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Stephanie's Surprise
The Heart Junction Series Book Two
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Heart Junction, South Dakota, 1913
Stephanie Porter is heartbroken when the man she wanted marries another woman. With her life empty and lonely, she focuses on advancing her teaching position in Heart Junction.
Dr. Aaron Wesley intends to use his temporary job as town doctor in Heart Junction to fill his coffers and gain further experience in practicing medicine before he moves on to a permanent job in Omaha. He doesn't expect life in a young, small town to become engaging, but when one or two of Heart Junction's citizens slowly and successfully worm their ways into his heart, he begins to question his career goals as well as his plans for his personal life.
Stephanie, quite by accident, finds herself assisting Doctor Wesley with his patients from time to time. As she helps Aaron with his work, she remembers the love she had for practicing in the medical field before her sister died while under her care. Suddenly, a profession she had given up years before tempts her to make a big change in her life--and so does the handsome young doctor she's been seeing on more than just a professional basis.
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About the Author
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Fran Shaff has written and published contemporary and historical traditional romance since 1999. Her books have won awards in competitions judged by reviewers, readers and fellow romance writers. In addition to writing romance novels, she also writes children’s novels and book reviews for an on-line book promotional website. Fran and her husband Jim, who have been married since 1973, have one grown son, Zachary. They are natives of South Dakota, but they’ve also lived in Nebraska, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.
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Praise for Fran Shaff's Novels
5 Angels! Fran Shaff transports the reader into Heart’s Junction as she creates a visual scene that is very real. I love the thoughts about the kiss and a possible scandal. This is a great story about morals, family, and love with some romance tossed in to make the read even more a delight. I love the proper behavior and morals that each of them share. I think the way the love of Stephanie and Aaron slowly builds is beautifully composed. Fran Shaff is a wonderful writer whose prose speaks with passion from her heart. She pens a poignant tale with Stephanie’s Surprise and keeps it smoothly flowing until the end. Her characters are beautifully portrayed and the storytelling exquisite. I know I will never forget Aaron and Stephanie, or the love they shared toward each other, the heartaches they shared, or the comfort they found in each others arms. This story keeps the reader spellbound. —Linda L., Fallen Angel Reviews
Fran Shaff is a wonderful storyteller, and she knows how to pull her readers immediately into the world of her characters. I like this author’s style. —eCataRomance.com
Fran Shaff has a strong talent for capturing the emotions of her characters for the reader to share. —Blether.com
Fran Shaff is an author to keep your eye on. —MyShelf.com
Ms. Shaff is definitely an author to watch. —Romance Reviews Today
Awards
Two Reviewers' Choice Awards from CataRomance.com
Placement in the traditional category of the Write Touch Readers' Award contest, sponsored by WisconsonRWA
Placement in the traditional category of the More Than Magic contest, sponsored by Romance Writers Ink chapter of RWA
Excerpt
Chapter One
Stephanie could not possibly have heard what she just heard.
"What do you say, Dr. Wesley?" Antigone Verseth said, smiling at Heart Junction's young physician. "Will you honor us by taking the position on the school board left vacant by Mr. Maitland?"
She said it again! Aaron Wesley absolutely had to refuse the offer the mayor's wife had just extended to him. Stephanie could never in a million years stand to work with Dr. Wesley. He was the most frustrating, arrogant man she'd ever met.
Dr. Wesley rose and nodded toward the dozen people gathered around the table in the meeting room of City Hall. "I'm flattered that the other members of the school board, Mayor Verseth and you, Mrs. Verseth, have invited me to join this illustrious group, but--"
"Ah, but we don't want to hear any buts, Dr. Wesley," Mrs. Verseth said, giving the doctor another of her clumsy smiles. "We want only to hear your acceptance."
Stephanie bolted to her feet. "Maybe he doesn't want the job, Antigone." Her face began to burn, and Stephanie knew everyone in the room was watching her turn ten shades of red. She brushed her hands over her dark blue skirt and straightened her short matching jacket. "Uh, I mean, Dr. Wesley is a very busy man. Perhaps you should listen to him before interrupting. We must be fair to him, after all."
