Claiming the Doctor's Heart

by Renee Ryan

  She deserved a man who could give her the same level of devotion she would provide in return. She deserved a man who would give her his entire heart, and hold nothing back. A man who would make sacrifices for her and willingly rearrange his schedule without being given an ultimatum first.

  His heart dipped, and a portion of his previous joy left him.

  But then Molly threw her arms around him and rested her tiny head against his chest. “I love you, Daddy,” she whispered.

  Overwhelmed with emotion, he pulled his daughter close and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  She turned her face up to his. “Are you happy we came by today?”

  He caught Olivia’s eye. She gave him a quick, almost imperceptible wink. The intimate gesture sent his pulse beating in a fury.

  “Very happy.” Too choked up, he could say nothing more.

  This didn’t seem to bother his daughter. “That’s good.” She squirmed out of his hold and ran over to the doorway when Avery entered. “We brought lots of extra icing just for you.”

  “Fabulous.”

  Connor endured the next half hour with a smile on his face and a stoic resolve in his heart. No matter how hard he tried to enjoy the moment, his mind kept rounding back to one very important question: could he make a relationship with Olivia work?

  Not without careful thought, a lot of planning and rearranging of his schedule plus a willingness on her part to do the same. It was a lot to ask a woman, especially one wanting to start her own business. One who might not even share Connor’s feelings.

  He thought she did, the suspicion confirmed when she looked up and smiled at him with the contents of her heart in her eyes.

  In that moment, Connor knew what he had to do.

  The thought had barely materialized when Ethan entered the room. “Cake!” He picked up a piece and immediately dug in.

  Connor made his way to the side of the room where his partner stood. “I have something I want to discuss with you.”

  “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

  “Not here. In my office.”

  “Now?”

  “Now.”

  Ethan snagged a second piece of cake and joined Connor in the hallway. “Is there a problem?”

  Not if Connor had his way. “No. But I want to run something by you before I look into it further.”

  “Sounds ominous.” Ethan settled in one of the two chairs facing Connor’s desk, propped his feet up and dug into his second piece of cake. “Okay. Shoot.”

  Wasting no time, Connor got straight to the point. “I want to explore the possibility of bringing in another doctor to the practice.”

  Ethan chewed in silence. “Why now?”

  A fair question. Connor closed his eyes. How did he tell his partner that everything had changed for him in a matter of months, making him desire a different future for himself? He yearned for things he’d convinced himself he didn’t need, or particularly want.

  A home full of love, with a good woman by his side, at least five kids and—go figure—a rowdy puppy or two.

  “The honest answer is I want more free time with my family.”

  “You aren’t getting enough?”

  “I am. Now. But things may change in the future.”

  Ethan said nothing for a long moment. “This change in your future, does it have anything to do with my sister?”

  Nothing got past the former Army Ranger. “Possibly.”

  “Dude, seriously? You’re going to hedge? With me? About something as important as my sister?”

  “I’m not hedging. I’m trying to—”

  “Connor, stop. Stop talking. Before you dig yourself in a hole you can’t get back out of.” Ethan took another bit of cake, chewed in silence. “I’ve been wondering when we were going to have this conversation. I see the way you two are together.”

  Connor studied his friend for a beat. “I don’t want to hurt her, Ethan.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “It’s not that simple. Let’s say I’m trustworthy—”

  “You are.”

  “You should be warning me away from her. It’s the older brother thing to do.”

  “Why?” Ethan set down his cake on the desk, dropped his feet to the floor. “I’ve never known you to act dishonorably toward a woman.”

  That wasn’t the problem. “My schedule is crazy.”

  “You made it work once before.”

  Connor nodded. He’d learned a hard lesson with Sheila. Did he want to do it again?

  Ah, the million-dollar question. And the real reason he’d needed to talk with Ethan about his. He’d needed a sounding board he could trust. Connor also needed to make some serious decisions.

  Ever since Sheila’s death, he’d created a very specific day-to-day routine that hung by a fragile thread.

  Sure, he’d been making noise about finding a wife, but he’d been thinking mostly in terms of the twins. Until Olivia had come home and reminded him there was more to life than just getting through the day. One step at a time.

  Managing one crisis at a time.

  Now Connor wanted more. He wanted it all. The whole happily-ever-after, riding-off-in-the-sunset dream come true.

  Easier said than done.

  Loving again, risking another terrible loss hadn’t been in his plans. Nor was hurting a good woman he cared about. Maybe even loved.

  If he were a praying man, now would be a good time to lift up a desperate request for the Lord’s guidance.

  Would God even hear him?

  Chapter Sixteen

  Life was never so good, Olivia mused, that it couldn’t get even better. Though she and Connor had yet to talk about whatever it was growing between them, their relationship had definitely progressed beyond friendship. Nothing had really changed since she and the girls had brought chocolate cake to his office.

  And yet everything felt...different.

