Sunshine in the Rain (Rainy Weather Series Book 1)

by Barbara Goss

  “No, it was Meg,” Susannah smiled at Meg as she said it.

  “Meg?” Carter swung his head around and stared at her in surprise.

  “Sit down, Carter, and I’ll explain,” Meg said.

  “I think I’d like to hear it from Susannah,” he said. “Please, Susannah, come with me into the parlor.”

  She rose and followed him into the parlor at the front of the house, and Carter slid the sliding wooden door shut behind them.

  “Please, have a seat.” He motioned to the sofa where he sat down, quickly, beside her.

  “Now, what’s happened?”

  “God has a purpose for my life, and I have to start living it. I can’t waste what God did for me by wallowing in self-pity and depending on others to care for me,” she said.

  “Meg told you this?”

  “She made me realize it, yes. God spared me for a reason, and I need to discover what it is He wants me to do with my life, Dr. Harding.”

  “Carter.”

  “Carter. I want to go back home and continue with the dream my parents had. They moved to Oberlin after being sharecroppers in Virginia, because they had a dream of owning land and a farm of their own. They’d hardly gotten started when…it…happened.”

  “It’s an honorable thing you want to do, but you’re all alone in the world. How will you travel? How will you eat and where will you sleep?” Carter asked.

  “God will provide,” she said.

  Susannah’s eyes were focused on the window. He thought she was lovely before, when she was docile and meek, but now, with the fire in her eyes and the determination on her face, she was beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms and hug the thoughts of leaving from her.

  Her cheeks were rosy from her excitement, and her beautiful green eyes were full of determination. There would be no stopping this woman, and he had to ask himself, why he would even want to stop her? Wasn’t it his job to see his patients cured? If this wasn’t proof of her complete recovery, he didn’t know what was.

  He felt moved by her. She was right in that God had spared her life and she had to make the best of it. He didn’t believe she should go off on her own, though.

  The very thought of her leaving from St. Joseph, and his life, gave him a feeling of desolation.

  “Susannah,” he said softly. “If you wait a few days, I’ll go with you.”

  She swung around to face him. “What?”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “What about your job at the hospital?”

  “I hate it. I’d rather accompany you and help you accomplish what you want to do with your life.” He’d finally gained eye contact with her for the first time since entering the parlor. “Will you let me escort you home?”

  She simply stared at him for several moments and Carter held his breath as he awaited her answer. He wasn’t as sure of her answer as he might have been if this were still the old Susannah, the weak, dependent one, and he worried she might refuse his offer. If she did, he’d have no choice but to finance her trip and say goodbye to her forever.

  “Out of pity?” she asked, scanning his face.

  “No, out of respect for your decision. I see no one here to pity,” he said.

  She surprised him then, with a smile. “Yes. You may accompany me.”

  “Good,” Carter said, relieved. “I just need to tie up a few ends, and we can be off.”

  Carter investigated the best form of travel. They could take a train, but only to the end of the railroad line that ran closest to Oberlin. From there they’d have to hire a stagecoach, or rent a wagon. No matter how they went, the trip would be too short, in his opinion. He needed time with Susannah to discover what it was he was feeling for her, and if she shared his feelings at all, especially now that she was feeling more like her old self.

  Not that he knew her true self—he only knew her from the way she was when he'd met her at the hospital. Was it pity that he felt for her? Those feelings being realized, he changed the travel plan—they’d travel on horseback, and camp out along the way. What better way to get to know one another?

  “You can’t travel with Susannah alone?” Meg said when he told her of his plans.

  “Why not?” he countered.

  Meg faltered for words for a moment then blurted, “It isn’t proper.”

  “Meg, we’ll be in the wilderness. Who cares about propriety? Besides, anyone we run into will simply think that we’re a married couple. Certainly you know me well enough to know I’d never take advantage of her or any other woman.”

  “What about when you reach Oberlin, and her neighbors and the people in her town see you? What then? Her reputation will be ruined,” she said.

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Maybe once we get to the outskirts of her town and I know she's arrived safely I’ll leave her on her own. I promise: I won't do anything to ruin her reputation.”

  Meg bit her lower lip. “You want time alone with her to sort out your feelings, don’t you?”

  Carter nodded. “But I would never—”

  “I know that, Carter, but traveling alone and being fond of each other—it will be tempting. I like Susannah and I care about what happens to her. She’d be a welcome addition to our family if things are done properly, but I’ll say no more about it.”

  “Thank you. Now, the hard part: I have to run my plans by Susannah. This is a different Susannah than the one I treated at the hospital now that she's more confident and stronger. I don’t know what you said to her, Meg, but you did more to heal her than I could ever do.”

  Meg laughed. “God’s word did it. I just answered her questions about what happened to her family, and why God may have let it happen, and why she might have been spared.”

  When Susannah came into the kitchen, both Meg and Carter looked up.

  “Come, sit down, Susannah,” Meg said. She set another cup down on the table and poured tea into it. “I have to check on a few things, but Carter wants to run his travel plans by you. I’ll be back,” she said as she left them alone.

