AN: Thank you all for your patience. This is one of the stories that got put on hold while I was getting my novel ready for Amazon. If you want to look up my original debut novel, it is available on Amazon - Sea of Fate by Lynn Eisenhauer. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this next chapter from Brookfeild!
Lillian stood at the front window of the house, peering out as Sam prepared to remove the wasp nest that had been built. Though no one had been stung yet, Lillian did not want to press their luck on the matter. She couldn't be sure that none of the children were allergic and even if they weren't, being stung was not a pleasant experience. That was something she had found out first hand as a child.
Eleanor and Grace were in the kitchen baking bread and the children were at school. Sam had instructed that she remain inside just to be safe. While she was following his instructions, it didn't mean that she was not worried about him. Yes, Sam had tucked the end of his pants legs into the boots he wore, donned a long sleeve shirt with work gloves, and draped a hat with netting in case any wasps were still alive but it wasn't fool proof. If the soap and water had not done what it was supposed to do, or wasps had returned to the nest after it had been sprayed the night before then they would not be happy to have their home disturbed.
With a small, wooden box balanced on top of the ladder, Sam climbed the rungs of said ladder. With a saw in one hand he ascended. He stopped a couple rungs from the top and balanced himself. Holding the saw in his dominant hand and the box in the other, Sam reached up. As he held the box under the nest and began to dislodge the nest from its spot in the porch roof, Lillian held her breath. Things seemed to be going well though.
Then she noticed a few wasps making their way out of the nest. If Sam noticed, he didn't let it deter his actions. As the nest plopped down into the crate a few more of the still living insects found their way into the air.
"Oh, please be all right," Lillian murmured softly as she watched Sam place the box on the top of the ladder and descend, the saw in his one hand. Though the wasps, angry about their home being disturbed, still hovered around him, Sam kept his movement slow and deliberate. If he was bothered by them, the handyman gave no indication. Lillian hoped that the precautions he had taken with his clothing would be enough to protect him. As she had no such protection, she fought the urge to rush to him and remained where she was.
Placing the saw off to the side, Sam calmly walked off the porch - several angry insects following him. Knowing Sam would protest her coming outside right then, Lillian stayed where she was, hoping that the precautions Sam had taken would keep him from getting stung.
Lillian waited inside until Sam had been out of sight for a bit. She then moved to the front door and stepped out onto the porch. No matter what he wanted, she was not going to sit inside and wait for him to come back. She wanted to check on him now.
Descending the porch steps, Lillian glanced in the direction that Sam had gone. She could see him quickly walking toward the woods. Picking up her skirts slightly, Lillian took long strides in that direction. Still, Sam was moving faster than her and disappeared into the trees before she was halfway across the yard. Distant dirt rising in the air indicated an approaching rider. Though Lillian noted its presence, her concern for Sam kept her from wondering who it was. Instead, she kept her eyes focused on where she last saw her beau.
A dozen steps away from the tree line, Sam came rushing out of the woods, He had shed the hat with its netting, and the gloves. Lillian could see several angry welts on his neck, his check and his left hand.
"Oh, you've been stung," Lillian exclaimed, as hoof beats approached the pair.
"Yeah, well it isn't the first time," Sam replied nonchalantly as he dropped the gloves and hat on the ground. "Apparently the soapy water missed some of the wasps. Can't blame them for being unhappy about their home being destroyed."
Lillian huffed at Sam's view of the situation but didn't verbally rebuke him. "Let's get you into town so Faith or Maggie can look at you," she said instead reaching for the hand that did not have a red welt on it.
"This isn't the first time I've been stung, Lillian. No need to bother either of those ladies," Sam replied, calmly keeping his hand from her grasp. "I just need to make a little mud paste," he said, looking around for a patch of earth bare of any grass.
"Everything all right here," Gabriel asked as he approached at a slow walk astride Apollo.
"Just fine," Sam replied, having located a area of dirt. "Just going to make me a mud paste to take the pain away from my stings."
"You don't have water," Lillian pointed out.
"No, but I have saliva," Sam replied, looking up at her with an amused expression.
Lillian was sure her complexion lost some color at the suggestion. Her stomach tightened in disgust and she opened her mouth to protest. However, Gabriel spoke up first.
"I should still have enough water in my canteen to serve your purposes," the Mountie said, freeing the water container from his saddle bag and handing it to Sam.
Sam reached up for the canteen. "Much obliged," he said with a nod before turning back to his task.
Lillian watched in silence as Sam mixed the water and dirt into a paste which he applied to the red welts. "I still think you should go to the infirmary."
"Never had a doctor give me anything that helped relieve a bee sting any more effectively than a mud paste," Gabriel commented.
