Mail Order Midwife (Brides of Beckham Book 18) Read online

  “I’ll have to have someone drive those to my home because they won’t fit in the buggy. Do you have everything you need for a night or two?”

  “Of course.” Even if they didn’t, she’d make do. She couldn’t inconvenience him more.

  “I’ll go arrange for delivery then.”

  As he hurried off, Patsy watched him. He was a soft-spoken man, and seemed like he would make a good husband—and doctor. She hoped she could help him with some of his deliveries, because she would miss being a midwife more than anything else.

  He was back a few minutes later. “That’s settled. Your trunks will be there tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Thank you.” She took the arm he offered, still keeping a tight hold on Emily. The girl wasn’t acting like herself, and she was sure it was just how tired she was. Patsy was relieved though. She didn’t want Emily to make a bad first impression.

  He lifted Emily into the buggy and then helped Patsy up as well. Patsy was a bit startled for a moment. She’d been doing for herself for so long, she’d forgotten how nice it was when a man was there to help.

  Once he was settled in the buggy beside her, he drove them through the calm streets toward the road headed to Butterfly Meadows.

  “Tell me about your town. I simply adore the name.”

  Wesley smiled at the question. He was glad she was asking about her new home. “It’s a small town, but I help the ranchers and farmers in the countryside surrounding the town as well. We have our own store and a post office. You’ll find that we have what we need. We even have our own church and full-time preacher now.”

  “That sounds lovely.” She leaned back, taking in the beautiful surroundings. “It’s very pretty here.”

  “I think it’s one of the most beautiful places in our great nation. I took a year off between college and medical school to travel the country, and I’ve never seen a place like South Dakota.”

  “I’m sure Emily and I will be very happy here.”

  “She’s a quiet girl,” he commented, smiling at her.

  “Not always.” Patsy didn’t want him to be deceived about her daughter’s nature, because he’d be rudely awakened once the girl had a good night’s sleep. She’d been running wild with her cousins for too long to keep up a deception.

  Wesley smiled at that, thinking maybe she meant the girl would open up once she got to know him. “I’m sure the trip was difficult for both of you. Thank you for coming so quickly.”

  “I had to find another midwife to take my patients, but it wasn’t terribly difficult. There were three of us that worked together often, covering one another. Beckham is a growing city.”

  “Well, you won’t need to work anymore now that you’re here. I certainly make enough to support my family.” And he didn’t want her midwifing any longer. He wasn’t fond of the midwives he was acquainted with, thinking a doctor would always do a better job.

  “I’m available to help with deliveries if you ever need me to,” she offered, not wanting to push him on the issue quite yet.

  “I thank you for that.” He stopped the carriage in front of a small house beside a church. “Pastor Robertson lives here.”

  “Oh, what a cute little parsonage. Do you live right in town or are you in the country as well?”

  “I’m in town. My living quarters are behind my office. I have three bedrooms, so you’ll find we have plenty of room.” He walked around the wagon, helping her down, before reaching for Emily who had fallen asleep.

  They walked slowly up the walk to the pastor’s house, and he knocked on the door. A man came to the door just moments later. “Dr. Hardy! Come in. I take it this is your bride.” He looked down at Emily, whose eyes were half-closed. “What a beautiful daughter your wife is bringing you. You must feel truly blessed.”

  Wesley nodded, his eyes lit up. “I feel more blessed by the minute.” He smiled over at Patsy. She hadn’t been exaggerating when she said her hair was red. It wasn’t a strawberry blond either, but a full, rich red. He loved it.

  The pastor smiled. “Let me get my wife and daughter in here to witness the wedding, and we’ll get down to business.”

  While Emily slept on the couch, Patsy agreed to spend the rest of her life with a virtual stranger. She only hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.

  As soon as the wedding was finalized, they got back in the buggy, and he drove them down the street. It took less than a minute to arrive in front of his office. “I wish I could afford to take a day or two off to get you acquainted with life here, but I can’t.”

