The Cowboy's Healing Ways (Cooper Creek) (22 page)

“I’m making you breakfast.”

Laura smiled at Abigail. “I see that.”

“I wanted to let you sleep a little longer.” Jesse put the milk on the counter. “Hey, Abigail, do you think you could give us a minute?”

Abigail stepped down off the chair. “I’ll wake Mia up.”

“Good idea.” Jesse smiled as the little girl skipped away. He listened as she tried to wake Mia. He heard Mia’s groggy reply, soft voices and then a minute later the click of the front door.

Mia, always smart.

Laura stood in the doorway, still watching the cowboy in stocking feet. He filled up her kitchen, her house, her life. She had heard him tell her daughter that someday she would have a husband, a man who was strong, someone she could trust.

Laura couldn’t help but compare that someone to him. Her heart ached looking at him.

He opened his arms to her, strong arms, a solid chest, a good heart. “I’m here for you.”

The words broke her down. She walked into the kitchen and into his arms. Her cheek rested against the soft, worn cotton of the pale blue shirt, the collar frayed at the seams. It smelled like Jesse, like the outdoors, like cedar and warm sunshine on the grass.

His hands held her close. His arms were strong. She never wanted to leave those arms.

“What are you doing here?” She looked up and he smiled down at her. He brushed his cheek, rough because he hadn’t shaved, against hers.

“I’m here because you needed me.”

“Are you always there for a woman when she needs you?”

“Always. I’m always going to be here for you. As long as you want me here.”

“Jesse, don’t make promises.”

“I’m not making promises. I’m telling you that I want to be here. I want to be in your life. I want to hold you and make you feel strong and help you to trust that there are people who won’t hurt you, won’t walk out on you.”

“That sounds like a promise.”

“I guess it is. And I don’t break my promises.”

He pulled her close, inhaling deeply and then sighing. She wanted to stay in his arms, but she couldn’t. He was here and none of it really added up.

“What about the school? What about South America?”

“The school was great. South America is a continent in our southern hemisphere and I hope to someday travel there. But not alone. And I do hope to find my mother and sister. Also, not alone.”

“You aren’t going?”

“My mission is here. I realized that a couple of days ago. I was sitting in one of their chapel services and it hit me that Jeremy is doing exactly what I’ve always wanted to do.”

“You’re staying?” she asked, trying to process what this meant for her life.

“I’m staying. My plans have changed.” He stepped close and she held her breath as he leaned, his hands on her back holding her close. She rested her hands on his shoulders, waiting.

“Are you going to kiss me or not?” She laughed a shaky laugh because it sounded so desperate. But she needed for him to make this real.

He smiled and moved one hand to her cheek. Slowly he lowered his head and kissed her. Laura closed her eyes as the moment lasted. He brushed his lips across her cheek and rested his cheek against hers, his mouth close to her ear.

“I love you.” His voice, husky with emotion, made her shiver as the words sank in. He loved her.

Eventually he pulled back. Maybe because there was a pan on the stove that was starting to smoke. He reached back and turned it off, moving it off the burner.

“I want to be the man you can trust to always be in your life.”

Laura’s world spun in a crazy way that made it hard to process what he was telling her. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

He placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head. She opened her eyes and looked at him, saw in his face the reflection of what he’d said.

“Laura, I’m getting a little worried. I said I love you. There’s a proper response when a guy says that and the proper response triggers the next question. Honey, if you could just help me out here.”

She stood on tiptoe and touched her lips to his, tasting him, loving him. “I love you, too.”

He grabbed her up and held her tight. “That’s good to know.”

“Is it?”

He nodded as he backed away from her and reached into his pocket. “It’s very good to know. I’ve been planning this all night but in my plans, you gave the proper response. I was a little worried.”

He reached for her hand and she shivered at his touch. He smiled at her. “I know we need a little time to get to know each other, but I also know that there are times in life when you know your heart. There are times you see God at work and you just know that He’s done something amazing.”

“Jesse?” she whispered, swallowing the well of emotion that found itself lodged in her chest.

“Shh.” He looked up as he dropped to one knee. He held her hand and slid a diamond and sapphire ring onto her finger.

“Myrna’s ring.” She blinked back the tears that blurred her vision.

“Shh.” He held her hand in his. “She hunted this ring down after she got out of the hospital and she told me to take it and pray about what to do with it.”

“And did you do that?” Her eyes watered and she could feel her pulse in her neck.

“I did. I realized that the most important thing God has given me to do is to serve Him. But I also realized He brought you and Abigail into my life and showed me that He had something for me that went beyond what I ever thought I would have. God has given me two people to love and protect.”

Laura closed her eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger. He pulled her down to his level. They were both on the floor facing each other.

“I don’t want a plan that’s about next year or five years from now. I want a plan that includes the three of us
now.
”

“Jesse.” Her voice trailed off and he leaned to kiss her again.

“Don’t say no.” He whispered close to her ear. “I know this is sudden, but please, don’t say no.”

She shook her head. “I’m not saying no.”

“Are you saying yes?” He held her close and she felt him tremble in her arms.