"Quite right," Herbert Verseth said, wagging his shaggy brows. "Dr. Wesley is somewhat new to our town, having been here less than a year. Perhaps he feels he needs more time to settle into his home and organize his practice before he takes on more responsibility."
Stephanie forced a smile when she looked at the mayor and silently thanked him for giving Dr. Wesley an out if he didn't want to accept the position. As she seated herself again, she prayed a silent prayer that the doctor would mind his own business and stick to the practice of medicine. She neither needed nor wanted him interfering in her teaching affairs, which is exactly what he'd be doing if he were appointed to the school board.
"Well," Jim Schaeffer said, "what do you say, Dr. Wesley? We're busy men. Some of us have to get back to our farms and finish our chores. Do you wish to join the school board or should we find someone else for the job?" Jim was about as patient as a starving dog hunting down its next meal.
Dr. Wesley, who'd remained on his feet, let his gaze drift from one person to the next. When he looked at Stephanie, his gaze lingered, making her quite uncomfortable. "I am indeed a busy man," he said, staring directly at Stephanie.
Her hopes began to soar, and her fervent prayers increased. Please let him refuse the job, she prayed as she forced herself to look away from his captivating gaze.
"Seeing my patients often takes me out of town for more than a day or two as I make my rounds. My time, therefore, is quite limited."
Stephanie prayed harder for his refusal.
"I love my job, and I like the people of Heart Junction very much. You've made me feel quite welcome."
Will you just turn down the job? Stephanie silently urged as she kept her gaze from meeting his.
"Whenever I miss my hometown in New Jersey, all I have to do is look at the lovely people around me to know I have a new hometown right here in Heart Junction."
Stephanie had to look at him. Maybe she could get a reading from his expression what direction his answer was going to take. She had no idea from his words or their tone whether he was going to refuse the job or not.
Big mistake. The instant she looked at him, he shifted his gaze from the mayor to her. He gave her that peculiar look he'd given her the last three times he'd invited her to a social. The look he had before she'd each time quickly refused his attentions.
"Yes," Dr. Wesley said thoughtfully, "a hometown, family right here in Heart Junction." He slid his fingers through his dark blond hair. His gaze upon Stephanie became intense. "I wonder," he said softly.
"I beg your pardon?" Mrs. Verseth said, moving her jaw in that peculiar way she had. "What did you say, Dr. Wesley? I couldn't quite hear you."
He stared a moment longer at Stephanie before he quickly shifted his attention to the mayor. "Herbert," he said, decidedly, "Jim, Mrs. Verseth, and everyone else here, I want you all to know that I would be honored to accept the position left vacant by Gavin Maitland. I hope that I can make a good many contributions to this growing community." He reached toward the mayor and shook his hand.
"Welcome aboard, son," Herbert Verseth said, his dull brown eyes hinting at a rare smile. He drew back his hand and tried to smooth his always-unruly hair. "You'll be a fine asset to Heart Junction as a member of the school board."
"It's the least I can do," Dr. Wesley said. He tucked his thumb into the watch pocket of his waistcoat and looked again to Stephanie. "I look forward to working with you."
Stephanie thought her heart would stop beating and she'd drop dead right there in front of everyone. Was he speaking directly to her?
His gaze moved on to Miranda Comstock, Stephanie's companion teacher at the grade school, then to each of the other members of the board. "I look forward to working with all of you."
Stephanie's heart was beating wildly. She needed to get some fresh air. Right now!
She pushed out of her chair and tried to control her overreaction to the news that she'd be working with Aaron Wesley in the very near future. "I'm sorry to be so abrupt," she said, brushing strands of dark hair from her face, "but I must leave. I ... I have another appointment."
A room full of strange looks rested on Stephanie, but she didn't care. All that mattered was that she needed to get away from Dr. Wesley as quickly as she could.
Aaron watched Stephanie bolt out of the meeting room. He couldn't help but smile. He loved making her uncomfortable. She deserved to be uncomfortable. How many times had she dealt him a blow of discomfort when she refused to spend so much as a few hours with him?
