Healing His Widowed Heart

Dr. Marcus placed the clipboard under his arm. “It’s settled, then. You’re free to go, Lexie.” He pointed a finger in her direction. “But be back in the clinic downstairs tomorrow morning and ready to start working the other side of the bed.”

Lexie’s head was spinning. She lived according to a plan, always had, and going home with a complete stranger was not part of it. But she didn’t see any other option at the moment.

Clara stood and clasped her hands at her chest, looking excited. “Great. You get dressed and I’ll wait outside for you in the hallway, dear. I’ll call my husband and tell him the good news.”

Reluctantly, Lexie nodded, forcing a smile. “Okay. Thank you,” she said as Clara exited. Lexie stared at the closed door for a long moment, then started to put on her clothes. Another change in plans. This was becoming the theme of her summer. She’d been with Todd, her ex-fiancé, for so long that marrying him had seemed like the next logical step—even though she wasn’t in love with him. That realization hurt. Then her plans had crumbled around her. So she’d planned out her summer here, and now her plans were falling apart again.

Okay, I can do this.

Clara Carlyle seemed like a nice enough lady, and since Dr. Marcus knew her, she wasn’t exactly a total stranger. Lexie would spend her summer helping others at the health care clinic as planned, and then return home to the job that would be waiting for her in Raleigh. There would be no gold band on her finger at the end of the summer like she’d thought, but she was sure that was best. God’s plans were better, Grandma Jean always said, and Lexie believed it. She’d been brokenhearted after Todd had called off the wedding, but she was trying to see the bright side. They’d gotten along fine, but maybe there was something, or someone, out there who was more than fine for her.

“Ready?” Clara asked as Lexie poked her head out of the hospital room.

Lexie nodded. “I left my car at Chesterfield Estates,” she told Clara. “Along the side of the road.”

Clara waved a hand. “My husband, Rick, works on cars for a living. He’ll tow it back to our place. Don’t worry, dear. He’s excited about having you as a guest, too. It’s the more the merrier in our home,” Clara continued as they reached the elevators. “Our other houseguest lives in the spare room above the garage.” She talked excitedly. “Did I hear Dr. Marcus say you’ll be working with teens, too?” she asked.

Lexie nodded as they stepped inside the elevator and headed down to the hospital’s first floor. “Yes. It’s part of the health care clinic’s outreach. I’ll be helping teens learn about proper health care.”

“Oh, that’s marvelous. The two of you will get along just fine,” Clara said.

Lexie was only barely listening. Her head was still a little foggy from her ordeal this morning. Something about another guest who lived in Clara and Rick’s garage apartment. Lexie guessed she’d meet him when she got to her new summer home.

* * *

Mason hadn’t been able to take his mind off the woman who’d broken through evacuation lines all afternoon. The fire covered a little over a thousand acres at this point. He needed to be focused on that instead. He also needed to find the runaway girl as soon as possible, before something happened to her. It eased his mind that Clara had promised to go visit the woman from this morning. Knowing Clara, she’d gone as soon as he’d left earlier and had probably taken a care package, too.

He wiped the sweat from his brow as he pulled the hose from the truck and handed it to one of the guys at the station. They were keeping the fire away from the roads while helicopters circled overhead dumping water where the trucks and firemen couldn’t get.

His actions were on autopilot. There was usually a fire like this one every few years. Either someone had burned a trash pile too close to the woods on a windy day or lightning had struck dry land, such as it was in the current drought that Carolina Shores was suffering. No one usually got hurt. Of course, most people abided by the rules set forth for their own safety.

His thoughts drifted back to the redhead with eyes as verdant as this land once was. She’d risked her life for a wedding dress, which meant not only was she crazy for running toward a burning forest, but she was engaged. Somewhere out there was a man who loved her, who needed her to stay safe for him. She’d acted foolishly this morning and now she was lying in a hospital bed. The bride-to-be had been reckless with her health and her fiancé’s heart—just another reason Mason planned on staying single. Loving someone meant the possibility of losing them, and he’d lost enough people he loved.

After spending another hour as close to the fire as he could safely get, he headed to his truck to grab a drink of water.

Fire Chief Henry Rodriguez stepped up beside him. “Your shift is over, Benfield.”

