Teresa sat in the front parlor window of her new home. It was large, with three bedrooms upstairs, and front and back parlor, a large, roomy kitchen, and dining room downstairs. She had a new home for her new and growing family.
Grace leaned back in bed. She wasn't tired, but she had promised Robert E. to take more time off.
She sat back contentedly and began to think about her baby. If it was a boy, she and Robert E. had decided to name it either Robert, or Samuel, and if it was a girl, she would be named Faith, because God had given them a child when she thought it impossible, he had made them happy, when happiness seemed to have passed them by. And she was, Grace thought, completely happy at last.
Brian walked though the woods slowly, taking everything in. He'd never been in this part of the woods, and he wanted to make sure he remembered them, in case he ever came this way in the future.
But suddenly, a clearing broke through the dense forest, and tall, thin trees, heavy with fruit, took place of the large, cumbersome trees of the forest.
It was wildly over-grown, and flowers grew everywhere. The air was thick with their perfume. He heard some sweet, sad melody coming from somewhere, and it seemed as if this old orchard were somehow enchanted. He heard some sweet voice following the melody of what he thought was a violin. It was a high, sweet, strong voice, and he knew it was beautiful, even though he knew nothing about music other than a few piano lessons.
He walked even slower through the orchard, and then he saw the source of the music. A girl, about his own age, standing beneath some tree with rosy blossoms, and playing, as if in a trance (though really she was simply pouring her heart and soul into the music) and singing with it. She wasn't beautiful, like Gretta, but not unpleasant to look at.
With light red hair, she was tall and slender, with peachy skin, and though he couldn't see them, light blue eyes. He sat and listened for a while (with the shelter of an apple tree and some wildflowers so she wouldn't see him.
"Brian!" A voice called from a distance. "Brian! Where are you?"
Brian's sweet reverie was broken. "Pa?" Brian answered back, "What are you doing here?!"
"That's about what I was going to ask you." Sully said, as he caught up with his son. "Your Ma's worried about ya. Did you forget about your chores?" Brian sighed. The singing had stopped anyway, and the girl was nowhere to be seen. Brian looked back one more time. "All right, Pa, I'll come home right away." "Good. Tell your Ma I'll be home in time for supper. I have some things to do that will only take a while. Make sure you go home right away, Brian." "OK, Pa." Brian started for home. He would have to find that mysterious girl another time.
Dr. Bell sat for what seemed like an eternity at a table at Grace's cafe, listening to the constant chatter of his mother and her newest beau, Loren Bray. Daphne had insisted Ryan join them for coffee...again.
Privately, Ryan had asked his mother. "What are you afraid of? Surely you don't need me at your side every minute! I know for a fact that Mr. Bray would prefer that I was elsewhere!"
Daphne had pondered that for a moment, then replied, "But Ryan, dearest...I only want you to share in my happiness...I need you to be a part of my life now...it's been so long since we've been in the same town." Her eyes filled with tears.
Although Ryan had long suspected that his mother could do that on command, he couldn't be sure. "I promise not to make you stay the whole time, if that will make it better."
And so Ryan had agreed to join his mother and her friend...again. He nodded in response and glibly added to the conversation now and then, trying to appear as though his mind wasn't wandering...He half-heartedly prayed for a medical emergency that Dr. Quinn wasn't around to deal with...He spotted a familiar face. Ryan quickly and politely excused himself from the table, and ran to catch up with Gretta, who had spotted Daphne and taken off running. "Gretta! Wait!" Ryan called, as he chased her down.
Things in Philadelphia were still going fairly well. Andrew had been able to return to work, and was now using a cane instead of the crutches. He would be back on his feet in no time, and it was a good thing. Although Nathaniel's workload had normalized, he still hadn't had a chance to rest and recover sufficiently from all the stress he'd been under concerning Alexandra and her situation. Andrew had sent Nathaniel home that very day with a slight fever brought on by an increasingly worsening catarrh, and planned to visit that evening with Colleen to help Alexandra talk him into taking the next couple of days off.
Colleen and Andrew would be moving into their new apartment soon, but Mrs. White had convinced them to wait long enough for her to give them a proper send-off. "Invite all your friends, now...it's time we had a celebration!"
Mrs. White squealed with delight.
In Colorado Springs, the night passed slowly. Brian kept wondering about the girl he had seen in the woods as he ate his supper, did his homework and tossed and turned that night.
The next morning, he got to school early. With a smile, he saw Sarah approaching, talking to her friend Melanie Ruthers. Sarah looked up and gave Brian a friendly wave and a shy smile. As she turned, her ever-darkening blonde hair caught in the light. It was funny how red it looked as the light hit it....
Colleen was studying when Andrew burst into the room at the boarding house.
