“So what if you had another job to do – one you could even do while you were sick in bed?”
He looked at her as if she’d gone crazy. “And what would that be?”
“What if I trained you to take over the office?”
“I can’t read and write well enough for that. I’m not so bad with figures, but even there I don’t have the same kind of learnin’ you have.”
“And I suppose you aren’t willing to be taught?” She looked at him quizzically and shrugged. “Maybe you think such things are a waste of time?”
“Hardly. But I’m not so smart as you.”
Deborah shook her head. “That’s nonsense. You aren’t as formally educated as I am, but you are definitely as smart – if not smarter. I could teach you to read and write, as well as keep the books. G. W., it would give you something to fall back on if the worst is realized.”
He considered this for several long minutes. Deborah said nothing, allowing him to ponder his words. He was a proud man, but hopefully not too proud to allow himself to be taught.
“I guess I never thought about learnin’ anything more. Didn’t seem practical.”
She could understand that and nodded. “There wasn’t time. Father needed you and Rob to join him in the camp. That’s why I thought I could best serve the family by going to school and learning all that I could to benefit the business. I always thought that’s what Father wanted me to do. Now I realize he was just giving in to my desires. He thought it was what I wanted.”
G. W. met her gaze. “But it ain’t?”
She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I don’t think it is. G. W., I convinced myself that this was what was expected of me. So I gave up any other thought and turned my mind to it.”
“And now?”
“Now I see that this could be the perfect answer to your situation. The office and books have to be kept in order. The business end of logging is just as critical as the physical labor, especially now with the turpentine arrangement.”
“I reckon I can see that well enough.” He frowned and fixed her with an intent expression. “And you really think you could teach me?”
Deborah wanted to shout for joy. The question assured her that G. W. was willing to put his mind to this new venture. “I know I can. You have a quick ability to reason and learn. You figure things out on your own all the time. Now you’ll simply have me to help you understand what’s what. Not to mention you already have a strong foundation. You can read some, and you know your letters and numbers. I think the rest will come quite easily.”
“You sure about this?”
She nodded and got to her feet. “Why don’t we get started?”
“I was going to take a nap,” he protested.
Deborah laughed. “You can take a nap in twenty minutes.”
–––––––
Christopher didn’t know quite what to think when Deborah showed up at his office. It had been nearly a week since he’d been to the Vandermark house, and he worried that perhaps G. W. had taken an unexpected turn.
“Is something wrong?” he asked when she knocked on his open door.
“I suppose you are the only one who can help me determine the answer to that.”
He looked at her for a moment, then motioned to the chair. “Have a seat. What can I do for you? Are you ill?” She certainly didn’t look sick. She looked radiant, the rich dark green of her gown reminiscent of the surrounding forests.
“I want a straight answer, Dr. Clayton. I don’t want you worrying about hurting my feelings or causing me pain. Just a simple yes or no will do.”
“I will happily give it, if you will just ask the question.” He sat down. “I’m still not very good at figuring out a person’s unspoken thoughts. Especially those of a woman.”
She folded her hands precisely and nodded. “Very well. Were you serious about training me to assist you?”
Christopher couldn’t have been more pleased. He knew the matter was quite complicated, given his family situation and all, but at least this way . . . this way he could spend time with her. If not every day, then at least every week. Looking up, he found her staring at him – waiting for his response. She looked almost like a patient preparing for bad news. He couldn’t resist making her wait for an answer as she had done with him.
“No. I cannot say that I was at all serious about training an assistant.”
Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened. She lowered her gaze and seemed to consider this for a moment. “I thought perhaps as much.” She looked up, trying hard to appear as though she had her emotions under control. “Very well.” Getting to her feet, she headed for the door.
“Don’t you want to know my reasons?”
She turned and shook her head. “I think I know well enough. You were simply trying to take my mind off of G. W.’s serious condition.”
“Not at all.” He got to his feet and came to stand just inches from her. Without asking permission, he took hold of her hand. “I can’t train you to simply be my assistant. You are much too intelligent for that. I want to teach you to be a doctor in your own right.”
Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened. My, but she has the loveliest dark eyes. She was speechless, which only managed to elicit a chuckle from Christopher.
“So . . . let me . . . let me get this straight. You are willing to train me to be a physician?”
“I am.”
“And what will you expect in return?”
The question surprised him. He grinned. “I hadn’t really thought of that, but I suppose you can work here to earn your training. That is, if you can spare the time from home.”
“And that’s all?”
He looked at her and dropped hold of her hand. “Did you expect there to be something more? Perhaps you thought I’d force you to court me? I’m really not that kind of man at all.”