He'd tried every way he could think of to get Miss Porter to spend time with him. But the most beautiful woman in town had turned down his invitations time and time again.
Now that he was going to be on the school board, she'd have to make time for him.
He smiled again. One way or another, he'd find a secret passage into Miss Porter's locked-up heart. He'd never backed away from a challenge, and he wasn't about to start.
"Dr. Wesley," Jim Schaeffer said, "since you are the most educated of all of us on the school board, I would like to nominate you for the job of overseeing the possibility of Heart Junction Grade School getting a principal."
Earl Ferguson slapped the table. "Splendid idea, Jim. Aaron can work directly with Miss Comstock and Miss Porter in determining exactly what the duties of the new principal should be. We'll be needing another teacher or two as well in the near future with the way Heart Junction is growing."
"And don't forget the flour mill," Wes Craven interjected. "That will bring in at least two dozen jobs. Men with families will be moving to Heart Junction next year to staff the mill when it's completed. We'll have to figure ways we can educate those children in the facility we already have. We can't afford to build on to the school just yet."
"Yes, indeed," Antigone added, "we have much to consider in our school expansion and reorganization."
Herbert Verseth cleared his throat and tried to calm his unruly hair with his stubby fingers. "Can you handle the job, Dr. Wesley?"
Aaron couldn't have set up a better scenario himself, not if he'd plotted and planned for weeks. He tried to keep the smile on his face limited to the size of Rhode Island though inside it truly was the size of South America. He'd be working more closely with Stephanie than he had ever dreamed, and he couldn't have felt more victorious.
He nodded thoughtfully. "I'm sure I can work with Miss Comstock and Miss Porter to come up with a plan that the board and the city can be happy with." He stood up straight and put his thumb into his watch pocket. "Of course, it may take quite a few weeks, might it not, Miss Comstock?" he said, glancing at the elderly teacher.
Miranda Comstock tilted her head and smiled at him. Her silver-blue eyes twinkled as she spoke. "Reorganizing the school and planning for the future will be a large task, indeed. But I have every confidence in your managerial and executive abilities, Dr. Wesley."
He smiled at her and bowed slightly. "I thank you, Miss Comstock, and I'll count on your many years of experience and wonderful insight to help me find what is best for the education of Heart Junction's children."
Antigone began to applaud, and soon the remainder of people in the room followed her lead. When the applause died down, Antigone stood and looked at Aaron.
"It seems we've settled a great deal tonight." She nodded toward Aaron. "Doctor, thank you for your dedication to Heart Junction." She looked at her husband sitting next to her, took his arm and helped him to his feet. "Herbert, it's time we go home."
"Yes, dear, it's getting late." He waggled his bushy brows in that aggravating way he had. "Wesley, why don't you get something to me on this school reorganization in a couple of weeks. Nothing too detailed, just enough to let me know you're working on the project and making some progress."
Aaron's stomach knotted when he heard the mayor's request. He hadn't thought about the actual work that would be involved in this project. All he'd thought about was the time he'd have to spend with Miss Porter. If the mayor's intention had been to drag him out of his dreams of the loveliest lady in Heart Junction and into the real-life commitment he'd just made, then Herbert had succeeded completely.
"I'll let you, Mayor, and all of the board know of my progress in a couple of weeks," Aaron said confidently, ignoring his sudden regrets.
The others began to rise to their feet. A murmur went through the room as the mayor and his wife took leave. A few of the remaining people shook hands with Aaron, welcoming him to the school board and wishing him luck on his new project.
Within a few moments, the room was empty, and Aaron sat at the meeting table all alone.
"I had every intention of refusing the seat on the board," he whispered to the empty chairs, "but, when she looked at me with those unbelievably gorgeous deep-green eyes, I had to take the job. I would do anything in the world to win the opportunity to spend time with Stephanie Porter."
But what would Miss Porter think about having to work so closely with him?
Aaron smiled as he stood and pushed his chair into the table. "I've always loved a challenge," he whispered with anticipation in his voice, "and Stephanie Porter will be the Mount Everest of all of the challenges I've ever faced."
