Love's Sporting Chance: Volume 2: 5 Romantic Sporting Novellas

by Cynthia Hickey

  “But …” Laura sputtered. They couldn’t. Think of the dangers.

  Jay turned to Laura now. “I don’t know who let you go straight from youth to old age in one day back in Maine. You are young and vibrant, beautiful, intelligent, caring—and I’m going to make you realize it if it’s the last thing I do.” Although Jay was addressing both of them, he glared at Laura, his anger turning his compliments into flaming arrows that pierced her heart.

  Neither sister answered.

  “I’ll leave before I outstay my welcome.” He headed straight for the door.

  Laura stared after him, speechless. He’d opened the door before she found her voice. “Jay.”

  He turned, hand on knob. “You can expect me Saturday shortly before noon.” He pointed a finger at Laura, then Eliza. “I refuse to take no for an answer. Ask Mizz Bell.” His eyes twinkled as he left, shutting the door behind him. His feet pounded down the ramp on his way to the street.

  Laura ran to the window and pulled back the curtain and Eliza rolled across the floor to join her. He wasn’t running, but it wasn’t a leisurely stroll, either. From the way he was swinging his head and arms, she might describe it as dancing a jig. And she couldn’t think of a single reason for him to be so happy.

  When he turned the corner, Laura remained at the window for an extra minute while Eliza backed away. “The doctor is sweet on you, sister Laura.”

  Laura let go of an unladylike snort. “Then why do we cross swords so often?”

  A knowing look appeared in Eliza’s eyes. “That’s not all that happens.”

  Of course. Eliza had overheard their conversation. Using her no-nonsense voice, she asked, “How much did you hear?”

  “I heard you crying. I sneaked a peek while the two of you were otherwise engaged.” Eliza looked so smug. Laura wanted to be mad at her, but she couldn’t. Her sister was having too much fun.

  Eliza settled back in her chair. “So the only question is, what are we going to wear? Do we have time to make new dresses?”

  Eliza wanted to go? Enough to want a new dress? Laura was worried sick about the difficulties of a hayride for her sister. But Eliza hadn’t asked for anything for herself since her accident, claiming she caused so much extra work for others, no matter how much Laura reassured her it wasn’t true.

  “With Aunt Minnie to help us? Of course!”

  After lunch, they looked through a recent issue of Godey’s Lady Book and chose a pattern they liked. Eliza decided on a dark red wool for her dress. “Because it will be getting cold soon.”

  “You should wear a sage green, Laura,” Aunt Minnie suggested.

  Laura tapped her cheek with her finger, pretending to think about it. “You may be right. But what about you? If we have new dresses, you should, too.”

  “Pshaw. I’m not the one going to the party.”

  That didn’t mean her aunt couldn’t use a new dress. A peek in her closet revealed clothing of good quality, but several years old and worn. Aunt Minnie could use a pretty blue frock.

  Laura thanked the Lord that she had enough money from her parents’ estate to buy the supplies they needed. Embarrassed after the scene she had caused that morning, she gathered her courage to return to the store. If they intended to make three dresses in a week, they needed to start. She made a note of the needed supplies. She’d buy different buttons for the three of them, she decided, ribbons, maybe some lace.

  “Have fun,” Eliza said as Laura headed for the door. Her heart twisted. She would take her, if it weren’t so late in the day and if she weren’t in a hurry… She could wait until Monday, couldn’t she? Before she could change her mind, Eliza wheeled beside her and grabbed her hand.

  ~

  Jay hadn’t seen Laura or her sister since Saturday. Due to a medical emergency, he’d missed church on Sunday morning. Ever since his conversation with Laura, he’d slept better. He still walked every morning because it made him feel good, but instead of stopping by Mizz Bell’s house for breakfast, he went home to prepare for his day’s work. He even took a little time with his Bible, something he’d neglected too often.

