Cullen's Love (Grooms With Honor Book 5)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “Just relax your shoulder and arm and let me move it,” Doctor Pansy said as she removed the towel and gently pushed around on her shoulder socket.

  “What exactly caused the injury and how long afterward before you were treated?”

  Rose sighed, hating to think of the accident but that day was very clear in her mind.

  “Our train collided with another when a rail switch wasn’t changed. Rail cars buckled, tipped, and some slid down an embankment. I was sitting on the opposite side of the car when it tipped over, so I fell off my seat and down onto other people and seats. Of course, all baggage in the racks above the seats fell too.”

  “That must have been awful,” Doctor Pansy said as she gently worked Rose’s shoulder back and forth, and then in a very slow circle.

  “What was the worst, was the screaming and moaning of injured people, and animals in the rail car behind us. Just awful,” Rose said with an involuntary shudder.

  “Don’t tense up. Relax your shoulder again.”

  “Sorry. The car twisted as it fell over and many of the seats were ripped from the floor. I was hit with one of the seats hard enough to knock my shoulder out of place. It was hours before a doctor looked at it.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Tried to push it back in place and wrapped it in a sling. I wore the sling for a month before finally taking it off. Even though I try, I can’t move it, or my elbow to any certain degree. It’s as if they are frozen,” Rose said, hating the pain and loss of movement she’d had for months.

  “I think part of the problem is the shoulder is not back in the right place, and the muscles have shrunk around the socket since you haven’t been moving your arm. I think with time and therapy, you can get some range of motion back.”

  Rose was stunned by Doctor Pansy’s assessment. She had come to terms with the fact that she’d be crippled for life, but maybe there was hope?

  “Then something can be done to improve my limitations?” Rose relaxed again, enjoying the slow movement Doctor Pansy was making with her shoulder.

  “I think if I work on your shoulder and elbow every day for a week or two, you’ll be able to exercise them yourself to improve the motion.”

  “Oh, I’d so appreciate it, Doctor. I’ll be in your office twice a day if that will help,” Rose sighed with relief.

  “We don’t want to push it too hard at this point. You don’t want to re-injure your shoulder. Take it easy so your body can heal.”

  “That’s all I’ve done for months, and I’m ready to get on with my life, hence me answering Richard Kandt’s letters. Then my life’s plan dissolved with his refusal to marry me.”

  Doctor Pansy laughed. “Life has a way of doing that. I answered Clear Creek’s town council’s call for a doctor. They were surprised I was a woman doctor and about ran me out of town.”

  “But you’re still practicing here, and married to Mack,” Rose finished because Kaitlyn Reagan had told Rose about Doctor Pansy and Mack’s romance and marriage.

  Doctor Pansy shrugged her shoulders. “Time, good people, and a little luck convinced me to stay. How about you and Cullen? Pastor and Kaitlyn are bound and determined you’re the right person for their son. What do you think?”

  “Since it turns out that Cullen and I were writing to each other, rather than me and Richard, I feel as if I knew him before we met in person. We have a lot in common, and I do like Cullen.”

  “Well enough to marry him? The Reagans take the marriage vows very seriously.”

  Rose thought about that as Doctor Pansy pressed in another spot and rotated her shoulder in the opposite direction.

  “I have funds, so I don’t have to marry, but I haven’t told Cullen that. I left the circus life because I want a husband, children, and a normal life.”

  “If Cullen doesn’t come through with a marriage proposal, then what? Adolph Bjorklund is always looking for a wife.”

  Rose couldn’t help snickering. “Adolph is a nice man, but there were no sparks between us. While I’m waiting for Cullen to propose, I’m going to work on another dream of mine.”

  “Which is?”

  Doctor Pansy pushed Rose’s shoulder a little further, making Rose cringe but she made herself relax again.

  “I’ve written a romance novel and sent it to a publishing company before I traveled to Kansas. I’m hoping my first book will be accepted and I want to write more books, possibly a series.”

  “Interesting. And where are you going to write?”

