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  “Lucy, I’ve got, um, a medical emergency I have to deal with. I have to cancel our date.”

  ****

  Travis sped through the darkened streets in his black Ford pickup, heading for the beach community where Emma lived, glad he’d noted the address on her chart earlier in the day.

  When he located her house, he blew out a breath, seeing a car in the driveway and lights on in the house. He parked the truck and took two steps at a time up onto the landing. Hearing the sounds of children crying, he shot up a brief prayer for the girls. Travis rapped on the door, tapping the toe of his boot against the porch floor.

  The door swung open. Emma stared at him with her mouth open. Her blonde hair was a mess, her face wan, and the front of her shirt blotted with a wet, suspicious substance.

  “Oh, Travis!” She grabbed onto his sleeve.

  Amazed that even the disheveled sight of her caused his pulse to leap, he edged into the house and set his bag on a nearby table. “Dr. Roberts said you called. How are the girls?”

  Emma seemed to realize the state of her condition. With the back of her hand, she smoothed her wayward hair.

  “They started throwing up about an hour ago and they’re running temperatures.” She clenched her hands together. “I don’t know what to do. I’m worried it’s something they may have picked up in Haiti.”

  “Let me see them.”

  Emma led him to the bedrooms where Katrina and Kendra sat on her bed. Travis saw two miserable little girls, huddled in bath towels. He approached them slowly and crouched down next to the bed. “Hi. Remember me?”

  Kendra put out a little hand to him. “Bon bon.”

  “She means candy,” Emma said. “Like the lollipop you gave her earlier.”

  Travis smiled. “Sorry, sweetheart. I don’t have any with me now, but I’ll bring you some soon, okay?”

  Two pairs of serious brown eyes regarded him with steady gazes. Kendra nodded her head. Travis sat on the bed next to them and began a cursory check of their vital stats. He looked over at where Emma stood wringing her hands.

  “Let’s get them bathed and medicated, and from there we can keep an eye on them. Their fevers aren’t too high, and if they’re asking for candy, I think that’s a good sign.” He grinned, hoping to reassure Emma.

  “What about Dengue fever or something like that?”

  “When did you arrive in the states?”

  “A couple of weeks ago.”

  He saw the shine of moisture in her eyes. “Let’s start with what I suggested. If they don’t improve or they get worse, we’ll go from there.”

  Emma sniffed. “Are...are you sure?”

  Travis nodded. “Why don’t you change the bedding while I get the girls cleaned up? It will give me a chance to observe them a little.”

  She released a breath. “Thank you, Dr. Taylor.”

  “Travis.”

  Emma gave him a watery smile but said nothing.

  ****

  Lucy Street brushed out her hair with swift, angry strokes as she mulled over Travis’s phone call breaking their date. She knew he wasn’t on call and didn’t understand what kind of emergency he’d be needed for.

  She regarded her reflection with a critical eye. The folds of her red dress hung perfectly on her figure. The dress was new and it annoyed her Travis wouldn’t see it tonight.

  So why shouldn’t it be seen? Why should I sit stuck at home on a Friday night? She knew of a party at a beach front house that she’d hoped to talk Travis into going to later.

  Tossing the hairbrush onto the top of the dresser, she reached for her address book.

  3

  ...rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding.

  —Gerard Manley Hopkins

  An hour later Kendra and Katrina rested with a measure of peace in their clean beds. Emma stood just inside the door, her heart reaching out in prayer for them.

  “Emma.”

  She turned at the sound of Travis’s voice. His smile tugged at her heart.

  “They’re fine. Come and sit down. You need a break.”

  Giving one last languishing look at her daughters, she nodded. “Just let me change my shirt and I’ll be right there.” Then she saw Travis’s shirt. The wet fabric clung to his skin from the girls and their baths. Emma bit her lip. “You should let me find you something clean to wear.”

  Travis wrinkled his nose as he looked down. “I’ll take you up on that.”

