When Love Comes My Way

by Lori Copeland

  “Looks like she’s starting to come around.” Doc moved back to the table, bent over his patient, and smiled. “Yes, she’s coming back to us.”

  “Please…”

  Jake watched as the young woman’s eyes fluttered open. Eyes the color of rich chocolate stared back at him. He felt a swift flutter in the pit of his stomach. She took his breath away, with her striking dark eyes, golden hair, and soft, husky voice. She was far too appealing to work around men who didn’t often experience her kind of beauty.

  Jake had a hunch his job as foreman of Wakefield Timber had just been made all the harder. The lovely Fedelia Yardley was about to turn the logging camp upside down.

  4

  Tess’s head throbbed when her eyes opened. She tried to bring the room and its occupants into focus. “What…where am I?”

  “Try to relax, young lady. I’m Dr. Medifer. You’ve been in an accident, but you’re going to be fine.”

  “An accident?” She focused on the tall, dark-headed giant with clear hazel eyes standing beside the doctor and tried to clear her senses. “What kind of accident?”

  “A wheel came off the wagon you were riding in,” Doc said, “and you were thrown in the river.”

  She brought her hand up to her forehead, trying to relieve the pressure in her brain. “Wagon? I…I don’t seem to recall…”

  Doc glanced at Jake and frowned. “Her memory may have been affected, which isn’t unusual. Sometimes a blow to the head will leave someone feeling vague for a few hours or days.”

  She caught the movement of the tall man when he stepped away from the table, and then she heard his deep, resonant voice.

  “Are you saying she has amnesia?”

  The doctor gazed into her eyes. “Can you tell me your name?”

  “Why, of course… it’s…” Tess fought to clear the cobwebs cluttering her mind. “It’s… no.” She shook her head. “No, I… I’m not sure.”

  “Well, don’t be concerned.” Doc patted her hand reassuringly. “I’m going to give you something to make you rest. You’ve taken quiet a blow to the head, and the best thing you can do right now is sleep. Perhaps when you wake up your memory will have cleared.”

  Another man stepped into her line of vision, holding his hat in his hands. Were all the men here, wherever she was, massive?

  “Ma chère, do you remember me?”

  Tess peered up at the handsome man with a French accent, her eyes growing heavy with fatigue. Did she know him? Yes… no. She’d never seen this man in her life. “No. I’m sorry.” She liked his gentle smile.

  “I am André. You gave me quite a scare, ma petite. I am the one who pulled you from the river.”

  “Oh…it was you…” She felt weak as she reached out to clasp his hand. “Thank you so kindly. I owe you a debt I can never repay.”

  Holding her hand as though it were a rare treasure, André smiled down at her reassuringly. “My pleasure, ma chère. You will feel better very soon.”

  The doctor lifted her head, and she willingly took a sip of the sedative from the cup he offered. She watched André step toward the dark-haired man who stood close by. When Doc eased her head back onto the pillow, she tried to smile. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. You should sleep for several hours.”

  André put his hat on his head. “Jake, I must return to work. The men are still looking for the others. You will check back with me later?”

  The man André called Jake silently nodded. She wondered why he kept staring at her. She must look a fright.

  “Lannigan, if I can prevail upon you to stay with Miss Yardley for a moment, I’d like to get a cup of coffee.” The doctor rolled down the cuffs of his sleeves. “Do you mind?”

  “No, Doc. I’ll stay with her.”

  As Jake pulled up a chair, Tess struggled to stay awake, but before the curtain fell into place behind Doc, she felt herself losing the fight and drifted off to sleep.

  Jake studied the small form on the table. Well, hello, Miss Yardley…or could you possibly be Miss Wakefield? What if she was? André and Bernice had everyone assuming that Fedelia Yardley had survived the accident, but what if they were mistaken?

  He knew it was a logical assumption, considering the luggage found and the fact that Tess Wakefield had never provided an arrival date. Her latest letter mentioned she planned to come to Michigan, and for all he knew she could have left the same day. It seemed unlikely, but who knew what she would do? It would be just like the flighty woman to show up without bothering to inform anyone of her impending arrival.

