The Barefoot Brides Collection

Barefoot BRIDES THE

COLLECTION

7 Eccentric Women Would Sacrifice All—Even Their Shoes—for Their Dreams

Barefoot BRIDES THE

COLLECTION

Lori Copeland

CJ Dunham, Cynthia Hickey, Maureen Lang, Cathy Liggett, Kelly Long, Carolyn Zane

A n Impr int of Bar bour Publishing, Inc.

Barefoot Hearts ©2018 by Lori Copeland The Castle Made of Sand ©2018 by CJ Dunham A Teacher’s Heart ©2018 by Cynthia Hickey Between the Moments ©2018 by Maureen Lang Promise Me Sunday ©2018 by Cathy Liggett Lady’s Slipper ©2018 by Kelly Long Hope’s Horizon ©2018 by Carolyn Zane Print ISBN 978-1-68322-682-6

eBook Editions: Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-68322-684-0 Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-68322-683-3 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked niv are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. niv®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, and/or events is purely coincidental.

Published by Barbour Books, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

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Printed in Canada.

Contents Barefoot Hearts by Lori Copeland. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 The Castle Made of Sand by CJ Dunham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 A Teacher’s Heart by Cynthia Hickey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131 Between the Moments by Maureen Lang. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187 Promise Me Sunday by Cathy Liggett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 Lady’s Slipper by Kelly Long . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329 Hope’s Horizon by Carolyn Zane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381

Barefoot Hearts

by Lori Copeland

Chapter 1 On the banks of the White River Edgar’s Cove, Arkansas, 1876

A

nnie Lawson adored three things: the St. Louis Browns, sourdough toast smeared with blueberry jam, and baseball.

The latter was harder to come by here in sleepy Edgar’s Cove, a tiny Arkansas community that sat along the banks of the White River. Between Frank Otter, who owned the cove’s small press that produced the monthly Town Crier, and Ben Grison, the town barber, she was able to keep up with latest news from the major professional teams. But baseball and jam were the last thing on Annie’s mind this morning. This morning, her weekly elderly charges’ outing was her only concern.

She stepped into Main Street and thrust her right arm straight out, erecting a physical barricade for passing vehicles. The barefoot girl, dressed in worn overalls and with her loose, waist-length auburn hair whipping in the breeze, lifted a whistle to her lips and blew hard.

The wheels of buckboards, two carriages, and a hay wagon ground to a shuddering halt.

Two more shrill blasts filled the air before Annie, through narrowed eyes, was convinced the path was safely cleared. She waved the group forward, and one by one, a half-dozen men and women shuffled, rolled in chairs, and reeled across Main Street.

The sight of Annie herding her familiar entourage was as common as mosquito bites on a hot summer night. The tiny community sat tucked in a cove on the lower branch of White River. Summers promised hot, humid days, and winters could be as fickle when daytime temperatures dropped as much as thirty degrees in a matter of hours. While only a few chose to live in Edgar’s Cove, those that did were loyal to the core to neighbors.

Giving Mrs. Helprin’s cat, Big’un, a gentle foot nudge, Annie urged the large American Bobtail to fall into step. The cat eyed her as though he’d like to protest but didn’t. A second nudge. “C’mon. You can do it.”

The cat blinked as if to say, “I am thirty pounds overweight. I hate walks.”

Annie recognized the cat’s combative eye language. Yes, Big’un was most 9

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likely the hugest cat on earth, but a walk was beneficial for anybody. Annie paused and focused sharply on the animal.

Impatient buggy drivers and riders sat and watched the impasse.

“Stand up,” Annie ordered.

Big’un stared.

“Now. I am not carrying you across the street this morning. You are going to walk on your four paws. You might as well get it over with.”

The cat’s mouth puckered with defiance.

Annie’s tone turned to one of finality. “Pouting won’t change a thing. Get on your feet—are you rolling your eyes? Stop it.”

A buckboard eased forward a bit. “Do something with Big’un, Annie! I’m getting older by the minute!” a man’s voice called.

Annie acknowledged the detainees growing impatience. She turned back to Big’un. “See what you’re doing? You’re upsetting folks. Fine. Sit here in the blistering sun.” Annie wiggled her bare toes. The hard-packed ground was starting to scorch her toes. “Very well, have your way. I’m crossing with the others.” Annie turned and fell into line with those who were gradually reaching the other side.

“If you’re hit and flattened it’s your own fault.” Of course, she knew she would never let anything happen to Mrs. Helprin’s cat, and Big’un did too, but the threat sometimes worked.

