Lee interjected. “Magdalena, you passed out at the orphanage, remained in that state for more than five hours. Essentially, you were unconscious—Doctor Holloway’s simply doing his job. We all want to make sure you’re okay.”
“I was exhausted,” she turned her indignant eyes toward Lee.
“Correct, and four-to-five hours of sleep isn’t going to remedy extreme exhaustion. Let us do our job.”
“I’m not your patient,” she argued, taking both of the doctor’s in with her glare. “I have a doctor at home in Philadelphia.”
“Yes, well, he’s not here is he? That logic won’t work. The only thing you’re accomplishing is the delay of the inevitable.” Lee offered—his tone similar to Lance’s. “Would you feel better if I did the exam?”
Lance glared at his friend, and Lee simply shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t need either of you to do an exam,” she insisted. “Just go away and leave me alone.”
“It’s not going to happen, Magdalena,” Lance confirmed. “I’m happy to sit by your side all day and into tomorrow if that’s what it takes, but you’re not getting up until you’ve rested for a full twenty-four hours, been examined, and eaten a full meal and kept it down.” He added for emphasis.
Magdalena dropped her head back onto the pillow. “All right then, leave me alone and let me sleep.” She paused. “Just for twenty-four hours, correct?”
“Yes, that and the other things I mentioned.”
She groaned. “The children and the Sisters—are they all okay?”
Lance sat down on the edge of her bed, and Magdalena moved away from him toward the furthest edge of the bed, keeping the covers tucked tightly under her chin.
“I don’t bite, you know.” He smiled.
“Just answer my question. Jose?” Her eyes filled with worry.
“He’s going to be fine. I found three women who had all been sick with the same stomach bug who volunteered to stay at the orphanage for a day or two. Jose’s fever had broken by the time Lee and I left. All he needs now—“ Lance emphasized, “is rest.”
Magdalena nodded, clearly weary just from the brief conversation.
“Thank you,” her gaze took in both of the doctors again before she turned on her side. “Just twenty-four total hours from when you first brought me here.” She clarified, then promptly fell back to sleep.
SIXTEEN
“That was embarrassing!” Magdalena complained, putting the silverware down on the table with a thud.
“Well, don’t take it out on the silver,” Mary smirked.
“They are both a pair of overprotective ninnies,” Magdalena added, “and stubborn, and bossy, and—,”
“Me thinks thou dost protest too much,” Mary chuckled, moving the roast to a slab to allow it to cool.
“Really?” Magdalena asked. “And what if it had been you in that bed?”
“I would have felt the same way,” she agreed. “I’ve never even been Doc Holloway’s patient, but he’s still bossy and overbearing. Just ask Jim.”
“Yes, overbearing, that’s it exactly.”
“I still think you’re protesting too much, Magdalena. I think you like the good Doctor Holloway.”
Magdalena’s eyes narrowed at her friend, but then she turned toward her resting her hip against the counter.
“My father has given me an ultimatum,” she confessed.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s told me that I have to find a husband and have a wedding date in place within three months—no, make that nine weeks now—or else he will find one for me.”
“He can’t do that? Can he?”
“You don’t know my father. He can, and he will.” Magdalena confirmed. “Coming here to work at the orphanage was Claire’s idea. She knew the sisters needed a teacher, and she knew about my father’s ultimatum. She felt that a cooling-off period might help.”
“She said that?” Mary asked.
Magdalena cocked her head. “No, I guess I’m the one who said that. Claire just thought it would be a good idea for me to come here.”
Mary raised her eyebrows at Magdalena.
“What?”
Then Mary started to laugh, and she laughed so hard she held onto the counter for support.
Magdalena smiled at her, the laughter infectious. “What are you laughing at?”
“My sister is a matchmaker—come on Magdalena—you of all people know that.”
“I’m not following,” Magdalena admitted.
“She thinks you are the perfect match for Doc Holloway.”
“She does not!” Magdalena shook her head adamantly.
Mary giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Jim asked as he walked through the front door followed by Lance and Lee.
Magdalena elbowed Mary. “Don’t you dare,” she whispered.
Mary wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, breaking into laughter again.
Magdalena bit her lip but found herself laughing along with her friend. Before long they were both doubled over, wiping the tears from their eyes.
The men looked at them like they’d gone mad, then Lance made his way toward them, his eyes narrowed.
Magdalena sobered quickly. “We’re fine,” she assured him with a giggle holding up her hand. “Really. Why don’t you fellows wait outside and we’ll call you when dinner is ready?”
Mary let out an audible sigh, holding her side. ‘Yep, wait outside. We’ll come to get you when we need you.” Never she whispered to Magdalena, then both women proceeded to laugh again.
“They’ve gone mad,” Jim observed.
“Shoo,” Mary insisted with a final giggle. “We’ll never get dinner ready if you don’t.”
* * *
“That was strange,” Jim commented to the other men.
“Very,” Lance agreed. “But it was good to see color in Magdalena’s cheeks.”
“And good to see Mary laughing,” Lee agreed.
“You two have got it bad,” Jim confirmed.
Lance and Lee looked at one another and grinned.