  He studied the sleeping beauty’s features. She was too pretty to be that unlikable, so this couldn’t be Wakefield’s granddaughter. He shrugged. He really had no way of knowing who she was for certain.

  He chuckled when he imagined how Miss Philadelphia-Born-and-Bred Wakefield would cotton to the job of trying to teach school to nine of the meanest children he’d ever met. Wouldn’t that be proper payback for Miss High-and-Mighty?

  He folded his arms, thinking about that. If she became the new teacher and then regained her memory, she’d be as mad as a wet hen. But he could honestly plead innocence with only a slight twinge of conscience because the thought had only crossed his mind.

  His eyes narrowed, and he couldn’t think of anyone who more deserved a lesson in humility. If this was Tess, it was high time a woman like her was introduced to the real world. Obviously, she didn’t care about others’ welfare. Still, if he found out for sure that she was Wakefield’s granddaughter and had perpetrated a fraud, he’d have to answer to God as well as to her.

  The thought didn’t set right with him. He didn’t hold with lying. Yet for all he knew, this was Fedelia Yardley, and until someone told him different he wasn’t going to sweat it. The lumberjacks’ workload was heavy, and though the camp needed the new telegraph up and running, he couldn’t spare the manpower for that right now. Maybe in a few days they would be able to work on it again, and then the women’s identity could be verified.

  A grin pulled at the corners of Jake’s mouth when he thought about Tess having to earn her way in the world for a change. Wouldn’t that be something? Miss Tess Wakefield believing she was Fedelia Yardley? A pampered little rich girl, who had probably never done a lick of real work in her entire self-centered life, forced to cope with the likes of Pud Wilkerson and Modeen Menson? He laughed out loud at the image.

  The woman’s eyes momentarily fluttered open. He quieted instantly. “Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

  She smiled and drifted off again.

  She would most likely regain her memory, but how long would that take? And what if the other woman’s body washed up? It could take weeks before the remains were identified—if then.

  The river had a way of taking care of debris. Miss Yardley’s application had indicated she had no living relatives, so no one would be looking for her.

  But Tess did. She had Talbot Wellington-Kent. He would be wondering what happened, and he would ask questions.

  Jake’s thoughts sobered. What if Tess Wakefield were dead? It would be a sad turn of affairs. Rutherford had always treated Jake right, and the old man had loved his only grandchild. But he was gone now, and until this mystery was solved Jake had his employees’ welfare to consider. For as long as he could, he’d make sure their jobs were protected, and, in the meantime, he might plant a few pines here and there to prove to someone a hundred years down the line that at least one person had cared about the next generation.

  Once Talbot Wellington-Kent found out Miss Wakefield was deceased, he’d sell the timber operation for sure. From everything he knew about him, Jake felt certain there would be no way of convincing the man of anything different.

  The doctor returned to the cubicle carrying a steaming cup. “Everything all right?”

  Jake smiled. “She seems to be resting quietly.”

  “That’s what I’d hoped. Much obliged. I’ll sit and drink my coffee and keep a
close watch on the new schoolteacher.” Doc lowered his voice. “Bernice is having an attack of the vapors worrying about her.”

  Jake nodded. “Bernice would bust a corset if anything happened to the new teacher.”

  5

  Tess forced her heavy lids open and squinted against the sunlight streaming through a lone window. Her hand came up to protect her sensitive eyes.

  She was lying in a room she’d never been in before. She cautiously moved her fingers. Through a dull haze she was able to focus on the young woman who stood beside the bed, pouring hot liquid into a tin cup. When the girl noticed her stare, she smiled.

  “Good morning, ma’am. I hope you slept well?”

  “Very well, thank you.” Tess’s gaze traveled around the unfamiliar room. Her head throbbed. A dull, pounding ache was centered deep in the base of her neck. The scent of vanilla drifted to her when the girl leaned down to fluff her pillows.

