Scottie tried not to laugh at Dannan’s innocent eyes but failed. Dannan watched her, smiling at how relaxed she seemed. The last time they spoke he’d not been able to say all that was on his mind, and he hoped that no walls had come up between them.
“Sottie!” Corina cried, suddenly there and throwing her arms around Scottie’s legs. Scottie reached down to hold the little girl’s face in her hands, and the two smiled at each other.
“Where is that little girl?” Troy’s voice came, and Corina’s eyes got huge.
“Mr. Roy! Hide!”
For everyone but Scottie this was old stuff. Troy played hide-and-seek with Corina on a regular basis. At first Corina tried to hide behind Scottie’s skirt, but the closer Troy got, the more excited she became. She scurried from the entryway into the parlor, giggling all the while.
“Come in,” Reese greeted from the door of the dining room. “Troy will find Corina in about two seconds, and they’ll join us.”
“Sit here,” Conner invited when Scottie entered the large dining room. She hadn’t been in this room recently and had forgotten how lovely it was. Reese’s dishes and flatware sparkled in the sunlight streaming through the windows, and although there was no fire burning in the fireplace, the mantle—with a family portrait hanging above—gave the room a homey feel.
The six of them were all seated a short time later, Conner and Reese taking the ends and Dannan and Corina on one side with Troy and Scottie across from them. Reese had prepared ham and corn chowder with biscuits. The bowls of vegetables that she put on the table were mouthwatering and plentiful.
Dannan served Corina, and when everyone’s plate was ready and they had prayed, Conner asked Troy to share about the letter he’d received from his daughter, Ruth.
“They had a bit of excitement in downtown Linden Heights last week,” Troy began, his eyes twinkling. “It seems that one of the town constables was in the bank to settle a matter with his account when he dropped his weapon and it discharged. No one was harmed, but the bank had several customers right then, mostly women, and the shot, along with the screaming women, gave another officer the impression that the bank was being robbed. Complete panic broke out before the sheriff stepped in and sorted things out.”
“And was your daughter there at the time, or did she just hear about it?” Dannan asked.
“She heard about it, along with the entire town. She wrote that folks were in and out of the bank all day, just wanting to see the bullet hole and hear what happened firsthand from the tellers.”
Even Conner and Reese, who had already heard Troy read the letter, laughed all over again. The story caused Conner to think of one of his own, and for the next hour, the men regaled the company with banking stories.
The stories made the time move swiftly, but Dannan was still constantly aware of Scottie’s presence and wished he could talk to her alone. Not until Conner went with Reese to get the dessert and Corina climbed onto Troy’s knee did Dannan have an opportunity to speak quietly across the table to her.
“Are you sleeping any better?”
“No, but I’m going to fight it this week and try not to fall asleep with Corina.”
“Do you want me to give you something?”
Scottie looked surprised. “Every so often I forget you’re a doctor.”
Dannan laughed a little.
“What would you give me?” Scottie asked now.
“A glass of whiskey would work, but you don’t drink.”
Scottie knew she was being teased. Her hand came to her mouth, but her eyes were brimming with suppressed laughter.
“What?” Dannan asked, his eyes a study in innocence.
Scottie didn’t have to answer. Conner and Reese were returning with coffee and dessert, and since Reese’s pies were not to be ignored, private conversation was momentarily put on hold. Not until they were settled in the parlor did Dannan have a chance to question Scottie again. She declined something to help her sleep and was still wanting to ask what he had in mind when Troy suddenly spoke.
“Is it story time?” he asked of Corina.
“Boos!” she cried with delight and rushed toward the bookshelf in the corner. Several children’s books hit the floor before she found the one she wanted, but Troy was ready and waiting.
Corina, however, had other ideas. Without even glancing at the older banker, she headed for Scottie’s lap. Scottie looked surprised as well, but Corina didn’t notice.
“I do believe I’ve been replaced,” Troy grumped quietly, but he was smiling.
“Do you mind?” Scottie asked, even as Corina climbed up with the book, not even aware of the confusion.
“Terribly,” he said, his attempt to look offended not working at all.
“I think this is a daily occurrence, isn’t it, Scottie?” Dannan checked.
“Just about,” she agreed, opening the book.
What happened next was not something Scottie had planned on. She read to Corina, keeping her voice low so the others could talk, and as usual, the little girl was soon asleep. In spite of her own best efforts, Scottie dropped off too. The book still in her hand, she didn’t stir even when Reese took it from her and covered her with a light quilt.
“She’s not sleeping at night,” Dannan told the others when Reese sat back on the sofa next to Conner.
“Did she tell you this?” Troy asked.
“Iris was the first to mention it, but Scottie and I have talked about it.”
“Is that normal, or has it just been since Eli died?” Conner asked.
“Since Eli’s death. She usually naps with Corina but just told me today she’s going to try and fight that.”
“In some ways it feels as though Eli has been gone for months,” Reese commented, thinking that having Scottie with them on a Sunday was not something that would normally have happened.
“I’m sure it does for her too,” Conner agreed.