Lillian gave an exasperated sigh. "Men," she muttered, clearly seeing that she was outnumbered. Not waiting for a reply, she started back in the direction of the house. If Sam wasn't going to take her advice then she had work that needed to be done.
Striding into the house, she offered a quick affirmative when Grace inquired if the wasp nest was gone. Heading upstairs, she found her large laundry basket and began the process of collecting the dirty clothes to wash. The task of washing and hanging the laundry would take most of the morning and then in the afternoon it would need to come down and be folded. It wasn't one of her favorite tasks but it was a necessary one. At least Eleanor would have already started the process of heating water for the wash and rinse tubs.
As she came downstairs, she went to the kitchen. Lillian used the kitchen entrance for the laundry as the two wooden tubs and washboard were kept in the storage room off the kitchen. It also put her closer to the outdoor pump. Walking into the kitchen, she found Gabriel lifting one of the big pots that Eleanor was boiling water in from the stove.
"Just lending a member of the community a hand," Gabriel said, before heading out the door that Grace was holding for him.
Lillian realized her expression must have revealed the question she had been thinking.
"It is nice to have help with the heavy tasks sometimes," Eleanor commented in her motherly tone. Lillian got the simple message that the older woman was giving her.
"It is," she said as she followed Gabriel out the door that Grace was still holding.
Outside she saw Gabriel add the pan of hot water to one of the two washtubs, which had been moved from their storage spot to where she usually did the wash. The washboard was in one and Sam was standing nearby, patches of drying mud dotting areas of his exposed skin.
"I hope you didn't shed dirt into the clean water," Lillian commented, not sure why the words came out. Filling the washtubs was never a fun job and here it had been done for her. She should be grateful and she was. Still, the earlier dismissal of her concerns still left her with ruffled feathers.
"No, dirt in the water," Sam replied easily, seemingly unfazed by her comment. As always, his smile had a calming effect on Lillian. "I'll let you do that with the clothes," he added with a wink."
Gabriel handed Sam the pan he had carried out from the house. "I think you all can handle things from here."
"Thank you for your help," Sam said.
Gabriel nodded and said a farewell to both of them. Along with her own farewell, Lillian thanked him as well.
"Can I be of any other assistance with the laundry?" Sam asked, as Gabriel headed toward Apollo leaving them alone.
"I am good from here. Thank you," Lillian said, placing the basket of dirty clothes and bed linens on the ground. Stepping closer, she found a part of Sam's cheek free of mud and placed a kiss there.
"You're welcome," Sam replied. "I also appreciate your concern, but this isn't the first time I've been stung before. The mud has already taken the pain away and the welts will disappear soon."
Lillian nodded. "Just make sure you clean all that off before our date tonight. The welts I can deal with but if you have dots of mud places, I'll stay home and eat with the children."
Sam chuckled. "Message received," he assured her. "If you are squared away, I am going to head into town and work on the projects Hansen has asked me to do," he said. Though he did not keep regular hours with the furniture store owner, Sam did do jobs for Hansen to pay for his room and board and make some extra money. Lillian still appreciated that if they needed anything from him at the orphanage that he was always there for him.
"I am good. Thank you," Lillian told him.
"Don't dump those tubs yourself. Eleanor promised me a slice of her sponge cake at noon. I'll get them when I come for it."
Lillian laughed. "I think Eleanor is bribing you to do the heavy lifting."
Sam shrugged. "I don't mind at all. I'll see you in a few hours," he said, as he started to back away.
"Bye, Sam," Lillian said, offering him a wave. She watched him walk away for a bit before turning to the waiting laundry. The clothes unfortunately wouldn't wash themselves.
As she finished sweeping the infirmary, Faith glanced at the clock. It was almost four o'clock. There had been no scheduled afternoon appointments so she had suggested Maggie take the afternoon off. There was no reason for both of them to hang around with no patients. As things had remained slow, she was glad she did. Other than Vincent walking little Ellen Clay over when she had fallen at recess, no patients had walked through the door. Gabriel however had stopped by, a single pink rose for her.
Faith's gaze went from the clock to the rose in a vase near the candy jar. A smile automatically came to her face as joy bubbled up inside. She had a feeling it was probably close to the way Ellen had felt when Faith had told her she could select a piece of candy from the jar after her knee had been cleaned and bandaged. The doctor had encouraged Vincent to take a piece for himself as well. The teenager had thanked her, a smile on his face as well, before taking Ellen's hand to lead the little girl back to their classroom.
