Leave a Candle Burning

by Lori Wick

  “Dannan, how did you learn so much about parenting?”

  It was the next morning, and Scottie had waited only until Iris had taken the little girl into the kitchen to ask. Before she had done that, however, Dannan had asked Corina to thank Scottie for reading to her, and she had complied.

  “You mean what I do with Corina?”

  “Yes.”

  “I just try to remember everything Grant did.”

  “Grant was Corina’s father?” Scottie clarified.

  “Yes.”

  “And he expected her to do well, even when she was weary?”

  “He did. He knew it was his responsibility to see that she was rested, but we can’t always control how much sleep we get or even how much we can give our child. To lower the standard on the premise of fatigue is a poor idea.”

  Scottie had nothing to say. She didn’t disagree; she’d just never considered this issue before. Dannan took her silence as dissent and questioned her.

  “If you feel I’ve been unjust, I hope you’ll tell me.”

  “I wasn’t thinking that. In truth, I hadn’t considered this before, and I’m just going over all of it in my mind.”

  Dannan left her with some time of silence, but he wished very much that he knew what she was thinking.

  “It was out of character for her,” Scottie finally said. “Is there room in one’s parenting to account for that?”

  “That’s an excellent point, and I think you’re right—there is room. If she was a little older, I might be able to explore that with her. At this age she probably can’t articulate to me what was going on, so I have to assume, as you did, that she was tired. Until something else comes to light, I have to train her from that standpoint.”

  “But it’s still a sin?” Scottie double-checked.

  “Unthankfulness is always a sin.”

  Again Scottie stood and thought about this. There was certainly no argument she could offer; it was just taking some getting used to.

  “Just so you know,” Dannan put in, “I took her home, talked to her about it, fed her, and put her to bed. She slept all night, and when I told her at breakfast that she would thank you when we got here, she agreed without hesitation.”

  “You must have spent a lot of time with your cousin and his wife.”

  “Until I moved here, I just about lived at their house.” Dannan’s voice had dropped. “Grant, Annie, and I never ran out of things to talk about, and one time, when Grant was feeling uncertain about the future, he told me he would count on me to take care of Annie and Corina if anything ever happened to him.”

  Just the words made Dannan’s heart squeeze. It was the last thing he had expected, but it was all too real. Annie had been taken as well, and he was now a father.

  “I won’t keep you any longer,” Scottie said, realizing how long they had been standing there and wondering yet again how easy he was to talk to.

  “I’ll be off,” Dannan agreed, “but if you have any other thoughts on the issue, I’d like to hear them.”

  “All right. How is the book coming?”

  “A little slow right now. I hope to have it done next week.”

  “Good,” Scottie said, and Dannan exited on that note. He was halfway down the green before he stopped trying to figure out what she meant by that word.

  Early the next week there was an early morning knock on Dannan’s door. Dannan opened that portal to find Finn on his step.

  “Good morning,” Dannan greeted the man.

  “Good morning, Dannan. I’ve a message from Iris and Scottie. Iris is under the weather, but Scottie said to bring Corina along anyhow. She’d be happy to have her.”

  “Thank you, Finn. Should I check on Iris? Is she quite ill?”

  “No,” Finn answered with a smile. “She said you would ask that and to tell you she’ll be on her feet in no time.”

  “Well, keep me informed, and if you think she needs something, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

  “Will do,” Finn agreed. “I’ll see you at the house.”

  Dannan thanked him and went back to readying himself for the day. He found he envied Corina a bit. She was going to spend the day with Scottie.

  “Now, let’s see, Corina—” Scottie had stopped on the green, her small companion stopping with her. “Here is the big house, but where is that block?” She dug into her basket, which was nearly full of Eli’s town set. Scottie had things to do, but today she was ignoring her own agenda.

  The two had ventured out to match the town set with the actual houses and shops along the green. So far they had seen the bank, Shephard Store, the Commons Meetinghouse, and the blacksmith’s shop, and they were now standing at the big house.

