Healing His Widowed Heart

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Trevor crossed his arms at his chest, then winced at the pain in his bandaged wrist. He leaned forward, looking at the surroundings outside the window. “I thought you said you were taking me home. This isn’t the way to my home.”

“I called your mom on the way to the health care clinic. Told her you’d be going to the Teen Center with me tonight if you checked out all right. And then Mr. Dave would be taking you home afterward. She agreed.”

From the corner of his eye, Mason could see Trevor trying not to smile. He liked the Teen Center. “Fine. You got ice there? Both of those doctors said to rest and ice my arm. Means you shouldn’t make me clean up when we’re done, either.”

Mason laughed. “Talk to Mr. Dave about that. I’m not staying. Not tonight.” He had something else he needed to do. Something that was suddenly weighing on him like a ton of bricks. He wasn’t a mean guy. The fact that Trevor had accused him of treating Lexie badly had convicted him just now. Lexie was just trying to help, which he admired about her—even if she was young and inexperienced, and he absolutely did not want her providing medical treatment for the people in his life.

* * *

Lexie finished writing in the last chart and released a long breath. They’d had a steady stream of people earlier in the morning, but the afternoon until closing had been slow. “I’m not sure you really needed me today,” she said, turning to Dr. Marcus as he walked into the room.

He sat in a rolling chair beside her and laughed. “I couldn’t have done today without you. I’m glad you’re here. I hope you know that.” His gaze narrowed.

Lexie shook her head as her mind trailed back to the incident with Trevor earlier in the afternoon. “I’m not sure everyone in town feels the same way.”

Dr. Marcus frowned. “You’re talking about Mason Benfield. Don’t take that personally. It’s not you. He...” Dr. Marcus’s brows knit tightly together as he considered what to say. “He hasn’t had the best of experiences with doctors.”

“He didn’t have a problem with you seeing Trevor.”

Dr. Marcus smiled warmly. “You didn’t learn this in school, but some people want a doctor to look a certain way. Whether it be male or female, old or young. There’s at least one person in this town that thinks it’s time for me to retire. She’s accused me of practicing ‘old medicine’ on her. I just have to shrug it off and do the very best I can for every patient who comes to see me. Sometimes that means letting someone else treat them.”

Lexie considered this. “You are still the very best teacher I’ve ever had.”

“Thank you, Lexie. And you’re the best student I’ve ever had, which is why I invited you to Carolina Shores to help me open this clinic. I’m sure there are a lot of opportunities in Raleigh, but this will be a great experience, I think.”

Lexie nodded. “I think so, too.”

Dr. Marcus stood, pulling off his white doctor’s jacket and draping it on the back of the chair. “It’s time for me to go home to my new bride.”

The b-word sliced through her. She’d been so busy today that she hadn’t even thought of her canceled wedding and happily ever after.

“You coming? Time for you to go home and get some rest, too.” Dr. Marcus turned to her, oblivious to her sudden heartache. She wasn’t sad because she regretted not marrying Todd, but because she regretted not having the wedding she’d put so much time and effort into. It was going to be a beautiful wedding, just like she’d always dreamed of, with white roses and bridesmaids’ dressed in shades of pink.

Lexie rose to her feet and began to collect her belongings. Home. She wouldn’t exactly call the Carlyles’ place home, but Clara and Rick certainly did make her feel that way. Mason, on the other hand, did not.

She waved good-night to Dr. Marcus in the parking lot and got inside her car. As she drove, she listened to her voice mail. There was one from her best friend, who was currently preparing for a baby-moon with her husband.

“Last chance,” Trisha said into the phone. “You can still decide to go to Hawaii by yourself instead of gifting the trip to me.”

Lexie smiled at the message. She’d rather spend her summer days doing exactly what she’d done today. The next message was from her mother.

“Are you coming home yet?” her mother asked. “I’m worried about you being all alone in a strange place. And the news says there’s a forest fire there. Are you okay? I love you.”

Lexie turned her phone off and tossed it onto the seat beside her. She’d call her mother back after dinner. Pulling her car into the Carlyles’ driveway, her heart sank as she noticed Mason’s truck. She was hoping he’d be at the Teen Center tonight. She couldn’t bear to see the disapproval or judgment in his eyes again today.

No, thank you.

In fact, maybe she wasn’t feeling well anymore. Her stomach was no longer rumbling. Instead, it was tying itself into tiny knots. Clara would understand if she just went straight to bed. It’d been a long day at the new health care clinic, after all.

Getting out of the car, Lexie took a step toward the Carlyles’ side entrance.

“Lexie?”

The voice was deep and even though they were still strangers to one another, she recognized it immediately. Turning, she faced Mason, who was standing in the dimly lit driveway. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest. She didn’t want to fight. Like Dr. Marcus had said, some people had preferences for what their doctors looked like. She had to respect that. Don’t take it personally, Dr. Marcus had told her. Except Mason’s rejection since she’d arrived in Carolina Shores had felt very personal to her.

A soft word turns away wrath, she reminded herself. “Hi,” she said softly. She tried to summon a smile as she looked up to meet his gaze. She didn’t see judgment or disapproval there this time, which relieved her. “What’s going on?”

