Название: The Doctor's Bride
Автор: Patt Marr
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Короткие любовные романы
Серия: Mills & Boon Love Inspired
isbn: 9781408964521
isbn:
And she had him wondering about her as more than a conference speaker. How could a guy help but admire a woman like her? Was she single? With all that world travel, she might be.
How was he going to meet her? He was terrible at making the first move. If his mother so much as sniffed at his interest, she’d make it for him, he’d be embarrassed, and his chance to know this cool woman would be over. It might be awkward, but he had to make that first move.
Chapter Three
T he house lights came up, and Chloe invited them to look through their packets. “There are plenty of ideas on how you can love the children in your own community. If you want the experience of serving in other countries, there’s information about short mission options and extended opportunities.”
She continued, raising her voice to accommodate the rustling sound of conferees looking through their packets. Zack watched his mother dig through hers. If she wanted to love children at one of those foreign locations Chloe had mentioned, he would gladly pay her way.
His best friend, Collin Brennan, an anesthesiologist, had mentioned a medical missionary trip. Collin’s wife was a nurse, and Zack could provide the surgical skills. Zack hadn’t paid much attention before, but it certainly was a possibility. Collin could put the kids to sleep while Zack used his scalpel to help them, but didn’t it make more sense to fly them to the U.S. where they could get first-class care?
Toward the end of question-and-answer period, his mother raised her hand. Chloe nodded, giving his mom the floor.
“Ms. Kilgannon, thank you for…”
Chloe looked at his mother, saw him and did a visible double take. She knew him. There was no doubt about that.
Was that good…or really, really bad? He nodded, which seemed like the right thing to do even if he didn’t have a clue when or where they’d met.
With a shadow of a smile, she nodded back and focused again on his mom. “Excuse me, could you repeat the question? I’m afraid I wasn’t paying attention because I just noticed the very nice man you’re sitting next to.”
Mom looked at him with shock. “Zack? You know Chloe Kilgannon?”
“A couple of weeks ago,” Chloe said, “a friend had asked me to do my act as Flower the Clown at the hospital.
“This man is a doctor who was on the pediatrics floor to check on a patient. Since he seemed like a very kind man with an excellent sense of humor, Flower— not me —took advantage of his goodwill and drew him into the act.”
The crowd responded with “ooh’s” of understanding.
Chloe looked down at Zack and saw that he’d put it together. His smile, so big and wide, made her wobble in her new high heels. “I’m telling you this because what he did that day is a perfect example of loving children, face to face. Just by playing along and helping the children forget how sick they were, he made a difference.”
She glanced back at Zack and was surprised that he looked at her with amazement. Hadn’t he realized that he’d done a good thing?
“Did he want to be the subject of Flower’s silliness? Probably not! But he left his comfort zone to do something good for the kids. Wasn’t that great?”
All over the room people nodded and some applauded.
“I hope you’ll let me know when you’ve experienced new ways of showing children they are loved. You’ll feel so good about it, and so will I. Thank you for being a great audience.”
As Chloe stepped away from the podium, the audience rose to their feet and applauded. The workshop moderator hugged Chloe, and that was it. Her first presentation was over.
People gathered around her for more questions, and she lost sight of Zack. Her disappointment was as keen as a child who’d watched her pretty balloon float away, but she had to focus on the people who wanted to talk to her.
Finally the moderator interceded and sent everyone to lunch. The crowd thinned, and there was Zack, his arms crossed and that great smile on his face. He came toward her with an outstretched hand. “Hi, Chloe. It’s nice to meet you as yourself.”
Though she’d just shaken dozens of hands, the touch of his hand sent a little shiver of excitement up her spine. “I should confess, when we met in the hospital elevator, I did know who you were. My sisters had pointed you out at Collin Brennan’s wedding.”
“You were there? I sat with your family, but—”
“I was at the children’s table, keeping them entertained as Flower.”
“You’re very good at that,” he said with awe. “Now that I know how good, I probably shouldn’t get my hopes up that Flower genuinely fell for me, should I?”
“Flower hoped you’d forget that.”
“Forget? I never forget a red-nosed woman who literally falls at my feet.”
“You know, I hurt my knee on that move.”
“I’m sorry,” he said, switching from a smile to a look of genuine concern. “Knees are my orthopedic subspecialty. Does it still bother you?”
“No, but I’ll never do that particular fall again.”
“Good!” His grin was back. “Flower shouldn’t fall for just any guy.”
She knew he was teasing, but she felt a little zing of joy. “I never know what Flower will do next,” she said, trying to explain away her silliness.
“When she works the peds floor again, have her give me a call. I’ll be her straight man any day. It isn’t much, but I have it on good authority that anything we do for kids is better than nothing at all.”
Chloe felt a smile deep in her soul. “Thanks for remembering that.”
“I think everyone did. You could have heard a pin drop. You’re a very good speaker, Chloe.”
The sincerity in his sky-blue eyes had to be real. “Thank you. This was my first presentation, and I thought I would be sick.”
“When you walked on stage, you seemed a little nervous. I even asked the Lord to help you. But then you seemed so poised I thought I must have been wrong.”
“You didn’t consider that your prayer could have helped?” she teased.
“Not even once,” he admitted with a rueful smile.
“Well, it may have, along with the prayers of my coworkers. They all knew I felt as if I were going to the gallows.”
He shook his head and grinned. “Seriously, you were terrific up there. My mother thought so, too.”
“That was your mother beside you?”
He nodded. “This really made her day, her birthday, as a matter of fact.”
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