Alice Read online

“Oh, thank you, Alice!” The woman admired the teacups. “I’ll take them all!”

  Alice helped her go to the counter and recorded her purchases in the ledger. The woman thanked her again. She and her friend exited the mercantile, and Alice leaned against the counter, feeling exhausted. It wasn’t time to go home for the day, but she longed to curl up in bed and take a nap.

  Edna Petunia walked over and noticed Alice’s long face. “Oh, sweet pea. I know why you’re so upset.”

  “You do?” Alice was unsure.

  “You thought that man was attractive. Well, I’ll admit, he’s quite a looker. He’ll produce fine bastards one day with someone,” Edna Petunia explained.

  “I don’t know if you’re using that term—” Alice began.

  “But the point is, looks aren’t everything. You need someone with a good sense of responsibility and strong integrity. A man like Cletus,” Edna Petunia said dreamily.

  “I understand what you’re saying, Edna Petunia. But I don’t feel you and Cletus even gave Mark a chance!” Alice couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

  “You’re upset now, but you’ll feel better in time. Trust me, dear, I’ve been through my share of heartbreak in my day.” Edna Petunia was lost in her thoughts.

  Alice knew that Edna Petunia had lost her first love many years ago, long before she had met Cletus. She was engaged to be married to the man, but he died suddenly and unexpectedly when they were both young. She knew that she would never understand how painful that experience had been for Edna Petunia. But she couldn’t help but think that her situation was different. She didn’t think it was worth arguing, though. It was pointless. Edna Petunia would never understand.

  Alice sighed and went to the back to find a broom and dust pan. She still had a long day ahead of her, so she may as well stay busy.

  Chapter 9

  A little after lunch time, a young man rushed into the mercantile. “Fire!”

  Alice felt faint. “What’s happened?”

  The man bent over and rested his hands on his legs, panting for breath. “We need help! People are hurt. We need water!”

  Lewis stood up and strode to the front of the store. “Where at, son?”

  “At the old boarding house behind the bank,” the young man said as he caught his breath.

  “Let’s close shop early so we can all help,” Lewis said firmly. “Edna Petunia, we’ll go now. Alice, you gather some water, lock up, and meet us there.”

  Lewis and Edna Petunia rushed out the door, and the young man followed them. Alice felt shaky but did what Lewis said. She went to the back of the mercantile and found a large bucket she usually used for cleaning. She went to the sink and filled the bucket with water. She hoped everyone was all right.

  Once the bucket was full, she went out the front door to the mercantile and set down the bucket while she locked the door. She saw that Lewis had already changed the sign to say “Closed.” She picked the bucket up again and walked as quickly as she could toward the direction of the boarding house.

  Already, she could see smoke billowing toward the sky behind the bank. She saw a few men in wagons racing toward the fire as well. One of them stopped in front of the mercantile.

  “Would you like a ride, Miss?” an older man asked.

  Alice nodded, and the man helped her into the wagon. They continued toward the old boarding house. The man stopped the wagon as they approached a large crowd of people. Alice got out and carried the bucket of water. It was heavy, and her arms were getting tired, but she carried it to a man who seemed to be directing many others. He took the bucket from Alice and gave it to another man, who ran it to several men near the front of the old boarding house.

  There were men and women coughing into handkerchiefs and gasping for air. A few women Alice recognized from church were comforting them. Alice couldn’t see any fire, which was a relief, but the air was thick and heavy with smoke.

  Alice spotted Edna Petunia and walked over to her. “What’s going on? Are people hurt?”

  “Fortunately, everyone who was inside the boarding house when the fire began managed to escape. The men have managed to put most of the fire out, but they need more water to make sure it doesn’t start again,” Edna Petunia told Alice.

  “Thank goodness.” Alice was so relieved that no one had been seriously injured in the fire.

  Edna Petunia pointed to the front lines. “Lewis is up there with the rest of them. That boy doesn’t know when to stop helping others.”

  Alice smiled. Lewis was a man, not a boy, but she didn’t bother to correct Edna Petunia. A woman who had been helping walked over to them. “We have a few people who need some drinking water. Can you help?”