Mason shook his head. “We don’t keep to our regular shifts during something like this.”

The chief raised a bushy eyebrow. “Let me rephrase that. You need a break.”

Mason twisted the cap off his water bottle. Men with families needed breaks. No one was waiting for him at home—not anymore. Unless he counted Clara and Rick, who treated him like a son and always set an extra place at the dinner table on the chance that he’d make it in time.

The chief held up a hand. “It’s not up for discussion. Get out of here.”

Mason frowned. There was no arguing with his chief. He got inside his truck and drove to the Teen Center for a quick minute, then headed to the Carlyles’ house. He was late for dinner, but at least he’d made it.

So had someone else, he noticed, seeing the unfamiliar gold sedan in the driveway. Clara was always caring for someone. It’s what she did best. He wasn’t a man who usually liked to be doted on, but Clara made it feel like he was doing her a favor when he let her.

Walking up the porch steps on the side of the house, he noticed a pair of woman’s shoes. They were smaller than Clara’s. More feminine. As Mason removed his own boots, something inside his gut rang out like a fire alarm detecting smoke. He suddenly had an uneasy feeling he knew exactly who Clara had invited for dinner tonight.

Mason shouldn’t have been surprised. Helping people was what Clara did. That’s how he’d come to live here. He entered the house as Clara set a steaming serving dish in the middle of the dining room’s table.

“Oh, Mason! I thought you said you wouldn’t make it tonight.” She hurried over to hug him. “This is wonderful.” She pulled away and gestured at the redhead standing shyly in the corner of the room. Mason recognized her from earlier in the morning, although she’d been unconscious at the time. “Look who else is joining us for dinner,” Clara said.

Mason nodded. “I didn’t expect to see you out of the hospital so soon,” he said to the woman.

“Well, expect to see a whole lot more of Lexie. She’ll be staying in the guest room here while her neighborhood is under evacuation,” Clara told him. “And—” Clara clasped her hands in front of her chest excitedly “—Lexie is also going to be working with the teens in Carolina Shores! Isn’t that wonderful?”

Mason stiffened. He was fiercely protective of the teens in this area, and he didn’t know much about this woman, Lexie. The things he did know, however, led him to believe she was impulsive, foolish and not a person he intended to let the local teens have as a role model. Not on his watch.

Chapter Two

Lexie met the man’s gaze. “Thank you for rescuing me this morning.” She offered her hand to the dirt-smudged fireman in front of her. He shook it, and just that simple touch made her knees weaken. She’d always thought weak knees at the sight of a man were a myth. She was a medical professional and there was no good reason for knees to go weak just because...

Because when God designed this one, He’d tailored him with every trait she’d ever found attractive in the opposite sex.

She averted her gaze, hoping to steady her pulse.

“Nice to meet you under better circumstances,” he said in a deep voice with just a hint of Southern drawl.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t driven by.”

“God put Mason in the right place at the right time.” Clara turned to her husband, Rick, who had slipped into the room and was now seated quietly at the head of the table. “We can wait a few minutes, right?” She gestured to Mason. “A man deserves to be clean while he eats. Especially one who’s worked so hard helping others today.”

“Indeed.” Rick nodded. “Of course we’ll wait.”

Clara made a shooing motion at Mason. “Go, go. When you come back we’ll eat and get to know our new houseguest.”

Mason frowned, glancing over at Lexie. She felt exactly the same way that he appeared to. Not that she didn’t like Mason—he seemed nice enough—but she’d embarrassed herself with him this morning.

“Go on and clean up before the food gets cold,” Clara told him. “We’ll be waiting.”

With a sideways glance at Lexie again, neither smiling nor frowning anymore, Mason disappeared down the hallway. Lexie stared after him. He was the tenant who lived here with Clara and Rick? The man she’d hoped to avoid for the rest of the summer?

She took a seat at the kitchen table and resisted any negative thinking. She’d kept her spirits up all day despite running toward wildfires and landing herself in the hospital. Living next door to a man she’d hoped to avoid the rest of the summer really wasn’t that big of a deal.