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Aaron marveled at the beauty of the late June morning. The cool air, drenched in sunshine, filled his body all the way to his finger tips every time he took a breath. Joy brighter than the sea-blue sky lived deep inside his heart. He would see Miss Porter in only two minutes.
He'd arranged a meeting with Miss Porter and Miss Comstock to take place at the school house. The mayor had expressed an interest in a plan for the school system being set up as soon as possible, and Aaron couldn't have been more pleased. The sooner he began to break down the walls Miss Porter had erected, the better.
Knowing Miss Porter enjoyed the spotlight, Aaron decided to deny her what she craved. Hopefully, this lack of personal attention to her would prompt her to seek his attention, which was exactly what he wanted.
Aaron grinned with satisfaction as he neared Heart Junction Grade School. There were times when the study of human behavior required in his medical training came in very handy.
As he bound up the steps, Aaron gripped the bouquet of flowers he'd acquired from Louise Gunnerson. The beauty of the red and yellow Zinnias and pink and white Dianthus amazed him. How could Mrs. Gunnerson extract flowers as lovely as roses from such plain black dirt and ordinary seeds?
Aaron let himself into the school.
Miss Comstock must have heard the squeak of the door. "Is that you, Dr. Wesley?" She emerged from the classroom in the back of the building.
"It is I," Aaron replied.
"Good morning," she said, neatening her silvery white hair with her slim fingers. "Isn't this a lovely day?"
"The day is splendid, indeed, but may I say it pales in comparison to Heart Junction's most beautiful citizen," he said in his most flattering tone.
A small chuckle crossed Miss Comstock's thin lips. "Dr. Wesley, if I were forty years younger, I'd take your bold words quite seriously, and you'd find yourself in need of a preacher."
"Would that be for burying me or for marrying me, Miss Comstock?"
She laughed and clapped her hands together. "Dr. Wesley, I think I'll let you think that over on your own."
Aaron smiled and settled his gaze on her eyes once more. "I am serious, Miss Comstock. Beauty knows no age, and yours has charmed men for decades, I'll wager."
"And decades," she added with a girlish smile. "I'm very near retirement, you know. I've been teaching for almost fifty years, ever since I was seventeen."
Aaron shook his head in amazement. What a treasure Miranda Comstock was. "The school and the children will miss you terribly when you retire."
Miss Comstock waved a hand. "Pish posh, they'll do nothing of the kind. I'm as replaceable as a worn-out dishtowel. It is I who will miss the children, but I have no intention of being idle. In addition to teaching, I write history, you know. I intend to research and write about every county in South Dakota. I've always believed it is vital that we know about the land where we live and the people who have dwelled on the land." Her eyes began to sparkle as she went on. "Won't it be absolutely wonderful and thrilling to learn everything possible about the aboriginal people who inhabited this land long before we Europeans began to settle here a few decades ago?" Miss Comstock's glittering expression showed her true love of the land and its peoples.
"I've always found the various cultures of the American Indians to be fascinating. I shall look forward to your writings about all the peoples of this land."
Her cheeks bloomed like roses set against snow. "Enough of an old lady's dreams of writing great books. You are here to plan the future, not talk of the past." She turned toward the room from which she'd emerged. "Miss Porter, Dr. Wesley is here," she called.
Aaron had no doubt Miss Porter was fully aware of his arrival. Yet, she'd chosen to stay hidden inside the classroom.
When she stepped into the hallway, Aaron's heart began to palpitate. It should be a crime punishable by death for a woman to be as beautiful as Miss Stephanie Porter. Didn't she know it was unbearable for a man to gaze upon her without having the right to take her into his arms and hold her next to his heart?
"Good morning, Dr. Wesley," Miss Porter said, lifting her chin as though she were showing some sort of defiance.
Aaron bowed slightly toward her. "Good morning, Miss Porter."
A blind man could see that the pleasant look the young woman gave him was forced. "I trust you are well this morning." The tone of the pleasant words she spoke sounded a tad more like she was wishing he'd drop dead than that she was wishing him good health.
