Jamie’s eyes seemed alight with amusement. “I know who you are. You made quite a stir among the single men the first day you attended services. There was talk of drawing straws to see who got to ask out the gorgeous blonde first.”
Cassie felt the warmth creep up her neck, not as much because of the conversation but because of the way Dr. Reynolds looked at her, as if he were intensely interested in what the single guys at church had decided.
Cassie cleared her throat. “I think Peter Bench won. Or lost, depending on how you look at it.”
The doctor’s gaze pierced through her skull, and his intensity flared like a forest fire.
Jamie nodded. “I would have expected Peter to get first dibs of the three. He’s already asked you out?”
“He took me to a fancy restaurant in Green Bay.” She glanced at the doctor, who hadn’t moved a muscle. He should really stop looking at her like that.
“That sounds like Peter,” Jamie said.
Cassie tried to ignore the doctor. “I was afraid to sit on the chair. It looked like they upholstered it out of silk.”
“Peter has lots of disposable income. Though why he would live in Shawano with all that cash is beyond me.” Jamie’s eyes darted between Cassie and the doctor. She reached over and ruffled Austin’s hair. “We have a Bible study on Wednesday nights. You’re always invited.”
“Thank you,” Cassie said, feeling palpable relief. It was very kind of Jamie to move the conversation in another direction. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’ve been trying to convince the doctor to join us, but he’s always got some lame excuse, like surgery or wart removal.”
Dr. Reynolds smiled sheepishly and shrugged. “There’s a wart epidemic. We’re working day and night to keep it under control.”
Jamie glanced sideways at Cassie. “If we both work on him, he’s bound to crack.”
Cassie eyed Dr. Reynolds. She knew how uncomfortable she felt when someone badgered her into doing something she didn’t want to do. She smiled. “It’s not my place to work on anybody.”
Dr. Reynolds’s intense gaze softened like warm tapioca pudding.
Jamie smiled back as if sharing a secret. “Not my place either, I suppose, but I’m going to do it anyway.”
Dr. Reynolds seemed to have to pry his eyes from hers to look at Austin. “How are you feeling today?”
Austin let out a great sigh. “I’m okay.”
“It looks like they’re still feeding you medicine through a tube.”
“Yeah.”
Dr. Reynolds leaned closer and rested his arm on the bed railing, pinning Austin with a sympathetic gaze. “How are you really feeling?”
Several emotions played on Austin’s face. Cassie could tell he wanted to put on a brave front but also wanted what comfort the doctor could give him. The little boy in him won out. His eyes pooled with tears. “I’m not very brave.”
“Are you kidding?” Dr. Reynolds said. “You’re feeling rotten, lying here in this rotten hospital bed, watching a stupid cartoon. You haven’t run away or hit any nurses today. I’d say that’s pretty brave.”
“I hate it here,” Austin said.
Dr. Reynolds nodded. “I hate the smell.”
“And the food tastes terrible.”
“I’m sick of green Jell-O,” said Dr. Reynolds.
Austin made a face. “It’s better than lemon.”
Cassie loved the rich bass of Dr. Reynolds’s laughter. “If your doctor says it’s okay, I’ll bring you some of Cassie’s peanut butter cookies. They are to die for.”
Cassie self-consciously played with the hair at the back of her neck. She shouldn’t get all tingly just because Dr. Reynolds liked her peanut butter cookies.
“My mom sometimes brings McDonald’s cheeseburgers,” Austin said.
Dr. Reynolds propped his cheek on his fist. “Remember how I told you I played soccer?”
Austin acted as if the question insulted his intelligence. “I know.”
“My friend on the team, one of the best keepers you’ll ever see, got really sick one night. I had to take him to the emergency room. They tried to give him a shot, and he screamed like a baby. He had a needle phobia.”
“What’s a needle phobia?”
“He was scared of needles. I had to hold his arm down so he wouldn’t jerk it around when they stuck the needle in. That made it worse, because it hurts a lot less if you relax.”
“I know,” Austin said. “Marla told me.”
“So it’s okay to be scared, and it’s okay to cry and fuss. Even the big guys freak out sometimes.”