  Tess eased into a sitting position. The effort left her head spinning. Next to her bedside table was a tray with a plate of thick sausage patties and a mound of golden-brown hotcakes swimming in syrup, and she put her hand over her mouth.

  The young woman swiftly removed the tray and noted brightly, “Maybe we’d better wait a bit until your stomach settles.”

  Tess nodded gratefully, fighting waves of nausea washing over her. Her head sank back onto the pillow, and she closed her eyes. She felt so weak. “Where am I?”

  “Wakefield Timber camp. The wagon that brought you here lost a wheel, and you were thrown in the river. Those old things have always been a worry, but Doc says you’ll be good as new in a couple of weeks.”

  Tess slowly opened her eyes again, fighting sleep. Wakefield Timber. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but... “I don’t remember.” Actually, she couldn’t remember anything except waking up in the doctor’s office and then promptly going back to sleep after being given a strong sedative. “Were there others…?”

  The girl turned to pick up a third pillow. “I’m afraid the other passengers were swept downstream.”

  Heartsick, Tess gazed at the young woman. “I’m so sorry.”

  “The doctor doesn’t want you thinking about that right now.”

  “I see.”

  The girl’s voice brightened when Tess reached to squeeze her hand. “My name is Echo Burne. My husband is a river hog. I’ve been sent to look after you until you’re on your feet again. You be needing anything, anything at all, Miss Yardley, and I’ll come running.”

  “Thank you, Echo. You’re very kind.” Although comprehension was a chore, Tess sensed she’d just made a new friend.

  Noticing that the light seemed to be bothering the invalid, the girl moved away from the bed to adjust the window curtain. Tess studied her. She was young, maybe eighteen or nineteen, with large, expressive blue eyes and a liberal sprinkling of freckles across the bridge of her nose. The simple cotton dress she was wearing was drab and threadbare but clean.

  The throb in her head intensified when Tess struggled to recall the accident. Nothing came to mind. Even her name failed to register with her. Yardley? Somehow that didn’t sound right, yet it had a familiar ring to it. “Echo, you called me Miss Yardley.”

  “Yes…oh…” Returning to the bed, Echo reached for her hand and held it. “Now, don’t you be worrying your pretty head about a thing. Doc says you might be a tad fuzzy about the accident for a while, but it’s nothing to be concerned about.”

  Tess frowned, trying to remember. “That’s my name? Yardley?”

  “Yes, ma’am, that it is. Fedelia Yardley. You’re the new schoolmarm.”

  “I am?” The frown deepened. Somehow that didn’t sound right either. “Are you certain?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Echo straightened the sheets. “The camp folk were sure enough relieved to learn you were spared.”

  Tess found the girl’s words disturbing somewhere deep inside, but why? Her mind failed to register anything, yet she couldn’t believe she was a schoolteacher when she didn’t even know her name.

  Echo went about her work as Tess tried to come to grips with her unsettling situation. She focused on the immediate situation. “What sort of place is this?”

  “A timber camp. Not many of the jacks bring their wives to live here, but we do have some families. Mr. Lannigan sees that their kids get proper schooling. He says if children are properly educated, they will more likely get ahead in life.”

  “Mr. Lannigan?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Jake Lannigan. He’s Big Say—foreman of Wakefield Timber. He oversees the whole camp.”

  Tess sighed. So many strange names and faces, but she faintly remembered that Jake was the name of the giant she saw yesterday with the hazel eyes. “Well, I suppose it will be a few days before I’m able to take over my teaching duties.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Doc says in a couple of weeks you should be fit as a fiddle.”

  “Is there someone who could help until I’ve recuperated? The pupils shouldn’t unduly suffer because I am indisposed.”

  Echo steadfastly refused to meet her gaze this time.

  “Um…no, ma’am. Bernice, she quit teaching some years back, but she’s been filling in lately, and she declares she don’t want to do that any longer. Not ever, actually. She wants to stay home and take care of her Hubert. The weather’s getting mean, so I’d say they’ll close school until you’re ready to take over.”

