining. It wasn’t long until her eyes closed.

She didn’t know how long she’d been out before Mark’s voice above her said, “You’d better be careful or you’ll get burned. Even the winter sun in the south can get you.”

“Thanks. I’m well aware of that. Remember, I’ve lived here all my life.”

“That’s right, a Herron.”

“Who is a Herron, Mommy?”

“They’re a family I used to know.”

Mark’s brows rose.

“Now, let me see what ya’ll have done to Gus while I was napping,” Laura Jo said quickly, before he could ask any more questions in front of Allie.

Mark didn’t question further, seeing that Laura Jo didn’t want to talk about her family in front of Allie. But he would be asking later. Allie didn’t even know who her grandparents were? There was a deep, dark secret there that he was very interested in finding out about. Why hadn’t he recognized Laura Jo? Probably because she had been too young to take his notice. His mouth drew into a line. More likely, he had been so focused on his world he hadn’t looked outside it.

“My, doesn’t Gus look, uh … festive?”

Mark couldn’t help but grin at Laura Jo’s description. Festive was a good word for it, along with silly. His dog wore a purple, gold and green feather boa wrapped around his neck. A dog vest of the same colors was on his body, bands on his ankles and a bow on the end of his tail. This being the one thing Allie had insisted he needed. Mark was amazed the Gus was as agreeable as he was about that.

Allie pronounced him “Perfect.”

“I think we should be going if we want to make the start time.”

“Start time?” Laura Jo asked.

“For the Mystic Mutts parade.”

“I don’t think—”

“We can’t miss it. Isn’t that right, Allie and Jeremy?”

“Right,” both children said in unison.

Great. Now she was being ganged up on.

“Come on, Mommy. We have to take Gus,” Allie pleaded.

Laura Jo glared at Mark. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice.”

Allie and Jeremy danced around her. “Yay.”

“Let me get Gus’s leash and we’ll be all set.” Mark went inside and returned with a lead.

As they rounded the house and headed toward the cars he looked at Laura Jo’s. It was too small for all of them.

“I don’t think we can all get in my car,” Laura Jo said from beside him.

Mark stopped and looked at hers again. “I guess I should drive.”

“You don’t sound like you really want to do that. We could take two cars but I’m sure parking will be tight.”

Mark’s lips drew into a tight line. The thought of being responsible for Laura Jo and the kids gave him a sick feeling. Children had never ridden in his car. Since the accident he’d made it a practice not to drive with others in the car if he could help it. Often he hired a driver when he went out on a date. Unable to come up with another plan, he said, “Then we’ll go in my car. Please make sure the children are securely buckled in.”

Laura Jo gave him an odd look before she secured Allie and Jeremy in the backseat. Gus found a spot between them and Allie placed an arm around him. Laura Jo joined him in the front. Mark looked back to check if the children were buckled in.

“Is there a problem?” Laura Jo asked.

If he kept this up he would make them all think he was crazy. He eased his grip on the steering wheel and let the blood flow back into his knuckles. “No. I was just double-checking they were okay.”

Laura Jo shook her head as she ran a hand across the leather of the seat. “Worried about having kids in your fancy car?”

“No.”

“Nice,” she murmured.

“Like my car?”

“Yes,” she said, more primly than the situation warranted, as she placed her hand in her lap.

He grinned. At least this subject took his mind off having a carload of passengers. “It’s okay to say what you think.”

“I wouldn’t think it’s very practical. The cost of a car like this could help a lot of people in need.”

“I help people in need all the time. I also give to charities so I don’t feel guilty about owning this car.” Taking a fortify breath, he started it and pulled away from the house. At the end of the drive, he turned onto the road leading into town.

“I’m just not impressed by fancy cars and houses. People with those think they can tell you what to do, how you need to live. Even look down on others.”

He glanced at her. “That’s an interesting statement. Care to give me some background?”

“No, not really.”

“Well, you just insulted me and my family and yours as well, and you won’t even do me the courtesy of telling me why?”

“I’m sorry I insulted you. Sometimes my mouth gets ahead of my brain.” She looked out the side window.