Austin rubbed his eye. “But it doesn’t do any good to make a fuss about it. That’s what my mom says.”
“But it doesn’t mean you’re not brave. It just means it’s hard.”
“Really hard,” Austin said, letting out a long, slow breath.
Dr. Reynolds nudged Austin’s shoulder with his fist. “So give yourself a break. I’m here to help. I’ll hold your arm down if you need me to.”
“Mom says Jesus will help me too.”
Dr. Reynolds made only the slightest hesitation. “Yes, He will.”
“Will you say a prayer to Jesus?” Austin asked.
Cassie didn’t know how Dr. Reynolds could have said no to that trusting face turned up to his.
Dr. Reynolds nodded slowly. “I will.”
Austin clasped his hands together and bowed his head.
The doctor raised an eyebrow. “Now?”
“Yes,” Austin said with a giggle. “When did you think?”
Dr. Reynolds cleared his throat before bowing his head and closing his eyes. Cassie did the same.
“Dear God,” he began. The sound of his voice, so deep and heartfelt, gave her goose bumps all the way up her arms. “Hallowed be Thy name. My friend Austin is afraid. Will You comfort him and help him to sleep well tonight? Will You please help him feel better and heal his body so that he can get out of this hospital and play soccer and never eat green Jell-O again?”
Cassie felt a tear roll down her cheek. Dr. Reynolds prayed like someone who knew how but haltingly as if he hadn’t done it for a very long time. This was the man who was mad at God? The one who’d lost his faith? She didn’t believe it for a minute.
“Amen,” they said together.
Cassie wiped the moisture from her face. She looked at Jamie’s. Her eyes were glistening with tears too.
Austin beamed. “Now I know I’ll get better.”
Dr. Reynolds studied Cassie’s face and gave her a doubtful smile. “That bad, huh?”
She smiled back. He always said that. “It was beautiful. I’m kind of a baby,” Cassie said barely above a whisper. If she tried to talk louder, her voice might crack.
“I reduce women to tears with my sorry attempts to talk to God.”
Jamie reached over and slugged him lightly on the shoulder. “You did fine.”
“Ouch!” he said, rubbing his shoulder as if she’d really hurt him, but it would take a lot more than that to bruise those rock-solid arms.
“Soon you’re going to have every patient in this hospital requesting prayers,” Jamie said. “Especially the ladies.”
A nurse tapped lightly on the door and came into the room carrying Austin’s breakfast tray. “Good morning, Austin,” she said, in her chipper nurse voice. “Time for breakfast.” She gave Dr. Reynolds a playful smile and a wink. “Good morning, Dr. Reynolds.”
“Hi, Stacey.”
Cassie felt annoyed for no reason whatsoever, except maybe for the fact that the nurse made googly eyes at the doctor. But why should she care about that? It was none of her business how many girls fell at Dr. Reynolds’s feet, or what kind of relationship Stacey and the doctor had.
It might not be any of her business, but when Dr. Reynolds smiled back at that nurse, an illogical pang of jealousy stabbed her right in the chest. What had happened to her? She was supposed to be immune to Dr. Reynolds’s charms. Wouldn’t he
still try to jump into bed with her at the first opportunity? Shouldn’t his many character flaws keep her safely indifferent to him?
But she wasn’t indifferent. Down in the deepest place in her heart, in spite of everything, she liked him, and she rebelled at the thought that he was like the other Englisch guys she’d known in college.
Once she’d refused to go out with him, he’d never pushed her or made her feel guilty for saying no. He hadn’t been mad about it either, as if she were an idiot for not wanting to go out with him. She got that a lot from guys.
Rational or not, Cassie found herself seething with jealousy over a wink and a smile. And she didn’t like the feeling one little bit.
The nurse pulled the portable table in front of Austin and set the tray on it. “Smells delicious,” she said, as she took the lid off the tray.
Dr. Reynolds set his clipboard on the bed and leaned over to get a better look at Austin’s breakfast. French toast, eggs, orange juice, and green Jell-O.
Austin and Dr. Reynolds met eyes. In unison they threw up their hands and screamed. Dr. Reynolds squealed like a little girl, which sent Austin into a fit of laughter.
