by Stacy Henrie
“Maybe something will work out so you can stay awhile longer.” Janet gave her arm a hopeful squeeze.
They reached the brow of the hill and stopped. Evelyn peered down at the road below. No sign of Joel yet, but he still had a few minutes to go before his promised arrival. She set down her suitcase and hugged Janet tight.
“How can I thank you enough for your help?” She let go of her friend to peer into her face. “Joel and I are getting married largely because of you and the things you said the other night.”
“It’s me who must thank you, Evelyn.”
“What do you mean?” Evelyn couldn’t think of anything she’d done to help Janet, at least not to the extent her friend had done for her.
Janet brushed some blond hair from her face, her eyes locked on something in the distance. “You helped me see that love and family might still be a possibility for me—again. Who knows?” She shrugged. “You’ll write, won’t you?”
Evelyn nodded and hoisted her suitcase. She and Janet had exchanged addresses. The sound of a horn floated up to them. Evelyn turned to see a truck waiting on the road below. “I wonder where in the world he found that.”
She gave Janet one last hug, then slowly descended the hill, doing her best to avoid spraining her other ankle or stepping in the mud. It wouldn’t do for the bride to appear with dirty shoes.
“Good-bye, Evelyn,” Janet shouted, her arm lifted in a wave.
Evelyn waved back as her feet met level ground again. “Good-bye,” she called over her shoulder.
She limped toward the truck, her excitement making her wish she could move faster. A man stepped from the truck. Her smile spread wider, until she realized it wasn’t Joel.
“Sergeant Dennis?” Evelyn stopped. Her heart leapt into her throat as concern washed over her. Where was Joel? Had the sergeant come to relay bad news? “What’s happened?” she demanded.
Sergeant Dennis removed his hat and wiped at his forehead. “The dang truck got caught in the mud a ways back. But don’t be tellin’ Campbell that. He promised to tan my hide if I was late to pick you up.”
Relief rushed in to take the place of her fear. “So you’re my ride. How did you…”
“Had a few favors to call in,” the sergeant said with a grin. He helped her walk around to the other side of the truck and climb inside. Once he returned to the driver’s seat, he fiddled with the gears and the truck jerked forward.
“Where are we going?” Evelyn asked as they headed down the road.
“To St. Vincent’s.”
A thrill shot through her. “Is that where Joel is?”
Sergeant Dennis nodded.
“Your helping us has nothing to do with seeing Nurse Thornton again, does it?”
Red crept up the sergeant’s neck. “I told Corporal Campbell I’d be his best man.” He shot her a sideways look. “But it don’t hurt that Alice is there, too.”
Evelyn laughed. George Dennis was a good man. She was glad he and Alice had become such close friends, despite Evelyn’s objections in the beginning.
“We could make it a double wedding,” she teased.
His face turned as dark as his neck. “Nah. Alice wants to keep nursing until the war’s over. But I’m goin’ to ask her to be my girl today. You know, wait for me, official like.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
Comfortable silence filled the cab between them. Evelyn listened to the noises of the truck and watched the countryside moving past. Each turn of the wheels brought her closer to Joel and to her wedding. Before long, her eyelids began to droop as the previous night of little sleep caught up with her.
Sometime later, she jerked awake when the truck shuddered to a full stop.
“We’re here,” Sergeant Dennis announced.
Evelyn peered out the window at the familiar stone walls and turrets of St. Vincent’s hospital. She felt as if she’d come home. She touched her hair, reassuring herself all the pins had stayed in place even as she dozed. Satisfied, she lifted her suitcase to her lap and waited for the sergeant to open her door. When he did, she climbed out and smoothed the front of her dress.
She allowed him to assist her to the hospital’s main doors. But instead of helping her walk in, he took her suitcase and set it inside the door.
“Aren’t we going in?” she asked, confused.
The sergeant shook his head. “We’re needed in the church.”
He offered her his arm again and they walked around the side of the hospital. As they passed the nurses’ building and crossed the expansive lawn, memories flooded Evelyn’s mind—both pleasant and painful. She would always cherish this place.
