by Jenna Brandt
“I never said I was going to do that; let alone with Wyatt Hammond,” Grace protested, disliking that her aunt was so ready to see her married off. It just confirmed that her aunt viewed her as an extra mouth to feed, and if she could get rid of her, she would.
“Grace, you can keep trying to convince yourself of that, but I see how you look at Wyatt when you think no one is paying attention. It’s clear you have feelings for him.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of her aunt’s observation. The whole time since Wyatt came back into her life, she had done everything she could to keep him at arm’s length. She kept telling herself that she was better off without him, that he would only break her heart again. Was she afraid of letting him get close because he had the potential to make her break her resolution to swear off men?
“I need to be going, Aunt Tabitha,” Grace said, sidestepping responding to the other woman by talking about her visit to town. “Nancy and Ida wanted to go with me. We’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“Dinner will be ready when you return,” her aunt called out as Grace retreated from the kitchen.
The girls were waiting for her by the front door. They exited the house and made their way over to the stable. Ida helped Grace hook one of the horses up to the wagon before they all climbed onboard and headed into town. The two sisters chattered on about school and church. Grace was content to listen to them, rather than contribute to the conversation.
They arrived at the livery, where they checked in the wagon and horse.
“Where are we going first?”
“I need to head to the general store and pick up a few items for the picnic.”
“That you’re going to with Wyatt,” Nancy taunted in a sing-song way.
“Don’t tease her, Nancy. That isn’t very nice,” Ida chastised, giving her sister a withering look. “Sorry about that, Grace.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it,” Nancy said, her lip coming out in a pout and her eyes welling up with tears. “I want Grace to marry Wyatt. He’s so handsome, plus he’s really nice. And if they get married, I get to be a flower girl again.”
Grace wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to encourage her little cousin, but she also didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Choosing to avoid the matter altogether, she suggested instead, “Why don’t the two of you go play at the town square? I see some of your friends over there. I’ll come get you after I pick up the items I need. I’ll even grab you both a penny candy.”
The girls looked over at the town square, and both their eyes widened with happiness.
“Thanks, Grace.” Nancy shouted, rushing off across the dirt road. Ida followed after her, right before saying, “I’ll keep an eye on her for you.”
Once she was sure the girls were safely playing with the kids, Grace turned around and continued to head towards the general store. She passed the butcher shop and the dress store, looking in the windows as she passed by. There was a beautiful, plum dress with black lace along the collar and sleeves that Grace would love to buy, but a new dress was an indulgence she couldn’t afford. Impulsively, she entered the shop and went right over to the dress that caught her eye. She reached out and touched the soft satin fabric. She rubbed her fingers along the bodice, taking in the luxurious feel of it. What she wouldn’t give to have a fine dress like this again.
“Would you like to try it on?” the shop owner asked with a smile.
Grace pressed her lips together as she contemplated the possibility. It couldn’t hurt, could it? “Thank you, I’d like that,” Grace said, letting the woman guide her to an area that was behind a curtain. She took off her faded, stained dress and slipped on the fresh, new one. She stepped out and moved over to the long mirror nearby. She moved back and forth, her hands on the side of the dress.
“It fits you like a glove,” the woman marveled. “You wouldn’t need a single alteration. It’s as if this dress was made for you.”
Grace felt the same, but knew it didn’t matter. Even though her parents had sent some money with her, she had given it to her aunt and uncle to help with the costs of running the household. If she wanted something as extravagant as this dress, she was going to have to find a job to pay for it.
“Thank you for letting me try it on. If I had the money, I would buy it right now. You don’t happen to know if anyone is hiring around town?” Grace inquired.
The woman shook her head. “Not that I know of. I’m sorry, Miss Grace.”
Once Grace removed the new dress, and put her old one back on, she exited the shop. She continued down the boardwalk, checking for any signs asking for help in the windows, just in case the dress store owner had been wrong about any work opportunities. By the time she reached the general store, Grace was discouraged. As she entered the establishment, she tried to push her disappointment away. She made her way through the store, picking up the items she needed for the picnic. Once she had everything, she made her way to the cash register and paid the bill. The store owner wrapped up the items and placed them in her tapestry bag.
A sudden, uneasy feeling caused Grace to look around the store. It felt as if someone was watching her, but no one else was present besides the shop owner. A shiver crawled up her spine as the feeling continued.
“Are you all right, Miss Grace?” Mr. Smith asked with concern in his eyes. “You look upset.”
“I’m fine,” Grace said, trying to convince him as much as herself. “Thank you for asking, though. I really need to be going.”
Grace exited the store and made her way back down the boardwalk. Even though she had pretended to be okay, she still couldn’t shake the feeling someone was watching her. She sped up her walk, wanting to pick up the girls and get back to Oak Haven as quickly as she could. The sound of footsteps behind her caused her to panic. Someone was definitely behind her.
