“Enough, Letty. Go home. Take the girl with you. Ford will let you know our decision.”
She measured his words and his expression. Whatever she found there must have reassured her. On her way out, she added, “You won’t regret hiring her. I guarantee it.”
The scent of violets remained in the room after she’d left. Eric breathed in, enjoying its freshness. Everything about Letty pleased him. Well, not her mulishness, but certainly everything else.
And he couldn’t pursue such pleasures.
“Ford!” he yelled.
When the reporter appeared, he wore a besotted expression.
“Dare I request an explanation?”
Ford’s glasses flew off again. He dropped to his knees, crept under the desk, and retrieved the eyepiece. A grunt escaped his lips when he hit his head on the chair.
“Of course,” he finally said, setting his spectacles on his nose. “I told you last week. We need more help, someone who can type and is organized. You agreed and even ordered another machine. Daisy is perfect.”
Eric cocked an eyebrow. “Are you aware of her former trade?”
A harsh look appeared on Ford’s youthful features. “I am, and like you, I hate it. I hate everything about it, but I like her.”
“Enough to behave foolishly because of her?”
“Yes.”
“Enough to risk your reputation?”
“Yes.”
“Enough to fall in love?”
Ford faced him, uncommon gravity in his expression. “Afraid so, Eric. The Lord does call us to show compassion.”
Eric recognized his reporter’s maturity. “What power women wield to make fools of us men.”
“And we help them, but God—”
“How goes it with the Swartleys?” he asked, turning away.
Ford sighed. “Everyone knows Slosh sold out to them and died making merry. Beyond that, you and I appear to be the only ones who suspect they have outside backing.”
“So there’s nothing new.”
“Nothing.”
“We just need something, anything, with which to pin them.”
“What we need, Eric, is help.”
“Yes, of course, but whose?”
As Ford visibly struggled to contain a response, Eric returned to his desk. “You’ll have to cover the upcoming Silver Celebration. The workmen are already building the dais for the speakers on Main Street. This leg won’t let me do much.” Turning to his calendar, he added, “Plans are for the second week in June.”
Ford glanced at the notes. “Everyone is pitching in, and the town means to have itself one bang-up party.”
“And the Hartville Day will cover every minute of it.”
On the sidewalk outside the newspaper, Letty didn’t know whether to rail against Eric’s stubbornness or to give thanks for Ford’s infatuation with Daisy. The girl now stood a chance of supporting herself by decent means.
Letty turned to Daisy. “Why don’t you return Prince to the livery? I have some thinking to do, and on a sunny day like today, I’d rather walk.”
Fearful of meeting Hartville’s folks under normal circumstances, Daisy hadn’t strayed from the shelter of the parsonage and Letty’s house. Knowing the girl had to make a place for herself, Letty refused to let her put off a first step.
“Well . . . I . . . oh, Doc, you have that look about you. Nothing I say will change your mind, will it?”
Surprised that Daisy had so easily read her, Letty said, “No.”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?”
Letty shook her head.
After climbing into the buggy, Daisy tugged on Prince’s reins. “If I have any trouble, you’ll hear all about it.”
Letty agreed, glad for Daisy’s spark of bravado. The girl seemed well on her way to healing, head held high, shoulders straight and proud. Father, she prayed, give me the words, the chance to introduce her to You.
God had worked a miracle in Daisy’s life. Now, if He would just help Letty heal her tattered heart. How would she care for the Patterson children now that they lived at Eric’s ranch? How would she deal with the chance of meeting him anywhere she went? She was strong, but this, this was too much.
Oh, the irony of it. After being told most of her life that she would never attract a man because of her unwomanly career, she had attracted a man despite the career, only to lose him because of her womanly need to mother children he viewed differently than she did.
