Table of Contents
Cassidy’s War
Copyright
Praise for Susan Macatee
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
A word about the author...
Thank you for purchasing this Wild Rose Press publication.
Cassidy’s War
by
Susan Macatee
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.
Cassidy’s War
COPYRIGHT © 2012 by Susan Macatee
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author or The Wild Rose Press except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
Contact Information: [email protected]
Cover Art by Rae Monet, Inc. Design
The Wild Rose Press
PO Box 708
Adams Basin, NY 14410-0708
Visit us at www.thewildrosepress.com
Publishing History
First American Rose Edition, 2012
Print ISBN 978-1-61217-011-4
Published in the United States of America
Praise for Susan Macatee
ERIN’S REBEL
Finalist, Ancient City Romance Authors
2010 Reader’s Choice Award, paranormal category
~*~
“I love historical romances and Susan Macatee did a beautiful job with this one.”
~Night Owl Reviews (4.5 Hearts)
“I loved the author’s gentle hand with detail, her convincing touch with romance, and the twists and turns that she creates before a thoroughly satisfying ending…This book’s well worth keeping on my shelf.”
~WRDF Reviews
“Recommended read for paranormal and historical romance readers or if you simply enjoy a good love story.”
~ParaNormal Romance
“ERIN’S REBEL is rich in history and mystery.”
~TwoLips Reviews (4 Lips)
~~*~~
CONFEDERATE ROSE
1st place, First Coast Romance Writers
2010 Beacon Contest for Published Authors, historical category
~*~
2nd place, 2010 New England Reader’s
Choice Bean Pot Award, historical category
~*~
“If you like romance wrapped in the conflicts of the Civil War you will definitely enjoy this book.”
~You Gotta Read Reviews
“CONFEDERATE ROSE is a magnificent work of fiction…I highly recommend this charming historical.”
~Blue Ribbon Reviews at Romance Junkies
(4 Ribbons)
Dedication
To my nephew, Jason....
And in memory of my mom and dad,
Claire and Edward Xander.
Chapter One
Burkeville, Pennsylvania
April 11, 1870
“Help! Help me!”
The high-pitched, plaintive cry drew Cassidy Stuart’s attention from the pots she washed in the basin on the table. She strode to the kitchen window, drying her hands on a towel, and scanned for the source. There, at the base of the oak tree beside the house, a tow-headed boy clutched his arm, the hand hanging limp.
Throwing down the dish towel, Cassidy grasped her skirts and swept out the door. Closer inspection revealed he was one of the Thompson twins. Just this past week, she’d examined both of them. Was this Joey or Bart...? She had trouble telling them apart.
“Joey?” she guessed.
The boy lifted his dirt-streaked face. “Yes, ma’am.” He bit his lip, his face crumpling.
Cassidy’s heart lurched. Such was the way of little boys, always getting hurt. “You were climbing the tree, I reckon.”
He nodded.
Helping him cradle his thin arm, she gently lifted the injured limb he held against his chest.
“I’m right sorry, ma’am,” he muttered. “I know I shouldn’t have tried to climb all the way up.”
She glanced toward the top of the majestic oak. “How far up were you anyway?”
“Almost clear to the top.” A slight smile crossed his face, quickly replaced by a grimace.
Gently, she probed and felt the break. Clean, thank God.
“Looks like it’s broken. Stay right here, while I get it stabilized, then you can come into the office, and I’ll make you a cast.”
“Really?”
She smirked. “Sure. Now don’t you move. I’ll be right back.” With a final glance to make sure he stayed, she rushed to her father’s office.
Once there, a familiar pain washed over her as she remembered her father who had died in a carriage accident six months ago. She glanced around the room, which she still considered his office. Nothing had been changed since the day he had walked out the door to visit an ill patient. She shook her head to quash the image of her father, Dr. John Stuart. He’d been so proud when she’d decided to be a doctor after the war. But dreams were just that—dreams, some never coming true. Pushing her grief aside, she gathered a small splint and a roll of muslin bandages and raced back out.
After securing the limb, she lifted Joey to his feet, taking care not to jostle the boy, and guided him into the office. He clenched his jaw, obviously in a ton of pain.
“It’s okay to cry,” she told him.
“No, ma’am. Real men don’t cry, especially in front of a lady.”
Cassidy shook her head. What fool had told him that? “Once I get this set, I’ll send someone for your ma.”
He nodded and sat on the edge of the exam table. She wished someone else were home to hold him down while she set the limb. She brought out the container of Plaster of Paris and clean bandages and mixed the plaster to fashion the boy’s cast.
Joey’s gaze followed her. “What will it feel like when you put that on?”
