The Courageous Brides Collection
Page 1
The Healing Promise © 2016 by Johnnie Alexander
The Doctor’s Woman © 2016 by Michelle Griep
An Everlasting Promise © 2016 by Eileen Key
Love on the Run © 2016 by Debby Lee
Hidden Courage © 2016 by Rose Allen McCauley
The Encumbered Bride © 2016 by Donita Kathleen Paul
Mountain Echoes © 2016 by Jennifer Uhlarik
Letters from Lucy © 2016 by Jenness Walker
The Battlefield Bride © 2016 by Renee Yancy
Print ISBN 978-1-63409-777-2
eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-63409-872-4
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-63409-873-1
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.
All scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.
Published by Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc.,
P.O. Box 719, Uhrichsville, OH 44683, www.barbourbooks.com
Our mission is to publish and distribute inspirational products offering exceptional value and biblical encouragement to the masses.
Printed in Canada.
Contents
The Healing Promise by Johnnie Alexander
The Doctor’s Woman by Michelle Griep
An Everlasting Promise by Eileen Key
Love on the Run by Debby Lee
Hidden Courage by Rose Allen McCauley
The Encumbered Bride by Donita Kathleen Paul
Mountain Echoes by Jennifer Uhlarik
Letters from Lucy by Jenness Walker
The Battlefield Bride by Renee Yancy
The Healing Promise
by Johnnie Alexander
Dedication
For Dawn Lahm and Audrey Cravatt, treasured friends from our Nebraska days.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Gayelynn Oyler for sharing her expertise on horses.
Thanks, too, to the other authors in this collection who shared historical tidbits and resources, and also to my Imagine That! critique partners and Kindred Heart Writers.
As always, love to my children: Bethany Jett, Jillian Lancour, and Nate Donley.
He giveth power to the faint;
and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
ISAIAH 40:29
Chapter One
Neligh, Nebraska Tuesday, May 22, 1877
The tawny rabbit, its soft fur the color of a newborn fawn, squirmed beneath Marcy Whitt’s gentle grip. She repositioned him on the examining table then cleaned the dried blood from his injured paw. Hopefully, Copper would be her most difficult patient in Doc’s absence.
“Shh,” she murmured as she cleaned the wound with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball. “It only stings a moment.”
“Will he live?” Sadie Ellison’s red-rimmed eyes darkened with worry, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.
“To a great and respectable old age, I should say. As long as he stays out of trouble.”
“Are you sure?” Sadie’s voice cracked. “I don’t want him to die.”
“Have you never scratched yourself?” Marcy asked in pretended surprise.
“I suppose.”
“Yet here you are. A thriving young girl.” Marcy dabbed at the last of the blood then examined the slash again. “It’s not a very big cut, but it needs a bandage. Will you help me?”
“What do I need to do?”
“Sit in that chair and hold him tight. Can you do that?”
Sadie nodded, and Marcy placed the rabbit in the girl’s lap. She retrieved cotton and a strip of bandage from the apothecary jars then knelt in front of Sadie to wrap the injured paw.
“I wish he hadn’t gotten out of his cage,” Sadie said. “Then he wouldn’t have tangled in that dirty ole barb wire.”
“Hopefully he learned his lesson.”
“What lesson is that?”
Good question.
Marcy focused on wrapping the bandage then smiled at Sadie. “Sometimes it’s safest to stay at home. Especially if you’re a rabbit.”
Sometimes even if you’re not. Perhaps she needed more time in this bustling frontier town for it to feel like home. A sigh pressed against her throat. Time wouldn’t change anything. No matter how long she lived here, Neligh, Nebraska, would never be home. That special place was hundreds of miles away in Cincinnati.
“I wish Joel didn’t have none of that barb wire.” Sadie’s pouting voice interrupted Marcy’s thoughts. “Then it wouldn’t have mattered if Copper got out.”
“He probably needs it to fix the fences.”
A slight movement behind Sadie caught Marcy’s attention. Joel Ellison had entered the parlor, the room where people waited to see Doc, and now filled the door frame. Brown hair curled low on his brow and against the collar of his homespun shirt, tempting Marcy to pick up her scissors and give it a much-needed trim.
“Naw,” Sadie said, jutting out her jaw. “He doesn’t care, that’s all.”
“You talkin’ bad about me, missy?” Joel’s lighthearted tone took the sting from his words, but Sadie practically jumped out of her skin. She clutched her pet so tightly his eyes widened.
“Only saying what was on my mind.”
Sadie bent her head over Copper so Joel couldn’t see her surly expression. Hiding her amusement at Sadie’s spunk, Marcy concentrated on tying the bandage and securing the ends. Of course a child could get away with saying things a twenty-year-old couldn’t. Though perhaps Marcy would be outspoken, too, if life had been as unkind to her as it had been to the Ellison family.
Joel was doing as well as could be expected—at least that’s what everyone said. Marcy only saw him in church on Sundays and occasionally at the general store. He had a farm to run, a child to raise, and seemed to have little time or desire for socializing.
