Healing Her Spirit (Serenity Springs Book 2) Read online

  Healing Her Spirit

  Dawn Sullivan

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by means mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission from the author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are fictitious in every regard. Any similarities to actual events or persons, living or dead are purely coincidental. Any trademarks, service marks, product names or featured names are assumed to be the property of their respective owners and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement of any of these terms are used. Except for review purposes, the reproduction of this book in whole or in part, mechanically or electronically, constitutes a copyright violation. Published in the United States of America in July 2015; Copyright 2015 by Dawn Sullivan. The right of the Authors Name to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by them in accordance with The Copyright, Designs and Patent Act of 1988.

  Published by Dawn Sullivan

  Cover Design: Kari Ayasha-Cover to Cover Designs

  Photographer: Mandy Hollis Photograpy

  Model: Amee Thompson

  Interior Formatting/Design: Cover Me Silly Designs

  Copyright 2015 © Author Dawn Sullivan

  Language: English

  Contents

  Dedication

  Other books by Dawn Sullivan

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Sneak Peek

  About the Author

  Dedication

  For my good friends, Tiffany J. West and Heather Dahlgren. Thank you so much for all of the late night chats, the pep talks, and the writing sprints. You will never know how much your friendship means to me. Love you both!

  Other books by Dawn Sullivan

  RARE Series

  Book 1 Nico’s Heart

  Book 2 Phoenix’s Fate

  Book 3 Trace’s Temptation

  White River Wolves Series

  Book 1 Josie’s Miracle

  Serenity Springs Series

  Book 1 Tempting His Heart

  Chapter 1

  “Ethan’s test results show he is in remission.” Dr. Michael Forbes’s declaration brought tears to Lacey Donovan’s eyes. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she whispered softly, “Thank you, God.”

  The last few months of chemotherapy for her son had been very draining on his small, frail body. With the cancer in remission, they would be able to concentrate on helping him build his immune system back up and gaining strength. It broke her heart that her baby had been through so much sickness and pain at such a young age. Four year olds were supposed to be going to preschool and interacting with other children. Ethan had an in-home nurse who stayed with him while Lacey was at work. She doubled as a nanny, playing with him and teaching him the things he should be learning in a normal preschool environment, but it just was not the same. He needed to be around other children.

  Rising out of his chair, Dr. Forbes walked around his large desk, coming to a stop in front of Lacey. Leaning back against the desk, he crossed his arms over his chest. “Lacey,” he said gently. “I want Ethan on some preventative medicine for the next couple of years. He’s in remission now, but I want to do everything I can to make sure the Leukemia doesn’t return.”

  “I understand,” Lacey responded, running a hand through her long, dark hair in agitation. It was time to tell the doctor her plans. She really did not want to get into this conversation with him, but knew she may as well get it over with.

  Watching her closely, the doctor arched an eyebrow and asked, “What are you not telling me, Lacey?”

  Shrugging her shoulders slightly, Lacey said, “Remember I told you that I have been looking for my brother for several years?” When he nodded, she continued, “Well, my private investigator found out that his family lives in Serenity Springs, Texas. He’s in the military and is deployed right now.”

  “Go on,” Dr. Forbes said as his dark gaze narrowed on her.

  Straightening her shoulders, Lacey looked him in the eye. “There is a job opening for a coroner in Serenity Springs. I applied for it last month. I had two phone interviews, and last week I drove down and had a face-to-face interview with the people in charge. They hired me. I also found a place for us to rent. I know my brother’s not there right now, but I was hoping to get to know his family. I want to see what kind of man he is, where he comes from.”

  “Lacey, what does that matter?” Dr. Forbes asked bluntly. “You haven’t seen the man since he was a child. Right now your main objective should be getting in contact with him and seeing if he even has any interest in meeting you.”

  Swallowing hard, Lacey nodded and lowered her head, her eyes on her hands clasped tightly in her lap. “I know,” she said softly, “but he’s my brother, Michael. A brother I haven’t seen since I was nine years old. I don’t know anything about him. He’s not there right now, anyway. He is out of the country. If I can’t get to know him, I want to get to know his family; the people who have raised him. I want him to be a part of our lives. It has taken me over twenty years to find him. I don’t plan on letting him go.”

  “I get that,” Michael said, his eyes full of compassion. Reaching forward, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “But do you really need to up and leave everything you have here and move to this town? Can’t you just go visit his family to get the information you need?”

  Lacey shook her head adamantly. “No,” she told him, the resolve in her voice. “I need to do this my way. I’m sorry, Michael. You are a good friend. I don’t know what I would have done without you and Miriam these last few years. I value your opinion, but this is something that I have to do.”

  Nodding, the doctor stood and walked back around his desk to sit down in his plush, leather chair. “What about Ethan’s medical treatment? Is there a doctor in town I can speak with to make sure he is properly taken care of?”