  Edna Petunia thought for a moment. “Cletus’s office is not far. We’ll go find him and bring back some drinking water.”

  Alice looked around. “Are you sure he’s not here? It seems like half the town is here.”

  Edna Petunia shrugged. “Let’s start walking there and find out! These people need water. Now!”

  Upstairs at the mercantile, Ruby tried to stand so she could put Jasper down for his nap. As she lifted herself off the sofa, a sharp pain shot through her torso. She clutched her stomach and cried out.

  The twins and James, Lewis’s oldest boy, ran into the room.

  “What’s wrong, Mama?” One of the twins began to cry.

  Ruby tried to remain calm. “I’m fine, sweetheart. But I need a doctor. Can you run downstairs and get your father? He’ll send for Dr. Harvey.” Ruby knew exactly what was happening. She knew all the signs. The time was now. The baby was coming.

  James nodded. “I’ll go.”

  Robert frowned. “I’ll stay with you, Mama. You shouldn’t be alone.”

  “Thank you.” Ruby was relieved that Lewis worked downstairs at the mercantile and not far away from their home. She hoped Dr. Harvey would be able to come quickly. She was in a great deal of pain.

  James ran down the stairs to the mercantile, taking them two at a time. To his surprise, he couldn’t find his father, Edna Petunia, or Alice anywhere. There were no customers inside the store either, which he knew was unusual for the middle of the day.

  James walked to the front door and saw that the door was locked. He slipped out the back exit to the mercantile, re-locking the door the way his father had taught him. He smelled smoke in the air and raced to the front of the building. He saw a large crowd of people in the distance and smoke pouring from a building.

  James raced toward the smoke.

  A few blocks away, Mark Brooks was preparing to leave Nowhere. On his way out of town, he had seen the smoke and stopped to help. He had aided the men of Nowhere in pouring water on the fire for what felt like hours until the worst of it was out. Now there were many people crowded around the building, ready to help out, so Mark felt it was time to go. He had even spotted Edna Petunia and Alice in the crowd, but he ducked so they wouldn’t see him. He’d had enough humiliation in front of Alice, and he didn’t want to endure any more.

  Mark thought about all the tasks that awaited him once he finally returned to his uncle’s former home. The fact that he still thought about it as his uncle’s and not his own was a sign that he needed a fresh start in another town. He had to admit that he was disappointed Nowhere would not be the town where he was going to start his new life. He had been impressed by how quickly the citizens had come together to fight the fire.

  As the horses carried the wagon through town, Mark spotted a familiar-seeming young boy running through the streets, shouting for help. Mark slowed the horses to pull up next to the boy. “What’s wrong, son?”

  James was grateful the older man had stopped for him. “I need to get my father. My mother is having a new baby, and she needs a doctor!”

  Mark realized why the boy seemed familiar to him. “Are you one of Lewis Darcy’s boys?”

  “Yes, sir, I am!” James exclaimed. “Do you know where my father is?”

  “Th
ere was a fire, and your father is helping to put it out,” Mark explained. “It might take a while to work our way through the crowd, though.”

  James thought quickly. “I was trying to find my father to send for Dr. Harvey, the town doctor. She’ll know exactly what to do. Have you seen her or Dr. Bennett?”

  Mark shook his head. “I do business with your father, but I don’t know everyone in this town. I do remember that someone said they were going to send for the town doctors. If you can tell me where they live, I’ll take you there,” Mark told the boy. He could see the fear on the boy’s face, and he knew that Lewis would want him to do anything necessary to help his wife.

  “Yes, sir, I think I can direct you there. Dr. Bennett is one of my uncles. He’s married to one of my aunts,” James told him.

  Mark shook his head in wonder. Everyone in town seemed to be related to Alice in some fashion. But it was the least he could do to help her family. He’d do this one good deed, and then he would go on his way and try to forget all about Alice and her overprotective parents. “Which way first?”

  James pointed west in the direction of Dr. Harvey’s house, and Mark steered the horses into a turn. Mark sighed wearily. It seemed like every time he tried to leave Nowhere, something kept pulling him back in.