Glancing around frantically, she looked for anywhere she could hide. Her eyes landed on the sign, Doctor’s Office, across the street. Her instincts told her to go inside; she knew Wyatt would protect her.
Picking up the edge of her skirt with her free hand, Grace rushed across the street. She pushed through the door of the office, causing it to chime.
“It’s good to see you, Grace,” she heard Wyatt’s familiar voice say, the sound instantly comforting her. He stood from his desk and came around, a look of alarm clearly visible. “Is something wrong?”
Without thinking about how it would appear, she rushed forward and buried her face in his chest. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she started to shake. She knew she shouldn’t be like this with him, but she was so scared, it didn’t matter. She needed the reassurance his nearness provided.
Wyatt’s arms moved around her, as he asked, “What’s the matter, Grace?”
Her mind drifted back to a time she wished she could forget.
Grace was organizing the medical supplies in the storage room when she felt the presence of someone behind her. She didn’t like the feeling of someone watching her, and deep down she was certain she knew who it was. She swiveled ‘round. Her eyes locked with Elijah’s, confirming her worst fears. “What are you doing here? You were discharged yesterday.”
“I know, but I had to see you. Since I woke up, not a day has gone by that I haven’t seen you.” Pulling a bouquet of flowers from behind his back, he thrust them out towards her. “Besides, I wanted to give these to you.”
Grace didn’t reach out for the flowers. She didn’t want to encourage Elijah. As the weeks had progressed during his recovery, he had become overly attached to her. Demanding she be the only nurse that changed his bandages or brought him his meals. Towards the end of his time at the hospital, he had told her that she was the reason he was still alive, that she was his new purpose. In that moment, she knew he had become too close to her, and had mistaken her compassion for something more than it was. She was relieved when they said it was time for him to go home, hoping some distance would make him realize it was only infatuation. Apparently, t
he forced separation hadn’t worked.
“You shouldn’t be here, Mr. Malone.”
“Why? I only came here to see the woman I love. After all, we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together.”
“I already told you, that’s not going to happen,” Grace protested, moving around him in an effort to head into a more public area of the hospital.
Elijah’s hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm. “Don’t do that, Grace. Don’t deny what’s between us. I know you’re afraid, but we’re meant to be together. I know now, that’s why I was injured during the war. All of it was supposed to happen so it could bring me to you.”
“I’m sorry you saw something that wasn’t there. You’re a good man, and you’ll find the right woman to settle down with someday, but it’s not me. You need to stop coming here.” Grace pulled away and rushed from the room, hoping that Elijah got the message. It seemed, however, that wasn’t the case. He spent the next month stalking her, following her everywhere, becoming more and more aggressive as time went on.
“Tell me what is going on, Grace,” Wyatt coaxed, rubbing her back with his hand.
It didn’t seem she could ever get away from her past, no matter how hard she tried. It didn’t mean she needed to discuss it with anyone else, let alone Wyatt. She wasn’t sure if he would believe her, and it would devastate her if he didn’t.
Grace hiccupped, lifting her head until her eyes met Wyatt’s. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You might not want to, but maybe you should. Sometimes it helps to talk about what’s bothering you.”
“I’ve never told anyone why I came here to Myrtle Grove,” Grace whispered, adding, “Not even Faith.”
“I promise, your secret is safe with me. I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone.”
Though Wyatt was a soldier, she wasn’t afraid of him, despite her past. She found herself wanting to trust him. “I mentioned I helped my father during the war. Countless injured soldiers came in and out of the hospital, and I took care of many of them. One in particular became…infatuated with me. I never encouraged him, but he seemed to think we were meant to be together. I told him I wasn’t interested in him in that way so many times. It only seemed to make him more determined to convince me I was wrong. He started following me; watching me all the time. One night, he cornered me in a secluded part of the hospital. He got rough with me, claiming he was trying to shake some sense into me. He would have…he would have done something worse if my father hadn’t found us. When I said that he attacked me, he lied and said we were having a lovers’ quarrel. My father knew it wasn’t true, but to protect my reputation and to get me away from the soldier, he sent me to stay with my aunt and uncle.”
“I’m so sorry that happened to you, Grace. That must have been so awful for you.”
She nodded. “No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to forget how he made me feel. I know I was lucky, that he didn’t actually force himself on me, but I still feel so scared all the time.”
“What happened today to make you react the way you did?”
“I was headed to pick up my cousins at the town square when I thought someone was following me,” Grace admitted, her cheeks warming with embarrassment. “I know how foolish that sounds. I moved hours away in a place he can’t find me, and still he manages to terrify me.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself. I think it’s natural for you to feel the way you do. You went through something awful, and it’s going to have an effect on you.”
“Thank you for understanding. Part of me has been afraid to say anything about what happened, because I was worried that people wouldn’t believe me.”
“Of course, I believe you,” Wyatt said, placing his hand on the side of her cheek. “You’re a strong, honest woman, and you would never do anything to compromise your character.”