  “Look at the little windows.” Scottie showed Corina. “They’re all in the right places.”

  “Flowers!” Corina exclaimed, looking at the tiny front door and then up at the house.

  “I see that.”

  “Well, now,” a voice joined in as Dannan came upon them. “This looks fun.”

  “Danna!” Corina greeted him with pleasure.

  Dannan swung her up into his arms and smiled at Scottie.

  “We’re matching the town set,” Scottie explained, holding out the block that matched the Kingsley house. Dannan took it from her hand.

  “This is amazing,” Dannan said as he studied it. “Who did these?”

  “Eli couldn’t remember. His mother had them done after he became bedridden.”

  Dannan looked into her eyes. They were only a little sad.

  “How are you?” he asked, thinking again of how much had happened in such a short time.

  “Lonely,” she admitted. “There’s so much to be done at the house today, but I’m ignoring it all and using Corina as the excuse.”

  “Maybe that’s for the best.”

  Scottie’s head tipped a bit to the side. “Do you always think about what’s best for others?”

  “Always,” Dannan answered, a small twinkle in his eye.

  “Allaas,” Corina said, and Scottie’s mouth opened.

  “Is that what she’s saying? Always?”

  Dannan laughed. “I say it all the time.”

  “Iris and I have not been able to figure it out.”

  “In what context does she say it?” Dannan asked, realizing how swiftly she’d picked it up.

  “Oh, I don’t know.” Scottie thought. “I guess when Iris might say, ‘You like cookies, don’t you?’ Or something like that.”

  Dannan laughed again. “That’s exactly the way I would use it.” He turned to look at Corina. “Are you my always girl?”

  Corina smiled, hunching her shoulders with pleasure before repeating, “Allaas.”

  Dannan kissed her cheek and set her back on her feet.

  “I have a patient to see, so I’d better keep moving” Dannan said, forcing himself to leave when he could have easily joined them for the day.

  Scottie and Corina bid him goodbye before continuing their tour. They saw the covered bridge, two more houses, the schoolhouse, and even Dannan and Corina’s home. They ended at the Peterson house just in time for Scottie to go inside and put something together for dinner.

  Fifteen

  “I have to talk to you,” Reese said urgently to Conner.

  Conner willingly followed his wife, who had taken his hand and was leading him out of the kitchen to the back stairway. It was a narrow space for Conner’s size, but Reese had only gone up a few steps before stopping to look at him. Conner shifted his body as far as he could to one side so the light could show on his wife’s face.

  “Have you talked to Dannan again about Scottie?” Reese whispered.

  “No, has something come up?”

  “They’re perfect for each other,” Reese said seriously. “You must tell him that.”

  Conner couldn’t stop his smile. It was so unlike his wife to voice this type of romantic opinion or to have anything to do with matchmaking.

  “Am I
being laughed at?”

  “No,” Conner quickly schooled his features, but Reese did some shifting of her own, allowing the light to catch Conner’s face. “Reese,” he said as soon as she did this. “What is going on?”

  “I saw them on the green. They stood for a long time in front of the house and talked, Corina in Dannan’s arms.” Reese’s breath caught a little. “So many memories came rushing back. You came into my life so suddenly, and I knew a love I’d never known. I want that for Scottie. I want her to let Dannan love her.”

  “Come here.” Conner reached for her.

  Reese let herself be swallowed in his huge embrace, wanting to cry but knowing she would have to explain to Troy if she did.

  “Conner? Reese?” the couple heard, and Conner released her.

  “I’ll go put dinner on,” Conner offered. “You come when you’re ready, and when Troy leaves, I’ll stay for a bit.”

  “All right.”

  Conner kissed her tenderly, his hands holding her face.

  “Eli just died. For Scottie’s sake we can’t rush this, but I think it’s going to be all right.”

