Page 13 of Whispers of Fortune (Golden State Treasure Book #1)
T HIRTEEN
“I’ll walk you home, Ellie,” offered Brody.
She looked at him, a little dreamy-eyed. “Watching a new life come into the world is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. And especially Harriet. She has been so much help with the school. She’s a wise woman of faith who wanted to be a mother with all her heart. Seeing her look down at that baby boy, the pure love in her eyes...” Ellie stopped talking, as she couldn’t get the words past the lump in her throat. “Please, come for me whenever there’s a new one on the way.”
He kept walking, so she caught his wrist in a tight grasp. Stopping in the pale moonlight to face him, Ellie added, “Please say I can help you, Brody.”
Patting her hand, smiling bright enough to shame the moon and the stars above, he said, “Of course you can help. I’d appreciate it very much. You were a great help, by the way. And a doctor needs a nurse. In fact, you can learn enough to take over midwife duties when I leave.”
Ellie, still hanging on to him, patted herself on the chest, just to touch her warm heart. “Really? You’ll teach me what I need to know?”
“I’d be glad to teach you. It’s a good idea to have the knowledge spread beyond just one person. Harriet would have been fine. Once Nora showed up, she’d’ve brought the child without help.”
Ellie felt a cool night breeze and wondered if the stars were stirring around. “When Nora arrived with her two little ones, I was glad the boys were there.”
Brody chuckled softly. “Jesse had his hands full with those babies. The older one especially kept things lively.”
“Nora had to bring the baby along, who’s still nursing. And Jesse spends most of his time riding the range. He was overwhelmed caring for them alone. Your brothers were wonderful helpers. They really are good and generous boys.”
They resumed strolling toward the main house, Ellie holding his wrist.
The coo of a pigeon broke the silence of the cool night. Ellie shivered from the wind. “It has to be nearly morning.”
“Bo had a pocket watch. We checked to know the time of birth. The baby was born at two. And we were another hour getting them all settled.” Brody shook his head. “The sun will be rising almost before either of us get to sleep. That’s the way of doctoring, though—you go when you’re needed. Help all you can.”
“And do no harm ,” Ellie said. “A strange thing to have to swear to. Why would a doctor ever do harm?”
“Sometimes there are treatments a doctor might think are helpful, experimental things. It can make things worse. It’s not always clear whether you’re helping. If possible, I like to let a patient heal on their own.”
A wave of exhaustion swept over her, and she found herself leaning on Brody. He slid an arm across her back. “You’re almost asleep on your feet.”
She murmured her agreement, then yawned until her jaw cracked.
The house waited just ahead, and she leaned more completely on Brody. “You’re exhausted too, and probably more than I am. Yet here I am leaning on you.”
When they reached the back door, Ellie straightened away from him. “Thank you for letting me help tonight. That’s two babies now I’ve helped bring into the world.”
A distant rumble drew her attention to the sky. “We’ll have rain by morning. The grass and fruit trees need a good drink.”
“Fruit trees?”
“That’s right. Michelle read about orange and lemon trees, limes, and some others as well. They’re supposed to grow well in the type of soil we have here.”
Brody laughed. “I’ve barely even seen an orange. Not many of them growing in New York.” Then he looked down, and Ellie met his gaze, warm and kind and so full of the miracle they’d just witnessed.
“Ellie,” he whispered, “you’re so beautiful in the moonlight. Your hair shines almost as brightly as your eyes. Can I ... can I kiss you?”
She’d never been asked before. Her fiancé was the only man she’d ever kissed, and he had never asked but just assumed and taken his kiss. She’d allowed it at first, but then put a stop to it before long. And with that single thought, she shoved all memories of the unfaithful Loyal Kelton from her mind.
“Yes,” she said. “I’d like that very much.”
He lowered his head slowly, blocking her view of oncoming clouds and the moon. And then his lips touched hers, and her eyes closed, and the whole world beyond this one man and this one moment faded until there was only Brody, and only this kiss they shared.
He raised his head. His eyes opened, and she saw that he would have liked another kiss, a deeper one. She also saw his restraint and respect.
“That was a mistake. I shouldn’t kiss you when I have to leave.”
That stung like a whiplash. The sweetest moment of her life and he was sorry it had happened.
She wanted to beg him to reconsider, to stay here at the Two Harts. But that wasn’t the way she wanted it to be between her and any man. She covered her hurt with anger. “No, you most certainly shouldn’t have, Dr. MacKenzie.”
He stepped back as if she’d attacked him. “I’m not sure how hard you’re working in the house and in the school. I suspect you work hard all day long. But if you need a third job, I could use your help at the doctor’s office.”