The cat’s amber-colored eyes focused on the line. When Annie was nearly to the opposite side of the street, Big’un slowly got to his feet and started moving.

Groans erupted from the waiting traffic. A lone rider approached in the distance, the sound of hoofbeats prominent in the muggy air. Annie turned when she noticed the approaching rider had not appeared to slow. Turning marginally, her eyes located Big’un, who was sluggishly crossing the street.

She raised her hands to cup her mouth, “Walk faster!” Ask anyone in town, and they would assure you that Big’un wasn’t known for speed. The cat’s sheer size made a faster gait impossible. It wasn’t that Mrs. Helprin, who Annie worked for at the mercantile, overfed the animal. On the contrary, Annie had to coax food down both Mrs. Helprin and her cat. Ada’s fading appetite was due to advancing age; Big’un’s trouble was due to a glandular disorder, or so old Doc Blue said about a month before the jolly white-haired physician retired to go live with his son in Arizona.

Annie shouted louder. “Now! Pick up the pace, Big’un!”

Flying hoofbeats drew closer. Whoever was riding that horse was in one big hurry. Annie glanced at the cat and then back to the looming rider. Probably one of those wranglers fresh in from a round-up in an all-fired hurry to get to town to 10

Barefoot Hearts waste his month’s pay at the Tired Monkey, the cove’s one and only local watering hole.

With a last desperate glance, Annie turned and lunged for the pet. In her haste to save the cat, she lost her grip on the furry feline and shoved the pet farther into the line of danger. The rider swept by in a boil of dust, obviously unaware of the cat or of the onlookers staring in horror at the tragedy playing out.

Annie felt the hot air off the lathered horse as the big gelding swept past, nearly trampling her in the process. Horse and rider hurtled toward the edge of town where the bar sat, ignoring the cat’s frantic howls.

Annie caught her breath and rolled to her side, terrified to look. Poor Big’un.

He never knew what hit him. Tears sprang to her eyes. Mrs. Helprin! How would she tell her employer, friend, and landlady that the thing she lived for most in life, Annie had recklessly destroyed?

She felt hands lifting her, anxious voices surrounding her. “Are you all right, honey?”

“My, that was a close one. You could have been killed!”

“Why, that man ought to be horsewhipped coming through town like a freight train!”

“I tried. . .” Annie whispered. Her head spun like a top. “I dove to save Big’un but—” Mrs. Holly’s voice reached her. “Big’un’s fine, hon—or I think he is.” Annie battled to focus on Verdeen, who crouched to her left, cradling the cat. “Poor baby.

You might have had eight of your nine lives scared right out of you.” She paused.

“There’s a drop or two of blood here behind your tail on the left leg. Wouldn’t hurt none to let the doc check you out.” Her voice lifted. “Same for you, Annie Girl. You took a hard spill.”

Shepard, the ferry operator, stepped up to help Annie to her feet. She leaned on his strength while the small entourage crossed the street.

In the cove, having a doctor was short of a miracle. Ray Burrows, town blacksmith, usually did the patching up around here on animals and humans, but last week the stage broke an axle in Flippin, the nearest town to Edgar’s Cove, and was stranded for a full day. One of the riders was a doctor, fresh out of school and on his way to St. Louis to start a new practice. The doctor had wandered to the cove to kill time.

By the time the stage pulled out of Flippin the following day, the self-appointed mayor of the cove, Maynard Pulse, had offered twenty-five dollars a month, all the eggs and chicken the young doctor could eat in the winter, his laundry washed and 11

THE Barefoot BRIDES COLLECTION

ironed, and all the summer produce he could eat if he’d stick around until the cove could find a new doc. He only needed to stay a few weeks, just until the town could hire medical help. The young man, for some reason, agreed to the terms.

Annie limped toward the doctor’s office, clinging tight to Shepard’s arm. Her muddy dress clung to her body and her shins were skinned raw. She turned to Shepard. “Did everyone make it safely across the street?” Her charges were elderly but apparently made of better stock than she. She and Big’un were the only casualties.

 Dr. Gabe Jones stepped to the office window as the party approached and lifted the freshly laundered curtain. The racket of the last ten minutes finally caught his interest. Something had the community in an uproar. His gaze focused on half-a-dozen men and women heading his way. An elderly black man supported a young, barefoot woman. Instinct told him she was the cause of the ruckus. He reached for his suit coat and slipped it on, a garment he hated. Would he ever forget the natural feel of a cotton shirt and denims? Once he set up his St. Louis practice, the coat would go.