  Reese nodded, hoping it was true. Conner left the stairway then, and Reese joined the men a short time later. True to his word, Conner stayed after dinner, but Reese had no more words; all she could do was cry in her husband’s arms.

  “Feeling better, Iris?” Dannan asked on Wednesday when he joined the Peterson household for dinner and that lady answered the door.

  “I am, sir, thank you. Have a seat,” she invited, and the meal began.

  Dannan hadn’t done this too often when Eli was alive, so he didn’t know if things seemed normal or not, but the three occupants of the Peterson house appeared to be doing very well. Indeed, Scottie started talking about the book Dannan was reading, and along with the delicious meal, the time simply flew.

  Dannan was surprised to suddenly see Iris refilling coffee cups and offering pie. A moment later, Scottie asked him if he wanted to choose another book.

  “Only if you don’t mind,” Dannan answered.

  “Not at all,” Scottie replied honestly. She just didn’t want to accompany him.

  “Go on up,” Finn said, his voice a bit low.

  Dannan exited the room, Corina on his heels. He didn’t try to stop her and knew that she trailed him up the staircase. Dannan let himself into the neat room and could see that it had been cleaned from top to bottom.

  “Boos,” Corina said, spotting the shelves, but Dannan didn’t answer. He was suddenly seeing Scottie all over again. It was in the last hour of Eli’s life. Heartbroken and weary, she held his hand and spoke.

  You mustn’t go, Eli. I need you here. How will I do things without you? Nothing will ever be the same. Please don’t leave me, Eli. Please don’t ever leave.

  “Danna?” Corina tapped his leg.

  “Yes, Corina.”

  “Mr. Son?”

  “Corina,” Dannan replied. He couldn’t take her questions just now. “Have you looked out this window?”

  Taking the red herring, Corina went to the window to peek out. Dannan headed for the shelves, not wanting to take any more time. Knowing there was little here that he didn’t want to read, Dannan simply selected a book, barely glancing at the title. Just seconds later, he had Corina by the hand and was taking her back out the door, closing it softly in their wake.

  Dannan had placed his satchel in the parlor when he arrived and now set the book next to it. When he joined the family in the kitchen, no one asked about the book, and Dannan didn’t comment. It looked as though it was going to be an awkward moment, but Corina rescued them all by asking a question about candy. Iris was swift to answer, and Scottie and Finn, smiling at the interchange, finished their tea.

  As soon as Dannan could take his leave, he went quietly on his way.

  Scottie was on Dannan’s mind the next morning, so it was with great regret that he dropped Corina off without seeing her. She wasn’t usually in the kitchen when he went in that way, but he had been hopeful. Not until he was letting himself out the kitchen door did he remember the garden. Going to the high gate, as high as the fence itself, he found it ajar and peeked in. Scottie was working over a tomato plant. Dannan slipped inside and greeted her.

  “Good morning,” she said in return, but her voice was quiet and she kept at her work.

  “How are you?” Dannan asked quietly, and hearing the concern in his voice, Scottie turned away from the plant to face him.

  “I’m staying busy,” Scottie answered, the thought flitting through her mind yet again that she could always share her thoughts with this doctor.

  “It helps, doesn’t it?”

  “Sometimes.”

  Dannan nodded, his eyes betraying his thoughts for just a moment.

  “Dannan,” Scottie began cautiously. “Sometimes you get a look in your eyes that I can’t read. Do you pity me?”

  “Never,” he told her sincerely, telling himself to be more careful.

  “What is it I’m seeing?” Scottie pressed, and Dannan was struck for the first time as to how innocent she truly was.

  “It’s caring,” he began, but Scottie only stared at him, and Dannan stopped. Without thinking, he added, “Eli said it would be like this.”

  “Like what?” Scottie asked, her face open.

  “That you wouldn’t understand,” Dannan opted for complete honesty, unaware of how thin the ice was.

  “Eli talked to you about me?” Scottie’s eyes grew with the question.

  Dannan nodded his head yes, suddenly sorry that he’d even come to the garden.

