A Heart for Home (39 page)

“I know. I liked her too. Tell her thank you for me.”

“You tell her. She’s right over here.” Astrid turned and led the way to where Dr. Morganstein was sitting in a chair, shaking hands with people.

“Dr. Morganstein, do you remember Benny?”

“Of course I do. Oh my, you have grown so much. Look at you.

I hear you are doing well in school too.”

“I like school.” Benny leaned forward, and Gerald bent down so his son could shake the doctor’s hand. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Benny. I knew you would become a real man someday.”

“Not yet.”

“No, but here you have the chance to do that.”

“I do. My pa and ma, they take good care of me. And My Doc.”

Astrid had to swallow hard as she saw the sheen of tears in her mentor’s eyes. This had indeed been an amazing day.

As the crowd shifted, Dr. Morganstein reached for Astrid’s hand.

“Do you have a moment?”

“Of course.” Astrid glanced around for a chair, and as soon as he realized what she wanted, Daniel brought one over for her.

“Thank you. Are you a mind reader?”

“Not that I know of. Can I get you anything else?”

“Not that I know of.” Her smile brought one in return. He leaned forward. “Perhaps we can talk later?”

“Of course.” Astrid sat in the chair and leaned closer to Dr. Morganstein. “I cannot thank you enough for all you have done here.”

“It is I who am thankful. Isn’t it wonderful what all has been accomplished? All the work you are doing here has made this old woman delighted beyond measure. I know my husband is dancing on clouds up there to see us all together, building another hospital to add to the one he started to make my dreams come true.” She laid her gloved hand over Astrid’s on the arm of the chair. “The two Bjorklund doctors will accomplish much.”

“Along with all the others who come here for treatment or for training. I have a feeling we are just seeing the beginning.”

“I have a confession to make.”

“Really?”

“I am so glad and grateful you didn’t go to Africa. I just didn’t feel that was where you were to go, but I knew you had to find your calling.”

“Red Hawk said to me one day, ‘What if helping my people is your Africa?’ ”

“Very wise. I know it was hard for you, but I’m glad you have learned to listen well.”

“I don’t know about well, but I am trying to listen.”

“Listening is something doctors must learn to do. Listening to patients, listening to their bodies, to their families, to doctors wiser, and to new ideas that come.”

“My mor said that God gave us two ears and only one mouth for a reason.”

“Leave it to your mother. I know how glad she is to have you home in Blessing.”

Home in Blessing
. The words stayed with her. She knew she’d always had a heart for her home, this town of Blessing. Feeling someone’s eyes on her, she glanced up to see Daniel Jeffers smiling at her. That same little quiver started in her middle, swooped around her heart, and flew out to the tips of her fingers. He was indeed a gentle man and a real gentleman. Her far had told her that Daniel asked if he could court her. She would not say no, for every time they were together, she realized even more what a special man he was. A solid man like her far, a businessman like Thorliff, a dreamer like his father, and a son to make his mother proud. While he’d not yet captured her heart completely, she was willing to follow along to see if this was indeed the next step where God was leading her. Like Dr. Morganstein said, listening was definitely in order.

EPILOGUE

M
AY 1905

“No, you can’t see her today. You know what they say, ‘It is bad luck to see your bride before the wedding.’ ” Sophie barred the door of the meeting room at the boardinghouse.

Daniel Jeffers heaved a sigh. “Then will you give her this? It is from my mother for her ‘something blue.’ ” He handed her a wide satin ribbon with a verse embroidered on it. “Mother had this in her Bible on her wedding day.”

“All right. That I can do.” Sophie waited for him to walk away, then eased herself back into the room where the daughters of Blessing were gathered around Astrid, helping her dress.

“Here, this is from Mrs. Jeffers to put in your Bible. The ‘something blue.’ ”

Astrid smiled at her cousin, then read the verse. “ ‘And they shall be one flesh.’ ” She read it again and blinked quickly a couple of times. Why were the tears so close to the surface today? She wasn’t sad. Excited, joyful, a bit of trepidation, and peaceful too. This was so right, and the last months had proven that over and over again. There was no doubt in her mind that Daniel Jeffers understood her commitment to being a doctor and was proud of her accomplishments. Which made it so easy to trust him.
And they shall be one flesh.

Sophie snapped her fingers. “Astrid Bjorklund, come back. Hello . . . You need to put your dress on.”

Astrid came back to the present and tucked the blue ribbon into her Bible. She raised her arms for her friends to ease her dress over her arms and down to swirl around her. It was made of ice-blue washed silk, with a heart-shaped neckline and a fitted waist that flowed into a skirt and fell straight down to the tops of her toes. A two-layered pleat in the back would make walking easier. Not a train but a hint of one.

“You look positively regal,” Grace said, her eyes shining.

“Just think, two more weeks and you will be the one getting dressed in this room.”

Sophie settled an ice-blue hat with a half veil onto Astrid’s head, securing it with a hatpin into the figure eight of golden hair. Wisps of hair framed Astrid’s face, the blue of the dress making her eyes look even more like bits of a North Dakota summer sky.

Haakan tapped on the door and then opened it a crack. “The buggy is here.”

Astrid looked once more in the full-length mirror. The white leather Bible now held a blue ribbon marker; the golden daffodils lay like a sheaf on the cover.

“Are we all ready?”

Ingeborg kissed her cheek. “You are so beautiful, both inside and out.”

Astrid blinked again. “I love you, Mor.”

Sophie and Grace wore matching yellow dresses and carried three golden trumpet daffodils each.

Haakan crossed the room and held out his arm to his daughter, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Are you ready?”

“I am.”

He helped her into the buggy, and then the two cousins, Ingeborg, and himself. The drive to the church took only minutes. They could hear the organ from the hitching rail. He helped each one down, and they lifted their skirts to keep them out of the dust, then mounted the stairs and stepped into the vestibule.

