The Doctor's Sleigh Bell Proposal

After hearing him speak Ellen had expected him to have less of a crusty personality. He acted as if he’d seen too much and couldn’t leave it behind. He was as strikingly handsome as she remembered. With thick, dark, wavy hair with a touch of white at the temples that gave him an air of authority, he was someone who held her attention. Even when she hadn’t been working directly with him she had been conscious of where he’d been in the tent. She generally didn’t have this type of reaction to a man.

“I’ll show Ellen to her hut,” Michael said.

“No, she’s next to me,” Chance said. “You see to, uh, Pete and...” He looked at the other nurse. “It’s Karen, isn’t it?”

“That’s correct.” Karen picked up her bag.

“Okay. Dinner is at seven in the private dining room behind the main one.” Dr. Freeman headed toward a dirt path between two low palmetto plants. There was a small wooden sign there giving arrowed directions to different areas of the resort. “Coming, Dr. Cox? I’ve got a call to make to the States before it gets too late.”

He’d not offered to carry her luggage. If he thought she couldn’t or wouldn’t carry her own bag, he had another thought coming. Grabbing her duffel, she pulled the strap over her shoulder and hurried after him. The man really was egotistical.

She followed him along a curving path through groomed vegetation beneath trees filled with blue and yellow chattering macaws. She lagged behind when she became caught up in her surroundings. The place was jaw-dropping beautiful. Completely different from any place she’d ever seen.

“Dr. Cox.” The exasperation in the doctor’s voice reminded her of a father talking to a distracted child. She didn’t like it.

“It’s Ellen.”

“Come along, Ellen. I still have work to do tonight.” He took long strides forward.

From what she could tell, he had more than put in a day’s worth of work. What could he possibly need to do tonight? “Coming, sir.”

He stopped and glared down his nose at her. “The sir isn’t necessary.”

“I just thought that since you were acting like a general I should speak to you as such.”

“Ellen, you’ll find I’m not known for my sense of humor.” He continued on down the path as if he didn’t care if she followed him or not.

“I’m sure you’re not,” she murmured. Hefting her bag strap more securely over her shoulder, she focused on catching up. They moved farther into the landscape until they came out in a small grassy opening where two huts stood with only a huge banyan tree separating them. Each had a thatched roof and a dark-stained wooden porch with what looked like comfortable chairs with bright floral pillows.

The space was perfect as a romantic getaway. “This is amazing. I expected to live in a tent and have to use a bathhouse.”

“You have a top-of-the-line bath. We work hard and the board believes the least it can do is provide a nice place to stay. The resort gives us a deal.” Dr. Freeman pointed to the structure on the left. “That hut is yours. Follow the signs around to the dining room. If you need something, call zero on the phone.” With that he headed toward the other hut.

Well, she wouldn’t be counting on him to be the perfect neighbor.

Ellen climbed the three steps to the main door. There was a hammock hanging from one post to another. The living arrangements weren’t what she’d expected but she wasn’t going to complain.

She swung the door open and entered. Her eyes widened. She sucked in a breath of pleasure. Talk about going from one extreme to another. As rough as the working conditions were, the living quarters were luxurious. She’d lived well in New York but even by those standards this was a nice living space.

The floor plan consisted of an open room with a sitting area on one side and the bed on the other. The ceiling was high with a slow-moving fan that encouraged a breeze through the slated windows. A gleaming wood floor stretched the length of the room. The only area of it that was covered was in the sitting area, where two chairs and a settee created a cozy group. A large bright rug of red, greens and yellows punctuated the space.

But it was the bedroom side that made the biggest impression. A large square canopy bed made of mahogany with identical twists carved into each of the four posts sat there. If she was going to spend a honeymoon somewhere, this would be her choice.

She’d come close to a wedding a couple of times but it seemed like her father stepped in and changed her mind just as she was getting serious. It was as if he couldn’t trust her to know who and what she wanted. That was one of the reasons she’d come to Honduras. At least here she could make her own decisions.

The open-air shower, shielded from any onlookers by plank walls, was a new experience. At first she found it intimidating but as the warm water hit her shoulders Ellen eased into the enjoyment of the birds in the trees chirping at her. She was officially enchanted.

Half an hour later, Ellen headed down the plant-lined walk in the direction of what she hoped was the dining area. She turned a curve and a crystal-blue swimming pool that resembled a fern-encircled grotto came into view. The resort was truly amazing.

Beside it Dr. Freeman sat on a lounger, talking on the phone. He wore a T-shirt, cargo shorts and leather thong shoes. His legs were crossed at the ankles. He appeared relaxed but the tone of his voice said that was far from the case. She wasn’t surprised. Her impression had been that he didn’t unwind often.

“Look, we need those supplies. We have to raise the money.” He paused. “I can’t be in two places at once. You’ll have to handle it. And about the staff you’re sending me, I’ve got to have people who’ll stay longer than six weeks. No more short term. The people of rural Honduras need a standing clinic.” He glanced in her direction.

Ellen continued toward a tall open-air building, hoping it was where she should go. Footfalls followed her.

“Eavesdropping, Dr. Cox?”

She looked back at him. “I wasn’t. I was just on my way to dinner. And I told you I prefer Ellen. When you say Dr. Cox it sounds so condescending.”

“I’m sorry. Ellen.”

She now wished she hadn’t insisted he call her by her first name. His slight accent gave it an exotic note that sent a shiver up her spine. Not wanting to give that reaction any more analysis, she said, “I’m hungry.”

“The dining room is this way.” He started up the steps to the building and she joined him.

They entered a large open space with a thatched roof supported by huge poles. A wooden desk with a local man standing behind it was located off to one side. He waved in their direction as they crossed the gleaming wooden floor. Ellen followed him around one of three groupings of wicker furniture toward a shuttered doorway that stood open. Inside were tables with white cloths over them and low lighting. Dr. Freeman kept moving then stopped at a single door and opened it.

“Close the door behind you,” he instructed.

Ellen did as he asked. They were now in a small room where a long table was set in the middle and a buffet area along one wall. The other members of their group were already there, talking among themselves. They grew quiet as she and Dr. Freeman joined them.

“I thought you guys would already be eating.”

“Not without you, boss,” Michael said with a grin.

“You know better than that. Well, if no one else is going to start, I am.” Dr. Freeman picked up a plate off the stack on the buffet table. Everyone else followed his lead and lined up. Unsure of the protocol or the seating arrangement, Ellen moved to the back of the line. A minute or two later, with her plate full of chicken and tropical fruit, she considered which chair to take.

“Come and sit beside me,” Michael offered.

With a smile Ellen took the open seat. She glanced at Chance. His eyes narrowed as he looked in their direction.

She and Michael discussed where she was from and what she thought of her hut then he asked, “So, Ellen, what brings you to our little slice of the world?”

She shrugged. “I wanted to work where I could make a difference.”

“You weren’t doing that where you were?” Dr. Freeman asked.

She hadn’t realized he’d been listening to their conversation.

“Yes, but these people really need someone here. I was seeing young mothers and babies. I found my job necessary and rewarding but there was a tug to do something more. Others were there to help those girls but not enough here to help these. I wanted to come here.”

“How did you find out about us?” Michael asked.

“I heard Dr. Freeman speak. I knew this was where I wanted to be.”

“Well, Chance, you made a convert.”

Dr. Freeman shrugged and went back to eating.