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

“I’ll let you know if I find out more,” Babcock said.

Conner and Elsie stood on the wooden walkway, watching Babcock lock the office door. Conner snapped his fingers. “Robert was his name. Robert MacDonald.”

“You remembered it?” Babcock asked.

“I did when I saw the sign above the office across the street: Robert Walker, Attorney at Law.”

They waved to the sheriff and went back to the clinic.

Before going into the house, Elsie asked, “Is there anything I can do or get for you?”

He looked at her and smiled. She could be so irritating at times and then so sweet, he felt like holding her in his arms and squeezing her. Was it the way she looked at him or her smile? He wasn’t sure, but she was slowly melting the ice around his heart. Maybe a man could love twice in his life.

He gave her a warm smile. “No, you’ve been wonderful. Thank you. Fortunately, there are no appointments or patients right now. I have some paperwork to do. If we get a patient, I’ll call you.” He watched her tiny figure slip into the house.

Elsie sat at the kitchen table, helping Bertie peel potatoes. “So, the sheriff plans to wire the nearby towns to find out who the fellows in jail are, and who took our patient.”

“I hope he finds out.” Bertie snapped her fingers. “I forgot to mention that you had a few patients while you two were gone. Both were minor problems, and I took care of them. Mrs. Mullins needed her regular pills, and Judge Bailey twisted his wrist, and I made him a bandage and sling.”

“You’re a gem, Bertie. You do everything so well. You keep this house clean, your cooking is out of this world, and you’re an exceptionable nurse.”

Bertie threw her peeled potato into the pot and picked up another one. “I see you and Conner are still not... well… sharing the same room. What in land’s end is taking you two so long to see that you were made for each other?”

Elsie felt herself blush at the mention of their sleeping arrangements. “I’m very fond of Conner, and I’m fairly sure I’d welcome it if the relationship grew deeper, but he’s... well... sometimes he’s warm and sometimes he’s cold. I can’t figure him out.”

“He’s been through a lot.” Bertie patted Elsie’s hand. “He’ll come around. You’ll see.”

Elsie tossed her potato into the pot and picked up another one. She sat and toyed with the eyes of the potato, thinking. “Bertie, what’s Conner really like?”

Bertie began detailing all of Conner’s attributes, while Elsie studied her. She was a strong woman with hair the color of salt and pepper mixed, always tied up in a neat bun at the back of her head. Bertie had a pretty face for a middle-aged woman, with large, round, rosy cheeks. Elsie suddenly realized that she was fond of Bertie. She also recognized that she’d been so busy studying the woman she’d hadn’t been paying attention to what she was saying, so she listened.

“And, since we’ve moved to Kansas he seemed so lonely. He kept busy, but I could tell he was wishing for some companionship... other than that of an old woman, of course.” Bertie laughed. “So, I suggested the matchmaker and... here you are.”

Elsie smiled. “I was thinking more along the lines of the future. What do you think he wants out of a wife and family... or just from his future?”

“He’d be a loving father. He’s fantastic with the young patients. Oh, and he’s excited about a piece of land he’s been wanting for months that he finally saved up enough to buy. He fell in love with it. It’s about a half-mile from town. It’s already cleared, and it has a small stream flowing through the back. It’s all he’s been talking about lately. Has he taken you to see it?”

Elsie felt as if her heart had dropped to her feet. Conner had his heart set on the land she didn’t want, but he’d agreed to take the one she’d liked. The realization made her feel like a selfish child. She had no idea he’d had his heart set on that lot. She also hadn’t realized that Bertie was still talking, so she shook off her guilt and listened.

“Conner comes from a very wealthy family in Boston. His brother and sister still live there. His father remarried after Conner’s mother died, and now he is a banker in Colorado. He paid for Conner’s medical school, and Conner was lucky enough to find the position in Missouri right after he graduated. He met Mary almost as soon as he arrived in Jefferson City, and they married just months after that. Anyway, they hired me, and I’ve been with Conner ever since. Conner had a lucrative practice back in Jefferson City. He’s an honorable man, Elsie.

“I think sometimes,” Bertie took the potato Elsie had been toying with and started to peel it, “a woman needs to give a man a bit of a push.”

“A push?”

“Yes. It’s been a while since Conner’s courted a woman. He’s been mourning what he’s lost, and I think he feels like he can’t... well, that the romantic side of his life is over.”

Elsie shook her head in confusion. “How would I do that... push? If he’s convinced himself that he’s done with romance in his life, how can I change that?”

Bertie laughed. “Silly girl. You have all the ammunition you need; simply release the safety and fire.”

Elsie blushed. “Do you mean I should make advances toward him?”

Bertie picked up the pot and put it on the stove. “Yes, I think you should. He needs to know he still has some romance inside of him.”

Elsie watched Bertie light a fire