Braden shook his head. “Talk about a coward! Mom called him The Runner because he fled from all confrontation. He stayed away for six weeks. Mom said that the Hartley household was a war zone. In the end, they all agreed that they could no longer live in one house. The grandparents decided to move to Florida. They just wanted the dad’s permission for Hallie to go with them. But Ruby said no, so Hallie had to stay.” Braden was quiet for a moment, then he looked at Jamie. “Can I give you some advice?”
Jamie hesitated, but considering what this man was willing to do for Hallie, yes, he’d accept advice. He nodded.
“Tell her you’re a doctor.”
“Hallie knows that.”
“I don’t think she does. When she called my mother and raved about you, she didn’t mention it. If Hallie’d told her you were a doctor, Mom would have hit me over the head with it. She thinks doctors are above lawyers on the ladder of helping humanity.”
“We are,” Jamie said, “but you guys rescue us from the predators.”
Smiling, they looked out at the garden.
After Braden left, Jamie stretched out on the old couch in Hallie’s living room and tried to keep his mind on the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association that his mother had brought for him. She was adamant that he keep up with his training as she hoped that he’d soon go back to his profession. She and his dad had offered to build him a clinic near their house in Colorado. “Or in Maine,” they’d said. The idea was that he’d feel more secure if he treated only people who were related to him.
Until
now—until he’d met Hallie—he’d turned down their offers without a second thought. But now he was thinking about it.
His mother called him as they were leaving Nantucket.
“Hallie is here and everyone is kissing her goodbye,” Cale said from the airport. “Everyone likes her so very much.”
“You can stop hinting,” Jamie said. “I like her too.”
“How much?” Cale asked quickly.
Jamie started to make a quick retort about that being his own business, but instead, he smiled. He knew everyone had seen how much better he was doing since he’d met Hallie and they wanted the best for him. “I like her the ultimate amount. Is that what you wanted to hear?”
“Yes,” Cale whispered. Jamie knew his mother was fighting tears and he gave her time to calm herself. “So when are you going to let her know this?”
Jamie rolled his eyes. “Leave something to me, will you?”
“I know, sweetheart,” Cale said, “but I’m a mother so I worry. I’m afraid Hallie might decide she’s in love with that man Braden. She doesn’t seem to see what he’s really like! Your dad was furious for half of Jilly’s wedding. I almost couldn’t get him to calm down. Braden said—”
“Mom!” Jamie said loudly. “It’s okay. Hallie isn’t going to run off with Braden. When I get back I’ll tell you about him. He’s a really good guy and you’re going to love his story.”
“I doubt that,” Cale said. “I think he—Oh, no. Your dad’s about to throw me in the back of a truck.”
It was a running joke in their family that when their dad wanted his wife to hurry up he said he was going to toss her into a truck, something he’d done long ago.
“I love you,” Cale said. “And talk to Hallie!”
“I will,” Jamie said, “and I love you both.”
He clicked off the phone and tried to go back to his magazine, but he kept listening for Hallie’s return. He was dreading telling her that Shelly was on her way to Nantucket. If there was anything Jamie knew about, it was irrational fear. In theory, he knew that a room with lots of doors in it wasn’t something to fear, but that didn’t stop him from standing against a wall and watching. Who knew what was going to run through a door at any second?
Logically, Hallie had no reason to fear her stepsister, but that wouldn’t keep her from doing so. Someday maybe Hallie could feel secure enough to stand up to Shelly, but for now Jamie was going to do what Braden had done for so many years and protect Hallie. He was going to put himself between the two women and do whatever was necessary to make Hallie feel safe.
When Jamie heard a car door slam, he was on his feet in seconds and at the front door before it opened.
Hallie threw it open. She was drenched! “The sky opened up just as I got out of the car.”
Jamie dropped his crutches onto the stairs and held out his arms to her.
“I’ll get you wet.”
He didn’t lower his arms and she went to him, the two of them holding each other close. Her head was on his chest and she could hear his heart beating.