  Although their talk had helped him, he had no illusions about Laura. He should see her today, at his second appointment with Eliza. He would confront both of them about the ways they were hurting each other, all with the best intentions. When he said Laura—and Eliza, of course—was young, vibrant, beautiful, and intelligent, he’d meant it with all his heart. If he were a king who could command obedience, he would demand their attendance at the party on Saturday. But he wasn’t a king, and he wanted their willingness more than a grudging presence. Be honest with himself, he wanted excited anticipation.

  He stared at the Psalm the Lord had impressed on him time and again. The question dug into his soul. Who would dwell in God’s house? “He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.” His answer to the sisters’ problem was in those verses, not in the medicine he had studied. In order to help them, he had to speak the truth by showing them where their walk and work habits harmed them.

  That should be a fun conversation. No one promised life would be easy.

  Mrs. Cook knocked on his door. In her brightest voice, she said, “The Misses Evans are here.”

  “Show them in.” Jay straightened his already neat desk. “And please bring coffee for us as well.”

  “Certainly, Doctor.”

  Jay held the door open so Laura could wheel Eliza into the room. His father came out of his office to watch, nodding his encouragement. He had grumbled at the renovation, not understanding the need for a wider door frame. But Jay had known the day would come when they would need it. That day had arrived during Eliza’s first visit.

  “Good morning, Dr. Andrews—both of you.” Eliza sounded almost jubilant.

  Jay relaxed a tiny bit. “It’s Jay. Good morning, Eliza.”

  Laura wasn’t smiling, but at least she wasn’t frowning. If anything, she looked—worried? Her eyes tightened at the corners.

  “Good morning, Laura.”

  “Jay.”

  At least she had used his first name.

  Compared to the notifications he’d had to make during the war, this should be easy. But it was much harder. He returned to his desk and faced them. Laura was seated in the chair across from him. She fidgeted, her eyes focused mostly on the floor.

  “You must wonder why I wanted to see Eliza again so soon.”

  Laura’s eyes widened, uncertainty stamped on her face. Eliza leaned forward, ready to get started with treatment.

  “You’re in excellent health. Your heart is strong, your lungs are clear, your mind is quick.”

  Eliza pinked at his praise.

  “You could have told us that when we came last week,” Laura said. “What else do you have to tell us?”

  “Eliza isn’t making full use of her extremities.” Sharing the good news should have helped Jay relax, but he feared Laura’s reaction to the implications. He turned to Eliza. “There is no damage to your arms. You can wheel yourself around. I’ve seen you moving through the house.”

  “But not all the time.” Laura leaned forward, straining to make her point. “She gets stuck in corners or can’t back or just plain gets tired.”

  Now came the confrontation. It’s the right thing to do. He turned to her sister. “Laura, the only way Eliza can learn to do more is by practice. You need to let her go. Starting now.”

  Before either sister could protest, he stood and opened the door.

  “Laura, turn the bath chair around. That’s a more difficult skill. Eliza can conquer it later.”

  Laura had clamped her lips together, but she stood. “Where are we going?”

  “Eliza is going out the door and down the hall to Mrs. Cook’s desk.”

  Eliza’s face brightened. She wanted to try and that was half the battle. Jay pointed to the door, the way captains did in time of war, and she obeyed.

  Once the chair was fac
ing forward, Eliza reached over the arms of the chair, clutched the wheels, and pulled. When the chair didn’t move forward immediately, Laura arms moved, conditioned to help. Jay frowned at her, and she stayed put.

  “Try pushing instead of pulling.” Jay stayed away from the chair away.

  With a strong push, Eliza moved a few inches. She struggled to make it over the threshold. Once the chair landed on the hallway, she stopped. The floor stretched ahead until it reached Mrs. Cook’s desk twenty feet away.

  Eliza paused for a moment, gathering strength for the battle. Laura held her arms tight cross her chest. He had never seen her so miserable. He wanted to take her in his arms as she allowed her sister to try her independence. Instead he said, “You can do it, Eliza.” She was his patient, after all.

