Hurricane Nurse Read Online Free

cut, but it was unruly, with a life of its own. She noted the heavy black brows and wondered if the eyes beneath them were gray or blue. She suspected that his nose had been broken. His mouth, laughing now, and generous in size, hinted that it could be stern. His chin was square and stubborn. By her standards—perhaps by anyone's standards—he was a far from handsome man, but he looked forceful, a strength that would have to be reckoned with.
    The old grocer had given over his long greeting and was peering at Donna with a curiosity that he made no effort to conceal. "This is the young lady you have told me of, boy? Your young lady?"
    Donna opened her mouth to protest, but Cliff spoke before she could say a word. She thought that, for the first time since she had known him, he looked a little discomfited. "Miss Ledbury, this is my old friend Jose Cassius. I used to steal bananas from him when I was a young scoundrel in this neighborhood. I think sometimes he turned his back to let me get one."
    "No, never," the old man protested, blowing out his big mustache in his desire to prove that he was not softhearted. "But my son Julio, he got into a little trouble with the law and Cliff here got him off with a promise to go into the Army, where he would have gone soon anyhow. My boy finishes his high school there and has already a promotion. This is a good boy, Cliff. You are proud of him, no?"
    Cliff's moment of embarrassment had disappeared into his more familiar amusement. "You don't understand, Uncle Joe. This is my girl, just as I told you. But she hasn't caught on to it, yet. I knew you had a pretty fair opinion of me and I thought that might help me convince her."
    The old man was suddenly very serious. "He is a good boy, a friend to all people in trouble, whether they can pay or not. He has the kind heart, the wise heart. And he is very determined, this one."
    Much to her surprise, Donna laughed. "He was just saying that himself."
    The grocer nodded with the solemnity of a Buddha. "This boy does what he sets out to do. You will know one day that you are his girl. You will see."
    Again, the telltale crimson stained Donna's face and she dropped her eyes to the floor. Mr. Cassius could be tactful as well as plainspoken. He turned to Cliff.
    "I have prepared all that you suggested when you phoned me. Flashlights, the little cans of heat, the food. Do you think of anything more?"
    Cliff turned to Donna. "Have you thought of anything you would like to add to Uncle Joe's hurricane necessities?"
    She gave the old man her brightest smile. "This is my first hurricane. I'm sure you know a lot more about what we'll need than I. Thank you for getting it together for us."
    There were two great boxes of supplies, and the men packed them in the back of the car, the grocer standing beaming on the sidewalk until they had driven away. The other customers gathered behind him, in spite of the excited sound of their Spanish, seeming to have all the time in the world to wave Donna and Cliff on their way.
    Donna stole a glance at the far-from-classic profile of her escort. There was no sign of his flashing smile as he concentrated on his driving. The streets were not so full of traffic as they had been, but there were still cars enough—more than usual at this time of day.
    Her thoughts were in a turmoil. In spite of herself, her instinct warmed to Cliff. It was one of her mother's maxims that when the humble trusted and really liked a person, that person could be depended on for the right things. It was something she had accepted as truth. When Cliff Warrender smiled at her, every prejudice she had built up against his undeniable charm melted. She thought of the young Cuban whom he had saved for a useful life in the service of his adopted country, the others Jose Cassius had mentioned so casually, as if they were the everyday warp of Cliff's life. Perhaps she had judged him wrong. Perhaps Nell's near-hero worship was closer to the truth than her