Read The Doctor's Newfound Family Online
Authors: Valerie Hansen
S
ara Beth had not asked her brothers to call her “Mama” it had simply happened naturally after she and Taylor had had a son of their own.
Luke was currently apprenticed to a saddle maker in Benecia while Mathias continued his schooling back east. Josiah, now nearly ten, had no recollection of Isabella or Robert Reese, so the transition had been easiest on him.
“Mama, there’s a man here who says you’re needed,” Josiah called from the front of the house.
Quickly removing her apron, Sara Beth hurried to the parlor and found a harried husband, pacing, hat in hand. “Is it time?” she asked him.
“Yes’m. She says so.”
“Well, it’s her fourth baby, so we have to assume
she knows,” Sara Beth said. She turned to Josiah. “Watch your brother for me till your papa gets home, will you? He was making the circuit to Mission Dolores today, so he shouldn’t be very late getting back. Supper’s on the stove and there are cookies you can share if you get hungry before then.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“And tell your father that he won’t be needed unless I send for him.” The look on the boy’s face made her smile.
“I have been a midwife for longer than he had been a doctor when we met,” she said. “My patients and I will be fine.”
Swinging a shawl over her shoulders, she picked up a black bag that was identical in size and shape to the one Taylor carried. He never seemed to tire of telling her how much he admired her and her work. That, and having a chance to help other women, was enough for Sara Beth.
She smiled as she turned to the expectant father. “Let’s be going. Babies don’t wait for anything and I can hardly wait to greet your newest family member.”
Dear Reader,
As I was researching this book I found an amazing number of disturbing facts about life in San Francisco in 1856–57. For the sake of carrying the story along I have compressed the outcome slightly. The results remain accurate. Naturally, the Reese family and Dr. Hayward are fictitious, but the background is all too real. If I had not read this history for myself I would not have believed it.
Sara Beth has the spirit of a pioneer and the heart of a loving Christian, yet she faces many hardships and dangers during the course of this book. That kind of difficulty is not unusual, as I have learned during my years as a believer. We may be saved for eternity, yes, but we still have to do the best we can with what we are given. I firmly believe that it is by finding God’s peace amidst trials that we truly blossom and grow.
I love to hear from my readers. The easiest way to reach me is by e-mail, [email protected] or send a letter to P.O. Box 13, Glencoe, AR 72539. You can also see my other work at valeriehansen.com.
Blessings,
ISBN: 978-1-4268-5703-4
THE DOCTOR’S NEWFOUND FAMILY
Copyright © 2010 by Valerie Whisenand
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.
® and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas
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Serenity, Arkansas