Rivals Of The Heart
A new job in Paradise, Colorado, seems like the perfect fresh start for Dr. Ben Rogers. Only problem is, Dr. Sara Elliot has been counting on getting the same job. Once they negotiate a shared trial run, Ben expects working with Sara to be less than pleasant. Instead, he finds himself drawn to her. She’s dedicated and compassionate, exactly the type of woman he used to want—when family was an option. Yet Ben is surprised to learn that Sara’s life is just as emotionally complicated as his own. And if there isn’t room for both of them at work, how can they make room for each other in their hearts?
How many medical positions could there be in a community this size?
Though Ben didn’t want to ask, he had to. “What position, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Clinical Director of the Community Outreach Clinic. It’s a new program,” Sara explained. “They’re trying to reach the outlying, underserved rural population and seasonal workers and their families.” Excitement lit her eyes as she spoke.
Ben nodded. Oh, he was well versed in the vision for the new clinic, all right. Sara’s enthusiasm was well-placed. The entire project stirred a professional anticipation and energy he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“I’ve been waiting years for this clinic to become a reality,” she said.
The earnestness in her voice brought his own doubts tumbling out. Hadn’t the Lord led him to Paradise and this job?
Ben met her gaze head-on. “Um, Sara. There’s something you ought to know.”
She cocked her head in question. “What’s that?”
“I’m in Paradise interviewing for the same position.”
TINA RADCLIFFE
has been dreaming and scribbling for years. Originally from Western New York, she left home for a tour of duty with the Army Security Agency stationed in Augsburg, Germany, and ended up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. While living in Tulsa she spent ten years as a certified oncology R.N. A former library cataloger, she now works for a large mail-order pharmacy. Tina currently resides in the foothills of Colorado, where she writes heartwarming romance. You can reach her at www.tinaradcliffe.com.
Mending the
Doctor’s Heart
Tina Radcliffe
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
—Proverbs 3:5,6
Once upon a time I was blessed to work as an Oncology Certified R.N. in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at Camelot, also known as the City of Faith Hospital. This book is dedicated to all the wonderful, Christian nurses, doctors, aides, techs
and support staff who saved lives and shared the Gospel during their shifts.
To Sharon Medley, thank you for reading
my first chapters and giving me your honest feedback. As always, thank you to my husband, Tom, who never tires of the signs on my office door telling him ‘Do Not Disturb, Writing In Progress.’ Of course it takes a village; in my case that village is called Seekerville: Mary, Ruthy, Debby, Julie, Sandra, Missy, Audra, Janet, Cara, Myra, Pam and Glynna. Thank you, sisters in the Lord, for your support.
Many thanks to my editor, Rachel Burkot,
who blesses me with her discerning editorial eye and her cheerful heart, and who makes me a better writer. A final thank-you to my supportive agent Meredith Bernstein, who always makes me feel like a champion.
Contents
Chapter One
W elcome to Paradise.
Ben Rogers stared at the glossy white sign posted in front of a row of tall Colorado conifers.
Paradise? Doubtful.
Salvation? Possibly.
He shook his head and chuckled.
At least he still had a sense of humor. That was pretty much all he’d taken with him from Denver, besides his leather medical bag and whatever fit in his Land Rover. His future lay beyond the welcome sign that boasted a population of seventeen hundred.
Ben guided his vehicle around an enormous pothole and straight into the heart of the small mountain town. Paradise, Colorado, was nestled in the San Luis Valley, with the Sangre De Cristo Mountains to the north and the San Juan Mountains to the west. At eight thousand feet, the elevation of Paradise was even higher than Denver’s fifty-two eighty.
The mountains provided a picturesque backdrop for the shops that lined the main thoroughfare and the sidewalks dotted with wrought-iron benches and masses of bright summer flowers that overflowed sidewalk pots.
Carolyn would have loved Paradise.
Ben winced, then rubbed a hand across his face. Six months had passed since he’d lost her, but he continued to see the world through his little sister’s eyes.
His stomach growled, offering a distraction. After a four-hour drive he was starving. A glance at the clock on the dash confirmed there was just enough time to grab something to eat before he retrieved the key to his rental cabin and headed to an appointment with his new boss, the medical director of the Paradise Community Hospital. He pulled into an open parking spot along the curb and glanced around.
Would