“Leave that now and come talk to me.”
“Doctor MacKenzie, I think best when I’m busy. And, at this moment, I desperately need to think things through.”
“Well, think on this, please. You and I are both here because of my father. He knew what I needed, and you’re it. The best prescription for my healing that he could give me.”
His voice changed, becoming softer. “I’m quickly realizing that the more I’m around you.”
She turned her back on his tender words, unsettled by the sentiment. How could he honestly hold any affection for her after knowing her so briefly? Why did she feel so drawn to him as well?
Hands touched her shoulders, causing her to jump. When had he walked toward her? Those hands shifted her to face him.
“My father was a man who depended on prayer. I have to believe that he asked for the Lord’s will in this matter.”
Alice broke her silence, whispering her favorite verse. “Casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you.”
“Exactly. I feel the Lord’s leading in this.” His earnest voice held a note of doubt when he asked, “Do you?”
She wailed her response. “It’s too soon.”
“Neither of us is a child. We’ve waited to wed, and now we’ve found each other.” The level-headed doctor surprisingly hid a bit of the romantic beneath his cynical mask. At least, she hoped he did and that this wasn’t all an act to coax her into marriage.
“Please,” she softly entreated as she held a hand against his firm chest, “I need to pray and then sleep on this. I’ll answer you tomorrow.”
Close as he was, she saw him nod and then lower his head, blocking the lamp’s yellow glow as he came close to her face. In the dark that shadowed them, soft lips touched hers. It was a tender, brief kiss.
“Good night, Alice. Dream of us. Together.”
Chapter 7
“And do you, Alice Marie Cordell, take this man to be your wedded husband? To love, honor, and obey him as long as you both shall live?”
Reverend Potter’s words echoed in her soul. Why, she wasn’t sure.
After all, a nurse honored and obeyed the doctor she assisted. Love, she believed, would grow when they married. She was sure this is why she felt such a peace about marrying the tall man next to her.
That same man cleared his throat. She looked up at Niall, and he inclined his head toward the minister. Heat rushed through her cheeks as she too loudly said, “I do!”
Niall chuckled and leaned to her ear. “Glad you’re so eager to be my wife.”
That made the heat ten times hotter in her face. Where was the gloomy, bitter man who caught her peering in the window that first day? This husband of hers loved to tease, she was quickly discovering.
“I now pronounce you man and wife. As your father intended,” the pastor added. “You may kiss your bride.”
A strong hand stroked up Alice’s back to land behind her neck. Niall held her with that hand as his other cupped her cheek and turned her face to his. The pleasant pressure of his lips caressed Alice’s mouth, bringing a sigh from her as he shortened the kiss and pulled away.
Not looking at her, he became all business. “How much do I owe you, reverend?”
The man shook his head. “This is a gift to my deceased friend.”
Both MacKenzies thanked him as they walked hand in hand from the pastor’s study. “We’ll be on our way now.” Niall looked to Dorcas Potter and their neighbor, Mrs. Henry. “Thank you, ladies, for acting as our witnesses.”
The women chorused, “You’re welcome.” Dorcas shifted with excitement as she spoke, clearly eager to escape and spread the word about the wedding. Alice wondered what she’d add to the story before the telling was done. Probably, everyone would believe Niall only married her because of the will.
“Before you leave, Doctor MacKenzie, I have the will for you to read. I am sorry I couldn’t make it to your house two days ago, like I promised.” The minister didn’t offer any excuse for not showing up, Alice noted.
The day before, Alice and Niall stayed after the church service and discussed a time for him to marry them but hadn’t asked about the will. The man’s eyes widened at first, as if the news took him off guard. Then he only nodded and set a time.
Probably, he’d been surprised because part of the agreement hadn’t happened. Milly Murphy refused to stand up in church and declare her accusation false. Alice had been on pins and needles through the service, waiting for her to do that. Niall had pointed her out for Alice earlier, and her eyes had been drawn to the woman and red-haired toddler repeatedly.
Milly Murphy never once looked in their direction. She focused her attention on the child or the front of the church. To Alice, she looked the very image of a respectable mother, not a fallen woman who lied to the whole community.
“Do you mind, Alice?”
Niall’s voice called her back to the hallway of the parsonage. She glanced up at her husband and gave a ghost of a smile. “I was woolgathering. Would you repeat that?”
“The pastor wants to know if you would hold a clinic in his kitchen three times per week.” He paused, looking skeptically at Dorcas. “He and his wife will make you welcome, and the people who don’t want to come near me can still get basic help with problems like cuts or coughs.”
Obey! The word from her vows flashed in her mind. “If you want me too, then
