Wanted: Medicine Man (Silverpines Book 5)

by Christine Sterling

  Robert looked up. “What kind of incident?”

  “Lacy Lou took on some of the nursing to protect Hattie from the nastier of the men. Hattie walked her through everything. She really is a brilliant doctor and Lacy Lou was a quick study. Lacy Lou was tending to Sneaky Pete and he attacked her right there in the saloon with all those people around.”

  “I thought he was paralyzed?”

  “He is, from the waist down. But there isn't anything wrong with that man's hands. He put them where they certainly didn't belong as Lacy Lou was bending over. Hattie had Marty move him the same day. Now he is alone in Hattie's house. I think Brawny went to visit him there once.”

  “Did she tell the Sherriff?”

  “With everything going on? If you haven't realized, that isn't Hattie's way. She will deal with it herself. She's only involved someone if she really needs help. That is why I was so surprised she sent for assistance.”

  “Next time you see him, you come get me.”

  The thought of that man anywhere near his gentle Hattie made his blood boil. He knew he was going to have words with Sneaky Pete the next time he was at the apothecary. Tess must have seen the flash of anger in Robert's eyes as she gently placed her hand on his arm.

  “Don't worry. Hattie is perfectly safe.”

  “How do you know?”

  “First, he is restrained. She has his arms tied to the bed. Second, Hattie is a crack shot. She carries a small pistol with her at all times.” Robert nodded, still too angry to speak. “Here, have some of the tea that Hattie made. It is really refreshing. Any other questions?”

  Robert took a drink from the jar while he gathered his thoughts. The flavor of the peppermint followed by the sweet taste from the honey left a cooling sensation in his mouth. It was much better than the mint teas he had at the stuffy events back in Boston. “Yes, I do have one. Do you know where Hattie went to school?”

  “Lemme think.” Tess opened her parasol and twirled it in her fingers. “I know it was in Pennsylvania. Women... Women... College... oh drat. Oh, I know. The Women's Medical College of Pennsylvania.”

  “That is one of the best.”

  “Hattie is one of the best.” Tess took another sip from her jar. “So, Robert, when are you going to tell her?”

  “Tell her what?”

  “That you love her?”

  Robert spit out his tea.

  Hattie forced back the tears that were burning in the back of her throat. She wanted to be happy for Tess. Really happy. She saw the way they were in deep conversation. The way Tess placed her hand on Robert's arm and he didn't try to remove it. Yes, she wanted to be happy, but she wasn't.

  It didn't bother her before when Tess had her choice of suitors, so why did it bother her now?

  Because Robert was different. He wasn't like the bear of the men that came down from the mountains and tried to manhandle the women in town. He wasn't like the men that commented about her beauty but then hurled insults her way when they found out she wasn't interested. He didn't downplay her intelligence. Instead he listened carefully to what she said and repeated it back to make sure he understood. It was the first time Hattie had the respect of a male medical peer and she admitted it made her self-esteem swell.

  She finished washing up the lunch items and dried them with a cloth before packing them back in the box. She looked over again and Robert was spitting out the peppermint tea. Tess was laughing as he turned a bright red. Just like Tess to be beautiful, flirtatious and not know the effect she had on men.

  Marty came over to carry the box to the wagon.

  “You ok, Miss Hattie?”

  Hattie quickly dabbed her eyes. “Yes, Marty,” she lied. “I think I was getting road dust in my eyes and they are irritated. I'll be okay now.”

  Marty quickly secured the box in the wagon and everyone climbed aboard for the rest of the journey home.

  It was just getting dark when they arrived back in Silverpines. The ride home took longer due to the heavy load and going uphill. When they arrived in town the first stop was to drop Tess off at her home. They were greeted by Charlotte Daniels who met them on the doorstep.

  Robert helped Tess out of the wagon and she came over to Hattie, taking her friend’s hand between both of hers. “I can't remember when I've had a more enjoyable day. I would like to stop by in the next day or two and visit with you. I have a few things I need to share.”

  “Of course.”