Cassie and Jamie laughed too.
“I’ll save you,” Dr. Reynolds bellowed.
Cassie practically jumped out of her socks when Dr. Reynolds scooped Austin’s Jell-O from the tray with his bare hands and ran around the bed to the trash can, holding the green stuff away from his body as if it were toxic. He flipped the Jell-O into the can with a flick of his wrist.
Austin gave him a round of applause.
“Doctor,” Stacey stuttered, “I don’t think you’re supposed to do that.”
Dr. Reynolds rinsed his hands at the sink and draped an arm over Jamie’s shoulder. “It had to be done, Stacey,” he said. “Don’t you agree, Miss Fedora?”
Jamie jabbed her elbow into his ribs. He doubled over in mock pain. “It’s Miss Stetson,” Jamie said. “And you owe me a dollar. I was going to eat that Jell-O.”
“That was awesome,” Austin said, still giggling.
Stacey only had eyes for the doctor. She smiled and shook her head. “If you say so. You’re the doctor.” She gave him one last enticing glance, as if inviting him to follow her, and walked out the door, swinging her hips like a pendulum as she went.
To Cassie’s relief, Dr. Reynolds didn’t seem to notice. “Call me anytime. I’m not afraid to do battle with evil foods.” He picked up his clipboard. “Cassie and I have to go now. Her grandma just got out of surgery, and she needs to be with her.” His eyes met hers, and he smiled. The look he gave her was so attractive she thought she might faint.
“Okay.” Austin picked up his fork and stabbed at his eggs. “Come back, and we can play FIFA sometime.”
“Bye, Austin,” Cassie said. “It was nice to meet you.”
“I expect to see you in church on Sunday, Doctor,” Jamie said as they walked out the door.
The doctor shot a mischievous grin over his shoulder and kept walking.
They ambled down the hall and into the stairwell. “Great kid,” Dr. Reynolds said.
“Is he going to be okay?”
His face looked as if it had fallen into shadow. “He’s a fighter.”
“I can tell.”
“I’m worried, though. Even though I’m still mad at God, I’ve said a lot of prayers for Austin, just in case.”
“I’m glad you’re not too mad to talk to Him.”
He smiled faintly. “This is the first time we’ve been alone for more than a week.”
“Is it?”
“On Wednesday after I changed your mammi’s foot dressing, your dawdi showed me how to clean the horse’s hooves. On Friday, we fixed the water pump and unclogged the toilet.”
“I’m sure you enjoyed that.”
“Immensely,” he said, making her laugh at his teasing grin. What kind of a man volunteered to unclog the toilet just to be nice?
He suddenly became serious and eyed her as if he had something very important on his mind. Was he going to ask her out again?
Her pulse surged with anticipation.
“Miss Coblenz—”
This was not starting out well. A guy didn’t call you “Miss” if he was about to ask you out. “Miss Coblenz sounds like an old lady. Please call me Cassie.”
The seriousness vanished, and he seemed like a little kid for a minute. “Are you sure?”
“You come to my house three times a week. You unclogged my toilet. You should call me Cassie. And I didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
She might have just given him permission to eat all the snickerdoodles in the cookie jar. “Okay, Cassie.” She loved the way it sounded when he said it, like someone wrapping a warm blanket around her shoulders. He raised his eyebrows. “Can I call you Cassandra when I’m feeling especially fancy?”
She coughed as the embarrassment lodged in her throat. “My . . . my real name isn’t Cassandra.”
“Just Cassie, then?”
She coughed again. Was she breaking out in hives? “I’m named after a woman in the Bible, full of good works. She made coats and stuff for people. I think my mamm had hopes I’d be a good quilter when I grew up.”
“I don’t remember a Cassie in the Bible.”
Might as well get her shame out in the open. “My name is Dorcas.”
His mouth fell open, and he stammered incoherently for a moment. “Dorcas?”
Her lips twitched upward at the look on his face—a mixture of disbelief, amusement, and sheer panic that he’d have to lie and tell her he liked her name. The laughter bubbled from inside her. “It’s okay. I’m as horrified as you are.”
