The Nurse's Love (BWWM Romance)

by Tyra Brown

  The trip took an hour or so and Faith started down the beautiful road that led to the elusive Mrs. Robinson Cove. Smaller than other neighborhoods, it sat along the hills of the area. Each property was on enough land that it was hard to see the next house. It was immaculate in every way. Then Faith came across a beautiful white-fenced church. It was a small building and was nestled into a small area as you entered the front entrance. Faith, in her car, almost felt like an intruder as she pulled up to the gate. A guard leaned out of the window and gave her a wave as she pulled up.

  “Hello, miss. May I help you?” He took in her car and settled on her face.

  “I believe so, yes, my name is Faith, I'm a nurse and I’ll be working for Mr. Robinson. Can you tell me where to go to find him?”

  “Ah so you’re the nurse? Mr. Robinson mentioned something about it. Let me look up the information for you, ma’am.” He found a file with her name on it.

  “Yes, here you are, everything is inside, access codes, gate numbers etc. A little bit of everything I imagine. You’re going to want to head down about a mile and look for 508 on the left.”

  Faith slowed down on the brick drive that headed west from the main road. Not being able to see the house from the driveway, Faith took a moment to open the file the guard had handed her. He was right about how there was everything imaginable in it. Every name and number of everyone involved with the estate, gate codes, access key numbers etc. There was even a section on his mother, her likes and dislikes as well as food she doesn’t like and how to keep her calm. In the back there was a contract and Faith decided to look at it later. She put the file down on the seat next to her and headed slowly down the two lane drive.

  To say the property was beautiful was an understatement. There was not a color missing in the flowers lining the drive and there was a pond to the left of the house. Then there was the house itself. It rivaled Mrs. Covington’s in size. It had a front entrance and a wing on each side. Mostly brick and stone, it was spread across the top of the rise with a wide set of doors and a front walk that was almost like two arms inviting you inside. To the right, there was a side road leading behind the house where there were cars parked and yet another road leading towards the stables. Faith knew this was probably the most beautiful place she would live in her lifetime. She pulled up to the front entrance and took long strides to the front door. After only two knocks, it swung open wide to the smiling face of a lady not much older than herself.

  “You must be Faith.” She held out her hand and then hugged her enthusiastically. “I can’t lie and say I’m not happy to see you. I'm the only woman here and when I heard you were coming well…I'm probably rambling like a crazy woman, I’m sorry, come in, come in.” She stepped back allowing Faith to step inside.

  Liking her immediately, Faith replied with a smile “I'm Faith, I’m happy to meet you, Mrs…?”

  “Actually its Miss Watson, you can call me Linda since we will be working together often. I'm the cook.”

  By now Miss Watson had stopped walking. “I’ll let Mr. Robinson know you’re here, dear, and he will be along shortly.”

  Miss Watson took her leave and Faith waited. She glanced around the room, it was tastefully done. It had a neutral palette of tan and gold. The lighting from the window played off the large vase in the center of the table. Faith glanced up above the mantle and noticed a painting that made Faith jump up.

  “Could it be…” she whispered as she stood up.

  She moved closer to the painting; it was beautiful. “The Montecasea” was a painting she had learned about in her art classes early on. It had been one of her favorites to read about. Painted by a woman but presented to the world as if a man had done it, it had grown in popularity over the years.

  “Be sure you don’t touch it.” A warm voice behind her made her jump in surprise. Without turning around, she replied.

  “Of course not, it’s delicate and beautiful; to touch it would, or at least could, ruin the integrity of the paint and then...well that would be awful.” She had put her hands on her hips as she said it and finally turned around. She let her hands drop to her sides. Beautiful was the first word that came to mind. He was beautiful. Tall with black hair and gray eyes, she felt a flutter in her stomach unlike anything she had ever felt before. His chiseled features and hard body complemented his dark hair. The reactions in the room were not all on Faith’s part. Cooper felt like he had been punched in the stomach. She was a combination of delicate and curvy, her hair pulled back sharply only accentuated her features. Her caramel skin had added a touch of the exotic to her curvy frame, which filled out what she was wearing perfectly. Her almond brown eyes pierced his with a ferocity he had never seen before. She had spoken with such love about the painting it was almost like a caress. She broke the spell by walking towards him.

  “Mr. Robinson I presume?” She smiled and he was once again taken aback. She started to frown when he didn’t respond.

  “Sorry yes, yes I am. It’s been a rather taxing day I apologize.” He reached out for her hand and she immediately began to pump it enthusiastically.

  “I'm in awe of the artwork you possess, Mr. Robinson, it’s all truly beautiful.”

  “Thank you, I enjoy looking at beautiful things.” At the awkwardness of his comment, he cleared his throat.

  “I appreciate you coming. I understand you were already on assignment is that right?” He motioned for her to sit down on the sofa.

  “Yes I was, I'm always ready to go whenever they needed me to go.”

