“May we come in, Mrs. Wilson?” Michael edged Heidi forward to move her out of the night air.
“Of course, I’m sorry, please do come in.” The older woman, her silver braids tightly wound on her head, stepped back. She frowned at the condition of her boarder as she quickly closed the door and directed them to the parlor overstuffed with furniture and knick knacks.
Michael escorted Heidi to a couch and settled her. “Mrs. Wilson, can you fetch me a pan of boiling water, and a towel?”
The woman hurried off and Michael sat next to Heidi and took her hand. “There is a treatment I can do to help your breathing.” He helped her off with her coat, hat and scarf. Her color stayed pale, and she continued to struggle to breathe, but she looked better than she had outside. “Take short, panting breaths, and keep calm.” He rubbed circles on her back.
After a while, Mrs. Wilson returned with the pan of water, a towel draped over her arm. “Where should I place this?”
Michael dragged over a small table in front of Heidi. “Right here.”
“Miss Lester, I want you to hold your face over the water. I’ll tent the towel over your head to hold the steam in. At first you’ll feel uncomfortable, as if it’s harder to breathe, but then your lungs will open and you’ll start to improve.” He eased her head over the pan, and made a tent with the towel.
At first she fought and gasped, but Michael continued to rub her back until she relaxed and her struggle lessened. After several minutes, he pulled the towel away and she raised her head. Sweat beaded her face and dark circles under her eyes highlighted the paleness of her skin. She smiled slightly, leaned back against the couch, and closed her eyes.
Mrs. Wilson eyed Heidi and turned to Michael. “Will she be all right?”
“I’m not a doctor, but I’ve had a lot of experience with asthma. Since she’s relaxed and out of the evening air, she should be fine.”
Michael’s gaze moved back to Heidi. A lone tear tracked down her cheek. Michael turned to Mrs. Wilson. “Can I speak with Miss Lester privately for a moment?”
“Yes, of course. I’ll be in the kitchen.” She patted Heidi’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine now, dear. If you need help getting ready for bed, let me know.”
Heidi nodded and glanced sideways at Michael.
He handed her the towel to dry her face, then stood and shoved his hands in his pocket, and jingled the change there.
Miss Lester stared at him, her shoulders slumped. “You don’t have to say it. I know you’ve changed your mind about hiring me. I understand. If you’ll excuse me.” She choked out the words as she moved to rise.
Michael placed his hand on her shoulder. “I don’t like people speaking for me. Sit back down.” He walked in a circle and came to stand right in front of her. “How long have you had asthma?”
“My whole life.” She mumbled to her lap.
He hunkered down in front of her and lifted her chin with his index finger. “What type of treatment has your doctor given you?”
“Not much. He’s been telling me for years not to strain myself, stay quiet and calm.” Her eyes filled with tears and spilled over, down her cheeks.
“Has he given you any medicine? Any treatments?”
She shook her head, and wiped her eyes with shaky fingers.
He sat alongside her. “There are treatments for asthma. A very promising one is Belladonna, which helps with the spasms the lungs have during an asthma attack. Also, there are ways to discover what sets off an attack. A lot of times it’s food, or something in the air, like trees and grass.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “If he hasn’t tried any of those things, he’s not been practicing good medicine.”
Heidi sat very still, her eyes widening. “Do you mean I could be cured?”
He shook his head. “No. Not a cure, but certainly a way to keep your asthma under control.”
“Is there a doctor in Guthrie who could help me?”
“I’d have to check around.” He took a deep breath. “Now about the job.”
Heidi winced. “I understand…”
He held up his hand to cut her off. “No, you don’t. I’ll expect you first thing tomorrow morning. But…” His hand rose again when she began to speak. “You will have to take breaks during the day, and most of all keep yourself calm.”
Heidi’s eyebrows rose. “You mean you still want me to work for you?”
