Unexpected Love Read online

  “Waiting for you, of course.”

  “It’s nearly one in the morning.”

  “I’m well aware of the fact.” He inclined his head to Brian, who stood from the armchair in which he’d been sitting. “Brian was good enough to keep me company.”

  “Good evening, Renna, or more accurately, good morning.”

  She sent him a smile she knew he couldn’t see. “Hello, Brian.” She filled her gaze with the sight of him. Renna had thought her reason would have returned by now, but seeing him so close, darkly handsome beneath the dim lamplight, made her realize how much she missed him.

  Renna forced her feet farther into the parlor. “Now what’s this, Da? Putting your foot down . . . where?”

  “You are working too much, my little wren. Things cannot go on as they are.”

  “It can’t be helped. Nurses Rutledge and Thatcher—”

  “Aren’t human, I don’t think.” Brian sat back down.

  “Oh, they’re human. They’re lazy and jealous of Renna.”

  She’d wondered that very thing, although she couldn’t think of why the two women would be jealous. The laziness she’d seen.

  “I’ll say this—” The sternness in Da’s voice matched the frown furrowing his brow. “I had made up my mind that if you weren’t home in another hour I was going to fetch you myself!”

  “Oh, Da, I was at the hospital and perfectly safe.”

  “You’re overworking yourself, Renna, and you have been since you returned from the military hospital eighteen months ago. I’ll not have it anymore. You have no time for church, your family, or your friends.”

  Renna leaned against the doorframe and exhaled audibly. “And what do you propose?”

  “Well, I spoke to Dr. Hamilton about it this afternoon.”

  “You spoke to him?” She straightened. “What did he say?”

  “Dr. Hamilton said you’re free to take a sabbatical.”

  “I can’t.” She shook her head, thinking of her patients. They needed her, depended on her. Just like Mr. Blackeyes had.

  “You must take some time off, or you’ll burn out like an old candle, Renna. Why, just look at yourself. You’ve got dark circles under your puffy eyes.”

  “Da!” Renna’s hands flew to her face. She was only too glad her pirate couldn’t see.

  “Someone had to step in. As your father, I felt it was my duty.”

  “I’m not a child, Da.” Although Renna had to admit that, at the moment, she felt like an old, burnt-out candle. “But I suppose a few days off will do me good.”

  “More than a few days, my little wren. Dr. Hamilton agreed to allow you the rest of the year.”

  “What?”

  “This way you can enjoy the upcoming holidays and not worry about being scheduled all the time.”

  Disbelief caused her head to spin. He’d never interfered in her life like this before. “But Da—”

  “No arguments.” He stood and came toward her. “Brian needs our help. He’s got a noble mission of winning his children back, and I’ve promised we’d do whatever we could to assist him.”

  Anger flashed inside of her. “I see.” So he’d enlisted her parents’ help in getting her to go? She sent him a glare that he couldn’t see.

  “Brian needs our help, so he’s asked us to take a holiday and spend a month in Milwaukee with him. We’ll celebrate Thanksgiving with him and the children. Won’t that be a treat? Your mother is quite enthusiastic about it since we haven’t been on a holiday in years.”

  “Seems it’s already been decided.” Renna could barely contain her anger. Her father had meddled not only in her personal life but also her professional one. She turned away and stared at the porcelain figurines on the sideboard. If only Brian believed in true love, then she might be willing. But it seemed so pointless.

  Brian’s voice broke in for the first time. “Renna, I shared our last conversation with your father. You might say I made my intentions known.”

  “You did?” Excitement and dread mixed with confusion filled her being. She kept her back to him and Da, recalling how Brian asked her to be patient while he determined whether he loved her. She agreed to it—before realizing his intentions were misguided.

  Or were they?

  Brian crossed the room. Standing behind her, he set his hands on her upper arms. “I pray you haven’t changed your mind, Renna.”

  His voice, so low and husky near her ear, sent shivers down her neck and spine. This pirate had stolen her heart, all right. “No, I haven’t changed my mind.” But I should, she silently added. They couldn’t be happy without love as a foundation.

