guess who?”
Tessa paused at the deep voice on the other end of the phone line. Memories of her past, of what seemed to her like eons ago, flooded her mind. They were memories of a different time when she felt she had the world by the tail and anything she might want was hers for the asking, a time of false illusions of safety and control. “Stan?” she asked, forcing herself to come back to the present.
“That’s right. It’s been a while since we talked, hasn’t it?”
Tessa thought two weeks but she didn’t voice her thoughts aloud. “So what’s up?” she asked instead. How did you find my phone number? she thought actually. Her phone number was unlisted. He’d certainly never called her before.
“Surprised, Tessa? I was looking over your therapy chart from last year when that leg started acting up again and thought I’d give you a call.”
Of course, the chart. Her phone number was on that. “So what’s—be careful,” she called out to the freezer men who were now moving her table to make more room. Good heavens!
“Careful?” Stan’s voice came across the line confused before his rich chuckle sounded. “That’s Tessa.”
With a chuckle, he continued speaking. “I wanted to tell you, I just moved to Hill Creek.” She heard someone in the background say something to Stan. He paused and replied. Then he was back talking to her. “We’ll talk when I get over there.”
Tessa, who had been shifting from foot to foot with worry over the way the beefy men had handled her table, became suddenly alert at Stan’s words. “I’m sorry?” Here? she thought.
Moving around the corner of the doorway, blocking out the disaster going on in her kitchen, she tuned all of her energy to the man on the phone. “Run that by me again, Stan?”
“I moved to Hill Creek. And since I come so highly qualified, the attending physician has assigned me as nurse to the man moving into your house. I’ll be seeing you every morning.”
Stunned, Tessa sank to a footstool in front of a recliner chair in her living room. “You’re here, in Hill Creek?”
“That’s right. Isn’t it great?”
Tessa simply shook her head. Five years ago she’d been in love with a man named Michael—or she thought she’d been in love with him. He’d been so upbeat just like Stan, so outgoing, so forward in his pursuit. Then the earthquake had come, her injuries had come, and they’d broken up. She’d broken up. He’d broken up with her. It was all too much to think about right now. He’d sworn he still cared for her and just needed time to adjust to their new circumstances. But it hadn’t been the truth. It’d been her, the emptiness that had run him off.
He didn’t want her. She couldn’t live with all of the pain that had been running through her after the horrible earthquake and loss. The only good thing that had happened during that time was that she’d rededicated herself to God. That had changed her life. She had wanted to put all of the past behind her. She’d tried to put the past behind her. She had realized after rededicating her heart to God that she couldn’t stay there and watch her former fiancé marry and set up practice in her town of Brea.
So she’d packed up and left. She’d tried once or twice to date. She’d met Stan, who had seemed like such a nice man. Kind, gentle, funny…but she just hadn’t been able to risk it.
“Tessa, you still there?”
But if she read this one right, he was interested in more than therapy. Tessa nodded, then realizing he couldn’t see her answered, “Yes. That’s um, great, Stan, that you’re here.”
Stan chuckled. “I’ve been in town two weeks now. I live out west, on the other side of the hospital, but I saw you at the school, just before it let out. And you wouldn’t believe the way small towns are. I think I’ve heard everything about you and every other single person that lives in this Podunk town in those two weeks. I’d been waiting to contact you… Anyway, we’ll catch up later. I just thought I’d call and let you know I’m back.”
“Thanks, Stan. It’s good to hear your voice.” She meant that, in a way. In another way she didn’t. She wasn’t sure what to say to him. She remembered in the hospital when he’d worked on the therapy, the lasting result from the earthquake that flared up occasionally. She’d really enjoyed his company, maybe because he was so nice, did most of the talking, and showed such enthusiasm.
But when he’d wanted to walk her home and then sent her those cards…it was too reminiscent of her past with Michael.
He hung up.
Tessa replaced the receiver as well. Stan now lived in town.
What was she going to do? She toyed with the idea of dating him. He certainly was persistent. And he even attended the same church she did when he was in town on a Sunday—which wasn’t often. He had the time to spend with her.
She’d spent weeks in the hospital five years earlier when the earthquake had collapsed the building she was in. It was during that time she’d been told she would never have children—it was impossible from all the damage. That had devastated her, but Michael… Michael hadn’t been able to handle it at all.
After Michael broke off their engagement Tessa headed east, stopping in Hill Creek, Texas, where they had been seeking teachers. She had not kept in touch with many people—only one or two through occasional letters.
She hadn’t been able to date since. Twice men had found out about her infertility and had stopped calling. Stan was the first man who had shown an interest in her since then. Oh, she’d gone out with Mitch, entertaining the idea of maybe marrying the nice man. He was a sheriff and would provide safety. He was nice, quiet. But on that one date they hadn’t clicked. She’d actually wanted to leave from the time they’d entered the restaurant. It had been more than obvious to her that their waitress, Suzi, was in love with Mitch.
After that, she had resigned herself to being an old maid. But Stan was in town now. How interesting.
Worry made her bite her lip. She realized she was being silly since he probably only wanted to be a friend.
She stood and moved to go check on the puppy, wishing she could just forget the past and go on with the life she’d started here. She’d only taken two steps when she noticed her kitchen. Her mind went absolutely blank with shock. “Oh good heavens!”
Not only had a freezer been moved into her abode but they had totally reworked the stairs out back and they were just finishing the door. “What are you doing?”
“Wheelchair accessible, ma’am,” a new person said.
“This is my house!” she protested.
The ramp had obviously already been built and was simply being laid over her stairs and secured with railing. It was a long, slow incline, which meant it took up a large part of her walk. “Orders—”
“—ma’am,” she finished, then gasped when she realized they must have moved things around out back as well so they could put up the ramp. “I have turtles mating out there!”
“We moved them,” the carpenter said as if that answered everything.
“Where?”
