LITMIR.BIZ

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woman with her own business. Most men fall all over themselves for her attention.”

      He shook his head. “I suppose I’m not most men.” He pulled the napkin off the table and tucked it into the front of his shirt.

      “I suppose not.” She looked to where Pearl could be seen pouring coffee into one of the local lumbermen’s cups. The man looked as smitten with Pearl as she had with Clint.

      “Mind if I ask you a question?” Clint asked, reaching for a slice of the bread.

      Laura knew what he wanted to know. “Does it have anything to do with being Grace’s nanny?”

      “Yes and no.” He bit off a chunk of the bread and chewed.

      She smoothed her napkin on her lap and nodded.

      Clint leaned across the table and asked in a very low voice, “Is Hope your daughter? Or not?”

      Laura sighed. “Yes and no.”

      He chuckled. “I see. Which is it?”

      She took the note from her bag and handed it across the table. Laura watched his blue eyes scan the paper. He looked to her and quirked an eyebrow.

      “As you can read, that paper says she is. I spoke to the sheriff this morning and he confirmed that she is mine, at least for the time being. He’s searching for her parents, and when the judge arrives next month, well, he’ll have the final say.” Laura held out her hand for the note. The last thing she wanted to do was lose that piece of paper. It was the only thing that proved Hope had been given to her.

      Clint handed it over. Pearl walked back to the table with her arms laden with plates. Laura waited until the other woman left and asked, “Does this make a difference in your job offer?”

      “No, if Matt thinks you are fit to take care of one little girl and the school board has placed the care of all the children in the community to you, who am I to say you aren’t fit to be a mother and a nanny?” He spooned potatoes onto Grace’s plate.

      Laura smiled. “Thank you.” She prepared Hope’s plate. She prayed the circuit judge thought the same way as Clint Shepard.

      “Does that mean you will take the job?” He cut the sandwich into four pieces and handed one of them to Grace.

      “Maybe, but I still want to pray about it this afternoon before I decide, Mr. Shepard. I’m sure I will have an answer for you tonight or first thing in the morning.” Laura knew she needed to pray before making this important decision even though she felt comfortable with Clint Shepard and his daughter.

      He nodded. “Speaking of prayer, how about I bless this food and let’s eat?”

      She smiled. “That would be very nice, thank you.” Laura listened to his short blessing and knew that he was her answer from God. With the job Clint Shepard offered, she’d have enough money come summer to buy a small house for her and Hope to live in. If the judge let her keep Hope.

      After lunch, Laura took Hope to the doctor. The little girl sat on Laura’s lap while Dr. Stewart shone a light into her ears. He whispered into her ears, first the left, then her right. She responded as long as he stayed on the right side of her. Laura watched, fascinated with Dr. McAlester’s manner of learning about the child’s hearing.

      He stood and looked at Laura. “This little girl doesn’t hear with her left ear. Her right seems to be fine, but I think you’ll need to make sure that you are on her right side, if you want her to hear you.” He picked up a candle and tilted Hope’s head to the right so that he could see into the left.

      Concern filled Laura. Could Hope function like any other child, when she could only hear with one ear? “What can we do? Is this something we can fix?”

      Dr. McAlester shook his head. “I’m just a country doctor, not one of those fancy city docs with lots of new equipment, but from what I can see...” He bent down and shone a light into the little girl’s ear once more. “Her ear is grown up on the inside.” His gaze met Laura’s as he stood. “A city doctor might be willing to try going in and cutting that layer of skin, but I’m not.” He set the candle on the table beside him and sighed.

      “I see.”

      Dr. McAlester said, “She doesn’t seem to be in any pain and isn’t running a temperature. Mrs. Lee, I believe little Hope can have a long, good life with hearing in just one ear.” He grinned at her. “Us old folks do it all the time.” His light blue eyes and silver hair gave him a friendly look that set most of his patients at ease.

      Shock at his words had Laura gasping, “You can’t hear with both ears?”

      “’Fraid not. Gun went off too close to my ear a few years back, and I still have a ringing in it, but no other sound can get through. Haven’t you noticed I turn my head slightly to the left when I want to hear what you’re saying?”

      She shook her head. “No, sir. I hadn’t.”

      Dr. McAlester put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Little Hope will adapt, too. I believe this is a result of what we call a birth defect. She doesn’t even realize she can’t hear in one ear.” He patted Hope on the head. “You can always take her to the big city and let one of those doctors look at her.”

      Laura stood. “Maybe when she’s older.” She didn’t tell him that she couldn’t make that decision right now. It wasn’t hers to make, at least not until the judge came to town and gave her that right. So many decisions would need to be made when that happened.

      Laura returned to the boardinghouse with a heavy heart. She and Hope both weren’t complete. Hope couldn’t hear, and Laura couldn’t have children. Bitterly she thought, it was up to her to make a life for herself and the child. What man in his right mind would take her as a wife and Hope as a daughter?

      * * *

      Clint pulled the wagon to the front of the boardinghouse. Relief washed over him at the sight of Laura standing at the door. She hadn’t changed her mind. Several bags and a couple of large boxes rested about her feet, and if he wasn’t mistaken, that was a writing desk on the porch.

      The night before, shortly after dinner, Laura had expressed her desire to take the job of being a nanny to little Grace, with the understanding that she’d only do so until school resumed. He’d assured her that he’d begin looking for another nanny when it got closer to time for her to leave.

      Hope’s head rested on Laura’s shoulder, and the little girl grinned sweetly at him. His gaze traveled downward to his own child. Grace held Laura’s other hand tightly. The schoolteacher might be just what Grace needed in her life.

      He leaped from the wagon. “Right on time, ladies.” Clint winked at Grace.

      “You did say to be ready by eight, didn’t you?” Laura asked. Confusion laced her pretty features.

      He picked up several of the bags. “I did. If you will get the girls in the wagon, I’ll load up these bags.” There weren’t as many as he’d expected. His wife, Martha, had always taken everything with them, even for the short trip to town. Clint pushed thoughts of Martha away and carried the bags to the wagon.

      “Very well. Come along, children.” With her head held high, Laura led the girls to the wagon. She sat Hope on the seat, then bent down and picked up Grace.

      Clint watched Grace touch Laura’s hair. His little girl smiled at Laura and patted her cheek, much like she did his to show her affection. Clint forced himself to look away from the sweet scene. His heart ached that Grace would never know a mother’s love. She deserved a mother, but he couldn’t see himself ever taking another wife.

      Grace’s baby chatter filled the crisp morning air. He grinned as he set the bags into the already partially full wagon.

      Laura answered as she set the child in the bed of the wagon. “Of course, Hope can sit with you, but you have to be a big girl and stay seated on the way home.”

      Grace

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