If Aunt Minnie’s suspicions about the handsome doctor were true…suddenly Laura was eager to see Jay again. No amount of avoiding disappointment could hold her back. She finished her bath in record time.
Her wet hair hung without a single wave in heavy ribbons to her waist. Mama had said men would find it attractive. To her, it looked ordinary. She ran her brush through it to remove the tangles, then a hundred more times to speed the drying.
Eliza watched her from the door. “Do you want me to braid it for you?”
Laura shook her head. “I’m not a schoolgirl.”
“Oh, but a braid is so pretty. It catches the blond streaks in your hair.”
“If you say so.” Laura handed her brush to her sister. Eliza came behind her, separating her hair in three perfect lines without leaving a single stray hair.
Eliza peeked over Laura’s shoulder, her face hovering behind Laura’s in the mirror. “You’re prettier than ever. And that dress brings out your pretty blue eyes. Now go show yourself to Jay.”
“Why would I do that?” As soon as the words left Laura’s lips, she glanced at the clock. If she intended to see the doctor before lunchtime, she had to leave now. Her stomach tumbled nervously. “Do you want to come with me?”
Eliza shook her head. “I’ll stay in today and rest. You go, make an appointment for the good doctor to see me sometime next week.”
Laura reached for the cameo around her neck, rubbing it as she considered going alone. The sisters had grown closer than ever since the accident. She had come to depend on Eliza’s company. That, and the fact that the bath chair drew attention away from Laura’s looks.
The image in the mirror blinked at her. Laura touched her pink cheeks, turned her head to see her hair. Eliza had managed to make her about as pretty as she had ever felt. “I’ll go.” The words came out in a whisper.
Aunt Minnie gave her directions. “And if you get lost, ask the way of anyone you meet.” Their goodbyes sounded like she was heading across country instead of the town, but Laura doubted she would get lost during the four-block walk.
“You might want to wear a sun bonnet,” Aunt Minnie said.
With her braid, simple skirt and sun bonnet, Laura felt like she had turned into a Nebraskan already. She didn’t fool the locals, though. Four people greeted her as Miss Evans before she had reached the Brown’s store. The woman sweeping the boardwalk—Mrs. Brown, perhaps?—said hello. “Welcome to Plymouth, Miss Evans.” She stopped sweeping. “Would you like to browse our store?”
Laura shook her head, hugging her destination to herself, although the news would probably spread before lunchtime. To prolong the pretense, she walked an extra block and circled back. A white sign hung from the porch of a small house: “Dr. J.A. Andrews and Dr. Jay Andrews.”
A ramp the twin of the one at Aunt Minnie’s house led up to the porch. Were there that many paralyzed people in town, to make a ramp a necessity? Surely he hadn’t adapted his office solely for Eliza’s sake.
Now that she had arrived, she hesitated about going in. Green bushes surrounded the house, together with a still green lawn. The door swung open and a pleasant, round-faced woman filled the frame. “Come on in, dear.”
The warm welcome overcame Laura’s shyness, and she climbed the steps. The woman talked nonstop while she conducted Laura inside. “I’m Joan Cook, Dr. Andrews’ assistant. And you must be Laura Evans. Doc Jay didn’t say you were coming. How was your trip? Your sister must be tired, the poor thing …”
The words poured out until Mrs. Cook had offered Laura a comfortable chair in the front room. From the chair she could see a hallway leading to other rooms. Attractive prints and needlework decorated the walls of the front.
“I’ll let Doc Jay know you’re here.”
Laura caught the words as Mrs. Cook disappeared down the hall.
But I’m not sick. The words stuck in Laura’s throat. She wasn’t ill, unless she counted a strong desire to see the doctor again.
Jay came around the corner to the hallway, a smile forming on his face. “Miss Evans. I trust all is well with you?”
“Call me Laura,” she said daringly. “Two Miss Evans in the same household are confusing. I am fine, but I was curious about your office.”
“Laura it is.” He caressed her name like molasses. She nearly swooned, as stuck to the chair as if a puddle of syrup had trapped her there.