“I’m saying yes.”

From behind them, someone shouted, “She’s saying YES!”

Laura turned to smile at her daughter. “Abigail.”

Abigail ran into the room and straight into Jesse’s waiting arms. “Mia, she said yes!”

Mia peeked around the door and waved. “Hey. Just wanted to say congratulations before I leave. I just got a call.”

Mia hurried into the room and hugged Laura and then her brother.

Jesse stood and held his sister for a long moment. “Be careful.”

“Will do, Jesse Pooh.”

He watched her walk out of the room, concern settling over him. Laura had stood and she touched his arm. He pulled her close to his side.

“She’ll be safe,” she offered, and he turned and held her. He picked up Abigail in his other arm. Laura smiled at the daughter who had her arms around Jesse’s neck.

“Love hopes all things, believes all things,” Abigail whispered to Jesse.

“Yes, Abigail, it certainly does. Love never fails.”

Laura looked up and Jesse smiled and leaned to kiss her again. And again.

They were going to be a family.

* * * * *

If you enjoyed this story by Brenda Minton,
be sure to look for the next book in her
COOPER CREEK
series,
coming soon from Love Inspired books!

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt of
Reunited for the Holidays
by Jillian Hart!

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Cooper Creek!
The Doctor’s Healing Ways
is the fourth book in the series, and I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the story of Jesse Cooper and Laura White as much as I enjoyed writing it! Dr. Jesse Cooper is one of my favorite heroes. He is reluctant, and yet he is the kind of man who always comes to the rescue. What could be better than a reluctant hero and a heroine who is surprised by love? I hope you enjoy this story of second chances and happy endings.

Brenda Minton

Questions For Discussion

1. Laura White takes Myrna Cooper up on her offer and then regrets that decision. She has to face her own insecurity and Dr. Jesse Cooper. What are the reasons for her insecurities?
   

2. Jesse Cooper is obviously worried about his grandmother, a woman who makes decisions based on her heart and not always with the best judgment. How is this good? How is this bad?
   

3. Laura comes looking for help from an aunt she hasn’t been in touch with in years. The outcome isn’t what she expects, and things fall apart. How does she deal with this changing situation? Did she make a mistake?
   

4. Jesse finds that he has to put himself out there, rather than closing himself off. Why does this happen and how?
   

5. Laura is in a place where she has to take help from strangers. How does she reconcile this with the situation she finds herself in?
   

6. Jesse is considering major changes in his life. How does meeting Laura change things for him?
   

7. What causes Jesse’s guilt in the situation with Gayla? Is it founded or unfounded?
   

8. How do the Coopers change Laura’s life—not materially, but emotionally?
   

9. Laura has more to consider than her own heart. Why does she worry about her daughter’s heart in this relationship with Jesse?
   

10. When does Laura really begin to see Jesse as someone she could fall in love with? What changes things in their relationship?
    

11. When does Jesse begin to see that maybe God is doing something unexpected in his life and that Laura is more than just a person who needs his help?
    

12. Jesse is understandably curious about his birth mother and the sister he lost track of. How does this affect his decisions in life?
    

13. Jesse can see that there is a difference between a burden and a call to ministry. What are the differences, and how does he make the decision to go or not to go?
    

14. When Laura’s stepbrother comes after her, she has to trust more than the police, more than herself. She has relied on herself for a long time. How is it good that she has learned to rely on others?
    

We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

You believe hearts can heal.
Love Inspired
stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

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Chapter One

D
r. Brian Wallace plucked the ceramic frog out of the flower bed, tipped it upside down and shook hard. The spare front-door key fell onto his palm as he squinted into the watery afternoon sun. It was good to be home. Late November air crisped over him and he shivered, goose bumps traveling down his arms. Weak from an extended illness, he gripped the railing to steady himself. The long trip from rural Texas had taken a toll on him.

The old adage There’s No Worse Patient Than a Doctor had never been more true, he thought, as he struggled up the stairs. Easily winded, he paused a moment at the top, thanking God he was here to see the colors of sunset. His near brush with death had marked him. He couldn’t deny it. He’d missed his life here in Fort Worth. He missed his kids—although they were grown, they were what he had left of his heart.

He ambled to the door, leaned heavily against the wall and inserted the key. The door creaked open. Every part of him vibrated with a mix of weakness and exhaustion. As he crossed the threshold into the comfort of the house, memories surrounded him. It had been years since his children had lived here, but he recalled the pound of music from an upstairs bedroom, the chatter of his daughter on her phone, the drum of feet as one of the boys prowled the kitchen.

Emotion dug into his chest, claws sharp. Yes, looking death in the face changed a man. It stripped away everything extraneous, leaving what mattered most.

His footsteps echoed in the lonely living room. He eased onto a couch cushion, sighing heavily as fatigue washed over him like water. Maybe he should have listened to his colleague—he’d valued Dr. Travors’s expertise, which had saved his life—but he’d had enough bed rest. He needed to get home; he needed to be here. The Lord had put a deep call into his heart. He couldn’t explain it as he reached for the phone to try his children again. He needed to see them.