Disclaimer
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, names, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Tara Neideffer
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
Photo by Casey Boyett
Models: Courtney Boyett and Willis Totten
Cover and Formatting by Qamber Designs and Media
Editing services provided by Janet Bessey at Dragonfly Editing
Dedicated to second chances.
And for Jennifer.
Acknowledgements
A special thank you to, Tammy White, for taking time out of her busy schedule to beta read for me. You were a huge help!
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
—William Shakespeare
Prologue
ETHAN
Ethan Harris slid his key into the lock and shoved open the front door to his three-bedroom home. He paused on the front step, staring into the darkness that welcomed him. The stillness hung in the air, reminding him that he was alone.
Achingly alone.
After three years, he should be used to the nothingness that welcomed him, but it still hadn’t grown on him. There were some days he barely had time to acknowledge how much his life had changed in the past three years, but other times, it fell upon him like a thick blanket of grief, trying to suffocate him. When the despair was more prominent, his mind would torment him, letting his favorite scents and sounds travel through time into the present. He would open his front door to the smell of his favorite meal being prepared against the backdrop of soft music playing, and would walk into the kitchen expecting to see her dancing as she held a spoon to her mouth from her latest taste test. But when he’d walk into the kitchen, it would be empty. The only things that remained were the haunted memories.
Today was a mixture of the two. He acknowledged the emptiness, but he wasn’t expecting to find her waiting for him in the kitchen, either. Maybe he was finally moving on. He almost laughed out loud at that thought because he knew better. It was just a facade, a tease at happiness that would never come. He wasn’t ever truly happy anymore. It was too much to move on from, and he had accepted that. But even through all these feelings, he did feel it was time to move on from where he was physically. Maybe in doing so, he could somehow find the strength to move on mentally from what had happened. He had done everything in his power to find answers to that awful night, but time after time he came up empty handed. There was nothing else to do now, but move on, and after applying for his dream job in New York City, he was hoping he would be well on his way to a new beginning.
He tossed his keys onto the table and leaned back against the counter as he thumbed through his mail. Envelope after envelope was nothing but junk, but then his eyes widened as he came across the last letter. It was from St. Mary’s Hospital in New York. His heart sank, knowing a letter was more than likely a rejection. If they were interested in him for the position, he would have received a phone call for an interview. He opened the letter and began reading the news that unknowingly would be the first step into numerous events that would change his life. He ripped the letter up and tossed it in the trash just as his phone rang.
“Dr. Harris speaking,” Ethan said without hesitation, leaning back against the counter again, with his arms crossed and vaguely hoping he was needed at work. Working nonstop gave him no time to play detective to the events that still consumed him three years ago.
“Dr. Harris, hi, I’m calling from Anderson Hospital in Sweet Haven, Tennessee, about a position you applied for. We would love to set up a phone interview with you, if you’re still interested?”
Ethan’s eyes fell on the torn rejection letter in the trash, and without hesitation, he said, “Yes, I am definitely still interested.”
And in that acceptance, he unknowingly gave his life over to fate.
Chapter 1
ETHAN
Whistling to an old Led Zeppelin song, Ethan made his way down the hall of Anderson Hospital, nodding politely as he passed several nurses, and stopping to sign off on a few forms. He turned the corner and came face to face with a nurse he had a date with for Saturday night.
“Hey, Ethan, I’m looking forward to Saturday night. I have a cute, low cut red sweater that I’ve been saving for a special night,” she said. Her broad smile was accentuated by a shade of bright red lipstick and she leaned in towards him, casually rubbing against his arm.
Ethan’s eyes automatically dropped to her chest as if picturing her in the red sweater now. He saw her smile at his gaze and he quickly brought his eyes up to her face, not wanting to be rude. Or, give her the wrong impression. He smiled and said, “I bet you will look great in it, Stacey.”
Her smile widened at his compliment. “I’ll see you Saturday at eight,” she said, giving him one last look before she walked away.
Ethan watched her hips sway for a moment, and then continued down the hall, humming softly. The days flew by and he was enjoying himself here, almost enough that he felt the edginess inside him calming down and settling into content, for the first time in three years. He could make a life here, he thought. A new life.
“I see you are getting to know the nurses,” a deep voice said behind him.
Ethan smirked, knowing the person behind the snarky voice, and looked over at Nick. Even though Nick was a surgeon and Ethan was a doctor, Nick had taken him under his wing right away, stopping by his office to see how he was settling in and making sure everyone was doing their part to get him what he needed. He was almost the exact same height as Ethan, and as he came into step next to him, the main difference between the two was Nick’s blond hair compared to Ethan’s dark hair. Their build was even similar, but Nick was wearing light blue scrubs instead of slacks and a collared shirt like Ethan. Several nurses had already nick-named them the dynamic duo, which Nick thought was hilarious. Ethan wouldn’t admit it, but the ridiculous nickname made him smile. He liked Nick; he was becoming a good friend to him. It had been awhile since Ethan had someone to shoot the shit with. It seemed the last three years were a blurred haze of confusion, loneliness, and hunting for answers. He never had time to just hang out with a buddy after work.