  Connor made it home on time nearly every night. He always called when there was an unexpected holdup, apologizing when and if he couldn’t let Olivia know right away. He included her in every family activity, large and small, including the bedtime routine where they took turns reading to the girls.

  Even with her mind—and heart—focused on Connor and his daughters, Olivia had found time to finish her business plan. Her next step would be to set up an appointment with a banker. Actually, she’d be wise to set up several appointments. Of course, it never hurt to have a personal connection. Olivia would ask Connor tonight for Hardy Bennett’s number.

  Since it was Wednesday, and that meant movie night in the Mitchell household, Olivia decided she would wait until the twins were in bed to broach the subject.

  For now, while Connor set up the movie in the living room, she concentrated on creating her latest brainchild for her tearoom—chocolate-covered popcorn.

  Her first batch was nearly complete.

  As she spread out the popcorn evenly across the cookie sheet, Olivia couldn’t explain why she wasn’t more excited about meeting with a banker. She’d been planning this moment all summer, looking forward to it with anticipation. Yet here she was, dragging her feet, rather than jumping on the next step to make her lifelong dream come true.

  Make a plan. Work the plan. Adjust when needed.

  Where was the joy? The excitement?

  Her hands paused over the popcorn. Why wasn’t she working the plan with the same ferocity she’d applied to drawing up the proposal?

  Because something had happened to her since she’d started, something life-altering. She’d met a single dad and his two adorable daughters. If Olivia worked her plan and eventually opened her own tearoom, that would mean she wouldn’t be here, with Connor and the girls every Wednesday night, watching a mo
vie, laughing over Samson’s latest antics.

  Instead, she would be at her restaurant, serving her specially crafted creations to strangers, missing out on a treasured Mitchell family tradition.

  Why, she wondered, as she drizzled gooey rich chocolate over the popcorn, did it have to be all or nothing? Why couldn’t she apply the last part of her formula and simply adjust her plan?

  Nothing was set in stone. No loan papers had been sighed, no building secured. There was time to rethink the particulars.

  She could still call her own shots, be her own boss. So she wanted more. So she wanted both a family and a career.

  She could have both, simultaneously.

  Couldn’t she?

  She dripped the last of the chocolate over the popcorn and then brought the treat into the living room.

  Connor and the girls were already settled on the couch, a large, comfortable sectional number that could easily hold another six people.

  Olivia smiled at the picture they made. The three sat in their usual spots, the movie already started. The twins flanked their father but had left a space large enough for Olivia to squeeze in next to him.

  She expected to feel nervous in his company. They still hadn’t discussed their relationship. Nevertheless, she felt easy, relaxed, as if matters were settled in her mind and she could simply carry on with the rest of her life.

  Wondering if he was as comfortable as she, Olivia plopped in her spot and glanced over at him. He was watching her with an unwavering gaze.

  Her heart took an extra-hard beat.

  There was something in his eyes tonight, something not altogether easy yet very, very appealing. Even without that “look” on his face, he was one fine male specimen. He’d changed out of his dress pants and polo shirt into a pair of cargo shorts and a black T-shirt that fit his torso perfectly.

  No longer as comfortable as before, Olivia gave him a shaky smile. He winked at her.

  Wow.

  She could spend a lifetime looking into those smiling amber eyes with the thick, dark lashes. She leaned in a little closer.

  A loud crash rent the air, followed by the sound of running puppy feet.

  “Samson,” Olivia and Connor said at the very moment the puppy launched himself over Baloo and landed smack in the middle of the couch.

  Then plopped onto Olivia’s lap.

  The innocent-puppy expression fooled no one.

  Molly quickly moved the animal to the floor and began a spur-of-the-moment wrestling match. Megan joined in.

  Baloo ignored them all.

  “You forget to put up the doggy gate?” Connor asked, smiling fondly at the show going on beneath his feet.

  “It would appear our boy has figured out an escape route.” Shaking her head, she rose from the sofa. “I better go investigate.”

  “I’ll come with you.” Connor was on his feet a half second behind her.

  As soon as they were around the corner, he pulled her to a stop. “I’ve been wanting a moment alone with you all night.”

  Flush with pleasure, she smiled up at him.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead, then stepped back and studied her face. “You look tired.”

  “Not especially. Lots on my mind, I guess.”

  “You don’t have to stay for the rest of the movie.”

  “I want to stay.”

  “Has something upset you, Olivia?” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “Something you need to share with me?”

  She remembered the finished business plan on her desk in the study back home. The one she’d spent months perfecting.

  Where was her excitement?

  Why this jolt of fear? This sense of foreboding that nothing was going to be the same after tonight?

  She wasn’t usually so pessimistic. Either she would get a loan for her business or she wouldn’t.

  She would either continue living in Village Green, working for herself, no safety net, no guarantees, or take a job in town until she could make her dream happen.