Scottie stirred a little then, and Conner suggested they move to the small parlor to visit. No one argued. The idea of waking Scottie, who would already be embarrassed by the act of falling asleep, didn’t appeal to any of them.
“How are you?” Dannan whispered to Scottie when her eyes opened.
She frowned at him, trying to understand why he was in her parlor, when she remembered where she was.
“Oh, no, Dannan, did I fall asleep?”
“Yes, and Corina just came to find me, so you must have been out pretty hard.”
Scottie put a hand to her face and made herself stand up. She felt fuzzy and disoriented and wanted to shake it off as soon as possible.
“I actually dreamt,” Scottie admitted, “that you asked me to marry you so I could be a mother to Corina.”
The moment the words were out of her mouth, Scottie’s eyes flew to Dannan’s in surprise.
“I can’t believe I said that.” She stepped away from him a bit. “I’m sorry.” Scottie would have walked from the room, but Dannan moved so she would have to go around him. Scottie eyed him warily but didn’t speak.
“Let’s just be sure we have this one thing straight,” Dannan said slowly, doing an amazing job of keeping his feelings in check. “If it comes to the point that I ask you to marry me, it won’t be about Corina.”
Scottie wanted to question him but didn’t. Later she would wish that she had because she thought about the statement for the rest of the day.
“I can’t get over the change in both of them, but especially Cathy,” Alison pointed out to Douglas when their guests were gone. “I’ve always liked and enjoyed Cathy, but there wasn’t a lot of warmth there. Now she’s overflowing with warmheartedness.”
“And the way Doyle looks at her,” Douglas mentioned, his own eyes smiling with fondness. “You can tell that he’s fallen in love all over again.”
“Jace and Maddie must be thrilled.”
“We’re having our own little revival,” Douglas said. “We need to work hard as a church family to be ready for these blessi
ngs from God.”
“And for the challenges and questions from folks like Cathy.”
“She’s got some good ones,” Douglas agreed with a huge sigh. “I can’t remember the last time I was so tired after dinner.”
Indeed, Douglas looked as though he could fall asleep in the chair he was sitting in, but his youngest had other ideas. Jeffrey, awake from his nap and ready to go, chose that moment to look for a grown-up playmate.
“May I mention something to you?” Conner asked Dannan at the door much later that day. Scottie had left, and Troy was treating Corina to one last game of hide and seek.
“Certainly.”
“Scottie has no awareness of you as a man right now. You’re going to have to take it slowly.”
Dannan nodded. “I’ve noticed that. She looks at me with friendship and a bit of confusion, but that’s all.”
“I’m glad to hear that she considers you a friend. She needs that very much right now.”
“I think so too, but don’t think it’s all for her. On my part, having Scottie as a friend is a very rewarding thing.”
Conner nodded and then had a heart-sinking thought. “Scottie is going to believe that we’ve all plotted against her.” He shook his head a little, knowing this wasn’t the case. “I hope when all is said and done that she’ll be your wife and we can spend a lot of time laughing about all of this subterfuge.”
Dannan only quietly nodded and thanked his host, realizing he was ready to go home and think for a while on his own. He gathered up Corina and headed that way, forgetting until he got there that she’d had a nap and was ready to play.
On Monday morning Scottie walked up the steps to the Cole house, planning to collect the rent, her mind not on the task. Nothing had changed in this area of her life. She and Finn had taken turns collecting the rent money for years, but now Eli was not there to go over the books with her. She didn’t fear making a mistake, but it was something they had usually done together and one more thing to remind her of his absence.
Scottie felt her heart grow heavy. She didn’t want it to be this way. She had always prayed for each of their renters as she made the collection, and now she was caught up in herself.
“Scottie!” Mrs. Cole said, glad to see her. “Come in a moment.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Cole,” Scottie said sincerely, only just remembering to pray for her.
“How are you?” Mrs. Cole asked, looking concerned.
“I’m coming along,” Scottie said truthfully. “There are things to keep me busy, and that’s a great help.”
“Will you be raising my rent?” Mrs. Cole blurted.
In her surprise, Scottie took a moment to respond but then kept her voice kind.
“I have no plans for that, Mrs. Cole. And if ever I had to do that, I would give you at least six months’ warning.”
The renter was so relieved she suddenly sat down. Scottie stared at her, not having expected this at all.
“We’ve appreciated your prompt payments all these years, Mrs. Cole. I would not want to lose you as a renter.”
“Thank you, Scottie.” That woman gathered herself and offered tea.
“As a matter of fact, I can’t stay, but we’ll plan on it another time.”
“Thank you, Scottie.”
Scottie went graciously on her way, determined to collect the other two houses swiftly and make her way home to do something quiet.
She arrived home to find Iris busy in the kitchen, Corina at her side. Scottie had gotten up early that morning and done the washing and dusting. When collecting the rents, Scottie usually wasted no time adding the amounts to her account book. But this morning she told herself there would be time to go over the books later. Right now she just wanted to work in the solitude of her garden.
“I want you to know that we have plotted against you just a little bit,” Dannan said without preamble, very ready to have everything out in the open, even knowing that some things would need to wait.
“What are you talking about, Dannan?” Scottie asked. They were once again in the garden.
