Orphan Train Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 Page 24

  The older woman chuckled and then winced when the doctor prodded her wound. “You are a good girl, Katie. I am grateful you were here.”

  Katie grinned back at her client. “Despite the fright you gave me, I’m glad I was here, too. But I’m even more glad that the doctor finally arrived.” Katie set the buckets down carefully in the kitchen before ladling some of the water into a large kettle to boil. Once she was satisfied that it would soon be ready, she hurried to the closet where she had seen Mrs. Jenkins stored her towels. With an armful of towels, she turned back toward the other occupants of the room and almost dropped them all when she realized they were both watching her like a curious specimen.

  “What is it? Do I have smut on my face?” She was embarrassed and didn’t pause to wait for a reply. “You know, I’m not very used to using a well like that. It was more work than I expected because I didn’t really know what I was doing. But I managed to get quite a bit of water, which should be almost boiled by now.”

  She could feel the heat as it climbed high onto her cheekbones, but she tried to ignore her embarrassment as the other two exchanged amused glances. Katie didn’t want to be rude to her customer, but a part of her desperately wanted to stick her tongue out at the two of them. Ignoring them, she turned away to check on the water after carefully placing the bundle of towels near the doctor’s left hand.

  “She’s such a good girl, wouldn’t you agree, doctor?”

  “I would, Mrs. Jenkins. You would be in a bad way if she hadn’t been with you when you started to bleed.”

  Katie’s embarrassment mounted as she listened to them discuss her.

  “And she’s such a pretty little thing, too,” Mrs. Jenkins continued. Katie could just imagine the devilish twinkle in her eye as she said that, but she kept her hot face turned away and tried to focus on her task of getting the water to boil. She doubted if watching the pot would make it boil faster but maybe the heat from her face would help, she thought with a wry twist of her lips. Involuntarily, her ears strained to hear the doctor’s response.

  “She’s so little, I would think that a good stiff breeze might blow her away, but she did manage to bring in two heavy buckets of water for us, so there’s a fair bit of might packed into the little package.” The doctor had kept his voice low, but Katie still heard him and was touched by his words. She prided herself on her independence. It had been such a fight for her to regain confidence in herself after the treatment she had endured under her husband’s hands. She was a little disgusted with herself for the fact that hearing a man voice a positive comment about her felt so good to her heart.

  Despite her watching it, the kettle finally began to boil, and she couldn’t dither any longer. She poured some of the boiling water into a pot half full of the cooler water from outside and carried it back toward the patient.

  “I think this is a good temperature. If you’ll check it, I can add more boiled water or more cool, if you think it needs adjusting.” She was trying not to babble, but it was a challenge with the handsome doctor’s gaze on her.

  He reached out and touched the pot. “It is perfect. Thank you, Mrs. Carter.”

  Katie kept her head down in an effort to hide her heightened color and to avoid Mrs. Jenkins’ knowing gaze. But she couldn’t get away from the older lady’s delighted chuckle.

  The next few minutes passed in near silence as she worked in remarkable harmony with the doctor. Despite her antipathy toward him, they were able to cooperate quite well, as though they had experience working together. No doubt her experience nursing her family as they were sick and dying gave her a skilled perspective to the task at hand.

  They soon had Mrs. Jenkins patched up and settled onto a comfortable chair with her feet propped up and a cup of tea within reach.

  “I’m sorry, Katie dear, that you had to take so much time with me today, and we still didn’t get our business concluded. At this point, I’m just not up to it now.”

  “Of course not, Mrs. Jenkins, please don’t trouble yourself over it at all. I am glad that I was here when you needed someone, and I’ll be happy to come back in a few days to check on you. If you’re up for it then we can proceed, otherwise, I will return again another time.”

  “You are a dear, thank you.”

  Katie grinned. Even though the older woman was a bit crotchety at times, Katie was becoming quite fond of her. And she was amused and delighted to find that the cranky woman had decided to approve of her. She was a firm believer in a woman’s need for friends, and she would be proud to count Mrs. Jenkins among her own small circle.

