The Brightest of Dreams

by Susan Anne Mason

  “Will you be all right by yourself?” Quinn frowned. He really should see her home, but he wanted to be there when Harry woke up.

  “I’ll be fine. The streetcar stop is right outside.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.”

  “I look forward to hearing from you.” She smiled at him with so much warmth that his heart did a slow roll in his chest.

  As she walked away, he stared after her. Then he squeezed his eyes shut. His feelings for Julia had gotten entirely out of hand. He needed to get his emotions under control before he did something foolish.

  Like fall in love with a woman totally out of his realm.

  CHAPTER 14

  Three days later, Quinn whistled as he made his way down the corridor to Harry’s hospital room. For once, circumstances might finally be turning in his favor. Harry was improving at a faster rate than expected. And for now, Quinn decided to make a concerted effort to put his worries aside and celebrate this minor victory.

  The first time Harry had awakened, he’d managed to sip some water before falling asleep again. Then later on, he’d sat up and had some chicken soup. Much to Quinn’s relief, with every bite of food, Harry’s condition seemed to improve.

  Today, Quinn expected Harry to be released, and he would take his brother to Mrs. Chamberlain’s boardinghouse until he had fully regained his health. The dear woman, likely with some prodding from Julia, had insisted he bring Harry to her place to recuperate.

  “I thought you didn’t take males,” Quinn had argued.

  “Why, Harry’s only a boy. I’d never turn away a child in need.”

  Her indignation had made Quinn want to laugh out loud. Instead, he kissed the woman’s cheek. “You’re a gem, Mrs. C. I don’t know how I’d have gotten on without you.”

  She’d shooed him away with the edge of her apron, but not before Quinn had noted the smile teasing her lips.

  Quinn entered Harry’s hospital room, a brown package under his arm. Julia had helped him shop for some new clothes for his brother, seeing that the hospital staff had gotten rid of the ones he’d been wearing. The mere thought of Julia quickened Quinn’s pulse. He looked forward to seeing her any moment now, since she’d insisted on coming to help him bring Harry home. Even though Quinn was perfectly capable of managing the trip on his own, he accepted Julia’s offer solely for the chance to be in her company.

  “Good morning, Harry. How are you feeling today?” Quinn removed his cap and stood at the end of the bed.

  Sitting up against the pillows, the boy gave a faint grin. “Much better. Especially since Dr. Overmire says I can leave the hospital today.”

  “That’s right. And I’ve brought you some new clothes for the occasion.” Quinn handed him the package.

  “Really?” Harry fingered the string surrounding it with awe. “I haven’t had anything new . . . ever. I always got Cecil’s hand-me-downs.”

  Quinn swallowed hard. “Well, open it and see what you think.”

  Harry tore off the paper and pulled out a plain cotton shirt, brown pants, new undergarments, socks, and a pair of shoes. Julia had also insisted on getting him a set of suspenders and a jaunty new cap.

  “It’s the least the poor dear deserves,” she’d said.

  Thankfully, Mrs. C. had sent word to the shopkeeper she frequented to give Quinn the best possible price on everything he bought.

  Harry’s hazel eyes glowed as he admired the sturdy footwear. “My very own shoes with no holes. Thank you, Quinn.”

  “You’re welcome.” Quinn’s chest swelled with mixed emotions. Regret that his brother had lived without these simple necessities and gratitude to be able to bring Harry such joy. “You get dressed, and I’ll see if the doctor left any instructions.”

  “Is Miss Julia coming today?”

  Quinn suppressed a smile. It appeared Harry had developed a crush on Julia since she’d been here every day to see him.

  “She said she would come. Apparently, she didn’t think I could manage to get you home on my own.” He winked at Harry, who laughed. “I’ll pull the curtain around for you. Be right back.”

  Quinn exited the room, the lightness in his heart almost too much to bear. For the present, he would set aside his worry over Cecil and Becky and simply enjoy this time with his youngest sibling. Harry deserved all of Quinn’s attention right now after the ordeal he’d been through.

  “Quinn. I hope I’m not late.” Julia hurried toward him, her skirt billowing around her calves as she walked.