“I’m talking about the fact that I went to Conner when I was having feelings for a married woman, so we talked about you. He said something yesterday about you not knowing about our subterfuge, and I found myself uncomfortable with the fact that you might not realize we’ve talked about you. I don’t want secrets between us.”
Scottie nodded. Her first reaction was unease in knowing she’d been discussed. She then realized she’d talked to Finn about Dannan, and wasn’t that the same thing?
“You have to have someone to talk to,” she said reasonably, and not until then did Dannan realize he’d been holding his breath.
“Who do you talk to?” Dannan suddenly asked.
“Lately, you and Finn.”
“Does it help?”
Scottie’s smile was a little crooked. “Sometimes it just makes for more unanswered questions.”
“Give me one, and I’ll try to answer it.”
Scottie had been kneeling on a burlap sack. She now pushed to her feet and worked to remove the dirt from her hands, all the time her mind racing.
“Even if you’ve already answered this, I need you to answer again.”
“All right.”
“What went through your mind when Eli said that to you about me?”
“I didn’t take him seriously. He was very ill. He could barely breathe or talk, and I thought his mind had slipped a little.”
“What about when you realized he was serious?”
Dannan smiled and tried to make light of it. “I thought we decided on one question.”
“Why don’t you want to answer?” Scottie asked, and Dannan knew the smile hadn’t worked.
“When people are at different levels with their feelings, it gets a little tricky,” Dannan began. “This is all so new for you, Scottie, but you’ve been in the periphery of my mind for months. To share my feelings when you’re feeling nothing of the sort is not fair to either of us. You’ll only feel pressure, and I’ll only feel rejected.”
“Why do you understand people so well?”
“They’re my business, Scottie. On a good day I can give aid to a person’s body; on a great day I can give them peace of mind about their body no matter what I was able to do for them physically. I learned early on that treating a person’s ailment is only part of the job. If you don’t know anything about him, it’s much harder to meet his needs.”
“And who meets your needs, Dannan?” Scottie asked the question and then felt embarrassed. She looked down before saying, “You don’t have to answer that.”
“I might not have to answer, Scottie, but I do have to say that you’re one of the kindest persons I’ve ever known.”
Scottie’s head came up. “Thanks, Dannan.”
Dannan smiled into her eyes and said he had to be going. The smile stayed in Scottie’s mind until Finn came looking for her.
“You’re a bit warm,” Iris said to Corina when that little girl climbed into her lap just a few hours after Dannan dropped her off. “Do you feel all right?”
Corina didn’t answer but snuggled closer to her caregiver. Iris would have thought nothing of this had it been after dinner when Corina’s little system usually ran out of steam, but this was too early in the day.
Iris didn’t know where Finn was at the moment, but as soon as he showed up, Iris would be asking him to look for Dannan.
It hadn’t worked. Scottie had been completely ready to stay awake, but Corina had been so ill, and Scottie had nodded off before Dannan showed up to take his daughter home. Now it was the middle of the night, and Scottie was wide awake. She was weary and a little bit anxious with the questions and new ideas running through her mind, bringing her no end of confusion.
Scottie’s mind went back to her evening. Iris and Finn had gone on their way, she’d had her tea and cleaned the kitchen, and then she’d realized how long the evening was looking. Without giving the idea too m
uch thought, Scottie decided to go for a walk. She didn’t get very far, however, before she spotted a young couple walking by the millpond.
Standing near a tree, embarrassed to be caught watching, she observed as they held hands and even stopped for occasional kisses. The man’s tenderness was obvious from a distance, and the woman’s head was tipped back almost constantly to look into his face.
Scottie had eventually walked home, her heart in a quandary. She had been sleepy at the normal time, but then awake in the wee hours, her mind running with everything she’d seen.
It took some time, almost two hours, but at last Scottie fell back to sleep. However, before that happened she had made plans for the next day, and she fervently hoped that Reese Kingsley would have more time to talk.
Dannan went to Corina’s room early on Wednesday morning. She was still warm but hadn’t been sick to her stomach in the night. Tea had not stayed down, and it had looked as though the night would be a sleepless one. But Dannan had been the only one awake. He’d checked on Corina every few hours, not able to sleep deeply.
Dannan went quietly from the room, thinking to sleep a bit longer. He dropped back off, hoping that when he didn’t show up at the Peterson house, Iris would assume Corina was still ailing.
“I keep catching myself worrying,” Scottie admitted to Reese. “I try to get my mind busy with other things, but it doesn’t last very long.”
“What’s bothering you the most?”
“All the things I don’t know. It seems obvious to the rest of the world but not to me.”
“What exactly?”
“The private things, Reese. The first time you had your monthly flow, were you embarrassed in front of Conner?”
Reese smiled and put a hand on her round stomach before admitting, “I haven’t had it yet.”
“Oh, that’s right,” Scottie recalled softly, her voice sounding a bit discouraged.
“But I do know what you mean,” Reese added swiftly. “It is a little odd when you’re just trying to imagine it, Scottie, but by the time you marry, you’re comfortable and in love, and those small things become normal very quickly.”