probably wasn’t an appropriate time to laugh, but Katie couldn’t help it. Harold was wiry and as for the other part, well…
“No, honey,” she said, as soon as she could talk. “Reverend Stoker didn’t mean…” What did Reverend Stoker mean? Oh dear. She glanced at Julia’s plate. “Why, look, you’ve eaten your lunch. Maybe it would be all right with your pa if you want to play now.”
John didn’t respond, but his response wasn’t necessary. Julia had bounded away before Katie even managed to put the period at the end of her sentence.
She returned her attention to the men, only to find Harold seething, Freddie blushing, and John glaring. As for Randy? He was grinning, but then, he did that a lot.
Was that his foot brushing against hers under the table? Surely not. She tucked her feet under her bench, not daring a peek in his direction.
They ate in uncomfortable silence until finally all three men blurted at once, “Katie, I was wondering,” and from there the sentences jumbled around each other, as they each asked to walk her home. She tried to answer over the din, but gave up as their bickering overcame their desire to walk with her.
Sighing, she picked up her plate and left the group, not caring if her sudden exit was rude. They were becoming more irritating than wool under britches.
“Miss Napier?” John hurried to catch up with her.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Keffer. I guess I’d just had all I could take.”
“That’s understandable.” He stood with her while she scraped her dinner remains into the slop pail, then rinsed her plate in a bucket of water.
“Are they always like that?” He gestured toward her suitors, still arguing away at the table.
“No.” She took his plate and proceeded to clean it. “It just started when I agreed to marry them.”
John’s brows rose, and then frowned. “ All of them?”
“Sort of.” She dried their plates and returned them to her basket.
“How can you ‘sort of’ have three fiancés?”
“It was an accident.” And one she didn’t want to talk about just now, at least not with John. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”
He hesitated for a moment, probably wondering about her abrupt change of subject, but being the gentleman he was, he didn’t ask any more questions on the matter.
“I was hoping I could convince you to help me.”
She hadn’t expected that. “How?”
“I would like to employ you to work with me in my office. I need some help learning the area and organizing my equipment. Two or three days a week, you decide. You could tell your friends where you are so that if any need to see you, they could stop by there.”
He paused, then added, “I’ll pay you well.”
Money. She could actually earn a little money for such things as flour and ribbons. But working in town would mean being away from home part of the week.
“Katie?” Grandpa yelled across the yard. He sat undera big shade tree with enough food in front of him to feed Wayne County. “Can you fetch me some dessert? My knee’s a-hurtin’.”
“I’d like some too, Katie girl,” Pa chimed in, scratching his belly.
Katie looked up at John and smiled. “When can I start?”
Chapter Eight
John hadn’t expected Katie to be so easily convinced to work for him. Of course now he was faced with the small dilemma of what to do with her once she arrived. His plan had been to use her as bait for the ill, but she probably wouldn’t agree to sitting on the front porch with a sign around her neck. He needed something legitimate for her to do.
Pacing around his office, he studied the immaculate shelves, all his equipment neatly organized and his medical books in their alphabetical order.
“Damn,” he muttered, quickly jerking the books onto the floor, before collecting his instruments and laying them in a pile.
It wasn’t enough. That small mess could be organized in a matter of minutes, not days. Rushing to the basement, he retrieved some of the smaller
“No, honey,” she said, as soon as she could talk. “Reverend Stoker didn’t mean…” What did Reverend Stoker mean? Oh dear. She glanced at Julia’s plate. “Why, look, you’ve eaten your lunch. Maybe it would be all right with your pa if you want to play now.”
John didn’t respond, but his response wasn’t necessary. Julia had bounded away before Katie even managed to put the period at the end of her sentence.
She returned her attention to the men, only to find Harold seething, Freddie blushing, and John glaring. As for Randy? He was grinning, but then, he did that a lot.
Was that his foot brushing against hers under the table? Surely not. She tucked her feet under her bench, not daring a peek in his direction.
They ate in uncomfortable silence until finally all three men blurted at once, “Katie, I was wondering,” and from there the sentences jumbled around each other, as they each asked to walk her home. She tried to answer over the din, but gave up as their bickering overcame their desire to walk with her.
Sighing, she picked up her plate and left the group, not caring if her sudden exit was rude. They were becoming more irritating than wool under britches.
“Miss Napier?” John hurried to catch up with her.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Keffer. I guess I’d just had all I could take.”
“That’s understandable.” He stood with her while she scraped her dinner remains into the slop pail, then rinsed her plate in a bucket of water.
“Are they always like that?” He gestured toward her suitors, still arguing away at the table.
“No.” She took his plate and proceeded to clean it. “It just started when I agreed to marry them.”
John’s brows rose, and then frowned. “ All of them?”
“Sort of.” She dried their plates and returned them to her basket.
“How can you ‘sort of’ have three fiancés?”
“It was an accident.” And one she didn’t want to talk about just now, at least not with John. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”
He hesitated for a moment, probably wondering about her abrupt change of subject, but being the gentleman he was, he didn’t ask any more questions on the matter.
“I was hoping I could convince you to help me.”
She hadn’t expected that. “How?”
“I would like to employ you to work with me in my office. I need some help learning the area and organizing my equipment. Two or three days a week, you decide. You could tell your friends where you are so that if any need to see you, they could stop by there.”
He paused, then added, “I’ll pay you well.”
Money. She could actually earn a little money for such things as flour and ribbons. But working in town would mean being away from home part of the week.
“Katie?” Grandpa yelled across the yard. He sat undera big shade tree with enough food in front of him to feed Wayne County. “Can you fetch me some dessert? My knee’s a-hurtin’.”
“I’d like some too, Katie girl,” Pa chimed in, scratching his belly.
Katie looked up at John and smiled. “When can I start?”
Chapter Eight
John hadn’t expected Katie to be so easily convinced to work for him. Of course now he was faced with the small dilemma of what to do with her once she arrived. His plan had been to use her as bait for the ill, but she probably wouldn’t agree to sitting on the front porch with a sign around her neck. He needed something legitimate for her to do.
Pacing around his office, he studied the immaculate shelves, all his equipment neatly organized and his medical books in their alphabetical order.
“Damn,” he muttered, quickly jerking the books onto the floor, before collecting his instruments and laying them in a pile.
It wasn’t enough. That small mess could be organized in a matter of minutes, not days. Rushing to the basement, he retrieved some of the smaller
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