Elizabeth had been practicing ever since the organ was installed a month earlier, so the music surrounded them, rich and glorious.

“They are ready.” Lars smiled at Astrid, and she nodded. He opened the door and Sophie stepped in the doorway. The music swelled and first Sophie, then Grace walked down the aisle to the front, where Pastor Solberg waited with Daniel, Thorliff, and Trygve.

Astrid and Haakan paused in the doorway. The church was full with extra chairs set up in the back and along the sides. The music changed again, and they began the walk. Astrid kept her gaze on the man waiting for her.
If you cry, I will cry, so please . . .
His smile bore his love toward her like the fragrance of roses on a summer breeze. It wrapped around her and made her quivering lips settle into a smile that never dimmed throughout the ceremony.

They spoke their vows without hesitation, their eyes looking deep into each other’s, pledging more than words could utter. Then Pastor Solberg said, “I now pronounce you man and wife. What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” He raised his hands and spoke the benediction as though it had been written just for them. “The Lord bless thee and keep thee. . . .”

Thank you, Lord
. She missed a few words, caught in her own thoughts and the look in Daniel’s eyes. “And give thee His peace. Amen. You may kiss your bride.”

When his lips claimed hers, Astrid lost herself in pure sensation. His smile at the end promised a lifetime.

They walked down the aisle, arm in arm, greeting friends and family.

“Hey, My Doc.” Benny reached for her from his father’s arms. He held her hand to his cheek and stared right at Daniel. “You take good care of My Doc.”

“Oh, Benny, you needn’t worry. I will.”

The organ burst into music that followed them out the door and into the welcome arms of a May day of golden sun and greening fields, all promises of life renewing and rejoicing in the growing town of Blessing, North Dakota.

Valley
of
Dreams
W
ILD
W
EST
W
IND
#1

A
VAILABLE
N
OVEMBER 2011

1

F
ALL 1906
D
ICKINSON,
N
ORTH
D
AKOTA

Something was wrong – but what?

Sensing something ominous in the wind, Cassie Lockwood studied the performers of the Lockwood and Talbot Wild West Show as they lined up for the opening parade around the arena. The United States flag snapped in the breeze above the uniformed riders waiting for the big wooden gates to be swung open. The snorts of horses, the jingle of harnesses, the laughter from another performer, and the musicians tuning their instruments were all normal sounds. She glanced down at the scruffy dog sitting placidly by her pinto, Wind Dancer. If Othello wasn’t picking up on it, then surely the feeling was only in her head.

Ignore it,
her mind commanded.
Concentrate on the parade and
getting through this performance.

The drums crashed, the trumpets blared, the gates swung open, and the Saturday afternoon performers of the internationally known company burst into the arena, led by horse-mounted flag bearers. Jason Talbot, owner of the traveling show, decked out in cutaway frock coat and wide-brimmed hat, enthusiastically welcomed the crowd that filled not only the wooden bleachers but overflowed to line the far fences. This final performance in Dickinson, North Dakota, was off to a sparkling start, the crisp fall breeze finally breaking the heat spell that had locked the area in cloying humidity.

As the mounted Indians nudged their horses into a gallop, Wind Dancer waited for Cassie’s signal to join the parade. Behind them were the chuck wagons, the horses tugging at their bits, the excitement as contagious to the animals as to the human performers.

The applause swelled when Cassie passed through the gates. She was called the Shooting Princess and the greatest sharpshooter since Annie Oakley, and people flocked to watch her perform. Between trick riding and sharpshooting, she always managed to fulfill their high expectations. She circled the arena now, waved to the crowds, and then exited the arena behind the Indians. It wasn’t her time to perform. The western scenes of Indians, marching soldiers, and pioneers were on first.

Knowing it would be about an hour before her turn in the ring, Cassie dismounted in front of her tent and tied her horse to the hitching post. A good brushing would soothe both of them, so she pulled off Wind Dancer’s saddle and chest collar, setting them on the other end of the rail, and went for a brush and currycomb. Othello flopped down in the shade of the tent after scratching one ear with a long hind leg. He was not the most handsome dog around, but he more than made up for his looks in the brain department. He often knew what Cassie was going to do before she did. Between Wind Dancer and Othello, she knew she had the most stalwart and faithful friends anyone could ask for.

After the brushing and a wipe-down with a cloth, she checked her guns and ammunition. When she heard the applause after the attack on the settlers’ cabin, she replaced her tack and mounted to head back to the arena.

“You have everything?” Micah, who’d never given his last name, asked as he picked up the leather satchels that contained her guns. Micah spent most of his time caring for the animals, but he made it a point to check Cassie’s gear and make sure it was where it was supposed to be at showtime.

“Thanks, Micah. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He nodded, never one to waste words. He’d come to the Wild West Show as a gangling moon-faced young man with the thicktongued speech and less-than-normal coordination of one born with Mongolism. Cassie saw behind these differences, taking on anyone she caught making fun of him, even threatening to maim a pair of now former members of the troupe when they had teased him and called him Cassie’s trained pet. Word got around after that, and no one had harassed him for a long time.

As a matter of habit, she let her gaze rove over the performers and backstage hands as they went about their assigned duties. Everything seemed perfectly normal, but something didn’t feel right. If only her father were there to talk this over with, but he had died five years earlier after an attack of pneumonia in England, almost to the day her mother had died four years earlier. He’d often said he didn’t see how he could live without the woman who made his life complete, so his passing hadn’t really been a surprise after he took sick. Cassie had stayed with the Lockwood and Talbot Show because she knew no other life, and “Uncle” Jason had pleaded with her to continue and promised he would always watch out for her, just as he’d promised her father.