Mary looked over at her as the sudden urge to defend him shot forth with surprising speed. “Oh, well…he was called away—by Faith.”
Pauline laughed again. “Yeah, DJ’s always been good at finding something else to do when there are chores to be done.” Then, flashing a smile at Mary, she added, “But then, Mama never did make him do laundry or cook. So, there you go,” she shrugged as she opened up his bag and handed the first thing she saw to Mary. It was a shirt. “And to be fair,” she continued, “he always took care of the manly chores—most of the time without being reminded.”
Mary took the shirt and shook out the folds before hanging it in the wardrobe. She couldn’t resist taking a small, surreptitious sniff of the lingering scent of his cologne that hung on the material. Finally, one article after another was put away, although the girls left Dwight’s shaving kit and personal care items in the bag for him to decide where to store them. They also found, crammed in a bottom corner, a small sack of dirty clothes he had no doubt worn on the train.
Pauline then excused herself and left, saying that she had made a date to have lunch with her husband, Tobias. Mary, the sack in one hand, was just setting the portmanteau down on the floor when Dwight, much like his sister, stuck his head back into the room.
He looked at the open door of the wardrobe and noted his clothing was hanging neatly in order, and his eyes shot to hers with surprise.
“You put my things away?” he asked, his voice low and tinged with a tiny bit of awe.
Truthfully, Mary didn’t know if she would have been so bold as to take that duty upon herself if Pauline hadn’t initiated it, in spite of the fact that she had always done the same for her brother and her father. Somehow, the reality of handling her brand-new husband’s undergarments, socks, and personal things had made her face blush scarlet—and her friend had giggled at her discomfort. Now, as Dwight’s knowing eyes held hers, she felt her face pinken again. He’s imaging me handling his unmentionables. Good gravy!
Casting around for something to say to extract herself from the awkward moment, Mary sputtered, “Um…have your mother and sisters settled in?”
Dwight sent her that grin that made his dimple deepen and shook his head. “I’m on my way now to get their trunk out of the wagon. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Then, before she could answer that, he was gone from the doorway.
She listened to his footfalls as he went down the steps and heard the front door open and close.
Once again, she moved over to the four-poster bed and plopped down on it.
What have I gotten myself into? And how will I stop myself from falling for this man…my proxy husband?
Lord, help!
Chapter 7
D wight put down his fork and raised his napkin to his lips before asking, “So, Doc, I’ll be looking for a job and I’m wondering if you have any leads on something I could do for the duration of my time here.”
Doc looked down the table at Dwight, who had been seated at the opposite end. Pearl had graciously accepted the seat to the doctor’s right side, all the better to see her handsome son-in-law, Tobias, across the way. Pauline, Livvy, and the twins had filled up the chairs therein—leaving Mary ensconced beside her husband.
Pursing his lips, Doc Reeves studied him for a moment before asking, “Where do your talents lie, son? I know you are quite adept at driving, but do you have other experience? What strikes your fancy?”
Dwight leaned back in his chair; taken by surprise. He’d expected a short answer along the lines of, “Sam at the lumber mill is always looking for workers…” But the doc had asked a question that made him have to stop and think. What did strike his fancy as a vocation? He hadn’t thought of doing anything other than manual labor while residing in Brownville.
Pondering, he realized it had been such a long time since he’d allowed himself to think about his future…not since his father had died to be precise. However, now he could let his squelched dreams peek out of the box in which he had shoved them the day he had left his college classes and taken a job as a cabbie. The day he’d stepped up to take his father’s place as the man of the house. To his shame, that had not worked out too well. It still rankled his pride that his mother had been forced to take a job outside the home.
Swallowing a bit nervously, his eyes met his mother’s for a second before refocusing on the man at the end of the table.
“To be honest, sir…I used to have my heart set on becoming an attorney.”
Doc’s slow smile softened the worry lines on his face and he gave a thoughtful nod, the wheels obviously turning. Finally, he reached for another cornbread muffin from the covered basket and answered.
“I’ll speak to David Mincer. He just might have an idea for you. His practice is keeping him quite busy and…” he paused, “well, before I say more, let me have a chat with him.”
Dwight couldn’t believe his ears! His heart sped up. Could it be? Could he really take those old goals out of the box, dust them off, and see about resurrecting them as a reality? The idea was almost staggering. To sweeten his appeal, he added, “I was into my second year at the university in Louisville before I had to leave. All of my professors said I had bright prospects ahead—”
“He received perfect marks on all of his exams. My
