Sophia nodded, honey and lemon being a familiar remedy for singers.
“If after three days your throat is fine, you can progress to more sentences at a time. Say five. If all goes well, after a week, you may attempt singing—vocal exercises only. Nothing too loud, high, or long. Just enough to reassure yourself. I’m sure fear has probably inhibited your recovery.”
The truth of his observation surprised her. Fear inhibits the voice, so my feelings could have impacted my recovery.
“Then, come to see me again, and we will discuss where to go from there. In the meantime, I’ll consult with the foremost authority on such matters to seek additional recommendations. I don’t personally know this physician, but I have read of him. Hopefully, we’ll hear from him by the time I see you again.”
Too choked up to talk, Sophia could only reach out and clasp his hand in gratitude.
Dr. Cameron must have understood, for he squeezed her hand. “Aye, lassie,” he said in a thick brogue. “Today is, indeed, a good day to be a physician.”
* * *
In the mercantile, Kael waited with impatience for Mr. Cobb to tally the sum the shopkeeper owed him for the railroad ties. Becoming bored with looking at the man’s shiny pate as he bent over his ledger, Kael glanced around the store.
His gaze focused on the jars of candy on the counter, including the fancy and expensive European chocolate in gold boxes, and wished he could afford to buy one for his mother. But even if he did, she’d probably box his ears for wasting money on such a trifle. Would be nice, though, he thought wistfully. And I can dodge out of harm’s way.
I can buy one for Sophia. As he had the impulse, he squashed it. She probably received such treats from her admirers all the time, until chocolate was as common to her as carrots in his own household. Or maybe potatoes.
What kind of courting gifts does one bring to a woman who’s probably lavished with hothouse flowers and other luxurious presents? Or who can purchase anything she wants?
He moved closer to study a basket of sunny yellow lemons perched on the bakery rack next to a half-dozen savory-smelling loaves of fresh bread, several dozen cinnamon cookies, and two cakes— one chocolate and one coconut. Two lemons cost almost as much as what he’d received for each railroad tie.
Kael shook his head at such extravagance, even as he continued to eye the fruit. He’d once eaten a piece of lemon pie at the Walkers, who had the kind of money to afford the exotic fruit as if they were as common as apples. To this day, he remembered the tart, sweet taste and how Mrs. Walker had kindly sent him home with a big piece for his parents to split.
He started back to where Mr. Cobb waited, impatiently tapping his pencil on the countertop, and then paused, vaguely remembering that honey and lemons were good for a sore throat. Kael tried to remember where he’d heard such a thing. Certainly not from his mother, who only used the herbs and cordials she could grow or trade for. Maybe from the Walkers.
On sudden impulse, he picked up the basket. Even as he castigated himself for being all kinds of a fool, buying such an extravagant gift for Sophia, especially if he was wrong about how they might help her, his feet kept going until he reached the counter.
Kael placed the basket right next to Mr. Cobb’s ledger.
The shopkeeper’s eyebrows rose so high they looked about to disappear over the horizon of his head.
Kael firmed his stance and tapped the handle of the basket. “I’ll take these.”
“All ten of them?” Mr. Cobb asked weakly.
The man’s probably shocked that a poor, injured lumberjack would purchase such an indulgence. “That’s right.”
The man’s bulbous red nose twitched. “Did you see the price?”
Yes, I saw the price, Kael wanted to snap. My eyes work fine, and I can read. Instead, he lifted his chin to indicate the pile of money neatly stacked on the counter. “Take the cost of the lemons from what you owe me.”
The eyebrows lowered, and Mr. Cobb began to recalculate the money.
Kael looked away so he couldn’t see how low the pile dwindled. Nor did he glance at the pitiful number of coins remaining, only sliding them off the counter into his palm and tucking them out of sight in his pocket.
“Will that be all?” Mr. Cobb said with an edge in his voice. “The chocolate, perhaps? I saw you looking at it. We just received a new shipment. It’s not even unpacked.”
The shopkeeper certainly knows how to pour salt in a wound. Kael’s hand closed around the basket handle. “May I borrow this? I’ll return it when I come to town next week.”
