Beloved Physician (4 page)

“Just fine. He loves his job at the post office in Idaho Springs, and I’m certain he’s going to propose to me real soon.”

“I sure hope so. The two of you make a handsome couple, and I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.”

Kirby climbed up onto the wagon seat.

Greg said, “Come with me, Cassandra. I want to introduce you to my dad.”

Kirby heard it. He looked toward Rosemary, greeted her, then set his eyes on his son and the lovely brunette.

Greg introduced Cassandra to him. After Kirby said he was glad to meet her, Greg told her he would look forward to seeing her again, bid Rosemary good-bye, and climbed up onto the wagon seat. He took the reins in hand and trotted the team up the street.

As the wagon slipped into the traffic, Cassandra turned to
Rosemary. “That is one fine handsome young man. I hope he isn’t attached.”

“He isn’t, honey. Greg has dated several young women here in town, and quite a few who live on surrounding ranches, but so far he hasn’t gotten serious with any of them.”

Cassandra looked up at the splendid mansion at the foot of the lofty mountain. “Rosemary, the Holtons must be very rich.”

“Yes. Mrs. Holton died several years ago, and Mr. Holton has never remarried. He
is
quite wealthy, for sure. The coal mine has made him a multimillionaire.”

Cassandra frowned. “Well, since Greg’s father is so rich, why does he work in the mine? Certainly he doesn’t have to.”

Rosemary shook her head. “He doesn’t have to in the sense that he needs a paycheck, for he is paid quite generously by the mine. But his father insists he work in the mine because he wants his son to learn what it is to work hard and shoulder responsibility. Greg is not a lazy person, and he understands what his father is trying to teach him. After all, one day when his father dies, Greg will own the mine and have full control of it. Mr. Holton is trying to prepare him for that day.”

Cassandra’s eyes brightened. “My, my! Then Greg will have all those millions to himself!”

At Dr. Dane Logan’s office, Nadine and Tharyn were at the front desk where Nadine was showing her the office files and the financial books.

In the examining room, Dr. Dane and the elderly physician were standing over the table looking down at Ben Frye, who was asking questions about his injuries. When Dr. Dane had satisfied him that he would be back to work in a couple of months or so, Ben relaxed.

Dr. Dane listened to Ben’s heart with his stethoscope for the
fifth or sixth time since beginning the work on his injuries, then said, “Sounds good in there, Ben. I’m certain that even though you cracked up your ribs, there was no damage to your heart.”

Ben managed a weak smile and raised his free hand to the bandage on his temple. “I’m glad for that, Doctor. And I’m glad this cut wasn’t any worse.”

“Me too. Now, Ben, I’ll have to come to the house three times a week, check you over, change your bandages, and rewrap your ribs. Mr. Holton told me to send the entire bill to him. Knowing that ought to help you to get better faster.”

Ben’s eyes lit up. “He did?”

“He did.”

“Well, it sure will help. Kirby is such a fine man. And he’s so generous. I love working for him.”

Dr. Dane rubbed his angular chin. “Young Greg seems to be a fine man, too. What little time I’ve been around him, he has impressed me.”

Ben nodded. “Greg is indeed a fine young man, Doctor, especially for one who has such a rich father. I’ve seen sons and daughters of wealthy parents who are so spoiled, they’re rotten. But not Greg. He’s made out of good stuff.”

“That’s for sure,” put in Dr. Fraser. “He was only thirteen when his mother died. A lot of boys that age would have rebelled and made life difficult around the house. But not Greg. He was a real help to Kirby in it all. Fine young man.”

“Has to be,” said Dr. Dane. “I’m amazed to see that he works in the mine. Most sons of wealthy parents don’t want to work. They want to live it up and play a lot, since they don’t have to work to make a living.”

Ben adjusted the arm in the sling with his free hand. “Greg would work in the mine even if Kirby didn’t wish him to do so. There’s not a lazy bone in his body.”

