She gazed at him, her brown eyes filled with uncertainly. “Already?” she echoed.
“Are we really almost finished?” he asked. “Thank you for getting control of the situation so quickly.” He looked sheepish. “I’ve been struggling about how to handle everyone for the last hour and a half.” He rubbed his fingers through the dog’s coat. “Bailey is going to be fine, Mrs. Martin.”
The woman looked relieved as she glanced back and forth between them. “Thank you, Dr. Pierce.”
“You’re welcome.” He turned toward Nell, pleased that she hadn’t moved. “Nell, would you mind checking out Mrs. Martin and Bailey?”
“I’d be happy to,” she said politely. She turned to the dog’s owner. “Mrs. Martin, would you please follow me?
James caught Nell’s gaze as she waited for the woman and her dog to walk past her. He grinned in approval and was relieved to see her answering smile before she quickly followed Mrs. Martin.
Nell came into the back as he exited exam room two. “I forgot to tell you that Mrs. Rogan in exam room one had the next earliest appointment, then Mr. Jones, then Abraham Yoder.”
He couldn’t keep from studying her face. Nell Stoltzfus was genuinely lovely, with no need for artificial enhancement. He noted her smooth, unblemished skin, her pink lips, the reddish tinge to her cheeks. Since graduating from vet school, he’d had little time for a personal life, especially now that he was working hard to establish his new practice. He didn’t know why, but there was something about her that made him long for something more. “Thank you, Nell.”
“You’re willkomm, Dr. Pierce.”
He briefly met her gaze. “James, please,” he invited. Again.
“James,” she said then she blushed. “It was Mrs. Beggs, Mr. Merritt and Mrs. McDaniel whom I rescheduled.”
“I appreciate your help,” he told her, meaning it. “I didn’t expect Michelle and Janie to both be out today. Janie asked for the week off, and Michelle is home with a stomach bug.” He sighed. “I confess that I’m not good at juggling appointments.”
Nell looked confused. “Juggling?”
He laughed. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you but at myself. I don’t know how Michelle does her job. She’s good at what she does.” He studied her thoughtfully, liking what he saw. “Apparently, you’re good at it, too.”
“At juggling appointments?” She arched her eyebrows.
“Yes.” He chuckled, and the smile that came to Nell’s pink lips had him mesmerized until he realized that he was staring. He stole one last glance at her as he opened the door to room one.
He heard her “Ja” before he closed the door.
* * *
The day passed quickly, and soon the last patient had been seen. Nell set aside the appointment book along with the checks, money and credit card transactions for the day. Fortunately, she’d quickly figured out how to use the credit card machine. She’d seen Bob Whittier of Whittier’s Store use one often enough to recall how it was done.
She even had the opportunity to assist James with his last patient. Mrs. Pettyjohn’s poodle, Roggs, had a lump above his right hind leg. James had determined it to be an abscess following a small injury. He’d asked for her help as he did minor surgery to open the wound.
“Will he be all right?” Nell asked as she handed him supplies and observed his work.
“He’ll be fine. It looks as if he got into a rose bush. See this thorn?” He held up a tiny dark object that he’d removed with tweezers. “I’ll prescribe an antibiotic for a couple of weeks. He’ll have to wear a cone until his follow-up appointment.”
Nell had enjoyed her afternoon at the clinic being his assistant. Too much. And she knew it had as much to do with the man as working with animals. Thankfully, the day was over, and after she helped to clean up, she’d be able to leave.
She cleaned the exam room floors with disinfectant. She was quiet as she mopped, her thoughts filled with what she’d seen and heard that day. When she was done, she emptied out the wash water and put away the bucket and mop.
“I’m finished with the floors, Doctor—James,” she told him as he came into the reception area where she picked up her purse. “I’ll be heading home now.”
“Thank you so much for your help today,” he said. “I don’t know how I would have managed without you.” He gazed at her a moment, then frowned. “Why did you come into the office today?”
“My dog, Jonas, is well and old enough to start his heartworm medicine.”
“I’ll get it for you.” James retrieved a box from a cabinet and handed it to her. “Take it. No charge. If you come back tomorrow, I’ll have cash for you.”
“For what?” She frowned. “For helping out for a few hours? Nay, I’ll not take your money.”
“Nell…”
“Nay, James.”
“But you’ll take the medicine.”
She opened her mouth to object but relented when she saw his expression. The man wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Ja. Danki.” She gasped as she saw the time on the office wall clock. “I’ve got to go. Mam will be holding dinner for me.” She hurried toward the door. “Gut night, James.”
“Good night, Nell,” he said softly.
Nell promptly left and ran toward her buggy, which was parked in the back lot several yards away from the building. She unhitched her mare, Daisy, then climbed into her vehicle.
As she reached for the reins, she watched as James headed toward his car. He stood by the driver’s side and lifted a hand to wave. She nodded but didn’t wave back. As she drove out onto the road, her thoughts turned to her family and most particularly her father, who wouldn’t be pleased that she was late for supper.
She spurred Daisy into a quick trot and drove home in record time. As she steered the mare into the barnyard, her sister Leah came out of the house to greet her.
“Dat’s been wondering why you’re late,” Leah said as the two sisters walked toward the house.
“I was helping Dr. Pierce at the veterinary clinic.” Nell stiffened. “Didn’t Bob Whittier get word to you?”
“About a half hour ago.”
“Ach, nay,” Nell said with dismay. “I didn’t know he’d wait until that late. I called him hours ago.”
“He sent word with Joshua Peachy but Joshua got sidetracked when he saw an accident on the stretch of road between Yoder’s General Store and Eli’s carriage shop. A truck hit a car and there were children…”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is everyone all right?”
“Joshua didn’t know.”
“Is Dat angry with me?”
“Nay, Joshua told him what happened and why he couldn’t get word to us earlier.”
“But?”
“But he expected you sooner, and I don’t think he was too happy that you stayed to help out James Pierce.”
“Leah, you should have seen the waiting room. It was noisy and crowded, and there was no staff to help him. Both Michelle and Janie were out and he was alone. I believe that God wanted me to help him.”
Her sister smiled. “Then that’s what you tell Dat. He can’t argue with the Lord.”
As she entered the kitchen, Nell saw her other sisters seated at the table with her parents. She nodded to each of them then settled her gaze on her father. “Dat,” she said. “I’m sorry I’m late. I didn’t expect to be gone so long.”
To her surprise, her father nodded but didn’t comment.
Nell took her place at the table, and Dat led them as they gave thanks to the Lord for their meal. Nell’s sister Charlie started a conversation, and all of her sisters joined in as food was passed around.
As she reached for the bowl of mashed potatoes, Nell caught her dat studying her with a thoughtful expression. She felt suddenly uneasy. Her father might have seemed unaffected by her lateness, but she could tell that after supper he would want to talk with her, and she had no idea what he was going to say or how she would answer him. The truth was, she had e
njoyed her afternoon at Pierce Veterinary Clinic too much to be sorry that she’d decided to stay.
“Tell him what you’ve just told me,” her sister Leah had advised her.
I’ll tell him how I felt…that God had wanted me to stay and help James. Dr. James Pierce. She only hoped that Dat understood and accepted her decision as the right one.
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A Mother for Cindy
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