Yes, he was definitely going to find out what gave her such a sour view of people with money. He’d always prided himself on the amount he gave to charities. He had nothing to be ashamed of where that was concerned. Standing beside someone he loved when there was a disaster was where he failed.

A few minutes later he pulled the car into a tight space a couple of blocks from the parade route. It was the only spot he could find after circling the area. How had he gotten through the short drive without breaking into a sweat? Amazingly, talking to Laura Jo had made him forget his anxiety over driving. “This is the best I can do. We’ll have to walk some.”

Laura Jo saw to getting the children out. He leashed Gus and then gave him over to Allie. The girl beamed.

“I checked the paper this morning and the start of the parade is at the corner of Section and Third Street.”

They weaved their way through the already growing crowd. As the number of people increased, Mark took Gus’s leash from Allie and made sure that space was made for the dog, children and Laura Jo. A few times he touched her waist to direct her through a gap in the crowd. At the first occurrence she stiffened and glanced back at him. When he did it again she seemed to take it in her stride.

Mark was pleased when his little party arrived at the starting line without a loss of personnel. He looked at Laura Jo. “Why don’t you wait here with the kids while I check in?”

“We’ll be right over here near the brick wall.” She took Gus’s lead and led Allie and Jeremy to the spot she’d indicated.

“I’ll be right back.”

“You hope.” She smiled.

It was the first genuine one he’d seen her give. It caught him off guard. It took him a second to respond. “Yeah.”

Fifteen minutes later he had Gus, Allie and Jeremy signed in for the parade. He found Laura Jo and the kids waiting right where she’d said they would be. She had her head down, listening to something that Jeremy was saying. The angle of her head indicated she was keeping an eye on her daughter at the same time. Once again he was impressed by her mothering skills. The women he’d gone out with had never shown any interest in being mothers. He’d always thought he’d like to be a father, but he wouldn’t let that happen. What if he ran out on them, like he had Mike, when the going got tough? He couldn’t take that chance.

There was nothing flashy or pretentious about Laura Jo. More like what you saw was what you got. He’d grown up within the finely drawn lines of what was expected by the tight-knit Mobile society. He hadn’t met many women who’d seemed to live life on their own terms. Even in California the women he’d dated had always worn a false front, literally and physically.

Laura Jo’s face was devoid of makeup and she wore a simple blouse and jeans with flats. She reminded him of a girl just out of high school. That was until she opened her mouth, then she left no doubt she was a grown woman who could defend herself and her child. Nothing about her indicated she had been raised in one of local society’s finest families.

Allie said something and Laura Jo turned her head. Both mother and child had similar coloring. Pretty in an early-spring-leaves-unfolding sort of way. Easy on the eye. Why would any man leave the two of them?

If he ever had a chance to have something as good in his life as they were, he’d hold on to them and never let them out of his sight. He sighed. What he saw between Laura Jo and Allie wasn’t meant for him. It wasn’t his to have. He’d taken that chance from Mike and he had no right to have it himself. What they had he couldn’t be trusted with.

“Hey, there’s Dr. Clayborn,” Allie called.

Mark grinned as he joined them. He ruffled Allie’s hair. “That’s Mark to you. Dr. Clayborn sounds like a mouthful for such a little girl.”

Allie drew herself up straight. “I’m a big girl.”

Mark went down on one knee, bringing himself to eye level with Allie. “I apologize. Yes, you are a big girl. Big enough to walk with Gus in the parade?”

“Really, you’re going to let me take Gus in the parade?”

“Yes, and Jeremy, too. But I have to come along with you.”

She turned to Laura Jo. “Mommy, I’m going to get to be in the parade.”

“I heard, honey, but I don’t know.”

“I’ll be right there with them the entire time.” Mark reassured Laura Jo.

The look of hesitation on her face gave him the idea that she didn’t often trust Allie’s care to anyone but her friend Marsha.

He reached for Gus’s leash and she handed it to him. The nylon was warm from her clasp. “She’ll be perfectly safe. We’ll meet you and Jeremy at the car when it’s over. The parade route isn’t long.”