“As I told you before, we’ll try it for a week. Let’s see how you do before we decide anything. I know more than one person with asthma who works every day. I’ll fix up a packet of Belladonna for you, which will help.” He slapped his palms on his knees and stood. “But for now, I think you should retire and get a good night’s sleep. I’ve found proper rest and food are the best things to counter any illness.”
“Thank you so much.” Heidi rose slowly. “You don’t know how much the job means to me.”
Michael smiled and headed for the door. Mrs. Wilson came back from the kitchen. “Good night, Mr. Henderson. Thank you for helping Miss Lester tonight.”
He tugged at his hat brim, and left.
***
Michael pulled up the collar of his coat and lowered his head into the wind as he walked home. The mystery of Miss Lester continued to grow. What a quandary she’d turned into. The heartbroken look on her face when she thought she no longer had the job twisted his gut. There seemed to be a lot more as to why she came to Guthrie, desperate for a job, than what he’d discovered so far.
And to suffer from asthma and have a doctor who did nothing for her, except hand out advice, bordered on criminal. He would see Dr. Kane in the morning to assure himself mixing up a prescription for Heidi would be okay. Several customers had a great deal of success with the medicines he’d compounded for them.
He had to remind himself Heidi only worked for him, and his training and experience could help her. Nothing else. In an attempt to protect his once broken heart, he’d steered clear of relationships for years. Memories of his fiancée, twisting her handkerchief, while confessing her indiscretion with another man still haunted him.
Then with tears rolling down her cheeks, she begged him to go through with their wedding three weeks away because her lover, the father of her unborn child, already had a wife. He shook his head at his foolishness in agreeing. That is, until tied in knots over the whole thing, he sought out his Uncle Jesse, who’d talked some sense into him.
Enough time had passed so her betrayal no longer pained him, but the incident left a scar around his heart. Never again would he allow a woman to be in a position to hurt him. Over the years, his few dates were casual, and he took care of his needs with a very special lady who had no desire for a permanent relationship either. But he had to be careful with Miss Lester. Her deep blue eyes, honey-colored blonde hair, and sensuous lips could chisel away at his determination.
***
Heidi slowly pulled her clothes off and hung them in the small closet next to her bed. Mr. Henderson had done more for her asthma tonight than the doctor she’d seen all her life. Dr. Wells had been like her parents, just patted her on the head and told her to relax, and not to strain herself. And Mr. Henderson knew people with asthma who worked every day!
After all the trouble tonight, he still wanted her to work for him. When she thought back to Mr. Henderson’s gentle touches when he soothed her, a tingle began in her stomach and raced to her heart, causing it to thump. His warm hand as he rubbed circles on her back had helped a great deal to relax her.
Besides her papa, no other man had ever gotten physically close to her except her fiancé Clarence. Although a pleasant man, and fairly good looking, Clarence didn’t hide the fact that as a wife, he found her lacking. Which left her wondering why he wanted to marry her, since he could certainly attract any woman he wanted.
Due to her illness, she’d been subjected to her parents’ coddling for years, and apparently Clarence intended to be the same type of husband. Even to the extent of staying away from h
er bed. If she married him, she would continue with a life of nothing. No love, no family, no independence.
The night he’d proposed, he outlined his plans. Their marriage would be in name only because her delicate nature didn’t allow for a husband’s attentions. And he assured her any of his associations with other women to take care of his needs would be done with the utmost discretion. Additionally, his mother would reside them since Heidi would need assistance.
Too stunned to even react to the strange proposal, she’d nodded her head, accepted his kiss on the cheek, and turned to her parents who sat on the sofa across the room. Both glowed with happiness. She’d pleaded a headache and returned to her room. More than an hour passed before she heard Clarence run down the front steps and drive off in his carriage.
Shaking the memories from her mind, she tied the pink ribbon at the bodice of her nightgown, then crawled into bed. The breathing attacks sapped her energy, and she wanted to be fresh tomorrow. The first day on her job! She counted to fifty to keep herself calm, and slowly drifted off into sleep.
***
Michael checked his watch as he strolled up to the store. Eight forty-five, and Miss Lester waited for him. She looked much improved since last he’d seen her.
