Orchard Valley Brides

by Debbie Macomber

  He muttered under his breath. She could tell that he was fighting off the effects of the medication. His eyes drifted shut and he forced them open, scowling at her, only to have his lids close again.

  “I want you to know I don’t appreciate this,” he said, surprising her with a rally of strength.

  “I know, but it’ll help you sleep and that’s what you need.”

  He was growing more tranquil by the moment. “I thought I’d died,” he mumbled.

  It was a miracle he’d survived the plane crash. Norah felt thankful he had, for a number of important reasons.

  “You’re very much alive, Mr. Cassidy.”

  “An angel came to see me,” he told her, his voice fading. “Dressed in pink. So beautiful…almost made me wish I was dead.”

  “Sleep now,” she urged, her heart constricting at his words. He remembered her visit; he’d mentioned it when he first saw her today, and now, under the influence of the medication, he was talking about it again.

  She backed away. Although his eyes were closed, he reached out for her. “Don’t go,” he mumbled. “Stay…a bit longer. Please.”

  She gave him her hand and was astonished by the vigor of his grip. Touching him had a curious effect on her. He wasn’t in pain now, she knew; the tension had left his face. Norah wasn’t sure why she felt compelled to brush the hair from his forehead. She was rewarded with a drowsy smile.

  “An angel,” he mumbled once more. Within seconds he was completely asleep. His grip on her hand relaxed, but it was a long time before Norah left his side.

  Norah’s father was sitting on the front porch of their large colonial home when she got home late that afternoon. He still tired easily from his recent surgery and often sat in the warmth of a summer afternoon, gazing out at his apple orchards.

  “How’s the patient?” he asked, as Norah climbed the porch steps.

  “Physically Mr. Cassidy’s improving. Unfortunately I can’t say the same about his disposition.”

  David chuckled. “I should give that boy a few pointers.”

  Norah grinned. Her father’s own stay at the hospital had been a test of his patience—and the staff’s. David hadn’t been the most agreeable invalid, especially once he was on the mend. In his eagerness to return home, he’d often been irritable and demanding. Colby had said wryly that David wanted to make sure the hospital staff was just as enthusiastic about his return home as he was himself.

  Norah sat on the top step, relaxing for a few minutes. Her day, much of it spent in the emergency room, had been long and tiring. “Dad,” she said carefully, supporting her back against one of the white columns, “what did you mean when you told Steffie that Rowdy Cassidy had arrived right on schedule?”

  Her father rocked in his chair for a moment before answering. “I said that?”

  Norah grinned. “According to Steffie you did.”

  He shrugged. “Then I must have.”

  Shaking her head, she got up. As she entered the house, she could hear her father’s soft chuckle and wondered what he found so amusing.

  Ever since his open-heart surgery, David Bloomfield had been spouting romantic “predictions” regarding Norah’s two older sisters. She hoped he wasn’t intending to do that with her, too.

  Valerie and Colby had been the first to fit into his intrigue. Anyone with a nickel’s worth of sense could see what was happening between those two. It didn’t take a private detective to see that they were falling in love. Naturally there were a few problems, but that was to be expected in any relationship.

  When their father awoke from his surgery, however, he claimed he’d visited the afterlife and talked with Grace, the girls’ mother, who’d died several years earlier. He also claimed he’d looked into the future and that he knew exactly who his three daughters would marry. Colby and Valerie inadvertently lent credibility to his “vision.” Their marriage made perfect sense to everyone. Certainly no one at the hospital was surprised when Colby gave Valerie Bloomfield an engagement ring. Their father, however, had crowed for a week over the happy announcement.

  To complicate matters, a short time later, Steffie and Charles had fallen in love, just as her father had predicted. That case, too, was perfectly logical. Steffie had been in love with Charles for years. Charles had felt the same way about her.

  Norah hadn’t been privy to that information, but soon after Steffie came home it was obvious to all of them that she and Charles were meant to be together. It was only logical that they’d patch up their differences. Especially since their love had been strong enough to endure a three-year separation.