  A few minutes into the journey, Mark spotted another wagon in the distance. He waved to flag the driver, a young man, down. A woman was in the wagon with him.

  “That’s my uncle Stephen!” James said excitedly.

  When they were closer, Mark shouted to the pair. “Excuse me, we know you’re probably on your way to the fire. But we need one of you to help Ruby Darcy. It sounds like she’s gone into labor!”

  The young doctor quietly conferred with the woman, who looked only slightly older than he was. In a matter of moments, the woman was stepping out of the wagon and rushing toward Mark’s wagon, carrying a doctor’s bag.

  She climbed up into Mark’s wagon and smiled cheerily at Mark. “I’m Dr. Iris Harvey. Pleased to make your acquaintance. My nephew will continue on to help at the fire, and you and James can take me to Ruby.”

  Mark nodded, and he swiftly turned the wagon around and set off for the mercantile. They raced toward town. Mark hoped Ruby wasn’t in too much pain.

  In the Darcy residence, Ruby felt dizzy. She didn’t understand what was taking so long. Why hadn’t James come back upstairs? Where were Lewis, Edna Petunia, and Alice? She had thought that at least one of them would come upstairs to help her and the children while the other went to find Dr. Harvey.

  Ruby wasn’t afraid of childbirth. She had been through it enough times that she knew what to expect and knew that her body could handle it. But she was afraid of facing it alone, with no one in the house but her young children.

  The twins were huddled in the corner, quietly talking to themselves. Jasper had come in and brought Ruby a blanket, which she’d rolled up and placed beneath her head and shoulders for comfort. Her labor pains were getting closer and closer together now, and she knew the baby was coming quickly.

  Outside, Mark pulled the horses to a halt in front of the mercantile. James and Dr. Harvey jumped out, and James led her around the side of the mercantile to the back entrance. As Mark parked the wagon, James unlocked the door, and Dr. Harvey raced into the mercantile and up the stairs. She had been to the Darcy residence before and knew exactly where to go.

  As she neared the top of the stairs, Dr. Harvey called out to Ruby. “It’s Dr. Harvey. I’m coming in!” She gently pushed open the door and rushed through the rooms until she saw Ruby, stretched out on the sofa, clutching her stomach in pain.

  A cool wave of relief washed over Ruby. She immediately felt safe and peaceful once she knew Dr. Harvey was there. The woman had been taking care of Ruby and her sisters ever since they had arrived in Nowhere. Edna Petunia and Dr. Harvey had worked together for years and had actually moved to Nowhere together from Seattle. Dr. Harvey was practically family.

  Dr. Harvey smiled at the twins and Jasper. “You all have been so wonderful, helping your mother. I’ll take things over from here. James, can you help me get Ruby into the bedroom?”

  James and Dr. Harvey carefully helped Ruby stand up. She was still wincing in pain but bit her lip to keep from crying out. Together, they walked with her into the bedroom, and she laid down on the bed. Dr. Harvey quietly asked James for a list of things to help with the birth. James rushed off to prepare them.

  Mark stood outside the mercantile awkwardly. He hadn’t even met Ruby Darcy, so he wasn’t about to go inside and wait in her home while Dr. Harvey delivered her baby! He realized that Lewis still had no idea what was going on, so he climbed back into his wagon and set off for the old boarding house.

  When he arrived, the fire was mercifully out, but the crowd was still there. They conversed loudly, huddled around a few people with blankets wrapped around their shoulders, sipping from small cups of water. Dr. Bennett examined them one by one, holding a stethoscope to each person’s chest and waiting for him or her to inhale and exhale.

  Mark parked the wagon, tied up his horses, and made his way through the group of people until he found Lewis. He put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Lewis, you need to get back to the mercantile.”

  Lewis’s face wore a concerned expression. “What is it? Is it one of the children?”

  “Ruby’s gone into labor,” Mark explained. “I know you came here on foot, so I’ll take you back.”

  “She is? I didn’t think the baby was due for at least a few more weeks!” Lewis said nervously.