  “Yes,” Lacey responded quietly. “It’s a small town doctor, so he doesn’t have the facilities you have here, but I have already spoken to Dr. Adams about Ethan. We just need to have Ethan’s records transferred.”

  “When do you move?” the doctor asked as he leaned forward, placing his elbows on the desk. “You know Miriam will be upset if you leave without stopping by to see her first.”

  Lacey laughed softly. “I have a month before I have to start my new job. I needed to give my current job notice and sell my house. I also want to make sure Ethan is well enough to travel.”

  “You assumed the prognosis today would be positive?” Dr. Forbes asked, his light blue eyes twinkling.

  “Let’s just say I prayed it would be and was moving forward under the assumption the man upstairs was listening,” Lacey said as she stood smiling. “I need to get home. I promised Ethan pizza and a movie tonight.” Walking toward the door, Lacey stopped and looked back, “I will call Miriam later in the week to set up a time for us to come by. Thank you for everything, Michael.”

  “We are going to miss you, Lacey,” he said with a grin.

  “I’m going to miss the both of you too,” Lacey replied, already feeling the loss of two of her clo
sest friends. “I have to do this, though.”

  “I understand,” Michael said, his eyes filled with concern. “I know you, Lacey, and I know you would do anything for family. Even move hundreds of miles away. I want you to keep in touch with me regarding Ethan. You need to check in at least once a month.”

  Looking at him in surprise, Lacey protested, “But I’ve already talked to the doctor in Serenity Springs. Ethan will be under his care now. Not only that, but he’s in remission.”

  Holding up a hand, the doctor said, “I know, but I have been Ethan’s doctor since the beginning of this journey. If you insist on taking him from here, I want to follow his progress. I need to make sure he doesn’t have a relapse.”

  Taking a deep breath, Lacey nodded. “Okay. I’ll call you monthly to let you know how Ethan’s doing.”

  “I also want to see him before you leave town,” Dr. Forbes told her. “He’s not allowed to leave until I approve it.”

  Her green eyes snapping, Lacey cocked her hip, placing a hand on it. “I would never put my son in danger. If I thought for any reason he couldn’t make the trip, I would wait until I knew he was able to.”

  “I know, Lacey,” Dr. Forbes said in a placating tone, “but as Ethan’s physician, I need to know he is going to be fine. Please, for me, make one last appointment on your way out today.”

  Pushing down the anger that she was feeling, Lacey told him, “I’ll make an appointment.” She knew she was being irrational, but she could not help how protective she was of Ethan. He was the most important person in her life. She would do anything for him. To have anyone insinuate that she would put her son in danger in any way, shape, or form had her hackles rising.

  “Lacey,” Dr. Forbes said as she opened the office door to leave. Turning back, she waited impatiently for him to continue. “I’m proud of you. Proud of the person you have become. You are a good mother, a good doctor.”

  Grinning, she said, “I’m a coroner.”

  Chuckling softly, he replied, “You have to be a doctor to be a coroner.”

  Shaking her head, Lacey smiled slightly before heading down the hall. Stopping at the receptionist’s desk, she made an appointment for the day before she and Ethan were supposed to leave for Serenity Springs. Once everything was set, she walked out the front door and into the chilly, brisk air. February in Nebraska was always cold, but the rain that had started to fall while Lacey was in the doctor’s office made it miserable. She was hoping the weather in Texas would be warmer.

  Walking quickly to her car, Lacey opened the driver’s side door, sliding in behind the wheel. Sitting there, she let the first tear fall. Ethan was finally in remission. Not only was Ethan in remission, but she was so much closer to finally reconnecting with her brother. She wondered what kind of person he had become.

  Lacey grew up in a trailer park on the outskirts of Las Vegas, Nevada with a mother whose main concern was where she would score her next hit. When Lacey was four, her mother became pregnant, this time with a little boy. Lacey had doted on him. Her mother, however, thought of him as nothing but a bother. He was always crying, always in the way. She did not want to have to worry about him, she just wanted to drink, do drugs, and party.

  Finally, when Lacey was nine and her brother five, her mother left him on the front steps of a church in Las Vegas. She never mentioned him again.

  Lacey’s home life was difficult with all of the men coming and going in her mother’s life, not to mention the drugs and alcohol. Lacey studied hard, graduating high school when she was seventeen. She went to college on a full ride, leaving her mother and the trailer park behind without ever looking back.

  Lacey grieved for her brother for years and started looking for him as soon as she was old enough and had the resources available to her. With very little information to go off of, it had taken Lacey years to find him. She doubted she ever would have without the help of a private investigator.

  Gathering her strength, Lacey raised her head from where she had let it rest on the steering wheel. She needed to get home to her son and give him the good news. They were about to begin a new journey in their lives. Lacey was worried Ethan would have a relapse. She was scared to death her brother would not acknowledge her after what their mother had done years ago. She was terrified she would not be strong enough to endure the things headed her way.