A few minutes later, Mason reappeared, clean-faced and dressed in a T-shirt and pair of jeans. He sat at the table across from her and just the close proximity made her blood pressure rise. Her heart bounced around nervously in her chest. Lexie tried to focus on Clara and Rick instead of the man in front of her. Tried and failed.

“Let’s pray.” Clara turned to Rick. She extended her hand to him and to Mason on her other side. Mason took her hand and then reached for Lexie’s.

Lexie swallowed, completing the chain by taking Rick’s hand on her left and Mason’s on her right.

Rick bowed his head. “Heavenly Father, thank You for the food You’ve provided for us,” he said. “We know that You are our source. Thank You for these friends and family, old and new,” he said, referring to Lexie. Then he prayed for the safety of the town and the firemen as the forest fire raged a few miles away. “Keep us all safe, Lord. You are our protector. In Jesus’s almighty name we pray.”

Everyone around the table said, “Amen.”

Then Clara started to pass the serving bowls to the right.

“She does this every night,” Mason said, serving himself several slices of honey-coated ham.

“And he rarely misses a dinner. Not unless there’s an emergency. Or it’s his night at the Teen Center.” Clara smiled proudly at him, just as she probably would for her own sons if she had any. Lexie didn’t see any pictures of children in the house, though, so she gathered that the older couple didn’t. “You work at the Teen Center, too?” she asked.

“Oh, Mason runs the place, dear.” Clara beamed.

“And I don’t recall okaying any new volunteers lately,” he said, lifting his gaze to meet hers.

Lexie swallowed. There was a hard tone to his voice that made her uneasy. “Dr. Marcus okayed it with you.”

“You work with Dr. Marcus?” he asked.

Lexie got the distinct impression that Mason wasn’t thrilled with her involvement. “Yes. I’m the new doctor who will be assisting him at the free health clinic.”

She tried to smile. She was happy to be able to officially call herself a doctor. “I just passed my boards. Dr. Marcus was a professor of mine in medical school. He asked me to come to Carolina Shores and help him. He says there’s a big need for medical care here.”

“Oh, there is,” Clara agreed, between bites.

“Good medical care,” Mason said, his posture growing stonier by the second.

Was he implying that she wasn’t good at what she did?

Lexie shifted uncomfortably. “Of course.” She didn’t want to take offense, but how could she not? Mason was suddenly glaring at her, like she’d said or done something wrong.

“Just because someone can’t afford medical care doesn’t mean they should get subpar attention from a new doctor, who’s more concerned with wedding planning than medicine.” He set his fork down. “And that goes for the teens in this town, too.”

Okay, now she could get offended.

“I’m sorry, but I’m very focused on my role as a doctor.” She’d wanted nothing more since she was six years old, lying in a hospital bed after her first asthma attack. “I graduated with honors from my class.”

“Dr. Marcus wouldn’t have asked Lexie to come to Carolina Shores otherwise, dear,” Clara said, her brows bouncing nervously. Her fork was suspended in midair as she looked between them.

Mason wiped his mouth with his napkin, scooted his chair back from the table and stood. “I don’t want to be rude, Clara, but I’m not very hungry anymore. I also need to head back to the fire early in the morning.”

Clara and Rick exchanged a look.

“Oh, Mason, can’t you just—”

Rick moved a hand to cover her forearm, stopping her from continuing. For the entire dinner so far, he’d been quiet except to pray. “Good night then, Mason. Be careful tomorrow,” he said.

“I will.”

They watched Mason walk away. Lexie forced herself to take a deep breath. She felt like she’d just failed an exam, except school was over and Mason Benfield’s opinion of her shouldn’t have mattered. But it did. The look of disapproval in his eyes just now stung. She’d been foolish to risk her life this morning, she understood that, but it didn’t reflect on her skill as a doctor. Or it shouldn’t have. Neither did the fact that she’d been planning a wedding for the past year.

“I’m sorry about that,” Clara said, gaining Lexie’s attention. “Mason gives all the young doctors a hard time. He hasn’t exactly had the best experience with medical people.”

So he was like 50 percent of the human population who didn’t enjoy going to doctors’ or dentists’ offices, Lexie thought. That was no reason to be rude. She picked up her fork again and continued to eat, making conversation with her new Carolina Shores family. When the meal was over, Lexie retreated to the guest room down the hall, thankful for a soft place to rest her head, and for the fact that Mason had said he’d be leaving early in the morning. She wouldn’t mind not seeing him before she started her own busy day tomorrow—her first at the new health care clinic. She’d also be going to see the teens as planned tomorrow afternoon, whether Mason Benfield approved of her involvement or not.