  Her brown eyes sparkled, and her cheeks glowed, likely a result of her walk in the fresh air.

  “Not at all. Harry’s just getting dressed. He loves his new clothes.”

  “I’m so glad.” She clapped her hands together. “I can’t wait to see how he looks in them.”

  “Thank you again for everything you’ve done for him. He’s taken a real shine to you.” Grinning, he leaned closer. “In fact, he might even have a tiny crush on you.”

  Julia laughed. “The feeling is mutual. I adore that rascal and will enjoy every moment nursing him back to health.”

  Before he could stop himself, Quinn reached out a hand to brush a stray lock of hair from her cheek. Her gaze met his and the laughter ebbed away, replaced by something more intense, a type of electricity sparking between them. Her lips parted. Quinn’s breathing grew shallow, and all he could think of was kissing her.

  “Miss Holloway. What an unexpected surprise.” The male voice came from behind them.

  Julia jerked away from Quinn. Her mouth fell open, and all color drained from her face. “Dr. Hawkins.”

  Quinn turned to see a distinguished-looking man of about forty. Though he stood a head shorter than Quinn, the confident manner in which he held himself made him appear larger. Judging by his white coat, he must be a physician on staff, which likely explained his poise.

  When it became apparent Julia was not going to make introductions, the man offered Quinn his hand. “I’m Dr. Richard Hawkins.”

  “Quinten Aspinall.” He looked the man in the eye. “You’re a friend of Miss Holloway’s, I take it?”

  “You could say so.” The man stared at Julia in an oddly familiar way. One that seemed terribly inappropriate.

  A flash of heat seared Quinn’s neck. Was this man a former suitor?

  “Dr. Hawkins was Sam’s personal physician,” Julia said at last. “We . . . that is, he . . .” She shook her head, as though unable to find the right words.

  “What Miss Holloway is trying to say is that the shock of Sam’s death forged a bond between us as we helped each other cope with the devastation of that tragedy.” The man smiled at Quinn in a rather smug fashion.

  “It must have been terrible,” Quinn said. “Losing a patient under such circumstances.”

  As he spoke, he glanced down at the man’s hand and noted the wedding band there. Immediately, the muscles in Quinn’s chest loosened. Dr. Hawkins was married. Quinn must have mistaken the tension between him and Julia. Still, something about this man rubbed him the wrong way.

  “I’m here to check on a patient of mine,” the man said. “But what brings you here, Miss Holloway? You’re not ill, I hope.”

  Julia’s lips trembled as she shook her head.

  Was she afraid of him?

  Every protective instinct came alive inside Quinn, and he moved closer to her. “She’s here helping me bring my younger brother home, and I’m most grateful for her assistance.” Quinn pasted on a smile.

  “And how exactly do you know Miss Holloway?” The man’s dark eyes glittered.

  Julia clutched Quinn’s arm, her face growing even paler, if possible. He didn’t know if she was feeling faint or if she was trying to impart a message to him.

  “Quinten and I met through the church,” she said quickly. “We’ve been seeing each other for a while now.” She squeezed his arm again.

  This time, he was sure of her intent. For whatever reason, she wished this man to believe them
to be a couple—a ruse Quinn didn’t mind playing along with at all. He smiled down at her. “Meeting Julia is the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  The look of gratitude and relief on her face made Quinn feel like he’d slayed a dragon. “Well, we’d best get going. Harry will wonder what happened to us.” He stared at the physician. “It was nice to meet you, Mr. Hawkins.”

  “It’s Dr. Hawkins.” The man’s dark eyes hardened, then he turned to Julia. “We must get together soon and catch up.”

  Julia didn’t meet his gaze. “I . . . I’m not sure that will be possible with my work schedule.”

  Hawkins’s nostrils flared. “Then perhaps we’ll run into each other again.”

  “Perhaps. Good day, doctor.” Julia gave a slight nod and allowed Quinn to guide her down the corridor.

  She walked beside him, looking straight ahead. Once inside the room, however, she sagged against Quinn, her whole body trembling. Quinn kept an arm around her waist for support.