Father might have felt a need to look the profession, but Gabe didn’t. The pain in his left hand momentarily distracted him. He reached for a bottle and popped a couple of pills under his tongue.

The front door flew open, and a group of elderly residents rushed him, everyone talking at once.

“We need your help, Doc.” “Oh lordy, lordy. The cat’s been hurt.”

“Do you think it’s anything serious with Annie?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” the young woman denied. “Have him check Big’un first.”

Gabe’s eyes switched from one outburst to the other, rattled by the sudden confusion. He swallowed the pills, nearly choking.

The loveliest eyes of robin’s-egg blue he had ever witnessed lifted to meet his gaze. “Check Big’un first, please. I’m fine, really.”

“Who’s Big’un?”

“The cat.”

“Come in.” Gabe opened the door wider to allow the group full access to the office. He focused on the young girl, trying to guess her age. He wasn’t good at the game, but he’d say older than sixteen and younger than twenty-five. Maybe early twenties. His gaze shifted to her bare feet and scraped knees. Not the most ladylike woman he’d seen in a while. Tomboyish. Her overalls had seen better days, and her shirttail bunched at the waist. His eyes moved to her face. Cute. Winsome—a 12

Barefoot Hearts sprinkle of freckles across the bridge of her nose. Dark auburn hair with a fair amount of red sprinkled through it hung to her waist.

“Put the lady on the table.” His gaze moved to the huge cat a woman was cradling in her arms. “Put—” “Big’un,” the woman supplied.

“Yes. Large animal.” He had never seen a cat that size. Looked more like a giant crab with crocodile eyes.

Annie smiled. “We think we have a world’s record, but of course, we don’t know for certain.”

He focused on the animal and the spot of blood on the cat’s left leg. “What happened?”

He cleaned and dressed the cat’s insignificant wounds as he talked. “Doesn’t appear to be anything broken.” His hand gently moved over the animal, exploring.

The young woman frowned with anxiety. He turned to smile at her. “How are you doing?”

“Upset—but better now. I should have carried Big’un across the street.”

“By the looks of his size, Big’un should have carried you across the street.” The doctor grinned. “Unless there’s something I’m not picking up, he doesn’t appear to have any threatening injuries.” He finished with the cat and turned to her. “Now let’s see about you.” Practiced hands gently explored, touched, felt. When he came to her knees he paused. “Can you lift your cuffs?”

She drew back, hesitant. She wasn’t the kind who lifted her cuffs to just any man. His grin widened. “I need to get a better look at those cuts and bruises.”

With a hesitant glance toward the men in the crowd, she slowly complied. Lifting the denim, she showed him the wounds. “This is a lot of fuss over some tiny scratches.”

“How did you say this accident happened?”

She explained the incident, the insensitive rider, the scare that Big’un had been seriously hurt.

“Big’un is your cat?”

“No, he belongs to Mrs. Helprin, the lady I work for—she’s my friend and landlady. I take a small group of seniors for a walk three times a week, and of course Big’un needs the exercise.”

He glanced at the cat, who was sleeping now, purring.

Annie continued. “It’s glandular—his size. Or so we’ve been told.”

“Big cat.”

“Yes sir. Mighty big, and Mrs. Helprin would die if anything happened to him.”

13

THE Barefoot BRIDES COLLECTION

“Well then, we can’t let anything happen to him.” He glanced up and met her eyes. “Can we?”

“No sir, we can’t.”

“Gabe. Call me Doc Gabe.” After a bit, he straightened. “All superficial wounds.

Nothing to be concerned about.” He set about cleaning and dressing the injuries.

Her leg was petite and shapely. He hadn’t been around a woman for so long, he’d forgotten the pleasure. School had filled his time the past few years, and frankly he hadn’t missed the experience. For a long time, he hadn’t enjoyed his own company.

He saw no reason to bring a woman into his misery.

The young lady spoke. “Big’un is fine too?”

Something flipped in his stomach. Something he’d rarely felt. Something he didn’t necessarily want to feel—not yet.

He firmly set the dainty foot back in place, but the instinct inside of him persisted. “Big’un is fine—for now.”

She peered up at him. “For now?”

He nodded to the others crowding the office. “May I have a few words in private with the cat’s guardian?”

Rounds of friendly agreement followed, and the group trailed out of the office, closing the door when they left.

“Big’un is really fine, isn’t he?” Annie persisted.

“Do you live close, Miss. . .”

“Call me Annie. Everybody does. I rent a room in Mrs. Helprin’s upstairs. I’m a block away.”

