The Single Dad Finds a Wife

The Doctor’s New Family

Doctor Spring Darling has everything she needs. A wonderful family and a busy job helping the children of Cedar Springs, North Carolina. She’s given up on adding love to that mix. Until the moment David Camden and his adorable son appear in her exam room. Spring assumes David is another down-on-his-luck single parent at the free clinic—but looks can be deceiving. Because David has a job—he’s the architect proposing a new development in the middle of Spring’s land! When the truth is revealed, can Spring find a way to keep both her home and the blessing of new love?

David Camden had played her for a fool.

“I have nothing to say to you,” she told him.

“Let me explain,” David said.

“Explain? You lied to me.”

“I did no such thing,” David said.

“First, you let me believe you were homeless and now—” she gestured toward his large portfolio “—you gave a lie of omission.”

“Did I?” he asked.

He’d arrived at the community care clinic with Jeremy in his arms. She’d just assumed…

Embarrassed, Spring glanced at the floor. “I’ve been…” she started, then looked up to meet his gaze. She’d made a major error in judgment, maybe in an attempt to quell the almost immediate attraction she’d had toward him. An attraction that was overwhelming.

“I made some assumptions,” she told him. “I’m sorry, David.”

He sighed, the anger seeming to drain from him.“I didn’t mean to lose my temper with you,” he said. He nodded toward the room they’d recently vacated. “I wasn’t prepared for that type of reception.”

“You should have. You’re here to steal my land.”

FELICIA MASON is a journalist who writes fiction in her free time. Her Love Inspired novel Gabriel’s Discovery was a finalist for the 2005 RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America. She has been a college professor, a Sunday school teacher and a member of several choirs. When she is not writing, she enjoys reading, traveling to new places, scrapbooking and quilting. She resides in Virginia.

The Single Dad Finds a Wife

Felicia Mason

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

—Romans 12:9

Love is patient, love is kind.

—1 Corinthians 13:4

Acknowledgments

Thank you to Denise P. Jeffries, RN,

for providing medical and clinical information for this novel. Any mistakes here are mine.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Acknowledgments

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Dear Reader

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

The last thing on David Camden’s mind was romance. He had enough complications in his life already without adding the type that generally accompanied females, especially ones his best friend tried to set him up with.

More importantly, he had no babysitter. And he couldn’t very well show up at the biggest meeting of his career with a cranky four-year-old in tow.

He had been keeping tabs on the atmosphere in town and reading the articles about the opposition to his project. The online edition of the Cedar Springs Gazette carried full coverage, including a slew of testy letters to the editor questioning the need, efficacy and motivation for the project. It was frustrating to know he was walking into Cedar Springs, North Carolina, at a decided disadvantage—before he could even present his ideas for a new mixed-use development.

Historical societies and their hysterical members were the bane of his existence.

“Daddy, my stomach hurts.”

David looked up from the open laptop on the desk. Jeremy sat on the pullout sofa in the hotel room they were calling home for the next few days. He closed the email from his best friend; the missive spouted the attributes of someone named Susan that she wanted him to go on a blind date with. As if he had time to date. He was a single dad with a floundering business to run.

“Hey, buddy,” he said, rolling the desk chair over to the sofa. “What’s this about a tummy ache?”

David crouched before his son. He pressed his hand to the boy’s forehead and frowned.

Jeremy had a fever.

Guilt flashed through David. His son hadn’t been cranky because he was four. Jeremy had been irritable and out of sorts because he was sick.

David wiped a hand over his face and weighed his options. They were few. A sick kid and important business meetings coming up.

He sighed. It was moments like this that he really missed having the support of a wife.

He didn’t know any doctors here in Cedar Springs, let alone where he might find one at this time of the night. It was already after seven, probably closer to eight. He’d lost track of time with emails and reading the online newspaper.

So he did what anyone else in his situation might do: he called the front desk and asked for recommendations.

* * *

Dr. Spring Darling was looking forward to tonight. The Magnolia Supper Club’s dinner meetings were always a highlight after a busy workday. And following the stress of this week, she needed the therapy of a relaxing evening with good friends and stimulating conversation that had nothing to do with work. They’d probably review the latest data they’d each gleaned about the mayor’s proposed boondoggle—a condo development and shopping center—as if the city needed more of either.