  “Thank you for going along with that,” she said at last.

  “I assume you had a good reason to mislead him.”

  She nodded. “I’ll tell you about it later. Right now, let’s get Harry home.”

  Back at the boardinghouse, Julia struggled to keep her nerves under control as she made the bed in the room down the hall from hers. How long could she put Quinn off before he asked her about Dr. Hawkins? She’d seen the questions in Quinn’s eyes and knew he wouldn’t let the matter drop. Julia blew out a frustrated breath. Of all the times to run into that man again. Yet, if she’d been alone, it could have been so much worse.

  With effort, she turned her attention back to smoothing the wrinkles from the quilt. After they had arrived with Harry, Mrs. C. had rushed the boy into the dining room, eager to feed him a good meal. With Julia as the sole occupant of the third floor, Mrs. C. had decided that Harry should stay there, somewhat removed from the rest of the boarders, where it would be quieter and more conducive to healing. Julia had volunteered to make up his room.

  She certainly didn’t mind sharing her floor or the small lavatory with Harry. It had felt a tad lonely being here by herself, but she hadn’t wanted to complain, being so grateful to have such nice accommodations. By the time she was ready to move in with Mrs. Middleton, Harry would be stronger and hopefully be able to stay with Quinn at the YMCA.

  She fluffed the pillow and moved to the window to open the curtains. Then, with nothing left to do, Julia forced herself to go down to the main level. If luck was with her, perhaps Quinn would have forgotten about Dr. Hawkins in his concern for his brother’s comfort.

  At the foot of the stairs, Mrs. C. stood talking with Quinn.

  “Of course, Harry can stay as long as you need. He’ll be no trouble at all.”

  Quinn looked up as Julia reached them. “I’ve asked Julia to accompany me to Peterborough. But we won’t leave until I’m certain Harry is doing better. And that he won’t be a burden.”

  “Whenever you feel the time is right, dear. For now, let’s take one day at a time.”

  “I agree, Mrs. C.,” Julia said. “In the meantime, I’ll keep Harry company in the dining room. I’d love a cup of tea and a biscuit.”

  She walked into the room, where Harry sat in front of a large bowl. The rich scent of beef and onions hung in the air. Though still pale, the boy looked more relaxed, his eyes less haunted.

  He lowered his spoon when he spied her. “Miss Julia, this is the best barley soup I’ve ever tasted.”

  “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.” She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder on the way to the sideboard, where Mrs. C. always kept a pot of tea ready. “Mrs. Teeter is an excellent cook. Wait until you taste her chicken potpie.”

  Julia chuckled at the boy’s awed expression. “Don’t eat too much now. Your stomach isn’t used to such big portions. And you can always have more later.”

  The light left Harry’s eyes. “At the farm, if I didn’t finish my meal in five minutes, Mrs. Wolfe fed my dinner to the pigs. I started eating as fast as I could after the first time that happened.”

  Julia set the teapot down with a thud. “Well, no one here will take your food, love. You take your time and eat as much or as little as you like.” She turned her head to hide the tears forming at what that poor child had been through. It made her problems seem trivial in comparison. At least she was a grown woman. This boy had been only seven years old when he’d come to this country, separated from his siblings and sent to live with a heartless beast of a man whose wife didn’t sound much better.

  Julia looked over at the boy’s fair head as he slurped the rest of his soup and vowed to do everything in her power to make Harry’s life better. To make sure he had a reason to smile every day.

  If the boy affected her this way, she could only imagine the powerful emotions Quinn must be feeling. She had no doubt he would do whatever was necessary to protect his younger brother and keep him safe from any further harm.

  Julia only hoped she could help in some small way to make that happen.

  CHAPTER 15

  The passenger train rocked back and forth as it chugged along the tracks. Seated in the sparsely populated second car, Julia swayed along with the rhythm. Lulled by the monotonous click-clack, she fought to keep her eyes open. Another symptom of pregnancy, she’d discovered, was the insatiable need for sleep. She’d never taken so many naps in her life.

  Beside her, Quinn drummed his fingers on his thigh. It appeared his relief at Harry’s recovery had been short-lived, replaced now by anxiety over Becky’s fate.

