He focused on the conductor as he helped the damsels from the train as a perfect gentleman should. The next one to disembark was on the younger side, clean-cut, and well-dressed, definitely not the hussy-type. Sky-blue eyes lit up brighter than the noonday sun as she scanned the platform. Perhaps she was one of those mail order brides in search of a rich husband. She’d find plenty in Kentucky. Hopefully, hers would appreciate the sturdy countenance and not press her delicacies into oblivion under his stern rule—as his mother had. An older woman followed close behind the girl, and the conductor soon left his post to hurry inside the depot.
The crowd dissipated fast under his scrutiny. Wagons loaded with luggage, and people, pulled away from the waiting area at a rapid speed, and still, he sat. Where in tarnation was the woman?
A few minutes later, Arthur appeared, balancing a chest within his grasp and a young filly following behind him, carrying a large duffle bag.
Daniel felt her silent disapproval before she’d even said hello.
She dropped her bag at the entrance to the carriage and frowned. “I gather you are the bull-headed, ex-soldier I will be nursing back to health. I just want to say thank you for the wonderful reception you have provided.” The sarcastic words fired across the two feet separating them.
He transferred his weight to the far side of the carriage and patted the cushioned seat across from him. “Feel free to sit—it’s a long walk to the plantation.”
She had thrown her bag on the floor and started to climb in when Arthur rushed up behind her. “Take my hand, miss, to balance you.”
“Why, thank you. Now there is some of that Kentucky hospitality I’ve been told about.”
When Arthur took his place in the driver’s seat, Daniel leaned over and whispered, “It’s his job, nurse Gwen. It has nothing to do with hospitality.”
The carriage lurched forward, and they were on their way. Daniel preoccupied himself with watching the scenery pass while Gwendolyn studied his face. He forced his features to appear domineering—so far, so good.
She was quiet and unobtrusive. He had to admit that he’d admired her spunk back at the station. She seemed to be a woman of few words, but one who commanded a presence. Too bad his first impression didn’t last.
“I’ve never been to Kentucky before,” her girly-chatter suddenly invaded his ears. “I so enjoyed viewing the changing landscape. The hills and trees created a breathtaking back-drop. During my ride here, I was reminded of Maryland. The Eastern Shore where the nursing school is located is almost completely on flat land, but farther west, beyond Chesapeake Bay, the terrain offered a few hills, and the farther the train traveled toward Kentucky, the bigger and grander they became.”
Gwendolyn seemed unaffected when he raised his brows as if to say, who cares? It did not stop the spiel. “The same stretches of flat, fertile land are here, and I feel at home already.”
“Really?” Daniel studied her. “I don’t want you here, and that makes you feel at home?”
“My peace and contentment do not hinge on your approval, Mr. McAlister. God has ordained me to be here, and I am. We will both adjust.”
“I don’t understand you woman—were you taught by Florence Nightingale?”
“Don’t be silly,” she said. “I’ve never been to Florence, Italy, but I did study her great accomplishments in the field of nursing and can only hope I’m found worthy to walk in her footsteps.”
“Give me a break,” he muttered under his breath.
“A break, sir? What of the poor souls who did not return home from the battlefield? You dishonor them by entertaining your pity party.”
“I wish I’d died.”
“And now you dishonor God who created you for His purposes. Obviously, he is not finished with you, and the longer you persist with this attitude, the shorter time you will have to complete his will through you.”
“A nurse, a missionary, and a philosopher—have I missed any of your attributes, woman?”
“My name is Gwendolyn Peters, and I would appreciate you addressing me as such.”
“How about Nurse Gwen? I like to keep things simple.”
“As you wish.” She turned away from him, and her face relaxed as it took in the acres of planted fields, where short sprigs of plants peeked their nose our of the spring earth to bask in the heat of the sun. Daniel tried to view his family’s land through her eyes for her eager countenance in her surroundings left him spellbound.
“What do you find so remarkable about a cotton field? I don’t see anything great about a pile of dirt.”
Gwen called to the driver. “Stop the carriage, please?”
“What?” Daniel objected.
She didn’t wait for his approval and scampered off the seat and onto the ground before he could wrap his head around her impulsive stop. Gwen deposited her hands on her hips and glared at Daniel. “Mr. McAlister—you have been given strict orders to exercise regularly by the doctor. Is it a part of your routine, or do you simply let someone drive you everywhere you want to go?”
“You’re meddling, woman,” Daniel seethed.
“Nurse Gwen—surely your mind functions in the present.”
“It does.” He jumped down. As his feet hit the ground with a thump, his face contorted, and he fumed at showing her his weakness.
“Jumping without a thought to your limitations is not good practice, sir.”
“You don’t need to remind me I’m a cripple.” His voice rose as he spoke, and his fists clenched at his sides.
“You are far from a cripple—I’ve seen many of those during the war—but you are a man who has not accepted his physical restrictions and choose instead to wallow in self-pity.” She