  When Steffie and Charles announced their engagement, David had all but shouted with glee. Everything was happening just the way he’d said it would, after his near-death experience. The man had been gloating ever since. He’d gone so far as to insist that he knew when the grandchildren would begin to arrive. Valerie’s would be the first, he said; she’d have identical twin sons nine months and three weeks—to the day—after her marriage.

  He said it was just as well that Rowdy had rejected Valerie as manager of the Pacific Northwest branch, considering that she was going to be a mother of twins.

  No one had known what to say to that, although Valerie had privately assured her sisters that she and Colby had no intention of starting their family quite so soon.

  They’d all decided it was best to let their father think what he wanted. He wasn’t hurting anyone, and all his talk about the future seemed to give him pleasure.

  Although these proclamations from their father unsettled the Bloomfield sisters, Colby had assured them that he’d had other patients who claimed to have experienced near-death encounters. It would all pass in time, he’d said with utter confidence.

  Norah couldn’t help noticing, however, that her father hadn’t said anything to her about the man in her life. He’d made some cryptic comment while he was coming out of the anesthetic. He’d smiled up at Norah and mumbled something about six children. Later she realized he was telling her she would someday be the mother of six.

  The idea was ludicrous. But he hadn’t said a word about it since, which was a relief. She was a medical professional and refused to take his outlandish claims seriously. Neither did she wish to be drawn into a discussion concerning them. Besides, anyone who knew the two couples would know they would’ve gotten married with or without David Bloomfield’s dream.

  “Rowdy Cassidy’s a good man, Norah,” her father said from behind her. “Be patient with him.”

  Pausing, her hand on the screen door, Norah shook her head, trying to force the cowboy—as she still thought of him—from her mind. Rowdy was ill-tempered and arrogant, and she wanted as little to do with him as possible. Norah had no intention of becoming personally involved with such a spoiled, egocentric man. “Be patient with him.” Norah scoffed silently. If anyone needed to learn patience, it was Mr. Rowdy Cassidy.

  “Norah! Thank goodness you’re here,” Karen Johnson said as she barreled through the double doors that led to the emergency room. Her face was red and she was panting slightly, as if she’d run all the way from the second floor.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Mr. Cassidy again. He wants to talk to you as soon as possible.”

  “That’s unfortunate, since I’m on duty.”

  Karen blinked, apparently not sure what to do next. “I don’t think Orchard Valley is ready for a man like Mr. Cassidy.”

  “What’s he done now?”

  “He had a laptop computer brought in so he could communicate with his company in Texas. Some man showed up with it yesterday.”

  Norah rolled her eyes.

  “Cassidy can barely sit up and already he’s conducting business as if he were in some plush office,” Karen went on. “I can’t figure out how it happened, but we all seem to be at his beck and call.”

  “What’s he want with me?”

  “How am I supposed to know?” Karen snapped. “It isn’t my place to q
uestion. My job is to obey.”

  Norah couldn’t keep from laughing. “Karen, he’s only a man. You’ve dealt with others just like him a hundred times.”

  Karen shook her head. “I’ve never met anyone like Rowdy Cassidy. Are you coming or not?”

  “Not.”

  Her friend ran a hand through her disheveled hair. “I was afraid you were going to say that. Would you consider doing it as a personal favor to me?”

  “Karen!”

  “I mean it.”

  Still Norah hesitated. She wasn’t a servant to be summoned at Mr. High-and-Mighty’s command. Even if he’d whipped the other members of the hospital staff into shape—the shape of his choice—she had no intention of following suit.

  “I’ll stop in later,” she said reluctantly.

  “How much later?”

  “I’ll wait until I’m on break.”

  Karen’s smile revealed her appreciation. “Thanks, Norah. I owe you one.”

  Norah wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it herself. A few days earlier, Karen would’ve given up her retirement to have Rowdy Cassidy removed from her floor. A mere twenty-four hours later, she was running errands for him like an eager cabin boy wanting to keep his pirate captain content.