  The doctor was quickly packing up his things as Katie was taking her leave. “If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll walk you out,” he said to her. Katie wanted to refuse but didn’t want to do so in front of Mrs. Jenkins. She offered him a tight smile but didn’t say anything. With her own small bag of supplies looped over her arm, she waited by the door with something slightly less than patience as he said his goodbyes.

  “I will stop in on you tomorrow, Mrs. Jenkins. See that you move as little as possible so you don’t reopen your wound. You should have one of your daughters-in-law or granddaughters come in to help you for a few days. You do too much. You really need to get these all healed properly, and it seems to me that only bed rest will do the trick.”

  Mrs. Jenkins grumbled a bit about this but finally agreed to ask for help. Katie couldn’t help but smile about her cantankerous attitude, and so she wasn’t frowning when the doctor finally joined her.

  They walked out of the house and toward the doctor’s horse in silence. She didn’t have anything to say to him. She didn’t appreciate his vacillating attitude toward her and her need to support herself and her daughter. But she didn’t want to antagonize him any more than she already had. And she hadn’t hated working with him this afternoon, either. She sighed.

  “I must thank you again for your assistance today, Mrs. Carter.” The doctor’s voice sounded stiff, as though he were reluctant to utter the words.

  Katie laughed. “You don’t have to do that, doctor. It seems to be a chore for you. And I didn’t mind at all. Mrs. Jenkins is a dear, and I was glad to help her.”

  “Well, I would have been hard pressed to look after her so well if I had been there on my own,” Doctor Jeffries insisted.

  Katie laughed again. “That is true, doctor. I cannot even tell you how terrified I was when I was there on my own. I doubt you would have been scared, as you have the knowledge and experience that I lack, but there is only so much that can be done with two hands.”

  She didn’t know how to interpret the expression on his face. It was as though he didn’t know what to do with her. She could relate. Her feelings toward him were such a jumble. She didn’t want to be near him but tended to enjoy herself when she was with him, so long as he wasn’t commenting on her need for employment. She felt like laughing again but didn’t want him to think she was a lunatic.

  “I ought to be going. Melanie will be worrying about me.”

  “And well she should. You really shouldn’t be roaming around on your own like you do.”

  Katie laughed, with a little less amusement this time. “And there we go, back to where we started, despite how well we were doing this afternoon.” Her tone was dry. He looked as though he was going to interject, but she didn’t allow him to. “I’m glad I was there to help. Thank you for rescuing me and poor Mrs. Jenkins this afternoon. I will wish you a good day.”

  Without waiting for him to respond she hurried away.

  ~~~

  Wyatt watched her go. He just stood there and watched her brisk strides as she got on with her own affairs. He didn’t say anything to stop her. He didn’t grab her arm. He did none of the things that were rushing through his mind to keep her by his side. A part of him was disappointed to see her go. The other part was wondering where he had left his mind because it seemed to be lost.

  You want a mild-mannered, lady-like woman to stay at home, look after your babies,
and have your house smelling like freshly baked cookies when you come home, he reminded himself. Yes, Mrs. Carter is a pleasure to look at and was amazingly helpful today, but she is not the one for you, so keep your eyes to yourself. Despite his lecture to himself, he remained standing there watching her retreating form until she disappeared into the copse of trees that separated the Jenkins’ property from its neighbors.

  When he could no longer see her, he glanced around sheepishly, hoping Mrs. Jenkins hadn’t seen him mooning around like a love-struck teenager. She would be sure to let him know what she thought of him on the morrow. He felt his lips twist into a wry smile. He surely was losing his mind.

  His wife had been a sweet, gentle soul when he had met her when they were children. Her illness had confined her to the house, and she had kept herself occupied with books. The more she learned, the more opinionated she had become. While Mrs. Carter’s healthy vitality was beyond attractive, her fierce independence and strong opinions had a tendency to irritate him beyond reason.

  ~~~

  “Why are you still single, Doctor Jeffries? Did you never want a wife? I saw you watching Mrs. Carter yesterday. You cannot tell me you are indifferent to her.”

