Leave a Candle Burning (23 page)

“Do you want her back?” Iris popped her head out of the kitchen long enough to ask.

“Actually, I have some things to get done. Will you please tell her we’ll read again after dinner?”

With a swift nod, Iris disappeared back into the kitchen, and Scottie made a beeline for her husband’s room.

“How are you?” Maddie asked of Reese, who had come to visit her at the farm. The women had just gotten comfortable in the parlor, Valerie in Reese’s arms.

“I’m fine. A bit tired at times.”

“What do you do when you’re tired? Do you rest or push on?”

“I push on,” Reese admitted.

“Do yourself a favor, Reese, and rest now. You won’t have that option once the baby comes.”

“I didn’t think of that, but then I assumed I wouldn’t be tired once the baby’s born.”

Maddie almost laughed before remembering that Reese had unbelievable energy. She did laugh, but at herself.

“Sometimes I envy you, Reese. I seem to be tired every day.”

“Are you expecting again?”

Maddie opened her mouth to say no but stopped.

“What’s the matter?” Reese asked.

“I was going to say no, but now I’m not sure.”

“You think you might be?”

Maddie didn’t speak; she was too deep in thought.

“How old is Val?” Reese asked next.

“She was four months last week.”

“And you’re still nursing, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Both women sat in silence, knowing it was possible but unlikely.

“That would explain the fatigue,” Maddie muttered, her voice a little strange.

“Being the mother of a newborn would do that, Maddie,” Reese said with compassion, almost sorry she’d asked. “I don’t even know why I asked that.”

Maddie looked into Reese’s eyes and smiled. “I don’t know why I’m so stunned. Even if I am pregnant, it’s good news.”

“Is it?” Reese questioned. “You didn’t sound so sure a moment ago.”

“Well, I guess I would be surprised, but not at all sorry. Jace and I have just assumed that Val would be the first of many.”

“Conner’s favorite passage these days is the one about children and a man’s quiver being full of them.”

“Where is that?”

“In the Psalms. Let me think—” Reese stared into space as Maddie went for a Bible.

“Do you remember where?” she asked, opening to that book.

“One-twenty-something,” Reese guessed, and waited while Maddie began to search. It took some doing, but she eventually read from Psalm 127.

“ ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’ ”

Maddie sat back, her face soft with a coming smile.

“I didn’t know about those verses. It makes me wish I was expecting right now.”

“Maybe you are,” Reese reminded her, laughing a little over the chain of emotions from chagrin to pleasure. Maddie laughed as well.

“Well, if emotional changes in a matter of minutes are any indication, I’m probably carrying twins.”

The women shared another laugh, and that was how Jace found them. He wanted to know what was so funny, but Maddie took pity on him, knowing it would not be news—even if she was only suspicious—that he would want to hear in front of company.

“I couldn’t ask you in front of her, but I’m wondering how you’re doing with Corina in the house,” Eli said, not wasting any time.

“I was a little tense until I met her, but it’s better now.”

“Why were you tense?”

“I was afraid I would be emotional in front of her and scare her.”

“Are the memories still there?”

“Not if I keep busy.”

“Are they about the orphanage?”

“Yes. They’re not about the way I felt, never knowing from year to year what would happen to me and afraid of where I would end up, but of what might have happened to the other girls. I haven’t thought about those years and all those other girls for a while now. Seeing Corina has brought it flooding back, and that’s taken me by surprise.”

Eli listened, waiting for her to go on.

“I think it would be worse for Corina. She knew her parents. The only life I’d ever known was at the children’s home. I was afraid that just meeting her would be so crushing that I would sob, and that would have upset everyone.”

“It was kind of you to hold off, but your feelings are just as important as Corina’s.”

“Thank you for that.” Scottie looked grateful. “I just didn’t know what to do. Iris was trying to press the issue, but I stood up to her.”

“Good,” Eli firmly agreed. “Iris means well, but you’re not to be run over. I won’t have it.”

“Don’t scold her,” Scottie pleaded. “She just wants all of us to get along, and I’m sure we will.”

“Did you read to Corina?”

