A Christmas Hope by Stacy Henrie

Author:Stacy Henrie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2014-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

He caught hold of her hand and linked his fingers with hers. There was something else he had to say. “I could’ve saved that man’s life, Maria. If I hadn’t paused to talk to the orderly, if I’d moved faster…”

“Perhaps,” she answered, her voice soft and calming. “But he might have died later, Dale. Did you get a look at his injuries?”

Dale searched his memory, then shook his head.

“You can’t ask what if. Believe me, I’ve tried.” Her laughter was laced with sorrow. “You were doing all you could in that moment to be the best doctor you could be, helping the patients, answering a pressing question. And that’s all you could do. You aren’t responsible for more than that.”

Her simple words flowed through him like a cleansing river, carrying away his guilt and regret.

The sudden press of her lips against his cheek sparked fire in him, even in the cooling temperature of the bank. He opened his eye to find her watching him, her gaze guileless, hopeful, uncertain.

A fierce longing to kiss her swept over him, but before he could pull her close and act on his wish, Maria closed his fingers around his eye patch and fell back a step. “I’d better be going.”

The absence of her usual confidence surprised Dale until a new revelation rocked him. Maria feared his reaction.

Could he convince her that he wanted to explore this magnetic pull between them, even when he felt he had so little to offer?

“I’ll walk you to the boardinghouse,” he volunteered, eager to spend as much time as possible with her before they parted.

Maria shook her head as she pulled on her winter things. “You’re headed in the opposite direction, and it isn’t far.” The pleading note behind her causal words silenced any further argument on his part. For whatever reason, she wanted to be alone.

“The tree looks amazing. Thank you for your help, Dale.” She moved to the door.

“It was a fine idea to have a tree.” He searched his mind for a way to restore the intimacy of the evening as he drew on his coat and hat. He didn’t want her thinking she had anything to be embarrassed about.

“Good night.” Maria opened the door, letting in a brisk breeze and a flurry of snowflakes.

Think.

Another snatch of conversation he’d heard between her and the twins repeated through his head, giving him an idea. “Maria?”

She spun around, as if she’d only been waiting for him to call her back.

Dale smiled at the thought. “Are you free to go dancing with me this Saturday evening?”

Her own smile reflected relief and pleasure. “I would very much love to go dancing with you on Saturday. See you tomorrow, Dale.”

“Tomorrow,” he echoed. He grinned foolishly as he watched her leave the bank, feeling lighter than he had in weeks.

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