  Tess gave Hattie's hand a tight squeeze, almost like she was hugging her, before turning to take Robert's arm and heading to the steps where her mother waited. Charlotte started talking excitedly as soon as they reached her, and Hattie could only make out a few choice words. Dawson. Grave. Bounty. Outlaws. Tess put her hand to her mouth and appeared as though she was going to faint. Robert caught her as she slumped against him and Charlotte directed him to bring Tess inside.

  “Ain't you goin’ in?” Marty asked.

  “She has a doctor with her, she'll be ok. It was probably the trip overtaxing her.”

  “You sure you ok, Miss Hattie?”

  “I'm just tired, Marty. Do you think you can take me home?”

  Hattie walked into the apothecary through the front entrance. Marty followed her carrying her purchases from the market. He placed the crate on the counter and quickly left to make the rest of his deliveries around town.

  Hattie created circles in the air with her neck, trying to alleviate some of the tension. During her exercise, she noticed that one of the glass jars on the counter was missing. The jar contained vegetable capsules that she could put oils in for dispensing. That wouldn’t be valuable to anyone else, she thought, so it is an odd item for someone to take.

  Too tired to deal with it, she opened her treasure chest of newly acquired herbs; adding a few to a cup she kept under the counter, she went to making a cup of tea for Pete.

  She refilled the cast iron pot on the woodstove and added a few drops of scented oils into water to create a calming steam in the room. Taking the kettle that had been simmering all day she added the water to the herbs and gave a stir. She knew that Rose, or one of the other doves had come by during the day to check on him. The dishes were in the sink to be washed and soiled linens had been placed in the basket for pick up the next day. Time to check on her patient.

  She checked the temperature of the tea and added a spoonful of honey to take away some of the bitter taste. Pete was improving, and he would be able to go home hopefully within the next week.

  “How are you doing tonight, Pete? I have your-” she looked up and saw a large, hulking man sitting next to Pete. He was wearing a denim jacket and held a black hat, twirling it in his beefy hands. He looked up at her and smiled. His chestnut brown hair swept across his face, allowing one glittering eye to show.

  Chapter 7

  “Hello Miss Hattie. I was just visiting here with my brother.”

  “Brawny,” she said breathlessly. “I wasn't expecting you until next week.”

  “I just wanted to come by and make sure that Pete's leg was getting better.”

  “It is.”

  “Why does it look so bad?”

  “I had to use maggots to eat the rotting flesh.”

  “Will it look better?”

  “Probably not. But you wanted me to save the leg. Which I did.”

  “Is he going to walk again?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Why not?”

  “He doesn’t have feeling from the waist down. Being caught under the tree paralyzed him.”

  “I don't like that, Miss Hattie. I don't like that at all.”

  Hattie's pulse quickened. Brawny Winters was the youngest of the six Winters brothers. Three of them were killed during the mudslide. When Sneaky Pete was found, the oldest, Jack, threatened Hattie with harm if she couldn't save their brother's leg and Brawny backed him. Hattie didn't ask if they were serious, given they were surrounded with hundreds of people in the same situation. However
, Hattie didn't want to take any chances.

  “I did the best I could do. The best any doctor could do,” she said. Hattie saw that the leg sustained severe damage in the landslide, getting crushed between two logs. It was mangled, but Hattie managed to save it. When the leg became infected, due to lack of colloidal silver she resorted to old fashioned remedies such as packing the wound with chewed up leaves and allowing maggots to clean out the deadening flesh.

  “But you ain't just any doc, are you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You are a medicine woman or something. You got some supernatural medicine. Pete told me about it.”

  Hattie sighed and pulled a chair over next to Pete, across from the bulky man. “No, Brawny. I do not have any supernatural medicines. I don't have any supernatural powers. I do know something about plants though. And plants are those things that become medicine. Now, I have to give Pete his tea.”

  “What's in that?”

  “My supernatural stuff,” she laughed. Brawny cracked a smile. Hattie held out the cup to him. “Here, try it.” Brawny took a sip and wrinkled up his nose.

  “I told ya, brother” Pete croaked from his bed. “She's trying to poison me.”