The shopkeeper’s gaze slid to the inner door, where he and his wife resided.
If unpleasant Mrs. Cobb was presiding over the counter, Kael had no doubt the answer would be no. But sometimes her husband was a softer touch.
Mr. Cobb’s red bulb of a nose twitched.
Kael leaned closer. “It’s a gift for a lady,” he said in a confiding tone. “I couldn’t present them to her like this, now could I?” He tapped his sling and then cupped his free hand.
“No, you certainly couldn’t,” Mr. Cobb agreed, leaning forward obviously hoping to hear more. “Take the basket. But only for a few days. Perhaps Mrs. Cobb will be so pleased we sold all the lemons within an hour that she won’t notice the basket is missing.”
“I appreciate your help,” Kael murmured. “I’ll be sure to return the basket and bring a few more railroad ties.”
Mr. Cobb waited a moment, as if he expected Kael to say more. His expression turned peevish when he didn’t learn anything he could gossip about.
Kael grabbed the basket and sauntered out the door, whistling a jaunty tune.
Hopefully, I’ve figured out the perfect gift for the lady who has everything.
CHAPTER TWENTY
As Kael crossed the street from the mercantile, he saw Tyler had parked the wagon in front of the livery. His friend leaned against the weathered wall of the stable, arms crossed. He cast a jaundiced eye at the basket full of lemons Kael placed in the wagon and shook his head.
“What?” Kael asked in a deliberately innocent tone, wondering if his friend suspected the reason for his gift.
“Lily was afraid this would happen.” Tyler pushed off from the wall and paced away a few steps before turning and walking back.
“What?” Kael repeated, this time puzzled.
“That you’re vulnerable and would fall for Sophia. Not that you have to be vulnerable to fall for my sister-in-law. Just being a red-blooded man will do,” Tyler added hastily. “One not already happily married, that is. But my wife’s concerned that Sophia will knock you on your butt and then go back to her life in Chicago.”
Kael cocked an eyebrow. “Lily said that?”
“Of course not. I’m translating her words into man speech.”
Lumberjacks might not have a lot to do with women—but they still had the common complaint of not understanding them. “I didn’t know such translations were possible.”
Tyler’s grin banished the worry from his eyes. “Only sometimes. Takes a lot of study, love, and willingness, and I have all of those.”
Kael debated. Confessing the truth? Keep his feelings private? He figured it was better to explain than to have his friend speculating who knows what. “Well, you’re right. Sophia felled me when I first laid eyes on her at the Christmas party. Tim-ber!” He used his good arm to demonstrate a tree falling over. “I’ve stayed down ever since. Might as well cut me into firewood. But I know she’s just a dream.”
“Sophia’s not herself.” Tyler gave Domino another pat and then walked closer to Kael. “What she’s experienced has taken away her sparkle.”
Kael nodded, having suspected that, although when they’d kissed she’d seemed to light up again. “She’s wounded.” He tapped his bad arm. “I can understand about having your life turned upside down and hurting bad from it.”
Tyler raised his hat, ran a hand through his hair, and let out a breath. “This is where I’m sup
posed to warn you off.” He set his hat back on his head. “To show you my rifle and tell you not to come sniffing around Sophia. Do not touch her. Don’t hurt her.” He propped a foot on the wagon wheel and leaned to balance an arm on his knee. “Not going to do that, though. Through the years, a pack of wealthy and powerful men have sniffed around Sophia, and she hasn’t fallen for one yet.”
“You saying someone poor and powerless might do the trick?” Kael said flippantly, although this conversation felt far from a joke.
“Nah. Sophia’s been around plenty of those types, too.” Tyler flicked a finger toward Kael’s sling. “I defy anyone to call you powerless, even with one arm.”
Kael leaned back against the wagon and crossed his arms, propping his good one under the sling. “I’d never hurt her.”
“You can hurt a person without ever meaning to.” Tyler stared down the street for a moment as if gathering his thoughts, and then brought his gaze back to Kael, his gray eyes serious. “You’re one of the best men I know. I’m not just saying that because you’re my friend. I know you won’t do anything to hurt Sophia.”