“You’re not bothering Miss Marcy with that silly old rabbit, are you?”
“She’s no bother,” Marcy said before Sadie could answer. She patted the little girl’s knee. “I’m all done. And don’t worry. Copper is going to be just fine.”
Marcy rose and pumped water into the enamel basin. Doc once told her folks had laughed when he put the pump inside his house, but it sure was convenient. While she washed and dried her hands, Joel entered the room and bent beside his sister.
“He hurt his paw,” Sadie said.
Joel stroked the rabbit’s head. “How did he get out of his cage?”
She shrugged her shoulders and mumbled something unintelligible.
“Were you careless about the latch?”
“Maybe.” She raised her eyes to Joel. “But he’s not going to die. Miss Marcy said so.”
A weight seemed to settle on Joel’s shoulders, and an unexpected sensation fluttered in Marcy’s chest. She wanted to do something, to say something to ease his burden. But no words came.
“I’m sure Miss Marcy fixed him up real good.” He pressed his palm against Sadie’s cheek. “Now he needs you to make sure he can’t get out of his cage again.”
“I will.” Sadie nestled her head against Joel’s shoulder. “I promise.
”
“That’s my girl.” He prodded Sadie from the chair as he rose. Apparently the brotherly gesture was all Sadie needed to forgive him. She leaned into him while cuddling Copper.
“Bring him by tomorrow,” Marcy said, “and I’ll take another look.”
“You’ll be here tomorrow?” Joel asked.
“I can be.”
“Where’s Doc?”
“He’s gone to Norfolk.”
“When will he be back?”
“Tomorrow, maybe. If not, the day after.”
Joel’s facial muscles constricted, and his eyes darkened with worry.
“What is it?” Marcy asked.
Instead of answering, Joel touched Sadie on the shoulder. “Tell Miss Marcy thank you, then go wait for me by the buckboard. It’s out front.”
Sadie ran to Marcy and gave her a quick hug. “You make everything better. Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Go on now,” Joel urged Sadie. His gaze followed her until after she left the room. Not until they heard the soft sounds of a door opening and closing did he turn back to Marcy.
“She loves that rabbit. Don’t know what she’d do if something happened to it.”
“Nothing will.”
“Folks around here say you’ve got a way with animals.” He stared into her eyes as if taking her measure. “Do you have a way with people, too?”
The intensity of his gaze unsettled her. What he said was true—she seemed to have an innate gift to soothe aches and pains. Sadie wasn’t the first child to bring her a sick or injured pet.
Something in his expression, though, told her he wasn’t impressed. Deeper than that, he found her wanting.
But why?
“Doc trusted me to look after things while he’s gone,” she said, her eyes fixed on his. “But my only medical training is what I’ve learned from him.”
“A child needs tending.”
“Who?”
Joel hesitated, as if reluctant to speak. “You’d help a child, wouldn’t you? No matter who it was?”
At first, her mind refused to accept the strange questions. Then it rushed through all the possibilities, recalling then dismissing each child in the community. He surely couldn’t believe she’d refuse to help any of them.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“She’s a Ponca child,” he said as if he’d read her thoughts and known she hadn’t considered anyone outside of Neligh.
“They sent for Doc?” An odd thing if so. The Ponca were friendly with the settlers but also aloof. They rarely came to town.
Joel shook his head. “They’re camped about a mile from my farm. The agent who’s with them asked me to fetch Doc. One of their little ones is feverish.”
“So it’s true. They’re being forced to leave.”
“The army is taking them to Oklahoma Territory.”
“In this weather?” Every day brought more rain as if the dark clouds were water-laden ships speeding toward them from the Pacific Ocean.
“Right now the sun is shining.”
“But for how long?”
Joel shrugged. “Will you come?”
“I’ll come.” Marcy scanned the shelves of medical supplies and focused her thoughts. Doc had taken his medical bag with him, but she had the basket of mending she’d brought from home—something to occupy her time if the good people of Neligh had no need of her skills. She emptied the contents onto the table and filled the basket with medical supplies.
When Joel took the basket from her, Marcy reached for her shawl. “I need to let my pa know where I’m going.”
“We can send Sadie.”
“She’s not coming with us? I don’t mean to the camp, but home. Your home.” She pressed her lips together to stop the rambling. Nerves, she supposed. Cleaning an injured rabbit’s scratched foot was one thing, but caring for a sick child at an army camp was another thing entirely.
“I already asked Betsy Taylor to look after her. Thought it best for me to stay at the camp in case Doc needed a hand.” He glanced away. “Didn’t expect I’d be taking you out there.”
“Did you honestly think I’d refuse to help a child?”
“We need to go.” He took long strides toward the door, leaving Marcy scurrying to catch up.
