“I love you, Caleb. I have for ages.” She had to ask, “But what about Joel?”

  “He’s my father.” Caleb sighed. “I’ll never know exactly what happened and part of me will always miss my mom, but the day I rolled the car, the day I almost killed Lily—” He gulped, squeezed her hand hard. “That’s when I realized that I am not qualified to judge anyone, that my anger could have hurt Lily just as his drunkenness hurt my mother.”

  Mia leaned over to touch his cheek with her lips.

  “I haven’t got it all down yet,” he said quietly. “I have a ways to go. It will take time to repair the damage of anger and hate and bitterness.”

  “Love heals,” she whispered. She smiled. “I’ll help you work through it, Caleb, just as you helped me work through my problems. I’ll marry you and help you be a father to Lily. Because I love you.” After they’d sealed their love with a satisfying kiss, she leaned back in her seat and asked, “When will we get married?”

  “Next year on New Year’s Eve?” He lifted an eyebrow. “Isn’t it time to start a new tradition?”

  “But that’s so far away,” she mourned.

  “I want that time, Mia. I want to court you, to talk over everything with you. I want to get to know my father. I want you to be absolutely certain that your marriage to me is what you want.”

  “Caleb, you don’t have to worry. I know being married to you will be nothing like being married to Harlan,” she said, tears in her eyes. “I love you. I never loved him.”

  “I know.” He smiled reassuringly. “In a year, Lily’s adoption will be final. We’ll have had time to plan every detail of our future.”

  “Except the parts God will change,” she reminded him.

  “A wedding, one year from tonight?” he asked.

  “A wedding,” she agreed, and kissed him with praise in her heart to the Father who asked His children to trust Him, then chose the best gifts for them.

  “By the way,” Caleb mused as he drove her home, “I never gave you your Christmas gift. I have to tell you the first part.”

  “Okay.” Puzzled, Mia studied his face and saw his smile. “What?”

  “Bethany is back at Family Ties with her parents’ blessing,” Caleb said, a satisfied look tipping up his lips. “She’s asked Abby and me to help her find a good family for her baby.”

  “If that’s what she wants, I’m so glad. It’s a wonderful gift. Thank you.” She leaned over to brush a kiss against his cheek.

  “But that’s only part of your gift.” Caleb pulled a paper from his pocket and handed it to her. “Merry Christmas, Mia.”

  Confused, she opened it and squinted to read it in the dash light. She blinked, gaped at him, then reread the entire thing once more. “Caleb?”

  “You didn’t kill Bobby, sweetheart. He died of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome. Just one more thing Harlan lied about.” Caleb touched her face. “Nobody knows why he died, but it was not your fault.”

  Mia wept all the way home. Then joy moved in as she and Caleb shared their news with Lily, Ms. Hilda and Joel. Riverbend Ranch brimmed with joy. That was exactly as Mia had prayed for.

  Epilogue

  On December 31 in a candlelight service at Buffalo Gap Community Church, Mia Granger married Caleb Grant. It was supposed to be a small, private ceremony, but who could say no to Mayor Marsha’s constituents’ desire to see her son tie the knot to the community’s most delightful newbie? Unfortunately the event was running late because of the bride’s lawyer.

  “Harlan bought Riverbend because the mineral rights go with it,” Bella told Mia as she held the bride’s slim white heels. “That means that all royalties of oil and anything else they find go to you. Harlan commissioned a survey before he died. There is a vein with a precious metal in it. For as long as you live, the money will go to you. After your death, rights revert to the crown. You’re a very wealthy woman, Mia.”

  “In many ways.” She hugged Bella. “Thank you for telling me. Caleb and I will talk about it later. Right now I’m a little preoccupied with getting married. Can you straighten my veil?”

  Bella complied, then took her place in a pew beside Mayor Marsha and her husband. The bridal party was small. Lily walked down the aisle first with no sign of a limp, resplendent in a creamy velvet dress with royal blue feathered trim. She held a dainty bouquet of out-of-season lilies that perfectly matched her eyes.