“What was that about, though?” Lee wondered audibly.
“If you ever figure out what’s going on in the mind of a woman, Lee, you’ll be a very wealthy man, indeed.”
They chuckled. That was one thing they could all agree upon.
SEVENTEEN
“I don’t think I’ve laughed like that in a really long time,” Magdalena admitted.
“Same here,” Mary giggled. “That felt really good. Who knew that a belly laugh could be so cathartic?”
Magdalena sniggered. “Did you see the look on their faces?” She pressed her hand to her stomach—it still ached from laughing so hard.
“They think we’ve gone mad. They really do,” Mary confirmed.
Magdalena took a deep breath and looked at Mary. “Lee leaves tomorrow. Does that make you feel sad?”
“Don’t try to turn the subject to me, Mags. We were talking about you and Doctor Holloway, remember?”
“There is no me and Doctor Holloway,” Magdalena whispered. “And keep your voice down.”
“I’m just saying that Claire is a natural matchmaker. You know that as well as I do,” she gave a pointed look at Magdalena. “I remember hearing her tell the doc that she thought she knew the perfect person for him, and then she manages to convince you to come all the way to Bareglen Creek. It’s not a coincidence.”
“Even if that were true, and I’m not saying it is, what good does it do? I have less than eight weeks to find someone who will agree to marry me or my father will find someone for me. That’s just not—natural. It’s not reasonable.”
Mary twisted her lip, then sucked the lower one into her mouth, pondering Magdalena’s words. “You have a point, but maybe there’s a way to escalate this.”
“What are you suggesting?” Magdalena asked.
“I don’t know yet, but I’ll give it some thought. We’re intelligent women; we’ll think of som
ething.”
“I can’t trick a man into agreeing to marry me, Mary. That’s simply not right. Marriage is—forever. It is meant to be between a man and woman who love each other, or at the very least feel they can create a meaningful life together, and not something to rush into or take lightly. I don’t even want to marry, and I think that’s what makes me the most furious at my father,” she admitted.
“Well, let’s get dinner on the table, and we’ll work on this later. We can’t solve it right now, and we’re all hungry. Call the overbearing ones in.” She added.
Magdalena chuckled as she made her way toward the door, inviting the men in with a big smile on her face.
“Should we be worried?” Jim asked as they made their way inside. “We didn’t give you any reason to poison us, did we?”
“Always the jokester, aren’t you, Jim?” Magdalena answered—without addressing his question directly, but she chuckled at his unease, then rolled her eyes. “Sit. Of course, we’re not going to poison you.”
Mary seated Doc Holloway directly across from Magdalena.
Magdalena had a difficult time hiding her annoyance, especially when the good doctor made no attempt to hide the fact that he was studying her throughout the meal. It made her nervous, and that made it difficult to eat, but eat she did. This was the final step toward freedom from the overprotective doctor—a full meal that she kept in her stomach. But the nervous butterflies in her stomach had her worried about her ability to pull it off.
“Please stop,” she implored, looking directly at Lance.
He raised his eyebrow at her.
“You’re making me nervous,” she admitted, “and it’s rude to stare.”
“I’m not staring, Magdalena—I’m just observing.”
Magdalena glared at Mary who was hiding her smile behind the guise of drinking water as Magdalena’s fingers tapped on the table.
Magdalena turned her attention toward Lee. “So, Doctor Jamison, what brought you to Bareglen Creek for this visit?” She was rewarded with a small cough from Mary as she set her glass down.
“Are you all right, Mary?” Lee Jamison turned his attention toward Mary, whose face was growing more and red by the second. Lee stood to assist her, but Mary held up her hand, managing to choke out, “I’m fine, really.”
Magdalena grinned and turned her attention back to Lee.
“I had two weeks off before teaching a new course at the university and thought I’d visit with Lance.”
“Really? All the way to Bareglen Creek for just two weeks?”
Lee’s face turned red, and Magdalena lifted her glass to her lips.
“Yes, well, it’s peaceful here, unlike Philadelphia, and truthfully,” he raised his eyebrows then continued, “it’s a good reminder of why Lance and I both chose to pursue medicine. It helps to ground me and get back to the foundation of it all.”
Magdalena’s voice softened. “It’s a far cry from Philadelphia, isn’t it?” Her eyes held sadness.
“It is,” now Lee was scrutinizing Magdalena, as though suddenly aware that there was more behind her words than she was telling.
“I had lunch with your father before I left. I’m sorry about your mother, Magdalena.” Lee said.
Magdalena’s eyes flew to Lee’s, completely unprepared for him to bring that topic up. She paused, collecting herself, then cleared her throat. “Thank you,” she managed breathlessly, then stronger. “What was the topic of conversation with my father?” Her voice held clear disdain.
“He’s curious about my field of study—human behavior—and a deeper understanding of mental disorders. Or so he said.” Lee concluded, his eyes never leaving Magdalena’s.
She broke eye contact first. “Well, it's good to hear that there are doctors who enter the profession with the desire to help and make a difference.” Then she glanced down at her plate. It still held half of her dinner, but there was no way she could eat more.
