Piper Danson was absolutely the most beautiful sight Jamie had ever seen. Even in her riding clothes with paint spattered on her face and streaking her windblown hair. She must have just ridden in. She never worried about her hair when she was on a horse.
He loved how she looked, hair combed or not, but more, he loved her spirit and heart. Their match had surely been written in the stars from the first time they met as children. At least that’s how he felt. He could only pray she felt the same.
That afternoon when he’d finally made it to Wendover after a crazy ride from Hazard to Hyden in an old big-band limousine converted to a bus and then a four-mile hike, he could hardly contain his disappointment when Piper wasn’t here. He wanted to grab a horse and go find her.
But he’d looked at the river and the trees climbing up the hills on all sides and faced reality. Horse or no horse, he had no idea how to find Piper. So instead he had talked to Mrs. Breckinridge again and to Aileen Simpson, who had not smiled once at him, but at least hadn’t ordered him gone. Instead she had screwed her mouth up in a tight circle while Mrs. Breckinridge told Jamie to look in the attic for the tent she’d told him about on the train.
“My nephew and I slept in it one summer when the house here got overcrowded with patients. That was before we built the hospital.” She had looked at Miss Simpson. “And before you came, Aileen. Thank the saints for that hospital now.”
“Yes.” Miss Simpson’s face still registered disapproval. “Are we expected to feed him as well?” She gave Jamie a hard look that wasn’t softened a bit by the best smile Jamie could summon up.
“Come, come, child.” Mrs. Breckinridge gave Miss Simpson’s arm a little shake. Miss Simpson was much younger than her and slight of size. “We can’t let the boy starve. That wouldn’t be very hospitable.”
“It could be he shouldn’t have come without the resources to see to his own needs.” Miss Simpson sent him another narrowed-eye look.
“But resources are hard to come by in this present time of difficulty. I know you are aware of that.”
“Very aware.” The woman’s frown got darker.
“But you have to admire this young man’s moxie in finding a way to follow his heart to Wendover.”
Jamie looked at her. His heart for writing or his heart for Piper?
Without the first glance at him, she kept talking to the other woman. “You know what our nurse midwives are fond of saying. No one comes to these mountains by accident.” Mrs. Breckinridge smiled over at Jamie. A bland smile that gave nothing away. “That can be true for our visitors as well, and we have never let our visitors or staff go hungry. We won’t start now.”
“I suppose you’re right,” Miss Simpson said.
“Of course I’m right. Besides, the young man is going to help us with some publicity. Free of charge, I might add.”
“Except for those meals,” Miss Simpson muttered.
“True. Might be good to let Rayma know we’re feeding a young man for a week or two.” Mrs. Breckinridge laughed as she looked over at Jamie. “But the boy will earn his keep. Perhaps he can assist me in penning something for one of the ladies’ magazines.”
“That would be great,” Jamie said. “I’m looking forward to talking to you about the Frontier Nursing Service and what the nurses do here in the mountains.”
“We will get to that eventually. After I get caught up on things. Until then, Aileen can find ways to keep you busy. Or our handyman, Kermit, might need help with something.”
“Sure. I’m glad to help however I can.” As long as he got to hang around.
Almost as if she read his mind, she turned back to Miss Simpson. “It appears he not only knows our guest, Truda Danson, but is well acquainted with our new courier, Piper Danson.”
“Danny?”
“Is that what you’re calling her?” Mrs. Breckinridge smiled again. “Fits nicely. I thought you might go with Pip.”
“That was suggested. Poor girl shivered. However, Nurse Robbins does call her Pippay.”
“The French coming out in Robbie, I suppose. But then she’s from England, isn’t she?” Mrs. Breckinridge waved her hand to dismiss the question. “Matters not. France is just across the channel. Is she working out well? Our Danny?”
“She’s very willing to do whatever we ask. But it wasn’t my asking that she take that little boy to his house. That was all Dr. Jack’s idea. Seemed most irregular.” Miss Simpson was frowning again.
“We do want to keep Jackson happy, and if he wanted it done, then you were right to let her go.” Mrs. Breckinridge ran her hand along the mantel above the fireplace. “It is so good to be home. I’m going up to my room to rest a bit. My back is complaining.” She started up the stairs. “Point the boy in the direction of the attic so he can get that tent.”