  She turned quickly and found herself practically in his arms. Her gaze went from the top button of his waistcoat to his shadowy jaw then finally his unseeing black eyes. They seemed to bore right into hers, keeping her transfixed.

  “I’d be terribly disappointed if you had a change of heart.”

  Renna’s lips moved, but no words came out as she stared up at him. She’d never stood this close to a man under nonmedical circumstances. And that she’d somewhere, somehow fallen in love with this particular man made his nearness a veritable thrill.

  As if he’d divined her thoughts, an amused grin turned up the corners of his mouth. Next he lifted her hand and placed a kiss on her fingertips.

  “So there, you see?” Da came around Brian. “This holiday is quite necessary.”

  Renna felt her face heat with an embarrassed blush. She’d forgotten her father was in the room. This pirate made her take leave of her senses!

  Slowly she pulled her hand free.

  Brian chuckled before turning to Da. “It gives you good reason for investigating my household, Wendell.”

  “Ah, yes, something like that.” Da sent Renna a good-natured wink.

  “Investigate all you want. Hopefully Richard will have rehired all the needed household staff. I’m grateful he is still so willing to help me after everything that happened this summer.” Brian took Renna’s elbow and led her to the place on the divan closest to the glowing hearth.

  “What kind of household staff do you have?” Renna wanted to know, although she suspected she already did. How could she possibly fit into that world?

  “In the past, I’ve employed only two live-in employees: a housekeeper and a governess. The others, like my cook Isabelle, go home to their own families at the end of the day. I never cared for an overabundance of live-in household staff. One tends to lose his privacy that way.”

  Renna nodded for lack of a better reply.

  Then, suddenly, she remembered. Something extremely important. How could she have forgotten? “What about your life being in possible danger?”

  “I am in as much danger here as I will be in Milwaukee. Besides, the authorities have been alerted. They’re investigating the boating accident.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Still, Renna couldn’t shake her frown. “I worry about you, Brian. If there truly is a person trying to take your life—someone who’s responsible for the deaths of three other individuals, including your own mother—well, you’re helpless to see him coming.”

  “I’m not as helpless as you may think.”

  “What do you mean? You’re blind.”

  “Renna, a man either believes that God is in control of everything, or he believes God is in control of nothing. Under your father’s tutelage, I’ve come to believe God is in control of the very next breath I take.”

  Renna believed that too.

  “Besides, I manned a gunboat on the Mississippi River during the war. My crew and I saw plenty of battles.” He was grinning straight at her now. “I can handle Matthew Benchley.”

  He’d made his case. Renna’s confidence in him was restored.

  “If the murderer is indeed Matt”—Da wore a pained expression—“I don’t want to believe he’s involved in anything illegal. He seems like such a fine man.”

  “By day I would agree with you, Wendell. An
d maybe I’m wrong. Time will tell. What does the Bible say—something about our sins finding us out?”

  “The passage is in Numbers, I believe.” Da appeared pleased. “Be sure your sin will find you out.”

  “Right,” replied Brian, looking rather proud of himself for remembering.

  However, no one could have been happier than Renna. Her pirate had just put his small bit of biblical knowledge to practical use.

  “It won’t be long before Benchley is found out—if he’s guilty, as I suspect he is.”

  “So what do you say, Renna?” her father pressed, changing the subject now. “It’s late and I’m tired. We need your answer now. A holiday in Milwaukee? How about it?”

  “Sounds nice.” She felt mesmerized by Brian’s close proximity as he sat beside her on the divan, so it was easy to push aside all apprehensions. She knew what sort of man Captain Brian Sinclair was—a very rich, high-society man and one who could charm the thorns off a rose. He’d soon discover that she didn’t belong in his world.

  It was a shame that he couldn’t stay in hers forever.