A smile creased Dr. Dane’s face. “Good for him.” Then he said
to Dr. Fraser, “I need to take Tharyn home so we can unpack. You can be a man of leisure tomorrow and stay home.”

Fraser laughed. “That really sounds good! But today, I’ll see the rest of the patients who come in.”

“And to me, that sounds good. See you gentlemen later.”

When Dr. Dane entered the office, he said, “Well, Nadine, I hate to take Tharyn from you, but we’ve got to go home and unpack.”

“That’s all right, Doctor,” Nadine said. “We’ve already made plans for me to help Tharyn get properly adapted to her new job.”

Dr. Dane’s eyebrows arched. “Oh, really?”

A sly grin curved her lips. “Mm-hmm. I will be here at the office every day for the next week to train her to work for that slave driver, Dr. Dane Logan.”

The three of them had a good laugh together; then the Logans left the office and headed for home.

A
s Dane and Tharyn Logan were driving toward home, she said, “Darling, ever since I saw the house when I came here with you before we were married, I’ve been thinking about some decorating I’d like to do both inside and outside. I love the house, but the lady who lived in it before didn’t have the same tastes I have in decorating.”

“Well, that’s no surprise, honey. People always have their own ideas about things like that.”

“True. In the ten years I lived with the Tabors as their adopted daughter, I learned a lot about decorating from Mama. I’ve pretty much developed the same tastes as hers.”

Dane transferred the reins to his other hand and took her hand in his. “Sweetheart, you can decorate the house inside and out any way you want to.”

She smiled at him. “I’ll try not to be extravagant.”

Dane chuckled. “I’m not worried about that.”

When they pulled up in front of the house, Tharyn ran her gaze over the porch and the part of the yard that surrounded it. “Oh, I’m so excited! Let me tell you what I have in mind for outside the house before we go in.”

Dane stepped down from the buggy, helped her out, then held her hand. “Okay, I’m all ears!”

Hand in hand they walked up close to the front porch.

Gesturing with her free hand, Tharyn said, “Right here on each side of the porch steps, I want to plant lots of bright, colorful flowers. They will say welcome to anyone who approaches our door.”

“Sounds good to me.”

She pointed up to the framework just above the railing that ran across the front of the porch. “I’d like to have some hanging baskets of geraniums up there, and if we could get a swing and maybe four comfortable chairs so we can relax with company when they come. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good to me, sweetheart. We’ll do it. Do you want help planting all of the flowers?”

“Oh no. I’ll enjoy getting my hands in the warm earth. It’ll be fun for me.”

“Well, okay, if you’re sure.”

“I’m quite sure, sweetheart. Now let’s go to the backyard.”

They walked around to the rear of the house where a green carpet of grass gleamed in the sunshine.

Tharyn bent down and put her hand in the grass. “It will be wonderful to walk barefoot in this on hot summer days.”

A white picket fence surrounded the ample backyard. She had noticed the small barn behind the fence where Dane kept his horse and buggy, but this time, she spotted a plot of ground next to it.

Letting go of his hand, she hurried to the fence and said excitedly, “Oh, Dane! What a perfect spot for a garden! We can grow our own vegetables. That’ll be all right, won’t it?”

Dane drew up behind her. “Sure it’s all right—but with our busy schedules, do you really think we’ll have the time?”

“Sure we will. We won’t make it too big. It’ll be a great way to unwind at the end of a busy day.”

“Okay, my love. It’s worth a try. But I’ll do the spading and raking of the ground.”

“Fine. And I’ll do the planting and watering.” She turned and ran her gaze over the entire backyard. “The trees and plants out here are great. Maybe we can put a bench under that big cottonwood tree over there, so we can enjoy the backyard as well. And I’ll put a few flower pots on the back porch. Okay?”

“Whatever you say, honey. Sounds good to me.”

“Well, let’s go inside. When we were here a little while ago for me to freshen up, all I saw was the kitchen. I love how wonderful the table and chairs we bought for the kitchen look in there. I’m eager to see the furniture in the rest of the house, as well as the curtains and drapes that are still packed.”

