Catch a Falling Star (7 page)

“Yes. Paul is half full, but I'm sure he'll be booked solid before the day's over.” Evie joined the trio of waiting MAs and the
lone male, Paul, the practical joker but oh-so-proficient nurse practitioner.

“Good morning, everyone.” Kendall took a moment to make eye contact with each of her staff. “Ready for another day taking care of the most important people in the world?”

As everyone nodded and murmured agreement, Kendall held out her hands. “Let's pray, then.”

She bowed her head, not bothering to watch and see what anyone else did. She knew everyone in her practice was at a different place in his or her faith walk. Some were believers like she was; some were questioning. And then there was Evie. The best receptionist she could ever hope for. Kind. Considerate. One step ahead of Kendall most of the time. But when it came to God—nothing.

Still, anyone she hired knew her practice was faith-based—and one of the things she always did was start the day with prayer. Her practice, her privilege.

And today, after her early-morning standoff with Bekah, she needed a few minutes to refocus on God before turning her attention to her patients.

“God, we ask you to bless our interaction with each patient today. Give us wisdom and discernment to meet their needs—physical, emotional, and spiritual. May what we do and say bring people one step closer to Jesus. Amen.”

Kendall stepped back, watching her team move toward their stations.

“All right then. Let's get this day started.”

If only there was a way to package these moments of peace and quiet and parcel them out during the weeks she missed church.

Kendall sat in the back of the auditorium, savoring the echo of praise and worship music lingering in the room following the morning service. She counted the cost of being a physician before entering medical school—and all along the way. But there were times when she resented how it shoved so many other things out of her life. Relationships. Hobbies. Involvement in her church.

People stood in scattered small groups—couples, families. Making plans for later in the day, later in the week. Truth was, being thirty-six and single—
Yes, Bekah, I heard you
—made her a misfit in her church in a way that her job didn't. Most people her age were married. Were moms. And in the medium-sized church she attended, the so-called college and career group catered to young twenty-somethings.

Still, she loved the worship. The teaching. And today she'd been surprised to see another physician, Heath Parker, walk on stage to share his vision for a ministry to support the health needs of families in Africa. She'd met Heath several times when they'd attended the same medical conferences throughout the years. Not that he'd remember her. Usually he was one of the speakers at a regional or national medical conference, thanks to his work overseas in infectious diseases.

Kendall gathered her brown leather satchel that worked as both a purse and a briefcase and her wool car-length coat. She'd stop by the hospital and check on the toddler who was admitted last night after a bad asthma attack. Then she'd take Sully for a walk so they could both enjoy the warm weather before the snow predicted for midweek rolled in over Pikes Peak.

As she exited the double doors of the high school where her “out of the box” church met each week, Kendall heard the sound of fast-paced footsteps. She muffled the sigh building in
her chest. Most likely someone with an If-you-have-a-minute-I-have-this-funny-rash question. Such requests came with the medical degree.

“Dr. Haynes. Kendall!”

Now, that sounded like . . .

The next moment, Heath Parker jogged past her, turned around, and slowed to a walk, staying a few paces in front of her. The wind riffled through his receding hairline, tossing the dark brown curls into an appealing tangle. Brilliant blue eyes locked with hers.

“Kendall. Hey. I was afraid I wouldn't catch you.”

Kendall stopped walking. He'd noticed her, sitting all the way in the last row? She held out her hand. “Dr. Parker. Good to see you again. I enjoyed your talk—”

“Heath. Call me Heath, please.” He wrapped her in an exuberant hug. “And can the I-enjoyed-your-talk spiel. Old friends like us don't need to do stuff like that.”

Old friends . . . like them? Well, maybe in a very general manner of speaking. Kendall did a mental headshake even as she enjoyed a tantalizing whiff of Heath Parker's musky cologne. Made her want to duck in for another hug.

Heath stepped back, tucking his hands into the pockets of his khaki slacks. “I talked with your pastor before church. He mentioned you attended. I looked for you, but didn't see you until just now.”

Ah. That explained it. The pastor had given him a heads-up. But still, Heath looked for her. Nice thought.

“So, do you have time for lunch? I'm told Thai Basil is good. I'm still learning my way around the restaurants in town.”

The unexpected invitation stalled Kendall's response. She'd planned on heating a sweet potato in the microwave before walking Sully. “Lunch? Sure. Sounds great.”

“Terrific! Let me walk you to your car and then we'll caravan there.” Heath fell into step beside her.

Despite the fact that she was all of five feet tall—five three, if you counted her leather boots—she found it easy to keep up with Heath. Average height, he ambled alongside her, asking general what-have-you-been-up-to questions about the church and where she lived. At her Jeep, he opened the door, waiting while she buckled herself in, and then leaned on the door frame.

“A Jeep, huh? Somehow I imagined you'd drive something fancier.”

“I rebuilt this car with my dad. Nothing fancy for me. I'm a Jeep girl.”

Heath patted her hand where it rested on the steering wheel. “Okay, Jeep girl. I'll see you at Thai Basil. Looking forward to learning more about you.”