Her heart beat faster with anticipation as they reached the ancient church. Sergeant Dennis held the door open for her.
“Will you walk me down the aisle, Sergeant?” Evelyn asked. “Not just for tradition’s sake either.” She gave a light laugh. “I don’t think I can do it on this ankle.”
The sergeant looked surprised. “It would be an honor, Nurse Gray.”
Evelyn shuffled ahead of him into the cool interior of the church. Her eyes took a few seconds to adjust to the dimmer light. Once she could see, she realized the building was already half-full with sisters and nurses, including Alice and Sister Marcelle.
Up front, beside the pastor, stood Joel. Though she’d seen him just a few hours earlier, Evelyn’s pulse quickened at the sight of him. He looked so tall and handsome in his mud-free Army uniform. And that smile, directed straight at her, made her stomach churn with pleasant butterflies.
“Evelyn!” Louis shot down the aisle and threw his arms around her waist. “You are back.”
She hugged him tight. Tears of joy filled her eyes at seeing him again. “Oh, I missed you, Louis.”
He broke free of her embrace to show her the notebook he clutched in one hand. “I kept the corporal’s book for him, like he told me to. Until you came back. I have been so careful with it and only drew a few pictures inside.” Evelyn recognized Joel’s bird book as Louis showed her a drawing he’d made.
“That’s very good—”
“Now that you are back, we will be a family and all look for birds together.”
Evelyn hated to steal away the grin from his young face. “Well, you see, Louis. Corporal Campbell has to go back to being a soldier, and you and I—”
“Will be staying with us at the hospital,” Sister Marcelle interjected, “as long as you like.”
Evelyn blinked in surprise at the sister. “What about my being discharged?”
Sister Marcelle placed her hand on Evelyn’s arm. “You may be released from active service with the Army Nurse Corps once you are married, but we could still use your help.” She glanced at Joel, who was coming down the aisle toward them. “Besides, I hear your husband-to-be has leave in a few months. It might be nice to stay close so you can see him sooner.”
“Say you’ll stay, Evelyn,” Alice said from her spot next to Sergeant Dennis. “It hasn’t been the same without you here.”
Evelyn gazed into the earnest faces around her and laughed. “All right then. Looks like you and I are staying for a while longer, Louis.”
The boy gave a whoop as Joel came up to them. His nearness set Evelyn’s heartbeat racing with anticipation again. “Go and sit down, Louis,” she gently directed. Sister Marcelle led the boy back up the aisle.
“What are we celebrating back here?” Joel asked, amusement in his hazel eyes.
“Louis and I are going to stay on at St. Vincent’s for a while longer. At least until after you get leave.”
“That’s an excellent idea. But I think we need to get married first.” He tipped his head in the direction of the pastor. “The poor man’s been waiting since I woke him up an hour ago.” Leaning closer, he whispered in her ear, “And the cottage I rented for the day should be just about ready as well.”
Evelyn blushed, even as excitement shot up her spine at the thought of being alone with Joel, as her
husband this time.
He kissed her quick on the cheek. “Are you ready?”
“Yes.”
Alice handed her a small bouquet of wildflowers as Joel returned to his spot beside the pastor. Evelyn fingered the colored petals—they would look pretty, dried and pressed, in her flower book at home.
One of the sisters struck up a wedding march on the little organ. It was Evelyn’s cue.
She linked her arm through Sergeant Dennis’s and they started slowly up the aisle. For a moment, she wished her father were walking next to her and her grandparents were seated in one of the pews. But as her gaze took in the happy faces around her—Louis, Sister Marcelle, Alice—she realized these people were as dear to her as her own family. And in a few minutes, she and Joel would become a new family themselves. She locked her eyes with his and returned his brilliant smile as she took her place beside him.
* * *
Evelyn leaned against Joel, her hand clasped in his. They turned onto the gravel drive leading to the hospital, their footsteps crunching in the early evening quiet.
