"Give a man a fish, feed him for the day. Teach a man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime."

~Lao Tzu

Chapter Sixteen

Neil had timed his arrival perfectly. The students were rushing past him to go home as he pulled up on Charlie. Christy waved and smiled toward him as she collected books and papers from the makeshift desk, she had set up for herself under a tree.

"Do you need help?" he asked, hopping off his horse.

She shook her head, still smiling at him. "You look very nice."

So, she noticed he had cleaned up for her, and dressed a little nicer, in new pants and freshly ironed shirt. He grinned like a fool. She did find him handsome!

"I have come to collect you for dinner and discussion."

She tilted her head. "Dinner and discussion? I like that idea." She raised her brows and grinned back at him, handing him a stack of books. "Who is cooking?"

"Why, Miss Huddleston, I am quite proficient in the kitchen." He spread his arms wide. "You can see I am hardly malnourished."

She grinned and a flush spread across her cheeks, but she continued staring at him, anyway.

"Help me get these books inside, and then we can go."

"Yes, ma'am. I can't refuse helping such a fine-looking teacher gal."

She shook her head with a snort. "You are incorrigible."

"You can't take a compliment, can ya?"

"Thank you, Dr. MacNeill." She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. "I am pleased you find me attractive."

"What about me?" he whispered in her ear. He followed her up the mission stairs.

She set her books on a table in the parlor and took the books from his hands. She twisted her lips and walked closer to him. She coaxed him to lower his head with a curling of her finger. He bowed close to her.

"You are the most handsome man I have ever known," she whispered in his ear. Then she kissed his cheek, and followed with a gentle caress of his cheek with her soft fingertips.

"That is not true," he argued.

"It is," she argued. She put her hand around his waist and stood close. "To me, Neil, you are beautiful inside an out, even though your temper is fierce sometimes."

He chuckled. "Thank goodness you can handle that part of me."

She went on her tiptoes and kissed his chin. "I'll do my best." She pulled away. "I'll tell Ida I won't be staying for dinner. I think David went to take a nap. He was rather worn out from your digging."

"I have a confession," Neil said, following her. "I went home and cleaned up and took a nap myself." He grinned.

"It's always nice to look your best when you come calling." She winked at him and then stopped. "I must be honest and say I do like you looking rough and ruffled too, though." She shrugged. "I guess I just love you the way you are."

He stopped short and grabbed her hand. "What did you just say."

"Oh!" She grinned. "You know me so well, I thought you had it figured out by now?" She took his hands and met his eyes with her gaze. "I am in love with you, Dr. Neil MacNeill. You mean the world to me."

"Oh, Christy," he whispered.

His heart was near bursting and he pulled her into his arms. She buried her cheek under his chin and held onto him tightly. She loved him! Him! A poor hillbilly from the backwoods of Tennessee! She could have anyone, but she loved him!

Alice's discreet cough pulled them apart. Damn her timing!

"Remember Christy, Dr. Ferrand will be here tonight. I cannot say for certain what time, but if you and Neil are going, you better get going. I'll let Ida know you will not be here for dinner. I think Mr. Pentland will be joining us."

"Again?" Christy asked.

Alice shrugged. "She's making up for lost time?"

"Well, I wish her the very best," Christy said. She turned toward him. "Let's go?"

Neil nodded and after saying goodbye to Alice, allowed her to precede him out the door. "Will you ride with me?"

"If you don't mind bringing me back?"

"The more time I spend with you, the happier I will be." He climbed up on Charlie and helped her up behind him. "Hold me tight," he whispered over her shoulder.

She complied immediately and he took off toward the cabin, excited to spend the evening in her company.

"How was school today?" he asked.

"Better, more solemn. I did not bring up Tom, but I think most of the children knew."

"The hills seem to have ears," he said. "Everyone knows everything very quickly. I can't imagine what will happen when everyone has a telephone in their home."

"You think that will happen here?"

"Maybe not every cabin here. I plan to get one installed as soon as Jeb and David and I finish putting up the church."

"That will be a big help," she said. "It would be nice to have indoor plumbing and electricity, too." She chuckled.

"Now those will take some time, Sweetheart, but maybe someday."

"I miss warm baths the most, I think," she said, close to his ear. "I don't mind lamplight. It's really not so different from the gaslights we had when I was little."

"The stream was mighty cold this afternoon when I took my bath." He laughed. "Refreshing, but I was able to nap anyway. I've never been one to sit in a tub."