Kendall watched him walk across the parking lot to a black Hummer H3. To each his own off-road assault vehicle. But from the shine on his custom wheel rims, Kendall doubted Heath Parker went into anything more remote than a gravel parking lot. Oh, well. She wouldn't judge the man by his car.

As Heath followed her out of the parking lot, she made a mental note to stop by the hospital later that evening and check on her patient. Today was not going the way she planned. Not at all.

“This is one well-thought-out setup, Kendall.” Heath turned a circle in her apartment, stopping to face the bank of windows revealing a view of the mountains. Sunshine streamed through the clouds, casting them into varying aspects of shadow and light. “And all you have to do is walk downstairs to go to work each day.”

The satisfaction that lit inside Kendall like a slow-burning Fourth of July sparkler whenever she contemplated her combo work/home environment glowed brighter. “I'd say I'm happy here, but I'm not.”

Heath shot her a startled glance, the afternoon sunlight glinting off his Colorado-sky-blue eyes.

A little-girl giggle escaped. “I'm over-the-moon happy here.”

Heath nudged her shoulder, his chuckle joining hers. “So, when do I get to meet Sully?”

“Ah, Sully. I'm warning you, Heath, the dog has no social graces whatsoever. This, despite repeated attempts at training him.”

“Some dogs aren't meant to be tamed. Like some men.” He waggled his eyebrows at her. “I'm not afraid of your dog.”

Kendall let Sully out from the bedroom, where he sat whining as if she'd ignored him for hours. Which she basically had, thanks to lunch with Heath. The dog bounded out in a flurry of paws and legs and “woofs,” skidding to a stop in front of Heath, who knelt to meet him.

Please don't let the dog-who-never-met-a-person-he-didn't-love scare him off.

Not like she expected Heath Parker to be around much. Or again, for that matter. No sense getting her hopes up.

She watched Heath bury his hands deep in Sully's brown, curly fur, turning his head away from Sully's kisses. Going to the kitchen, she gathered the dog's leash and other walking supplies.

“You sure you want to come along for this?”

Heath gestured to the outdoors. “It's a beautiful day in Colorado. I've been invited to go on a walk with a lovely woman and her very friendly dog. Why would I say no to that offer?”

Right, then.

“It's just that you're a little overdressed for the occasion . . .” Kendall motioned to his navy blue blazer, white dress shirt, and yellow tie.

“Next time I'll make sure I'm appropriately attired.” He shucked off his tie, tucking it in his pocket. “And this is easily dealt with.”

Next time.

“If you want to hook this on his collar, I'll just grab my flats and my windbreaker and we'll go.”

“Perfect.” Heath took the brown leather strap from her.

If this had been a romance novel, this was where the author would insert the line: His hand seemed to linger on hers.

All right, girl. This is not a romance novel. Real life. Your life, remember? Romance for you never leads to happily ever after.

A few minutes later, she and Heath walked behind Sully, who acted as if he'd never heard the command “heel!” She would enjoy the sunshine, the just-right warmth of the April afternoon as they walked to a nearby park—except Sully yanked her arm first to the right and then to the left as he investigated unseen scents along the sidewalk.

“Let me try.” Heath slipped the leash from her hand, then positioned her hand in the crook of his arm.

Very smooth, Dr. Parker.

“So why a goldendoodle?”

“Well, I had asthma as a child.”
Oh, good grief, am I really starting with my childhood?
“Some people believe goldendoodles are hypoallergenic. My goal was to let Sully come into the office sometimes, cheer up the patients, that kind of thing. I liked the idea that he wouldn't aggravate patients' allergies or asthma.”

“But?”

“You're walking him. Sully's a big galoot. Friendly as all
get-out—but uncontrollable. Until he behaves, there's no way I'd let him in my office.”

“And you named him Sully because . . . ?”

Of course he'd ask that. Her innate honesty compelled a truthful answer. “Um,
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.
”

“Clarification, if you please, Dr. Haynes.”

“In the TV show
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,
Jane Seymour plays Dr. Mike, a female frontier doctor. Sully is the love interest.” She kept her eyes trained on her dog. “I decided every female doctor needed a Sully.”

Heath's deep chuckle teased a responding laugh from Kendall. “Only your Sully has four feet.”

“Exactly.”

“Kendall, you are delightful.” He threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side in a brief half-hug. “I didn't think one of the advantages of moving to Colorado was seeing you again.”

“R-really?”

“I knew it was time to leave the mission field, to come back to the States. I knew God was leading me back here. I'm not sure what's next—”

“But what about your medical goodwill organization?”

“There is that. I'm still in the early brainstorming stages. Colorado Springs has so many faith-based organizations—and I see this as something a little different.” Heath turned onto the path leading into the park.

“How so?”

“Well, broader-based.”

“Nondenominational?”

“More than that. I don't even want to label it as a faith-based organization. If I do that, I lose out the opportunity for federal funding.”

Kendall sidestepped a couple of toddlers chasing after a stream of iridescent bubbles blown by their mother. “Is that so bad?”

“No, not necessarily. But I feel like it's an option I'm supposed to pursue—at least initially. My goal is to get as many people as possible excited about improving the health of people in third-world countries. And I believe I know just how to do that.”