Waiting for Morning (The Brides Of Last Chance Ranch Series) (37 page)

Caleb drove away from the Trotter farm grinning. The blazing sun barely held its own against the warm glow radiating from inside him. “Whoopie!” One hand on the wheel, he pumped the other in the air.
Thank You, thank You, God!

Jimmy’s problems were far from over. If Caleb’s latest diagnosis was correct—and he had every reason to believe that it was—the boy would still have to be monitored carefully. There could be lingering effects, but he had a good chance of living a full life.

Caleb needed this good news. Only God knew how much. He needed a reminder as to why he became a doctor in the first place. He’d lost three patients during the past week: one from a gunshot wound, another from a rattlesnake bite, and one an infant. It was the kind of week that brought a man to his knees and made him question his very reason for being.

“The town needs you and you need a wife who puts your needs first.”

Even the bumpy road couldn’t distract him from the pain that accompanied thoughts of Molly. He recalled the night they stood in the moonlight surrounded by cattle. He shared his dreams for the future and she made him believe that even building a clinic was possible. If she was by his side.

“That woman can’t be me.”

He jammed his foot hard against the gas pedal and Bertha sped up. She bounced and spewed and rattled and roared, but not enough to shake away his troubled thoughts.

Chapter 34

M
olly walked around the hotel room touching the bright bouquets and reading the messages attached to each one. So many kind words, so many said prayers. Such
an outpouring of love.

The Bible said not to judge but that’s exactly what she’d done. After being banned from her father’s funeral, she wanted no part of church or its people. Would never have attended Cactus Patch Church had Caleb not insisted. And even then she’d attended with a closed heart instead of open arms. A few misguided deacons had kept her away physically on that long-ago day, but she never should have turned away spiritually.

God, forgive me
. She wiped away her tears and continued reading the cards.

Many names she didn’t recognize, but one she did. Or rather she recognized the stunted handwriting. Mr. Washington had written down the lyrics to a song he’d written for his newly organized choir
.

The first stanza read
,
“Put God first and everything will be all right. Put God first and you’ll never know another night. Put God first . . .”

She set the card down.
Simple for you to say, Mr. Washington.
For as long as she could remember, her first thought upon waking was Donny. He was her last thought at night.

Brodie said unlearning a horse was harder than training it. The same was true of people.

Caleb burst through the door, startling her. “You’re up.” Before she could say anything he added, “I have good new. I was right about Jimmy.” He lifted the box of bonbons from the bedside table and shook it. “Has lead poisoning.”

Confused, she stared at him. That didn’t seem like good news to her. She already knew someone who died of lead poisoning. “Is he going to —”

He shook his head. “It’ll take awhile for him to recover and the lead may have lingering effects, but I believe we caught it in time.”

“Oh, Caleb. How wonderful! His family must be so relieved.” She clasped her hands together. “But how does a child get lead poisoning?”

“It was these.” He tossed the empty confection box into the wastebasket. “Jimmy saved the foil and even made spitballs out of it.”

She touched a hand to her forehead. “That day in church, he spit a wad of foil at that old man.”

He nodded. “Watching you peel away that foil made me think of it and I did some research. I sent a sample to a colleague in Boston for testing, but I’m willing to bet it’ll come back positive for lead.” He grinned. “Just think, had you not been thrown from a horse, I might never have figured out what caused Jimmy’s illness.”

Molly’s mind whirled. “Aunt Bessie deserves the credit, not me.” The dear lady’s gift turned out to be more valuable than gold. Molly couldn’t believe the way things worked out—amazing. God’s work?
She smiled at how easily God’s name came to mind. Perhaps putting God first wouldn’t be as hard as she thought.

“It seems like a day of discovery,” she said, her voice soft.

“What?”

“I’ve been reading my get-well messages.”

“Words of wisdom, no doubt.” He held her gaze. Unspoken words seemed to hang between them as if strung upon an invisible rope.

“Caleb, what you said . . .”

He shook his head. “I know that Donny is your main concern and I had no right to put you on the spot while you’re recuperating. As a doctor I should have known better than to upset you. I apologize. It . . . it won’t happen again.” He pulled a watch out of his vest pocket. “I have a patient to see in”—he pressed the clasp and the cover sprang open—”exactly ten minutes.” Closing the watch case, he slid it back into his pocket and turned to leave.

“Wait!” she called. He spun around to face her, his expression closed—a stranger’s. “I—I—” He looked so withdrawn—professional, cold even. He looked nothing like the man who had declared his love for her.

The words she wanted to say died before reaching her lips. “I need a bath.”

“I’ll tell the clerk at the front desk.” He hesitated. “Miss Walker covered the cost of this room with enough money left for expenses until you recover.”

“Miss Walker did that? But why?”

“One of the advantages of being her heiress, no doubt,” he said, his voice curt.

He walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. She wondered if she only imagined him pausing outside the door before walking away.

Molly lay in bed and stared at the sunbeam pouring in the infirmary windows. She’d spent a long, sleepless night and greeted the morning with more than a little relief.

Caleb’s words kept running through her head.
“I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment I first saw you wearing that ridiculous purple hat and pointing a shotgun at me.”

When had she first known she loved him? For some reason it felt as if she’d loved him all her life. She’d fought her feelings, denied them, pretended they didn’t exist.

Put God first and everything will be all right.

Even her feelings for Caleb?

She closed her eyes and poured her heart out to the Lord. She’d been wrong about so many, many things. She judged all churches cold and judgmental like the one in Dobson Creek and she’d been wrong. She was also wrong—perhaps even arrogant—to think she knew what was best for Donny and that she could take care of him without help. But her worst mistake of all was putting God last and not asking Him to guide the way.

Falling in love with Caleb? Was that wrong too?

She jumped out of bed, hurriedly dressed, and battled her curls into a tidy bun. A loud chugging sound announced Caleb’s arrival in town. She raced to the window and her heart leaped with joy. Bertha backfired and she laughed. Caleb glanced her way and she lifted her arm to wave, but he quickly dashed into his office, Magic at his heels. Had he seen her? She didn’t think so.

She turned from the window and the room began to spin. Better get a bite to eat. She had no intention of falling on her face when she told Caleb her decision to follow her heart.

After eating her fill of flapjacks and nervously gulping down two cups of coffee in Miss Lily’s Café, she felt better except for the butterflies in her stomach.

Outside the sun was hot and the sky bright. A horse and wagon was parked in front of Caleb’s office and a wave of disappointment washed over her. Already he was with a patient. Never mind. She would sit in the waiting room until he was free—even if it took all day.

Just as she reached his office the door swung open and a woman stepped outside with a young boy Molly immediately recognized.

“Hello, Jimmy,” Molly said. She then introduced herself to Jimmy’s mother. “Dr. Fairbanks told me the good news.”

Mrs. Trotter smiled. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank him.” She gazed lovingly at her son. “You can go to Mr. Green’s. I’ll meet you there. And remember, no bonbons.”

Jimmy gave a whoop and headed for the mercantile store.

“Dr. Fairbanks told Jimmy to order a baseball and he would pay for it,” Mrs. Trotter explained.

“That’s very kind of him,” Molly said. Trust Caleb to know exactly what the boy needed. “I’m so happy for you and your family.”

“We’re very blessed. You have no idea how hard it is to care for a sick child. It affects the whole family, you know what I mean?”

“I believe I do,” Molly said.

“And Dr. Fairbanks! I tell you that man is a wonder. Did you know that he was up all night at the Randall ranch delivering a baby? The poor man doesn’t sleep. Thank God he doesn’t have the responsibility of home and family.”

Molly’s heart sank. “I guess that would be a problem.”

Mrs. Trotter nodded. “Yes, indeed. Dr. Masterson always said a physician either cared for a wife and children or cared for his patients. He couldn’t do both.”

Jimmy called to his mom.

“I better let you go,” Molly said.

“It was lovely meeting you.” With a quick wave of her hand, Mrs. Trotter hurried along the boardwalk toward Green’s Mercantile.

Molly turned to stare at Caleb’s door and her spirits sank.
“You have no idea how hard it is to care for a sick child.”

Donny wasn’t sick but he needed a great deal of care, and she knew all too well what that could do to a family.

An older man with a cane brushed past her and opened the door to the doctor’s office, a jangling of bells announcing his arrival. He waited for her to enter ahead of him but she shook her head, backed away, and turned. Without a backward glance she walked to the livery stables as fast as her still-woozy head would allow.

Chapter 35

E
leanor sat in the rocking chair on the verandah enjoying the warm night air when Brodie joined her.

“I heard she’s back,” he said. He leaned one shoulder
against a post and rolled a cigarette.

Eleanor stopped rocking. She never thought to see Molly again. Certainly not at the ranch. It would seem that she underestimated the girl. “She’s back.”

He licked the paper. “The first thing she did was get back on Sandstorm. Not many people would do that after eating dust like she did.”

The girl had spunk, all right. No question. “This is not a horse ranch. If she plans to stay she’s going to have to learn about cattle.”

Brodie stuck his cigarette in his mouth, swiped a match on the sole of his boot, and lit it. The smell of tobacco smoke wafted in the air. “What do you want me to do with Orbit?”

“Orbit?”

“The blind horse.”

“Oh, that.” The horse would never survive the wilderness, so releasing it was out of the question. Nor could they sell it. “Do you know anyone who might be willing to take him?” It was a long shot.
What rancher would take on the expense of a horse that didn’t earn its keep?

“Nope, no one.”

Eleanor let out a sigh. “Let me think about it.”