His easy rejection of her after the kiss, now inviting her to work with him as if he felt nothing, wrenched at her heart.
And who would teach at the school? One of the older girls had expressed an interest in teaching. Ellie would be easily replaced, and that was another hurt. Better to hurt than to be a fool and fall in love with a man who was determined to head for the far end of the country the first chance he got. So she’d work with him and learn from him and let the hurt make her wise. Maybe she’d know enough to fill in here when he left, or maybe she’d go somewhere to study further. Did they let women become doctors? She wasn’t sure. “I’ll talk with Annie at the school, and Gretel in my kitchen, and see if they can get by without me. I find I love doctoring.”
She nearly squirmed at the word love . But it was true. True or not, it might be best not to speak of love of any kind around Brody.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, I hope. You should try and get a few hours of sleep to get you through the day. Tomorrow I’ll stop by Harriet’s house and probably Sally Jo’s, too. I won’t start office hours early. Get some rest.”
Brody opened the door and held it for her while she stepped inside. The warm glow of helping bring a baby into the world was wiped out by Brody’s thoughtless rejection. She was determined not to let it hurt her too badly. Instead, she’d consider a new path: learning to be a doctor.
After Brody shut the door behind her, she made her way to bed, upset and confused. But she was determined not to let any of it show.
“Grandpa Westbrook is sending me off to search for those low-down MacKenzies again.” Cord shook his head at his grandpa’s obsession with the MacKenzies and their supposed treasure.
Ma sighed so hard, Cord watched to see if she’d deflate. “I’m sorry, Cord. When will the day come that you stop doing his bidding?”
“You know why I do it, Ma. He’s a lonely old man—”
“By his own choice,” Grandma Rivers interrupted.
The three of them sat at Grandma’s kitchen table. Grandpa was out milking the cow. Cord had offered to go find him and help with the chores, but Grandma insisted he’d be in any minute.
Cord had ridden up to the tidy cabin just ten minutes ago. He’d had time to shed his hat and coat, just barely needed in the cool spring air, and wash his hands. Grandma had poured him coffee and given him a slice of custard pie, along with the chiding that it would ruin his supper. Which Cord had assured her it wouldn’t.
He smelled the roasting chicken and the bread baking. Not much kept him from eating Grandma’s good cooking.
“Yes, but he’s not a bad man ... in his own way. I love him, and I hate cutting him off. I’m about the last connection to anyone outside that mausoleum he lives in.”
The so-called mausoleum was one of the biggest mansions in Sacramento, but Grandpa had as good as buried himself in it, and so the word suited.
“He doesn’t even go into the bank anymore. He owns it, but he’s finally let go of the reins. His gout keeps him close to home. He reads his books and stews over the MacKenzies.” Cord smiled. “He said he might go with me to church one of these days.”
Ma arched her brows.
Grandma clucked over Mayhew Westbrook’s heathen absence from church. They all prayed for his soul nonetheless.
If Mayhew Westbrook had plans to repent at the last minute, he was running out of time. He was far older than Cord’s grandparents. Cord’s pa, Wayne Westbrook, Mayhew’s only child, had come along very late in life. Whereas Cord’s ma had been born when Grandma and Grandpa Rivers had been young.
It was the pure truth that Grandpa Westbrook needed someone, and Cord was all he had.
Grandpa shoved open the back door, and his eyes landed smack-dab on Cord. A smile widened his friendly face. Cord got up and took the milk bucket from him and the egg basket, which Grandma whisked away.
Cord gave him a hug. “Why didn’t you put up your horse?”
“I will, but I had to come in and see Ma first, and Grandma trapped me in here with her custard pie.”
“Sneaky woman, your grandma.” He looked past Cord and smiled at his wife, then clapped Cord on the back.
“I’d like to stay a couple of days if it’s all right, and then I’m off on a treasure hunt.”
Grandpa snorted. He knew exactly what Cord was after. “I’ll take the visit for as long as it lasts. I’ve got a corral I need to repair, and I’d welcome some help. One of these days, boy, you’re gonna give up on city life and settle here with us for good.”
It was Cord’s fondest dream. But there wasn’t room on this small farm for another man. And though in his fifties, Grandpa was a reasonably strong man still—he didn’t need much help.
Cord’s dream was to save enough money to have his own place. He hoped it’d be near enough to his family that he’d see them often. But for now, Grandpa Westbrook, cranky man that he was, also loved his only grandson, and Cord couldn’t betray that by leaving Sacramento behind.
“Where are you heading?” Grandpa asked.
Cord’s eyes lit up. “Have you heard of the Two Harts Ranch?”