  Tightening her hands on the wheel, Lacey shored up her courage. She could do this. She would do this. For her brother and Ethan, she would do anything. Putting the car in gear, Lacey pulled out of the parking lot and drove toward the pizza place by her house. Tonight was for Ethan. Tomorrow would be soon enough to stress over what was to come.

  Chapter 2

  One year later

  Clinton Brody winced as pain sliced through his chest when he sat up in the hospital bed. He had been shot three weeks before while saving the life of a child at Serenity Springs Elementary where he was a teacher. Some crazy bastard had snuck into the school threatening the staff and children with a gun. Clint had picked the little girl up to get her out of the classroom just as the man pulled the trigger. Clint took the shot but ended up dropping Mindy in the process. From what he was told, she was doing fine now after the scare of a concussion. However, three weeks after his surgery, the doctors still would not let him go home. Clint knew he had almost died. The doctors had to revive him twice on the operating table. However, he was done lying around in bed all day. He hated hospitals and wanted out of there now.

  “Now, Mr. Brody,” a nurse said as she walked into his room. “Just lean back and rest. You know you aren’t supposed to put any stress on those stitches.”

  “I am getting the hell out of here,” Clint snarled as he slowly swung his legs over the side of the bed. Grimacing at the effort it took just to get his feet on the floor, Clint paused, grabbing hold of the bed rail. Maybe this wasn’t the smartest idea after all. His breath came in rapid pants as sweat beaded up on his forehead.

  “Sir,” the nurse insisted as she rushed to his side, “You need to lie back down and wait for the doctor.”

  Clint glared at her when she would have reached out to help him back in bed. “I’m not waiting on the fucking doctor,” he growled. “I want out of this hospital now. Bring me the discharge papers and I’ll sign them.”

  As the nurse’s eyes widened in shock, Clint heard a quiet voice say from the doorway, “It’s okay, Nurse Brewer. Go back to your station. I’ll handle this.”

  Clint’s hand fisted in the sheet as Lacey Donovan’s soft voice washed over him, calming him like nothing else could. Hanging his head, he closed his eyes and let her presence flow through him.

  He stiffened when he heard the nurse huff, “I will do no such thing, Ms. Donovan. I will see to my patient before I leave.” Wait for it, Clint thought, as a grin threatened to appear. Lacey may appear soft and gentle, but the woman had a backbone of steel.

  He did not have to wait long. “Well you don’t seem to be doing a very good job of it right now,” Lacey responded sarcastically. “It looks to me like your patient is about to fall on the floor. Of course, if you would like to stick around to take credit for his face plant, I’m alright with that. I saw Dr. Adams making his way down the hall just a couple of minutes ago. He stopped in a patient’s room, but should be here soon.”

  With an irritated sniff, the nurse said flippantly, “Fine, you can have him. With a mouth like his, I can’t believe he teaches little children on a daily basis.”

  Clint heard the door swoosh shut behind the nurse, shutting him in the room alone with Lacey. Crap, he thought as his body started to shake. He was about to embarrass himself in front of the woman he had been lusting after ever since he first laid eyes on her the year before. Clint tried to push himself back on the bed, but his legs started to slide out from beneath him. He was slipping, and would have fallen, if Lacey had not rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. She caught him under the armpits and lifted him back with all her might. With her
lifting on his upper body, he pushed back on trembling arms and just managed to stop himself from falling on his ass. It was definitely not one of his finer moments.

  While Clint lay back against the bed breathing heavily, he closed his eyes to try and block out the pain that raced through his body. “Thanks, Lace,” he grunted softly as he fought against the bile that rose in his throat. That was all he needed, he thought. He would really impress her if he threw up all over himself next.

  Clint froze when he felt soft fingertips lightly trace over his forehead and down the side of his face. Shit, Lacey was touching him. Fighting his reaction to her was useless, so he quickly bunched the covers over his rapidly rising erection. Clint groaned out loud when he accidentally grazed the tip of his cock. Why the hell was this happening to him? What was she doing there?

  “Are you alright?” Lacey’s gentle voice asked as she ran a hand down his arm. He stiffened when she lightly squeezed his bicep, and then continued down to gently squeeze his hand.

  Clint’s eyes sprang open when he felt Lacey reach over to help him reposition the covers. “I got it,” he told her roughly as he pushed away her hands. “I’m fine, Lacey. Back off.” He cringed at the hurt look that filled her eyes, which she quickly masked. When she went to move away from him, Clint grasped her hand in one of his. “I’m sorry, Lace,” he said gruffly. “I just hate being stuck in this damn hospital.” His eyes met her beautiful green ones that were full of confusion and uncertainty. What the hell did she expect from him after everything? “Sit down and talk to me,” he told her, swiftly changing the subject. “Distract me from this place.”

  Tugging her hand from his, Lacey turned and walked over to stand by the window. His heart skipped a beat when she looked back in his direction. She had always had that effect on him. “Why won’t you take the pain medicine the doctors prescribed you?” she demanded. Damn, he loved the fire in her eyes.