  “Dr. Harvey’s with her now,” Mark said, hoping he could reassure his friend. Mark felt uncomfortable knowing so many details about Ruby’s condition, but he also knew it was important to get Lewis back to his wife.

  “Thank you, Mark. I thought you’d left town already!” Lewis exclaimed as Mark led him to his wagon.

  “I was trying to . . .” Mark began but trailed off. That didn’t matter. All that mattered was getting Lewis back to help his wife and family.

  Once again, Mark pulled the wagon up in front of the mercantile.

  “I don’t know how I can ever thank you, Mark,” Lewis said gratefully.

  Mark grinned. “Get in there! Go on, I’ll be fine!”

  Lewis nodded and rushed around to the back of the mercantile, finding that the back entrance was already unlocked. He hurried up the stairs to find James playing with his younger children in the living room.

  Jasper broke out into a huge smile. “Daddy!”

  Outside, Mark looked back and forth between the main street of Nowhere and the mercantile. He’d had an idea, but he wasn’t sure about it at all. It was probably a terrible idea, motivated by the day’s unexpected events. He shook his head. He should just leave town, like he’d been trying to do all day.

  Just as he was about to take off again, he changed his mind. He carefully stepped out of the wagon and walked toward the mercantile. He pulled two small envelopes from his pocket and slipped them under the front door of the closed mercantile. He knew it wasn’t going to make a difference in his situation, but it would make him feel better to express all the things he had been trying to say.

  Satisfied, Mark went back into his wagon and set off for his uncle’s home.

  Inside the mercantile, Dr. Harvey handed a crying baby boy to Ruby. “Congratulations, Ruby. He’s beautiful.”

  Ruby held her new son in her arms, marveling at how tiny he was. She never got over how small or sweet newborn infants were. She felt so grateful that she and Lewis had been blessed with healthy, happy children. It was just what she had always wanted.

  Downstairs, Edna Petunia and Alice returned to the mercantile. The crowd had gone home, with Dr. Bennett still monitoring a few of the people who had been in the boarding house when the fire had started. Several of Alice’s sisters had volunteered to take folks into their own homes while the boarding house was being rebuilt.

  Alice saw that the front door was stil
l locked. “Where’s Lewis? I thought he came back here.”

  “I didn’t see him when we were leaving. I also thought he came back here,” Edna Petunia agreed.

  Alice unlocked the door and frowned. There were two envelopes lying on the floor inside the mercantile. She bent down and picked them up, then walked inside. She turned back to Edna Petunia. “They’re for us.” Alice took the envelope addressed to her and handed the other one, addressed to Edna Petunia, to her adoptive mother.

  Edna Petunia was stumped, too. “What’s all this about?” She opened her letter quickly and pulled a note out.

  Dear Edna Petunia and Cletus,

  I understand that you want me to have nothing to do with your daughter. I respect you both greatly and will comply with your wishes. I want you to know that I have always been in love with Alice from the first moment I met her. My intentions with her have always been pure and true. I only want Alice to be happy. I’m leaving Nowhere, and you won’t hear from me again.

  Sincerely,

  Mark Brooks

  “What does yours say?” Alice was curious.

  Edna Petunia shook her head. She thought she should be relieved that Mark was moving on, but instead of feeling happy, she only felt sorry for her daughter and Mark. Despite everything else, she couldn’t deny that they genuinely had feelings for one another.

  Alice opened her letter.

  Dear Alice,

  I love you. I will probably always love you. I understand that your family doesn’t think I’m good enough for you, and I have to accept that. It’s too painful to watch you from a distance and not be able to spend time with you. I know that you are going to make another man very happy one day.

  With all my love,

  Mark Brooks

  Tears filled Alice’s eyes for the second time that day. She held the letter to her heart. She couldn’t believe that Mark had sent her such a thoughtful, beautiful letter. It was almost too much to bear. She didn’t want to make another man happy. She wanted to make Mark happy.

  Just then, Alice’s thoughts were interrupted by wailing coming from upstairs. Alice and Edna Petunia looked at each other in shock. It sounded like a new baby!