  Susannah sat down and spooned milk and sugar into her tea.

  “I’ve decided the trip will be a rough one,” Carter said, “changing numerous trains, waiting at stations, and the trying to get from the last railroad stop to Oberlin. Then I got the idea of traveling on horseback by ourselves. We can take bedrolls, food, and other supplies, and make an adventure out of it. What do you think?”

  Susannah listened to Carter’s travel plans and came to the conclusion that he was probably was short of the funds needed to travel by train and coach. She certainly didn’t want him going into debt for her, especially since he’d just quit his job.

  “That does sound like an adventure. I love riding.”

  She thought she heard him sigh.

  “I worried that perhaps you didn’t ride. Then I’d have to take the time to teach you before we could leave,” Carter said.

  “The farm we worked for had horses and they allowed me to ride while my parents toiled in the fields. We were sharecroppers. We received a third of the profit and lived well, but modestly,” she said. “It was always my parents’ dream to one day own their own farm. They applied for a Kansas land grant, and we worked on our own land for two years before…well, before it ended.”

  “No more tears when you talk about it?” Carter asked.

  “No more tears. I know they’re all in paradise, but I was spared, and I won’t let God down.”

  Carter smiled. “And I’ll do everything possible to help you accomplish that.”

  Susannah gave him a sideways glance. “Why are you helping me?”

  “I won’t lie to you, Susannah. I have several reasons why I want to help you. I admire your courage, for one thing. I also feel that God put us together for a reason, and I feel moved to help you. My last reason is a bit more private.”

  “Private?”

  “Personal.”

  “If I’m to trust you traveling alo
ne with you, then I’ll need to know that reason,” she said.

  She watched Carter trying to find the right words.

  “It’ll be hard for you to understand,” he said.

  “Try me.”

  “I want to see you safely home. If I don’t, I’ll worry. You must have noticed that I’m fond of you. I think this will also be an excellent time for us to get to know one another. Will you trust me to see you home safely?”

  Susannah smiled. “I do trust you.”

  “There’s something I failed to tell you. Your cousin came by the hospital and wanted to take you home, but Dr. Clawson and I told him you weren’t ready. He said he’d left his wife, and that she took everything of value except the deed for the land grant. He said he'd give it to you when you reached home. He was going to live there until you arrived.”

  “Harry finally stood up to Martha,” Susannah said. “I’m glad. I did see that he tried to do nice things for me, but she just wouldn’t let him. He was so browbeaten by her. It was sad.”

  In the coming days, while Carter arranged their trip, Susannah thought about her feelings for Carter. He was more than trustworthy. When she was ill, he was the hand that had steadied her. At the time, she wasn’t in the mood to think about romantic notions, but she cared for him and trusted him more than any other person she knew.

  She much preferred the idea of traveling on horseback. It would be peaceful and she couldn’t have picked a better traveling partner. She truly liked and respected Carter. He’d given so much of himself already.

  Had God put her in his path for a reason? Had it not been for Thanksgiving dinner she’d never have met him. She wondered, why, out of all the patients, he had chosen to champion her. Had it not been for him, Ben might have been successful in his attack on her. She shivered at the memory. How could she have put such trust in Ben? Sure, he was nice, but he'd been admitted for a reason. Of course, now that she was thinking clearly, it seemed wrong of her to have trusted Ben in the first place. She still trusted Carter, though.

  Chapter 11

  By the time Carter had quit his job and arranged the trip it was the beginning of March. Susannah and Carter kept mainly to the well-worn trails. They pulled two extra horses with them, each packed with supplies. Carter had maps drawn for him by an acquaintance in St. Joseph, a trapper who knew Kansas like the back of his hand. He assured Carter a safe trip if he followed the map. Carter also had a rifle strapped to his saddle and two loaded pistols in his knapsack, just in case—there were still desperadoes out there.

  Carter had acquired two bedrolls, which he thought unique, as he’d never seen or slept on one before, and neither had Susannah. Each bedroll was a waterproof, padded mat that even had pockets to hold a gun, knife, flint, or anything else. When folded, they could be used as a seat. Carter and Susannah would use them to sit on when they were eating at their campfire.

  For food, Meg had packed non-perishables, and Carter had no problem finding food for the trip since St. Joseph had been one of the main starting points for the wagon trains…so there were many stores selling camping supplies. He bought dried foods, a tripod to put over the fire, and several black pots to hang from it.

  Carter was impressed with Susannah’s adventurous nature. She had Meg sew some of Seth’s old trousers to fit her, and she rode astride. The trousers were a godsend for the rough trail, and Carter thought they were great to look at, too. They showed off her terrific shape, which he tried hard not to stare at.

  Some nights Carter was able to shoot a rabbit or squirrel for dinner, or they chewed on dry meat. He did most of the cooking, but Susannah caught the fish and cleaned them. She made a fishing pole from a large straight tree branch, and Carter sharpened a hairpin with his knife, bent it, and affixed it to the string at the end of the pole.

  On the fourth night of their travels, as they sat eating a plump trout that Susannah had caught, she voiced her first complaint.

  “Carter, I need a bath.”