“They’re just making sure I get to see all the sights around town,” Ethan said.
Nick’s brows shot up as he scoffed. “Yeah, because Sweet Haven is such a huge tourist town that it takes five women in three weeks to show you everything,” he teased.
“They like to play tourist guide,” Ethan mused with a shrug.
“I bet they do.”
Ethan shot him a look. “Do you have a surgery this morning?”
Nick looked at his watch. “Yeah, at nine. A bowel obstruction,” Nick said with a pained smile.
Ethan raised one eyebrow and said, “Better you than me. I’ll stick to looking at the body on the outside, you can tackle the inside.”
Nick slapped him on the back and said, “Yep, that’s why we make a good team.” He veered to the left and called over his shoulder, “I’ll stop by your office later, Ethan.”
“Hope you don’t have a shitty day,” Ethan said, and laughed when Nick gave him the finger before disappearing around the corner.
He had, literally, been in town for less than a month, and had three more dates lined up already. He shook his head as he walked down the hall of Anderson Hospital and on to his next patient. He was glad he had accepted
this position. It was a huge change from the chaos that he’d left behind in Chicago, but the laid-back atmosphere of Sweet Haven was proving to be more his speed. And, the few extra minutes he got to spend with his patients was also worth the lower salary. He found he enjoyed hearing the elderly patients talk about their lives, and here in this small town, they sure did like to talk. The southern hospitality was comforting. People were so much friendlier down here and he didn’t know how he could be in a bad mood with all the warm smiles everyone gave throughout the day. It surprised him to realize that getting that rejection letter from St. Mary’s was a blessing in disguise. At least, right now he was thinking that.
He stopped and chatted with a few nurses for a minute, signed a few forms, and helped an elderly gentleman back into his room.
As he looked down at his patient list, he saw that his next one was in the Med Psych unit in room 3204, so he made the next right at the end of the hall. Psych patients were always fun for him; it was probably one of his favorite floors to visit. You literally never knew what they would do next.
As he came up to the closed door of room 3204, he heard a young woman talking loudly, her shrill voice teetering on the edge of yelling, but he could tell she was holding back and trying to stay calm.
“I said no!”
“Brittany, you have to take your pills so you can feel better,” another woman scolded softly.
Ethan paused outside the door, giving the nurse a moment to get the unruly patient under control. The last thing he wanted to do was barge in and distract the patient even more from taking her medicine. It was quiet for a moment and then he heard a loud crash and a woman shrieking. He quickly pushed open the door and saw a nurse bent over the bed of an older, heavy-set woman. She was yelling and trying to grab for the call light but the patient had a death grip on her braid and she couldn’t pull free. Ethan rushed over and began trying to pry her braid free from the patient’s hand. As he squeezed in between the wall and the patient’s bed, he was practically on top of the nurse in distress. If he hadn’t been so focused on the situation, it would’ve been completely awkward.
“Brittany, hi, I’m Dr. Harris,” he said softly, giving her a warm smile while he worked to open her hand.
Brittany stared up at him, her eyes studying his face and then falling slowly down the length of his body. Ethan smiled at her blatant staring and said, “Brittany, do you think you can let go of...” he paused, not knowing who the braid belonged to.
“Brooke,” a muffled voice said from beneath him.
“Can you do me a huge favor and let go of Brooke’s hair? I need to see you for a minute and I can’t do it when she’s in the way.” He gave her a wink and watched her frown in thought as she looked at her hand, which was holding a long braid, almost as if she was just now noticing what she held in her hand. After a few seconds, she finally let go and he saw the nurse quickly take a few steps backwards, scowling as she rubbed at the back of her head.
“Thank you, Brittany,” he said softly. He looked behind him and smiled apologetically at the frazzled nurse and asked, “Are you okay?”
She nodded and said, “Yeah, I’m fine,” her voice sullen.
Ethan turned his attention back to Brittany. “Are you causing trouble today?” he teased, smiling at the worried expression on her face.
She shook her head vehemently. “No! She was being bad,” she said, as she pointed behind him.
Ethan turned around again and saw the nurse staring at them, a hand resting on her hip. “Brittany, you know you need to take your medicine.”
Brittany crossed her arms, her lips set in a tight line as she continued to shake her head defiantly.
“Brittany...” Brooke warned, and Ethan noticed that if looks could kill, Brittany would be taking a trip down to the morgue right now.
He tried not to laugh at the comical scenario, but it was hard, now that everyone was okay. She turned her glare towards him when she noticed him trying to contain his laughter.
“You think this is funny, Dr. Harris?” she questioned sharply.