  She led him to her bedroom. “I think there’s box of my father’s clothing somewhere.” She plunged into the depths of the walk-in closet. A moment later came out with a black T-shirt and held it out to him.

  “Will this work?”

  Nodding, he reached out for the shirt. “Thanks.”

  Emma averted her gaze. “You can change in the guest bathroom down the hall. Just leave the dirty one there and I’ll see what I can do with it.”

  He gave her a slow smile, making her heart thump hard. “I’ll meet you in the living room.”

  “Okay.”

  After he’d exited her room, Emma shut the door with a snap behind him. She went to her dresser and picked out a soft blue cotton top with lettuce edging. Peeling off her soiled top, she scrubbed herself clean and changed into the fresh shirt. At the last minute, she ran a brush through her hair and applied a touch of make-up.

  Emma peeked out her bedroom door down the hall to the guest bath. When she saw it was dark, she went in and retrieved Travis' shirt. Holding it away from her, she took it to the laundry room, grabbed a bottle of Woolite, and went to the kitchen, deciding to hand-wash it in the sink. As she squeezed the excess water out, he ambled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter.

  Staring down at the bubbly water, Emma sighed. Since arriving in Texas, she’d struggled with the adjustment of being the sudden parent of twins, of doing everything on her own. Travis seemed such a tower of strength. His presence made her feel weak and silly. A lone tear dripped off the end of her nose, falling into the sink with a little plop.

  “You don’t need to go to all that trouble, Emma.”

  She stood straighter. “It’s the least I could do after dragging you away from your plans.”

  “You didn’t drag me. I came of my own accord, remember?”

  The black tee shirt, she noticed with a surreptitious peek, had a snug fit, showing off the contours of his upper arms and torso. She remembered how nice he looked when he showed up on her doorstep. Emma wiped the remaining moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand.

  “I didn’t spoil a special evening, did I?”

  Travis’s cheeks darkened under his tan. He looked away. “I’m glad I could help tonight.”

  Emma noticed his hesitation, figuring there was a girlfriend in the picture. She ignored the sharp little stab of regret. Then a new thought occurred to her. Was he married? A quick glance at his hand revealed he wore no ring. She wasn’t sure how the knowledge made her feel.

  Wiping her hands on a towel, she avoided his direct gaze. “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?”

  Emma wasn’t surprised when Travis shook his head. After the episode with the twins, she didn’t feel hungry either. She hung up the shirt to dry, and walked into the living room. Dropping onto the couch, she looked up when Travis sat down next to her and stretched his arm along the back.

  He tilted his head toward her. “It was quite a surprise at the office for me, seeing you after all these years.”

  She folded her hands in her lap, his nearness stirring up a dervish of thoughts and memories she’d tried to keep at bay all afternoon. Travis is ancient history.

  “So tell me what you’ve been doing all this time?” he asked. “My story is pretty obvious. College, med school, residency, practice. Yawn.”

  She shook her head, unable to resist a smile. “Not boring, Travis. It’s a wonderful accomplishment, and I’m very proud of you.”

  “I wonder what your parents would think.” Travis shook his head as if
he regretted the words.

  She understood what he meant. Her face grew warm. “I don’t really worry about what they think anymore. We’ve pretty much gone our separate ways.”

  “Where are they now?”

  “India. Chasing another rainbow, I guess.”

  “And what about you?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing impressive, I’m afraid. I spent a lot of time drifting, trying to figure out what God wanted me to do.” And how I would get over you. “I traveled all over Europe with my parents for a time. They finally got tired of me moping around, as they put it, and told me to go ‘find’ myself.”

  She looked down at her hands, bare of any jewelry, her fingernails short and unpolished. “Then I went to Bible college for a couple of years, but when my money ran out, they refused to pay for me to finish. Religion was okay to them, as long as it wasn’t Christianity. ‘Too narrow’ they said.”

