Page 25 of Choices of the Heart

Mrs. O’Connor nodded. “He always did care a great deal about them.”

“And I think it shows he hasn’t entirely cut himself off from everyone.”

“I worry about that.” Her shoulders drooped a little. “No one sees him anymore. Though Madra is good for him, he can’t be happy tucked away as he is away from every person who loves him.”

“If it sets your mind at ease, he did not seem unhappy.”

She studied him. “But he likely also didn’t seemhappy.”

Burke couldn’t disagree with that. “I wish I could offer you a more detailed and expert assessment. I don’t know him as well as you do.”

“Sometimes I’m not certain I know him anymore, either.”

He didn’t like how heavy her expression had become. Easing worries was an important part of his job. “Living on his own is a new experience. He may simply still be adjusting.”

“He has lived there for over a year,” Mrs. O’Connor said. “I don’t think he is still adjusting. I’m all but certain this distance from us is what he wants.”

“When I first arrived in Chicago to undertake my medical education, I fully embraced the life of a hermit. I had lived all my life in a loud and chaotic orphanage. The idea of space enough to breathe appealed more than I’d expected it to.”

She smiled a little. “Our family can be a bit suffocating.”

Burke patted her hand. “Give him time. I believe he’ll come back to you when he’s ready.”

“What if he doesn’t?” Mrs. O’Connor didn’t often slip from her usual optimism. Seeing her struggling now pulled fiercely at the heart.

“I don’t believe this town will give up on him. Neither will this family.”

“I suspect Emma Archer has.” Mrs. O’Connor sighed. “None of us blames her—he caused her such pain, there’s no denying that—but it still breaks m’ heart a little. They’d such a sweet connection. Seeing it still severed is a reminder of how much pain they’re both in. If only he’d let his family love him. We could help him so much.”

“I did, in time, outgrow my need for isolation,” Burke said. “I made some very good friends in school, many of whom I’m still in contact with.”

“Did you?” Seeing a bit of hope re-enter her expression did him good.

“One of them, Dr. Montgomery, is planning to come visit Hope Springs.”

Mrs. O’Connor turned and faced her family. “Dr. Jones has a visitor coming. Another doctor.”

That sent the room into a flurry. Excitement over a new arrival mingled with insistence that the new doctor be brought to thecéilíand invited to a family gathering. Questions were tossed out. Alexander might not find Hope Springs impressive, but he would certainly find it enthusiastic.

In the midst of the avalanche of inquiries, Sophie stepped inside the inn. The O’Connors’ focus turned immediately to her. She was forthwith supplied with a place to sit, a plate of food, and words of sincere welcome. Burke was treated to a few too many knowing looks from the O’Connor men.

“Thecéilíyesterday was delightful,” Sophie declared. “I don’t think I have ever left a social event as exhausted as I did last night.”

“Then we consider the night a success,” Tavish said.

“Don’t grow too confident,” Sophie said with a twinkle in her eyes. “Now that I know exhaustion is your goal, I intend to come fully rested and ready to outlast everyone.”

The family laughed and accepted her challenge. How quickly and easily she fit among them. Burke had needed more than a year to really find his place in Hope Springs. He was bumbling in comparison.

She looked so at home among them. Her lovely smile never wavered. Her beautiful gray eyes danced with delight. Even when she’d arrived in Hope Springs, her appearance a bit scattered on account of her journey and her worries, she’d been startlingly pretty. No one seeing her could think otherwise.

“Are the parties you’ve attended in Baltimore as enjoyable as ours here?” Eliza asked.

“Not remotely,” Sophie insisted. “But only because they do not have Katie’s berry tarts.”

That earned her a laugh. She smiled ever more broadly. The O’Connors liked to tease him about the pull he felt to her, but how could he help feeling it? She was personable and beautiful and clever.

“Did you know our Tavish grows those berries?” Mr. O’Connor said, beaming with pride.

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