Once outside, she locked the house and tucked the key into the pocket of her gingham dress. By the time she reached the buckboard, Joel had placed her basket beneath the wooden seat. Sadie sat inside the wagon bed, head bent while she softly sang a lullaby. From her vantage point, Marcy couldn’t see Copper, but the child obviously held her cherished pet in her lap.
Joel grasped her elbow to help her onto the seat. Once she was settled, she tied her bonnet beneath her chin. Her movements were smooth, practiced. But her thoughts were spinning like a springtime tornado.
The Ponca were leaving, and a child was sick.
Father, please don’t let it be the Beloved Child, she silently prayed. Please not her.
Chapter Two
After Joel helped Marcy onto the wagon seat, he folded his arms over the wagon bed near Sadie. Her eyes were still red, but at least she wasn’t crying. He pulled out his bandanna anyway and made a pretense of drying her tears. “How’s Copper?”
“He’s better.”
“Good enough for you to do me a big favor?”
“I guess so.”
“I need to drive Miss Marcy out to the army camp. Don’t know how long we’ll be gone.”
“Am I going, too?”
“Miss Taylor said you could stay awhile with her. You’d like staying with your teacher, wouldn’t you?”
“She likes rabbits.”
“That’s good. But first I need you to go by the lumber mill. Tell Mr. Whitt where we’re going so he doesn’t worry.” He playfully pulled her braid. “Can you do that?”
“Can Copper go with me?”
“Don’t see why not.” Joel lifted her from the wagon bed, and Sadie ran toward the river, Copper clutched tightly in her arms. “You’ll make that rabbit sick,” he called after her. Sadie slowed to a walk, albeit a fast one.
Joel shook his head then climbed onto the high seat beside Marcy. Toward the west, little swirls of dust kicked up as the breeze quickened, died, and quickened again. Dark clouds sped toward them, chasing away the blue skies. “Storm’s a-coming.”
“Will we reach the camp before it hits?”
“I think so.” Joel released the brake and made a clicking noise as he lightly tapped Toby’s broad back with the reins. The horse trotted along the familiar road leading toward the farm.
“He’s going to be mighty disappointed when I don’t turn into the barn,” Joel said with a wry laugh.
Marcy didn’t respond, and he gave her a sideways glance. The bonnet hid most of her face but not the set of her jaw.
“Hope I didn’t take you from anything important,” he said.
She turned to him, her blue eyes boring into his. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“What question?”
“Why you thought I wouldn’t come.”
Joel exhaled and stared toward the horizon. “Some folks aren’t sorry to see the Ponca go. Thought you might be one of them.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because I know what people close to you’ve been saying.”
“My pa is friendly with the Ponca. He built a fine table for Chief Standing Bear.”
“I wasn’t talking about your pa.”
She didn’t reply, but he sensed her posture tense as she clutched at her shawl. It might not be fair, but he couldn’t help his misgivings about her. Everyone in town knew Benjamin Hollingsworth’s views on the Indian question. And everyone knew Benjamin was Marcy’s beau.
They drove for a few moments in silence. Joel had never been good at small talk, and Marcy’s feminine proximity made it even harder to think of something to say. He didn’t suppose he’d ever be good at courting. Not that he had the ti
me. After Pa died, the farm had been his to keep, and Sadie had been his to raise. He was determined not to lose either.
Five years had passed since he’d buried Pa, and so far Joel had managed to hold on to both. The farm did as well as any of the others near the prairie town, if not a slight touch better. And Sadie brought him a joy he’d never expected to find this side of heaven.
He’d grieved for his mom when he was eleven and for his stepmother when he was twelve. Pa had wasted no time finding a much younger replacement after Ma died—a gal only a few years older than Joel. She’d been more like an older sister than a mother. For her sake, he’d held on to Sadie when Pa died instead of giving her over to an orphanage. That’s what folks told him to do. But he never considered it.
“How old is the child?” Marcy’s voice, as refreshing against his ear as a spring breeze in the twilight, interrupted his thoughts.
“The agent didn’t say. Only told me that they had a sick child. A girl.”
Marcy stiffened beside him. Or maybe he imagined it.
“Why didn’t he bring her to town? Or send her with you?”
“Her pa wouldn’t allow it.”
“Why not?”
“Maybe he worried about trusting her to the enemy.”
“Enemy.” Marcy repeated the word, almost as if she were trying it out, feeling its sharpness against her teeth. “I’m surprised he asked for help.”
“You can’t blame him for being suspicious. Not after everything that’s happened.”
“You mean the treaty.” She sighed heavily. “Why couldn’t they just fix it?”
“That would take brains. Something those muttonheads back East don’t have.”
“It has to be for the best. They’ll be safer in Oklahoma Territory.”
Joel slapped the reins against Toby’s back more to express his frustration than to goad the horse into a faster trot. Despite her willingness to help, Marcy wasn’t much different than the other girls in Neligh—more interested in the new fabrics and doodads at the general store than what was going on around them.
“You disagree?” she asked.
“A few of the Ponca already went there. They came back because they couldn’t find a decent place for the tribe.”