"Do you even have a tub?" Her tone was teasing.

"I do." He shrugged. "It might be a bit rusty."

She laughed.

"Do you mind listening to me talk about Tom?" he asked. He slowed Charlie down so it was easier for her to hear his voice.

"No," she answered. "I didn't know him very well at all. I was surprised when Opal asked me to lay out the baby. She had not even said ten words to me by that time."

"She is shy," he answered her. "I think she is in awe of you, really."

"Why?"

He chuckled. "Because, Christy Huddleston, you are kind, beautiful, clean, wear pretty clothes, fix your hair and are educated. She likely has never encountered anyone quite like you. I would be surprised to learn she had been anywhere further than El Pano."

"Since the baby's death she has been touching me a lot. Like petting me almost. She touches my clothes like the children do. She is a very special person, Neil. My grandmother would call her a gentle soul.

"She is very simple. Tom was too. Unfortunately, he was also very gullible, and people preyed on that. He was teased horribly as a child. You know he had really big ears." After she nodded, he continued, "He grew into them eventually. Same with his feet. When he wore shoes, they were always a few sizes too big and he clunked around. You think he and Opal struggle now, you should have seen him growing up. It was not quite as bad as the O'Teales, but it was bad." He squeezed her hand resting on his stomach. "Someday, I need to give you a full tour of my route when I go on rounds."

"Yes, please do. I feel like I am missing so much. That trip to Lyleton was interesting. I got to see Low Gap, but I'm sure I only saw a small part of it."

"There is plenty left to see, Miss Huddleston and so much I want to share it all with you." He smiled, imagining the days they would share in the future. She loved him! "Tom was a good man, but to be honest, his passing, and the way he left the earth is not a surprise. I could do nothing to save him. I knew that as soon as I saw the condition he was in, but I did the best I could for Opal, to give her as much time with him as I could."

Christy's arms tightened around him in a hug. "You are such a good man, Neil."

He let her compliment warm him and a small smile crossed his face. How could he ever show her how much she had already changed his heart, how she has entered his soul, to almost become part of him? How had she settled herself into her life so quickly? He never thought he would love again, but he was in love, and anxious to share a future with the little schoolteacher from Asheville.

When they reached his cabin, he helped Christy off Charlie who he tethered on a nearby post. He reached out and took her hand and led her up the stairs and into his cabin. He had spent some time that afternoon picking up the journals and cluttered piles in the main part of the cabin. It still looked unkempt but it was better than the last time she had spent time at his home.

"It smells so good." She walked over to the pot and looked inside. "What is it?"

"Venison stew," he answered. He stood close behind her, enjoying the rose scent she always wore. "Do you like it?"

She nodded. She turned and ran her hands around his waist. "I do. One of my father's clients loves to hunt and he would always give Daddy a venison roast each year. Mother usually cut it up and made a barley soup with it. I do like venison very much."

"I enjoy hunting and tracking," Neil admitted. He leaned forward and kissed her gently. "I don't take more than I can use, but now that I know you like it, I'll have to bag another one this year."

"Do you make jerky, too?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Yes." He nodded. "I try to use every part of the animal I can." He pulled away reluctantly and pointed to the three deer heads and the smaller elk he had on his walls next to the fireplace. "There's a man in Low Gap who does a nice job with taxidermy, and I like the reminder of the hunt."

"Do you go alone usually or do a bunch of men get together?"

"Both," he answered. He took her hand and led her to the table. He gallantly pulled out her chair for her and with a smile, she sat. "I prefer to hunt with others. We usually take three days. Uncle Bogg has some hounds that are raised to track deer."

Neil carried the pot of stew to the table and filled her bowl and then his. He put it back on the stove top and brought over sliced bread and the butter crock. He reached for her hands and when she placed her small ones in his larger ones, he closed his eyes.

"Dear Lord, I thank you for the food on our table this evening. I thank you for bringing Christy into my life to bring me back to You. Please continue to help me find my path to You and always do Your will. Amen."

"Amen," Christy echoed. She squeezed his hand and pulled away. "For a beginner that was excellent."

"Thank you. I do have a fine teacher." He winked at her and grabbed for a piece of bread. "I have a question for you. It's something I can't quite understand and I hoped you would help me figure it out."

"Oh?"

He took a bite of bread and watched her blow on her stew to cool it. "I can't understand why the loss of Opal's baby affected me so much more than the death of Tom. I've known Tom almost my whole life, shouldn't that have made me more upset?"