  He tried not to flinch over the questions as he examined Mrs. Jenkins’ wound.

  “I was married. I am a widower.”

  His bald words won him a moment of silence, but she soon rallied. “Really, doctor?” the fascination in her tone informed him he wouldn’t be getting away without telling her at least some of his story. “What happened to the poor dear soul? She must’ve been awfully young to die. Was it childbirth?”

  Wyatt stifled his exasperated sigh. Her questions were rude, but her curiosity was probably justifiable. The poor old woman was bored and hating her confinement.

  “No, it wasn’t childbirth. My wife had a wasting disease. We never could get a final, proper diagnosis. It is why I became a doctor, actually.”

  “Has she been gone long, dear?”

  The sympathy he could hear in her voice brought a lump to his throat that he had to clear before he could answer her. “It was before I moved to Bucklin, of course. She has been gone three and a half years.”

  “You must have loved her very much if you have remained single this long.”

  Wyatt forced a grin. “I came out here not long after we buried her. And if you haven’t noticed, eligible young woman are rather rare in these parts.”

  “Not so much anymore,” Mrs. Jenkins argued, her tone sly. “The train with all them orphans brought some women with it, from what I’ve heard. Isn’t Mrs. Carter one of those ladies?”

  Wyatt hoped his face didn’t betray his embarrassment. “I do believe you’re right, Mrs. Jenkins. Perhaps I will get a chance to meet some of them.”

  “Well, you’ve more than met one of them. You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy Mrs. Carter’s company yesterday. I saw you watching her walk away. You certainly didn’t look indifferent to me.”

  Wyatt sighed. “It’s complicated, Mrs. Jenkins.”

  She snorted. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  He couldn’t help laughing over her question. His examination was finished. He wanted to run away, but looking after the old lady’s mental health was part of his care for her. Appeasing her curiosity would probably help her stay off her feet.

  Pulling a chair closer to the older woman, Wyatt made himself comfortable. He had a feeling he would be here for a while. Before the silence could stretch into discomfort, he finally started to explain himself.

  “Mrs. Carter seems to be a pleasant young woman, but I think I would prefer a wife with a little less fire in her.”

  Mrs. Jenkins raised her eyebrows at him. “Seems to me, her fire is half her appeal.”

  Wyatt chuckled. He couldn’t really argue with her observation.

  “And if you have a mind to remain in Bucklin, a mousey woman might not make it,” she pointed out.

  “I didn’t say I want a mousey woman,” he protested.

  “You can’t have it both ways, doctor.” She eyed him speculatively. “What was your dearly departed like?”

  “We grew up together. She was my best friend. When we were children, she could climb a tree almost as fast as me. And then she got sick. We got married before we realized quite how ill she really was. I did everything I could think of to get her well. But nothing worked.”

  “Did her sickness affect her personality?” Her shrewd question made him wish he had never allowed this conversation to continue. He couldn’t answer her question. She took his silence as affirmation. “Don’t judge a strong woman by the same standard as a cantankerous sick lady. They are not one and the same — I’m sure you realize that.”

  Wyatt could feel himself sputtering. “Well, of course I know that.”

  When she just gazed at him, he felt his face growing warm and he sighed. “My head knows that, Mrs. Jenkins. But my heart would never wish to take the chance on living like that ever again. My wife had been my best friend. But I lost her quite a while before her death. It was a painful time.”

  “I am sure it was, and I should not be pestering you about it. But I think Mrs. Carter is lovely, and I would hate for you to dismiss her out of an unfounded misunderstanding of her disposition.”

  Now Wyatt smiled. He knew the older woman was trying to be kind in a backward kind of way. The fact that it made him exceedingly uncomfortable was due to his own issues, and he ought not to take it out on her.

  “I will think about what you’ve said, Mrs. Jenkins. I appreciate your kindness in wishing me well. But now I must be on my way, and you must continue on bed rest for at least one more day. I am happy with how the wound looks, but it has not healed sufficiently for you to be up and about.”

