Winner Takes All

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Would he be shocked to learn that his disapproval wouldn’t keep her from doing what she wanted? Maybe. She was sort of surprised herself. Living in Holly Heights meant spending a lot of time pleasing the people in her life.

They loved her and wanted the best for her, but the “best” was always safe, predictable and matched what they wanted, too.

The freedom felt so good.

The straggling line of kids dressed in school uniforms was right outside her window, practically begging to be her first adventure in bad Spanish.

She grabbed the candy and eased out of the truck, not quite convinced her plan was solid but more certain staring out the window because she was afraid to take a chance was a serious fail.

No one on the sidewalk moved.

“Would it be okay if I—” She held up the camera and mimed taking shots. The women in charge of the group turned and spoke in rapid-fire Spanish. Stephanie had no hope of keeping up and cursed this trip and its lack of planning. If only she’d had time to cram. Visiting Peru would have been a lot less intimidating if she could do more than ask where the bathroom and library were.

Finally the women agreed and gathered the children into a neat group. The backdrop of the dusty street and the church across the square filled the frame with a real slice of daily life. Stephanie snapped the photo and then turned the camera around to show the women. “Very pretty. Bonita.”

They nodded and answered her. Waving her hands, Stephanie said, “Lo siento. No hablo espanol. Malo.” She was sorry. The questions she wanted to ask burned on her tongue. This once-in-a-lifetime chance to make friends and her inability to do it would bother her for a long time. More than anything she wanted to ask about school, what they were studying and how they liked it. She could ask the mothers about their days and what it was like living with all this beautiful sunshine.

Meeting people and being unable to connect was torture. She didn’t want to let the opportunity slip away.

You won the lottery. There’s no reason this has to be your last chance, Stephanie.

Reassured that her dismal language ability wouldn’t hold her back forever, she grabbed a handful of candy and offered it to the women. In a heartbeat, the kids had cleared all the inventory and lined up for seconds. Their beautiful grins made it impossible to say no.

While she was rummaging in the truck, the commotion behind her turned from quiet giggles to happy squeals and cries of “Doctor! Doctor!”

She was busted.

Not that she’d had any intention of trying to pretend she’d followed his orders.

Still, it might have been nice to have the choice.

Determined to show him that she was different, even if she had to learn how to be different on this trip, Stephanie straightened her shoulders and tossed a bag of candy to him. “Found it.” Then she smiled brightly in response to his complete lack of expression and picked up her shield, the camera.

With the lens between them and a circle of kids surrounding him, his features softened. Instead of impatient, Daniel was happy. Kind. Following the excited conversation was beyond her, but it was clear that he knew these kids, remembered their names and could tease them into more laughter.

She’d seen him striding down the halls of Holly Heights Hospital. In a white coat and a dark tie, he’d been intimidating, even awe-inspiring. The kind of man it was impossible to argue with or doubt.

In his dirty jeans, ragged shirt and messy curls, Daniel looked more like an adventure guide than a man who’d performed complicated surgery in sterile operating rooms.

He also smiled like a man who enjoyed every single minute of his life.

Maybe she wasn’t the only one who’d come to Peru to make a change.

She should take a page from his book.

With her luck it would be written in Spanish, but that didn’t make reading it impossible.

All she needed was a translator.

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_e3ad3b03-b3a0-5560-9d15-a992f0e28178)

DANIEL KNEW HE should have expected Stephanie to ignore his rules.

She’d never been afraid to bend the rules to get what she wanted. Most of the time, all she’d needed was a charming grin and an easy laugh. Stephanie was always the spokesperson for the group, and whenever he’d needed to be taken down a notch or two, she was the best at administering the blow almost painlessly. If his sister was a feather, Jen was a hammer and Stephanie was somewhere in between.

Now Stephanie was standing in the middle of a dirt road in the Andes Mountains. She couldn’t speak the language, had no concept of the dangers the town or its people might present, and she’d still waded in against his advice.

But she fit perfectly surrounded by happy kids.

Before he’d left Texas, he used to attend the Friday night football games. After all, the Holly Heights Mustangs were always a strong team. When he’d finished medical school and returned to Holly Heights, he’d been pretty sure watching the hometown heroes tear up the football field was less important than making his mark as a surgeon.

Unless his sister asked.

And he’d been proud to see the way the students flocked around Rebecca, dedicated school counselor, and Stephanie and Jen. Here, Stephanie had managed to spark giggles with a little effort and a jerky conversation made up of a mix of English, Spanish and odd sign language.

He caught her eye and shook his head, reminding her of his second rule, and then focused on his patients. He checked to see how wounds were healing. Bright eyes and clear noses indicated the meds he’d left were working. And all the mothers nodded when he asked about the basics: washing hands, brushing teeth and plenty of time to play. The mothers understood. Following up might help the kids believe, too.

This town, Manzana, was an example of what clinics could do. It had been his first stop and his focus for the first six months. It was time to schedule a dentist and an optometrist. The beginning of the dry season was the easiest time.

“Stephanie, do me a favor. Make a note. I need to talk to Dr. Wright about a clinic here. Manzana. Before September.” Then he gave a little boy, Hector, a high-five. He could hear her thinking loudly in his direction, but to his surprise, she pulled out her journal, made a note and shoved it in her backpack without a single comment.

Growing up, he’d been able to count on hearing exactly what all three girls had thought about his clothes, his hair and his orders whenever it occurred to them.

This time she smiled brightly. “At least you said favor.”

“September. It’s when the rainy season starts. Hard to travel.” He wasn’t sure why he was explaining, but she pursed her lips and nodded as if everything made perfect sense. That felt better than it should. “I need to check in at the hospital.” He turned to survey the crowd of kids and the people lurking in the small doorways. His arrival always stirred up an audience. Almost never did he have to worry about what to do about it.

This time he had the feeling if he left Stephanie here on her own, she’d either be elected mayor or wind up an accidental bride. “You better come with me. There’s a restroom.”

Her reluctance to leave the center of town and the excited kids was easy to read. When she walked, she did so slowly. He shook his head, took her hand in his and headed for the hospital.

The gaggle of girls whispering and pointing was his first clue something was up. His second was Stephanie’s cheeks, which had turned pink. Her glance at the crowd and then down at their joined hands helped him finally do the math. Amused at how little it took to make them the center of gossip, he squeezed her fingers. “Keep up, okay?”

She wrinkled her nose. “Just like that, a whole town’s romantic hopes are dashed on the rocks of impatience.”

He shook his head. “Doubt it. They don’t speak a lot of English.”

Her laugh matched her steps: slow, reluctant, but he was glad to hear it. He squeezed her hand. When she squeezed back, he was surprised at how nice it felt to be holding her hand, his little sister’s partner in crime and one of the few women in the world whose good opinion mattered.