He watched her listen to him, and when she took a bite of his stew, he wondered what she would think? Had he done well? He liked things a little spicy.

"Mmmm. This is very good, Neil. The meat it so tender." She wiped her mouth with her napkin and then took a sip of water. "To answer your question… Maybe you think, as I do, that Tom had a choice to find legitimate work, and he knew the consequences if he was caught, whereas the baby…" Christy shook her head. "Well, that death was just so pointless and completely preventable."

Neil nodded. "Thing is, there isn't much for a man like Tom to do in the mountains other than run moonshine. You have seen their land. It's all trees, with only small areas he could break up to plant. He could work for a farmer in the valley, but then he would be gone for long stretches of time. The only other option would have been to move off the mountain, or find another place with better land."

"Do you know if he ever thought to do either?"

Neil shrugged. "I would guess not. Change comes really hard and slow to these people. You have seen that."

She nodded. "And most Outsiders are not readily accepted."

"Unless they are pretty women with gorgeous, big blue eyes and a heart of gold." He smiled at her tenderly.

"What? Do you mean me?" She pretended to act surprised, then flushed. "Thank you. But it has not been easy, Neil. I have shared my struggles with you."

"And that has meant the world to me, that you trusted me enough to do that, that you have trusted me with your heart. Did you really mean what you said earlier? Do you truly love me?"

"I have never lied to you," she whispered. "I was in awe of you the first time I saw you riding in on Charlie to save Bob. Then, when we spent that first afternoon together, here, I realized how much I enjoyed talking to you. You have such an array of knowledge about so many things. My mind was whirling when I left."

"With Grantland," he interjected.

She smiled softly. "Yes, with David. But it's funny God works, isn't it? Why did the mule dump me off here, when I was supposed to be going to church with David?"

"You think it was a sign?"

"Do you think we would have ever gotten to know each other as we did that day had Theo not been ornery? It was originally organized as a scheme to get to know David better that day, not you."

"I didn't think of that," he admitted. "I will have to bring Theo a wagon load of sweet oats." He laughed.

He wanted to say they would name their first son after the mule, but thought that might be rushing her. She still had not decided to stay here, but, if she did love him, it might be harder for her to leave.

"I wanted to know so much more about you after that day, and as we have grown closer, I have become more and more content here, too. It's certainly not an easy life. One day things seem perfect and then something happens to swing the balance the other way. But you have an uncanny knack of making me see the beauty in things I would not have naturally taken the time to appreciate."

"You're giving me too much credit," he said.

She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Well, you have relit the spark inside me. You've reminded me of my worth. I often go broody and feel inadequate, Christy, it's just the stubborn man that I am. I hope you'll be patient during those times."

"Me? Patient?" She scoffed. She reached for his hand and kissed it. "Just always talk to me. Don't shut me out if you are upset. Even if we end up yelling at each other, that would be better than you bottling up what you are feeling."

"For a young girl, how are you so smart?"

She shrugged. "Do you want to talk more about Tom?"

He shook his head. "Will you stand with me at the funeral? I'm not much for funerals, honestly. Usually when someone dies, I blame myself unless they were old or frail."

"I will," she said. "You cannot blame yourself for this. How could anyone have saved him?"

"No one could have. It would have taken more than a miracle. Even if they would have found him immediately, he still would not have lived with the bullet that was lodged in his lung." He frowned. "This is not very good dinner conversation." He chuckled. "I forget sometimes."

"It's alright. If you get too graphic, I'll remind you." She winked at him.

He stood to refill his bowl. It was particularly good that night. Maybe it was just the company. "Would you like some more?"

"Oh, no this is plenty. It's really good. Definitely a nice change from possum." Christy laughed.

"Chances are, in the future, fish will be on the menu far more often than venison. Which reminds me, I owe you a fishing lesson soon."

"Yes, sir, you do." She nodded, grinning. "I like fish, with yummy fried or mashed potatoes."

"Yummy potatoes?" he laughed.

"Stop." She laughed. "I like potatoes. Actually, I like most vegetables, which is why I think I'm excited to get a garden started at the mission."

"Ah, yes, the list!" he said. He took the final bite of his stew and washed it down with a drink of water. "Shall we have some coffee and begin our discussion?"

"Haven't we been discussing?' she teased.

"Of course, but our formal discussion tonight will be centered on your vast list of ideas for improving this area." He stood and reached for her bowl.

"You cooked, I'll wash the dishes."

"You wash, I'll dry?" he suggested.