"I've found it!" he cried excitedly, lifting her up off her feet and into a hug.
Laughing, Colleen returned his kiss. "Whatever are you talking about?"
"An apartment! The perfect apartment for us! I hope you don't mind," Andrew said, concern overriding a bit of his exuberance.
"Of course not! When can we go see it?"
"Right now! Get your wraps, darling and we'll go right now."
Colleen smiled as she put on her cloak and allowed Andrew to pull her joyfully out the door. It was so wonderful to have him back to normal.
Try as she might, Gretta's long skirts kept her from running away as quick as she dared, and it was easy for Ry...Dr. Bell to catch up to her.
"Gretta," he said breathlessly.
Turning, she put on a false smile. "Why, good morning, Dr. Bell! Fancy meeting you here!"
He ignored this and continued. "You never responded to my note!"
"Your note?"
"Yes, the one I left for you a few days ago."
"But...you never responded to mine!"
Before Ryan had a chance to answer, Michaela came upon them, Katie on her hip.
"Gretta, there you are! Katie's all fed and ready for the day, but she's not feeling too well. Perhaps you should keep her inside today."
Gretta tried her best to calm her racing heart. "Yes, of course, Dr. Mike. Dr. Bell, it was a pleasure meeting you. I hope I see you again soon." She took Katie from Michaela and made her escape.
Two days passed in Colorado Springs. Try as he might, Brian couldn't get that red-haired girl out of his mind! He dared not tell anyone either, for fear of being teased. Also, he was growing very tired of Oliver giving Sarah goo-goo eyes at every turn. Sarah was his....friend.
Finally, in desperation, he went back to the clearing, in hopes of perhaps discovering the identity of the red-haired song maiden. He settled against the trunk of a tree with his whistle, and began to softly play the song No-Harm had taught him so many years before.
The apartment was perfect, as Andrew had promised. It was a town house, with two bedrooms, an airy kitchen, a greatroom, a parlour, and a small yard with rose bushes.
While Andrew went about exploring the practical side of things, Colleen happily began to plan exactly what furniture would be needed. Perhaps Alexandra and Erin and she could all go shopping that weekend. Keeping house was going to be so much fun! She finally felt like a proper wife, with a proper house. Hers and Andrew's first real house.
Brian finally set aside his whistle and drew his notebook from his jacket pocket. Writing had always been an escape for him. As he sat contemplating the blank page, he heard the melody again and looked up. It was her.
Gretta kept Katie inside all day, and did some very furious cleaning. Oh, WHY did her life have to be falling apart at the seams! Speaking of seams, she thought in wry amusement, she needed to do some mending and some sewing as well. Sweeping the skirt of her new brown dress up, she settled on the floor where she began to work on one of the dresses Emma had helped her fit.
Brian scrambled to his feet and made his way quietly to where the girl stood. She heard the footsteps, and darted into the woods in surprise.
"Wait!" Brian called in desperation.
The girl turned. They caught gazes. "Sarah?!" Brian gasped.
"Brian...what are you doing here?" Sarah asked in embarrassed surprise.
"Waiting for you. I saw this beautiful red haired singer out here a few days back, but I never guessed it was you!"
She blushed. "I....come out here sometimes. To think. My Pa always taught me that singing can free your mind."
"Really? That's what Miss Dorothy taught me about writing."
"Really?"
"Yeah. I sometimes go to this cave that Pa showed me."
"I always come here. I didn't know that anyone else knew about this place," Sarah said.
"Well, I won't tell," Brian said with a reassuring grin.
Sarah smiled. "I know. Brian, I have a question. How do you know Oliver?"
Brian tensed a little and his smile disappeared.. "I...met him when our Pas went on an expedition."
"Well, it's a little rude," she started, brushing a red-gold curl from her face, "but is he always so...intrusive? I mean, he's nice and everything, but he's always around."
"You don't like that?"
"Not really. I know he's lonely, but I haven't been able to spend any time with my cousin without him there!" she said in exasperation. Then, more quietly, she murmured, "Or you."
"Me?"
"Yeah. I miss our nature walks," she said, her blue-gray eyes turned inquisitively toward Brian.
"Well, Oliver's not here now. Do you...want to go on a walk?" he asked.
Her face lit up. "Yeah!" Shyly, she took the arm that Brian hesitantly offered, and the two went off along the path.
Colleen was indeed able to do some shopping with Alexandra and Erin. They found some beautiful items for Colleen to decorate her new home with, as well as a new dress for Erin. Alexandra had her eye on some lovely things for the baby, but decided not to buy them just yet. Clara had already mentioned plans for a baby shower in the next few weeks. Alexandra did so love her mother-in-law. Clara happened to be visiting with Alexandra on the day Andrew sent Nathaniel home sick. As a result, the recommended time off for Dr. Pennington was strictly enforced. Clara moved in and enforced it. There was no arguing with the woman.
