“It will be acceptable. Let’s go sign the papers.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Elias stood as witness to the purchase of the building and when Mr. Smith left the building with the money Elias turned to look at his wife who held the deed to the property in her hands.
“Can you believe it?” she whispered.
“Congratulations,” Elias said.
“I worried it wouldn’t happen.” She shook her head then looked up at him. “So many people back home told me to not even bother with this.”
“It’s a good thing you didn’t listen then.”
“Now I just need to get this all cleaned up and let people know I’m ready to help.” She folded the deed and slipped it in between her bodice and the corset beneath it.
Elias tried to keep his eyes away from where she placed it since he wasn’t used to being allowed to study a female. Then the memory of their almost kiss came back and he glanced at the door to see if they had any privacy.
Before he could move toward her, she rubbed her hands together and turned around a few times. “I think I’d better head over to the mercantile and let Mrs. Howard know what else I’ll need. Then I can set up an account there. If we’re going to make this our home, we’ll need to find some furniture and things. I’ll have to ask Susan Clark where she had all her furniture for the boarding house shipped from.”
Elias watched his wife get completely distracted with all there was to do. Part of him wanted to go take her mind off all of that, but he knew they didn’t have any privacy right now and it didn’t feel like the right time to try to kiss her again.
“You’re sure you don’t need any help with the cleaning or setting things up?”
“I need to get the supplies first. Do you know any young woman who might be interested in working for me?”
Elias shook his head. “I mostly dealt with the ruffians. Don’t know many of the law abiding citizens or what their personal needs are. Mrs. Howard will definitely be the one to talk to about that.”
“Thanks,” Beatrice said. “I’ll head over there and you can stop by the jail house to take care of what you need to. I’ll see you later.”
Elias nodded. He did need to get over to the jail and make sure things were taken care of there. He’d been shirking his duties as sheriff long enough. Now that he was healed up enough to be out and about he ought to get to work, even though he wanted to throw all that responsibility away and help Beatrice get things set up here so they could move in and make it their home. Yet if she didn’t need his help, he wouldn’t force it on her.
She walked to the door without another look back and marched across the street with single minded purpose.
Elias sighed. Once this place was fixed up and open for business, maybe then he could find a way to woo his wife. He definitely didn’t want to have this marriage be only for salvaging her reputation or giving him a place to call home. He wanted it all.
***
Beatrice stepped into the mercantile and smiled at Mrs. Howard.
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Mills.” Mrs. Howard walked toward the counter and pointed at a box. “I gathered up some of the things you’d had on your list.”
Beatrice looked into the crate. “Excellent. I will need to make another list. I just purchased the building next to the bakery and will need some cleaning supplies.”
“You did it?” Mrs. Howard asked. “That was fast.”
“I don’t like to wait.” Beatrice smiled as Mrs. Howard laughed.
“I can see that about you. So tell me what you’ll need. I’ve got some soaps and some cloth. Don’t suppose you have any cleaning rags or anything. Will you need a bucket? How about a broom?”
As Mrs. Howard went through the types of things, Beatrice realized she had very little experience with cleaning and anything that would be needed for it.
“What I believe I’ll need most is someone that can help me. I want to get my practice open as soon as possible. I want to find a woman who would be willing to clean as well as help me with patients. Do you know of anyone that might be available?”
“There are a few young girls in the area that could help with the cleaning for sure, but I don’t know if they’d be able to help with the patients.”
“I need someone that could handle things when it got rough. Someone not afraid of blood or illness.”
“Let me think on that for a few minutes while we gather up the cleaning supplies.” Mrs. Howard kept moving around her store bringing items to the counter while Beatrice looked through the catalog to see if there was anything else that she’d need to have ordered right away.
The bell above the door chimed and Beatrice turned to see who had entered.
“Well isn’t this just perfect,” Mrs. Howard said as she approached the counter again waving the woman over to join her. “I should have thought about you first thing.” Mrs. Howard looked at Beatrice then back to the other woman. “Elizabeth, this is Dr. Mills. She just moved to Birch Creek and is setting up shop to be our town doctor.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth said, the surprise evident in her voice. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Beatrice,” Mrs. Howard said. “This is Elizabeth. She’s a young widow with two children. She is also caring for her mother, and I think the two of you might be good together.”
Elizabeth’s eyes widened and Beatrice hoped she could find a way to explain this in the best possible way. If Elizabeth wouldn’t be a good fit, Beatrice didn’t want to hurt the poor woman’s feelings.
Beatrice turned to face the woman directly. “I was just talking with Mrs. Howard about my need to find someone to help me with the cleaning of my clinic. I would like help with patients on occasion when I needed more than my two hands. I would expect someone who is able to follow directions and who could be available for most of the day.”
“Doesn’t your mother help you with your children?” Mrs. Howard asked.