  Either way, she would be her own boss. Eventually.

  “I put the finishing touches on my business plan last night.” Why did she sound so sad?

  Misunderstanding her melancholy, Connor took her hands in his and squeezed gently. “Worried about the next step?”

  The caring he demonstrated, as well as the understanding, only managed to make her feel sadder. Sighing, she nodded. “A little.”

  She wanted to take the risk, though. But what if it meant losing Connor and the girls?

  No. No. The very idea made her breath come in quick, hard snatches.

  In a move clearly meant to soothe, Connor pulled her close and smoothed his palm over her hair. “Want me to look over the proposal for you? I’m no banker and I don’t know much about restaurants, but I know what it takes to run a successful business. I’m sure many elements are the same.”

  How...utterly...sweet.

  “I appreciate the offer. But I’m confident the proposal is good to go. It’s...time I made an appointment with a banker.”

  Connor eyed her closely. “Why the hesitation, Olivia?”

  Truth. She should tell him the truth. “I’m afraid I won’t get the loan. And I’m equally afraid that I will. Either way, my life will change dramatically. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

  He set her away from her. “The change could be for the good.”

  “It could.”

  “Make the appointment, Olivia.” Connor placed a knuckle under her chin and lifted her gaze to meet his. “It’s time to go for it. Besides, putting it off won’t change the outcome.”

  “You’re right.” She held his stare, forced out a smile. “Do you have Hardy Bennett’s number?”

  “I do.” He dug his cell phone out of a side pocket of his cargo shorts. “It’s right here, in my contacts.” He moved his thumb around on the screen. “I’ll forward his information to you now.”

  She grabbed her purse off the foyer table, fished out her own phone and waited for his text to show up. When it buzzed through, she studied the screen. “Okay. Got it.” She drew in a deep, steadying breath. “I’ll call him first thing in the morning.”

  Connor moved a step closer to her, not too close but close enough for her to feel his silent support. “Wait until midmorning to call him.”

  Confused, she looked up from her phone. “Why?”

  “I want to contact him first and let him know to expect your call.”

  The offer was so completely Connor. And again, really sweet. “You don’t have to do that for me.”

  “It’s often who you know as much as anything else in this town. You deserve every chance to make your dream come true.” He smiled at her, a hint of sadness in his eyes. “If I can play a small part in that, then all the better.”

  She released a slow breath of air, and admitted the truth in her heart. She loved this man.

  If only she knew what she was going to do about it.

  * * *

  Connor was going to lose Olivia. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But he saw it in her face as she stared into his eyes. She was shell-shocked, upset and not at all happy.

  He’d always known she was in his home on a temporary basis, but somewhere along the way he’d allowed himself to believe otherwise. To hope for something more, perhaps even a future together.

  She’s still going to be living in Village Green.

  Even as the thought moved through his mind, another one followed on its heels. Her time won’t be her own for years to come.

  Who knew this better than him?

  This was his chance to tell her how he felt, before she met with Hardy.

  He kept his mouth pressed tightly closed. He couldn’t—wouldn’t—put her in a pl
ace to choose between him and her dream. Sheila had made that sacrifice; she’d given up her chance to chase her dream career and had grown to resent Connor for it.

  Counseling had revealed her underlying anger that had festered over time. Even though she’d assured him she didn’t regret having the girls, there had been a hint of sorrow that never quite went away.

  Even after they’d restored their marriage.

  In his head, Connor knew he wasn’t responsible for Sheila’s unhappiness. In his heart, he wasn’t so sure. His career had always come first.

  He wouldn’t ruin another woman’s dream, not even indirectly. “You’re going to be a great restaurant owner, Olivia. You’re an amazing, creative cook.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” She swiped her fingertips beneath her eyes, then squared her shoulders. “I’m only making an appointment to talk to a loan officer.”

  His heart already ached with a sense of loss. Nothing would be the same without her in his home. But change was coming.

  The girls would survive. The puppy would survive.

  Connor would, too.

  Keep telling yourself that.

  A crash sounded from the living room, followed by the inevitable “Samson, no.”

  A timely interruption. Connor took Olivia’s hand. “Come on. Let’s go see what that mutt’s done now.”

  She gave him a shaky smile, then let him lead her back into the living room.

  True to form, the puppy had upended a table. A very large table. “How can one small animal cause such chaos?” he wondered aloud.

  “It’s certainly a unique talent all his own.” Olivia hoisted the dog into her arms while Connor righted the table.

  “He didn’t mean it,” Molly said.

  “He never does,” Connor muttered under his breath, then noticed the movie credits were playing across the screen. “Time for bed.” He took the puppy from Olivia. “That includes you, pal.”

  Samson licked his chin.

  “Want Megan and me to take him outside?” Molly offered.

  “I’ll take him outside,” Connor corrected. “While you and your sister get ready for bed.”

  “You’ll let us say good-night to him, won’t you?”