~
“Come with me.” Jay held out a hand for Laura, which she grabbed like a lifeline. He couldn’t believe she was in his office after his abrupt departure that morning. If it didn’t bother her, he wouldn’t mention it. “Is your sister doing well?” He asked in a low voice as he escorted her into his room.
His medical office wasn’t the best place to talk with a lovely woman. So far he had arrived late for the stage coach and showed up at their doorstep before breakfast. Now she saw him in his place of business, but his diplomas, medical charts and an examining table weren’t that inviting.
Laura took a seat on the place usually reserved for family before she answered. “Eliza is fine. I was in the mood for exercise, after being immobile on the train for such a long time. And my footsteps brought me here.” She looked at him, the tips of her ears turning a bright red. “That’s not entirely true. I was surprised to hear you had office hours on Saturday. Our doctor only attended to emergencies on the weekends.”
“An advantage of having two doctors in one office. For those patients whose needs aren’t urgent, it helps to combine an appointment with their Saturday shopping.”
“That is an excellent idea.”
Conversation stalled while he waited for her to explain the reason for her visit. Her eyes roamed the room, glancing at his diplomas, at his bookcase that held his medical textbooks, the chest holding his equipment and powders. He decided to break the silence. “I was hoping—”
“I noticed—” They’d spoken at the same time.
Jay gestured. “Ladies first.”
“I wondered why you had a ramp leading to your office.” A delicate pink flush crossed her cheeks. “It’s weathered, so you didn’t build it for Eliza.”
“I built it …” He stopped in mid-sentence. He wouldn’t share the painful memory. “For a friend, who has since passed away.”
Curiosity swam in those blue eyes, but she didn’t ask, and he was grateful. “I wish more places considered the needs of people like Eliza and your friend.”
“I agree.” Jay shrugged. “I’ve asked the city council to build more ramps around town, but it costs money, and they don’t see the need. I dream of a day when every city and town in America makes it easier for people with disabilities to get around.”
She reached out and touched his fingers. “It would help the men who lost limbs during the war. They gave so much for our country. We don’t do enough for them.”
If she understood that much, she might understand him—like no woman he had met since Appomattox. She seemed so steady, so firm, like a rock on which a lighthouse could guide a wayward ship to shore. Only the Lord was that kind of light, but she would make a good runner up.
As quickly as that, she withdrew her hand. “And you had a question for me?”
Jay yanked his thoughts away from lighthouses to the present. “Only that I hope to treat Eliza. I see signs that she might be able to do more, if she’s willing to work.”
Laura smiled. “Then I’m luck. I came here to see if you would schedule an appointment for my sister. But do you think you can help her, before you’ve even examined her?”
Yes, I do. I specialized in cases like hers until I decided to crawl back home. Those memories pained him, and he didn’t brag about his past.
“I’ll know more after I examine her.” He wanted to spend time with Laura as well, with or without Eliza. “Since you’re new to Nebraska, you might want to join a church outing in a couple of weeks. It’s a hayride up what passes for a mountain in this part of the country. Would you come with me?�
��
Had he just invited Laura on a date?
She opened and then closed her mouth. “I never leave Eliza for very long. And Aunt Minnie can’t help her.” The joy in her face drained away as she spoke the words. She wasn’t objecting to going with him but to leaving her sister behind.
Jay decided to test the waters. “I can ask Mrs. Cook if she would stay with Eliza. She helps us when the occasion calls for it, and she can always call on my father if a problem arises.”
Laura perked up as if he had offered a lifeline, but then her smile faltered. “Eliza should meet her before I agree. Perhaps you can examine Eliza at the same time. Can we set up an appointment?”
“Let’s do that.”
Jay couldn’t believe his good fortune—he would get to see both Evans sister. God was smiling on him for the first time in a long time. “In case you were wondering, the church I attend also has a ramp. The Society of Friends meets in the second floor of the Browns’ home downtown. Ours in a small congregation, but you are more than welcome.”