“Don’t you wish we could go back?” She glanced over her shoulder, though she knew she couldn’t see the little cottage they’d spent the day in.
Joel lifted their joined hands and kissed her knuckles. “Yes, very much.”
“I suppose it wouldn’t do to miss the lovely dinner they’re making for us, though.”
“Probably not.” Joel chuckled. “Besides, Sergeant Dennis and I have to head back soon.”
“I know.” She refused to focus on the imminent farewell; instead she wrapped the happy memories of the day around her like a quilt. She felt so blessed, so loved. “I’m grateful Sister Marcelle is letting me and Louis stay.”
“Me, too. It’ll be easier getting through the next two months, knowing you’ll be here waiting for me when I get leave again.” He smiled down at her in a way that made her stomach flip-flop. She hoped the next eight weeks would speed by. “What will your grandparents say about our marriage and about Louis?”
“I think they’ll be happy for us.” She kissed his cheek in reassurance. “It’s my other idea I’m worried about. I’m not sure how they’ll react.”
“What idea is that?”
They were almost to the main doors of the hospital. Evelyn stopped and turned toward him, her heartbeat picking up with fresh excitement. “I want to turn my grandparents’ big farmhouse into a home for boys like Louis. Those who’ve lost their parents or have run away from home. Like that boy you once told me about, who lived with your family.”
“Les?”
“Yes. I want to provide them with a place to stay and work and be loved for as long as they need it.” She looked at Joel, hoping he would approve. Everything inside her told Evelyn this was her new life’s work, but she would need Joel’s help to make it happen, even if it wasn’t until the war ended and he was finally released to come home. “What do you think?”
Instead of answering, Joel set down her suitcase and cupped her face between his hands. He pressed a firm kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, he left her delightfully weak in the knees.
“I love you, Evelyn.” He rubbed his thumb over her lips. “And I love the idea. I don’t know that we can find Les, but I’m sure there are plenty of other boys who could use a good home.”
One of the front doors crashed open, and Louis dashed toward them. He threw an arm around each of them, his face lit up with his usual grin.
“You are back,” he said. “I have been waiting and waiting.”
Evelyn tousled his hair. “Are you ready for dinner? Did you see what Cook made?”
Louis nodded. “But I cannot tell. It is a surprise.”
“Let’s go inside then,” Joel said with a laugh as he picked up her suitcase. “I’m starving.”
He held one of her hands and Louis latched on to the other as they moved toward the hospital doors. Louis stopped just before they crossed the threshold. “So this will be our home now, Maman Evelyn?”
Hearing that sweet word—maman—directed at her filled Evelyn’s soul to overflowing with joy. “For a little while, but there’s something I want you to remember.” She smiled at him, then up at Joel. “Wherever we are together, that is home.”
Epilogue
October 1919
Evelyn glanced up from peeling potatoes at the sink as Louis and five-year-old Aaron raced into the kitchen, brandishing the wooden guns Evelyn’s grandfather had made Louis the previous Christmas. “Outside, boys,” she directed.
They tore out the back door, slamming it shut behind them. Evelyn’s grandmother chuckled from her seat at the table, where she was knitting winter hats for all the boys at the farm.
“Things aren’t as quiet as they used to be for you and Grandpa,” Evelyn said with a chuckle. She brushed a curl from her face and returned to her task.
“It’s nice not to have things so quiet.”
“Really?” Evelyn set down her knife to study her grandmother. She’d been saddened to find both of them looking so frail when she and Louis had arrived home last December before Joel was released to join them in the States. Yet her grandparents had welcomed the idea of opening their home to other boys in need of help. To Evelyn’s surprise, the whole venture had seemed to renew their health, instead of speeding up its decline.
Her grandmother’s knitting needles paused. “I haven’t seen your grandfather so happy in years.”
“What about you, Grandma?”
Her wrinkled face lifted into a smile as the knitting needles resumed their quiet clicking. “I am a great-grandmother now. I have nothing to complain about.” She looked up from her work, her keen gaze on Evelyn. “I’m proud of you, Evelyn. You have a good husband and son, and you are raising a whole passel of boys to be good men, too.”