* * *

After a long day at work, Mason walked into the Teen Center the next evening and his whole mood shifted. He loved coming to this place that his late wife had founded. It had meant so much to her when she was alive, and over the years it had come to mean a lot to him, as well.

He high-fived one of the boys standing off to the side. “Hey, Albert. How are you?”

“Great, Mr. Mason,” the boy said.

Mason kept walking, waving at the kids he passed, smiling and giving a high five every now and then. He stopped walking, however, when he saw the woman sitting at the end of the table. She was helping one of the girls with her homework. “What are you doing here?” he asked, a hard edge threading through his voice.

Lexie looked up, lifting her chin just slightly. “I told you I would be here. You and Dr. Marcus discussed this a few weeks back. You agreed to have someone from the new clinic come over to volunteer. That someone is me. I told Dr. Marcus I’d take care of this for him, so he could concentrate on other aspects of the business. I’m not going back on that commitment,” she said.

Mason shoved his hands on his hips, speechless. There were a whole lot of things he wanted to say right now, but he didn’t want to say them in front of the teens who were all staring at him. He wanted to tell Lexie that she needed to get up and get out. He didn’t think that she had anything she could teach these kids that would be of benefit. Instead, Mason stared at her for just a moment longer and then continued walking to the office in the back. His good mood was gone. Now his neck ached from the tension pulling between his shoulder blades.

“Bad day?” his friend Dave asked, looking up from his desk as Mason stormed in.

“Not until now,” Mason said.

Dave studied him. “Well, here’s some good news. We have a new volunteer.”

“Yeah, I know. And I don’t want her here,” Mason ground out.

Dave arched an eyebrow. “Why not? It’s not every day we have someone willing to sacrifice their time. What’s the problem?”

Mason crossed his arms in front of his chest. “The problem is... The problem is...” he said again, trying to think of a good reason why Lexie Campbell’s presence was a problem. “Well, for one, she’s careless. She’s the woman who I rescued from the forest fire yesterday.”

Dave nodded. “I know. She told me.”

“And you don’t think that’s a problem?” Mason asked.

Dave shrugged a shoulder. “It’s not like she’s going to be telling the kids here that they should run into burning forests.”

Mason shook his head. “I don’t want her telling my teens anything. And I certainly don’t want her giving them medical advice.”

“I get it. This is because she’s a doctor.”

“A doctor that just graduated medical school,” Mason told him. “She’s barely got her degree and she’ll be offering the people in this town, who you and I both care about, medical advice.”

Dave considered this. “Well, she’s been to medical school, and I haven’t. So I’m assuming that she has better advice than I could give.”

Mason pointed a finger. “You see? Even you would take her medical advice. That’s why having her at the free health care clinic is dangerous. Just because she’s a doctor, people will think her advice is golden. She’s inexperienced. She can make mistakes that can hurt people. Mistakes that can kill people.”

Dave’s expression softened as he stared back at him.

Mason didn’t want to see the look. Yes, he knew his past was influencing his opinion on this. He couldn’t seem to help it, though. “Lexie said she’s not leaving, so at least help me keep an eye on her,” he finally said.

“Sure. But all she’s doing is helping with the kids’ homework.”

“Good.” Mason plopped himself down behind his own desk and ran a hand through his hair. He needed to collect his emotions before he went back out there.

Dave got up and headed to the door. “I promised Trevor we’d play ball. Catch you in a few?”

Mason nodded. “Sure.” He just needed a couple minutes to himself.

After a few deep breaths and a quick prayer, Mason stood and walked to the glass window that looked out from the office onto the room of teenagers. He watched Lexie as she sat with one of the girls, Kim. Lexie threw her head back as she laughed at something that must have been funny to her. Kim cracked a smile for once, too. The teen girl rarely smiled.