  “Okay, Uncle Caleb?” she whispered loudly when she arrived at the front of the church. His thumbs-up made her smile.

  The congregation rose when Hilda suddenly changed keys on the organ and began playing a familiar old hymn that had been Caleb’s mother’s favorite. Mia stepped into the aisle, her arm wrapped in Joel’s.

  Dressed in a hand-crocheted lace jacket and a long tulip skirt, she walked slowly toward Caleb, her green gaze beneath her long trailing veil concentrated on him. Her magnificent hair was held off her face with a silver band. She carried lilies in a sheaf mixed with cedar greens and tied with a silver band to match Caleb’s eyes.

  Once Joel had given her hand to Caleb, the couple turned toward Pastor Don to say their vows.

  “I will love you forever, Caleb.” Mia touched his cheek. “You will always be my beloved husband, a gift from God that I willingly accept. I can’t wait to be your wife.”

  “I don’t deserve you, Mia. But I thank God that He’s blessed me with your love. You are the part of me that makes every day a blessing.” Caleb’s next words were for Mia alone. “When I was lost you came and drew me with your love so I could fully experience God’s forgiveness. I love you. I always will.”

  Pastor Don said a few words, then with his blessing Mia and Caleb kissed.

  “That’s my mom and dad,” Lily hollered, grinning from ear to ear as Mr. Fudge came sliding down the aisle. “We’re gonna be a family.”

  The bride and groom embraced Lily, holding her dog, and Joel and Hilda. It was clear to everyone that they already were.

  *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from THE DOCTOR’S CHRISTMAS WISH by Renee Ryan.

  Dear Reader,

  Welcome back to Buffalo Gap. I hope you enjoyed Mia and Caleb’s story. Isn’t forgiveness the hardest gift to give? We get a grievance stuck in our craw, we think the worst of someone or, perhaps hardest of all, we feel deeply wounded by someone else’s action. After being so terribly deceived by a man she should have been able to trust, Mia struggled to let herself trust again. Caleb found it almost impossible to let go of a years-long hate for the man he blamed for killing his mother—his own father. If forgiveness is hard for us, don’t you think it must be even more so for God? And yet He forgives completely, over and over.

  I hope you’ll join me for another visit to Buffalo Gap. Until then, I’d love to hear from you via the web at www.loisricher.com, email at loisricher@yahoo.com, on my author page on Facebook or by snail mail at Box 639, Nipawin, Sask. Canada S0E 1E0.

  Till we meet again, may you know the depth and breadth and height of God’s endless love and forgiveness and may you learn to love Him with all your heart, soul, mind and spirit.

  Blessings,

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired story.

  You believe hearts can heal. Love Inspired stories show that faith, forgiveness and hope have the power to lift spirits and change lives—always.

  Enjoy six new stories from Love Inspired every month!

  Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

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  The Doctor’s Christmas Wish

  by Renee Ryan

  Chapter One

  The house phone rang at 10:33 p.m. on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The high-pitched sound yanked Ethan Scott’s attention away from the television screen and the football game he’d carved out time to watch live, no distractions.

  Who would be calling at this hour?

  The hitch in his breath was born out of a hidden fear he kept tucked deep inside his soul. When his parents were killed in a fatal car crash, Ethan had been the first to get the news. As the oldest of four, he had to identify the bodies, to inform his three younger siblings and to handle all the funeral arrangements.

  He’d completed each task without hesitation, and had been forced to repeat an eerily similar process a year and a half ago when another deadly car accident had taken his fiancée.

  The incessant ringing continued.

  Like a shock wave, old memories rippled across new. Ethan’s previously easy, relaxed mood spiraled into something darker.

  He debated ignoring the call. Few people had his home number, and any medical emergency would either go to his answering service or come through on his cell phone.

  The ringing stopped.

  Banishing unwanted memories and the emotions they brought, Ethan sat back to enjoy the game. The Broncos were about to score a touchdown.