“A lot better than it does now. But you’ll still have a lot of swelling, and your arm will hurt for a while as it heals. And you can’t get this cast wet.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She gently unwound the bandage securing the splint and examined the arm. Dipping a rag into the pan by his side, she wiped off a bit of dirt, then glanced at his face for any signs of distress. His jaw tightened, but he didn’t cry out or flinch, although his face visibly paled. She placed a tongue depressor between his teeth. “Now you bite down on this. I’ve got to set the bone so it heals right. If you f
eel like crying, you go right ahead.”
Joey bit down on the piece of wood, his eyes growing wide and his breathing strained. She hated like hell to hurt him, but the quicker she worked, the better.
After lifting the arm, she straightened it, then prepared to pull. “Okay, one, two, three...” She set the bone, stealing peeks at the boy’s face for any undue distress. He bore down well.
“Good job. The worst is over. Now I’ll wrap your arm in the bandage and smooth the plaster over it. Once it dries, I’ll call on your ma.”
An excellent patient, Joey nodded.
By the time she’d applied the plaster and allowed the cast to fully dry, the sound of the front door opening alerted her someone had arrived home. The office door creaked inward to reveal Cassidy’s mother.
Arlene Stuart brushed a hand over her honey-colored bun to smooth it as she strode into the office. “I see we have an unexpected patient.”
“Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Stuart,” Joey replied.
“He fell from the oak tree outside the kitchen,” Cassidy explained.
“Oh, I see.” She inspected the cast.
“I’m finished in here,” Cassidy said, “so now that you’re home, I’ll fetch his ma.”
“I’d be more than happy to look after Joey.” Her mother walked her to the office door. “I saw that fancy city doctor in town...Madison.” She grimaced. “Folks don’t have anything but praise for him. Think he’s God’s gift to the town now your father’s gone.”
“Doctor Madison,” Cassidy spat. “He believes he can steal all our patients out from under us.” She fisted her hands. “I just hope once Quinn finishes his internship in Harrisburg, we can rebuild the practice.”
Arlene sucked on her lower lip. “What about the women you’ve been seeing as a midwife. They aren’t abandoning you, are they?”
“I’m not sure. Mrs. Tasker mentioned Doctor Madison the other day. Wondered if he might be able to give her those newfangled pain relievers like ether or chloroform. And I’m not qualified to administer those.”
“Oh, Cassie. I hope Quinn can help once he’s back. Without payment from patients, we only have Matt’s pay from the bank to keep us going.” She glanced back at Joey who played with a tongue depressor. “Why don’t you let his ma know he’s here so she can fetch him? I’ll keep him entertained in the meantime.”
Cassidy nodded and left the office. She pinned her black felt hat on and threw a shawl over her shoulders, then sprinted to the Thompson home at the far end of town. Cassidy knocked on the door, but when no one answered, she discovered Mrs. Thompson behind the house hanging laundry. She stepped away from the clothesline at Cassidy’s approach.
“Joey fell out of our tree and broke his arm. I’ve set it and put a cast on. My mother’s with him now, if you’d like to come fetch him.”
“I wondered where that boy had run off to. He’s supposed to be cleaning out the chicken coop with his brother.” With an exasperated sigh, the woman set the laundry basket aside and hurried after Cassidy.
Once Joey and his mother left, Cassidy decided to stroll through town. She pinned her reticule to the waistband of her skirt and tucked a small basket under her arm.
Across the street from the mercantile, she stopped. Bessie Mae Wilson and two other young women surrounded a tall, well-dressed man. Cassidy pursed her lips as Bessie Mae twirled her lace parasol and wiggled her bustle.
Was it Dr. Madison preening in front of more patients he aimed to steal? She’d only caught a few glimpses of the man since he’d arrived in town. He sported a thin mustache but was otherwise clean-shaven with chestnut hair on a handsome, though arrogant face, and appeared to be an outrageous flirt. She made it a point to steer clear of him whenever she could. Cassidy lifted her chin and straightened her hat. She’d seen enough of that charlatan.
She had stepped in the opposite direction when a familiar male laugh caused her to glance back. That voice had caused butterflies in her stomach many times. Bessie Mae giggled and turned in Cassidy’s direction. Peering beyond the woman, Cassidy glimpsed the man she’d thought to be Madison. No, not the doctor. Getting a clear view, she gasped. The tall dark-haired man in gentlemen’s clothing was none other than her former fiancé, George Masters.
Her urge was to turn and run as far as she could, but she froze in place. She hadn’t seen George for five years, since he’d told her he couldn’t marry her because she deserved much better than him. After that, he’d left for lord knows where, leaving his ailing, alcoholic father behind. Not that she could blame him. Amos Masters had never been a father to his sons, and George’s three older brothers had run off as soon as they were old enough. Amos had passed on several months ago, but no one could locate George, so the man was buried behind his shack without ceremony.
