Conner's Contrary Bride by Barbara Goss (accelerated reader books .txt) 📗

cattle, sheep, or pigs, but we won’t be doing any of those things. I’d like a nice yard, though, enough for a vegetable garden.”

Elsie nodded.

Conner continued. “Together, we’ll pick the lot best suited for a doctor and his wife. It’s just a half-mile from town, not too far for someone to carry a patient. Or, I could keep this place and drive in each day. What do you think?”

Elsie tapped her chin. “We could do both. You could use this place during the daytime, and after you close for the day, use our home. We could build our home with a smaller-sized clinic at the side because I’d love a porch along the entire front.”

Conner wiped his mouth with his napkin and stood. “Then, you shall have it, dear wife.”

The buggy ride was rough since the dirt roads were full of holes, but Conner finally pulled off the road and brought the horse to a stop. “Well? What do you think?” Elsie looked around. “What should I be looking at?”

Conner jumped from the buggy and came around to help Elsie. He held her tiny waist as he lifted her to the ground. Did it feel so good to lift Elsie because he missed Mary? He’d have to stop comparing the women because they were completely different.

He helped her walk across the road and pointed. “See that yellow stake? That’s the first parcel. It’s two acres with a small creek running behind it. It has some beautiful trees bordering the property, and the land is good and flat for building.”

Elsie nodded. “And the other parcel?”

Conner pointed again. “Right where our buggy is parked, across the road. It’s four acres, but it would need clearing. As you can see it’s a small forest right now. Which one do you like?”

Conner hoped she’d like the first one because it was the one he liked best, and they could begin construction immediately. The site on the other side of the road needed clearing, and it wasn’t as flat. He prayed silently as Elsie looked from one property to the next.

Finally, Elsie asked, “Which direction is west?”

Conner pointed to the land he liked. “That way.”

Elsie tapped her chin as she seemed to do often when thinking. “I’ve decided on the one across the street.”

Conner groaned inside and asked, “Why that one?”

 “Having a creek running through our property wouldn’t be safe for little children should there ever be any, and second, I want a front porch that faces the west so I can watch the sunset.”

Marriage was supposed to be a partnership of give and take, but he thought Elsie was doing all the taking, and he all the giving.

Conner scratched his head. “If we take the one you chose, we can’t start building until fall, and we might not get in until next spring.”

“Why?”

“Because the land needs clearing, and that’s not a one-day job. I’ll hire a crew to do it, but it will take some time. Then, the land needs leveling with topsoil brought in on wagons. All of this has to be done before the actual building can begin.”

“I didn’t realize we were in a hurry,” Elsie said. “I should think the safety of our future children would be more important.”

Conner turned and looked back at the property he had his heart set on as if to say goodbye to it. “All right. I’ll see the bank about it this week.”

Upon returning home, Elsie sat on the steps watching Conner unhitch the buggy and put the horse in the shed. They walked into the clinic together to find the empty bed in which the bandit had lain.

“Where did my patient go?” he shouted.

Bertie came running from the kitchen. “All I saw were two men in a wagon and the patient lying in the back. I never heard a thing until the wagon sped away.”

Chapter Nine

Conner shook his head in puzzlement. “Who would take a poor man in that condition? He’ll die without proper medical attention.”

Elsie stood beside him, staring at the empty bed. “His friends are in jail, aren’t they?”

Conner shrugged and took Elsie’s arm. “Let’s walk down and talk to the sheriff.”

They entered the sheriff’s office, and Babcock looked up from his paperwork. He stood to greet them and then resumed his seat after they sat in front of his desk. “What’s up? How’s your patient?”

Conner nodded toward the jail cells. “Are the bandits still locked up?” When the sheriff nodded, Conner asked, “Can they hear us talking?”

“No. I put them in the last cell. If we talk softly, they can’t hear. They’re so busy arguing about whose fault it was they got caught, they wouldn’t hear us even if we yelled, but to be sure, we should keep our voices down.”

Elsie thought Conner looked embarrassed as he explained to the sheriff that two men had taken his patient.

Babcock listened without saying a word. He looked thoughtful.

“Who do you suppose took the patient?” Conner asked.

“Dagnabbit!” The sheriff threw his pencil across the room, then lowered his voice. “I was hoping the patient would tell me where they’d stashed the bank money.”

Conner shook his head. “I was hoping to save the man’s life. He’s still in critical condition.”

The sheriff muttered, “Neither of my prisoners are talking. These fellows aren’t from Hays City, so I don’t know who they are or who may have taken the patient. I’ll send some wires with their descriptions to Russell, Salina, and some of the other nearby towns and hope I get lucky.”

“Wait,” Conner said. “The patient told me his name while he was half unconscious. I can’t recall his first name, but his last name is MacDonald, and he’s nicknamed Mac.”

“That’s great!” Sheriff Babcock stood. “I’ll go over to the telegraph office right away.”

Elsie