Page 8 of A Letter to Carolina
“I received a letter from Emily with an invitation to come out and meet... well... I suppose you. She also mentioned that there is a doctor in town who does not have a nurse. I am a nurse and I want to get married, so I thought this sounded like the answer to my prayers.”
She watched as Nate’s complexion drained of all color, and his eyes darted over her face as he took in her words before meeting Emily’s gaze. His mouth pulled into a tight line of distress.
“She’s a nurse, and she’s unmarried?” he asked, seeking confirmation.
Emily nodded, a half-smile on her face. “You aren’t upset?”
“I thought you said you wouldn’t surprise me, Em.”
He stood up and the height difference was dramatic. Carolina immediately wondered if he would tower over her, or if perhaps her head would fit just under his chin. She clenched her hands in her lap so she wouldn’t reach out and touch his arm.
“Well, you know, Nate, these things happen in God’s time. This is one of those things. I also have not seen you in nearly two weeks, and I didn’t think this was something you would want to discuss in the churchyard.” Emily popped another pickle into her mouth. “Come on, Georgia.” She gave a wave to Carolina as she headed for the main room.
“Emily.”
Slowly, the blonde woman turned back to face Nate. “Are you planning to match her to Beau or Jesse?”
“You want me to match this beautiful, unattached nurse to Beau or Jesse?” Emily batted her eyes innocently. “I guess I can do that if you don’t think I should match her to the very handsome, very new doctor in town. I’ll give that some thought and see what they think.”
“Jesse is closer to her age,” Georgia piped in as she took Emily’s arm.
Carolina watched in surprise as the two women quickly stepped away, leaving her alone with the strange man. He strolled back to the kitchen table, giving her a long appraising stare and flashing a wide, satisfied smile. He moved the plate of pork to the middle of the table and settled back into his chair, eyes twinkling.
“I’m at a disadvantage in that perhaps you know more about what is happening here than I do.”
“Are you looking for a nurse for your practice?” Unwilling to mince her words, she stared straight at him.
He steepled his fingers and rested them against his lips. “I am. How much education do you have?”
“One year of education at the University of Philadelphia with six months of practicum,” she said proudly. “I learned how to identify and treat all kinds of illnesses, from childbirth-related complications to life-threatening diseases. I’m also trained in emergency care and preventive medicine.” Her chin rose slightly as she spoke.
“I can’t imagine most men will want to see a woman for their emergencies.”
“Of course not. I treat women and children. I have found women are more comfortable talking to another woman about delicate issues.”
“Most nurses aren’t married.” It was a statement of fact, not judgement.
“Most men do not want their wives to work outside of their homes,” she countered.
Pulling the plate filled with pork back toward her, she added the pork she’d finished to the bowl.Carolina continued shredding the pork, when she suddenly found a firm, calloused hand wrapping itself around hers. Startled, she quickly tried to pull her hand back as she looked up to stare into the eyes of the attractive stranger.
Carolina attempted to pull her hand back once more, only to have him flip her palm over, fingers brushing against her pulse point, and she froze.Those butterflies in her stomach were now clearly dancing on her heart as well, she thought as her pulse beat an erratic rhythm.
His voice was low and seductive as he spoke. “I’m not like most men.”
I shouldn’t have looked up, was the last thought she had as their eyes locked onto each other. His deep blue irises had silver shimmers in them, and Carolina found a deep knowing bubbling up from inside of herself.This would be the man who she’d say “I do” to, or else she’d find herself in the life of a spinster.
Exactly as her Mama had predicted.
“This is going better than I expected.” A nasal sounding voice pulled Carolina away from Nate’s gaze, and he released her hand. She felt the loss immediately.
She turned to see two men, standing in the doorway watching them.Simon and Beau.She met Simon immediately after she arrived. He reminded Carolina of a bird with his long legs and sharp nose. Emily had pointed Beau out in passing.
Beau pulled out a crumpled bill from his pocket. “Lemme see. It took Bass a month. You? Nearly two months.” Glancing over at Nate, he snapped the bill, shaking out the wrinkles. “I’ll take two weeks.”
“I say six. He’s the most gentleman-like of us.” Simon took the wrinkled bill from Beau and looked at it. “Is that all you’re wagering?”
“It’s all I have, unless you are planning on advancing my pay.”