  “A bath? How about a dip in the river instead?”

  “Well, that’s what I meant. Are we near to one?” she asked.

  “Let me check my map,” Carter said, pulling out the now wrinkled piece of paper. “You’re in luck. The Blue River is up ahead a ways.”

  “Thank goodness,” Susannah said.

  “You still smell fine to me,” Carter said with a wink.

  “I smell like fish, burnt wood, and sweat,” she said.

  “Those are smells most men love,” he said.

  Susannah laughed. For all four days of their journey, Carter had been extremely good natured, a problem solver, and amusing, to boot.

  “I’d give anything to smell those hydrangeas right now,” Susannah said.

  “But not at the hospital.”

  “No!”

  Carter stood. “I’m going to settle the horses for the night. It’s already getting dark and I’m exhausted.”

  “Me, too,” Susannah said. “I’ll roll out our beds.”

  Susannah unrolled their bedrolls. On the first night of their journey, Carter had arranged them one on each side of the fire, and she placed them the same way. She really wished he’d sleep closer because she felt so alone in the pitch dark of the night, and she'd sit up often, to glance over and make sure he was still there. She couldn’t understand why they had to sleep such a great distance apart.

  She walked over, grabbed his bedroll, and set it about five feet from her own, to see if he protested. She knew he was trying to keep things decent between them—he was almost too much of a gentleman. He was so likable, though. Sometimes his smile tickled her insides. Regardless, she felt she needed to be closer to him. Five feet away should be decent enough, she thought.

  When Carter returned, he banked the fire for the night and then looked over to where his bedroll should have been. He then glanced over and found it by Susannah.

  “Why is my bedroll over there?” he asked.

  “I need to feel that you're closer at night, in case I get a bit scared. If I can just look over and see you're near, I’ll feel better.”

  “Oh.”

  “Is that all right with you?”

  “I suppose…yeah, it’s fine,” he said.

  Always agreeable; he was a delightful traveling partner.

  “Are you ready for your personal visit?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Let me see.” He gazed around the area. “Okay, see that clump of bushes there, beside the rotted log?”

  She nodded.

  “Go over there and I’ll watch the bushes from here. If I see anything untoward, I’ll whistle like we practiced.”

  “All right. Be right back,” she said.

  Carter watched Susannah disappear behind the bushes. Things were working out better than he’d thought. She was a trooper. He'd thought that traveling with a woman would be a chore and she’d be constantly complaining about bugs, snakes, or being saddle sore, but he hadn’t heard one word of complaint from her in that respect. Her wish to sleep a bit closer posed no hardship for him, he wanted her to feel safe, and she wasn’t close enough to tempt him. He wondered why he’d thought they had to be on opposite sides of the fire.

  He shook his head. He was learning, too. He’d done a bit of camping in the wilds, on hunting trips with his father and brothers, so he wasn’t unprepared for the trip, but traveling with a woman was different—very different.

  Susannah, as usual, came out wearing a dress made from a light fabric that would make sleeping more comfortable than the scratchy pants. The weather was still chilly, especially at night, so after she lay on her bedroll, Carter drew the blanket over her.

  “Let me know if you need another blanket, all right?”

  Susannah nodded. “Goodnight, Carter.”

  “Goodnight.”

  Carter had used the time when he settled the horses to do his personal toilette, and he slept in the same clothes he'd traveled in (he changed his clothes about every two days), />
  He lay on his bedroll listening to the sounds of the night. An owl hooted somewhere, and he could hear a coyote, but it sounded far away. He knew the fire would be enough to keep most predators away.

  In the morning, the routine was that Carter cooked breakfast while Susannah took care of the bedding, did her personal toilette, ate breakfast, and then they were back on the trail.

  Soon they could see the Blue River in the distance. Carter pointed and Susannah simply smiled.

  “Would you like to stop earlier than usual and indulge in the river?” he asked.

  “I’d love to,” she said.

  “Then we shall. As soon as we reach it, I’ll find us a good spot.”

  He knew it would be the earliest they’d ever stopped traveling for the day, but they weren’t in a hurry to reach Oberlin—at least, he wasn’t. In fact, he was rather enjoying the trip, and they deserved a good swim.

  Carter found them the perfect camping spot, with a clear view of the river, a flat shoreline, and plenty of cover for their camp.

  Susannah gazed at the area and then smiled. “I love it here. I wish…”

  “What do you wish?” Carter asked as he unpacked their camping supplies.

  “I wish I could build a house right here on this spot. It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.”

  “It is, isn’t it?” he said, taking in the view as she had. “Right there,” he pointed. “A perfect spot for a log cabin with a large window facing the water.”

  “Oh, Carter, that sounds lovely.”

  Carter’s heart leaped a bit when she said that. He loved the sound of his name on her lips. If only they could.

  “So,” Susannah said, “who goes first?”

  “There’s no way I’m leaving you alone,” he said.

  “But we can’t swim together.”

  “Why not? You could wear that dress thing and I’ll take my knife and cut the legs off a pair of my trousers.”

  “That won’t work, Carter. The dress will blow up as soon as I get into the water.”