That had left Jamie alone with Miss Simpson. She glanced toward the long table in the dining area where she and Truda Danson appeared to be going through account books. With evident reluctance, she led the way up the staircase behind Mrs. Breckinridge.
At the top, she pointed toward a door. “Through there. A tent should be easy enough to find. Step lightly and don’t bother anything else up there.”
“Thank you.” Jamie tried out his smile on the woman again, but she gave him a sour look in return that said more than words before she headed back down the stairs.
The attic was packed with boxes and trunks. A tent should be, as Miss Simpson had said, easy to find, but the light was dim. Not only was it near sundown, the two small windows obviously hadn’t been washed for a long time. Maybe that could be one of his extra jobs to pay for the meals Miss Simpson appeared to begrudge him.
He needed a flashlight. He started at one end of the attic and worked his way through stacks of everything imaginable. Chairs. Crates full of dolls. Trunks of clothes. Christmas decorations. Books. A cradle. Finally a canvas bag clanked when he nudged it with his toe. The metal poles of the tent.
He picked it up and made his way back toward the attic steps. The muted sound of voices came up through the floor, but he couldn’t make out words. On the way out, he grabbed a couple of wool blankets and then spied what might be a camping cot, folded up and tied in a bundle. He added that to his collection. Surely Miss Simpson wouldn’t mind him borrowing a little comfort. As long as he didn’t eat too much.
When he came out in the upstairs hallway, Mrs. Breckinridge called him. He had laid his finds down and followed her voice to the bedroom. And there was Piper. What in the world had been wrong with him that he had stayed away from her so long?
He kept his feet rooted to the floor in the doorway, when what he wanted to do was throw caution to the wind and grab Piper in his arms.
“What are you doing here?” Surprise froze her smile.
Surely she knew she was the reason he was there. Plain and simple. But that wasn’t what he’d told the woman propped up on pillows in her bed. So he kept up the farce.
“The editor of the Danville newspaper sent me down here to write a piece about the frontier nurses.” That was mostly true.
“And the couriers. Mustn’t leave out the couriers.” Mrs. Breckinridge sounded amused. “They are very important to our operation here.”
“That’s great.” Piper’s smile looked more polite than genuine. “Surprises all over the place today. First Truda and now you. I knew Truda might be coming, but I haven’t heard from you in months.” She stared at him a moment and repeated, “Months.”
“I’m not much of a letter writer.”
Again Mrs. Breckinridge spoke up. “That’s not a very good admission for an aspiring writer. But a man of action isn’t a bad thing, Piper. A woman of action either. Sometimes you have to grab the bull by the horns.” The woman frowned. “I’ve always thought that’s such a silly saying. Not particularly wise to grab a bull by the horns. But be that as it may, it does appear the two of you know each other. And I have gotten promises from both of you that I will not have to worry about any but the most proper behavior between friends. Correct, Piper?”
“We are friends,” Piper said. “Have been since we were kids.”
“You’re not children any longer. So do I have your word, Mr. Russell?”
“I would never do anything to hurt Piper,” Jamie said.
“Hmph,” Mrs. Breckinridge said. “If I can read faces, and I can, it appears that what you say and what has transpired in the past may not be completely factual.”
When Jamie started to say something, the woman waved her hand at him. “Off with you both. You need to set up a tent, young writer. And dear Piper—or rather Danny here at Wendover—needs to do some paint removal.” She peered at Piper. “You did take care of your horse?”
“Kermit offered to do it,” Piper said. “He told me I shouldn’t keep you waiting.”
“Put the fear of God into you, did he?” Mrs. Breckinridge laughed. “That Kermit. But I’ll warn you. He will find a way to get that favor repaid. I’m guessing you have some tack cleaning in your future.”
“I can clean tack,” Piper said.
“I can help,” Jamie said.
“I love a willing helper.” Mrs. Breckinridge looked between Jamie and Piper. “But tomorrow, Piper, you will need to squire your aunt around. Take her to the hospital and then to Red Bird Center or back to Wilder Ridge or wherever Aileen tells you. She’ll know if any supplies need to be delivered. With your aunt along, perhaps young writer can go with you to see the hospital.” Mrs. Breckinridge peered at Jamie. “You can ride a horse, I assume.”
“I can ride,” Jamie said.
“Then it’s settled. Now go. Go.” She waved them toward the door.