  “I admit I leave out the honey if he has been particularly ornery. It hides the bitter taste of one of the barks. But there is nothing in there to harm him. Do you want to give it to him?”

  Brawny started to spoon the tea into his brother's mouth. Pete took the brew readily, probably because his brother gave it to him instead of Hattie. She sat in silence watching Brawny continue to give Pete the tea, listening to him talk softly to his brother. When he was done, Pete's eyes were closing, and he passed the cup back over the Hattie.

  “He'll sleep for the rest of the night now,” she said getting up. She felt Brawny's hand around her arm and she turned to look at him.

  “Thank you.”

  Hattie nodded and left the room.

  Brawny followed and Hattie noticed he had put on his duster. It protected him when he rode from wherever he came in from. Brawny looked around the main apothecary. “These all your medicines?”

  Hattie nodded. Brawny grunted. “I guess I never realized what you do exactly. I know you gave us that stuff when you came up to Timber Town.”

  “Liniment. I gave you liniment.”

  “That was it. Hot stuff too. Burned all the way to the bone. Helped like nothing else.”

  “I'm glad.”

  “Miss Hattie,” Brawny said, moving closer, placing both of his hands on her arms. “I know I ain't been the kindest to you, but do you think you could find it in you to forgive me? You've taken real good care of Pete back there. I just know it was gonna kill Ma to lose three of her boys plus Pa. If she lost Pete as well, well, I just dunno how she would have responded.”

  “Yes, Brawny. Of course, I forgive you.”

  “I'm going to come by and see him tomorrow if that is ok?”

  “That would be fine. We can start making plans to move him if you are ready to take him home.”

  “I'll tell Ma. She'll be so happy.” He leaned over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek, then removing his hands he headed out the door.

  Robert whistled on his way back to his apartment. He really needed to take the sign that said Dr. Hamilton down. When Alexzander approached Hattie informing her that Robert was going to be staying in Doc Hamilton's office, she relented, but said that it could only be temporary.

  It made sense, Alexzander reasoned, since they were working together and there were patients in the building. This way they could divide and conquer. Hattie finally relented but made it clear that she was still in charge. Robert wouldn't have it any other way.

  She was quiet. He was inquisitive. She was thoughtful. He was brash. She was shy. He was outgoing. She was lovely. Oh, yes she was so lovely.

  He was so taken off guard when Tess posed her question this afternoon that he spit his tea, narrowly missing his new friend. Was it that obvious that he had fallen in love? If Tess noticed, had everyone else? Thank goodness the Town Council Meeting was tomorrow night. Alexzander managed to pull together enough people who could listen to his plea on short notice and hopefully carry a resolution to release him from his obligation.

  When he arrived to the front of the doctor's office he noticed the lamp was still lit in the main level of the apothecary. He walked over and saw Hattie talking to a tall man. This man had his hands on her arms and appeared to be talking to her. Robert saw red when this man leaned down to give Hattie a kiss and she nodded, following him out the door.

  Robert stepped out of the shadows into the path of the man leaving the apothecary. This man towered over him by a good five inches, but Robert stood as tall as he could.

  “Hattie, are you alright?” he asked, never removing his eyes from the man in front of him?

  “I'm fine, Robert. Brawny was just visiting his brother.”

  “Brawny?”

  “Yeah. And I was just leaving,” Brawny replied.

  “Brawny Winters?”

  “What of it?”

  “Mr. Winters, I want to speak to you.”

  A loud pounding interrupted Hattie's reading. She grabbed her wrap and went downstairs. It wasn't unusual for her to tend a patient in the middle of the night when there was a birthing, a fever or an emergency that truly couldn't wait until the morning. There weren't any impending births and no fevers that she knew of. She wondered if someone had taken a turn for the worse at the saloon. Everyone was stable when she stopped by before retiring for the evening.

  She opened the door and pulled her wrap tighter against her. Robert leaned against the door frame, his face buried in the crook of his arm. He lifted his hand to knock again but since the door was open he tumbled into the opening and straight into Hattie's arms.

  Hattie squealed and wrapped her arms around Robert to prevent them both from falling to the floor.