Grace let out a sigh of relief. “You don’t know how good it is to hear that. I didn’t even realize how much I cared what you thought about me until just now.”
“Then you should know, I think you’re the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known.”
The look of desire in his eyes made it clear he wanted to kiss her, and she wasn’t sure how she would react to that. Before she could decide, he pulled back and said, “Why don’t I walk you over to get your cousins?”
She nodded. “I’d appreciate that.”
Before they reached the front door, Grace stopped and turned to face Wyatt. “I have something to ask you.”
“What’s that?”
“Just now, as we were getting ready to leave, I noticed that your place could use a little organization.”
For the first time, Wyatt realized she had never been in his office before. He knew it was out of sorts, as he tended to focus on patients and their illness more than anything else. He moved over to his desk and started straightening up. “I try to keep up on all of this, but sometimes I get behind.”
“I have a solution for that,” Grace said, coming over to stand in front of the desk. “What if I came to work for you. I can help keep everything in its place around here. Since I’m trained as a nurse, I can also help with patients when you need me to.”
“Why would you want to do all that?”
“Truthfully, I feel useless around Oak Haven. I have no training when it comes to farming, but I can work here. I can use whatever pay you’re willing to give me to help out my aunt and uncle. It’s the least I can do since they took me in.”
“I could use the help,” Wyatt conceded. “When I go visit families in their homes, it would be nice to have someone here, especially who knows medicine as well as you do.”
“Then I’m hired, Dr. Hammond?” she asked with anticipation clear in her voice.
He nodded. “You can start first thing tomorrow. Since we’ll be working together, I think you can go back to calling me Wyatt. For now, let’s go get your cousins and I can escort you to the livery.”
They exited his office and made their way farther down the street. They crossed when they were at the town square. It was a short walk filled with pleasant conversation about the Abernathy children and Wyatt’s latest patient, that turned out to be a sick hog named Suzy. By the time they reached the square, Wyatt was wishing he had more time with Grace.
The children rushed up to them, shouting with excitement. “The gophers are back, the gophers are back.”
“One at a time, girls, one at a time,” Grace said, laughing at how they animatedly tried to tell her about the return of the infamous gophers that had wreaked havoc in the town square six months prior.
“Great, I bet the town asks the men to take shifts again to deal with the rodents,” Wyatt said, his irritation with the situation obvious from his tone and frustrated frown.
“That happened?” Grace asked, turning to face Wyatt.
He nodded. “It was cold and miserable, and I really don’t want to repeat any of it.”
“They should just let the gophers be,” Nancy whined. “They’re so cute.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about. They eat all the grass and make holes that are unsafe,” Ida pointed out.
“Girls, stop fighting about the gophers. It’s time for us to head back to Oak Haven,” Grace said kindly. “Dr. Hammond is going to escort us over to the livery, so go say goodbye to your friends before we leave.”
“I thought I told you to call me Wyatt,” he whispered, leaning towards her.
“I never agreed to that,” she whispered back. “I don’t think it would be appropriate since you’re now my boss.”
“Is that all I am? I thought we were friends again.”
“We were never friends,” Grace quipped back, turning her head to look at him. Her eyes softened as a smile formed on her lips. “We were always more than that.”
“You should understand why I think you should call me Wyatt, then,” he insisted.
“You’re really not going to let this go, are you?”
�
��Not until you relent.”
“Fine, when we are in private, I’ll call you Wyatt.”
“I suppose I can accept that,” he said, giving her a smile as the children returned.
As they made their way to the livery, Wyatt was grateful he was in a good place with Grace again. They weren’t at the place he wanted to be, but he was patient and determined enough to wait, however long it took.
Chapter 9
A week had gone by and Grace was enjoying working for Wyatt. They had fallen into a good rhythm, with her spending the mornings organizing the medical supplies and prepping everything for the day. As patients arrived, she would help in any way she could, making sure to assist but not overstep. When Wyatt got called out to a home, she would manage the office for him and treat patients, as needed.
“You did another good day of work, Grace. Thank you for all your help,” Wyatt praised as he finished the last of his notes and placed them in the new files she suggested for each patient.
“Thank you,” she said, finishing the final clean-up of the day. “In my experience, a lot of doctors don’t think women have the aptitude to work in medicine and are resistant to their help. You’re an easy doctor to work for.”
“High praise, considering your father is the most knowledgeable doctor in all of the South,” Wyatt said, looking up from his work.
“The whole country before the war broke out. Now, he’s lucky to still have a place to practice medicine at his clinic.”
“Your father didn’t deserve what happened to him. He shaped dozens of doctors throughout his career. He deserved to return as the head of the university.”
“It didn’t help that the entire place was turned to ruins by the war. There was nothing left to return to. There’s talk that they will rebuild, but with lack of funds, I’m not sure if that will ever happen.”