“Good morning, Miss Lester. Are you feeling better?” He nodded in her direction as he unlocked the front door.
“Yes, much better. Thank you for your help last night.” She followed him in, all the way to the back room.
Michael took her coat, and hung hers alongside his on hooks along the wall. “I usually have a small breakfast here, would you care to join me?”
“No, thank you. Truthfully, I’m a bit nervous, so I don’t think I could eat.” She wiped her palms down the front of her dress.
“You need to watch yourself. Skipping meals is not a good idea.” Michael smiled, then stared in disbelief, as tears filled her big blue eyes.
“Please, Mr. Henderson. I can take care of myself.” Her delicate chin quivered as she regarded him. Something about this woman touched him in a place dead for a long time. He mentally shook himself. No need to involve myself with her.
“All right, then. Suppose you sit with me while I have my breakfast and we can discuss more of the job.”
She furtively wiped her eyes and sat at the small table. “You know, I’m a fairly good cook. If you want more for breakfast, I would be happy to fix something for you.”
“You cook?” He scooped ground coffee beans into a pot of water boiling on the hot plate.
Heidi sat forward, and shook her head. “Oh no. That’s not the best way to brew coffee.”
Michael’s eyebrows rose. “You know another way?”
“Absolutely, I’m a very good cook. I’ll tell you what. Tomorrow, I’ll fix your coffee my way. I’ll need to obtain some supplies from the fabric store first.”
“The fabric store?” He shook his head and grinned as he pulled out a loaf of bread and sliced it. Next, he took butter and a jar of jam out of the small ice box. After a few minutes, he moved the coffee pot off the burner, and let the hot liquid settle. He glanced at Heidi as he worked. “Why are you such a great cook?”
“Cooking was the only activity my parents allowed.”
Michael spread butter and jam on his bread and took a bite. “Why?”
“My doctor told Mother and Papa to keep my activities restricted. While everyone else skipped rope, and played with their dolls and balls, I couldn’t leave the house.”
His gut twisted at an image of a small, blonde haired girl, with her face pressed up against the window, watching the other kids play. Don’t think about that. Keep your focus on the fact that she’s only your employee. He got up and poured coffee into a cup, adding sugar and cream.
“When I begged to have something else to do besides painting and embroidering, which I’m horrible at, Mother let me try cooking.” She smiled brightly. “I became very good at it. I studied cookery books Mother had, and then pestered her to go to the library for more.”
“And a new chef emerged.” Michael chuckled and took a sip of coffee. He winced when the grounds hit his mouth.
“See, Mr. Henderson, my coffee won’t have grounds in it.” She teased.
“This I have to see.”
Michael finished his breakfast, and rose to place the dishes and cup into the small sink next to the ice box. “Time to open the store. And I think we should address each other by our given names since we will be working side by side each day.”
Heat rose to her face, but she nodded her agreement.
As he moved through the store, taking off dust covers, and turning on lights, he quickly told Heidi her duties. “You’ll need to wait on customers, take their payment and make change. The cash register is on the countertop by the door. You may also have to mix sodas for the kids who come in after school. I’ll show you how to do that.” He walked to the front door, pulled up the shade and flipped the Open sign. His hands on his hips, he turned to her. “One more thing. Ordinarily, dusting would be one of your jobs, but given your lung problem, I’ll do that.”
“Oh no. That’s not necessary.” Her eyes widened in panic.
“It’s not a problem, Heidi. Dust is the worst thing for asthma. I’ve been doing the dusting all along, anyway, because Mrs. O’Reilly couldn’t handle it very often due to her arthritis.” His lips turned up in a soft smile. “It will be all right. I don’t want you to stress yourself.”
A bell chimed, and Madeline Parker with her two children hugging her skirts entered the store. “Michael, I need more cough syrup for Martin.” She motioned to a young boy, coughing into his hand.