“How wonderful!” Her words sounded enthusiastic, but she looked tired. Perhaps dreading the trip from her house to the church?
“I usually come by to bring Mizz Bell to church. If I bring the double-seated wagon, there will be room for everyone to sit and to carry her bath chair as well.”
Laura squinted as she gazed up at him. “Your offer is more than welcome, as you must know, but I am curious as to why you are so concerned about our welfare.” She studied him from head to toe, as if he were a puzzle she could solve.
“It’s what Jesus would do.”
Her eyes narrowed for a second. “There is more to your story than you are sharing with me, sir. But Aunt Minnie trusts you, and so will I. We’ll schedule that appointment for Eliza.”
For now. She seemed uncomfortable accepting the help he offered. After they had made the appointment for the following Saturday, he walked with her to the porch and bid her goodbye, an uncomfortable silence stretching between them. After she left, he looked up at the heavens. Lord, you’ve sent me two sisters. And I’m not sure which one needs help more.
Whatever the answer was, God had placed them in his path for a reason.
CHAPTER FIVE
A week later, Laura couldn’t believe the number of times she had seen Dr. Jay Andrews, at least once every day since she arrived.
What if she started to depend on him? He had done so much for them before they arrived, he didn’t have to do any more.
But he had. He had taken them to church. He’d wheeled Eliza through Brown’s store when Laura went shopping. He’d shown up for breakfast a couple more times, looking more like a leather-skinned cowboy than a polished doctor.
Today, he was going to examine Eliza to see if he could help. Since he needed time to read through the notes the doctor in Maine had sent, he’d made a Saturday appointment for their first consultation. And then she would see him again at church tomorrow.
Jay had even offered to pick them up for the appointment, but Laura had declined. If she could wheel Eliza all over the hilly streets in her home town, she could manage the fairly level streets of Plymouth.
Eliza had been out more in the past week than she usually did in a month. No one would guess it, though. She was waiting on the porch when Laura stepped outside to begin their journey to the doctor. Eliza let go of a long breath, a practice their doctor in Maine had suggested to help keep her lungs clear. “How refreshing. I like it here.”
It was wonderful to see Eliza enjoying life. “Plymouth agrees with you.”
“I believe it does.”
Jay had wheeled Eliza on all of their previous outings, so this was Laura’s first time pushing Eliza into town. The bath chair rumbled over the dusty road, kicking up clumps of dirt and small stones. The hardest part was making the transition onto the boardwalk. Laura tilted the chair back and looked down to Eliza’s smiling face. “It is a beautiful day, isn’t it? The temperature is just right, not too hot or too cold.” Cold weather created problems for Eliza. Even with today’s temperate temperatures, she was wrapped up with a blanket around her legs and a shawl around her shoulders.
“Make sure no one’s coming.” Eliza had feared an encounter on the street ever since a close brush with a boy on a bicycle. The boy had sprained his ankle, and Eliza’s arm had been bruised. The busier traffic on the main street worried her a little bit, too. Her gaze slid up and down the street often, checking for oncoming traffic.
Laura stopped when they reached the street to the doctors’ office. A glance to the right and left revealed no traffic. She eased the bath chair down from the boardwalk and made their way across.
Horse hooves clattered nearby when they reached the halfway point. “Laura.” Eliza leaned over, covering her head with her arms.
Laura sped up, and Eliza bounced up and down. The horse stopped and a tall shadow towered over him. “Laura, Eliza. So good to see both of you. I was afraid I might be late for your appointment.”
Jay couldn’t help casting a long shadow, but he could give a warning. He dismounted and took over the bath chair handles. “Crossing the street is always a problem.” Somehow he crossed the street without affecting the steady rhythm of the wheels. “I’d like boardwalks on all the streets, but they tell me the one in front of the store is more than enough foolishness from me.”
Jay was a crusader—no surprise. Add a suit of armor to his height, and he could face down a dragon. She had to smile at the image.
“And here we are.” He ran Eliza up the ramp accompanied by the sound of her joyous laugh.