He liked the idea of her in his kitchen. She brought an energy to the old place, made it feel like home again, instead of an empty log shell. Just being with her made him feel content. He had been praying so hard that she would make the ultimate sacrifice and give up her fancy city life to settle here, with him. Alice had been right, Christy would make her choice, and if it did not involve living here, he would leave, too. She had become so important to him, he could not give her up.

While she heated water to wash the dishes, he put a kettle on the stove for coffee. They worked efficiently with each other, and, in no time, they were finished. She was too short to put the plates away in the high cabinet, so he took them out of her hands. If things worked out the way Neil planned, she would have to redo the whole kitchen to match her height.

"Was your mother exceptionally tall," she asked with a laugh, "or am I just terribly short?"

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead. "You, Miss Huddleston, are perfect. And no, she was not tall. I moved things around to match my size."

"What was her name?"

"My mother?"

Christy nodded.

"Her name was Jean, but most called her Jeannie. My father was Neil Edward, and everyone called him Ed."

"They died when you were young?" she asked.

He nodded. "Ma got typhoid and Pa died of what I believe now was a heart attack. He had set some traps and was out checking them, and wasn't coming back like he should have. When we found him, he was already gone."

"I'm sorry." She touched his face gently.

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips before moving to the stove where he poured her some coffee and then some for himself. He handed her a mug before taking her hand to lead her to the two chairs sitting side by side in front of the fireplace. Before he sat, he added another log to the fire and moved around the wood already there.

"I have to fetch the list. I'll be right back."

"Do you want to take notes or should I?" she asked when he returned from his lab.

"Notes?" he chuckled. "My memory is rather good."

"Yes, mine too, but what if we forget an idea?" Determination was etched in her face as she stared at him.

He handed her the list and stood, this time to grab a pencil off his desk in the corner of the room. He handed it to her before sitting again. He watched her glance at his scribblings, curious if she would be angry at his questions. She instead looked up at him with a smile.

"Where shall we start?" she asked.

"Well, we have already begun to talk about the last one, and because it involves clinics and patient care, I have thought most about that one, I suppose."

He watched her head bend over the list. "You wrote down the local communities."

"Yes. I realized that everywhere I travel to see people, there is at least one open, uninhabited cabin in the area. To have a clinic, I really do not need too many supplies, other than what I generally carry with me anyway. If I- or we," he smiled at her, "were able to convert these empty cabins into a place where I could see people for normal care, it might limit my traveling. I could encourage Alice to join me to lead maternity and young mother classes. Or, maybe in time, that would be something you could help with. I understand you have a lot to learn in that area, but I know the girls here trust you, and I'm certain others will, too."

He noticed her flush.

"I really do not know much about babies, Neil." Her voice was very quiet, barely above a whisper. "My mother has never been comfortable talking about such things."

"Well, Sweetheart, it's a good thing you know a doctor and midwife that are very comfortable about discussing such things." He grinned as her face turned brighter red. "Really, Alice and I can teach you what you would need to teach the girls, or you can go with Alice for a while, until you feel confident to lead classes on your own."

She smiled. "Maybe someday. I do like the idea of making a clinic out of a cabin. Perhaps you could have a bed there, too, so you could actually take care of yourself better as you travel. You are always so tired when you arrive home."

"You aren't wrong," he admitted. He sipped his coffee. "When I go, I do push myself, especially when there are many people ill. After you come back from Asheville in April, before classes start up again, we can travel to each of the cabins and make a list of what needs to be done on each one. I think there would be five."

"I like that idea." She smiled, and made a note next to that item.

Did that mean she was planning on returning in April, following the wedding she planned to attend? He had worded it in such a way that she could say she wasn't returning, but she went along with his idea. He felt himself relax a bit. Surely, she would admit she still had not decided if there was any doubt she would return?

"What about Lufty Branch?" she asked. "Or is that too close to have a separate clinic? And do you think people will accept the idea of coming to you instead of you going to them?"

He sighed and cross his legs. "I expect it will take time, but I don't see why not. I suppose for those who cannot get to the cabin clinic, I can still make house calls."

"Would you have beds for sick people?" she asked.

"Cots, I suppose?" He shrugged. "That way if someone was contagious, they could stay at the cabin and not make their whole family ill. I would need basic food stuffs, but I suppose I could bring those supplies along. If you came with me, of course, you could help like you did in Lyleton, plus you could do some cooking." He winked.