“Right away.” He moved behind the counter, and spoke over his shoulder as he reached for a jar of liquid. “Madeline, Miss Heidi Lester is my new employee.” He nodded in her direction. “She will be taking Mrs. O’Reilly’s place. Miss Lester, this is Mrs. Parker.”
Madeline smiled warmly. “It’s nice to meet you Miss Lester. I hope you enjoy your new job.”
Heidi’s eyes lit up at Michael’s words. “Thank you, I’m sure I will.”
Michael slid a funnel into a small bottle and ladled the medicine from the jar as the little boy coughed again.
***
The clock on the wall stood at five minutes to twelve when Michael screwed the top on a bottle of throat drops, and set the medicine aside for delivery later in the day. He stretched the muscles in his back, and watched his new employee tie a string around the package she wrapped for a customer. In a few minutes, he would close the store for lunch. So far the morning had gone well. Heidi made up for any lack of experience with enthusiasm. All the customers loved her, and she basked in their admiration. Strange woman, almost like she’d had very little approval in her life.
The sound of the doorbell caught his attention. Hopefully, this customer wouldn’t keep them long. His stomach reminded him he needed food. Maybe he would invite Heidi to join him at the coffee shop. She’d had no breakfast, and didn’t seem to have brought any lunch with her.
“Heidi!” The man who’d just entered shouted, anger in his voice. He stood about five foot ten, with red hair, and while not exactly rotund, he hadn’t missed many meals. Michael frowned as his gaze moved from the man to Heidi who stood stock still, her face as pale as new snow. With a barely audible sigh, her eyes rolled to the back of her head, and she sank to the floor in a faint.
“Who the devil are you?” Michael barked as he sped around the counter and reached for her.
“Sir, unhand Miss Lester this minute!” The man demanded, drawing himself up. “I am Mr. Clarence Manfred. And that woman is my fiancée.”
Chapter Three
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Michael shot back, as he grabbed a vial of smelling salts and picked Heidi off the floor. The woman weighed nothing.
“Sir, I demand you set Miss Lester down.” Clarence followed closely behind Michael as he carried her limp form to the back of the store.
“In case you haven�
�t noticed, Mr. Manfred, Miss Lester is unable to walk at this particular time.” He used his shoulder to push aside the curtain separating the store from the kitchen. He laid Heidi on the table and taking her cold hands between his warm ones, rubbed them briskly. Snapping open the vial, he waved the fumes under her nose.
“Clarence, is she in there?” A woman’s voice bellowed from the front of the store, followed by heavy footsteps shuffling in their direction.
Heidi coughed, and attempted to sit up.
Michael placed his hand on her shoulder. “Stay still for a minute.” He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, and ran the cloth under the tap. Manfred stood there frowning at Heidi. Very helpful.
The curtain moved aside and an older woman, stout, short, and huffing like a steam engine, entered the room. “What did you do to Miss Lester?” She shot daggers in Michael’s direction.
He sighed. “She’s fainted.”
Heidi continued to cough, and Michael slid his hand under her back, easing her up.
The woman pushed his hand aside as he laid the wet handkerchief on the back of her neck. “I’ll do that.”
Michael moved back, and leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as he watched the spectacle. The man who’d introduced himself as the fiancé appeared more annoyed than concerned about his betrothed’s health.
Heidi blinked a few times, and turned her head. “Clarence. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve come to escort you back to Oklahoma City, Heidi. And I would say just in time.” He glared at Michael. “This man carried you in his arms.”
Heidi sighed. “It seems I fainted, Clarence. I could hardly walk on my own.”
“I would have carried you, if he didn’t beat me to it.”
“I’m sure you would have.” She looked in the woman’s direction. “Hello, Mrs. Manfred.”
“Heidi, dear.” She sat in the chair next to her and patted her hand. “Clarence could simply not stay away when your parents told him you were missing.”
“I not missing, ma’am. As you see, I’m right here.” She pulled her hand free of the woman’s grasp and fisted her hands in her lap. “I left my home so I could do something by myself.”
A Prescription For Love: An Oklahoma Lovers book Page 2