  Julia had prayed every night for this girl she’d never met. If Becky had been mistreated at her place of employment, Julia wasn’t sure how Quinn would take it.

  “So,” Quinn said quietly about half an hour into their trip, “you were going to tell me about the man we met in the hospital. Dr. Hawkins, I believe his name was.”

  Julia stiffened on her seat, the hard back pressing into her spine. It had been several days since their run-in at the hospital, and she’d hoped Quinn had forgotten about him.

  Apparently not.

  She took a breath in preparation for the unpleasant conversation ahead. “Dr. Hawkins was Sam’s physician. He came to the house quite often.”

  Quinn frowned. “I thought Dr. Clayborne was Sam’s doctor.”

  “Dr. Clayborne oversaw Sam’s physical therapy, but Dr. Hawkins took care of all his other medical needs. I . . . I worked closely with him in order to make sure I was giving Sam the best care possible.”

  “I see.”

  Julia dropped her gaze to her hands, which were clasped on her lap. “When I found Sam that terrible morning, Dr. Hawkins was the first person I called. After he’d dealt with matters, he could see I was terribly distraught and prescribed some medication to help my nerves. I was grateful to him for handling things and for taking care of me.” She paused to consider her next words.

  Quinn frowned. “Then why did you seem so afraid of him?”

  Julia sucked in a breath. How could she explain her aversion to the man? A man Sam had trusted implicitly. “After Sam’s death, Dr. Hawkins was very attentive. He checked in to see how I was doing and ask whether or not the medication was helping.” She hesitated. “Unfortunately, he became a little more . . . friendly than I wanted.”

  Quinn’s eyes widened. “He made advances to you?”

  She nodded, looking away for fear he would see there was much more to the story.

  “But he’s married. I saw his ring.” Outrage rang in Quinn’s voice.

  “Clearly that doesn’t stop some men.”

  “I’m so sorry, Julia.” His voice was low. “You shouldn’t have had to deal with that. Especially at a time when you were grieving and vulnerable.”

  She nodded. “Thankfully, I had Dr. Clayborne to turn to. He was nothing but kind and respectful. Knowing I was out of work, he helped me get a job at the hospital. And he insisted I stay with him and his wife until I could
find somewhere to live.” She glanced over at Quinn. “If not for him, I don’t know where I’d have gone.”

  “I’m glad you had one decent person to help you.”

  “And now I have you.” She placed a hand on his arm. “An honorable man looking out for the best interest of his family.” Julia often thought how wonderful it would be to have a partner like Quinn to share all the challenges that lay ahead. Some nights, fear of the unknown kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning. Only her faith that God would take care of her allowed her to keep going. “Your siblings are lucky.”

  “I’m not so certain.” He scowled. “I haven’t exactly lived up to my father’s expectations.”

  “Don’t you think you’re being too hard on yourself?”

  Quinn turned serious gray eyes on her. “If anything, not hard enough.”

  “Well, while I’m around, I’m going to keep reminding you that you’re doing your best. And that your best is more than enough.”

  Quinn could have stared into Julia’s luminous brown eyes for the rest of the trip. Having her champion him as some sort of hero warmed the cold places in his heart. However, he couldn’t allow himself to bask in her praise. Not until he had Harry, Becky, and Cecil all safely back home with their mother.

  Maybe then the gaping void inside him would be filled.

  Maybe then he could finally relax and simply breathe.

  The train chugged to a halt, dragging Quinn’s attention to the window. The Peterborough station slid into view, a low, brown-bricked building with black trim. An instant rumble of nerves shot through his stomach.

  Please, Lord, let me find Becky without any problems, and please let her be all right.

  As if sensing his thoughts, Julia squeezed his hand. “Let’s go find your sister.”

  Quinn swallowed, his throat tight, and with a quick nod rose to escort Julia to the platform below. Once inside the station, he asked directions to Hazelbrae.

  “It’s called the Margaret Cox Home for Girls now,” the clerk told him. “But it’s right up the road to the left. The big house on top of the hill. You can’t miss it.”