  The ringing started up again.

  Ethan’s gut took a hard roll. Surely the Lord wouldn’t deal him another blow, wouldn’t make him suffer through another unexpected goodbye. He’d had enough sorrow for one lifetime. He put the game on mute, then made the short trek from living room to kitchen.

  The sound of doggy toenails clicking on the tile floor alerted him that his treasured black Lab had followed him. He patted Baloo on the head and then glanced at the caller ID.

  Keely O’Toole. Ethan’s gut took another hard roll, for an entirely different reason this time.

  His neighbor was one of the few women in town he tended to avoid, for reasons he didn’t want to explore tonight. Or ever.

  Since Keely made a habit of avoiding him as well, he figured whatever had incited her to call the house—twice—on the landline—had to be important.

  He snatched up the telephone receiver. “Ethan speaking.”

  A short, tense pause sounded on the other end of the line, followed by a weary female sigh. “Is Ryder around? He’s not answering his cell phone.”

  “Hello to you, too, Keely.”

  She sighed again, the sound filled with frustration. “Is Ryder home or not?”

  “Not. He’s working the night shift at the hospital.”

  “That’s unfortunate.”

  Something in her voice put Ethan on alert. He could practically feel Keely’s agitation coming through the phone. Both his younger brothers were doctors. But where Ethan was a primary care physician and Brody was working for Doctors Without Borders, Ryder specialized in emergency medicine.

  If she was calling Ryder this late at night…

  “Talk to me, Keely. What’s going on?”

  “I need your help.”

  Four words Ethan never expected to come out the woman’s mouth, at least not directed at him.

  Something must be seriously wrong. “Are you hurt?”

  “It’s not me. It’s Felicity. She’s really sick and I don’t know what to do. Should I take her out in this weather, to the ER waiting room, or do I hold off, pray it’ll go away? I’m really, really worried.”

  She was also rambling. Another first.

  Ethan mentally sorted through her words, stopping on an unfamiliar name. Felicity. Who was Felicity? His mind went blank. Then he remembered the little girl who had moved in with Keely over the holiday weekend. He didn’t know the whole story, only that Keely was the child’s legal guardian for an indefinite amount of time.

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “She’s complaining of stomach pain.”

  In full doctor mode now, Ethan digested this piece of information. “Any vomiting?”

  “Just once, about an hour ago.”

  “When did she last eat?”

  “Around six.”

  He checked his watch, did a mental calculation between regular dinner hours and now. “What did she eat?”

  “A hamburger, fries, oh, and a cinnamon roll. I know they aren’t the healthiest choices, but she starts school tomorrow and I took her to the mall to buy her some new clothes. You might think it’s odd I’m putting her in school two weeks before Christmas break, but I wanted her to meet other kids before—”

  He cut her off. “Hold up. Does she have a fever?”

  Keely blew out a loud hiss. “I checked it right before I called Ryder’s cell phone. The thermometer said 99.7 degrees. Can you… Ethan, please, can you come over and look at Felicity?”

  “On my way.” He hung up the phone and headed for the mudroom just off the kitchen.

  Baloo trotted past him and took up position at the back door, a hopeful expression in his coal-black eyes. Normally, Ethan would indulge the dog. He and the black Lab had been through a lot of hard times since Ethan rescued the animal during his tour in Afghanistan.

  “Sorry, buddy, you can’t come with me.”

  Baloo whined, the sound pitiful and well honed from years of conning Ethan.

  “Hang tight, old boy. This shouldn’t take long.” Ethan scrubbed the animal’s face between his hands. “I’ll let you out when I get back.”

  The dog’s ears drooped, but he obediently lowered himself to his haunches and rested his chin on his paws.

  Ethan grabbed his coat and trod through the three inches of snow that had fallen throughout the day. He didn’t have far to go. The backyard of Keely’s childhood home spilled into his. They had that in common, both living in the houses they’d grown up in, having inherited them from their parents. Ethan, after his had died. Keely, after hers had moved to Arizona.