  “You can leave my lunch tray there,” Rowdy instructed the young volunteer, pointing to his bedside table.

  Norah watched the teenager hang back as though terrified of crossing the threshold into Rowdy’s room. Considering the earlier incident with a meal tray, Norah didn’t blame her.

  “Come on, now,” Rowdy returned impatiently. “I’m not going to bite you.”

  “I wouldn’t believe him, if I were you,” Norah said, taking the tray out of the girl’s hands.

  Rowdy scowled. “It’s about time you got here.”

  “You’re lucky I came at all.” She didn’t like what was happening. Rowdy had manipulated the staff, bullied them into getting his own way, but such methods wouldn’t work with her.

  “It’s been three days. Where have you been?” he demanded, frowning fiercely.

  “I didn’t know I was obligated to visit you.”

  “Obligated, no, but you must feel a certain moral responsibility.”

  She set down the tray, and crossed her arms. “I can’t say I do.”

  He scowled again. “Where was it you said Valerie and her…husband were honeymooning?”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Hawaii? Carlton probably hasn’t got an imaginative bone in his body. Which hotel?”

  “Carlton?”

  “Whoever Valerie married. I’m right, aren’t I? They’re in Hawaii. Now tell me the name of the hotel.”

  “You must be joking, Mr. Cassidy. You don’t think I’d be so foolish as to give you the name of the hotel so you could pester my sister on her honeymoon, do you?”

  “Aha! So it is Hawaii.”

  Norah winced.

  “I just wanted to send a flower arrangement,” he went on, his voice a model of sincerity. “And I thought a bottle of champagne would be in order. I’d like to congratulate them, since I missed their wedding.”

  “A flower arrangement? Champagne? I’ll just bet,” Norah muttered under her breath.

  Rowdy went still for a moment. “You don’t know me very well, do you, Ms. Bloomfield? Or you’d appreciate that I’m not the kind of man who’d begrudge others their happiness. Now that Valerie’s married Carlton, I—”

  “Colby,” she interrupted.

  “Colby,” he repeated, bowing his head slightly. “Well, I’d like to offer them both my most heartfelt congratulations.”

  Norah shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t have the name of their hotel.”

  Rowdy’s gaze hardened briefly. “Then I have no choice but to wait until the happy couple returns from their honeymoon.”

  “That’s an excellent idea.” Norah clasped her hands behind her back; she hadn’t been completely honest with Rowdy. “Valerie didn’t know about your accident until after the wedding,” she told him, not quite meeting his eyes.

  Rowdy said nothing for several minutes. “I didn’t think she knew,” he murmured, giving the impression that had she been aware of his injuries, she’d never have gone through with the wedding.

  “It wouldn’t have made any difference,” Norah told him, unable to hide her irritation. “Anyway, she had enough on her mind without having to worry about you. So we decided not to tell her until later.”

  “You kept it from her?” he stormed.

  “That’s right, we did,” she replied calmly.

  He was furious; in fact, Norah had never seen a tantrum to equal his. But she ignored his outburst and went about setting up his lunch tray. She removed the domed cover from the meal, then folded the napkin and laid it across his chest.

  When he paused to breathe, Norah asked, “Do you want your lunch now, or would you prefer to wait until you’ve calmed down?”

  Rowdy’s mouth snapped shut.

  “Is Dr. Silverman aware you’ve had a computer brought in for business use?” She pointed at the laptop beside him on the bed. “Furthermore, is he aware that you’re attempting to work out of this room?”

  “No. Are you going to tell him?” he asked, eyeing her skeptically.

  “I might.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’m getting out of this hick town as soon as I can arrange it.”

  “I’m sure the staff will do everything possible to speed the process. You’ve made quite a name for yourself in the past few days, Mr. Cassidy.”

  Before Rowdy could respond, Karen appeared in the doorway, looking frazzled. She glanced at Norah, obviously relieved that her friend was close at hand.