Evelyn brushed at the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. Telling her grandparents all that had transpired during her time in France hadn’t been easy, but they had reacted to the news with the same loving kindness she felt in her grandmother’s words at this moment.
Joel stepped through the back door, a bushel of apples in his arms. “How are my two favorite women?” He placed a kiss on Grandma’s cheek as he passed her chair. Evelyn’s grandmother grinned.
He set the bushel of apples on the counter, then came to the sink and kissed Evelyn firmly on the lips.
“Is that the last of the apples?” she asked when he stepped back.
“Just about. The older boys think they can get one more bushel, maybe two.”
“Good. I think Grandma and I will make apple pie tomorrow.” Evelyn rinsed another potato as she glanced out the window. The red and gold leaves clinging to the trees matched the colors of the sunset.
A movement drew her attention and she looked to see a lone figure walking up the road in the direction of the farm. The young man had a knapsack over his shoulder and appeared to be about sixteen years old. He glanced at the farmhouse and came to a stop, his blond hair lifting with the evening breeze.
Something in his face brought a spark of hope and excitement thrumming inside Evelyn. Could her letters have finally found the person she’d been seeking ever since she’d returned to the States?
“Joel, I think we’ll need to get out that other bed frame tonight.”
Joel came up behind her and looked out the window. “I’ll go meet him,” he said with a smile.
Evelyn kept her eyes focused on the young man. A minute later, Joel appeared on the road. He approached the boy with his hand outstretched to greet him, then he froze. Evelyn held her breath. The young man stumbled forward and Joel clasped him in a tight hug.
“Oh, thank you, Lord,” she breathed, dropping the potato in the sink. “I’ll be right back, Grandma.”
She hurried out the back door and through the short side gate. Joel released the boy and led him toward the house. Evelyn met them on the road.
“Who do we have here?” she asked, though she suspected the answe
r already.
Joel grinned. “Les, I want you to meet my wife, Evelyn. Evelyn, this is Les.”
“Pleased to meet you, Les.” She shook hands with the young man. “Welcome to our farm.”
A faint smile erased the hesitant look on Les’s face. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“Why don’t you go on up to the house and wash up? We’ll be eating soon. The kitchen’s right through there.” She pointed at the back door.
Les nodded and strode to the gate. Evelyn watched him a moment longer, then turned to Joel. He was studying her intently.
“What?” She laughed.
He took both her hands in his. “How did you find him? I didn’t even think his mother knew where he was.”
Evelyn shrugged, though she couldn’t stop beaming. “It took a lot of letters and patience, but I finally found a woman who had hired him to work in her store a while back. I wrote and told Les about our home here and invited him to come. To be honest, I wasn’t sure he’d even—”
He ended any further attempt at explanation with a long kiss that set Evelyn’s pulse racing. “Thank you, Evelyn. For marrying me, for finding Les, for giving us a family with Louis and all these boys.”
Joel put his arm around her waist as they walked back toward the brightly lit house. On the front porch, her grandfather sat in a rocker, whittling at a stick, while two of the younger boys listened to his stories. Ahead of her and Joel, Louis and Aaron jostled each other good-naturedly as they entered the kitchen behind the older boys. Through the open door, the trill of her grandmother’s laughter and the murmur of many voices spilled out, encircling Evelyn. She couldn’t imagine happier sounds. With the warmth of Joel’s hand on the small of her back, she climbed the stairs and stepped inside.
About the Author
Stacy Henrie has always had an avid appetite for history, fiction, and chocolate. She earned her B.A. in public relations from Brigham Young University and worked in communications before turning her attentions to raising a family and writing inspirational historical romances. Wife of an entrepreneur husband and a stay-at-home mom to three, Stacy loves the chance to live out history through her fictional characters, while enjoying the modern conveniences of life in the twenty-first century. In addition to being an author, she is a reader, a road trip enthusiast, and a novice interior decorator.
