A Mail Order Bride for the Miner (Love by Mail #2)(11)

Hank was about to teach them a lesson about playin’ and respect, when Sarah placed a hand on his arm. One glance at her face, brows furrowed, and mouth turned down, made him reconsider. She shook her head. "They’re just boys."

“Apologize t-to my w-wife now.” Hank said squeezing the brunet’s shirt.

“Sorry, we’re sorry Ma’m,” the two blurted.

Hank hoped that was enough of a lesson. He let the lad go and watched him ran inside the shop with a whimper. Alone on the porch Hank turned to Sarah – her eyes were cast down ad she twisted her fingers. Was she terrified of him? Ashamed of his outburst? But when he stepped closer she just smiled sadly at him. “Are you all right?”

Hank nodded.

“Let’s just go home,” she said. “We can buy the vegetables tomorrow.”

He wanted to tell her not to let it get to her, but who was he kidding? He clenched his fists. He was still ready to knock someone’s teeth out, but he followed Sarah back home anyway.





Chapter 7


Sarah hesitated before knocking on the doctor’s door. Hank didn’t say yes, but he didn’t say no either and they hadn’t breached the subject again. She was embarrassed enough by having to ask him to light the stove before he left for work, or wait for dinner if it went out during the day and Claire wasn’t around. She really wanted to feel useful, and since she wasn’t making progress overcoming her fears, Sarah thought maybe getting back to work would boost her confidence.

She wiped her sweaty palms on her dark blue skirt for the third time. Finally she thumped a fist against the door.

“Yes, yes!” A slightly grumpy man’s voice replied from inside.

The door opened and an elder man, with only wisps of white hair left on his head, narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m afraid my wife isn’t around. How many months are you now?”

Sarah blushed. “Oh, no, I’m not. I – actually, I came to see you, Mr. Edwards.”

“Call me Doc Edwards or just Doc.”

“Doc Edwards… I’m Sarah Welton.”

“Welton… Welton. Ah, yes, you’re Hank Welton’s wife. Heard about the wedding from my wife. Congratulations! Sorry I couldn’t make it, dear. Come in, come in.”

Sarah stepped inside the bright room, natural light streaming in through big windows. Doc pulled up a chair and gestured at the bench for her.

“Now, how can I help you? You look healthy enough. If you’re not pregnant, then something to do with…?” He ran a hand down the left side of his face.

“Oh, no, sir – Doc. Actually, I wanted to know if you were looking for an assistant.”

“Assistant?” Doc chuckled.

Sarah wet her lips and gripped her skirt. “I used to be a physician’s assistant back home in Louisiana.”

Doc scratched his bearded chin. “Hmm… Have you told your husband about this yet?”

“We’ve talked about it.”

Doc furrowed his brows. “I don’t think I even need an assistant, let alone a female one. But maybe my wife? I can ask if she’d need an extra pair of hands, especially with all the weddings recently she might be a bit overwhelmed soon.”

He winked an smiled at Sarah.

“Oh.” While, she was sure she’d learn a lot from Mrs. Edwards on midwifery, it wasn’t quite the subject she was interested in or something she looked to do for a living. She couldn’t help but think about the textbooks she read not so long ago.

“In any case,” Doc didn’t seem to notice her hesitation. “I’ll have to speak with both you and your husband before we finalize anything.”

Sarah blushed at the thought of confronting Hank again.

Again, Doc didn’t seem to care or notice. He stood up and returned the chair to a corner of the house. Sarah took the dismissal for what it was. She bade the old man goodbye and walked back home. All the way back she kept thinking about what to do. Hank hadn’t looked enthused with the idea of his wife working outside the homestead.

Sure it didn’t pay a lot, but Sarah liked the job. There was so much to be learned, so many people she could help. She just prayed Hank would like the idea, too. Maybe a midwife assistant would be easier for him to accept too.

*

Sarah had the whole day to figure out how to breach the subject. She said nothing the previous evening, but after talking with Claire in the morning she felt more confident. In fact she rehearsed her speech, as she cleaned the house. She was about to look through the vegetable basket when the front door opened.

Hank stepped inside.

“Oh!” Sarah said. “You gave me a fright! I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

Hank chuckled. “Mine c-closed early. There were – some loose rocks.”

“Was anyone hurt?” Sarah always worried about the men in the mines. Even though Hank said he hadn’t had an accident for years, there was no denying the job was a dangerous one.

Hank shook his head.

“Thank God.” She relaxed, but then tensed up again. “I’m so sorry Hank. I haven’t started dinner yet. You must be starving, and all I have is dessert!”

Hank raised a brow.

“It’s – it’s not yet sundown,” Hank said. “It’s fine. I’ll – I’ll go change first.”