  “I’m not sure yet. I hate to wear out my welcome at the parsonage. Cullen and I looked at the two houses for sale in town, but neither of them was acceptable for what I wanted.”

  “Plus, you don’t have a marriage proposal yet.”

  “Exactly. I assume you know Charlie Moore?”

  Doctor Pansy’s hands paused for a second. “Yes, why?”

  “Cullen took me to meet him yesterday when he was delivering food, in hopes I’d frown on his and Charlie’s relationship.”

  “I'm assuming that doesn’t bother you?”

  “Not in the least. In fact, I suggested Charlie move in with us if Cullen and I marry. We’d need a first-floor bedroom for him, but neither house had a room downstairs that would work for that.”

  Doctor Pansy started bending Rose’s arm at her elbow.

  “Cullen is a wonderful man, but he is also very cautious, conscientious, and worries about what other’s think, about himself and others. He’ll mull something over in his mind for a long time before acting on it, if at all,” Doctor Pansy mused.

  “In other words, if I want to get something done quickly, I do it myself?” Rose grinned at Doctor Pansy.

  “Or you ask the church women’s group to help you. That group of women has done everything from captured bad men to planned weddings in a few hours. Mack calls them ‘the peashooter society’ and after getting to know Kaitlyn Reagan, Edna Clancy, and Kate Connely, you’ll see that the group name fits,” Doctor Pansy told Rose.

  The peashooter society. Rose liked that idea. She was used to quickly loading, quick-fire, and fast discharge when getting the circus in and out of town. She could use the same strategy to get her idea in place, with or without Cullen.

  ***

  “I just don’t know, Angus,” Cullen said as he delivered the mail bags to the train depot, “Rose is a nice woman, but I’m not sure I’m ready for marriage. There is so much to think about.”

  “Start with the basics and think it out. You’re a good one to make lists. Write down the pros and cons of marriage to Rose,” Angus said as he pushed the baggage carts out on the depot platform. The next train would be arriving within the hour.

  “She’s nice, pretty, seems to have a smart head on her shoulders. Her crippled arm doesn’t seem to bother either of you too much,” Angus added.

  “But do I want to marry a circus performer? Their lifestyle is so…different, to put it mildly. I can hardly stand thinking about my background, let alone hers.”

  “Cullen, you were six-years-old when you left the brothel. Time. Has. Passed. Get over it,” Angus fumed at Cullen.

  “It’s not that easy, especially since Charlie Moore found me,” Cullen muttered.

  “For what little time you’ve let us talk to the man, he seems decent. Most people would love to have their parents in their lives.

  “My wife has Dan and Edna, but Daisy wishes she still had her parents too. Think how Iris, Jasper, and Julip lost their parents during the War between the States. Holly Clancy lost her mother and sisters to cholera, her father to a mining accident. I could go on and on about people we know who would love to have a parent still alive.” Angus gave Cullen his “big brother, no-nonsense” look.

  “You’ve never courted or shown any interest in a woman until Rose came to town. I think you two could make a solid marriage together. Have you talked to Da about it? I’m sure Ma has already told you what she thought.”

  “Da demanded I marry Rose this com
ing Sunday since I wrote the letters for Kandt. And I’m sure Ma and her cohorts have our wedding plans done since Rose has already been here four days,” Cullen muttered and wiped the sweat from his face. They needed to move to the shade of the depot instead of arguing out here in the hot sun.

  “We brothers told you we’d help you buy and fix up a house. Even if you’re not sure you want to marry Rose, you need to talk to the owners about viewing the houses for sale this week. They could sell, and then where would you live?”

  “We saw the houses yesterday evening,” Cullen said while rubbing his foot on the platform wood.

  “Already, on a Sunday? How’d you managed that? One of the houses is owned by the bank.”

  “Rose has a quick knack for entering…uh, places she wants to see,” Cullen admitted but didn’t let on how they got in both houses.

  The chuckle in Angus' throat ended up in a belly laugh, the scoundrel. Cullen wanted to punch the air and laugher out of his brother’s middle.

  “It’s not funny. Rose was breaking and entering!”