He paused, contemplating his next words. “It wouldn’t be an imposition to bring the cat by the office in the morning? I’d like to check him again.”

Her brows lifted. “Are you worried?”

“Not worried. Simple caution. Perhaps for the next few mornings you could bring the cat by the office, and we’ll make sure nothing shows up that shouldn’t.”

“Something. . .like what?”

“Like what?” He weighed the possibilities, fully aware that what he was about to say was sneaky. Not dishonest. Sneaky. The way a man would react to a pretty young woman because he wanted to see her again. “There’s always Briny Fever and GrayTongue Madness to consider. Rumble Dementia—a strange, deep-throated purring that’s often instantaneously lethal. Then I can’t completely rule out the Whiskered Chill, an even more worrisome prospect—” She interrupted. “Oh my—then rest assured. I will bring the cat over first thing every morning.”

14

Barefoot Hearts Guilt engulfed him. Misleading someone was not like him. Maybe the cove’s isolation had gotten to him. “Miss—Annie. Will this be putting you out—is there any reason you can’t bring Big’un by? Because if there is, we can make other arrangements.”

“None.” She slid off the examining table and bent to roll her cuffs. This site presented an enticing and exquisite view. Gabe quickly focused on a chart hanging on the wall. “You aren’t employed?”

“Only to Mrs. Helprin. She visits her son in Phoenix during the winter. Of course I take my friends for a walk three mornings a week, take Mr. Pierson his evening meal from the restaurant, dust the church pews on Wednesdays and Saturdays, do Mrs. Owens’ laundry when her lumbago is acting up, and tidy up where I’m needed. Other than that, I don’t have a thing.” She flashed a winsome smile that reminded him of an innocent child but also took his breath. “How much do I owe?”

“Owe? I hesitate to charge you anything. Everything was minor.”

Her jaw firmed. “I wouldn’t dream of permitting you to treat me without compensation. Do you like rhubarb pie?”

“Sorry, I hate the slimy stuff.” He thought for a moment. “Do you make preserves?”

“What kind? Cherry—I make delicious cherry preserves, and the crop was very good this year. I have several jars in the cupboard right now.”

“Fair enough. One jar of cherry preserves.” They shook hands on the agreement.

When she left, he stepped to the sill, watching her cross the street. Other than a slight limp, she seemed unfazed by the accident. His mind returned to their earlier conversation.

Briny Fever. Rumble Dementia.

Whiskered Chill?

Where were his ethics? He wasn’t prone to extending visits with female patients.

He’d made up every one of those “supposed” dangers on the spot. There wasn’t a thing wrong with the cat. By tonight Big’un would be eating like a lumberjack.

15

Chapter 2

A

ctually,” Annie said as she bent to take a bubbling rhubarb pie out of the oven and set the dish on the kitchen counter, “I’ve been taking you to see the doctor for three days now and you are doing fine. There hasn’t been a sign of the Whiskered Chill, whatever that is, and you’re eating well. Yet the doctor insists that he still needs to see you every morning.”

As far as she could tell, the cat had shown nary a sign of anything worrisome relating to the accident, but if she allowed anything to happen to the animal, Mrs. Helprin would never forgive her. She set the pie, that she intended to take to Pastor Sterling on her way to clean the church this morning, in the warming oven. Henry enjoyed warm pie, and if she ever took him one even slightly cool, though polite, she would see his nose curl with disappointment.

Big’un lay at her feet, purring softly. “Remind me to stop by to see Mrs. Owens on the way back and get her laundry.” The Widow Owens had such a small dab of soiled clothing that Annie could allot almost a full week without stopping by for a visit. She had to admit that the visits with the new doctor weren’t entirely an imposition. They were an exciting journey, and she’d begun to look forward to the fleeting encounters. Yesterday, when she’d handed him the jar of cherry preserves, something changed in their relationship, and the doctor insisted that she join him for a cup of coffee. They’d sat on the office front porch and drunk the bitter brew he’d poured from the speckled pot that sat on the woodstove in the office corner.

The room was sparsely furnished. Three hardback chairs, a coat rack, and a spittoon.

Gabe apologized for the heat radiating from the woodstove, but they’d have no coffee otherwise. The sacrifice made the room stifling, so they sat outside and visited.

After a sip or two, she learned that he was born and raised in St. Louis. His father was a physician, his mother taught French at the University of St. Louis, and after a brief interval of Gabe chasing his childhood dream, he’d enrolled in University of the Pacific, located in San Francisco. She was embarrassed to tell him that she’d never been any farther than Flippin, some twelve to thirteen miles away.