  Mrs. Jenkins made a face at him. “Maybe I don’t wish you as much happiness as I said earlier.”

  The doctor laughed. “I understand. You take good care of yourself, Mrs. Jenkins, and I will see you tomorrow.”

  He gathered up his bag of supplies and made his way outside, preoccupied by his conversation with Mrs. Jenkins. It was extremely rare that he discussed his wife. No one here in Bucklin had known her, so it never came up in conversation. Most assumed he had never married, he was sure. And even back home, out East, no one who DID know would make conversation about her, thinking they were respecting his loss.

  “But they don’t even comprehend my loss, Boss.” He knew it didn’t speak well of his mindset for him to be talking to his horse, but the beast was an excellent listener, and Wyatt found himself in need of expressing his thoughts.

  “The guilt I feel about her death is what’s hard to manage. I should have been able to help her. I’m a doctor for goodness’ sake. But not only could I not find her a cure, I couldn’t even help her be happy. She was my best friend, and I failed her. Is it any wonder I don’t think remarrying is the best idea?” The only response Boss provided was the rapid twitching of his ears, as though he really was listening.

  “And I know you and Mrs. Jenkins think I’m attracted to Mrs. Carter, but I’m not.” The horse’s ears flicked back causing Wyatt to chuckle. “Alright, maybe I am, but it’s just a normal physical reaction to how beautiful and healthy she is. I’m sure every man in town has noticed her. It doesn’t change the fact that she’s far too independent for my tastes.” There was another flick of the horse’s ears. Wyatt grinned. “I don’t care how helpful she was yesterday with Mrs. Jenkins. The woman is trouble, and that’s all I’m going to say on the subject.” He laughed and shook his head at himself. Surely he was losing his mind.

  Chapter Ten

  H ow are you feeling today, Mrs. Jenkins? I’m glad you have someone here to help you. Your granddaughter seems lovely.”

  “Good morning, Mrs. Carter. I’m right glad to lay eyes on you — let me tell you. Yes, Grace is a dear, but she doesn’t have very much to say for herself. Thank you for stopping by.”

  “Are you up for company? Has the doctor given
you the all clear to be moving about?”

  “Bah, the doctor acts like I’m on death’s door. He says I’m to stay in bed until he gives me leave to move about.”

  “Well, then shouldn’t you be in bed?” Katie was startled by the older woman’s seeming energy. She couldn’t bear to have a repeat of the other day’s experience.

  “Don’t look so worried, dear. I’m not overdoing it — I promise you. I just cannot see or hear much of anything up in my bed. Doctor Jeffries said it would be all right for me to be down here as long as I sit still.”

  “It doesn’t look to me that you’re sitting still.”

  Mrs. Jeffries let out a bark of laughter. “I promise not to faint on you. And I will keep myself in this chair. I probably won’t be much use if you’re wanting to do any measuring of me, but if you have some material samples, I would be giddy with delight.”

  Katie giggled at the older woman’s words. “I did bring some swatches with me, as a matter of fact. Should I get you a cup of tea while we look at them?”

  “Mrs. Carter, you are an angel.”

  Katie trilled with laughter again. “Surely by now you ought to be calling me Katie. I am certain we are to be good friends.”

  Mrs. Jenkins flushed with delight over Katie’s words. “It would be an honor. And you must call me Althea. Or Thea, as my dearly departed used to say.”

  “Very well, Thea, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” Katie shook her hand solemnly before grinning like a simpleton and then hurrying from the room. It was hard to believe that the crusty old lady was quickly becoming her closest friend.

  With steaming cups of tea settled before them, the two women began sorting through the fabric samples Katie had brought with her.

  “You have quite the selection, Katie, dear. I’m impressed.”

  “We have been fortunate thus far. The few women of Bucklin have been generous in the use of our services. So we have many scraps to make the swatches from. And the mercantile has a remarkably good stock for the size of this town. The shopkeeper has promised me that he’ll be getting even more in, to keep us supplied. And if we don’t yet have exactly what you want, we could probably get it ordered in, as well.”