They moved onto the back porch and entered the kitchen. As they walked from room to room, she explained in detail how she wanted to decorate each one and arrange its furniture. “The lady who lived here before us must have really loved this house. She took special care of it, and I want to do the same thing.”

When they were in the last room—which was the master bedroom on the second floor—Tharyn finished describing how she wanted it, then said, “Now, honey, I realize we may not have the money to get the additional things I’ve mentioned all at once. Even if it takes a couple of years, that’s all right.”

Dane smiled at her. “I did well enough as Dad’s partner in Cheyenne to put some money in the bank. It has helped me especially because Dr. Fraser is letting me pay for the purchase of the practice over a period of time. You can have the money to do your decorating whenever you want it.”

Tharyn squealed joyfully, wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him. “Oh, darling, thank you!”

“Hey, it’s your money now, too. Which makes me think. I need to take you to the bank tomorrow and put you on the business checking account, and both the personal checking account and the savings account.”

She giggled and bowed. “At your service, sir!”

Later that night, long after Dane had gone to sleep, Tharyn lay awake thinking about her new home. In her mind, she could picture each room completed, even down to the small bedroom next to the master bedroom, which would be the nursery. She thought of the children that God would give them, and a contented sigh escaped her lips. A tiny smile worked its way across her face.

She whispered into the quiet moonlit room, “Thank You, Lord, for doing ‘all things well.’ ”

It was a warm early July Sunday morning in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.

Tharyn had been up since she first heard a rooster crow from afar off. Clad in her robe, she worked at preparing breakfast. While she moved about the kitchen, she was excited and a bit nervous about attending the new church for the first time. She persuaded herself that being somewhat nervous was only natural.

She was at the stove pouring scrambled eggs from the skillet into a bowl when Dane entered the kitchen. She saw him from the corner of her eye and gave him a loving smile. He moved up behind her, slid his arms around her in a gentle hug, and kissed the nape of her neck.

She giggled at the tickle she felt, set the skillet down, turned about in his arms, and gave him a good-morning kiss.

Later, when they were finished eating and enjoying a second cup of fragrant coffee, Dane noticed Tharyn staring out the
kitchen window, her thoughts seemingly diverted. One of her hands lay on the tulip-printed tablecloth.

He laid his hand over hers.

Startled by his touch, she turned and looked at him.

Dane squeezed her hand. “Is something wrong, honey? You seem like your thoughts are miles away.”

She shook her head. “No, sweetheart. Nothing is wrong. My life is so wonderful. I’m married to the most marvelous man in all the world, and we’re about to embark on a great career together, finally realizing the dreams of a lifetime. What could possibly be wrong?”

“Well, you seem to be distracted today. Anything you want to talk about?”

She looked down for a moment, then raised her eyes to meet his. “I—I’m just a little nervous about going to a new church. You know how long I’ve been a member of the one in Denver where I knew everyone. I so dearly love Pastor Blandford and Nellie. So … I’m a bit out of place. I really like Pastor and Mrs. Shane, but it’s all so new. I know everything will be fine. You have told me how much you have enjoyed attending here when you couldn’t make it to Denver.”

“Very much so.”

“There’s nothing wrong at all, sweetheart. It’s just that my life has taken on such a change. Please understand. I’m superbly happy being married to you and doing what God has planned for us. It’s just that everything is a little different now.”

Dane stood up, took hold of Tharyn’s hand, and raised her to her feet. Taking both of her hands in his, he looked into her blue eyes. “I know that you have left everything that is familiar to you, but believe me, the people here are very kind and warm, especially the members of the church. You are going to fit in perfectly. The people of the church will welcome you with open arms. You have absolutely nothing to worry about.”

She smiled. “Of course, darling. You’re right. I guess I’m just a little jittery. But I know with you at my side, everything will be fine.”