“I guess it’ll be okay.” She looked at Allie. “You and Jeremy do just what Mark tells you to do.” Laura Jo pinned Mark with a look. “And you turn up with my daughter and Jeremy at the end of the parade.”

“Yes, ma’am.” He gave her a smile and a little salute. “I’ll take good care of them, I promise. Let’s go, kids. We need to get in line.”

Laura Jo watched as Mark took her daughter’s much smaller hand in his larger one and Jeremy’s in his other one. Gus walked at Allie’s heels as they were swallowed up by the crowd.

What was it about Mark that made her trust him with the most precious person in her life? She’d never allowed anyone but Marsha that privilege. Maybe it was the way he’d care for Allie’s knee, or his devotion to the grandfather and later the girl he’d cared for. Somehow Mark had convinced her in a few short meetings that he could be trusted. Now that she was a mother she better understood how her parents had felt when she had insisted on going off with someone they hadn’t trusted.

Alone, she made her way through the crowd to the curb of a street about halfway along the parade route. Taking a seat on the curb, she waited until the parade approached. For this parade there would be no bands involved. All the music would come from music boxes pulled in carts by children. The floats would be decorated wagons and dogs of all shapes and sizes.

Twenty minutes later the first of the parade members came into view. Not far behind them were Allie, Jeremy and Mark. Laura Jo stood as they approached. She’d never seen a larger smile on Allie’s face. Mark and Jeremy were grinning also. Gus was lumbering behind them, looking bored but festive. Allie held his leash proudly.

She screamed and waved as they came by. Allie and Jeremy waved enthusiastically back at her. Mark acknowledged her also. As they came closer he stepped over to Laura Jo and said, “The kids are having a blast.”

Laura Jo smiled.

An hour later Laura Jo stood waiting outside Mark’s car. Anxiousness was building with every minute that passed. Something had to have gone wrong. Mark and the children should have been there by now. Had something happened to one of the kids? She shouldn’t have let them out of her sight. Was this how her parents had felt when she’d run off with Phil?

He had been a master of manipulation. Before they’d got married he’d made her believe he had a good job and he would take care of her. “Don’t worry about what your parents think, I’ll take care of you,” he would say. The worst thing was that he’d made her believe he’d loved her.

Had she let Mark do the same thing? Persuade her to let the kids be in the parade. Had she made a poor character judgment call again? This time with her daughter? Her palms dampened. She’d promised herself to be careful. Now look what was happening. She headed in the direction of where the parade had ended, and soon recognized Mark’s tall figure coming in her way. He pulled a wagon on which Gus, Allie and Jeremy rode. With relief filling her chest, she ran toward them.

Mark was red-faced. Jeremy wore a smile. Allie looked pleased with herself as she held Gus’s head in her lap. The dog was wearing a crown.

“Where have ya’ll been? I was getting worried.” Laura Jo stopped beside them.

“Mommy, we won first place for the slowest dog in the parade.” Allie beamed.

Laura Jo gave her a hug. “That’s wonderful, honey.”

“Sorry we made you worry. I should have given you my cell number. Gus also got slower after the parade. I carried him halfway here until I saw a kid with a wagon. I had to give him fifty dollars for it so I could haul Gus back.”

At the sound of disgust in Mark’s voice Laura Jo couldn’t help but laugh. His look of complete exasperation and her sense of relief made the situation even more humorous.

“I’m glad someone thinks it’s funny.” Mark chuckled.

Laura Jo had to admit he was a good sport and he’d certainly made her daughter happy. Every time she tried to stop laughing she’d think of Mark begging a boy for his wagon and she’d burst out in laughter again. It had been a long time since she’d laughed hard enough to bring tears to her eyes.

“If you think you can stop laughing at me for a few minutes, we can load up this freeloader …” he gave the dog a revolted look “… and get him home.”

“Had a workout, did you?” Laura Jo asked, trying to suppress the giggles that kept bubbling up.

“Yeah. No good deed goes unpunished.”

“Whose idea was it to be in the parade?”

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