  She turned an uncertain smile at him, one that echoed the expression on Laura’s face. His challenge might be too much for her so soon. “Go as far as you can. Aim for the picture of praying hands on the wall.” He pointed to their print of Dürer’s picture that was halfway down. It was his and his father’s tribute to the Great Physician.

  Given the smaller goal, Eliza relaxed a fraction. She gripped the wheels and slowly rolled an inch, than another, down the corridor. When she reached the picture, she dropped her hands from the wheels, joy overriding her exhaustion.

  Laura jumped. At least, Jay thought it was a jump. Her skirts lifted enough to show a peek of petticoat. Her enthusiastic applause pleased him as much as Eliza’s accomplishment, perhaps more. Laura’s support was the main point of today’s visit. If she didn’t allow Eliza to do more for herself, nothing he did could change her mobility.

  After Eliza rested a few minutes, she continued down the hall until she reached Mrs. Cook’s desk. Jay wheeled her back to his office, not wanting to tire her out any further. She seemed not only tired, but also in pain. He showed the sisters how to make willow bark tea. “This will help your muscle pain. You shouldn’t use it any more than every six hours. Using heating pads or keeping your arms wrapped also might help.” He patted her shoulder. “Practice as much as you feel able to at home, and one day you’ll be able to go wherever you want to.”

  Eliza’s delight made Jay’s heart sing, reminding him of the reason he did this kind of work. She touched Laura’s arm. “Isn’t that wonderful news?”

  Unlike Eliza’s overwhelming joy, Laura looked uncertain—even afraid.

  Laura might prove more difficult to help than Eliza. Her uncertainty made his heart ache. He didn’t know if could bear it.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Ten days had passed since Jay had challenged Eliza to do more on her own. She had taken his advice, and it was driving Laura crazy. Each day Eliza mastered a new skill.

  Let me brush your hair.

  Eliza refused, and ten minutes later, she’d done it herself, her hair in a messy but passable bun on the top of her head.

  Do you want a glass of water?

  I can pour it myself. Only a small amount spilled.

  What book do you want to read tonight?

  Don’t worry. I got one from the bookshelf earlier.

  After the latest brush off—Eliza had insisted on washing the breakfast dishes—Laura considered pouting in her room. Instead, she decided she needed to walk, to find a place to scream if she wanted to. The problem was, she didn’t know how she felt. Of course she was glad Eliza was doing better. It was like a mother watching child grow up only she didn’t have a husband to turn to.

  When she opened the door, chilly air hit her face, so she grabbed her cape from the coat rack. Ignoring the ramp, she took the stairs and headed down the street away from town.

  The road petered out before she had gone half a mile, but a path continued through a large meadow. She imagined it was beautiful during the summer. Stands of evergreen trees dotted the landscape. A rabbit hopped across the ground, and in the shade of the trees, a doe waited with her fawn. She walked slowly for about an hour, maybe two miles from town, the only signs of human habitation a cabin far to the west and another to the south. She felt more aware of God’s presence than she had since the last time she’d seen ocean waves crashing against the rocks. She glanced at the hills a short distance to the west. That must be the destination of the hayride. Bad weather had made them reschedule the planned outing, but they could make it up the next Saturday.

  “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” As she hummed, the words of the hymn came to her. “Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature.” Meadows and woodlands, sunshine and moonlight. She didn’t know who had written the hymn, or where he lived, but the words suited this Nebraska.

  She sat on the grass and found a lone aster, a hardy survivor of autumn’s death call. She sniffed it, but all she noticed was the earthy smell. Bird calls filled the air. She didn’t recognize the species. Those birds had seen their young fly away over the summer, and in some cases, were left without a mate. Did they ever feel lonely?

  “What am I to do when Eliza doesn’t need me anymore?” Laura was a spinster, hopes of marriage long past. Maybe she should become a writer of dime novels, as she once had dreamed of doing.

  But what about Jay? As much as the thought appealed to me, she know it would take a miracle. Instead she allowed herself to absorb God’s peace—the God of all hope giving her joy and peace so she could abound with joy.