Mason resisted the softening of his emotions. He didn’t want to like Lexie. He didn’t want her working here with the kids that meant so much to him. But Dave was right. The center did need all the help they could get. And truthfully, Lexie seemed like a nice woman. So, as long as she kept her medical advice to herself, Mason supposed that having her around was okay. It was just for the summer, he reminded himself. Then things would return to normal and the beautiful redhead would be gone.

* * *

Lexie was having a good time. Dr. Marcus had explained to her that the purpose of the outreach wasn’t exactly to treat the teens here. Instead, it was to form a relationship with them. To give them somebody in the community that they could talk to. To make the medical professionals more approachable.

Lexie had worked with a lot of the youth in her hometown in Raleigh. She’d grown up doing community service and had always loved helping others. Over the past few years she’d gotten away from volunteering, however, due to her demanding schedule in medical school and planning for a wedding that never happened. This summer would be as good for Lexie as it would be the Carolina Shores community. She just hoped that Mason softened up a bit toward her. She didn’t want to spend her summer tiptoeing around him.

She looked up at the office where he’d disappeared half an hour earlier. The door was still closed. She felt sorry that she was the reason he was blocked off from everyone. That hadn’t been her intention.

The office door suddenly opened and her heart stopped. Mason appeared and started walking in her direction. Here it comes, she thought. Mason was going to try to get her to leave again. She braced herself. When she’d spoken to Dr. Marcus earlier in the day about Mason’s stance on her being here, Dr. Marcus had encouraged her to come anyway. He’d described Mason as a big softy at heart. Mason’s jaw was tight right now, though, the muscles bunched along his cheek—nothing soft about the man.

She swallowed and met his gaze as he stood behind her, overlooking the homework she was helping Kim with.

Kim looked up, as well. “Hey, Mr. Mason,” she said, without so much as a smile. “Miss Lexie is helping me do algebra.”

Mason’s gaze moved from Kim to Lexie. “That’s great,” he said. “Every time I help her, she gets the questions wrong.”

Unless Lexie was imagining it, Mason’s mouth curved into the smallest of smiles. She took that as a good sign. “Math was always one of my favorite subjects,” she told him.

He nodded again. “Then I guess we’re fortunate to have you here.”

Did this mean he wasn’t going to escort her out of the building? That he’d had a change of heart? She offered up a smile in his direction, and then returned her focus to the algebra work sheets on the table. She pointed at the next problem. “Okay, let’s try this one,” she told Kim. From the corner of her eye she watched as Mason moved farther down the table and sat beside one of the teenage boys. Relief spread through her and hope blossomed. Maybe she wouldn’t have to tiptoe around Mason Benfield all summer after all.

An hour later, Lexie drove back to the Carlyles’ home to help with dinner as promised.

“Shall I set four place settings?” she asked, gathering the silverware.

Clara shook her head. “Just three. Mason called and said he wouldn’t be coming tonight.”

“Oh.” Lexie swallowed and continued counting out forks and knives. “Is it because of me?”

Clara waved a hand. “No, it’s because of him, dear. He just needs to work through his thoughts, that’s all.”

Lexie nodded, trying to understand. She didn’t, though. She got along well with most of the people she met. His first impression of her hadn’t been the greatest, but people deserved second chances. “I saw him at the Teen Center this afternoon,” she told Clara.

“Oh?” Clara turned to look at her. “And will you be going back?” she asked, not so discretely asking the bigger question: How had Mason reacted to her presence?

“I’m planning on going a few nights a week after I leave the free health care clinic. I’ll help with homework and play games with the kids.” Despite Mason’s initial attitude, excitement swirled around in her chest. “I’m really looking forward to it.”

Clara nodded and lifted a serving plate to carry into the dining room. “That’s good news. God will work things out. He always does.”

Lexie followed behind Clara and sat with her hosts for dinner. There was a void on the other side of the table. Even Lexie felt it. She ate quietly and helped Clara clean up after the meal. Then she retreated to the guest room, thoroughly exhausted from her first day volunteering at the health clinic and Teen Center.

She closed her eyes as soon as her head hit the pillow and thanked God for His grace today. Mason might not have been jumping up and down to see her this afternoon, but he’d allowed her to stay and, considering his reaction to her involvement with the teens the day before, that in itself was the equivalent of moving a mountain. Clara was right. God would work things out in the way He saw fit.