16

Barefoot Hearts He glanced down at her bare feet. “You don’t wear shoes. Any particular reason why?”

“Because I don’t want to. Mr. and Mrs. Helprin barely had the money to feed and clothe me, and any shoes they could provide were hand-me-downs from others.” She sighed. “I had numerous blisters on my feet from wearing shoes that were too small or much too large for me, so I stopped wearing them.”

“What do you do in the winter?”

“Well. . .I guess I pray for an early spring?” She flashed an impish grin. “I have shoes now, but given the choice, I don’t wear them unless absolutely necessary.”

“So you plan to be a barefoot schoolteacher. I gather you plan to teach in Edgar’s Cove?”

“Of course. When the cove is big enough to warrant a schoolhouse. Right now, the children take the ferry to Flippin.”

“And if the position here wasn’t open? I wouldn’t think Edgar’s Cove would need two teachers.”

“Suppose not. But if I’m not married by then, I’ll fight for the position.”

He chuckled. “Seems that you have your life perfectly planned out. Every t crossed and i dotted.”

“The rest of my life? I can’t honestly say that’s true. If God’s plans agree with mine, then I suppose I do, but I can’t imagine living anywhere but Edgar’s Cove— though your life appears to be very exciting.”

His gaze had focused on the almost silent street, and she was reminded of how nothing noteworthy ever happened in the cove, but that’s the way she liked it. The town baseball game held each fall was the only significant event for the residents. She supposed he’d lived a thrilling, breathless life in St. Louis, and she told him so.

“No, I’ve never been much into excitement or the social scene,” he said. “Been too busy completing my education.”

Her gaze slid slyly sideways. “Too busy to marry?” Very blunt of her to outright ask, but they had established a comfortable camaraderie during the brief morning visits.

He chuckled. “Way too busy to consider commitment. What about you? Surely sewing, a cat, and taking care of your elderly charges doesn’t consume all of your time.”

“Haven’t you noticed? Time is meaningless here. Each day is like the other— except for the change of seasons.”

“And that doesn’t bother you?”

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THE Barefoot BRIDES COLLECTION

“Not in the least.” She smiled. “I suppose I’m not much into excitement or social life.”

He was about to answer when Edie Smith’s lumbago took priority over the conversation. “Good-morning, Edie.” Annie stood up and helped the elderly woman up one step, experiencing an odd sense of letdown. She hadn’t finished her coffee, and the doctor was good company.

Edie heaved her body upward. “Thank you, dearie. You’re ever so kind.” The older woman turned to face Annie, her face glistening with early morning heat. “We are having Keno at three?”

“Yes ma’am.” Edie asked at least twice a week about the Keno game. Her memory for coming events wasn’t exactly intact anymore.

Edie flashed a smile. “I’ll be there, lumbago or not. I intend to play two cards this afternoon.”

“Now Edie.” Annie wagged a stern forefinger. “You know two cards are against the rules.”

“Rules. Who needs them?”

Annie knew if Edie had been eighty years younger she would have stomped her foot. The old curmudgeon could be a handful when it came to games and fairness.

The latter had no place in the woman’s social life.

“Edie, we have been through this conversation every Keno day. Two cards are too confusing for the others.” Edie was the oldest person in the cove, and while her memory for new dates and events might be a little shaky, she had a mind like a steel trap when it came to playing games she’d known all her life. And Edie loved to win—whatever the cost.

“One card, Edie. And no fussing with Adelaide today.” She glanced at Gabe.

“Miss Edie likes to divert Adelaide’s attention from the game.”

“I do not!”

“You do, Edie.” The rebuke was soft but carefully aimed.

“Shoot fire!” Edie brushed past Annie and entered the office, slamming the door behind her. Annie could still hear her complaining. “Just cause others are old tarts don’t mean that I’m one.”

Annie glanced at Gabe and felt heat color her cheeks. “I’m sorry. She can be. . .”

“Difficult?”

“You’ve noticed?”

His features gentled. “I gather competitive deceit greatly upsets you.”

Annie smiled and cocked her head. “Doesn’t it you?”

“Sure—intended deceit does.”

18

Barefoot Hearts “Is there such a thing as false deceit?”

“No but there’s kidding—jokes—toying with someone in a good-natured way.

I’m sure Edie doesn’t cheat.”

