Chapter 2 #2
Ford shrugged lightly. “Mail-order bride, from what I gather. Says he needs someone to help manage his household, and he’s tired of trying the long way of finding someone.
” Ford smiled. “Can you believe it? He’s so desperate to not like one of my suggestions that he’s resorted to looking for women in the cities.
He’s been running the ad for a couple of months now.
He said that he’s been talking to one who is mighty promising.
She can cook, clean, and wants a marriage. ”
“I wish him well. Hopefully it works out for him.”
Gideon adjusted his grip on his bag.
“I see,” he said quietly.
Ford gave a small nod. “Seems more men are starting to think that way. Can’t run everything alone forever.”
Gideon considered Mrs. Abernathy’s words again. A practical arrangement of marriage might solve the problem of Lila’s care, but the idea didn’t feel right to him.
When he was younger, he’d been na?ve enough to think he could handle romance and being a doctor at the same time. He’d learned the lesson that he couldn’t do both in the most painful way and had vowed to never repeat it.
“You tell Thomson congratulations, and I hope it goes well for him.” Gideon shook Deputy Ford’s hand. “I’ll see you around.”
“Sure thing, Doc.” Deputy Ford tipped his hat as Gideon left.
As he headed home, the idea of a mail-order bride spun in his head. It would be a solution, but not one he was comfortable with.
By the time Gideon returned home, the sun had begun its slow descent, casting long shadows across the yard.
Silence greeted him when he stepped inside. His chest ached with worry. Mrs. Abernathy had already said she couldn’t watch Lila for much longer.
Where was she? Usually, she and Lila were out front in the parlor.
For a moment, worry filled him. He walked down the little hallway until he got to the entrance to the kitchen and stepped inside.
Lila sat there at the kitchen table, her blond hair falling around her little shoulders as she concentrated on what she was doing.
She gripped a charcoal pencil, drawing a picture on a piece of paper.
There was no sign of Mrs. Abernathy.
“Mrs. Abernathy?” he called, setting his bag down near the door.
“In here, Doctor.” Mrs. Abernathy stepped into the kitchen from the hallway, her gaze going to Lila, with a concerned look on her face.
Lila had a scrap of paper before her and a bit of charcoal clutched in her hand. Her brow was furrowed in concentration, her small movements careful and deliberate. Mrs. Abernathy stood nearby, her arms folded loosely, her expression thoughtful.
“She’s been at that for some time,” she said quietly, nodding in Lila’s direction.
Gideon stepped closer, his gaze dropping to the paper. Children’s drawings were hard to decipher. It was hard to tell what it was that Lila was trying to create, and yet, the drawing she’d managed was much clearer than hers normally were.
Lila had drawn three figures.
Simple, as her drawings always were, stick forms with uneven lines, but distinct enough to be recognized. One stood slightly taller than the others. Another, smaller, stood close beside it. And a third.
Always three. Lately, whenever she had the chance to create pictures, she drew a picture with three people. He always guessed that it was her parents with her. It made his heart ache for the girl, wishing he could do more for his niece.
“She’s done this before,” Mrs. Abernathy added gently.
He nodded faintly.
“She never draws just the two of you,” Mrs. Abernathy continued. “There’s always another. Perhaps the pictures are of her and her parents.”
Lila’s gaze snapped up at Mrs. Abernathy’s words, and sadly, Mrs. Abernathy was probably right. She could see things between him and Lila that he couldn’t.
Lila looked back down at what she was doing, but her hand slowed slightly, as though she sensed their attention. After a moment, she set the charcoal down and glanced toward Gideon, her expression quiet, searching.
He offered her a small, reassuring nod.
“It’s a fine drawing,” he said softly.
A faint hint of a smile touched her lips before she looked back down again. Mrs. Abernathy stepped a little closer to him, lowering her voice. “Children have a way of showing us what they cannot say. She misses her family.”
Tears gathered in Mrs. Abernathy’s gaze, and he could see the older woman simply felt for Lila; she wasn’t trying to be judgmental.
Gideon exhaled slowly, his gaze lingering on the paper.
Her words from the night before returned, clearer now.
“She needs someone steady. Someone who can be here when you cannot.”
He sighed in frustration. He could not give her back what she lost, her real parents. He couldn’t do it, no matter how he tried, but maybe he could try harder to give her what she needed, stability.
Perhaps an ad of his own was in order, not for a wife, but for someone who could work for him. He should talk with the pastor; he might have a solution.
He turned to Mrs. Abernathy.
“I think you are right, she may be lonely,” he replied in soft tones.
Even though Lila never spoke, not since the day of the incident, she still understood things, and he didn’t want her overhearing their conversation in case she misunderstood it.
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, Gideon. You are a smart man.
” Mrs. Abernathy squeezed his shoulder while stepping around him.
“I need to get home for the night, but I’ll be back tomorrow.
I spoke with my husband, and I’ve decided to work for you for another week.
To give you time to find someone to be here for Lila. ”
“Thank you.” Gideon tried to hold back tears of his own.
“It’s no trouble at all. Good night, Dr. Hayes.”
Mrs. Abernathy let herself out, while Gideon stayed near Lila, who was still drawing. He wondered, would there be a day when she could remember her parents fondly, all the good times, and not remember the bad? How could she ever forget what took them from her?