  “Did you like either house, since you happened to walk through them?”

  “Rose nixed both houses because neither had a downstairs bedroom. She wants Charlie to move in with us.”

  Angus turned serious, thinking about what Rose suggested.

  “You have a choice to make, little brother. Live with—I’ll say an unconventional—wife, and your birth father, or continue to live alone in your room above the café. I’m guessing Rose isn’t one to let grass grow under her feet, so you need to make your pros and cons list soon.”

  “This is happening too fast for me, Angus. I want to stop the watch and analyze it.”

  “Sometimes it doesn’t happen as you wish, Cullen. Daisy and I got pushed off a train in a train robbery, forcing us together after being apart for years. Getting married and having children is the best thing that ever happened to me. Yes, our house is in utter chaos at times, but I love the life I have now.”

  Angus squeezed Cullen’s shoulder to show his love and concern.

  “But I won’t lie and say that marriage isn’t work. It’s a daily give and take. Sometimes I’m happy to get out of the house for a breath of sanity. But it’s wonderful to have a partner beside you, always ready to deal with whatever life throws at the two of you.”

  Cullen nodded, thanking Angus for his advice. Cullen let out a long breath as he walked back to the post office. Everyone thought Cullen should jump at the chance to marry Rose. But everyone also thought he was a grumpy, too serious person with a chip on his shoulder too. Would his mood change for the better if he married Rose, or would Rose’s spirit burn out if coupled with him?

  Chapter 9

  Tuesday

  “You did what? How?” Cullen asked as if he couldn’t believe she’d done it.

  “Well, I was over at Millie Wilerson’s this morning, learning how to make pies, and Isaac and Cate Connely stopped by to see their grandchildren. And apparently, pick up a pie since Millie is the top baker in town and practically the whole county.”

  “And…” Cullen rolled his finger for Rose to continue.

  Rose was standing at the post office window, holding a plate with a piece of apple pie for him to taste, and her right hand was getting tired. Rose dropped the plate on the counter, enjoying Cullen’s jump at the loud thud.

  “We were talking about the new building on Main Street that wasn’t spoken for yet, and I said I was interested in starting a library. Mr. Connely and I walked over to the mercantile to talk to Councilman Taylor about it.”

  “A library.”

  Rose sighed. At least Cullen picked up on the part of the conversation anyway.

  “Yes, and by luck, a library was on the wish list of the town council. I proposed to manage the town library in exchange for my living upstairs in the building.”

  “What happened to living in a house that has a downstairs bedroom for Charlie?”

  “The two houses available in town wouldn’t work, so I talked to the council about turning the downstairs backroom into an apartment. Charlie looked over the space, liked it, and will move in as soon as the rooms have been partitioned off,” Rose told Cullen, who stood behind the counter with a shocked look on his face.

  “Don’t I have any say in this? I pay Charlie’s rent!”

  “Mr. Connely still owns the Clear Creek Community Library building, so you’ll pay Charlie’s rent to him—at a lesser cost—I might add than what you pay currently for the shack you have your father in now.”

  “I thought Charlie liked that place,” Cullen argued with Rose.

  “Yes, he appreciates what you’ve given him, but if you’d stop more than once a week, you’d see he has problems there.”

  Cullen rubbed his hands over his face.

  “I assume you’ve been over there since Sunday?”

  “Yesterday morning I stopped by with my first ever batch of muffins, and this morning with pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon. He’s critiquing my cooking attempts.”

  “Uh, huh. You’re just going over there to find out more about him and me.”

  “Indeed, I’ve heard some wonderful stories about him playing with you when you were a toddler. He was in your life for your first years, Cullen, until he had to move away for his job.”

  “Why didn’t he take my momma and me with him then?” Cullen exploded since it was a touchy subject for him. “We could have been out of that stinking brothel!”

  “Your mother was addicted to drugs by then, Cullen, and she wouldn’t leave the brothel, nor let Charlie take you away,” Rose told him quietly. Charlie warned Rose that the two of them had never talked about Cullen’s first years.