  Emma looked up and saw Travis’s lips thin, aware that he’d always disapproved of her parents.

  “What else have you been doing since then?” he said. “It’s been so long since high school.”

  High school. Emma remembered those days when she and Travis had been an item. Everything had seemed so simple then. She loved him and he loved her. They’d even talked of marriage. Her parents had other plans. Leaving Travis to relocate to Indonesia had been one of the worst experiences of her life. And I was too much of a wimp to do anything about it.

  Emma peeked up at him from under her lashes. Yet here he sat, as sweet and stable as ever, helping her when she needed help. She cleared her throat. “After dropping out of the Bible college, I moved to Florida, worked at some art stores, volunteered at a camp for special needs children, did some tutoring, and eventually tagged along with a missionary group headed to Haiti. From there I began to volunteer at a local orphanage.” She took a deep breath. “Then I saw the girls and knew they were meant for me.”

  Travis leaned in closer, seeming to study her every facial feature. “I would’ve thought you’d be married by now. I remember you always wanting to be a mom.”

  Emma’s thumb sought out the skin of her ring finger. She lowered her gaze, wondering if she should confess. The thought of her ex-fiancé made her wince. “I am a mom now,” she whispered. “What about you?”

  Travis shook his head. “My life has been too hectic to be married. I just haven’t had time.”

  At least that had always been his excuse. Travis looked down at Emma’s silky blonde hair when she lowered her gaze. He suddenly noticed the way she touched her ring finger and detected a band of skin lighter than the rest of her tanned hands. She’d obviously worn a ring there for some time.

  Travis wondered if she was divorced. If that was the case, she’d kept her maiden name. She’d only said there was no husband. He didn’t think he had the right to ask for all the gritty details. Whatever happened, it’d been a recent break up, and from the way she rubbed the skin, she was still bothered by it.

  She looked up at him. As if guessing his thoughts, she shoved her hand into her lap.

  “So tell me how you ended up adopting your girls,” he said in an effort to banish the idea of a heartbroken Emma.

  She leaned her head back, her gaze becoming far away. “After hearing about the AIDS crisis in Haiti, I wanted to do something to help. I started working for a Christian-based orphanage there and was helping foreign families adopt eligible Haitian children.”

  “I’ve heard some terrible stories of the conditions there.”

  Emma frowned. “It’s worse. And it tore my heart to see desperate parents giving up their children because they couldn’t feed them.”

  Travis couldn’t resist touching her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. She looked so distressed.

  Emma acknowledged the contact by giving him a small smile. “I remember the day Kendra and Katrina were placed. Their mom had died and their dad couldn’t care for them. They were eighteen months old and each weighed only about fifteen pounds. The orphanage gave them prompt medical care and regular meals. They’re still skinny, but nothing like when they first arrived. When their father died shortly after, I knew I wanted to adopt them.”

  She leaned over and picked the papers up off the coffee table. “Here are their records, by the way.”

  Travis took them and scanned the information. Aside from being treated for giardia and scabies, the worst of their condition had been malnutrition. He was pleased to note negative test results for AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, and Sickle Cell Anemia.

  “I think with lots of love and good nutrition, your girls will do great.”

  Emma smiled. “That’s what I’m hoping for.” She appreciated Travis’s upbeat attitude more than he knew. It was a direct opposite of the reaction she’d had from her fiancé. After leading a misfit life trailing her wealthy, restless parents all over the globe, all Emma had ever dreamed of was settling down to marry and have a family of her own—and find a stability that had always eluded her.

  Such a mundane desire, yet, for her, so difficult to achieve. She’d broken up with Stephen, and thankful the orphanage allowed single people to adopt, put all her energy into bringing Katrina and Kendra home.

  Home. She still wasn’t sure where that was, but she knew she’d taken a step in the right direction by coming to Texas. Emma glanced up at Travis and found him regarding her with an amused expression on his face.

  “What?” she asked.