Her face flushed scarlet again. “I . . . well, not exactly.” She turned her gaze to the floor.
Christopher couldn’t help himself. He reached out to touch her sleeve. “I would want you to court me, only if you truly desired it. I wouldn’t want you to spend your time doing such a serious thing unless you could honestly see yourself one day becoming my wife.”
Her head snapped up. “You would marry a woman doctor?”
He tilted back his head and roared with laughter. “That’s all that you’re concerned about? I mention marrying me, and you’re only worried about being a woman doctor?”
She shook her head and looked befuddled. “I suppose I didn’t think about it that way. Goodness, but you have a way of setting me off balance. A part of me feels like laughing and another part like crying.”
“Should I get the water pitcher?” he asked quite seriously.
Deborah immediately calmed and began to smile. “So let me get this straight: You want to teach me to become a doctor and you are asking me to court you?”
“That sounds about right. Of course, there is something you need to know, something that might change your mind on the entire matter.”
She frowned. “And what would that be?”
“My family. They need me, Miss Vandermark. My father cannot work and my mother can barely earn enough for food. I am sending very nearly every penny I make back to them. Until my siblings are able to help or the younger ones grow up, I cannot think of marrying anyone.” He again saw her surprise and added, “Not that I’m proposing. I’m simply asking you to . . . well, commit to waiting?”
She considered his words for a moment. “I think that very wise of you, Dr. Clayton. Your family is obviously in need of your help.” She smiled. “It only serves to make me fonder of the idea. I will bide my time.”
“But you must agree to stop calling me Dr. Clayton. It makes me feel very old.”
She giggled. “But you are old. And your years have made you oh so wise.”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m not that old. I’m only thirty.”
“Hmm, I suppose that isn’t so ver
y old.” She cocked her head slightly and smiled. “Christopher Clayton, I would be happy to learn all that I can from you.”
He felt the embers of love that had been smoldering within him spark a flame. This woman was simple and complex, all at the same time. How was that even possible?
He gently took hold of her face. Her dark eyes seemed to drink him in. “And I shall be very happy to teach you all that I can.”
–––––––
Turn the page to enjoy
a family recipe from Tracie Peterson,
featured in this book!
Black Grape Tarts
4 cups black grapes
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
¾ cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter
Cut grapes in half and pull out seeds. (Or for the old fashioned way: push hulls from skins and set skins aside. Cook hulls until mushy and seeds come free, then strain to get rid of seeds and add pulp and skins back and cook until the skins are tender.) Cook grapes over medium heat until the skins are tender.
Take off the heat and add brown sugar, cornstarch, butter, and lemon juice. Pour into tart crusts. Bake for 20 minutes at 365° F or until the crust is brown.
Sweet Dough Pie Crust
(for tarts – do this ahead of time in order to chill)
4 cups of all-purpose flour
½ cup butter
¼ cup sugar
cup cold water
Mix dry ingredients, then add butter and mix. It will be crumbly. Add water until dough sticks together.
Divide dough and shape in a flattened ball. Wrap and chill 3–4 hours.
Roll out and use large drinking glass to cut circle that will fit into cupcake pans or mini-muffin pan. Form your tart crust in the cupcake pans. Poke a few holes into the raw dough with a fork to vent and prevent puffing.
TRACIE PETERSON is the author of over eighty novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling Heirs of Montana and Alaskan Quest series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.
Visit Tracie’s Web site at www.traciepeterson.com.
Visit Tracie’s blog at www.writespassage.blogspot.com.
Books by Tracie Peterson
www.traciepeterson.com
A Slender Thread • What She Left for Me • Where My Heart Belongs
SONG OF ALASKA
Dawn’s Prelude • Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade
ALASKAN QUEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights • Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)
BRIDES OF GALLATIN COUNTY
A Promise to Believe In • A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own
THE BROADMOOR LEGACY*
A Daughter’s Inheritance • An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart
BELLS OF LOWELL*
Daughter of the Loom • A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads
LIGHTS OF LOWELL*
A Tapestry of Hope • A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart
DESERT ROSES
Shadows of the Canyon • Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky
HEIRS OF MONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within
LADIES OF LIBERTY
A Lady of High Regard • A Lady of Hidden Intent A Lady of Secret Devotion
RIBBONS OF STEEL**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond • A Promise for Tomorrow
WESTWARD CHRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope • Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection
YUKON QUEST
Treasures of the North • Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold
*with Judith Miller **with Judith Pella
© 2010 by Tracie Peterson
Published by Bethany House Publishers
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287.
E-book edition created 2010
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-1316-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.
Table of Contents
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
COPYRIGHT PAGE
Embers of Love Page 28