So, why was George here now?
****
George Masters peered beyond Bessie Mae’s parasol. She’d only been a girl when he’d left town. Gawky and gangly as he recalled. But she’d filled out nicely, from her lush bosom to her perfectly rounded face. But frankly, he was perplexed by all the fuss. When he’d lived here, he’d been nothing but one of those no-account brats of Amos Masters. Even after returning from Confederate prison camp, he was looked on as nothing but his father’s son, worthless in the townsfolk’s eyes. He recalled all the stir he’d caused when Cassidy had accepted his marriage proposal. Gossip spread all over town at his audacity of daring to wed the respected physician’s daughter. But now, after a five year absence, he’d returned to town wearing gentlemen’s clothes.
Bessie Mae babbled on, drawing giggles from her friends, who crowded around him. She boldly rested a gloved hand on his coat sleeve.
“So, do tell, Mr. Masters. What have you been up to all these years since we last saw you?” She batted her ginger- colored lashes.
Glancing straight ahead, he gulped. He extracted Bessie’s gloved hand from his arm. The woman he both longed and dreaded to see was in his sights. The woman he’d loved for years and planned to marry, Cassidy Stuart.
Her dark, shiny hair slicked smoothly back into a bun at her nape and a jaunty black felt hat, adorned with a feather, perched on her head. Dressed head to toe in black, she would, of course, still be in full mourning for her father.
When she turned, she didn’t appear to be wearing a bustle, a fashion many of the women in New York City now adopted. But then, Cassidy had never been a slave to fashion. He remembered how she swore to never wear a hoopskirt and even balked about wearing a crinoline.
She stood frozen to the spot on the planking across the road, her rounded lips forming a circle.
“Pardon me, Miss Bessie Mae, ladies.” George eased his way through the women. “There’s someone I must say hello to.”
Bessie Mae’s mouth gaped as her friends lifted handkerchiefs or gloved hands to their lips.
He ignored them and focused on the woman who’d been the love of his life since he was a lad. He’d followed her older brother around like a lost puppy and teased her mercilessly at every opportunity. Cassie, the only woman who’d kept his hopes up throughout the war, made his time in that hellish Rebel prison camp bearable, his one dream to escape and return to her.
Her green-eyed gaze drifted up and down his form as he drew close. He didn’t have to turn his head to know Bessie Mae and her friends watched to see what would happen next.
“George...you look so...so...”
“You look real good, too, Cassie.” He longed to wrap his arms around her but didn’t dare. Not only because the whole town was watching, but knowing Cassie, she’d likely slap his face. Her all too familiar scent of lilac and her lush lips beckoned him nonetheless.
“What are you doing back in town? When your pa died, we couldn’t locate you.”
“I’ve been traveling these past five years. They weren’t able to locate me...but when I finally got word, I thought...” He dropped his gaze.
“Of course. No matter what, you must show your respect.”
<
br /> “Cassie, I...” He poked his thumb over his shoulder. “...those ladies told me about your pa. I’m so sorry. He was like a father to me, too. You know that.”
She nodded, biting her lip. He leaned forward. If he was going to hug her, now was the time. No one would fault him for comforting the woman he’d once planned to marry.
She allowed him to enclose her in his arms. Her warmth still enticed him even after all the years apart. Her face rested against his coat, and he sighed as her hands slid up his back. More fodder for the gossip mongers.
Abruptly, she yanked away, taking her softness and warmth with her. “George, I really have to go. I have an appointment with a patient.”
“Patient?”
She nodded. “Quinn and I plan to take over Pa’s practice...that is...”
He lifted her chin, forcing her to look into his eyes. “You’re a doctor now?”
“Well, sort of. I never attended formal medical school, although I do plan to. But Pa taught me everything he knew.”
“Glad to hear you’re doing what you’ve always wanted.”
She sighed. “I don’t know. When Quinn comes back, maybe...”
“What’s wrong?” George asked.
“Well, it’s really not your concern, being you don’t live in town anymore.”
“Cassie, if something’s troubling you, I want to know.”
“I really don’t think it’s a good idea. I can fight my own battles, as you well know.”
Pain burned his chest, but he backed off. What rights did he have after abandoning her?
“Goodbye, George.” She abruptly turned away.
*****
Cassidy quickened her pace as she hurried home. Seeing George after so long had floored her. The sight of women fawning over him reminded her of when they were young. She’d spurned his attentions, thinking him nothing but a handsome flirt. At least until he’d gone off to war. After that everything changed.
But the emotions she’d buried deep inside after he’d left were still too close to the surface, threatening to send her racing back into his arms. She’d once felt safe there, but not anymore. When George left, she wondered how she’d ever recover. And with her father’s death still so fresh, she had to take care of herself now...and not allow any man into her heart again.
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