  He was on her back stoop, stomping snow off his boots, when the door flung open. “What took you so long?”

  Since she sounded like a terrified new parent, he forgave her for her rudeness. “Came as fast as I could.”

  “Don’t just stand there. Come inside.”

  Holding his tongue, again, he climbed the steps. As was becoming a habit whenever they were up close and personal, he reminded himself this was Keely. Once upon a time she’d been just another skinny kid hanging out with his younger sister.

  Despite growing into a beautiful woman with long, gorgeous red hair, amazing green eyes and a figure that jealous peers had once compared to Jessica Rabbit’s, Keely was still that same annoying girl Ethan tolerated because she was his sister’s BFF.

  Except, lately, things had changed between them. Their relationship was morphing into something new, something charged with tension and awkward pauses. The initial shift had started nearly a year ago, right after she’d left her big-city life in New York and settled back in Colorado.

  Ethan moved deeper in the house.

  The inevitable kick in his gut came right on schedule, as it always did whenever his gaze locked with Keely’s. Tonight, the sensation hit him hard. It wasn’t an altogether awful feeling, kind of reminded him of danger-induced adrenaline.

  Precarious territory. “Where’s the patient?”

  “Her name is Felicity.”

  “Right.” Ethan shed his coat, tossed it on a nearby bench. “Where is she?”

  “Upstairs in her room.”

  Ethan recognized the panic in Keely’s voice, which was mirrored in her wide, almond-shaped green eyes. Her long, wavy hair was also disheveled, as if she’d dragged both hands through the now tangled strands more than a few times.

  At the obvious signs of her distress, everything in him softened. He gently touched her sleeve. “I’m here, Keely. I’ll take care of the child.”

  She drew in a few unsteady breaths, her legendary hostility toward him diminishing with each exhale. “I… I believe you.”

  He dropped his hand. “One last question before I have a look at her. How old is she?”

  “She turned seven last month.”

  His throat squeezed shut. His eyes began to burn.

  What were the odds? He swallowed, hard. He’d barely regained his equilibrium when Keely took off at a clipped pace.

  Ethan followed after her. They moved at the speed of light from kitchen to living room to stairwell. The smells of home filled him, a mixture of floral scents, furniture polish and freshly baked bread.

  He hadn’t been inside this house in years. Like a good neighbor, he’d left Keely alone. She’d done the same for him, a situation that worked for them both.

  But now, as he followed her through the house, Ethan wondered why he’d kept his distance. He liked the grown-up Keely, sometimes, when she wasn’t being snarky or unnecessarily antagonistic. A couple of unfortunate incidents from the past didn’t mean they couldn’t find a happy rhythm going into the future. Maybe they could even be friends. Now that she was twenty-nine and he thirty-four, their five-year age gap didn’t seem so large.

  At the top of the stairs, she stopped outside the second room on her right. Hand on the doorknob, she swung her gaze to his. Slam. He told himself he was imagining the body blow. But, of course, he wasn’t.

  “Keely, after I’m through examining the child I’d like the two of us to—”

  A little girl’s whimper cut off the rest of his words. Ethan’s pulse picked up speed. Blood rushed in his ears. Memories yanked at him, emptying his mind of everything but a miserable sense of grief and loss.

  He hadn’t expected this strong reaction. He saw kids every day at the office. No problem. Yet here he was, his heart pounding and his breath speeding up. He fought the urge to close his eyes. If he did, he’d be back at Fort Bragg, back to the time when he thought he would be a husband and a father. A split-second swerve to miss a skunk had taken away that future.

  This wasn’t about him.

  Mouth grim, he shoved aside the unwanted memories and walked into the room.

  *

  Keely couldn’t figure out why Ethan’s shoulders were bunched as he made his way toward Felicity’s bed, or why he seemed overly tense. She’d take his behavior personally, but now that she thought about it, she realized he’d been relatively relaxed when he first entered through the back door. He’d only grown silent and progressively distant as she’d guided him through the house.

 

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