“She certainly does, every chance she gets. I take folks at their word, and one’s word is their honor.” She offered another amiable smile. “You better go. Edie doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Annie and Big’un wandered off, but Gabe’s remark stuck in Annie’s head. Deceit bothered her. Mr. and Mrs. Helprin had taught her that if a man gave his word, that word was to be honored. What others thought didn’t matter, unless someone accused Annie of deceit. Never once in her life had she been dishonest with anyone—unless you count the time she told Mrs. Helprin she didn’t look fat in her new Sunday-goto-meeting dress. That morning she had flat out lied.

The flowery swans in the fabric stretched over Mrs. Helprin’s jiggly hips like a sprouted potato. Those ugly birds jumped up and down like puppets on a string when Mrs. Helprin walked across the floor. Annie had been torn about telling the truth and bruising Ada’s feelings. She worked so hard on the dress.

In the end, deceit tipped the scale, but Annie never again used the excuse of hurt feelings from telling the painful truth.

Her footsteps slowed. Folks told her that she was a good judge of character. She could read folks like a book, so she’d already decided that Gabe was a good person, not one to lie or spin tales. Her gaze focused on Big’un. The doctor wouldn’t fib about anything.

Would he?

 Pastel rays of pink, yellow, and blue streaked the sky the following morning as Annie untied her apron and stripped it off. She draped the flour-stained garment over a kitchen chair and paused to scrape a bit of rhubarb off the fabric. Seemed she took extra care lately to look presentable. “Big’un? Are you coming?” She had to drop the pie off at Pastor’s home and then walk back to the doctor’s office. She grinned.

If business was slow, Gabe might invite her to sit a spell on the porch with him.

Butterflies swarmed her stomach. Silly girl. The doctor was far too sophisticated to notice her in any way but a professional duty, but he had taken extra time with her yesterday.

Doctor was sitting on the porch when she approached. The small office was empty. Her eyes strayed to the two cups of steaming coffee waiting on the steps.

“Ah, there you are.” She met Gabe’s disarming grin. “Good morning.”

“Have time for a cup of coffee?”

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She checked her small pocket watch. “Why yes, I believe I can spare a few minutes. Thank you.”

A full hour passed before she could blink. They’d discuss everything from the weather to making cherry jelly while the pastor’s pie cooled.

She finally checked the time. “Oh my, I’ve kept you too long.”

He glanced at the empty street. “Seems no one is in need of my services this morning.” He lifted a dark brow. “More coffee?”

A full half hour later he said, “Now that you know all about me, what about you, Annie Lawson?”

“Me?” Annie shrugged. “My parents are dead. They, and my little brother, died in a boating accident when I was seven. Mr. and Mrs. Helprin took me in and raised me. Whit Helprin passed away several years ago. At that time, I had been preparing to take an exam to become a schoolteacher, but Mrs. Helprin needed help in her sewing business, so I stayed on. I live in my childhood bedroom. For now, I’m content to stay with Mrs. Helprin until the good Lord calls her home.”

“And after that?”

“After that, I might pursue my dream of becoming a teacher. Or not. I’m very content with my life.”

“You don’t have dreams of falling in love, marrying, starting a family of your own?”

“Certainly I have those dreams, but I figure all will come in time. Until then, I’m happy.”

“Well, not many folks can say that.”

“Oh, all folks have dreams. But I’m content to wait until mine come true.” She studied her bare toes. “Where else but Edgar’s Cove could I go barefoot and no one care?”

His gaze focused on her toes. “And if the dreams don’t show up?”

Annie caught the sight of Pete Minot approaching the office. The beautiful time with Gabe was over. “Then what have I lost? I love exactly where I am.”

His smile slowly faded. “Best not to have dreams. They can let you down sometimes.”

“Not have my dreams? What would life be without dreams?” Even though Annie was fully aware that dreams were hard to achieve in this little community, she’d never relinquish her goals. No more than a baseball player would step up to home plate and anticipate a strikeout.

“Life would be empty.” He’d set his mug on the porch and stood up to greet the new arrival. “Morning, Pete. How’s that rash today?”

Gabe’s former remark, “best not to have dreams,” stuck in Annie’s mind. What 20

Barefoot Hearts an odd thing for the doctor to say. Who—including Gabe Jones, who seemed to have everything—didn’t have a dream to strive for?

 Since the dessert had cooled, Annie decided to give the rhubarb pie to Mrs. Owens. There was enough fruit for at least one more pie, and Pastor liked his pies straight out of the oven. She struck off to deliver the dessert and pick up the widow’s laundry. A couple of the community’s married women took turns doing the new doctor’s laundry, deeming the chore unfit for a single woman.

Annie didn’t mind. She got to see the new doctor every day, visit with him on the porch, share a few private moments. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of handling Gabe’s personal effects, and yet some day some blessed woman would be doing exactly that. . . .

