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Gracie could feel it. For once in her life, she was speechless.
“Nathan reminds me so much of my Joseph,” Constance explained softly, her voice coarse with emotion. “That’s terrible to admit, I know, but it’s true. I don’t know if that’s why I’m attracted to him. I do know that’s why I shouldn’t be.”
The silence was deafening. Gracie could hear Wendy wadding up a piece of wrapping paper, and the sound was magnified in her ears until it was like roaring, until she wanted to cringe.
To have a love like Constance had had with Joseph, and for God to take that away, would be the most terrible thing she could imagine happening to a person. And now, to be tempted with a man who looked and acted like the man you had lost?
How could a woman handle that magnitude of pain? How could she stand to be alone?
“I’m waiting,” Constance said, the gleam back in her sapphire-blue eyes. “You’re supposed to be giving me advice.”
Gracie felt her jaw drop, and she found herself doing something she hadn’t done much of late—praying. Praying to God for guidance, for words of wisdom to give this dear friend. Because Gracie’s own words, her own realm of experience would be nowhere near enough. She didn’t have the words to say.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, focusing. “I know what my eyes see,” Gracie said at last.
“And that is…”
“You like Nathan. The relationship you have with Chief Creasy is— Well, I’ll let you and Chief Creasy work that out. But don’t deny your heart, Constance.”
She took a breath and laid a comforting hand on her friend’s arm. “My head is all awhirl today with talk of bachelors and babies and one’s true love. But I do know this. God is in charge of it all. And even though it seems really confusing to you and me, He’s got it all going around the way He wants. And in the end, it all boils down to what’s in your heart.”
Tears glistened in Constance’s eyes, which shone like jewels against the pale skin of her cheeks. Gracie felt a new rush of emotion for her friend, and threw her arms around her in a big hug.
“Gracie, dear heart,” Constance said, hugging her back, “those are wise words for one so young. I do believe I’ll take you up on them. I’ve been sitting on the sidelines for too long.”
Gracie hardly thought she’d been sitting on any sidelines. Constance had not been the type of woman to tuck herself away and grieve for what she’d lost. She’d put her loss to good use, to helping others. She’d started foundations and charities, and even this Women’s League itself.
But Gracie supposed there was love.
“I’m terrified,” Constance continued, “but I know when I need to look a challenge in the eye. And I will. It’s you I’m wondering about.”
“Me?”
“I want you to promise me one thing, young lady, before you leave here today.”
“What’s that?” she asked, feeling at the moment like she could promise the world. It was the least she could do after seeing the bravery of her own friend.
“Promise me you’ll take your own advice. When the time comes for you to love, and it soon will be, don’t be afraid to follow your heart.”
“You’re scaring me.”
Constance merely grinned.
“Anyone for cake?” Gracie was surprised by the deep, familiar baritone. It wasn’t Robert McGuire brandishing the bakery cake. What in the world was Kyle Hart doing at a women’s meeting?
His gaze met hers as she stood and whirled away from where he was. Panic set in as her instinct told her to put as much distance between herself and the good doctor as possible. But Constance was trailing her, and she knew there wasn’t much chance of that.
“Robert needed to see a patient at the clinic and asked me to deliver it for him,” she heard him explain to the crowd. “I hope I’m not too late for the party. I couldn’t get away until now.”
“You’re right on time, Kyle,” Wendy assured him. “And you must stay and join us for a piece of cake.”
Constance grabbed Gracie by the arm and pulled her toward Kyle. Gracie dug her heels in, but it was no use fighting against her determined friend.
“Dr. Kyle! You’re looking particularly handsome this afternoon,” Constance crooned. “What a lovely suit you’re wearing.” She greeted him with a friendly kiss on the cheek.
Kyle chuckled, but it was clear to Gracie that he was uncomfortable with Constance’s blatant perusal and adamant praise. He cleared his throat, then pulled at his collar and conspicuously loosened his tie. “Uh, thank you. I think.”
He cleared his throat. Again.
The man was shy!