  “It’s time for your injection, Mr. Cassidy,” she said.

  “I don’t want it.”

  “I’m sure Mr. Cassidy doesn’t mean that, Karen,” Norah said cheerfully. “He’ll be more than happy to take his shot—isn’t that right?”

  Rowdy glared at her. “Wrong, Ms. Bloomfield.”

  “Fine, then. I’ll hold him for you, Karen, I only hope I don’t bump against his leg, since that would be terribly painful. Of course, if he passes out from the agony, it’ll make giving him the injection that much simpler.”

  “If I take the shot I won’t be able to work,” Rowdy growled.

  “Might I remind you that you’re in the hospital to rest, not to conduct your business affairs?”

  Norah took one step toward him, staring at his right leg.

  “All right, all right,” he grumbled, “but I want you to know I’m doing it under protest. You don’t play fair—either one of you.”

  Karen threw Norah a triumphant look. Rowdy turned his head while she administered the pain medication. In only minutes the drug began to take effect.

  Rowdy’s eyes drifted shut.

  “Thanks, Norah,” Karen whispered.

  “What’s going on here?” Norah asked. She’d never known Karen or any of the others to allow a patient to run roughshod over them.

  “I wish I knew.” Karen sighed. “The only one he’s civil to is you. The whole floor’s been a madhouse since he arrived. I’ve never known anyone who can order people around the way he does. Even Dr. Silverman seems intimidated.”

  “Harry?” Norah could hardly believe it.

  “I’ve never looked forward more to a patient’s release. The crazy part is that no one’s supposed to know he’s here. Especially the press. His friend—the CHIPS attorney—read us the riot act about talking to anyone from the media. They’re worried about what’ll happen to the stocks.”

  Norah walked out of Rowdy’s room with Karen. Now she understood why the plane crash had received only a brief mention in the news and why Rowdy’s name had been omitted. “When will he be able to travel?” she asked.

  Karen gave a frustrated shrug. “I don’t know, but my guess is it won’t be soon. His leg’s going to take a long time to heal and the less he moves it now, the better his chances for a comple
te recovery later. He may end up walking with a cane as it is.”

  Norah couldn’t imagine the proud and mighty Rowdy Cassidy forced to rely on a cane. For his sake, she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

  At home that afternoon, Norah was still bothered by the thought of a vital man like Rowdy hobbling along with a cane. But she didn’t want to think about him. He wasn’t her patient and really, other than the fact that her sister had once worked for him, there was no connection between them.

  She’d managed to stay away from him for three days, despite the way she felt drawn to his presence. She shook her head, bemused that he’d succeeded in causing so much turmoil. The hospital had become a whirlwind of activity and it all seemed to focus on one man. Rowdy Cassidy.

  “Hi,” Steffie said, breaking into Norah’s thoughts.

  Norah, who’d been making a salad for their dinner, realized her hands were idle. She was thinking about the hospital eleven miles down the road, instead of her task.

  “I didn’t know if you’d be back for dinner or not,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t betray the path her mind had taken.

  “I wasn’t sure, either,” Steffie admitted, automatically heading for the silverware drawer. She counted out cutlery and began to set the kitchen table.

  Norah continued with the salad, glancing up now and then to watch Steffie. Her sister looked lovelier than ever and her calm, efficient movements revealed a new contentment. A new self-acceptance.

  So this was what love did. Her sisters seemed to glow with the love they felt—and the love they received. In both of them, natural beauty was enhanced by happiness.

  For most of her life, Norah had been referred to as the most attractive of the three Bloomfield girls. She was blonde, blue-eyed, petite. But lately, Norah felt plain and dowdy compared to Valerie and Stephanie.

  “How’s everything at the hospital?” Steffie asked absentmindedly.

  “I take it you’re asking about Rowdy Cassidy?”

  Steffie laughed. “I guess I am. You know, I can’t help feeling a bit guilty about not giving Valerie his message.”