Yet matters were more complicated than that. Their differences were a symptom of a deeper malady. Haunted by undue guilt over his wife’s death, Eric wanted to assume responsibility for Letty. He believed her actions jeopardized her just as Martina’s refusal to avail herself of medical care had endangered her. Until he recognized Martina’s responsibility in her death and Letty’s responsibility for her actions, there was little she could do. She couldn’t overcome something Eric had to master himself.
More important still, until Eric accepted God’s forgiveness and forgave himself, they had no future.
As she neared the church, someone called her name.
“Mrs. Tilford!” she exclaimed. “What a pleasure.”
In a costume of purple tweed, the gray-haired lady bustled up and clasped Letty’s hand. “How have you been?”
“Busy.”
“More likely too busy,” Hubert Tilford reproved. He then grasped his wife’s elbow and tugged. “Come now, Agatha, this is unseemly.”
The bewildered Mrs. Tilford looked at her husband. When comprehension struck, her mouth formed a perfect O. She dropped her black bag on the wooden sidewalk and then looked down as if wondering what to do.
Letty solved the dilemma by gathering the purse and handing it to its owner. When she sought Mrs. Tilford’s gaze, the lady averted her face. “G—good day, Dr. Morgan,” she stammered and hurried after her spouse.
Letty felt the blood drain from her face. She’d lived through similar scenes in Philadelphia, but this time was worse. The people of Hartville had welcomed her with open arms until her career and her faith had demanded actions that offended their sensibilities.
They’d rejected her as a doctor. They’d disdained her as a potential mother, too. Yet Eric’s betrayal hurt most. At his side she’d truly felt feminine, wanted, a whole woman at last, but one he wouldn’t love.
She wondered how soon her practice would dwindle to nothing. Would she be left destitute because of her convictions? Would she have to uproot and move elsewhere? Would leaving be easier than seeing Eric everywhere she went?
What about the girls? her conscience asked. What about the Pattersons?
She looked up at the sky, knowing God had heard her, even if He hadn’t answered yet. “I will not run away, Eric Wagner. Children depend on me. And the hypocrites can continue to entertain sin!”
More determined than ever, she walked into her house, where Daisy had already arrived.
“I’ll be out for a bit longer,” she told the girl. “Would you like to stay and practice some more?”
Daisy gave the water glass in her hand a final swipe with a dish towel. “Could I, Doc?”
“Of course. I must look in on the Pattersons.”
Daisy’s gaze skittered away, as it did each time Letty mentioned the children. She sensed Daisy knew something about them, but she didn’t know how to ask without scaring the girl away.
Setting her speculations aside, she retrieved her medical bag. “One never knows when those scamps might need treatment.”
“You love them, don’t you?”
Sweet sensations unfurled in Letty’s heart. “Yes, I do. I wish . . .”
Wisdom showed in Daisy’s eyes. “You wish they were yours, don’t you? That you could keep them?”
“If this were a perfect world, then indeed those five would be mine. And you would as well.”
Daisy’s cheeks colored. “Really?”
“Really,” Letty answered, tears misting her eyes. Seeing Daisy’s uncerta
inty, she opened her arms wide.
The girl rushed to claim the love Letty offered. “Oh, Doc.”
They held each other. Then, like a child, Daisy sniffled and backhanded her tears. Letty smiled. Helping this child out of the mess her life had become was one of the finest things she’d ever done. Scripture never failed. When it said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me,” it spoke God’s truth. Her actions had blessed her as much as they had Daisy.
“I must be on my way now,” Letty said, giving the girl one final hug. “Otherwise I’ll be late getting back home. Will you still be here? Or are you due at the manse soon?”
As if the sentiment they’d shared abashed her, Daisy hesitantly said, “I’ll be here . . . if you’ll have me.”
“Couldn’t be better, my dear. Not one bit better for me.”
On her way to the livery, Letty sang her praise to the Lord until a strident female voice cut through her joy.
“Bold as brass and walking down Main Street with not a care in the world,” Emmaline Whitehall proclaimed.
Letty squared her shoulders and waited for Emmaline’s further assault.