Gracie’s eyebrows shot through her bangs. Who would have known?
Here he razzed her to death without the least care in the world, and yet when he was teased, he hemmed and hawed around with Constance like a regular retiring Southern gentleman.
Gracie couldn’t hold back her smile. Especially when Constance grabbed at the tie Kyle was loosening and made him turn all red in the face.
At least Kyle didn’t have Chelsea to contend with. She wasn’t much for spiritual things and didn’t think boring meetings with what she considered a bunch of old ladies were worth her time.
“The thing is, Dr. Kyle…” Constance pulled at the end of the silk tie, making it snug once again against Kyle’s neck. Gracie could see the muscles in his skin vibrate as he swallowed hard. “The thing is…this weekend is Memorial Day Weekend.”
Kyle nodded.
“You’ll be here.”
Kyle nodded again.
“And we’ll be here.” Constance leaned in for the kill. “And guess what? You’re going to have the wonderful privilege of helping out the underprivileged this weekend.”
“Don’t you just love her way with words?” Gracie quipped, holding back a laugh.
Kyle, of course, looked totally confounded, as well he should. Constance was leading him like a bull by the nose, and with good reason. The poor man didn’t stand a chance against her.
But even Constance couldn’t just go up to a man like Kyle and ask him to—
Well, it sounded pretty ludicrous, even to Gracie, and she’d been participating in the bachelor’s block since she’d been old enough to hold a box of chocolates in her hand or make a winning bid.
“It involves chocolate,” Constance was saying. “And charity.”
Kyle nodded politely. “I’m happy to help, ma’am,” he said with his cute little Texas drawl. “Just tell me what needs doing, and I’m on it.”
Gracie choked on a sip of punch. “Actually, hon, you are it.”
His gaze fixed sharply with her own. “I beg your pardon?”
“What Constance is trying in her roundabout way to say is that Uncle Sam wants you for the Memorial Day bachelor’s block auction, Monday morning at ten o’clock sharp at the gazebo in the park.”
“The what? For whom?” he sputtered. His jaw dropped, and he looked from woman to woman as if they’d both lost their minds.
Fortunately, she and Constance were both enjoying the moment far too much to take his looks seriously. His adorable confusion and muddled expression was worth a thousand words.
“Not Uncle Sam, precisely,” Constance clarified with a chuckle. “We’re making money for the Safe Harbor Family Practice Mercy Fund. For the poor in Safe Harbor who are without medical insurance. These are people, primarily women and children, who would go without medical aid were it not for this fund.”
“I know what the Mercy Fund is for,” he said dryly. “I work with these people on a daily basis. Robert and Gracie introduced me.”
“Good,” Constance said with a relieved smile. “Then I’m sure you won’t mind helping out.”
“What I mind is auctioning myself off like a piece of—meat,” he said with a groan, shoving his fingers through his hair. He winked at Gracie. “I’m just not that kind of man.”
“Oh, don’t worry, it’s nothing like that,” Constance assured him. “Nothing sordid you’ll be ashamed to be a part of.”
“Is that so?” he drawled, sounding not at all convinced.
“Remember, Doctor, Safe Harbor is a small town. We’re dignified and fun-loving. All you have to do is to show up and bring a box of chocolates. We’ll auction you and the sweets off to the highest bidder, and you’ll spend the rest of the day escorting a nice young lady about town. Now how hard could that be?”
Kyle shot a look at Gracie that clearly conveyed what he really thought—the bachelor’s block sounded like sheer agony. But he shrugged and said, “Okay, I guess. For charity.”
“For charity,” Constance agreed merrily, planting another kiss on the young doctor’s cheek. “Don’t worry, you won’t be sorry.”
Constance immediately skipped off to speak to a nearby group of women, no doubt to plant another seed for charity. Gracie took another sip of her punch and watched Kyle over the top of her cup.
“I already am sorry,” Kyle murmured, taking a sip of his own drink.
“What was that?”
“Nothing,” he muttered.
“Don’t worry, you’ll live.”
