Read Return to Lone Oak (Harlequin Heartwarming) for Free Online Page B
Authors: Amy Knupp
cupboard and then parked herself back at the table.
Without really thinking about what she was doing, she found herself entering “Dr. Noah Fletcher” in a search engine and waiting nervously to see what popped up. Even though she had no earthly reason to be nervous.
Several links appeared and Katie paused, asking herself what she was doing. Between having Noah threaten to buy the house and seeing the evidence of him having been shot, her curiosity was piqued and then some. Still...she debated closing the browser.
Nah. What fun would that be?
She clicked on the first entry and the website for Medical Missions loaded. An article detailing the organization’s efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo appeared and Katie began to read it, shuddering at the description of the situation in central Africa. She skimmed the article, looking for a mention of Noah Fletcher, but didn’t see one. Then she noticed the photo. Was that him? She clicked to enlarge it and read the caption.
“Dr. Noah Fletcher arrives at the Medical Missions camp carrying a malnourished ten-year-old girl who’d been severely beaten. Dr. Fletcher was shot in the leg during an altercation with rebel forces but still managed to carry the young girl to safety.”
Now that Katie looked again, she could tell it was him, but he was in such bad shape. Dirty. Exhausted. Eyes glazed with terror. No wonder, though.
Katie sat and stared, feeling more than a little shell-shocked herself. Her mind spun with the possibilities of what might have happened to him. The journalist in her wanted to know more. Why had they shot him? How had he rescued the girl? Who would hurt such a young child?
Was this the reason for the bone-deep weariness radiating from his eyes? An explanation for his inability to smile?
Katie looked for links for more information, but saw none. She did a search on the Medical Missions site itself, but only turned up his media profile. No details on his accomplishments or on anything else he’d done for the organization.
She went back to the search engine results and clicked on every link listed. He’d apparently spent some time on the East Coast and had been part of a family practice there before volunteering. But that’s all she found. A few listings on other medical sites, but nothing that told her more about what she wanted to know. About what happened in Africa.
She shut her laptop in frustration. Based on that one photo, it appeared Noah Fletcher was a real hero.
She began to see him in a different light.
It didn’t mean she liked him. His uptight, controlling ways were enough to make her eyes cross. But she could admit—however begrudgingly—that her respect for him had increased significantly.
CHAPTER FOUR
K ATIE ROLLED OVER , instantly aware of two things. First, it was far too early to get out of bed. Second, if she didn’t get out of bed now and do something about it, the wound on her chin just might explode.
The cut felt as if someone was taking a pin and pricking drops of acid into her skin. Her head throbbed, and she knew, without touching it, that her chin must be puffed up like a blowfish.
She flipped over and pulled a pillow over her head telling herself to go back to sleep, but that hurt, too. So she rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up, fairly unhappy with the world.
Still drowsy, Katie made her way downstairs to the kitchen to find some breakfast. When she saw that Claudia had picked up a family-sized box of Lucky Charms, she nearly wept with joy. Sometimes it was the small things that got you through.
She was bent over her bowl catching up on the contents of Lone Oak’s weekly newspaper when Claudia came in.
“Morning, Katie.” Then she did a double take. “My goodness, what’s wrong with your chin?”
Katie shrugged. “Hurts.”
“It looks like it does more than just hurt. We need to get you back to the doctor.”
As Claudia spoke, Katie finally woke up enough to realize she was right.
Without really thinking about what she was doing, she found herself entering “Dr. Noah Fletcher” in a search engine and waiting nervously to see what popped up. Even though she had no earthly reason to be nervous.
Several links appeared and Katie paused, asking herself what she was doing. Between having Noah threaten to buy the house and seeing the evidence of him having been shot, her curiosity was piqued and then some. Still...she debated closing the browser.
Nah. What fun would that be?
She clicked on the first entry and the website for Medical Missions loaded. An article detailing the organization’s efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo appeared and Katie began to read it, shuddering at the description of the situation in central Africa. She skimmed the article, looking for a mention of Noah Fletcher, but didn’t see one. Then she noticed the photo. Was that him? She clicked to enlarge it and read the caption.
“Dr. Noah Fletcher arrives at the Medical Missions camp carrying a malnourished ten-year-old girl who’d been severely beaten. Dr. Fletcher was shot in the leg during an altercation with rebel forces but still managed to carry the young girl to safety.”
Now that Katie looked again, she could tell it was him, but he was in such bad shape. Dirty. Exhausted. Eyes glazed with terror. No wonder, though.
Katie sat and stared, feeling more than a little shell-shocked herself. Her mind spun with the possibilities of what might have happened to him. The journalist in her wanted to know more. Why had they shot him? How had he rescued the girl? Who would hurt such a young child?
Was this the reason for the bone-deep weariness radiating from his eyes? An explanation for his inability to smile?
Katie looked for links for more information, but saw none. She did a search on the Medical Missions site itself, but only turned up his media profile. No details on his accomplishments or on anything else he’d done for the organization.
She went back to the search engine results and clicked on every link listed. He’d apparently spent some time on the East Coast and had been part of a family practice there before volunteering. But that’s all she found. A few listings on other medical sites, but nothing that told her more about what she wanted to know. About what happened in Africa.
She shut her laptop in frustration. Based on that one photo, it appeared Noah Fletcher was a real hero.
She began to see him in a different light.
It didn’t mean she liked him. His uptight, controlling ways were enough to make her eyes cross. But she could admit—however begrudgingly—that her respect for him had increased significantly.
CHAPTER FOUR
K ATIE ROLLED OVER , instantly aware of two things. First, it was far too early to get out of bed. Second, if she didn’t get out of bed now and do something about it, the wound on her chin just might explode.
The cut felt as if someone was taking a pin and pricking drops of acid into her skin. Her head throbbed, and she knew, without touching it, that her chin must be puffed up like a blowfish.
She flipped over and pulled a pillow over her head telling herself to go back to sleep, but that hurt, too. So she rolled to the edge of the bed and sat up, fairly unhappy with the world.
Still drowsy, Katie made her way downstairs to the kitchen to find some breakfast. When she saw that Claudia had picked up a family-sized box of Lucky Charms, she nearly wept with joy. Sometimes it was the small things that got you through.
She was bent over her bowl catching up on the contents of Lone Oak’s weekly newspaper when Claudia came in.
“Morning, Katie.” Then she did a double take. “My goodness, what’s wrong with your chin?”
Katie shrugged. “Hurts.”
“It looks like it does more than just hurt. We need to get you back to the doctor.”
As Claudia spoke, Katie finally woke up enough to realize she was right.