Unbroken Hearts (35 page)

  
Hannah’s parents, and her father
in particular, had worked hard to give her an education normally reserved for a
son. She’d thrived on books and learning. It went unstated, but the message to
her was clear: She was to be a work partner, not a bed partner.

*
      
*
        
*

  
When they arrived at Rutherford’s
house the sheriff paused outside the door, pondering the doctor’s orders. He’d
said the new man was to bunk in the kitchen, where a bed had been wedged into a
tight corner. However, as there was no privacy curtain, and no space for
personal items, Roy decided this arrangement wasn’t proper for a pretty lady
doctor.

  
He shoved open the creaky door. “Doc
isn’t much for house repairs,” he apologized over his shoulder.

  
Hannah Sutton followed, declaring the
place “nice” with a false brightness, even before he had a chance to fire up a lamp
and show it off in dim light.

  
Sheriff Easton grunted and tossed
his hat on the table. He wiped his brow and ran a hand through his
shoulder-length hair. Over lighting the table lantern he thought about how he’d
best change the sleeping arrangements.

  
“You hear that?” He cocked an ear
to the ceiling.

  
“Hear what?” Hannah whispered.

  
“Flapping. There’s, uh, a bat
upstairs.”

  
She sucked in a breath. “Blast.”

  
A corner of his mouth turned up. “Dang
Rutherford! He left the window open. Wait here Doctor, and I’ll go up to fetch
the critter out.”

 
 
The sheriff had decided to assign Hannah to
Rutherford’s bedroom upstairs, and he had to play the charade to go up there
and make sure things were in order. He lit another lamp and bounded up the
narrow back steps to inspect the private space. The bed wasn’t made, and
clothes were strewn about on the floor and across a chair. Roy grabbed the
covers and pulled them up, smoothing the wool army blanket to remove lumps.
Then he collected the clothes and stacked them in the hallway hamper. Tiny
bottles and a few old photos littered a night table; Roy stacked them on a
corner of the bureau. It wasn’t a proper clean up job, but he couldn’t delay
much longer. He stomped and jumped and whooped a few times to pretend at bat
catching.

  
Roy stumbled down the steps,
winded from his hasty housekeeping efforts. “I pushed the critter out the
window,” he winked. “Your room is clear up there.”

Read the rest of
 
Healing Hearts
on Amazon Kindle!