  •••

  After a second day of shopping, Renna looked around her bedroom, shaking her head in amazement. Store-bought dresses lay everywhere, ten of them. Da had been so proud to buy them for her, and he’d purchased nearly as many for Mum. However, Renna thought such extravagance could be better spent on medical supplies—although Brian did make a generous donation to the hospital. She smiled inwardly. What would Nurse Rutledge and Nurse Thatcher have to say about him now? The obstinate blind man in Renna’s ward turned out to be a very wealthy shipping magnate from Wisconsin.

  Renna glanced at the list Brian had given her earlier. “This is practically indecent,” she muttered.

  “A dress?” Her sister Elizabeth stroked the pile of silk, velvet, and satin. “Which one?”

  “No, no. Not the gowns. This list! Imagine having to own all these dresses just because of receptions and balls.”

  “You do own them. What’s to imagine?”

  Mum laughed softly at Elizabeth’s quip. Her mother’s and sister’s exuberance actually pained Renna. She knew they both hoped this holiday would end with a marriage proposal and the spinster nurse would marry the rich, handsome captain. However, it was quite common for men, suffering with serious trauma, to fall in love with their caregivers. As soon as they healed, their ardor waned. It would be no different with Brian when he regained his eyesight.

  “Oh, Renna,” Elizabeth said, “this is a blessing, not a curse. I mean, I wish I could afford store-bought dresses like these, not that I don’t get one occasionally. It’s just more economical for our family that I sew all our clothes.”

  “Most everyone does, these days,” Mum said. “Only wealthy people can afford an entire wardrobe from Palmer’s.”

  Renna blushed. “I’m not wealthy.”

  “Well, your father’s not a pauper either.”

  Pressing her lips together she realized she’d insulted her parents. Da had spent almost all the funds Brian gave him on clothes for himself, Mum, and Renna so they’d look every bit as respectable as the dignitaries in Milwaukee. But more than that, Da wanted to show Brian that he wouldn’t be marrying beneath him if he wedded Renna.

  Her breath caught. But if Brian regained his sight, this holiday could end in sheer humiliation for all of them.

  “Oh, Mum, I don’t want a holiday in Milwaukee with Brian.” She tossed his list aside. “I’ve changed my mind.”

  “He needs us, Renna.”

  With a sigh, she supposed he did. She recalled how he’d asked for her assistance. Matt Benchley could be a threat to Brian’s existence. Renna would have to be his eyes and keep a lookout. What’s more, Brian longed to win his children back. And what of his sons? At ages ten and eleven they could pose a great threat to their blind father. Why, they might even try to injure him if, indeed, they resented him as Brian feared.

  “Well, I suppose . . . if he needs us . . . I’ll go.”

  “That’s the spirit.” Mum smiled.

  Renna hated feeling so indecisive.

  “Oh, it’ll be fun. Just think of all the interesting people we’ll meet.” Mum sent a merry glance toward Renna and Elizabeth.

  But dread overcame Renna. Brian would require her presence at all the social functions. She couldn’t compare to the beautiful women who’d likely be in attendance.

  Picking up a dress from the bed, she began to pack her trunk. Lord, Your Word says You see me. You formed me in my mother’s womb. With her back to Mum and Elizabeth, she blinked away sudden tears. Surely the Lord wouldn’t allow her to suffer more ridicule. She’d battled it her entire life—except at the hospital. When she nursed men and women back to health, her appearance didn’t matter.

  Perhaps, then, that’s the mind-set she should have. Focus on others and care for them. Brian and his children. Marry Brian if he proposed, and become a mother for his children. That’s what he had asked her.

  Every part of her being cried out in protest. When Renna married, she wanted to be a wife. She wanted love and happiness.

  “I really don’t want to go.” She plunked down on the edge of the bed.

  “It’s not like you to be so wishy-washy, Renna.” Elizabeth sent her a quizzical look.

  Renna touched her cheek with her birthmark.

  “So that’s it!” Elizabeth put her hands on her curvy hips. “Your birthmark. You feel inferior.”

  “Oh, now, Elizabeth, don’t start scolding me.”