“Does she do that to everyone?” he asked, gesturing toward Constance. “I’ve never felt so bulldogged in all my life.”
“Constance?” Gracie shrugged and nodded. “Pretty much. She’s really amazing. She’s a wonder with organizing things. She’s almost single-handedly turned this town around since she arrived over five years ago. She’s gotten us all involved in any number of charity projects.”
“Like bachelor auctions,” he said with a groan, sounding none too happy.
“Well, if it makes you feel any better, every other year, it’s a bachelorette auction.”
His eyes lit up with interest. “Yeah? Does that mean next year I get to bid on you?”
Gracie’s eyes met his, which were filled with warmth and humor, and something else she couldn’t quite put a name to.
Silently, she asked him the question she was afraid to voice aloud.
Next year?
Chapter Three
M emorial Day dawned brand-spanking bright and fresh as the birth of a newborn babe, full of sunshine and the pungent scent of spring flowers, everything a man could ask for in a holiday morning.
And it dawned far too early, in the opinion of Dr. Kyle Hart.
If he had his way, it would be snowing today.
Wisconsin was known for its late-spring snowstorms, wasn’t it?
Why couldn’t such a happy phenomenon as snow in springtime happen today?
But no.
It had to be the perfect day for a picnic.
Kyle winced as he tightened the knot on his bow tie and surveyed himself critically in the half mirror over the sink in his bathroom.
He’d said he’d be at the bachelor’s block auction today, and he would be there. But it wasn’t going to be an easy day. And he knew he wasn’t going to like it, no matter what Constance or Gracie or anyone else said about it.
Constance Laughlin had indicated he could wear whatever made him comfortable, from jeans to a sport coat; but in the end, he’d opted for his classic black tux, deciding he would give whatever lady bid on his chocolate the first-class afternoon she deserved. And he guessed he wanted to be different than the run-of-the-mill Safe Harbor man standing on the block.
Now that he had his tux on, though, he wasn’t so sure he’d made the right choice. For one thing, this was Safe Harbor, Wisconsin, not Houston, Texas. And he was going to a Memorial Day picnic, not a black-tie affair at a five-star hotel. He wanted to be different, but he didn’t want to show anybody up.
Besides, the suit reminded him a little too much of his old life, before he moved to Safe Harbor, when dressing up used to be the norm. When the pursuit of the almighty dollar had come at a devastating cost.
He’d lost his wife and his sweet, little infant daughter.
He glanced at his watch.
Whether he liked it or not, he was due at the bachelor’s block at the park.
Or more precisely, on the block.
He chuckled as he made his way to his full-size, extended-cab white pickup truck, a throwback to his Texas days. He was making way too much out of what was surely a really small subject.
How bad could it be?
The green on the hill was already filled to over-flowing with the residents of Safe Harbor when Kyle arrived at the park. Some folks milled around setting up picnic tables and stoking up grills, while others stood in groups talking with old friends, or threw Frisbees or footballs to each other.
It was a tranquil scene, something eminently small town. It was the sort of thing a painter would capture on canvas.
Kyle knew he’d never see such a gathering in Houston if he looked for a year. There was always an air of commerce in the big city, even when no one was selling anything.
Here, everyone looked genuinely relaxed. The air was fairly buzzing with anticipation of what the day would bring.
This was what he’d come to Safe Harbor for, this sense of belonging to something bigger than himself, and Kyle eagerly joined in, greeting those people he knew from the clinic. And he was more than happy to gulp down an early hot dog with Robert, Wendy and their two active boys, though it was only nine in the morning.
Constance checked in with him, reminding him of his ten o’clock obligation—as if he could forget. And Chelsea fluttered by to remind him—or was it to threaten him—that she intended to make the highest bid for him and take him home with her.
He could only hope some other Safe Harbor lady would take pity on him.
And while the news that Chelsea was after him like a fly to honey flustered him, it was even more troubling that he continued to scan the crowd without spotting so much as a glimpse of the flame-colored hair he was desperately watching for.