Shaking herself from her thoughts, Faith swept her dust into a dustpan and dumped it into the garbage bin. She then stored the broom and pan before walking over to the rose. Leaning in, she breathed in the fragrance of the flower, its scent bringing to mind its giver. She hoped that Gabriel would not tire of random little visits to see her while she was working - with or without flowers or other gifts. Just seeing him lifted her spirits and it was nice to know he was thinking of her throughout the day. It made her feel special in a way that she never had when Carson was courting her. Not that she could totally fault Carson for that. The fact that they worked together meant they saw each other more than most other courting couples did.
Perhaps there was something to the line from Hanes Bayly's poem Isle of Beauty that "absences makes the heart grow fonder".
One thing she did know for sure, she was looking forward to seeing him in a few hours. If anyone had ever tried to tell her that she would be looking forward to a cooking lesson she would have laughed at them. She could hear Fiona's laughter now when she read the letter that Faith had sent her this morning. Not for the first time, she wished that Brookfield had telephones. How she would like to just pick up the phone and call Fiona to talk to her about what was happening with Gabriel. Yes, Maggie was excited and interested in her relationship. Faith was glad that she had made a quick friend when meeting the nurse she was working with. However, though she anticipated their friendship would only grow stronger, right now, talking with Maggie was not the same as if she was confiding in Fiona.
Faith sighed. This wasn't the first time she had moved. Leaving Hamilton for Hope Valley had been scary but she had not only moved but broken things off with Peter and stayed. Brookfield was much closer to Hope Valley than the later town had been to Hamilton. Visiting the friends she left behind could be done in a week or less versus the couple of weeks going home to Hamilton took. But like she had in Hope Valley, Faith was sure she would forge close connections to the people here - hopefully the closest would be with Brookfield's Mountie.
The thought brought the familiar warmth of a blush to her cheeks. The sound of the door opening brought her from her thoughts. As if she had conjured him up, Gabriel was coming into the infirmary.
"I know you said you didn't want an injury to bring me in, but this one is minor," Gabriel said, holding up his right hand. "I managed to get a splinter in my hand closing Apollo's stall door. When I went to pull it out, the sliver broke leaving a little piece in the skin. I know I could get it out myself but it would probably go smoother if I just let you do so." Gabriel paused briefly, giving her a wink. "Besides, why pass up an excuse to see you again."
"Do you always try charming your doctor, Constable?" Faith asked coyly.
"Only you, Dr. Carter," Gabriel replied, reaching up and removing his Stetson. "Besides, all my previous doctors would not have appreciated the effort."
Faith chuckled. "I suppose not," she replied, turning toward the cabinet where supplies and instruments were kept. "If you give me a moment, we'll have that out quickly," she said.
"Oh, believe me, there is no rush."
Faith blushed again as she retrieved some cotton, antiseptic and a couple of instruments. Feeling more composed, she turned from the cabinet and walked over to where Gabriel stood by the counter. She instructed him to turn his hand palm up. She could see the remainder of the splinter. It really wasn't that far under and she quickly had the wood out. She cleaned the area with some antiseptic.
"It doesn't need to be covered but wash your hands more frequently over the next few days to avoid infection. Using an antiseptic, like alcohol or iodine, a few times a day will also help with that."
"Whatever you say doctor," Gabriel replied.
"Now, I'll buy that this splinter was just a coincidence but if you keep showing up with splinters, I am going to start thinking you are getting them on purpose."
"Or perhaps Ben just needs to do some sanding on the stall doors," he countered.
"You know, a walk over there can help me determine that."
"I will do my very best to avoid further splinters," Gabriel told her as he placed the Stetson he held in his left hand up to his chest. "Mountie honor."
"Good," Faith told him. Glancing toward the front windows, she didn't see anyone currently passing by the infirmary. Standing on tiptoes, she placed a quick kiss on Gabriel's cheek, though she would have much rather pressed her lips to his, despite the fact that he hadn't kissed her yet. Who said the woman had to wait for the guy. She could even hear Fiona's voice in her head saying, "just kiss him." However, they were both technically working and in a public place. The kiss on the cheek would need to suffice for now. "I will see you five," she said, as she pulled back.
"Most definitely. As the cooking lesson cannot begin without the student, may I pick you up this time?" Gabriel asked.
Faith smiled. "I would like that," she said, not caring that they were practically just across the street from one another.
"Try not to keep me waiting at the door," Gabriel told her, as he started taking backward steps toward the door. "It already seems like forever until I will see you."
"I'll be ready at five o'clock. Now turn around and watch where you are going," she chided gently.
"Yes ma'am," Gabriel replied, turning to walk the rest of the way to the door. Reaching it, he opened it and exited the infirmary. Before letting the door close though, Gabriel turned and blew her a kiss before donning his Stetson and heading to his office.
Through the window, Faith watched him walk away. Gabriel was right - five o'clock seemed like an awfully long time away.