  “Oh? Well, maybe something can be worked out,” Tess mused. “I wouldn’t want to disappoint the children by having their studies interrupted.”

  “No, ma’am, but don’t you fret none. I’m sure they’ll do just fine—well, I don’t know that for certain but…” She flashed a smile. “You just concentrate on getting your strength back.”

  Their conversation was interrupted when a knock sounded. The door opened and a man stepped inside. Tess immediately recognized the dark-haired man they called Jake. Echo’s face broke into a bright smile.

  “Morning, Big Say.”

  “Morning, Echo.”

  “Miss Yardley’s doing real fine. I was just about to persuade her to eat a bite.”

  Jake Lannigan strode across the room toward Tess, his boots scraping the wooden floor. As she watched him approach her bed, she couldn’t help but feel awed by such an impressive specimen of manhood. Large and uncommonly muscular, he carried his splendid steel-girded body with the authority of someone long accustomed to giving orders.

  When he reached her bedside, their gazes met, and Tess felt a shiver race down her spine. Peering into his eyes, she wondered if she had ever met a more compelling or handsome man. His sheer size dominated the room.

  “Good morning. I trust you’re feeling stronger today.”

  His voice was deep and resonant, the way she remembered it from the day before. “Much better, thank you.” For some reason, she wanted a mirror to check her appearance.

  “I trust you’re comfortable?”

  “Yes, I am. Everyone has been most kind.”

  He extended his hand. “Jake Lannigan’s the name. I was in the doctor’s office yesterday.”

  His grasp devoured hers. “I remember.” The brief contact sent a tingle up her arm. He quickly stepped back from the bed, but his warmth lingered on her skin.

  “Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?”

  “No. Echo’s taking good care of me. I’ll be fine.”

  “Your memory hasn’t returned?”

  “No.”

  “That’s too bad. Doc thinks it will, eventually.”

  “I’m sure I’ll have it back in no time at all.” She heaved a sigh and then attempted to offer a smile. “It all seems so strange. Does anyone have any idea where I lived or where I taught or what my life was like before I agreed to come to Wakefield camp? Has my family been notified about the accident?” She looked down at her left hand. “I’m not wearing a ring, so I assume I’m single.”

  His gaze also shifted to her ring finger. “Your
résumé states that you are. Unfortunately, it also said you have no immediate family.”

  Her heart sank. Was she an orphan? There had to be someone who loved her. She’d know when her memory returned. She looked up and noted that the lumberjack’s attention was still focused on her left hand, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

  “Perhaps… perhaps my jewelry came off during the accident? A ring could be lying in the bottom of the river.”

  “I suggest you talk to André Montague. He could have more information. I wasn’t at the accident site.”

  “André Montague? The Frenchman?”

  “Yes. He was the one who pulled you out of the river yesterday.”

  “Of course. Thank you. I shall indeed consult with Mr. Montague. The man saved my life, so I must thank him from the bottom of my heart. He was very brave.”

  “Diving into that icy water took some grit,” Jake agreed.

  Her head was beginning to hurt, but she needed to address the subject of her students. “Mr. Lannigan, I was telling Echo that we’ll have to do something about my pupils.”

  “What about them?”

  “Well, I understand it will be a couple of weeks before I can assume my position. I would hate to think that school would be interrupted because of me.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it. Bernice will hold classes until you’re feeling better. You rest up and get well.”

  “But I understand she is anxious to spend more time with her husband—”

  “I’ve talked to her. She’ll fill the position until the end of the month. You just concentrate on getting well. Meanwhile, I’ll arrange for your living quarters. The last teacher preferred to stay with the Mensons at their store, but the arrangement cramped them. They don’t have much living space.” Turning to Echo, he said, “If she needs anything, stop by the office. If I’m not there, André will take care of it.”

  “Yes, Big Say.”

  Jake paused. “Has your husband been behaving himself, Echo?”