And Clara fully intended to move in for awhile to help with the baby. "Her own mother won't do it, so I will fulfill the role." Clara had told Nathaniel, when she thought Alexandra was out of earshot. Alexandra didn't mind. She knew Clara was probably right. Still she hoped that when the baby was born, Catherine would finally come around.
Just before Colleen and Andrew were to make their final move to the lovely new townhouse, Mrs. White gave them a wonderful party at the boarding house. The Penningtons were of course invited.
Mrs. White wasn't so sure that was a good idea, considering all the gossip she'd heard about the doctor and his very young wife, not to mention the old lady, but she didn't dare voice her concerns to the Cooks, knowing how much they loved them. However, Mrs. White was very impressed when she heard what her piano could sound like...in the proper hands.
Dr. Pennington played beautifully....so much so that Mrs. White was determined that Mr. White get piano lessons straight away! It was a lovely evening for all concerned. Andrew and Colleen kindly thanked Mrs. White for everything, as the guests finally left. The Cooks would miss this time terribly, but they looked forward happily to the next phase in their lives.
Myra sat at Grace's cafe, trying hard not to cry. Her life was a failure. She had gone from a prostitute to a wife, to a mother, to a divorcee, to a fiancee, and now a single, lonely woman. Her daughter had been taken away, and her now ex-fiancé was nothing but a liar. Myra took a shaky breath and tried to calm herself. There was nothing to do now except to go back to St. Louis and resume her job, alone.
"Mind if I join ya?" Myra jerked her head up. Robert E. was standing at the table.
"Sure..." Myra tried to calm herself down. She forced herself to smile.
"So, how's Grace? She fine?" Myra asked.
"Oh, she's doin' better, especially since she's been resting and not doin' so much work. And how about you? You doin' okay?" Robert E. asked.
"I'm...okay. I mean, why wouldn't I be all right? I got rid of that Michael for good..should I be happy? I could've married a pathetic man. I could've..." Myra trailed off, her eyes filling up with tears. "Oh Robert E., I don't know what to do now!! I'm all alone...help me." She sobbed out the last few words and broke out into tears.
Brian and Sarah happily strolled around the woods, talking to each other. Finally, they both realized it was time to part and head their separate ways.
Sully was outside working when he heard a happy whistle coming through the air. Brian soon came insight. Sully smiled.
"He must have been with Sarah," Sully said to himself.
"Hey Sully! Need any help?" Brian called out.
"Hey Brian. Thanks, but no. Hey, Oliver stopped by here an hour ago. Said he wanted to talk with ya. But seeing you weren't here, he just said he'll meet ya at your ma's clinic tomorrow about 11 'o clock."
"Uh, sure. That's fine." Brian stammered. He hoped this had nothin' to do with Sarah. The last thing he wanted to do was listen, or watch Oliver drool over her.
Teresa stood in her new kitchen, happily cooking dinner. Never had she felt so much joy. She had a loving husband, a beautiful house, and a baby on the way. Things had never looked better...except her and her family. She sighed.
"Maybe I should let them know...no...it might be a hectic mess. But still..."Teresa debated. She remembered how bad things turned out with her grandmother and Jake. But...she was family and she would have to know sooner or later....
When Myra got back to the hotel, she saw Michael sitting in the parlour. He jumped up as soon as she came in.
"Dear, there you are! I was hoping you'd be back soon! Now, I've gotten us tickets on the next train tomorrow morning back to St. Louis, so you'd better pack."
"Oh, I am going back to St. Louis all right, but not with you."
Michael paled considerably. "But...you must let me explain!"
"There's nothing to explain! You wanted to marry me simply for Sam and that darned inheritance money! Because of you, I have lost custody of my daughter and risked hurting her, and that is something I can never forgive. The engagement is off, Michael. As far as I'm concerned, I never want to see your face again."
With that, Myra took off her gloves, pulled off the small diamond engagement ring he had given her and dropped it on the table with a resounding clunk before spinning on her heel and returning to her room.
Sam sat in her room, happily rocking in her rocker with Sarah cradled in her arms. Her father knocked on the door and came in with a tray.
"Thought you might be hungry, honey," he said.
She looked up with a sunny smile. "Yeah, I am, Pa!"
"Well, then, we have a chicken sandwich, some lemonade, some potato salad, an apple and a chocolate chip cookie for dessert!"
"Yummy!" And so, as father and daughter prepared to eat dinner, Horace reflected that he might not be so bad at this parenting stuff.
Previous
Next
Back To Colleen and Andrew Stories