  A sound interrupted her solitude. Someone was approaching from farther down the meadow, whistling Fairest Lord Jesus.

  Laura decided to head back to town to avoid company. As soon as she’d stepped on the path, someone called her name. “Laura! Miss Evans!”

  Laura turned, not believing her ears. Jay was running, looking as disheveled as he had on the mornings he ate breakfast at Aunt Minnie’s house.

  Even if she ran, he would overtake her, so she waited. He stopped about a yard away, breathing heavily, and took a swig from a canteen.

  “What a pleasure to find you in the meadow.” Jay wiped his forehead with his bandanna, wiped his hands, and reached out to shake her hand.

  She extended her arm automatically before thinking about her own disheveled appearance. He didn’t seem to notice. “I was heading back to town.”

  “Then we can walk together.” Jay remained still for a moment. “You see the hills over there?” He pointed to the west. “That’s where we’ll go on the hayride Saturday.”

  She had been right. Her thoughts flew to the sage-colored dress she had made for the outing. Jay was wearing a similar colored shirt today. If he wore the same outfit to the hayride, they might look like a matched couple. The thought felt—nice. “I’m looking forward to it.” A fire blazed in her cheeks.

  “As a matter of fact, so am I.” Jay grinned widely. “Be sure to dress warmly. It can get chilly.”

  She drew her coat around her, pulling the collar over her cheeks to hide the color she knew must be there. “I noticed that today.”

  They began walking a hand’s breadth apart. Laura said, “Do you come this way often?”

  “Almost every day.” Jay shrugged and moved a couple of inches further away. “After that run, I have no business being close to a lady.”

  Laura couldn’t suppress a grin. His musk masked the pleasant scents of the meadow but it made her more aware of his substance. “This lady doesn’t mind.”

  In spite of her pleasure in his company, she dreaded the question he was bound to ask about Eliza’s progress.

  A couple of minutes later he brought up the subject. “I was hard on you last week. I can tell you’re struggling with letting your sister do more for herself. The change is bound to be difficult for both of you.”

  The tension flooding Laura disappeared as Jay expressed sympathy for her situation. “You understand.”

  “I do.” He spread his hand to encompass the meadow. “That’s why I come out here. To work out some of the frustrations.”

  As she had, today, something they had in common.

  “How has it been?�
�� Jay asked.

  “Wonderful. Awful. Eliza has decided she can do everything for herself.” The exaggeration felt true. “I’m such a bad person, to get upset when my sister is doing so well.”

  When Jay didn’t respond immediately, Laura wondered if he agreed.

  “I feel that way about some of my patients.” Jay’s voice dropped to a low whisper. “I work with them day after day, week after week, until they are whole. If I do my job, they go on with their lives. I’m left alone, without anything to do, until the next needy person crosses my path.” He set a light hand on her shoulder. “It must be much harder when it’s your sister.”

  ~

  Tears shimmered in Laura’s eyes, but Jay knew better than to mention them. His offer of help would mean nothing if she didn’t want it. And he hadn’t shared the pain of the patients who didn’t improve, no matter what they did.

  “You’re still a doctor. You will always have another patient.” Laura increased her pace, her shoulders hunched as she drew inward.

  That was true, but he’d hoped she would understand.

  “But who am I,” she continued, “apart from being Eliza’s caretaker? Most women my age are married with children. A few brave women have a career. I dreamed of that, once.” She bit her lower lip.

  Doing what? He longed to ask, but it seemed more prudent to let her direct their talk.

  “But once Eliza was injured, I didn’t have the energy or desire to do anything more. I had to take care of her, you see.”

  Because she blamed herself. They were about half a mile away from the road, and he didn’t want to end their walk with Laura upset. He found a spot where a rock provided a convenient resting place. “Let’s sit for a minute. The house will still be waiting.”

  Laura managed a smile, which lifted his heart. “Yes, thank you.” They rested on the rock about a foot apart.

  He offered her his canteen. From the way she was licking her lips, she must be thirsty. She looked at the well-worn cap before she took a long drink. “That feels better.”