Emmaline obliged. “Fraternizing with tarts! Such disgrace you’ve brought upon yourself. Not to mention the smirch your scandalous behavior has brought down on Eric Wagner.”
“Enough, Miss Whitehall,” Letty said. “Consider that there, but for the grace of God, go you. If you hadn’t had a family to love and protect you, you might have been forced to resort to questionable means to support yourself.”
Emmaline turned puce. “Jezebel! And to think I helped prepare for your arrival. I’ve never regretted anything so much. My poor cousin must be spinning in her grave, seeing how you’ve besotted her husband with your loose ways.”
Letty’s curiosity curbed her anger. “Your cousin?”
“Martina would never have lowered herself to the level where you wallow, madam. She was a lady, and Eric worshiped her. Don’t think I haven’t seen you gawp at him, all cow-eyed and simpering. I know you covet him, but you’ll never win his heart. You’re only fit for the same as your floozy friends.”
Although she should have been immune to such an accusation, Letty couldn’t hold at bay the misery that cut through her. She felt ill wondering if Eric agreed with Emmaline. Did he see her as a temptation that could destroy him, like the woman he believed had ruined his father?
At least she now understood how Emmaline, the one who had hosted a suffragist who spoke of free love, could oppose a doctor who treated adolescent soiled doves. Emmaline feared Letty would usurp her cousin’s rightful place, and she fell far short of the standards Martina had established.
Emmaline’s hate-filled stare made Letty wince. “I regret your cousin’s untimely death,” she said sincerely, “but I have no aspirations to the position of Mr. Wagner’s wife. I’m not the woman to marry Er—Mr. Wagner.”
Letty clenched her hands, unnerved by her near slip. Emmaline would have pounced and made the most of it. “You needn’t fear me,” she added. “I’m a doctor and in Hartville for that purpose, not to displace Martina in Eric’s affections.”
Too late she realized she’d said his name. Emmaline’s eyes narrowed. She sniffed and stalked down the street. “A likely story,” she muttered.
Letty stood frozen to the spot, unable to do more than gasp for air. She made herself put foot before foot and pace the distance to the livery. Thoughts, snatches of conversations, darted through her mind. Her mother’s criticisms, Mr. Forrest’s rejection, Emmaline’s indictment, even Eric’s warnings coalesced into a jigsaw picture of her, Dr. Letitia Morgan. Physician, healer, woman. The wrong woman for the man she loved.
She was glad she’d decided to call on the Pattersons today. It gave her something to do, something productive to prove she hadn’t erred by following her conscience. She hadn’t been the proper daughter Mother wanted, nor was she the delicate creature Martina had been. It would seem she’d done well to train as a physician.
She clambered into her buggy and forced all thought of Eric, Martina, Mother, and her failings from her mind. Instead, she thought of all she’d accomplished during her time in Hartville.
Prince’s clip-clopping hooves marked time as she traveled to Eric’s place. The closer she came, the less possible it became to keep him from her thoughts. She wondered if he’d be there when she arrived. Had he stayed at the office to keep working? Or was he resting the leg? Would he reverse the progress he’d made by pushing himself too soon?
Oh well, the man was just that: a man. A grown man. And she had no right to hover over him.
As usual, she stopped Prince by the barn. Steven spotted her first. “Hey, Doc! Watch me.”
When Letty realized what he was up to, her innards tangled in knots. The scamp hung by his knees in the air, swinging from the limb of a gnarled cottonwood tree.
“Oh, Steven, even I can’t put you back together if you fall from up there. Please come down, and be careful, now.”
Steven wrinkled his nose but obeyed. Each time he responded so readily, Letty wondered what he might have been like if normal discipline had been present in his life. He was thriving in the atmosphere of routine and attention.
He wiped his hands against the seat of his trousers and said, “ ’M really good at it, ain’t I, Doc?”
“That you are, Steven, but that’s the only head you have. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where are the girls?”