  He took in the details of what he had missed before. Not quite skinny and not big either, she was a combination of all woman and all hard work. Dressed in slacks and a shirt, she wore no jewelry or makeup. She was a bit of a mystery and he always enjoyed those.

  “I have a Monet as well, in the library.” He watched her light up and felt a sense of happiness that he had caused it.

  “Really?” She was intrigued. “I was an art major in college before nursing, now it’s a passion of mine. I have the talent to identify art but my artistic skills are not as good, although I enjoy trying. So perhaps you could tell me more about Mrs. Robinson.” She looked up at him.

  “She is, well, stubborn and strong willed but she needs someone to care for her at all times. We received the diagnosis about a year ago. She was doing well but developed severe pain in her joints and is now in a wheelchair. She is losing many of her memories, so needless to say she is angry...with me mainly.” He continued on. “The prognosis is sketchy because she doesn’t put much effort into therapy. I won’t lie, she isn’t a ball full of sunshine, but she is everything to me. I only have a few rules as I'm sure most things are obvious.

  “I expect you to live here, however 6p.m. and on is time for you to have to yourself. If I'm not here then Miss Watson is so she won’t be alone. I also expect you would want your weekends but Saturdays, when you don’t have plans I can pay extra if you could perhaps find things she likes to do.” He paused. “I’m not sure what that is, she doesn’t say much to me, but I’d like to encourage her.”

  Having waited until the discussion had finished before entering, Miss Watson was pleased there was someone new who could push Mr. Robinson to his limits. He carried a lot of bitterness since his father’s passing.

  “I’ve made up a room for you in the west wing, I like it much more than the east, it faces the pond and seems a little cozier to me.” They strolled down the hall at the top of the stairs leading to the rear. The staircases on both east and west joined at the top and branched off. The chandelier in the center of the room was a centerpiece for the weaving of the stairs. Walking down the hall, Faith noticed some beautiful pieces of art along her way to her room. Mostly colorful hues of blue, she loved the delicate flow they all seemed to have. They stopped at the third room on the left.

  Faith was surprised when Miss Watson opened the door. The room was done totally in hues of pink. The silk gossamer along the windows matched the details in the c
omforter on the huge bed in the center of the room.

  “I do hope you like pink, my dear.” Miss Watson chuckled and set about opening the windows.

  “I certainly hope so too,” Faith giggled. “Can I ask you something, Linda?” Faith sat on the bed and Linda followed suit.

  “Certainly, I hope you ask me anything.” Linda smiled at Faith warmly.

  “Has he always been so…?”

  Linda took a deep sigh before answering. “Bitter? Just since his father’s passing. They were very close and in the last five years, Mrs. Robinson’s health has declined and he…well, he is a little lost I think.”

  “I see, thank you, Linda. I appreciate you talking to me about it.”

  Linda left Faith in the pink room full of thought. She decided to unpack. Faith grabbed the top box to get started then unloaded the rest of her things. After a few more trips, Faith was firmly unloaded into the pink room. Tired from the morning and the long trip, Faith decided to take Linda’s advice and take a hot bath. She went into the bathroom adjacent to the pink room and turned on the water in the marble tub. Even the bathroom was pink, even paler than the silk in the bedroom. There were little pink and white soaps in the dish and fizzy pink bath salts to add to the jetted tub she was filling. Faith settled into the tub and let her mind drift as she tried to get her muscles to relax.

  The loud grumble of her stomach brought Faith back out of her relaxation. She fluttered open her eyes and was once again startled at the way the room seemed to hum with color.

  Stepping out of the bathtub, Faith wrapped up in her old worn robe. It had been the first thing she bought herself when she had landed the job with Everest Home Healthcare. She hadn’t owned anything frivolous in her life, but that robe had once been a fluffy dream. Now it was worn and ragged but still the most comfortable clothing Faith owned.

  What should she wear to dinner? It was close to 4:15, so she didn’t have much time to think about it. She chose a simple black dress with a square neckline and some black ballet slippers. Simple was always best, she thought. She dried her hair and dressed. Not one for makeup or accessories, she let her long hair hang freely. Most other girls cut their hair short or wore wigs, but she had done her best to straighten the dark locks until she let it fall like silk on her caramel skin. It was long and straight down to the middle of her back. She glanced at herself in the mirror one last time, ran a brush through her hair and headed downstairs.

  “Faith, dear, there you are.” Linda was still in her uniform as she greeted her with a smile. “This is Reagan, he is the butler. Then there is me and that’s about all of us.”

  “I figured we could look around the lower level before dinner and take a longer tour tomorrow during the lunch break.” Linda linked her arm with Faith’s. “You look lovely, dear, I had no idea you had so much hair.”

  “Thank you, Linda.” Faith smiled back and they proceeded to walk the lower level. Linda showed her the massive library, the old room that had once been a ballroom a long time ago. She walked through the den with its marble globe and even more fabulous art. They passed one large wooden door and Faith asked, “What’s in there?” She paused for a moment outside.