“I wish I could spend my life making her happy.” Kael’s shrug indicated he had no need to hear his friend point out the ridiculousness of his pie-in-the-sky dream.
Tyler straightened and lowered his foot to the ground. “Ordinarily, I’d say the odds are against you. But perhaps there’s a reason you’ve both been brought low. Sophia’s visiting, and you’re here at the same time. Maybe the Almighty had a hand in that. Well, of course, He did. But maybe for some good reasons.” Tyler gave Kael a friendly smack on his shoulder. “Ones that might take a while to see.”
Tyler’s response was so unexpected, Kael felt tilted upside down. He took a deep breath to get his bearings and think through his friend’s words.
“Still….” Tyler jerked a thumb in the direction of the railroad. “You need to be careful.” He sidestepped to thump Kael’s chest with his knuckles. “Ultimately, if her voice heals, Sophia will return to Chicago. Your life is here.”
Kael opened his mouth as if to object.
Tyler’s eyebrows pulled together. “It’s plain to see, your pa’s not doing well.”
Reality punctured the dream. Kael’s shoulders slumped, and he sighed. “I can’t leave them.”
“I think only a world of hurt awaits you if you pursue Sophia. I had that for a bit with Lily, and my heart felt trampled. I wouldn’t wish that pain on you.”
“Maybe so.” He grimaced and shook his head. “Probably so. But I’d rather hurt for the rest of my life than regret until my dying day that I walked away from the opportunity to court Sophia—to make memories—and maybe, miraculously more.”
Tyler nodded. “As long as you know going in that you’re heading for heartbreak—that you’re ready and braced….” He twisted his mouth in self-depreciation. “Not like me with Laura, where I thought I had a good woman, who’d stick with me through thick and thin. Turns out I didn’t.”
Mack Taylor, the livery stable owner, shambled out of the barn, saw them, and sauntered over. He was a thin man with shoulder-length white hair and rheumy green eyes. Mack offered his typical ready smile. “Howdy, boys!” He stopped and ran a hand over the pinto’s neck. “How you doing, Domino, Old Boy?” He stroked the brown gelding. “And you, too, Big Boy Brute.”
In spite of the seriousness of his conversation with Tyler, Kael had to smile. Mack probably knows every horse in Sweetwater Springs by name, although perhaps the same can’t be said for knowing the monikers of their owners.
Mack pulled a carrot from his pocket and broke it into two. He placed a piece in each hand so he could feed the treat to both horses at the same time. When the team was done munching, he wiped the spittle on his overalls. “Got a letter today that’s good news. I’m happy fit to bursting. I already talked the ears off of Pepe and Lucia,” he said, referring to the stable lad and his wife. “You boys are my next victims.”
Kael pointed down the street. “Newspaper office’s thataway,” he joked. “Just as well let everyone in town know.”
Mack cackled. “Might just mosey on over and let Ant Gordon interview me.” He gave the horses another pat. “I have a daughter. You two might not know that. Constance is her name. Constance Anne Taylor.”
Kael looked a question at Tyler, their silent language familiar from years of friendship. Did you know?
Tyler gave a slight shake of his head.
“Connie’s lived with her aunt most of her life since my wife died, and I moved out here and started the livery. Well, her aunt passed on, and I thought my Connie was moving to Sweetwater Springs. Instead, she took off to Europe with a friend. Now that girl of mine writes that she’s coming to live here.” He sounded both exasperated and excited.
Tyler clapped a hand on Mack’s shoulder. “That’s great. This town can always use more women.”
Mack cackled again. “My Connie’s real pretty. Some fella will snap her right up. I’ll make sure he’s a good man, though.”
Kael raised his eyebrows. “If you haven’t seen her since she was little, how do you know she’s pretty?”
“She was the spittin’ image of her ma. ’Sides, she sent me a photograph.” Mack tipped his head toward the front part of the livery, where he lived. “Got it framed on the wall. She has plans to open a dress shop. But she won’t have time for that with all the fellas who’ll come a courtin’.” Mack waggled his eyebrows and eyed Kael, as if sizing him up for a son-in-law. “I need me some grandbabies.”