He decided it was safe to laugh. Their mirth echoed off the cement walls of the stairwell. “Cassie it is. Or I could call you Dorcassie. It sounds sort of British.”
She attempted a stern glare. “Don’t you dare. I’ll never be able to show my face in public again.”
“Dorcas. It’s kind of cute.”
“Don’t try to smooth things over.” She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I know how you really feel.”
“Do you?” His piercing gaze held her captive for one breathless moment and then disappeared. He looked down and cleared his throat. “If I call you Cassie or Dorcassie, will you call me Zach? It’s short for Zacharias.”
“Really?”
He grinned. “No. I just wanted to make you feel better.”
She made a face at him.
“When you call me Dr. Reynolds, it sounds like you’re trying to keep your distance.”
That was exactly what she had been trying to do. “I want to show you the respect that a doctor deserves. You’ve earned the title.”
He groaned. “I’d rather have your friendship than your respect. I mean, I like to be respected, but respect seems like something you should give to old people.”
“I’ve seen how good you are to your patients. You have my respect.”
His expression radiated something akin to tenderness. “Can we be friends too?”
She felt warm all over. “I’d like that.”
He slowly reached toward her, and for a breathless second, she thought he might take her hand. Instead, he dropped his arm to his side and took a step back, but he didn’t stop looking at her like a kid looks at the tree on Christmas morning. “Cassie.” Saying her first name made him smile. “Cassie, there aren’t enough words to tell you how grateful I am for what you did for my mom. She was so worried about those flowers. I can’t believe you made a thousand.”
The way he looked at her made her feel as if warm honey flowed through her veins. “It wasn’t just me. Mammi took a break from her knitting, and my mamm spent the day helping us too.”
“Your mom?” He raised both eyebrows in surprise. Mamm hadn’t exactly made a good impression on him. “Why would she do that for someone she’s never met?”
“I told her how upset you were about it. We all wanted to help.”
“How can
I repay your kindness?”
“Repay? After all you’ve done for my mammi? Believe me, the balance is owing to you.”
He lowered his head. “I’m a doctor. It’s my job.”
“No doctor I’ve ever met would unclog a toilet for one of his patients.”
He flashed a self-effacing smile. “It’s a bonus service.”
“You’ve got some very useful skills. Any Amish mammi would be impressed.”
This seemed to make him disproportionately happy. “You noticed?”
“I’ve never seen a more eager or faster learner. You could make a go of it as a farmer.”
“Even an Amish farmer?”
“Yes. If you weren’t such a good doctor.”
His eyes shone. “I don’t think I’ll quit my day job just yet, but it’s nice to know you think I could be Amish. Maybe I should grow one of those beards.”
She giggled. “Maybe you should.”
“Why does Norman have a beard but Luke doesn’t? Can’t he grow one?”
“Men don’t grow beards until they’re married,” Cassie said.
“That’s too bad. I thought I’d grow one just to show Norman I could. He probably doesn’t think I’m manly enough.”
Cassie shook her head. “Nobody measures up to Norman’s standards unless they’re Amish and approved by my mother.”
Zach deflated slightly. “Maybe we should tell Norman I unclogged the toilet. That might ramp up my manliness.”
“It’s probably as high as it can go already.”
He whipped his head around to look at her. “You think so?”
Cassie’s heart skipped a beat as she felt the blush on her cheeks. “You put out fires with your bare hands.”
He grinned. “And I’m manly enough to wear pink.”
“Norman would never even dare attempt that.”
Chapter Sixteen
Cassie’s heart did a double flip-flop when she drove up the hill and saw Zach’s matching Honda parked in front of Mammi’s house. He was early. Last week after surgery, he told her he’d be by today at ten a.m. She parked her car beside his and checked her phone. Only nine o’clock.
She swiveled the rearview mirror to get a look at herself. Ach, du lieva. She looked a mess. She had pulled her hair into a clumsy ponytail, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. Not to mention the fact that her workout clothes were damp with sweat, and she probably smelled like a high school gym locker.
Huckleberry Hearts Page 18