“Caroline an’ ’Melia are inside. Suzannah’s in the barn.”
Suzannah had blossomed through her love for animals. The chickens had been the first to catch her attention. Then Marmie’s kittens had stolen her heart. Even the ornery Heidi made her giggle. Life on the ranch had done wonders for the love-starved child.
“Here,” Letty said, handing Steven her satchel. “Please take this inside for me. I’ll find Suzannah and bring her with me.”
With a two-fingered salute, Steven grabbed the bag and ran to the house. His gesture reminded Letty of the day she’d arrived in Hartville when Eric’s mares had narrowly missed trampling the boy. She shuddered to think what might have happened.
She went after Suzannah. At the barn door, Eric’s words brought her up short. “You put your hands like so, Suzie.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Letty tiptoed in, unwilling to disturb them but dying of curiosity. Eric sat on a stool next to the goat, and Suzannah watched as he taught her the mechanics of milking. “You wrap your fingers around Heidi’s teat. See?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Now comes the hard part. When you hold tight, you have to pull and squeeze all at the same time. Watch.”
The stream of milk hit the tin pail Eric held with his feet, and Suzannah chortled with pure pleasure. “Me now?” she asked.
“Watch me again.”
“Mm-hmm.”
Another trickle hit the bucket, and Suzannah’s laughter brightened the barn. Emotions swelled in Letty’s heart when Eric stood and knelt behind his stool.
“Sit here,” he said. “I’ll hold you so you don’t fall off. This is hard work, you know.”
“Mm-hmm.” Nodding her blond braids, Suzannah sat in the shelter of Eric’s arms. She reached her hands out to Heidi’s udder and wrapped her little fingers around the teats. She turned to Eric and whispered, “Like so?”
“Just so,” he answered, pressing his cheek to her head.
The tears that had been so close to the surface all day poured down Letty’s cheeks. This meant the world to her. Here was everything she’d ever wanted: that man, that child, and the four in the kitchen.
Lord Jesus, have I asked for too much? Am I selfish to love Eric and the children and want them to be mine? To love and cherish and coddle and train them? Her heart urged her forward; her love brought her to Eric’s side.
Unable to resist, she touched his shoulder. He turned and met her gaze. The love
in his eyes stole what reason she had left. She pressed the muscle under her hand, enjoying its strength.
Brown eyes clung to gray. Unspoken messages came and went as their lonely hearts spoke as if with the same voice. Letty smiled.
Eric turned to the little girl in his arms. She’d stolen his heart, just as the woman behind him had.
He prayed silently, Father in heaven, what should I do about it?
16
Letty entered the house quietly. She almost regretted inviting Daisy to stay, since she needed time to collect herself.
She would never forget those last few moments in the barn. What she had seen in Eric’s eyes moved her more than any gesture could have. There’d been longing and resignation in the depths, something so sad she refused to think what it might mean.
She went to the kitchen but stopped at the threshold. Caught up in a kiss, Daisy and Ford held each other tightly near the back door.
When the young man lifted his head, Letty saw Daisy’s tears, and her protective instincts awoke.
“I understand,” Ford murmured as he stroked silky blond curls from Daisy’s brow. “I know how frightened you were, but now that you don’t depend on her, you can tell me what you know. He must be stopped, and I’m going to help you.”
Daisy rubbed her cheek against Ford’s shoulder. “I know he must be stopped,” she whispered. “I’m afraid of what he might do to you.”
Ford gazed into Daisy’s eyes, and Letty witnessed another kiss. She debated interrupting, but intuition told her she would learn more if she remained unnoticed.
When Ford regained his composure, he whispered against Daisy’s lips, “You are sweet. But you needn’t fear for me. I can take care of myself. And now I can care for you as well.”
Daisy blushed. Letty found it hard to believe this was the same girl who had “taken care of” many men in town. The child had clearly been forced to submit. Ford’s tenderness seemed to salve the soul-deep wounds the others had inflicted.
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