“Two books, and we started a third. We’ll go back to it after dinner.”

Eli was pleased. His wife was smiling and relaxed again. Eli had spent a good deal of time that morning confessing to God how much he wanted to be in control and how worried he’d been. He wondered if Scottie might be doing better because he had chosen holiness over wanting his own way.

“I’m glad to hear you’re doing better, but should those memories come back, tell me.”

“I will.”

“You know I pray,” Eli added.

“And you know I need it,” Scottie said with a smile.

They held hands like old friends, and for a moment Scottie wondered at the place God had put her. She couldn’t imagine being anywhere with anyone else.

“That’s a thoughtful look,” Eli noticed.

“Just being thankful.”

Eli squeezed her hand. “As am I, Scottie. As am I.”

Their routine was more than a week old when Dannan went back to the Peterson house for his dinner and book discussion. He had seen Corina for a few minutes in the kitchen, but when he encouraged her to go back to her dinner, she did so without complaint.

Dannan took the stairs on quiet feet, his mind on the book he was returning. He could have kicked himself when he walked into the room, took one look at Scottie, and had the content of the book fly from his head. Her face always beautiful, and she was downright distracting in a yellow print dress, her hair not under a bonnet but pulled up softly around her face in light red curls.

“Welcome,” Eli greeted, reminding Dannan of the reason he’d come.

“Hello,” the younger man responded, using Eli’s presence to get his mind in order.

“Please sit here,” Scottie invited, and Dannan was able to smile in her direction without having to look into those long-lashed eyes.

“Thank you.” Dannan took a seat and found a small table placed in front of him. Finn had brought trays with the food, and after seeing to Eli, he made sure Scottie and Dannan had their dinner.

“Thank you, Finn.” Eli smiled at the older man as he went on his way.

“I’ll check back in a bit,” Finn promised, heading out the door.

“Well, now,” Eli began, smiling at Dannan. “Whenever anyone joins us for dinner, I ask him to pray. Would you mind, Dannan?”

“Not at all,” the younger man said, bowing his head. “Father in heaven, thank You for this home and family. Thank You for the food and the generous sharing of that food. You have blessed us this day, Lord, and help us not to forget Your presence. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen.”

“Amen,” both Eli and Scottie echoed, starting their meals. Dannan followed suit, and after just a few bites, Eli was ready to talk.

“So, tell me what you thought of
Ivanhoe
.”

“I enjoyed it. I like the way Scott built the characters as well as the plot.”

“What did you like the most?”

“Scott’s attention to detail. It’s interesting to be swept back to another time and place. As a doctor, I always wonder what strides were being made in medicine at that time and whether the people trusted doctors more or less than they do today.”

“How often do you get called to help someone and find you don’t know what to do?” Eli asked, having strayed rather easily from the book.

“It hasn’t happened often, but it has happened—thankfully not since moving here.”

“What do you do?” Scottie asked.

“I don’t bluff, but neither do I admit it right away. I get very quiet while I work on my options.”

“Which are?” Eli asked.

“Well, it all depends on how serious the situation is, but I have medical books I can read, and in Willows Crossing, I had a mentor in Dr. Collier. I consulted with him on more than one occasion.”

“Did I hear Conner say that Dr. Collier trained you?” Scottie asked.

“In a way, yes. He was the doctor I worked with after my training.”

“Where did you train?” Eli asked.

“At the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in Philadelphia.”

“We’ve gotten off the book,” Scottie said quietly to her spouse.

“Yes, we have,” Eli admitted. “Do you mind, Dannan?”

“Not at all.”

“How did you choose that school?” Eli went right back to the topic of medicine.

“Their reputation of excellence. Dr. Collier graduated from there and sent me off with a letter of recommendation.”

Eli seemed fascinated, and truly Dannan didn’t mind, but the discussion never did arrive back at the book. By the time Eli was ready to question him, Dannan had to excuse himself to get back to work.

Scottie wanted to laugh at the irony. Eli finally had someone to talk books with, but he’d spent all his time on Dannan’s training. She wanted to laugh but didn’t. Eli had been having too fine of a time.