Heaven Sent Husband. Gilbert Morris

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ to—” She broke off suddenly and her eyes widened. The other two were watching her and saw something like shock come over her face. “Who is that?” she whispered.

      Ket turned casually and then suddenly froze. The sight of the tall man who had just entered the cafeteria with Dr. Lars Bjelland had an almost paralyzing effect on her.

      “Now, he is something!” Debbie breathed. “Did you ever see a better-looking man in your whole life?”

      The man that Debbie and Maggie were staring at was six foot five, with a lean, athletic-looking build. He had auburn hair, light blue eyes and strong, even features. Both Maggie and Debbie watched with shock as he suddenly turned toward them and smiled. “He’s coming over here,” Debbie said.

      “Do you know him?” Maggie whispered.

      Ket had no time to answer for the tall man stopped before them and looked down at her. “Hello, Ket,” he said.

      “Hello, Jared. It’s nice to see you.”

      “You’re a nurse here?”

      “I’m almost through with my training.”

      “Mom said she got a letter from your mother telling her you were almost done.” His warm smile made him even more attractive. “I guess we’ll be seeing each other from time to time. I’m going to intern here at Mercy.” Then he glanced across the room and said, “Dr. Bjelland’s waiting. Good to see you.”

      The three young women watched in stunned silence as he walked away. “Who is that?” Maggie finally gasped.

      “Jared Pierce.”

      “And you know him?” Debbie breathed. “Tell us all about it!”

      “Oh, we grew up together. Went to the same school.”

      “What a cutie!” Debbie sighed. “Did you date him?”

      “No,” Ket said shortly. “He was a couple of grades above me—and besides, we didn’t get along.”

      “Didn’t get along with a guy like that?” Maggie snorted. “You were out of your mind!”

      “Don’t be fooled by appearances, ladies,” Ket warned. “When I think of Jared Pierce, all I can remember is a rather nasty boy who teased me about being so tall. He was always puling my ponytail, and once he pushed me into a mud puddle.”

      “He could push me into the Atlantic Ocean!” Debbie grinned.

      “Well, he was the star of the baseball team. All the girls were chasing him.” Ket shrugged. “He wouldn’t have looked at me if my hair was on fire.”

      They all three watched as the two doctors got their trays and made their way to a table.

      “Look at that,” Maggie said. “Every woman in here has her eyes on that man. Ket, you’ve got to introduce me to him.”

      “It wouldn’t do you any good. He’s like all stars, pretty stuck-up.”

      “Maybe he’s changed,” Debbie said. “He came over and spoke to you right away.”

      “And that’s probably the last time he’ll speak to me unless he needs my help around here in the medical line for some reason. Which is doubtful.” Ket suddenly lost her appetite. “Here, you can have my other doughnut.” She passed a doughnut to Maggie, then reached down and handed the last morsel of one she had almost finished to Bedford. “Come on, Bedford. We’ve got to get home.”

      “Hey, I want to hear all about that date tomorrow!” Maggie called out but Ket did not even turn around.

      Out in the parking lot, Ket got into the car and plunked Bedford down on the seat beside her. She started the engine and drove home, her mind on Jared Pierce. Her mother had once been best friends with Jared’s mother, but the Pierce family had moved away years ago, so their friendship had been sustained by phone calls and letters.

      “Jared Pierce,” she mused. “Well, he’s something, I have to admit. As mean and stuck-up as he was, I would definitely have dated him if he’d just given me a look, but he never did.”

      Arriving at the house she went quickly inside, unsnapped Bedford’s leash. “Go get something to eat,” she said, and watched the dog scurry off.

      Turning, she went into the den where she found her mother ironing and watching television. Her mother was a news hound and spent most of her time watching the all-news TV channels.

      “Why, Ket, you’re home early. Did you see your young friend?”

      “Yes, I did.”

      “How was he?”

      “Not good. He’s so sick and he doesn’t really know it.”

      “I bet he enjoyed Bedford, though.”

      “Yes, he did. He’s so sweet. He enjoys everything you do for him and is so appreciative.”

      Flinging herself onto the recliner, Ket sat watching her mother for a time. With dark auburn hair, warm dark eyes and a trim figure, Lucille Lindsey was still an attractive woman at age forty-eight. Ketura thought she had to be the most devoted wife and mother in the world…at least in all of Texas. Now that Ket was an adult, she could appreciate how hard her mother had worked raising her three children—Ket and her two older sisters, Carol and Jenny. Though they’d squabbled and teased each other almost constantly while growing up, Ketura missed her sisters and wished she could see them more often. Carol, an elementary school teacher, had recently married and lived in Southern California, where her husband worked for a computer software firm. Jenny was in Chicago, finishing law school. She and her boyfriend had announced their engagement the past Christmas and would be married next year. Ketura was happy for them, but wasn’t looking forward to the event. She felt embarrassed to be the only sister left who was unmarried—and with absolutely no prospects in sight. She dreaded the well-meaning questions and romantic advice of relatives and family friends she’d surely hear on her sister’s wedding day. Ketura hoped to be far away by then, doing missionary work in India, which was her plan once she’d completed her training and became a registered nurse.

      While her parents were proud that she had been called to such an admirable vocation, Ketura knew that they were anxious about her going so far away on her own. Mostly, her parents wanted to see her “settled down with a nice young man”—just like her sisters. She knew her mother worried the most, but her mom was quieter about it than her father. While she and her sisters had been growing up, Ket knew she’d always been the most mischievous, and her mother deserved a medal for her patience.

      And I’m still testing her patience, Ket thought, casting her mother an affectionate glance.

      Ket sighed. She popped the chair back into the reclining position and watched the news for a time but was not really interested. “Guess who I saw today, Mom?” she asked suddenly.

      “Who?”

      “Jared Pierce.”

      This did catch Lucille Lindsey’s attention. “Did you really! Where in the world did you see him?”

      “In СКАЧАТЬ