He took a step closer, coming out of the shadows. He’d been waiting for her in the driveway. She could only imagine why. Trevor had come to see her just like any other patient. She couldn’t apologize for treating him. She’d taken an oath to help people who were sick, hurt and troubled. Looking into Mason’s eyes now, she wondered if he was one of those things, too.

Soft lines formed off the side of his eyes as he returned her smile. It was the first time she’d seen him smile so fully, and...it suited him.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

Chapter Four (#uc3166721-a72b-5d1b-9f19-284b5627627b)

Mason offered his friendliest smile, hoping Lexie would find it in her heart to hear what he had to say, which was that he was sorry. Not for feeling the way he felt, but for the way he’d made her feel. Judging by the look on her face, he’d made her feel awful.

“Please,” he said. “It won’t take but a minute.” Her green eyes softened and she gave the smallest of nods.

He led her up the steps that ran up to his apartment above the garage. He didn’t want the all-seeing-and-hearing Clara to be party to their conversation. Clara had a way of getting involved in areas of his personal life that he really wished she wouldn’t. She was like family in that way, and he loved her like a parent. Unlocking his apartment door, Mason walked inside and turned to Lexie, who lingered in the doorway. “My bark is worse than my bite. I promise,” he said.

She pulled her lower lip between her teeth and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. She didn’t step any farther into the room however.

“I want to apologize.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from fidgeting. Very few things made him nervous anymore, but Lexie was making him anxious for a reason he couldn’t quite explain. “I was a little demanding earlier. And insensitive. I was out of line,” he rambled on, waiting for her to stop him. She didn’t. Instead, she added to the list.

“Not to mention rude,” she said, folding her arms in front of her.

“Yeah, that, too.” He smiled despite himself.

“You think that Trevor needed a more experienced doctor,” Lexie said.

“Yes.” He watched as her posture stiffened. “That’s how I feel.” And he had good reason.

Lexie lifted her chin.

“No offense,” he said. “I’m sure one day you’ll be great.”

“I’m good now. And I have Dr. Marcus’s expertise to draw on if I need help.” She hugged her body tighter. “You know what, I don’t need your seal of approval to volunteer my time for a good cause.”

“You do if you’re going to provide medical attention for the people that I care about.” He found his voice rising as memories of Kristin pushed to the forefront of his mind. He’d thought that he’d dealt with those issues. For the first year after Kristin’s death he’d visited the church pastor for counseling every week. What had happened had been tragic. It was a rookie mistake by a first-year doctor, but nothing happened by mistake. God had a plan in everything that happened, even the things that hurt.

“Well, if that’s all.” Lexie turned on her heel and reached for the door knob.

“Wait.” Without thinking, he reached out to stop her, grabbing her arm gently. “Don’t leave mad.” He’d brought her here to make amends, not to make things worse.

She whirled on him and opened her mouth, probably to argue, when her gaze caught on something. “What happened?” she asked, concern knitting itself in her brow line.

Mason looked down at his arm. “Oh. That. I got called to an illegal bonfire earlier. A bunch of high school kids had a fire too close to the woods. We already have one forest fire going out there. Carolina Shores doesn’t need another. Anyway, one of the girls stumbled as I approached them and I had to catch her.”

“You got burned,” Lexie said.

“Not bad.” He’d had worse. Burns and abrasions were part of the job description.

Lexie stepped closer. “It’s bad enough. Did you put burn cream on it?” she asked.

“I’m a fireman. We firemen like our scars.”

She didn’t smile at his joke. “I have cream in my car’s first aid kit. I can get it for you.”

“Not necessary.” He didn’t want to bother her, and he had a first aid kit of his own. He was fully capable of applying ointment to his own wounds.

Hurt shone in Lexie’s eyes as she looked up. She took his refusal personally, not that he blamed her after the way he’d treated her since she arrived. Even Trevor had noticed. “No offense,” he said, holding up his hands. “I just don’t want to bother you.”

“It’s not a bother. I’m a doctor,” she said. “Taking care of people is my job.”

An anchor of guilt settled in his gut. Her heart was in the right place. “Okay then, Dr. Campbell. Please, doctor me up.”

A hint of a smile curved her rose-tinted lips. He tried not to notice, but she was even more beautiful when she smiled. Noticing Lexie’s beauty felt like a small betrayal to Kristin. His late wife was dead, though, and admiring another woman was harmless. It wasn’t like he intended to act on his feelings. He wasn’t ready for romantic involvement yet, and maybe he never would be again. Besides, Lexie had risked her life for a wedding dress, which he assumed meant she was taken.

So why didn’t she have a ring on her finger? he wondered now.

“I’ll be right back.” Lexie jogged downstairs and was standing back in his living room with a medium-size black bag a moment later. She gestured toward his kitchen table. “Let’s sit over there.”

He dutifully walked over and sat, laying his forearm down for her to inspect.

Her forehead creased as she leaned forward. “You need to take better care of yourself.”

He’d heard that before. It was one of Clara’s favorite things to say. “Is that your medical opinion?” he asked. She smiled again, and he felt like he’d just won a contest.