“She does,” Elizabeth nodded. “I’ve been doing odd jobs as much as I could, and the children are trying their best to help in the garden and with the milking. If you are hiring, I would appreciate the chance to work for you.”
The hope in the woman’s eyes warmed Beatrice’s soul, but she didn’t want to jump too far ahead. Beatrice looked at the pile of cleaning supplies Mrs. Howard had gathered.
“Are you available for a few hours?” Beatrice asked. “I would appreciate some help with the cleaning of the place, and I can explain more about the help I would need. I’ll pay you for the day’s cleaning and we can decide if things might work out to extend to the other part.”
“I will just need to return home to my mother for a moment and drop off the thread I came here for and let her know I’ll be gone for a while longer. Where should I meet you?” Elizabeth asked.
“The building right next to the bakery.”
Elizabeth nodded her understanding then quickly grabbed the thread she needed and passed over a few coins. “I’ll be right back. Thank you Mrs. Mills.”
Beatrice smiled and gave her a wave as Elizabeth rushed out of the door. Beatrice looked back at Mrs. Howard. “Will she be reliable?”
“I believe so. Poor thing has worked hard to take care of her children and mother. Lost her husband not quite a year ago. She has always been a good sort of person and the cleaning and organizing will be no problem. You’ll have to be the judge on how well she could help with your doctoring, but she has the personal strength I think it would take.”
“Good to know. I’ll take the supplies over and get started. First, let me set up an account. I’ll give you some money to start with, then check in with you when you know how much my catalog order will be once I’ve had a chance to talk with Elias on what we’ll need for the rooms above.”
They would need a bed for sure, but would they order it from a catalog, build it themselves, or find another place to get one? And how soon could they move in to their own place? As much as she liked the boarding house, it just felt like the wrong p
lace to start a married life. Not that anything about her married life had been normal thus far.
***
Elias studied the entry in the book where he’d recorded his injury and the subsequent sending out of his deputy to pursue the group that had held up the stage coach Beatrice had been in.
Hicks had only made a few notes about it when he’d written down the part about the man he’d arrested. Though Elias could remember a little bit about what had been going on, he had completely missed the part where Beatrice had reset the broken bone of one of the men who had accosted her.
She had made sure Chet’s leg was stabilized enough to be transported before Hicks took him away. Elias hoped it hadn’t been too traumatic for her to help her attacker. She hadn’t said a word about any of it since they’d gotten married. She acted as if the attack hadn’t happened to her. All of her attention had been focused on him and his progress in healing from the gunshot.
She was definitely a professional doctor.
Once the report was finished, Elias closed the book and spent a few minutes going through the inventory at the jail. There were a few clean blankets folded up on the shelf, and the tin plate, cup, and utensils were clean and set nicely to the side of the blankets.
A woman who lived nearby had agreed to feed any of the inmates they ever held. Fortunately, the jail wasn’t needed all that often. If they were lucky, it wouldn’t be used again for quite some time. If Hicks was able to track down the other men, they might have to hold them here, unless they were closer to another jail when he arrested them.
It was probably time to check the telegraph office and see if any news had been sent.
Elias walked out of the jail house and glanced toward the building his wife had just bought. It still surprised him that he was married. Especially to a woman who had enough money to just pay for a building outright.
If she had that kind of money, why had she come out here? Why had she been willing to marry him? If she could just buy the place and set up her practice, he doubted anyone would have thought her reputation tarnished because she had watched over him in a house of ill repute. Money often helped others ignore certain things.
Of course he wasn’t going to complain about her decision. He just hoped she wouldn’t come to regret it.
As he watched the place, he saw a woman enter the building. Was Beatrice already seeing patients? As curious as he was, Elias knew he had to continue with his own work. He turned his back to the new doctor’s office and headed to the telegraph station. Hopefully there would be good news.
***
Beatrice had to admit she was impressed. Elizabeth would be exactly what she needed. They had cleaned together and Elizabeth had made short work of the scrubbing while Beatrice finished sweeping and dusting. Through the process, Beatrice had asked Elizabeth all sorts of questions and was pleased to discover the woman would likely hold her own when it came time to help any sick or injured here in Birch Creek.
That was if anyone decided they would come see a woman doctor. She had tried not to let anyone’s nay-saying get the best of her, but now that she actually had a place to see patients and someone willing to help her, the fact that she was now going to be at the mercy of other’s choices worried her.
Back home, she had been able to build up a relationship with the patients who had seen her father. There were many women who had preferred to see her. Here, it was a different matter. She couldn’t rely on her father’s reputation, and if everyone here was used to taking care of their own issues, would they even bother coming to her?
All she could do was set things up and wait.
“I should make a sign,” Beatrice said after a moment.
“That’s a good idea.” Elizabeth stood up and arched her back to stretch it after being on her hands and knees scrubbing the floor. “Do you plan to see patients immediately?”
“As soon as one walks through the door.”