  “About what?”

  It never occurred to Dannan to lie to her, so he admitted, “About your lack of experience concerning the ways between men and women.”

  Scottie didn’t know when she’d been so embarrassed. The emotions in the garden had gone to a dangerous level, and neither person was thinking before speaking.

  “He wouldn’t do that,” Scottie stated flatly, anger evident in each word.

  “What do you mean?” Dannan’s voice grew a bit silky—not a good sign.

  “I don’t know why you would say such a thing,” Scottie accused. “Eli would never.”

  “So I’m lying to you?” Dannan suggested, his face showing his surprise.

  “It’s good to hear you admit it!” Scottie shot back at him, and Dannan’s face flushed with anger.

  “I’m leaving now,” he said quietly.

  “Good!”

  Dannan exited swiftly, and Scottie stood alone, her chest heaving with irritation and hurt. She stood for a long time and stared at the gate, ready to give Dannan more of her mind, but she was quite alone.

  The longer she stood still, the more confused she became, but it didn’t change how hurt she felt. Her anger starting to cool, she went back to work, asking herself how she could have been so wrong about Tucker Mills’ doctor.

  “Scottie,” Iris called, coming to the garden before the younger woman was finished. “Finn isn’t back from Doyle’s yet. Do you have time to gather eggs?”

  “Yes, I’ll do it,” she answered, her voice calm now but her heart still troubled.

  “Are you all right?” Iris asked, not missing the droop of Scottie’s shoulders.

  “Yes,” Scottie lied. “I’ll get those eggs right now.”

  Finn had been keeping chickens in the pens at the back of the property for as long as anyone could remember. It was his little escape from his duties indoors, and he loved it. The only hitch in the system was Governor. Governor was a cantankerous old rooster that knew he ruled the coop. He was tolerant of Finn and Scottie, but that was as far as it went. Given a chance, he would peck or spur anyone who forgot that he was in charge. He allowed Finn and Scottie to collect eggs, but he was ever watchful, and they had to be quick about it.

  In Scottie’s distraction, she forgot this. She moved slowly, stopping at one point to think about everything Dannan had said. She had just collected the last e
gg when Governor struck. His aim was swift and sure, and without warning, Scottie had been spurred on the back of the hand.

  Scottie just managed to keep the eggs in her apron and press the back of her hand into the cloth as well. It throbbed painfully, and she aimed a kick at the rooster before hurrying toward the door. Having no choice but to “knock” with the toe of her shoe, Scottie was glad to see Iris just moments later.

  “That was fast.”

  “Governor got me.” She hurried to the table, and Iris unloaded the apron’s contents into a basket.

  Corina was quiet, but her small face was watchful as the women settled the eggs and then inspected Scottie’s hand. The cut was deep, ugly, and jagged. Scottie began to wash it.

  “Where is that salve you use for cuts?” Scottie asked.

  “We’re out.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Let me wrap that so you can go get some from Dannan.”

  Scottie looked at Iris oddly.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Are you sure we don’t have any?” Scottie questioned again, not aware of how strange she sounded or looked.

  “Quite sure.” Iris’ voice had grown impatient. “Now, go before that has a chance to get infected.”

  Scottie knew there was nothing to argue over. Iris wrapped her hand tightly, but blood was already leaking through. Scottie took off her soiled apron, held another cloth to her hand, and started toward the green.

  Dannan heard the door. He wasn’t ready to see anyone at the moment but knew that when someone walked in without knocking, he needed medical attention. He headed that way, coming up short when he found Scottie.

  “I’m not ready to talk to you right now,” Dannan wasted no time saying.

  Looking vulnerable and uncertain, Scottie stared at him for a moment before turning for the door. Without thinking, she reached for it with her injured hand.

  “Stop.”

  She heard the quiet command behind her but didn’t turn. She heard Dannan’s steps but stayed still until he came and took her arm. He unwrapped her hand and wasted no time.