“Yes, it is.” Her cheeks blushed a deeper rose color. “Not that my opinion matters to you.”

“It matters. I just...” He wouldn’t explain himself to Lexie. He didn’t talk about Kristin to anyone anymore. After hours of counseling, he was done talking about it. “I’m sorry,” he said again, flinching as she swiped a small square of gauze across his burn.

“Big baby.” She grinned as she glanced up and met his eyes.

Those would be fighting words at the fire station. She was teasing him, though, and that felt like a step in the right direction.

“There.” She applied a bandage and pulled away. “All better.”

“Send me a bill,” he said, joking with her. When he wasn’t resisting her, he found himself being pulled toward her. He stood from the table. “Shall we?”

“Shall we what?” she asked, her mouth dropping open as if he’d taken her by surprise.

“Go to dinner.”

Her bright smile fell like a shooting star, falling away into nothingness. “Dinner?” she repeated, looking at him like her new professional opinion might be that he was crazy. “You want me to go to dinner with you?” she asked.

And if Mason wasn’t mistaken, she looked slightly horrified at the proposal.

* * *

Lexie took a tiny step backward, suddenly ready to bolt out of the room. She’d come up to have a private conversation with Mason, but he must’ve gotten the wrong idea. She was fresh out of a relationship—granted, it was one that had been over for a very long time. She wasn’t looking for anything more right now, though, and Mason needed to know that.

“Um. I’m not ready to go out with other...” Her words floundered on her lips. Would it be so bad going on a date with Mason? Things had fizzled between her and Todd a long time ago, starting last summer when she’d barely seen him. She’d been busy with her studies and he’d been busy with his social life. Their goals were no longer the same. The things they’d once enjoyed doing together were no longer enjoyable as a couple.

In retrospect, she’d done all the wedding planning with very little input from him. She and Todd had become a business, checking in with one another about menial things. The foundation that a relationship was built on was unsteady. There was no trust between them as Todd spent time with other females. They didn’t go to church together or study God’s word in each other’s company. Any feeling between them, especially love, was gone. “I, uh...” Her gaze fluttered up to meet Mason’s as she reconsidered.

“You think I’m asking you to dinner?” Mason asked, shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I just meant dinner downstairs. With Clara and Rick. They’re probably waiting for us.”

The blood pooling to her cheeks made her dizzy. “Right. Of course. I’m not ready to eat yet.” She took another small step backward, needing to get out of this room before her embarrassment swallowed her up.

“Well, you’d better find your appetite because Clara won’t take no for an answer if you’re home. Everyone eats together.” He was looking at her strangely. “Are you all right?” he asked. “I hope you didn’t think I was coming on to you. I know you have someone else waiting to see you in that wedding dress of yours.”

Lexie swallowed. Clara must not have told him that her plans had been canceled. “Had someone else,” she said. “I don’t anymore. We called the wedding off.”

Mason nodded slowly, seeming to take this information in. “I’m really sorry to hear that.”

Lexie shrugged, trying to act like it was no big deal. It was, though. Not marrying Todd was life changing. The perfect plans she’d made were gone. “I know you weren’t coming on to me. Of course you weren’t.” She emitted a nervous laugh. Why would Mason be coming on to her? He didn’t even like her half the time. She gestured behind her, taking a few more steps backward. “Anyway, I’ll go wash up for dinner.” She turned and started to leave.

“Thank you,” he said as she left. “For doctoring me up.”

Even if he doesn’t want me to doctor anyone else in his life, she thought.

“You’re welcome.” The soft breeze was refreshing as Lexie escaped out of Mason’s side door and hurried down the steps. She’d gone from wanting his apology to considering a date that he wasn’t even asking her on. He’d thought she was still engaged so there was no way he had been coming on to her. Maybe the oxygen deprivation when she’d passed out earlier in the week had muddled her thinking.

She entered Clara’s house and slid off her shoes, leaving them beside the front entrance’s rug.

“Dinner’s almost ready, dear,” Clara called as Lexie padded down the hall toward the guest room.

“Okay. I’ll be right back.” In the guest bathroom, Lexie quickly washed her hands and ran a comb through her red-colored hair. She couldn’t help but think of Mason as she did. Eating a meal with him several nights a week would be a problem if she didn’t get her emotions under wraps. While Clara and Rick were hospitable people, her neighborhood evacuation couldn’t be lifted soon enough.

She headed back down the hall and into the kitchen. “What do you need me to do?” she asked.

Clara glanced back at her. “Oh, hello, dear. Can you grab the silverware and help set the table?” Her brow line pulled low over her gentle blue eyes.

“Sure.” Lexie didn’t budge. Instead, she continued to inspect Clara, whose face seemed to be frozen in a permanent wince. “What’s wrong?” Lexie asked.

“Oh, just a little headache.” Clara tried to offer her usual smile, but the movement made her wince harder, shutting her eyes momentarily and reaching a hand to rub her left temple.

“Did you take something for it?” Lexie asked.

“Yes. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.” Clara gestured toward the drawer again. “We’ll need four sets of spoons and forks.”