  Rather than look at her or reply, Cullen picked up the fork, cut off the end of the pie, and stuffed the filling and crust combination in his mouth.

  Did his rising eyebrows mean the pie tasted alright? His readily taking a second bite must mean it was edible.

  “Charlie and I haven’t talked much about the past. I’m glad to know he tried to get me out of there. I just wish…”

  “He’d have tried harder?” Rose finished for him.

  “Yeah. But the past is past, as Angus harped on me yesterday.”

  Cullen finished the pie and looked at Rose. “Good pie. Thanks for bringing me a piece. Where’s the rest of it?”

  “It’s at the parsonage. Your father was enjoying a big piece when I left to walk over here.”

  “The council buying books for your library?” Cullen picked up the library subject again.

  “Books will be both bought and donated. Mr. Connely offered to move most of his library, which I’m guessing is several hundred books by what Cate stated, to the town library. I’ll build up the library’s collection from there.”

  “Would this be a full-time job?”

  “No. The hours the library is open will vary between the summer and school year. I still plan to write novels too.”

  “And if you marry?” Cullen asked as he scraped the fork against the plate to get the last of the filling.

  “If I marry, my husband could move in with me, or I could move into his home and still be the librarian if I want to.”

  Cullen nodded but didn’t say anything. What was going on in his mind? They had so much in common, but Cullen wasn’t ready or didn’t want to ask for her hand in marriage.

  At least she had a plan in place if she didn’t become a married woman this Sunday, or ever.

  “Your mother asked if you’d like to come to the parsonage this evening. She’s teaching me how to fry chicken and make scalloped potatoes, and since that’s your favorite meal, she thought you’d enjoy eating with us.”

  “What else are you fixing, Rose?” Was that a glimmer of interest in Cullen’s eyes, but was it for the food or her?

  “I picked green beans from your mother’s garden this morning, so I’ll cook them with ham. I’m also making biscuits and a cherry cobbler.”

  “Tell Ma
I’ll be there. Thanks for the pie. It was good.”

  Cullen shoved the plate and fork on the counter towards her, indicating he needed to get back to work.

  Food wasn’t the only thing Rose had planned for Cullen tonight though. Hopefully, the evening on the porch after supper would change his mind about marrying her.

  *

  “I think you're a natural born cook, Rose. This was a wonderful supper,” Pastor praised Rose.

  “I only need to show Rose once how to do something, and she picks it right up. Your family will never go hungry,” Kaitlyn patted Rose's hand.

  The three naturally turned to Cullen for his reaction to Rose's meal, but he was helping himself to a third helping of cherry cobbler.

  “Ahem...Cullen,” his mother prodded him.

  “What?” Cullen looked around and noticed his mother's raised eyebrow. The woman seemed to communicate with her face as much as her voice.

  “Oh, yes, Rose that was an excellent meal. What are you fixing for tomorrow night's supper? Maybe I can come over to test your meal again?”

  Rose blushed as Cullen complimented her meal. She had enjoyed cooking and baking their meal tonight.

  “What would you like me to make, Cullen?” Rose asked, making Cullen look up from shoving a forkful of cobbler in his mouth. The man had quite an appetite or enjoyed a homemade meal instead of cooking something only for himself.

  “Beef brisket, mashed potatoes and gravy, creamed corn, cornbread and....a chocolate cake.”

  My, Cullen was throwing out a challenge, but she'd take it.

  “I'll stop by the meat market tomorrow and pick up a brisket,” Rose announced. “Shall I ask Adolph for supper, Kaitlyn?”

  Rose watched Cullen out of the corner of her eye as his fork stopped midair.

  “No, I don't think you should,” Cullen said without looking at Rose.

  “Why not? The brisket will certainly feed more than the four of us.” Kaitlyn said as she stacked dishes on the table.

  “How about inviting...Charlie Moore, to eat with us?” Cullen asked while looking at his parents.

  “I think that's a fine idea, Cullen,” Pastor nodded with approval. “You're welcome to borrow the horse and buggy to bring him over here if it's too far for him to walk.”