  “What are you doing here at this time of the night?” she asked, trying to push him into a standing position.

  “Oh Hattie, how you do vex me,” he slurred.

  “You, sir, are drunk.”

  “Perhaps.”

  “But you don’t drink, at least that is what Tess said.”

  “I only had one little drink with that Brawny man that was here earlier, and most of it was water.”

  “Why?”

  “Ghosts, lovely Hattie. Just chasing ghosts. You know what, Hattie?” he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders and guiding her to the chaise in the waiting area of the apothecary.

  “I am afraid to ask.”

  “He isn't as bad as he was made out to be. Nope. No, siree.”

  “If you say so.” Hattie helped Robert onto the sofa. “I'm going to go get you a glass of water and make you a cup of tea and then you are going to go home and go to bed. It wouldn't do either of us any good to be seen here like this.”

  “Nope. He's not so bad. He sure does have a mean right hook though.”

  Hattie's head whipped up and she took in Robert's face. Cupping his chin, she turned his head until she could see the bruise forming around his left eye and cheek.

  “What did you do?”

  “I told him to stay away from my girl.”

  “I don't think he-”

  “Tess was telling me she sees him ride into town.”

  “I can't imagine-”

  Robert reached out and took one of the curls that was falling out of the chignon on top of Hattie's head. He watched the curl tighten around his finger, release and then tighten again.

  “Did you know I'm in love with the most beautiful girl in all of Silverpines?”

  Hattie's heart clenched. She couldn't sit here and listen to this. When Tess and Robert marry then he would become the primary doctor of Silverpines and she would be back to just being a healer. It would be like Doctor Hamilton all over again. She took a deep swallow before responding.

  “I am sure she is very lucky to have your love.”<
br />
  Robert released her curl and settled back on the chaise, closing his eyes. “Funny thing is, I've not even kissed her. But when I do there will be no doubt in her mind that she is mine.”

  Hattie burned at the intimate thought of Robert's kisses. Even though they were meant for another she imagined it was her lips he was kissing. Pressing her fingers to her lips, she wondered if he was as thorough in his kissing as he was in his medical attentions. She felt warm all over.

  “Hattie?”

  “Yes?”

  “I really do wish you would call me Robert.”

  “I’ll go make tea, Robert,” she said, quickly getting up. A soft snore was the only reply she received.

  Sighing she took one of the blankets and covered him, but not before seeing Mrs. Charlotte Daniels walking by the apothecary window, her face in grim disapproval at the sight of Robert laying on the chaise and Hattie in her half-opened shift.

  “I tell you, Fannie, it was absolutely disgraceful. I don’t think he left until this morning.”

  Hattie rolled her eyes. Mrs. Daniels and Fannie Pearl delivered the early meal to the saloon and were now sitting on the porch sipping a cup of coffee before taking the dishes back to the diner. Mrs. Daniels was in rare form today, talking to anyone who would listen, no matter who they were. Unfortunately, today's tirade was about her, and she was talking to the person Hattie respected the most. Hattie would have said she found it peculiar that Mrs. Daniels was out at such a late hour walking, but nothing Mrs. Daniels did was out of character. The woman had no filter, had a flair for the dramatics and was determined to see her daughter married off. Hattie sipped her coffee and sat on the top step, trying to ignore the conversation behind her.

  Speaking of which, Hattie hadn't see Tess since their trip yesterday. Perhaps the salt air and long wagon ride really was too much for her. The widows moved along engaged in lively chatter and Hattie was thankful for the moment of silence. A flash of white caught her eye down the street and she realized that it was her friend that she was just thinking of. She couldn't see who she was talking to as he was partially blocked by the building, but Tess's arms were moving rapidly in the air. The figure was most definitely a man and it was most definitely not Robert, as he was coming from the opposite direction. Tess raised her hand as if to slap the mystery man, but he grabbed her wrist preventing her from making contact, instead pulling her to him and kissing her, very soundly it appeared, before disappearing into the shadows. Hattie quickly turned, praying Robert didn't witness the moment between Tess and the stranger.