He shrugged and said, “Well, it is kind of entertaining.”
She continued to glare and he turned away from her icy stare and returned his attention to Brittany. He watched her for a minute and knew from her chart that she was seventy-two, but she had dementia which caused her to act out at times. With the way her eyes were fixated on him, he decided to go a different route than he normally did. “All right, Brittany, love...” he saw her eyes widened emphatically and knew he was on the right track. “It would mean so much to me,” he held his hands up to his chest to emphasize what he’d just said, and then continued, “if you would take these two little pills. I know you can do this.” He held up the cup with the pills in it and gave it a little shake as he gave her his best charming smile. It was the one he always gave women when he wanted to get his way. They would always tell him how adorable his dimples were and then normally agree to almost anything he wanted at the time. Now, he just wanted this woman to take her medicine.
He saw her blush, and he continued to smile until she reached out and tossed the pills back, washing it down with a drink of water.
“Good job, Brittany!” he cheered, holding his hand up to give her a high five. Her light blue eyes lit up, and along with the giggle that escaped her mouth, her old age seemed to disappear for a brief second, leaving behind the young girl she was many years ago. She gave his hand a slap, laughing uncontrollably now, and he heard a long sigh behind him. He turned around, and instead of seeing a grateful smile, he saw a frown marring the beautiful face of the nurse he’d just helped. And she was beautiful, he realized. It was the first time he’d really had the chance to look at her, and he couldn’t believe he had not seen her around the hospital yet.
“Thank you, Dr. Harris,” she said tightly.
He heard a hint of sarcasm in her tone or was it embarrassment? He wasn’t sure. “Um, you’re welcome?” he questioned, not sure why she seemed angry with him.
After a moment, her shoulders relaxed and she said, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful, but it’s been a very hectic day. I do appreciate the help, though.”
“It’s no problem, Brooke. She’s my patient, too, so I’m happy to help.”
He was even more confused when her eyes widened. She opened her mouth to say something, but then Brittany was grabbing his arm, trying to show him something on her gown. He turned and gave the patient his full attention, barely registering what the nurse said as she walked away.
“Well, thank you, again. I’ll stay in here while you do your assessment since she’s a little wound up.”
He nodded, distractedly. “It’s better to be safe.”
He glanced at her for a second as she began to clean up the room, before Brittany was demanding his attention again. He smiled and the fifteen-minute assessment was smooth sailing.
“Thanks again for jumping in and helping, Dr. Harris,” Brooke said to him as they walked out of Brittany’s room.
“It was no problem, and sorry if I found it humorous,” he said, and as he gave her a side glance, he saw a hint of a smile finally appear.
“It is kind of funny now,” she said with a laugh. “I always seem to get myself in weird instances like this, so I should be used to it, but sometimes things do take me by surprise.”
“Ah, yes, it seems there’s always that one person who seems to be in the middle of everything.”
“Guilty,” she said, holding up a hand. “Well, I’d better get some charting done so I can get out of here on time tonight. It was nice meeting you, Dr. Harris.”
“You, too. Maybe I’ll run into you later, just hopefully under less threatening circumstance,” he teased.
As she walked away, she shrugged and tossed him a smile over her shoulder as she casually said, “Don’t count on it.”
But he wan
ted to count on it, because he’d love to rescue her again.
The day turned out to be longer than any he’d yet had at Anderson Hospital, and he sighed as he leaned back in his chair, staring at the long list of patient notes and files he still had to go through. It was already heading on six and he had another hour of charting left to do. He had thought the incident with Brittany would’ve been the only chaotic one, but he had an elderly patient threaten to walk out, even though he had just come out of surgery. It had taken several nurses and a couple of security guys to get him to calm down enough to be sedated. If he hadn’t calmed down, it was likely he’d have been moved to the psych department. After the long day he’d had, for once he was dreading just going home and sitting around. He could really go for a coffee or a beer, but he knew Nick was busy tonight. He ran a hand through his hair and drummed his fingers on the desk, ready to put this day behind him, and then he saw Brooke walk by his office. He thought about it for a second, and decided to just go for it. He shoved his chair back and darted out of his office. He poked his head out, and as he looked to his right, he saw her long braid swinging from side to side as she walked down the hall.
He jogged up next to her, giving her a smile when her head snapped to him. “Hi,” he greeted, knowing he sounded ridiculous.
“Um, hi,” she said.
She gave him a half smile that lacked any happiness in it, and he couldn’t help but notice the frown that was settled on her face. He wondered if her day was just as bad as his had been.
“Everything okay?” he asked, cocking his head to the side as he studied her.
She sighed deeply and said, “After the incident this morning, I was hoping my day would get better, but unfortunately it just got worse. I had to change scrubs three times for various reasons that included blood, urine, and feces, if that tells you anything.”
When Love Ignites Page 1
