Angel of the Cove
Authors: Sandra Robbins
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
All Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Published under representation of the Natasha Kern Literary Agency, Inc.
Cover by Koechel Peterson & Associates, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Cover Photos © Koechel Peterson & Associates, Inc; iStockphoto / rcimages; iStockphoto / Thinkstock
ANGEL OF THE COVE
Copyright © 2012 by Sandra Robbins
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Robbins, Sandra (Sandra S.)
Angel of the cove / Sandra Robbins.
p. cm. â (Smoky Mountain dreams ; bk. 1)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4884-5 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-4885-2 (eBook)
I. Title.
PS3618.O315245A84 2012
813'.6âdc23
2011043839
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meansâelectronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any otherâexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
To Shelley
For the love you've brought to our family
Chapter 1
M
ountain air was supposed to be cool. At least that's what she'd always heard.
Anna Prentiss couldn't be sure because she'd never been this far into the mountains before. But if truth be told, they still had a fair piece to go before they reached the hills that rolled off into the distance.
The narrow dirt road that led them closer to those hills twisted and bumped its way along. The June heat had dried out the winter mud in this part of Tennessee and produced a dust that threatened to choke her, roiling up and around the buggy. Anna covered her mouth with the lace handkerchief her mother had tucked in her dress pocket and sneezed. The smudge left on the cloth made her wonder what her face must look like.
She glanced at Uncle Charles, her father's brother, who sat beside her on the leather seat of the buggy. Perspiration had cut meandering, dusty trails down his cheeks, but he didn't appear to notice. His attention was focused on trying to avoid the holes that dotted the road.
She wiped at her face once more before stuffing the handkerchief back in her pocket. It really didn't matter what she looked like. There was no one to see her. The only living creatures she'd seen all day were some white-tailed deer that had run across the road in front of them and a fox that had peered at her from his dusky hiding place beside
the road. In front of them trees lined the long roadway that twisted and turned like a lazy snake slithering deeper into the mountain wilderness. She'd come a long way from the farm in Strawberry Plains.
A twinge of homesickness washed over her. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth. The uneasy feeling lingered a moment, but with a determination she'd only recently acquired, she banished thoughts of those she'd left behind to the spot in her heart where her grief lay buried.
Just then the buggy hit a hole, and Anna grabbed the seat to keep from bouncing onto the floorboard. Uncle Charles flicked the reins across the horse's back and glanced at her, his spectacles resting on the bridge of his nose. Wispy gray hair stuck out from underneath a black hat.
“Hold on. These roads can be a little rough. We had a hard winter up here.”
Anna nodded, straightening herself on the buggy seat and studying her uncle's profile. How many times had he ridden this way to take care of the mountain people he loved? He looked every bit the country doctor. His smooth hands, so unlike her father's work-roughened ones, gripped the reins tighter as he grinned at her.
The corner of his mouth curled downward when he smiled, just as her father's had always done. That was the only similarity she'd ever seen in them, though. Uncle Charles used to say he got the brains and Poppa got the brawn. When she was a little girl, she wondered what he meant. But she knew no matter what it implied, the two brothers shared a bond like few she'd ever seen. And they were the only ones who'd ever encouraged her to follow her dream of becoming a nurse.
Anna took a deep breath and inhaled the heavy, sweet smell that drifted from the forests on either side of the road. She turned to Uncle Charles. “I've been noticing those white flowers that look like shrubs growing along the road. What are they?”
“Those are our mountain rhododendron,” said Uncle Charles. “There are also pink and purple ones. Sometimes in the summer you can stand on a ridge and look across the mountains at the
rhododendrons blooming, and it looks like somebody took a paintbrush and colored the world. It's a mighty beautiful sight.”
Anna swiveled in her seat again and looked at Uncle Charles. “Thank you for working out this trip for me.”
A grin tugged at his mouth. “How many times would you say you've thanked me today?”
“Not enough yet.”
A sudden breeze ruffled the straw hat her mother had given her, and Anna grabbed the wide brim. After a moment she released it and pulled the handkerchief from her pocket again. Grasping it with both hands, she twisted the cloth until it stretched taut between her fingers. “I hope I don't disappoint Mrs. Lawson.”
He didn't take his eyes off the road but shrugged. “I wouldn't worry about that. She's been delivering babies in Cades Cove for a long time, and she's glad to have an extra pair of hands. It'll be good experience before you leave for nursing school in the fall.”
The old anger rose in Anna's throat. “Only if Robert agrees.” She spit out the barbed words as if they pierced the inside of her mouth. “Why does he have to be so selfish?” She clenched her fists tight together. Ever since their father's death Robert had assumed the role as head of the family, and he took his responsibilities seriously. Too seriously, if you asked Anna. He never missed an opportunity to tell her how their father wasn't around anymore to cater to her every whim. The first time he'd said that she felt as if he'd shattered her heart. The pieces had never mended as far as her relationship with him was concerned. But if things went as planned, she would soon be free of his authority.
“I don't want you to be angry with your brother, Anna. You may not understand his reasons, but he's trying his best to be the head of your family. He's still young and has a lot to learn, but he loves you and wants what's best for you.”
Anna crossed her arms and scowled. “All he wants is for me to stay on the farm and marry somebody
he
thinks will make a good husband.” Anna shook her head. “Well, that's not what
I
want. Poppa promised me I'd be able to go. Robert has no right to keep that money hostage.”
“I know. Your father would have been so proud to know you've been accepted.” Uncle Charles's shoulders drooped with the sigh that drifted from his mouth. “Try to see it from his perspective. You've led a sheltered life on the farm, and Robert feels like you aren't ready for what you'll see and have to deal with in a big hospital in New York. You think you'll be able to assist injured and dying people, but it's different when you're right there with somebody's life in your hands. If you find you can't do it, then Robert is out the money for your tuition, not to mention travel and living expenses.” He cocked a bushy eyebrow at Anna. “And he doesn't need to be wasting money that can be put to good use on the farm.”
“I know. He's told me often enough.” Anna smoothed out her skirt and straightened in her seat. “I'm just thankful you came up with a plan that Robert agreed to. Spending the summer with Mrs. Lawson ought to prove I have the grit to handle New York.”
“Remember you'll need a good report from Granny Lawson.”
Anna smiled. “You don't have to worry about that. I'm going to listen to her and do everything she tells me, no matter how distasteful I think the task is.” She clenched her fists in her lap. “When I board that train for New York in the fall, it will all be worth it.”
Uncle Charles shook his head and chuckled. “I'll leave New York and all its hustle and bustle to you. I prefer to spend my time right here in these mountains.”
Anna let her gaze rove over the trees on either side of the road. “Still, maybe you'll come visit me someday. I can show off the maternity ward!”
He flicked the reins across the horse's back. “I've read a lot about that ward. First one in the country. You'll be fortunate to work there. But don't forget you may see a lot of babies born this summer while you're at Granny's cabin. And there's not a better place in the world to learn about nursing. She can teach you things you would never learn at Bellevue. Listen to her and do what she says and you'll be fine.”