Next, he’ll ask to see my teeth. Kael almost laughed but didn’t want to offend the old man.
Tyler, already safely hitched, had no such scruples. He smirked, sent Kael a wink, and nudged him with his elbow. “My friend here is indeed a fine figure of a man and would make Miss Connie a good husband.”
Kael wanted to growl at his so-called friend. Interfering varmint would be a better term. He swept off his hat with a theatrical flourish and held it to his chest. “Alas, my affections are already engaged.”
Tyler gave a knowing chuckle.
Kael wanted to punch him. Instead, he kept his gaze on Mack. “I wish your daughter all the best in finding a husband.”
But that man won’t be me.
* * *
After leaving the doctor’s office, Sophia hurried up the street, careful to skirt the horse droppings, to where the men waited beside the wagon outside the livery, the team already hitched. The bottle of elderberry syrup in her black reticule swung with her steps. No one else was in sight, so when she reached them, she threw back her veil.
Kael studied her face and frowned. “You’ve been crying? Are you all right?”
The worry in his eyes was her undoing. She burst into tears and threw herself against him, careful not to knock his injured arm.
Kael caught her. “Sophia!” He tightened his embrace. “Did someone harm you?”
Sophia shook her head, the sobs coming too strongly for her to speak, to explain the tears came from relief and happiness. The weeping came from the thawing of a frozen pool of fear and tears deep within.
“Let’s get you home. Climb aboard,” Kael ordered Tyler. “I’ll hand her up to you.” He stooped to scoop her into his arms.
Her stomach gave a fluttering dip, and she slid her arm around his neck at the same time, shaking her head. “No, stop.” She sniffed and tried to get the words out through her tears. “I’m fine.”
“Sophia!” Kael straightened and stared at her, his eyes wide and concerned. “You’re talking. That’s good, right? Are you supposed to?”
She tightened the arm around his neck and, with her other hand, reached for Tyler’s arm and squeezed. “Dr. Cameron tested me, and I spoke! He says I can talk in moderation.”
“Can any woman talk in moderation?” Tyler teased. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I’m so happy for you, sis.”
Kael hugged her before slowly releasing her.
Before he could step back, s
he slid a palm down his chest, wanting to keep contact.
“And your singing voice?”
Her smile was so big Sophia felt it might stretch her face. “Not yet, but Dr. Cameron is optimistic.”
Tyler whooped. He yanked off his hat, slapped his knee with it, and then tossed it into the air.
“Wonderful!” Kael gave Sophia a one-armed bear hug, picking her up off her feet and twirling her around until she squealed with laughter. He passed her over to Tyler who stood next to him.
Her brother-in-law, hat lopsided on his head, embraced her, and bussed her cheek again. “Let’s hurry and get home to Lily. She’ll be over the moon!” He released her.
Sophia noticed they were drawing curious glances and hurriedly pulled her veil over her face, although keeping her identity a secret didn’t seem as important as before.
Kael tilted his head toward the wagon. He extended a hand to help her climb to the seat.
Once the two men settled on either side, Tyler released the brake and started up the horses.
Sophia set her reticule on the floor and let out a big sigh of happiness. “I’m so relieved! You can’t even imagine how much!”
Tyler shot her a quick grin. “So are we, darlin’,” he drawled.
She scrunched her brow. “Dr. Cameron wants me to consume plenty of lemon juice mixed with honey.” She touched her throat. “No lemons at the mercantile. Had to place an order.”
Tyler laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Taken aback, Sophia frowned at him. “You aren’t concerned?”
He leaned forward to slant an amused grin at Kael.
What’s going on? She looked at Kael in askance.
“Well, I, ah, sort of figured you might be needing some lemons.” Kael reached an arm over her head and to lift up something. Then he deposited a basket of the sunny yellow fruit in her lap. “A present for you.”
Singing Montana Sky (The Montana Sky Series Book 7) Page 21