Laura put her hand to her throat, afraid for his sister. Only when he stopped at the top, holding Eliza to keep her from falling forward, could Laura join in the laughter.
“Oh, that was fun.” Eliza’s smile said much more than that. “I haven’t had that much fun since …”
Since the tobogganing accident that had ruined her legs. The memory reminded Laura of the reason for their visit. She climbed the ramp. “I can’t wait to hear your opinions on Eliza’s condition.”
“Sorry I’m not ready for you,” said Jay. “I was visiting a patient who had a bad accident last week.” He wiped his forehead. “He seems to be doing better.”
The three of them entered the front room. “I’ll only be a minute.” He disappeared down the hall.
Seconds later, a man almost as tall as Jay, with rusty gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses, came out from the front office. “You must be the Evans’ sisters Jay keeps talking about.”
“You must be Dr. Andrews.” Laura accepted his handshake, as firm and unshakeable as his son’s.
“I’m sorry we can’t visit longer, but I was called out for an emergency. My son is the best man for your situation. Go ahead, take a seat. Mrs. Cook will bring you a cup of tea or coffee if you like.”
A few minutes later, Jay came and rolled Eliza back. Laura rose from the chair to follow but he halted her with a hand. “I’m going to visit with Eliza alone for a few minutes. Make yourself comfortable.” With another glance at Laura, he closed the door behind him.
Mrs. Cook came from the kitchen area with a cup of coffee. “I’m guessing you’re a coffee lover. Am I right?”
Laura nodded, staring down the hallway while she added sugar to the cup. “I need to be in there with Eliza.” She stirred more sugar and milk into her cup, sipped it, and grimaced. Too worried about her sister, she had double dosed it. It was undrinkable now.
Mrs. Cook took a seat next to her. The front room was empty except for the two of them. “They didn’t schedule any appointments for the rest of this morning, though there may be walkins. Doc Jay wants to be sure he has plenty of time to visit with your sister.”
Laura opened her mouth and then shut it. He had time for Eliza, but not for the person who took care of her. It didn’t make sense.
“Here are our copies of Godey’s Lady Book.”
Laura accepted the magazine and pretended to read while M
rs. Cook tidied up the already clean area. She flipped through the pages, studying the fashions that looked lovely on the models but which would be silly in day-to-day life in Nebraska. Not a single article caught her attention, so she resorted to looking for print errors in the articles. When she couldn’t keep count, she set aside the magazine and paced the small office.
Children’s artwork filled one wall. The drawing of someone who was obviously supposed to be Jay drew her attention. The child had drawn a stick figure from the top of the paper to the bottom, with big feet and long arms to match. Another man almost as tall with glasses on his face stood next to him. The child wasn’t even as tall as Jay’s knees. Laura had to laugh.
After she had examined every picture, she glared at the still closed door. She wanted, she deserved to know Jay’s plans for his sister.
“I must have misjudged you.” Mrs. Cook bustled back into the waiting room. “Let’s try a nice cup of tea this time.”
“Thank you. Tea would be nice. And maybe some bread?”
“Yes, I’ll rustle some up from the kitchen.”
As soon as Mrs. Cook left the room, Laura glanced around the empty room, tiptoed down the hall and put her ear to the door to listen to the conversation.
~
Jay turned his back from the folding screen while Eliza readjusted her clothing.
“If you need help, we can call in your sister or Mrs. Cook.”
“That won’t be necessary.” The words came out muffled. A few minutes later, she wheeled herself around the screen. “A sweater is much easier to manage.”
Eliza could handle many more activities on her own than Laura gave her credit for. Jay had seen the problem before. The cases he had seen often involved mothers and wives who only wanted to help, but who often made things worse.
Now, like then, he had to help Laura to change as much as he needed to help Eliza.
“So, what do you think?” Hope rounded Eliza’s smile.
Jay was glad he answer with a confident smile. “With an exercise regimen and appropriate adaptations in your house, you will be able to do most things for yourself.”
Love's Sporting Chance: Volume 2: 5 Romantic Sporting Novellas Page 9