"I need some of those cooking lessons from Ida." Her hand started scribbling on the list. "She promised she would teach me some dishes if I sketched a picture of her to send to the mail order grooms she was going to write."

"Oh, yes, I meant to ask how the situation with Ben Pentland is progressing."

Christy chuckled. "She seems to think it's going well. He is uncharacteristically quiet at the mission, but they have walked out after dinner so, I am hopeful they are talking then."

"It's an odd couple, but then again so are we."

She frowned. "Why do you say that? I think we are quite compatible."

He chuckled. "Compatible, yes, similar? No. I am a hillbilly man, you are a finely bred young woman from a city. I am much older than you. I am extremely stubborn and bullheaded and you are impulsive where I am anything but."

She reached over and took his hand. "Where it matters, Neil, we have much in common. We love the children here. We are both educated, of course you much more so, but I am always ready to learn more. I enjoy your humor, your stories, and love our talks. You are kind and warm hearted and incredibly generous and a great listener, why..."

He held up a hand to force her to stop and chuckled. "Enough. I was not fishing for compliments. You must admit we are different in many ways."

"Well… yes… but is that necessarily a bad thing, or does it mean that we balance one another?"

"I suppose that will depend on whether my personality and quirks or behavior make you upset sometimes." He met her soft gaze. "Differences can be good, but they can also push people away."

"Is there something about me you don't think you can accept?" she whispered.

"Not a thing, except I know I will have to pull you out of a scrape or two." He shook his head. "You go barreling into things sometimes without considering all the consequences." He lit a match on the bottom of his shoe and got his pipe burning. "For example, I have a feeling that you would have gone to see Birdseye with or without me. Am I right?"

He saw the answer on her face.

"See? I am coming to know you quite well, Christy. Promise you will not do anything dangerous or uncertain without asking me, or Alice. I worry about you. You care about people so much and go headlong into situations where you can help, but sometime you are going to have a situation when you get stuck and hurt and I never want to see that happen."

"I promise I am trying. I promise! I think that is part of the reason I want to see more of the mountains with you. That way people will get to know who I am and I'll feel safe wherever I am."

"But that is precisely what I worry about. I don't want you to feel overly confident. There are moonshiners throughout this whole mountain, a lot of men I don't trust, men who wouldn't think twice about grabbing you for their own."

"So, what do you recommend, Neil?" She was becoming prickly. Oh, how he loved their arguments! "Should I stay locked away at the mission house unless someone is with me?"

"You are safe enough around Cutter Gap, Christy. It's when you venture further when I will worry. I wouldn't even want you to go much passed Aunt Hattie's. Birdseye is up there and Lord only know who else."

"Oh, yes. I wanted to ask you to take me to see Birdseye."

"What?" he choked out. "After the building burning?"

"Well, I know it sounds odd… but I think he must have been the one to remove all the school supplies. Don't you think? Who else would have? I just wanted to thank him. I feel like I need to stay on his good side, Neil."

He rubbed his face. "Have you not heard a word I just said, woman?"

"Yes, of course I have," she said. "That's why I asked you to come." She smiled. "You'll make sure I'm safe."

"And what if I can't? Christy, he could shoot us on sight, thinking we are coming to cause problems for him."

"I figured you would think it was crazy," she grumbled.

"Besides, if he admits to doing that, he would have to admit to being involved in the burning. He was at the Spencer's so he had an alibi."

"Maybe I could word it in such a way where he doesn't have to admit being there?"

He shook his head. "If the opportunity comes up, fine, but you and I… especially you are not going to seek him out. Do you promise?" He pointed the bit of his pipe at her.

"Yes." She sighed. "I promise."

"Christy…"

"I said, I promise."

"But you weren't looking at me."

"I said I would never lie to you and I won't," she said. "I promise I will not seek out Birdseye and I will be as safe as I can be so you do not worry about me."

He snorted.

"What?" She frowned.

"I will always worry about you. I think that is to be my lot in life." He laughed.

"And will that be so bad," she smiled sweetly, "if I promise to worry about and care for you just as much?"

"I don't think anyone has ever really truly worried about my well-being since my parents. Maybe Margaret, but she never admitted it to me. I think there was likely a lot she never admitted to me."

The minute he said his dead wife's name, the atmosphere shifted in the cabin. Christy's face clouded and she looked down at the list in her hands as if it were the most important thing in the world. Damn him for bringing Margaret up. He would have to tell Christy about her soon. He had realized she would never ask, that he would have to be the one to bring up the topic of his first marriage. Now, however, was not the time.