  She shrugged. “It’s no matter. It’s a small town. I can find the general store on my own, and I’ll meet people in church on Sunday. I don’t foresee any problems getting to know everyone.”

  He took her two bags and led the way through his office into a spacious area. When he’d called where he lived “living quarters” she’d worried that their living space would be small, but it truly wasn’t. There was a nice-sized kitchen, a separate dining room and even a large parlor. Then there were three bedrooms, and to her surprise, a bathroom. He had electric throughout the space as well. She would want for nothing.

  As she looked around her, she could see that the place needed a good cleaning, and she was willing to take care of that right away. Why, it would be nice to spend some time cleaning and cooking without the worry of being constantly interrupted by someone needing her services. She would miss her work, though.

  He opened a door, and said, “This is my bedroom.” Then another. “This will be your room.” And the last. “And I thought this would be good for Emily.”

  Patsy looked at him, startled. “We won’t be sharing a room?”

  He shook his head. “We just met a few hours ago. I thought I’d spare you that and we’ll take some time to get to know one another first. More than anything, I need someone to do the cooking and cleaning. I’m not good at either of those chores, and I get tired of living in my own filth.”

  She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she wasn’t going to argue with him when Emily was barely able to stay on her feet. “I see. I’ll just get Emily ready for bed.” She could see the sun was already going down, and poor Emily wasn’t going to be able to stand for much longer. They’d had a sandwich right before getting off the train, so she’d be fine with no supper.

  She carried the two bags into Emily’s room, looking around and thinking how many changes would need to be made. Her new husband had put a couple of china dolls in beautiful silk gowns on the dresser. There was no telling what Emily would do to dolls like that!

  She quickly stripped the dress off her daughter, pulling her nightgown over her head. Usually Emily insisted on doing everything for herself, so it was a testament to how very tired she was that she didn’t complain. Patsy put the girl on the bed, and removed her shoes, before tucking her under the covers.

  Sitting on the edge of her daughter’s bed, Patsy spoke to her softly. “We’re at our new house now. You go to sleep, and when you wake up tomorrow, we’ll have some time to explore.” She leaned down, pressing a kiss to her little girl’s forehead. “Goodnight, sheriff.” She’d once said, “Goodnight, princess,” but that had really riled Emily up. She wasn’t a princess, and she refused to even consider the possibility. Who would want to be a princess when it meant she couldn’t get her dress dirty?

  “G’night, Mama.” Emily’s eyes were already closed.

  Patsy took both of their bags and left the small bedroom, going to her own. She left the door open as she quickly unpacked the few things that were still clean from her bag. She’d made sure to leave a day dress unworn, so she’d have something to wear on her first day. She had many more dresses in her trunks, but she hadn’t been certain if she would have to wait for those.

  She looked through the room that was hers, pleased that it was so spacious. Really, they’d want for nothing here, which was a good thing. She missed home, though.

  She quickly penned letters to both her mother, to let
her know they’d arrived safely, and to Elizabeth Tandy. Elizabeth had accompanied her to the train station, warning her not to stay with a man who was unkind to her.

  Patsy had been surprised when the woman spoke of the way men were sometimes unkind to their wives. It wasn’t usually a topic for conversation, but she appreciated it. As a midwife, she’d seen a great deal more abuse of women than she cared to think about.

  When she heard Wesley moving around in his room, she guessed that she’d been dismissed for the night. It was odd, but she was a little relieved. One of the reasons she’d wanted to marry was she’d missed what so many women termed their “wifely duties” so his decision to wait had been unexpected as well as unwanted. She’d talk to him about it later, though. A day or two to get to know him first might be what she needed.

  She closed her door, changed into her nightgown, and slipped under the covers. She would have no problem sleeping tonight. A bed that wasn’t moving would feel like a luxury for some time to come, she was certain.

  *****

  It was still dark out when Patsy woke the next morning, so she tiptoed into the parlor and peered at the clock. It was after five, so time to be up.