  He shrugged and smiled. “I guess I’m just thinking about how little you’ve changed.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you’re still pretty. Especially now that your braces are off.”

  Gratification warred with embarrassment.

  “Seriously,” he went on, “you’ve always been a caring person, Emma. It makes me happier than a gopher in soft dirt to see how God’s still using you to bless others.”

  She tucked a curl behind her ear. “Adopting the girls is one of the only things I’ve ever done that seemed meant to be.”

  “‘God sets the lonely in families’,” Travis murmured. “It says that in the Bible.”

  Emma looked up at him and felt trapped by the intensity of his gaze. Her heart gave a lurch at the tenderness she saw in his eyes. It would be so easy to lean on this man. But no matter how tempting the thought was, she couldn’t drag anyone else into her problems. She and God would get through everything on their own.

  The distinct sound of a child’s cry turned her attention away. She hurried into the girls’ room and found Katrina fussing a little in her sleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Emma caressed her cheek, speaking in a soft tone. Soon, Katrina settled down and began to breathe deep and regular. When she stood, she found Travis had followed her into the bedroom. Without overly disturbing the girls, he performed a quick vital stat check on them.

  “They’re doing well. I think the worst is over.”

  She nodded. “I noticed Katrina’s skin felt cooler.”

  “Start them out with water to drink if you don’t have an electrolyte solution, in small amounts to make sure they can keep it down. As they improve, you can give them light foods, such as bananas, rice, and toast without butter. And if their condition worsens at all, call me at home.”

  He pulled out his wallet from his back pocket and extracted a card. Handing it to her, he said, “This is my home phone number.”

  “Thank you, Travis. I can’t tell you how helpful you’ve been.”

  His dimple appeared. “Aw, shucks, ma’am.”

  Emma felt more light-hearted than she had in months. She thought it was interesting how his speech changed according to his mood. When speaking as a doctor, he was all business. When teasing, his accent deepened.

  “I remember your ‘cowboy talk’,” she said, leading him from the room. “It always got the thickest when you were the least sincere.” When they entered the kitchen, she turned to him and crossed her arms.

  Trav
is grinned. “You can always tell a Texan, but you can’t tell him much.”

  “There you go again.”

  He shrugged with a glint in his eyes. “Guess a Yankee like you wouldn’t understand.”

  Emma remembered the way he used to always call her ‘darlin’ and ‘sugar’. It was corny but she’d loved it. It seemed another lifetime ago. Thinking of time gone by, she glanced at the clock and let out a sigh.

  “Travis, it’s after ten.”

  “So?”

  She reached for his shirt hanging above the sink. It was mostly dry. “I’ve taken up your whole evening. I’m sorry.”

  “I’m not sorry, Emma.”

  Her heart leapt at the tone of his words. Then she looked down at the shirt in her hands. It was a designer dress shirt. The kind one wore out on a date. A woman had been expecting him, and Emma had no intention of causing her hurt by encouraging Travis in his misplaced chivalry.

  “Let me just get this ironed for you and that should dry it the rest of the way.”

  Before he could answer, she hurried down the hall toward the laundry room.

  Travis watched Emma go, and shook his head. It had been so easy to want to pick up where he’d left off with her. He’d always felt comfortable around her. Their high school romance had blossomed from a deep friendship—a friendship he realized he wanted again.

  Take it easy. Don’t go wishin’ you could rope the wind.

  Seeing his dress shirt in her hands reminded him he kinda belonged to someone else. Travis tried to conjure up a mental picture of Lucy, but found it was eclipsed by a lady with soft blonde hair and softer blue eyes. He tilted back his head and blew out a sigh.

  Emma was right. It was late—too late for him to get involved with her now. She had a couple of little girls to think of and was still probably heart-sore from her recent breakup. She needed him only for what he could offer medically. Somehow the logic failed to cheer him.

  A few moments later, Emma emerged with the freshly-ironed shirt, her expression guarded.