Page 1 of Heartbeat Harmony (Hearts in Hawthorne #2)

HOUSTON, TEXAS—LATE FEbrUARY

A utumn Sutherland reached into her pocket and popped a few peanut M&Ms into her mouth.

It seemed she lived on them, especially since she had just finished working another double shift at the hospital.

Well, chocolate was supposed to be good for your health, as well as your soul. The peanuts were simply an added bonus.

She pushed open the door to the restroom and went inside, not recalling the last time she’d had a chance to empty her bladder. Or eat a real meal. Or even talk with her husband.

Flint told her it would all be worth it.

He was in his second year of residency and had three more to go in his program.

Sometimes, though, Autumn didn’t know if she could keep up the pace she’d maintained for several years.

They had married after graduation, just before Flint’s first year in medical school.

She was madly in love and found it hard to believe someone as handsome and charming as Flint Ferris loved her in return.

Med school ate up two things, however. Money and time.

Flint didn’t want to have massive debt when he finished his residency, so most of Autumn’s nursing salary had gone to pay for med school.

That meant using what little was left over to live in a cramped apartment in the sketchy neighborhood surrounding the hospital.

Driving a shared car that was eleven years old.

Living like college students, subsisting on ramen noodles and energy bars.

She could do all that. After all, it was an investment in their future.

It was the time she didn’t have with Flint that was finally adding up.

Now that he was a resident and earned a fairly decent salary, she had become a charge nurse for a short while.

It was more money. More responsibility. And she thrived at it.

Charge nurses, though, weren’t allowed to pull doubles at this particular hospital.

Flint had finally asked Autumn to leave her new position and go back to regular staff nurse work so that she could work some double shifts each week, telling her now that they had finished paying off his med school loans, it was time to build their nest egg, putting away savings for a house.

As usual, she did whatever Flint wanted.

And now she found she was resentful.

Med school was behind him. So were the hellacious intern years.

He was a respected resident, on track to complete his residency in general surgery.

His hours were still long, but if she weren’t working so much, they could actually spend some time together.

She couldn’t recall the last time they’d gone to a movie, much less watched one on streaming.

They didn’t eat out because Flint said it was too expensive, and they needed to save their money for a house.

The only time he had made an effort to be with her was two weeks ago, when her brother’s team had played in the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

West was a star player for the Dallas Cowboys and had wanted his family at the game.

Even at that, Flint barely talked to her, spending most of his time on his phone, ignoring both her and her family.

At this point, she would call them little more than roommates. They were ships passing in the night, never sharing a meal or even a conversation.

Autumn was trusting. Patient. Always putting everyone ahead of herself. This time, though, she needed to be first. With Flint. With herself. He should be home when she got there, getting ready to report to the hospital. They would have maybe a forty-minute overlap, more if she walked home faster.

She intended to say a lot in those forty minutes.

She would tell Flint she was going back to a charge nurse position.

That would be easy to arrange since nurses were quitting left and right.

Autumn had a proven track record. She would also ask Flint—no, demand—that they do something together.

Even if it were just ordering takeout and watching something on TV.

Though most of her days were filled with work, she still felt the gnawing pain of loneliness.

She wanted her husband’s company and didn’t think that was too much to ask.

Most importantly, she wanted to schedule a time to make love.

Flint would balk at that. He hated being told what to do and when to do it.

The fact that he’d gotten this far in his residency with only being disciplined twice surprised her.

But she wanted more of her husband than she was getting.

It might be pushing the conversation, with the limited time they would have, to talk about a baby.

Flint had put her off about that, saying she couldn’t be a great nurse and a great mother because she was working so many hours.

If she went back to being a charge nurse, though, she could get pregnant.

The hospital had a wonderful daycare facility for employees.

It would allow her to pop in and see their baby during her brief breaks.

Determination filled her as she washed her hands and then splashed water on her face. Looking into the mirror, the reflection showed a pretty but tired woman of twenty-nine looking back at her. It was time to get some sleep. Have sex with her husband. Get pregnant. Have a true marriage.