"I'm fit and healthy as a new-born colt, Miss Porter."
She nodded toward him stiffly. "How wonderful," she said without any hint of emotion in her voice. Her gaze drifted from his countenance to the flowers he held in his hand. "What lovely flowers." Her voice lifted as did the corners of her mouth.
For a moment, Aaron thought she might actually gift him with a sincere smile.
He held up the flowers. "They are lovely, aren't they?" He handed them to Miranda. "They're for you, Miss Comstock. I wanted my first action as a school board member to be a show of gratitude to you for your many years of teaching."
Miss Comstock placed her fingers over her mouth. Her eyes began to glisten as she looked up at Aaron. Her fingers slowly uncovered her lips. "Thank you," she said, taking the nosegay from him. "I'll put them in water right away. I'm sure I have a vase in the cloak room." She turned to go into the classroom, but she didn't go inside. "Dr. Wesley," she said, looking at him again, "I do thank you with all of my heart. It's been a long time since a handsome gentleman gave me flowers." She smiled at him and disappeared inside the classroom.
When Aaron looked at Miss Porter, he noticed her jaw had turned as hard as iron. "Is anything wrong, Miss Porter?"
"Wrong? Why would anything be wrong?"
He shrugged as though he couldn't read the jealousy filling her eyes. She no doubt expected the flowers to be for her. He'd brought her flowers on each of the last three occasions he'd invited her to go out with him.
"I hope that nothing is wrong, but you do look a bit pale."
Aaron didn't think it was possible for her jaw to harden any further, but it did.
Miss Porter lifted her chin. "I assure you I am perfectly fine." She stared up at him a long moment, her deep-green eyes blazing with passion. Or perhaps it was hate. No, it was passion. He preferred to call the intense emotion her eyes displayed passion.
"I'm glad you are well." He abruptly took her arm. "Shall we go inside and get started with our work?"
She pulled her arm away from him. "I suppose we must. We do have a job to do." She hastened inside the classroom.
Aaron followed close behind.
Miss Comstock sat at the large teacher's desk arranging the flowers. She looked up at Aaron when he approached her. "You purchased these from Louise Gunnerson, didn't you?"
"Yes, I did."
"I can tell. She has the greenest thumb God ever placed on this earth." She shook her head and smiled. "I wish I could have a tenth of Mrs. Gunnerson's skill, but I'm afraid if I rubbed my thumb in grass for a week straight, it would still lack any shade of green. The only things I've ever grown well in my garden are dandelions and creeping Jenny."
Aaron chuckled lightly. "We are all blessed with different talents. And today, Miss Comstock, I am here to glean all I can from your wonderful talent for teaching. I have no doubt that you will be of great help to me in the reorganizing of Heart Junction's school system."
"I hope," Miss Comstock said, glancing at her colleague, "that Miss Porter and I shall both be helpful to you."
Aaron glanced from one woman to the other. "Yes, of course. I meant that I expect to gain great insight from both of you."
Miss Comstock set the flowers aside. "Please, Stephanie, Dr. Wesley, sit down. I've arranged our chairs close together so we can all see the papers and reports we'll need to consider as we make our plans."
Aaron held a chair for Miss Porter as she settled herself next to Miss Comstock. He then seated himself next to Stephanie as closely as he could.
With an innocent, matter-of-fact business look pasted on his face, he pretended he couldn't smell the sweet aroma of Miss Porter's natural fragrance. He acted as though her nearness didn't make his heart beat faster. He denied his hand the access it craved to the lovely woman sitting next him.
Aaron cleared the lump that was beginning to form in his throat. "Do you have any suggestions, Miss Comstock, as to where we should begin?"
Miss Porter turned her gaze on him. "I have a suggestion, if you don't mind me giving my opinion ahead of Miss Comstock."
"Little one," Miss Comstock said, squeezing the hand Stephanie had laid on the desk, "you speak right up. We're all here to reach the same goal."
"By all means, Miss Porter. Speak up."