Who knew? Sometimes dreams had been known to come true.

21

Chapter 3

D

aylight crested the horizon as Annie waited for Big’un to join her on the narrow porch. The cat sauntered out, and she closed the door, shielding the wicker basket containing a rhubarb pie. When she neared the saloon, her pace slackened. Something was afoot this morning at the Tired Monkey. The saloon did a slow business during daylight hours, and evenings weren’t much better. When an occasional roundup camped nearby, the joint was busy, but otherwise, unless Freda let her husband out for a breath of fresh air, the bar was empty most days.

Today there appeared to be something unusual going on. Loud music and whoops of male glee spilled through the swinging double doors.

She started off again at a hastened pace and headed in the pastor’s direction, keeping an ear tuned to the bar activity that appeared to be getting louder. Mrs. Helprin’s warnings about the decadent establishment echoed in her mind: You stay far away from that tavern, Annie. It’s not a fitting place for a lady to walk past.

The warning was sound until the town built a ferry to carry folks across a wide stretch of White River. The admonishment was mute because the shortest way to reach the ferry from the Helprin house necessitated walking by the Tired Monkey.

And when Pastor Sterling came to town, he chose to live across the muddy river and down the banks of Edgar’s Cove, so the decision was out of the townsfolks’ hands, unless they wanted to walk a half mile farther to catch the ferry.

Annie shifted the basket to her left hand and turned to encourage Big’un to pick up speed. At this rate, it would take an hour to cross the river, deliver the pie, and make it back to Dr. Gabe’s office by eight thirty for the cat’s daily exam. Annie caught back a puckish grin. She noticed she’d been smiling a lot the past few days, and she knew the reason why. She just couldn’t grasp the effect Gabe had on her, or maybe she didn’t want to acknowledge that she enjoyed the doctor’s company too much.

When had she begun to look forward to the cat’s appointments that seemed so senseless to her? Ordinarily she would protest the early morning chore, but instead 22

Barefoot Hearts she looked forward to the official visits and had no inclination to stop them—which meant they really must cease. She didn’t have a romantic fantasy in her mind about Gabe Jones. She had plenty of time to marry and have a family of her very own.

And truthfully? A town the size of Edgar’s Cove wasn’t exactly a breeding hole for eligible men. Just because the town had temporarily added one very attractive man was no reason for her to go all giggles.

She touched the ribbon in her hair. Why had she started tying back her hair with a red bow and making sure her overalls were fresh? Not a reason in the least.

Other than Dr. Gabe, only two single men lived in the area: Horace Winslow, who had worn out three wives and at eighty-five was still clearly in the market for a fourth, and sixteen-year-old Teddy Mote, who lived across the road and down a piece. Annie’s twenty-two years must look pretty old to him, even if she were interested in the tall, skinny teen with a gap between his two front teeth.

She glanced up when angry, feminine shrieks snatched her attention. Before, only male laughter dominated the rickety building that housed the men and the occasional woman who imbibed so early in the day. She couldn’t imagine any lady living in Edgar’s Cove cavorting in a saloon at this hour of the day.

Big’un caught up, and they approached the swelling ruckus. Annie had already made up her mind they would walk past the establishment as fast as possible and head for the ferry. Shepard ran that ferry seven days a week, and other than the brief time he took to enjoy a bit of fellowship with Annie’s Keno group, he sat at his station until dark in case someone wanted to cross the river.

“Move it, Big’un,” she whispered. In less than a minute they would be past whatever was taking place in the bar and safely on the path to the ferry.

Unfortunately, fifteen seconds shy of goal, the establishment’s double front doors flew open, and two young, scantily dressed women tangled in a knot spilled out, skirts over their heads, white pantaloons flashing.

Gasping, Annie focused on the brawling women who were now throwing sucker punches at one another. The air turned blue with shouted oaths.

Annie’s hand shot up to protect the basket containing the warm pie when the women rolled around on the ground, scratching and yanking hair. A handful of grisly looking men gathered in the bar doorway urging the combatants on.

“Atta girl, Laurie! Let her have it!”

“Upper cut, Carolyn! Use your upper cut!”

Big’un continued to plod on, seemingly unaware of his surroundings. When Laurie stood up and hurled herself at Carolyn in a cannon ball approach, the cat’s sudden meows blistered the air. Carolyn caught the end of his tail and pinned the 23

THE Barefoot BRIDES COLLECTION

cat to the dusty street. Before Annie could set the pie aside and come to his rescue, Laurie was on her feet in a charging bull stance, racing toward Carolyn and a squealing Big’un who now blocked Annie’s path. The pie and Annie were caught in the middle.