She went to the locker room and claimed her purse and raincoat.

It had been raining when she’d left the apartment yesterday.

She’d walked the six blocks in the rain, arriving drenched.

Flint had taken the car, and she never knew whether he had it or if he had left it because it wouldn’t start.

The sedan needed a new transmission, but those were pricey.

Maybe she’d work a few more doubles this month in order to pay for it.

Or just trade it in. But that would mean a car payment.

Feeling overwhelmed, Autumn decided to think about it tomorrow.

Gathering the still damp clothes from her locker, she shoved them into a backpack and slung it over her shoulder, deciding it would be better to simply wear her scrubs home.

She also grabbed a pack of peanut butter crackers from her stash and opened them, eating them as she rode the elevator downstairs.

She emerged from the employees’ entrance to a quiet morning. It was just after seven.

“Autumn!”

Turning, she saw Jeannie Barlett had pulled up to the curb. “Hey, Jeannie.”

“Want a lift?”

Relief swept through her. “You’re a lifesaver.”

She got into the car. Jeannie had given her a ride home before, so she didn’t bother with directions.

“I heard Gloria is leaving at the end of the week.”

“Seriously? I was thinking about talking to HR about a charge nurse position. If she’s leaving, that would be perfect timing for me.”

Jeannie smiled. “Well, go for it. You’re the best charge nurse I’ve ever seen.

You know how to calm people. Patients, as well as staff.

You’re fair when creating a schedule. And you stay on top of things.

HR would be happy to have you back in that role.

” Jeannie paused. “What does Dr. Ferris say about it?”

“I’m going to tell Dr. Ferris about the opening when I get home. We overlap for less than an hour this morning. It’ll be the first time I’ll have seen him in three days.”

Her friend’s mouth tightened. “I hope he’ll let you do it,” Jeannie said quietly.

“ Let me? I make my own decisions,” she defended. “Yes, I run them by Flint, but?—”

“You’re coming off another double, Autumn. You look really tired. It’s not as if your husband is in med school anymore. He’s pulling a decent salary as a resident, and yet you work yourself to the bone.”

“We’re saving for a house,” she said abruptly. Then regretting her tone, she sighed. “I’m sorry. I sound ungrateful. Here you are, giving me a ride, and I’m spoiling for a fight.”

“I just don’t want you to be taken advantage of,” Jeannie said. “You’re a terrific nurse. A wonderful person. Dr. Ferris needs to realize what a gem he has in you.”

They reached her apartment complex, and Jeannie turned in, winding around to her building near the rear. She stopped the car.

“Thanks for the ride.” Autumn leaned over and hugged her friend.

She got out and hurried up the stairs. With Jeannie giving her a ride, that had saved a good half-hour. Anticipation filled her. Maybe she and Flint could even sit and have a quick breakfast together as they talked.

Unlocking the door, she slipped off her backpack, setting it on the rickety coffee table before unzipping it and removing her clothes.

She heard the shower going as she went to the kitchen, draping her clothes over a chair.

She couldn’t wait for the day she had a washer and dryer instead of schlepping her laundry to a Laundromat or washing it in the sink by hand.

Autumn had a wild thought as she slipped out of her shoes and set her cell phone on the charger.

She pulled her scrub shirt over her head, placing it on the table.

The pink scrub pants went next, followed by her bra and underwear.

Naked, she left the kitchen, ready to surprise her husband in the shower.

Maybe a talk could wait. Instead, spontaneous sex sounded really good right now.

She stepped into the darkened bedroom. The bathroom door was open, and the light was on. As she crossed the threshold, Flint turned the water off. Disappointed, she was still ready to surprise him and slid the shower curtain back quietly. Dumbfounded, she stood there, her jaw dropping.

Her husband was kissing another woman. Another wet, naked woman.

He barely broke the kiss, his lips hovering above hers, both their eyes still closed.

“Gotta hurry. She’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”

Flint’s mouth returned to someone she now recognized. Gloria, the charge nurse who was leaving.

“ She is already home.”