Jamie stepped to the side to let Piper go ahead of him. She didn’t even look over at him. He hoped she was merely giving him the cold shoulder because Mrs. Breckinridge was watching. He hoped. It could be he should have been a better letter writer.
When they reached the pile of things he’d brought down from the attic, he touched her shoulder. “Hey, Piper, think you could help me with some of this?”
He could carry it all, but if she helped, she’d have to go outside with him where they could talk without other ears listening.
“I suppose so. Since I’m going that way anyway.” She didn’t sound thrilled.
He handed her the two blankets. “It’s really nice of Mrs. Breckinridge to let me use her tent.”
“You must have given her that smile that knocks over all the women.”
Jamie picked up the cot and tent and hefted them up on his shoulder. “Didn’t work on Miss Simpson. She would like me to disappear.”
When Piper started down the steps without saying anything, he whispered, “Do you want me to disappear too?”
“I thought you already had.” She glanced back at him. “Disappeared.”
“Here I am.”
“So you are. But the question is why.” This time she didn’t look around but led the way through the sitting room and into the dining area, where Truda and Miss Simpson looked up from their ledgers.
“I see you found the tent.” Miss Simpson frowned at him. “And more.”
“I saw the blankets and the cot and hoped you wouldn’t mind.” Jamie didn’t bother trying his smile on her.
Miss Simpson sighed. “You do need something to sleep on besides the ground, I suppose. Since it seems you’re staying.”
Truda looked at her and then winked at Jamie. “Tell you what, Aileen. Let me sponsor him for a little stay here the way I’m sponsoring Piper. He was so very helpful to me yesterday with little Thomas. I don’t know what I would have done if Jamie hadn’t come to the rescue.”
“Rescue? What rescue?” Piper asked.
“I’ll explain it later, dear,” Truda said. “It’s a long story and one that you’ll find hard to believe, I’m sure. Aileen says you will be showing me around tomorrow and we’ll have more than enough time to talk. But right now we’re in the middle of all these figures and you still have paint speckles everywhere. So I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Mrs. Breckinridge says Jamie can go to the hospital with us,” Piper said.
“Oh, that’s wonderful. Jamie can tell me all about what happened with Thomas. We’ll have a grand time catching up on everything.”
“And with everybody.” Piper smiled at her aunt as if the two of them were sharing a secret.
“Behave, Piper.” Her aunt tried to look stern, but it didn’t quite work.
Piper actually laughed. “Oh, I will. Never fear. I do not plan to do anything to jeopardize the rest of my summer here.”
When she headed on out the door, Jamie told the two women good night and followed her. Once outside, he said, “I get the feeling you’re mad at me.”
“Mad at you?” Piper sounded as if that was the farthest thing from her mind, but Jamie could see past her words. “Why in the world would I be mad at you? You have a perfect right to do whatever you want. To not write me. To forget we were ever friends. To see other people.”
Other people? He didn’t know where that came from. She was the one seeing other people. But now wasn’t the time to bring up Braxton Crandall. He hoped never to bring up Braxton Crandall. “I’m sorry.”
“I am too.” She blew out a long breath. “But let’s forget all that and be the friends we told Mrs. Breckinridge we were.”
“That might be easier if you weren’t angry with me.”
“I’m not angry.” But she didn’t sound happy as she moved down the pathway. “So where are you setting up the tent?”
“I don’t know. I’ll hunt a level place somewhere.” He gestured toward the hill behind the house with his free hand.
“Level? On that hill?”
Her smile gave his heart hope. “If Mrs. Breckinridge could pitch the tent on this hill, then I can.”
“Good luck with that. Think you can carry the blankets now?”
“Sure. Can you tuck them under my arm?” She came enticingly close as she did as he asked.
She stepped back quickly. “I need to go scrub off some paint.”
“I don’t know. You look cute with white freckles.”
She didn’t look back at him as she headed on down the path, but she laughed. That was even better than a smile.
He climbed up the hill and dropped the tent on a fairly level spot. With night falling, he hurried to get the tent set up. The cot just fit inside. He hoped it wouldn’t slide down the hill with him on it.
Stars were appearing in the sky as he walked down to get his bag from where he’d stashed it on Mrs. Breckinridge’s porch. He looked up at the stars and whispered a thank-you prayer. So what if his stomach was growling because it had been hours since he ate something in Hazard? Miss Simpson wasn’t likely to show him to the kitchen, but he had the promise of breakfast come sunrise.
With Piper in sight.