“No!” Annie screamed and tried to shield the carefully browned rhubarb treat, but Laurie was a sizeable opponent. The pie flew into the air when she slammed Annie sideways. Annie dropped to the ground and pie and crust spilled into the dirt.

The men roared with amusement, one going so far as to dart into the street and grab up what remained of the crusty treat. His hoggish smacks and disgusting pig grunts made Annie’s stomach curl. She rolled to her side, trying to crawl away from the melee. When she passed Carolyn, she doubled her fist and smacked the woman’s foot, freeing Big’un. The cat darted away, and Annie swiftly followed. The half-empty pie pan lay in the dirt and scuffle.

 Gabe whirled when the office front door flew open. Annie, holding a frazzledlooking Big’un, stood dressed in clothing smeared with something sticky and pinkish.

The young woman’s overalls were filthy. His eyes focused on a red ribbon that sat askew on the top of her loose hair containing the same pinkish substance. “Annie?”

“Help,” she said meekly.

Taking her arm, he drew her into the small office. “What happened?”

She drew a shaky breath. “Fight. Gigantic, nasty brawl at the saloon.” She broke away and limped across the room and dropped into the chair. “It was a nightmare.”

His gaze shifted to the cat who had the same strange light reddish-pink coating his face and paws. Blood? Too light for blood. He turned to check Annie.

“Check Big’un first. He was stepped on pretty hard.”

“Can you slow down and make sense? Who stepped on whom?”

“Carolyn stepped on Big’un. Laurie knocked me off my feet and ruined the pie.”

She blinked back tears. “I think it was one of my better pies too.”

Gabe reached for an astringent bottle and clean cloth and gently cleaned her wounds.

“What’s this pinkest stuff ?”

“Rhubarb.”

He shook his head, tossed a cloth, and reached for another one. “I’m sure there’s one whale of a story in there somewhere.”

Drawing another deep breath, she told him about the encounter. Her eyes grew wide and expressive when she described the brawl. “I have honestly never witnessed anything like it. Two women rolling around in the dirt like hooligans! And the 24

Barefoot Hearts things the men shouted were. . .awful. I’m so thankful Pastor Sterling didn’t witness the debacle. He would have fainted.”

Gabe shook his head. “How did you get involved?”

“Just plain rotten luck.” She winced when he touched the pad to a cut.

He finished cleaning the minor scratches and abrasions and then turned to Big’un. The cat looked pitiful with rhubarb smeared fur. Big’un blinked as if to say, “My life is miserable.” After a cursory exam, the doc smiled. “No broken bones.” He glanced at Annie. “He’s using up his nine lives pretty recklessly.”

“I’m afraid he was an innocent bystander.” She gazed up at him with such confidence that guilt immediately struck him like a ball bat. She took everything he said as gospel. And he had misled her.

The past few days he’d been considering telling her the complete truth. That the past few days had been a joke, at least to him. When she’d brought Big’un in the day he was hit by the buggy, he’d had concerns about the pet but nothing major.

The ruse to have her come back every morning was entirely a man’s way of wanting to see a woman again. He wasn’t a man to toy with a woman’s emotions, but right now, seeing the glowing light of adoration in Annie’s eyes, he realized his little joke had suddenly turned into a serious blunder. Not all women had a sense of humor, and while Annie’s humor seemed to be intact, she was clearly a woman who did not appreciate ruses. At least not the kind he’d concocted. Yet his tongue refused to cooperate.

He changed the subject. “There was a ruckus at the saloon, you said?”

She nodded. “Two women wresting on the ground like bullies.” She winced and touched the nail scratch on her forehead. “Poor Pastor Sterling’s rhubarb pie.”

“Pastor Sterling was there?”

“No, but his pie was.” She sighed. “And I used the last of the rhubarb.”

“Well, fall’s approaching. You can make a pie from late summer fruit. I’m sure the pastor will understand, and you can make it up to him in the rhubarb department next spring.” Gabe stepped to the small water basin and washed his hands.

“Oh well.” She carefully eased off the exam table. “Big’un keeps life interesting.”

She turned to face Gabe. “I guess you’ll want us both back in the morning?” Her tone held a hopeful note.

He reached for a hand towel. “I’ve been thinking. There’s no longer any reason for you to bring the cat by every morning, and you’re fine.” He flashed a melting smile. “No need to put you out.”

Her expectant expression froze. Recovering quickly, she touched the small of her back. “Oh dear.”

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