  She went back to her room and dressed for the day, hurrying into the kitchen. She did a quick inventory before she started cooking to see what she had to work with.

  This first morning, she’d make pancakes and bacon, which was simple. She could see she had a long day of baking and laundry ahead of her.

  Once she had breakfast prepared and waiting atop the stove, where it would stay warm, she went back to Emily’s room and woke her. “It’s time to get up, baby.”

  Emily sat up, rubbing her eyes. “I’m still so tired!”

  “I know.”

  “Can I sleep just a little longer?”

  Patsy sighed, debating. She wanted Emily to make a good first impression, but she also knew how desperately her daughter needed the sleep. Finally, she nodded. “Yes, sleep a little more. We’ll start your day later today if you promise to go to bed when I tell you with no arguments this evening.”

  Emily nodded. “Yes, Mama.” She sank back under the covers, her eyes closed before her head hit the pillow.

  The poor thing needs her rest. Tomorrow will be soon enough to get her into a proper routine.

  When she got back to the kitchen, Wesley was there, pouring himself a cup of the coffee she’d made. “Good morning,” she said softly. If he’d been her first husband, Joseph, she’d have rushed to his arms to kiss him good morning. Wesley had made it clear he didn’t want that nonsense. At least not yet.

  He turned to her with a smile. “I haven’t had coffee waiting for me when I woke up since I was in medical school. Thank you so much.”

  She smiled. “I think that’s part of what’s expected of me here, right?”

  He nodded. “Does it bother you that I have specific expectations of you?”

  “Of course not. I plan to be a good wife to you.”

  “Did you find your room and your bed comfortable?” he asked, watching her over the rim of his cup.

  “Absolutely. I slept like a baby. I told Emily she could sleep a little longer. I’ve never seen her that tired.”

  He frowned. “You don’t think she’s getting sick, do you?”

  Patsy shook her head. “I think she was just on a train for over a week, and she’s exhausted. She’ll be fine once she catches up on her sleep.”

  “Did you find everything you need this morning?”

  “No, I didn’t. I found enough to make do, but I’ll need to do some shopping if I want to be able to prepare good, wholesome meals. I presume you won’t have a problem if I go to the general store this morning and purchase what I’ll need?”

  “Not at all. I think that would be wonderful.” He shrugged, taking a seat at the table and waiting for her to bring him his breakfast. Sending off for a wife was going to be the best thing he ever did for himself.

  Chapter Three

  Patsy spent her morning working hard to get the clothes washed and on the line, while also baking bread and doing her best to catch up on cleaning. She had lunch ready for Wesley when he came in at noon, and Emily was finally alert for the first time since she’d met him.

  Wesley watched the little girl, who seemed to be a great deal more outgoing than she had been the previous night. He was pleased to see that he’d been right, and now that she was more comfortable with him, she was willing to speak.

  “What are your plans for the afternoon?” he asked.

  Patsy thought for a moment. She’d made a list, and she had to think about what hadn’t yet been finished. “I need to go to the store to get some things now that Emily has finally found her way back to the land of the living. And I need to finish the laundry and do some more cleaning. I’m trying to get the late spring cleaning done, or is it early fall cleaning at this point?”

  He shrugged. “Whichever it is, I appreciate you getting it done. I admit to not keeping up with housework as well as a woman would.”

  “I’ll get it caught up in no time. It’s really not a big deal.” She looked over at Emily who was shoveling food into her mouth so quickly Patsy was afraid she’d choke. “Slow down. I know you’re hungry because you missed breakfast, but you don’t want to make yourself sick.”

  Emily frowned, but she slowed down as asked.

  Wesley smiled at the girl, happy she was so obedient. He knew she was going to be an absolute joy to him. He could see it in everything she did. “School’s out until the first of September. We’ll need to enroll her then.”

