Patt Marr - The Doctor's Bride

What a shame that he hadn’t followed his instincts after he’d met her as Flower two weeks ago. He remembered thinking how good the clown was at her job—which, as it turned out, wasn’t her job at all, but something she did to show love. When she’d disappeared, he’d made a halfhearted effort to find out her real name, but he’d told himself it was so Mom could meet the clown.

The clown—that was how he’d thought of her that day, not even as Flower. Had he become so self-absorbed that individuals weren’t important to him unless they had something wrong with them that he could make better? And if he had, could he change? Did he even want to?

He liked his single life just as it was, and he’d worked very hard to get what he had. His Mercedes, the expensive clothes and his condo—they were all nice, but not what he’d aimed for. What he really wanted was the opportunity to give people a pain-free life. Lots of people, lots of surgeries, lots of time in the OR—his favorite place to be.

Chloe turned her head toward him, but slowly as if she were studying the entire audience. He waited for her gaze to land on him, which it did for a nanosecond before it skittered past. Was she interested in him?

He hadn’t been nearly as subtle when he’d checked her out. He’d stared long enough to notice that her long dark eyelashes curled at the ends, that her eyebrows arched over her remarkable eyes and her nose tipped just at the end. Chloe was pretty, really pretty, and really sweet. Around her a man could lose his heart if he wasn’t careful.

She hadn’t looked his way again, though the luncheon speaker was long-winded and not half as interesting as Chloe had been in her workshop. Was Mom enjoying the speaker?

He glanced at Mom, and his heart sank. She was having the time of her life…and probably hadn’t heard one word of the speaker. Her eyes flicked from Chloe to him as if she were watching a tennis match.

He leaned over and whispered, “What are you doing?”

“Never mind,” she whispered back. “I know what’s going on. I’m going to invite Chloe to my birthday dinner tonight.”

“Good.” Sometimes he ran out of things to talk about with his mother. It would feel like more of a party with Chloe along.

All this matchmaking was giving him a headache. He rubbed the back of his neck and told himself everything would be back to normal a week from Monday. Mom would be back in Illinois and he’d be back in the OR, where he didn’t have to deal with people and how they felt until their anesthesia wore off and he could prescribe something for real, physical pain.

Dealing with people and their feelings was tough. He would love nothing more than to give his mom a hug and say, “I know you want grandchildren, but, please, can’t it be enough that I’m happy?”

Because his mom loved him, she would nod and try to hide how it crushed her, and he would feel terrible. He never wanted to disappoint her…if he could help it.

Chloe hadn’t heard much of the speaker’s presentation. She’d been too busy thinking that she’d finally met someone with boyfriend potential, but Zack was her polar opposite. She wanted to raise children who would know what it meant to be loved, and Zack had a reputation for not needing anyone.

Her sisters, Carmen and Cate, agreed that he was a great guy. He didn’t have an inflated ego, which was a remarkable quality considering the attention he got from the doctor-groupies who seemed intent on becoming the second half of “Dr. and Mrs.”

Chloe had never understood women like that. Didn’t they realize that they would see their pool guys more than they would see their husbands? At least that was the way it had been in her house. Surgeons like her dad lived at the hospital.

When the speaker finally finished, Chloe gave Zack’s mother her business card. “Call me when you know when you’d like that clown lesson, Bonnie. I’ll be out of town next weekend doing a workshop, but any weekday after four is fine.”

“That’s so nice of you, Chloe.”

“Well, it is your birthday.”

“Oh! You have to see what Zack did for my birthday. Could you come up to my room for a minute? I’ve got to share this with someone.”

“I’d love to!” How could she turn Bonnie down?

“I see someone I’d like to talk to,” Zack said. “You two go ahead, and I’ll meet you upstairs.”

When Bonnie opened the door to her room, Chloe could see why Bonnie had been so impressed. The place had California luxury written all over it. Outside the balcony, the tops of tall palm trees swayed in the breeze. On the bar counter was a basket of luscious-looking fruit, and centered on the dining table was an enormous bouquet of roses.

“Bonnie! What a wonderful place to celebrate your birthday!”

“I’m staying with Zack for the rest of my visit, but he wanted me to have a room at the hotel during the conference. A room, Chloe! Do you call this a room?”

“I call it the effort of a son who wants to show his mother he loves her.”

“But he’s done so much. He set up a day at a spa back home for me to have a makeover. He made sure I had new clothes, and he flew me out here first class. I feel like Cinderella!”

Chloe laughed at the woman’s exuberance. “I’m sure you deserve it!”

“On top of everything else, he had the roses waiting for me—sixty of them—one for each year I’ve lived. I didn’t know I’d raised such a thoughtful son…or that he could afford all this!”

“From what I hear, Zack has become the orthopedic surgeon to see in Los Angeles. His patients are among the most celebrated in a town full of celebrities.”

“Really?” Bonnie’s blue eyes rounded with pleased surprise. “I wish Zack’s dad could have heard that. Zack had so many achievements, but Roland never had a kind word for Zack. It made me so mad.”

Chloe had to wonder why Bonnie had put up with that. She was a teacher. She knew how withholding praise affected a child.

“Zack seems happy, but I have to wonder if he isn’t lonely.”

“Being alone isn’t the same thing as being lonely. Maybe he’s just wrapped up in his work. That’s how it’s been for me.”

“Chloe, you’re such a wonderful person. I can’t believe you haven’t found your Mr. Right by now?”

Bonnie’s woeful expression struck Chloe as funny. “It’s okay, Bonnie. I haven’t really been looking for him.”

“And now that your life has changed directions?”

“I don’t know if I’ll find Mr. Right. Many women don’t. Outside of literature, do you think people experience that earth-shattering love that we read about?”

“Yes, I do. I felt it for Zack’s father. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to last, but it’s what I want for my son and all my single friends.”

It was hard to believe this lovely woman claimed that kind of love for a man who hadn’t taken pride in his son. It wasn’t for Chloe to judge, but how could Bonnie have loved that man?

There was a knock on the outer door before Zack entered, holding up the card key he’d used to get in. “Am I interrupting?”

“You are, but in the best way,” Bonnie said. “Chloe and I have been talking like old friends. I haven’t even gotten around to asking her if she’ll join us for dinner tonight. Can you celebrate with me, Chloe?”

The invitation came as a surprise, but who could say no to this nice woman? “I’d love to join you, Bonnie.”

“Great!” Zack said. “Chloe’s sister is joining us, too.”

“How wonderful. It will be a party!” Bonnie exclaimed.

Bonnie must have told Zack she was inviting Chloe for dinner, and Zack must have called at least one of her sisters. “Which sister, Zack?”

“Carmen. I called Cate, too, but she had plans.”