“I’m sure it won’t be too long.”
“Do you really think so?” Beatrice asked. “If everyone has just taken care of themselves until now, what would make them come to me?”
“Folks have only cared for themselves because they had to. You know more than they do so if it is something new or something they want to be done with, they’ll come here.”
Beatrice nodded. “I hope so.” She looked at the place and rested the broom handle against the wall. “It’s looking good. Do you want me to take a turn with the scrubbing?”
“I’m done with the floor. We’ll need to get more water and wash off the counter and the walls.”
Beatrice took the bucket with water out the back door and poured it out right off the side of the steps before heading over to the water pump. She’d like to get a water pump directly in the building, but for now this would have to do. When she entered the building again, her heart skipped a beat at the sight of Elias standing at the front door.
“Looks great,” Elias said “You’ve been busy.”
“I’ve had help,” Beatrice said, looking around to see where Elizabeth had disappeared to.
“Did you find an assistant?” Elias asked.
“Yes, her name is Elizabeth Crane” Beatrice said as she moved toward the door of the room that would be her examination room. “Oh, there you are. Come meet my husband.” She looked back at Elias then turned to Elizabeth again. “Though you probably already know him. He’s the sheriff.”
Elizabeth walked out of the room and did a brief curtsy to Elias. “Hello, Sheriff Mills.”
“Mrs. Crane.” Elias nodded. “Good to see you again. How are your mother and the children?”
“Doing well, thank you.” Elizabeth took the bucket of water and slipped away into the room again with a quiet, “I’ll get to scrubbing the walls.”
Beatrice didn’t argue and took a few steps toward Elias. “Were you able to get the things done you needed?”
“I was.” Elias took a step closer to her, but didn’t want to tempt himself too much, especially with the presence of the woman in the other room. “I went to check if there was any news from Hicks, but nothing yet.”
“That’s too bad,” Beatrice said.
“What kind of help do you need here?” Elias asked.
“The cleaning is almost done, but I need to start looking into finding the furniture we’ll need. I want some cabinets and a desk. I’ll also need some chairs and a small table or work bench as well as an examination table and probably a patient bed.”
“There is a woodworker down the way, and I know the mercantile can order some of the furniture.”
“I saw some in the catalog. We should go look at it together tomorrow after we talk with Susan about where she got her things for the boarding house. I want to set up the clinic first, if that’s all right. I’m anxious to get started on this.”
Elias took her hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze that both calmed her and sent her heart racing at the same time. “Would you like me to go check with the woodworker or should I stay and help scrub?”
“No scrubbing for you. You still need to keep that arm from moving more than necessary.” Beatrice reached up and adjusted the sling she’d made for him. “I would appreciate it if you went to check on the woodworker and see if he’s got some things already built or if it will be done later. Then if he’s got things done, I’ll go with you to see if any of them will do for what I need.”
“I’ll head over right now.” He paused a second then glanced into the room Elizabeth had retreated to then returned his gaze to Beatrice. “Well, maybe not right now.”
Beatrice caught the devilish gleam in his eyes and knew she would always love that sparkle that came to his expression and the way it immediately made her want to close her own eyes and just lift her lips to his while she waited in sweet agony for him to finally kiss her.
That tortuous wait was completely worth it.
***
After the too short of a kiss had ended, Beatrice had surprised Elias when she
told Elizabeth she was going to be gone for a few minutes. Elias’ hopes had risen then been dashed immediately when she continued.
“I’ll come with you to the woodworker’s. I want to see for myself what he can do and right now I really don’t feel like scrubbing any more walls. I’d rather walk for a while with you. Then we can stop by the mercantile again to get that order finalized.”
This woman was going to end up driving him mad. One second she was all work, then all play and flirtation, then back to work and now she wanted to hold his hand and walk with him around town again.
“Whatever the lady likes,” Elias said.
The returning smile she gave him made him want to just sneak into some hidden corner and kiss her again, but then he thought how much fun it would be to try to tease her the same way she was teasing him. He squeezed her hand then allowed his fingers to trace gentle circles on the palm of her hand.
His reward for that move was a delicious squeeze of her own as she pressed her side against his arm and hugged his bicep.
Never before had Elias thought he could be manipulated so easily, but the power this woman held over him was something he was willing to give in to.
Throughout the entire process of talking with the woodworker and making her request for a custom order of a bench and then an exam table with built in drawers, she kept touching him casually, yet still sending shivers of anticipation and pleasure down his arms and back.
He tried to do the same for her, yet he wasn’t sure how effective his efforts were until he heard a few of her surprised gasps and a deep rumble from her throat when she hugged his arm again.
Yet every time they interacted with someone or saw another person on the street, she would pull away enough to make it look proper and acceptable to be walking together.
The Sheriff's Bride: A Golden Valley Story (Brides of Birch Creek Book 5) Page 8