  “That is Mr. Robinson’s office, we don’t go in there, dear, and it’s a good thing, he always has such a mess. Sometimes he allows Reagan to tidy but that’s it.”

  They moved along the corridor and Faith admired the paintings along the wall as they went. Eventually they made their way back to the dining hall.

  Giggling about some joke or another, they walked into the room and stopped.

  “Hello, ladies, it seems we are running a bit late.” Cooper glanced at Linda and stopped on Faith. She was beautiful, there was no denying it now. Her hair was long and straight and the color of night. Angry at himself for the feelings he was dealing with, he snapped a little more than he intended.

  “Have you not found your uniform yet, Miss Parks?”

  Slightly stunned but not one for backing down so easy, Faith responded, “Yes I did and they fit wonderfully, but, since it is after my work hours I thought I would be free to wear my own clothing.”

  He winced at the hurt sound in her voice, not meaning to have hurt her feelings, only trying to fight the battle within himself.

  “You’re very right, Miss Parks, I apologize.” He stood to pull out her chair and was immediately drawn in by her perfume. She was no good for him. He simply didn’t have enough time to deal with any attraction to her. He needed to focus on finding the loophole in his father’s will.

  “Thank you, Mr.Robinson.”

  “I’ll just go up and get Mrs. Robinson if that is okay?” Miss Watson was waiting by the arched walkway.

  “That would be wonderful, Miss Watson, thank you.”

  There were a few moments of silence as Faith thought about her simple dress and if that’s what had angered him before. He was dressed splendidly in a dark black dinner jacket. Faith could tell this was probably the norm for him as she had yet to see him in anything but perfect form. He was a striking man and as she looked up at him, their eyes met and Faith felt that same burning sensation in the pit of her stomach. What in the world was going on with her? Maybe she was getting the flu. She reached out to take a sip of water from her glass on the table, her hands noticeably shaking slightly. Maybe he didn’t notice, but he did.

  She was nervous, or maybe she was scared of him. Hell what did he do anyways? He would just have to make her feel comfortable and above all else, keep his distance.

  “I trust your room meets with your approval?” He smiled at her.

  “Oh yes it is quite beautiful, thank you.” She bit her lower lip and glanced away.

  Biting her lip was his undoing, he needed to get out of here. He stood up and at that time Miss Watson and his mother arrived. Tucked into her chair, Mrs. Robinson was a dainty little woman. She had on a lovely dress and had a blanket on her lap.

  “Mother, I’d like you to meet Miss Parks. She is a nurse and she is going to be staying here with us and be there for you should you need anything.”

  “So I have another babysitter is that what you mean, Cooper?” She bit off the words slightly as she said them.

  “No, Mother, she is here to help you with your medication and such since you don’t enjoy going into town for your therapy. I thought you would be rather happy that you can stay here to do it all.” He smiled over at Faith who took another drink of water.

  “Yes, I’m so happy I can be at home, but what will your father think, Cooper?” There was a chill in the air evident to everyone in the room.

  “Mother, please…dad has been gone for 5 years now remember?” There was a definite sadness to his voice now. Faith decided to help him.

  “Mrs. Robinson, you may call me Faith. We will be good friends, I think.” She smiled at Mrs. Robinson who was still staring at her plate waiting on the food to arrive.

  Not missing a beat, Faith smiled up at Reagan who brought in the meal of pot roast with carrots and onions, served with whipped potatoes and hot fresh bread.

  After the food had been served, everyone at the table began to eat. She looked up to see the look of surprise on Mrs. Robinson’s face.

  “You know, being a nurse has been a wonderful profession for me. I love meeting new people. Once there was a nice young man, he was a war veteran. He was 20 years old and left to serve the country we all love so much. When he came home, he had been in a terrible accident while there. He was also in a chair much like yours.” Faith paused for a moment, noting that Mr. Robinson was starting to look uncomfortable in his chair. Everyone including Mrs. Robinson had stopped eating to listen.

  “The difference was that he had lost both arms and both legs, he couldn’t even hold a fork in his hand just like you’re doing now, Mrs. Robinson. He went on to learn how to paint by holding the brush in his mouth. He is now a very famous painter and is a happy man.”

  Faith dived into her food and gradually everyone else did too. She looked
over at Linda who gave her a wink and Mr. Robinson even seemed a little more relaxed.

  Mrs. Robinson was silent for the rest of the meal. After dessert, she wheeled herself over to Faith. “Did he really paint with his mouth?”

  Knowing she had a way in, Faith told her more. “Yes he did, you can even buy some of his work, you just have to research. Do you like art, Mrs. Robinson?”

  “Well I paint sometimes, I’m not very good. I did one of the ocean the last time we went, but it doesn’t look real.” She scrunched up her nose.