“I’ll help clear the table,” Mary suggested, catching Lance’s eyes as he glanced at Magdalena’s plate and was about to protest. Mary simply shook her head no. He seemed to get the message.
EIGHTEEN
“You could fake another illness,” Mary suggested, as the two women sat at the table with a cup of tea.
“Absolutely not.”
“You could volunteer to help at Lance—Doctor Holloway—at his office.”
“As if teaching full-time isn’t enough. He’ll never agree to it. He’s too overprotective.”
“We could get Jim to fake an injury—that would be believable—he’s accident prone. That would get Lance out here more often and give you a chance to get to know one another better.”
“Mary, I appreciate that you want to help me, I really do, but a marriage can’t be based on false pretenses, either.”
“I think you should just ask him.”
“What are you talking about? Ask Lance to marry me?”
“Yes, why not? He’s clearly interested in you, and regardless of how much you protest, it’s obvious that you’re interested and impacted by him. Just be honest with him. The worse that can happen is he says “no” and then you’re back to square one.”
“He might agree out of a sense of duty or something, and I could never live with that. Unlike my father,” Magdalena clarified, “Lance strikes me as a man with a good heart. He clearly likes to help others. I couldn’t bear it if he agreed to marry me out of pity.”
Mary shrugged her shoulders. “You’re running out of options—I’m just saying I think you should consider it.”
“I’ll think about it, Mary, but to be honest, he’s very overbearing and used to having people practically jump at his words. That would never work for me.”
“Don’t think too long. You only have two months left, and if he does say no, which I’m fairly certain he won’t, then you’ve got to have a few weeks left for Plan B.”
Mary paused then offered, “Jim?”
“Oh, goodness, no. He’s like a brother to me.”
Mary nodded, then giggled. “He’d do it, though, you know? He would unquestionably offer to marry you if you needed that.”
Magdalena smiled. “He’s a really good guy, there’s no doubt about that, but no. Absolutely not.”
“Okay,” Mary agreed. “Have you heard from your father?”
“Yes, he sent a letter asking how things are at the orphanage, and then proceeds to remind me that my days are numbered.”
“He didn’t!” Mary gasped.
Magdalena grimaced. “No, not in so many words, but it was the meaning behind his words.” She sighed. “The only other option I have is to declare myself independent of him and try to find a full-time teaching job or something that I can support myself with.”
“Have you talked with Sister Theresa about options at the orphanage?” Mary asked.
“No. It’s a Catholic orphanage—the only work they have is volunteer-based unless you want to convert—which I don’t. I’ve applied for a few teaching jobs, but they are few and far between. It’s not likely anything can be confirmed in time.”
“You can always stay with me, Magdalena,” Mary offered.
Magdalena smiled. “You’re a good friend, Mary, but I couldn’t do that. This isn’t your burden—it’s my cross to bear and I will figure it out.” She bit her lower lip. “Maybe I should inquire at the saloon…” her gaze moved to Mary’s and her friend burst out in laughter.
“The threat of that might get your father to back off,” Mary agreed, “no doubt about that.”
Magdalena’s smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ve got to get to the orphanage early today to get my classroom ready. Although we only missed a few days, it has set all the classes back by a day or two. We’re mostly caught up, but I need to determine the best way to combine a few days together. I’ll see you later tonight. And Mary,” she added.
“Yes?” Mary asked.
“Thanks for caring and trying to help.”
M
ary nodded. “Something will come together, Magdalena, you just wait and see.”
NINETEEN
Dinner was on the table by the time Magdalena walked through the door at the end of a long day—and she entered the kitchen surprised to see Jim and Lance Holloway seated at the table. Mary was just about to join them.
Magdalena paused in the doorway and groaned. She stopped herself from asking why he was there. “I’ll set my things down and be right with you,” she said with a questioning glance toward Mary, who simply shrugged her shoulders.
Magdalena dropped her books in her room and joined them at the table, waiting for Jim to say the blessing.
“Dear Lord, we thank you for this day, and for this food, You have provided for us. We thank you for all the things you bring into our lives to teach us patience and fortitude. We thank you for this beautiful earth, and for these beautiful women at our table. We pray in Jesus name, Amen.”
“Amen,” everyone at the table echoed in unison.
Magdalena and Mary exchanged a look—it wasn’t like Jim to joke in a prayer—he took Christianity very seriously, but Mags couldn’t help but wonder if he wasn’t insinuating something with the reference to patience and fortitude. Although even if he was, she supposed she probably deserved it.
“How was everyone’s day?” Magdalena asked.
Jim pipped up. “Mary and I accomplished a lot on the farm today, and,” he looked at Lance, “you’ll be glad to know I had Jacob’s men join Mary and me to add that beam in the barn.”
“Please tell me it wasn’t Mary sitting on the top beam again?” Lance added derisively.
Mary scowled. “They wouldn’t let me—,”
“But it wasn’t for lack of her trying,” Jim added with a laugh.
“What’s this about?” Magdalena asked.
Lance recounted the story of he and Lee finding Mary sitting on the top of a beam ten feet high in the garage while Jim tried to single-handedly hoist a heavy beam for her to balance.
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