She tugged at the collar of her mint green shirtwaist as though it were restricting her breathing. "I think..." She stood and stepped away from the desk. "I think, Dr. Wesley, that you should allow Miss Comstock and me to work on this project on our own. After all, you have no teaching experience. You're a doctor." She clasped her hands in front of her. "Granted, you're a well-educated man, and a competent physician, but you've never taught children. How could you possibly know what is best for them?"
Aaron stood and looked down at Miss Porter. The smile he gave her reflected the amusement dancing in his heart. "Thank you, Miss Porter for singing praises for my education and my abilities as a physician. I appreciate your kindness."
"It isn't kindness," she said, tugging at her collar again, "I'm merely stating facts. You possess a medical degree from a prestigious Eastern medical school, and you've done wonders treating the populous of Heart Junction since you arrived. How you pulled Angelina Sanchez through that bout with pneumonia I'll never know." She lifted a finger in the air. "But it is also a fact that you are not now nor have you ever been a teacher. I feel Miss Comstock and I are infinitely more qualified to plan the future for Heart Junction's school system because we are the only ones here with teaching experience."
Aaron put his thumb into his watch pocket. "Perhaps you are right to a certain extent, Miss Porter. I certainly can't match Miss Comstock's fifty years of experience in the teaching of children, but, then, neither can you. You've been teaching for how long, five years, perhaps?"
She placed her hands on her hips. "Three. I went to the Normal in Aberdeen after secondary school and finished when I was twenty. I then came to Heart Junction to teach."
Aaron nodded toward her. "Forgive me. I thought you to be a bit older, twenty-five, perhaps."
Miss Porter lifted her chin. "I'm twenty-three, but the fact still remains that I have had more teaching experience than you have had. And that is the point I am making. Of the three of us, Miss Comstock and I are the only ones who are truly qualified to plan a curriculum and a future for Heart Junction Grade School."
Aaron shook his head and tried not to look smug. "I'm afraid what you're saying is not exactly right."
"I beg your pardon?"
"To earn money while I was at the University, I taught science classes at a boys' school to children aged ten to fourteen. Later, when I went to medical school, I had a fellowship to teach biology to University students." He shrugged. "I'm afraid, Miss Porter, that my years of experience in teaching amount to approximately four and one half, not counting the years I taught religious education classes when I was seventeen and eighteen."
Miss Porter's fair complexion began to bloom in lovely shades of rose. She took hold of the back of the chair she'd previously been sitting in, apparently to steady herself. Momentarily, she pulled back her chair.
Aaron held her chair as she seated herself. "Should we get back to work?"
Miss Comstock patted Stephanie's hand and smiled at Aaron as he took his seat next to the somewhat embarrassed young teacher. "Dr. Wesley, I would love to hear stories of your experiences of teaching at the boys' school back east if you'd like to share them some time. I taught in a girls' school in Indiana for a few years some time ago. We could compare notes and share our good times."
"I would be honored, Miss Comstock. But for now, we should probably get down to the business at hand." Aaron turned to Stephanie. "Miss Porter, what would you say is our first priority for improving the Heart Junction school system?" He hadn't meant to humiliate the young teacher, but he was afraid that was exactly what he'd done when he told her of the facts of his teaching experience. Perhaps he could assuage her embarrassment by magnifying her importance in the job they had to do.
"Well..." Stephanie began slowly, "I suppose the most important thing to do is to consider the needs of the students and of the community. Once we have determined those needs, we must then establish goals to meet them. But our determinations must not be set in stone." The more she spoke, the more her strong sense of self confidence returned. "A growing community like ours is in a constant state of change. We must have the ability to adjust to that change."
"I couldn't agree more," Aaron said, smiling at her.
"If there is one thing that never changes," Miss Comstock said assuredly, "it's that everything is constantly changing."
Aaron felt a strong sense of satisfaction in Miss Comstock's sage statement. Things did indeed change every day. And soon, he thought as he gazed at Miss Porter, a certain young teacher's heart would change too. Some day, Aaron mused, all that passion Stephanie Porter had held in her lovely eyes a short time ago would reappear, and it would be a reflection of her warm feelings for him.
At least he hoped that would happen.
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