  Patsy nodded. “I’ll take her the first day. She already reads and does sums very well.” Her mother had worked a great deal with the girl, reading to her as well as telling her stories of Irish legends. Her Emily was as bright as she was headstrong.

  “Has she been to school before?”

  “No, she wasn’t old enough last year.”

  “But I was smart enough,” Emily told him. “I’m brilliant, you know.”

  He was startled for a moment, before he laughed. “I can see that. Modest too.” He finished his lunch. “I’m doing calls this afternoon, so I won’t be around until supper time. My normal routine is to see patients in my office in the morning, and then I go to my house calls in the afternoon.”

  She nodded. “That’s fine. Will you join us for lunch every day?”

  “Most likely. Unless there’s an emergency, but those do happen in my line of work.”

  “I know they do. I’ll try to work around them when they occur.”

  Shortly after he left for lunch, she took Emily by the hand and they walked to the store, where she found the staples she needed for their meals. “Do you sell fresh meat as well?”

  The man who’d introduced himself as Percival nodded. “Yes, ma’am. We sell a little bit of everything here. I have fresh meat brought in every day.”

  “Oh good. That will make my life a lot easier.”

  Emily was crouching in front of a shelf, staring with wide eyes at a baseball. “Mama? May I have this ball please?”

  Patsy sighed, wishing she knew how to interest her daughter in things that were more traditionally female pursuits. “If I buy the ball, will you spend an equal amount of time cooking with me as you do playing with it?” She knew the only way to get her daughter to do girl things was to bribe her, and she really wasn’t too proud to do it.

  Emily nodded grudgingly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  She purchased what she needed for supper for the next few nights, a few other supplies, and the baseball Emily wanted so badly. When she took money from her purse, Percival stopped her. “Oh no, Mrs. Hardy. Dr. Hardy told me to put anything you need on his account.”

  She nodded, feeling funny. She hadn’t relied on a man for finances in years, and it felt strange to allow one to pay for what she needed, but she wasn’t going to argue. She’d use the money she had saved for other things she might need.

  Patsy left the store with h
er shopping basket over one arm, while Emily clutched her baseball. Both of them were satisfied with their purchases.

  As soon as she got into the house, she started the roast she’d purchased for supper, peeling potatoes and carrots to put them into the same pot to cook. Then she went out to remove her laundry from the line.

  As she was taking the last sheet off the line, a man stopped his wagon in front of the office, helping his wife from the back. “Where’s the doctor?” he called. “My wife’s having a baby!”

  “Give me a minute, and I’ll meet you in his office!” she called, grabbing the laundry and taking it inside.

  She had no idea where Wesley was that afternoon, so she’d have to deliver the baby herself if the woman’s labor was progressed as far as her husband obviously thought it was. She put her things down and gave Emily very specific instructions as to where she could play. She wanted to be able to look out the window and see her daughter if she was outside.

  She quickly pulled on her apron that covered her dress and sleeves and rushed into the office, meeting the couple. “I’m Mrs. Hardy. Doctor Hardy is out doing house calls, but I’m a trained midwife. I can help you.”

  The husband and wife exchanged a look, as if they were trying to decide if they trusted the woman in front of him. While they were still undecided, she had another contraction, grabbing her belly, and crying out.

  Patsy didn’t wait for them to decide. Instead, she put her shoulder under the woman’s arm and helped her to the table in the examining room. “What’s your name?”

  The man frowned, obviously at a loss for what to do. “I’m John and that’s Betty. She’s carrying our first.”

  Patsy nodded, hurrying over to wash her hands thoroughly. “Do you want to be here when your child is born, John?” She knew most men preferred to be far away from a birthing, but she had known a few who wanted to stay.

  The young man’s eyes widened, and he shook his head emphatically. “Oh no, ma’am. I can’t think of anything I’d like less than that!”

  Patsy didn’t laugh, but she wanted to. “Go on out while I see how her labor is progressing then. Maybe you can go over to the general store and waste some time there.”