  “Well, I will. Why not just let go and be yourself. Show the captain and his friends that certain pluck you have. Show them the Renna we, your family, know and love. And if they can’t accept you in Milwaukee, you still have us. You’ll always have us.”

  Suddenly touched by her sister’s words, Renna fingered one of the lacy flounces they’d purchased. “Thank you, Elizabeth. I love all of you too.”

  Mum peered at Renna and smiled tenderly. “You see, dear? What have you got to lose?”

  My heart! Renna wanted to scream as she let the lace slip from her fingertips. My very heart!

  EIGHTEEN

  The shopping and packing lasted through the weekend. Finally Monday came, and Renna and her parents, along with Mr. Pirate Blackeyes, boarded the train to Milwaukee. Renna couldn’t help using her pet name for Brian. Certainly he’d become a new creature in Christ. His thoughts reflected the change, and Renna marveled whenever Brian shared them with her. Nevertheless, his pirate name seemed to suit him at those times when he appeared so darkly handsome that it made her pulse race.

  “So you still think I’m a pirate, eh?” The train rocked them back and forth as it chugged north toward the Wisconsin border. Autumn colors still flamed the treetops, looking like a patchwork quilt made of orange, burgundy, and gold pieces.

  “Well, you’re reformed for the most part.” She couldn’t help teasing him. “But I’m sure you’ve got a speck of pirate in you.” Renna glanced ahead. Her parents sat a few seats away. Looking back at Brian, she smiled.

  A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth, and his eyes seemed to behold her behind his dark eyeglasses. But of course he couldn’t see her. “Then I’ll be sure to show you a pirate’s good time in Milwaukee.”

  Renna feigned a gasp and covered her mouth with one gloved hand. “You’d better not.”

  He laughed in a rakish way, and the woman sitting across the aisle turned and gave them both a curious stare.

  Renna nudged him with her elbow. “Now you did it.” She leaned closer to him. “There’s a woman across the aisle with a large golden feather in her green felt hat. She’s overheard us, and now she knows you’re a pirate too.”

  “I stand corrected, Nurse Fields.” Brian changed his tone. “From now on, I shall keep my voice down—especially when we’re speaking of my identity as a . . . a pirate.”

  “Good.” She returned her gaze to the book in her hand. She hadn’t read a single word since opening it. How
could she with Brian so near—and pestering her the entire trip?

  The easy banter continued for the rest of the way. Finally, after four hours of travel time, the conductor made his way down the aisle. “Milwaukee!” he called. “All for Milwaukee!”

  Renna’s stomach fluttered with nervousness. “Brian, do you think your children will like me?” Oddly, she hadn’t felt overly concerned with his children until now that the time to meet them was at hand. But Renna had always loved children. She appreciated their honesty and innocence, and she took it for granted that she and Brian’s children would become fast friends. However, a small seed of doubt still plagued her. “I do want your children to like me.”

  Brian gave her a sad smile. “I have a feeling they’ll like you a lot more than they like me—especially the boys. The girls I think I will win in time. But my sons . . . ”

  “Your relationship with them is important to you, isn’t it?”

  “Extremely important.” The downward angle of his mouth conveyed his remorse. “I have an entire decade to make up to them.”

  Renna put her hand on top of his. “We’ll fix it, Brian. I’ll help you.” She could win his children—to herself, to Christ, and to their father. “By the grace of God, I’m going to help your children discover what a wonderful man their father really is.”

  His smile grew as he captured her gloved hand in his. “By the grace of God, Renna, I hope you succeed.”

  •••

  Adjusting her bonnet so it hid much of her cheek, Renna looked up in wonder. The Sinclair mansion stood three stories high against the backdrop of a crisp October sky. Renna thought it made an ominous sight if she’d ever seen one. The home had been constructed in red brick, its porch encased entirely in terra-cotta, and the massive oak front doors had lead glass panels covered with wrought iron grillwork.

  Renna breathed an awestruck sigh.

  “Do you like it?” Brian tucked her hand around his elbow.

  “I . . . well . . . it’s very . . . um . . . ”