“Were you very much in love?”
He swallowed the lump in his throat. “We were.”
“Then she lived and died knowing she was loved. That’s so important.” Her brow furrowed. “You talk about failures. Some people don’t even have that.”
“You surely aren’t talking about yourself.”
“Why not?” She shrugged. “The people who loved me are either dead or have someone else to focus on.”
“And that means they can’t love you?”
Whitney gave another shrug. “I know my sisters love me, but it’s not the same. They are caught up in the love they have for their husbands—just as they should be. I’m not unhappy they’ve found true love, if that’s what you think.”
“Then what?” Feeling brave, he stepped forward and helped her get her arm back into her coat.
She didn’t pull away. Her voice came soft, vulnerable. “I can’t really say. I suppose a part of me is sorry not to have found it for myself. But it’s more than that. The loss ofGranddad and Mama and my sisters’ marrying so quickly—it changed everything for me. I’m alone.”
“Only if you want to be.” He didn’t want to break their connection.
Inches from him, she lifted her eyes back to his.
Peter hoped she understood his implication but needed to get the conversation back to safer ground. It was for the best. For both of them. “Trust God, Whitney. He loves you for sure.”
She blinked and shifted her weight. “Easier said than done, Doctor.”
“That it is. But our God is faithful to provide.”
She winced. “And to take away.”
He reached for her other arm, but she wriggled out of his grasp and buttoned up her coat. “Whitney ... no. That’s not how God works....” A hundred platitudes raced to his mind, but he couldn’t voice any of them.
Fast-paced footsteps approached. He turned and saw Chris running toward them.
“Yutu brought one of the other miners to see me because he heard I had been looking for Stan.” He bent over and caught his breath. “He said he knew where my brother-in-law was.” Chris turned to his daughter. “Would you mind taking me out to another of the gold camps? I don’t want to lose this lead. Especially if it helps me to find Stan for Ruth.” His voice pleaded.
Whitney looked back and forth between her dad and Peter. “Um...”
“May I go along as well? That way we could make the rounds at the gold camps and see if the rumors of sickness are true. I would hate for an epidemic to start because I didn’t check on the miners.”
She nodded. “Of course. But we’ll have to take both of the sleds to carry all of us and your things. That means oncewe drop off Dad, you’ll have to drive one of the sleds back. Are you ready for that?”
Nothing like jumping in with both feet. “Will the dogs be all right with it?”
A slight smile lifted her lips. The intimate moment was gone, but her confidence was back. “Since I’ll be in front with the other sled, I don’t think you’ll have a problem. We can go slow if you would feel more comfortable.”
He’d wanted to learn. He guessed the best time was now. “Let me pack up my things and speak to Amka about what needs to be done for those recovering.”
“Let’s try to leave in half an hour.” Whitney held up the bag of snakeroot. “I’m going to fix myself some tea.”
Boosted by the thought of spending more time in Whitney’s presence, Peter went in search of Amka. His hard work had paid off, and the people weren’t suffering any longer. God was good. If only he could prove that to Whitney.
The thought brought rebuke to mind. That was hardly his job. God was fully capable of proving Himself.
Sorry, Lord. I wasn’t trying to overstep my bounds. It’s ... that I care for her. Maybe I even ... love her.
“Angry Bird, you get back here right now.” Havyn pointed to the ground in front of her and placed her other hand on her hip. Seriously. This chicken would cost her what little sanity she had left.
Once the hen had initiated the escape from the hen house after the latest blizzard, she’d tried the same thing every time Havyn came out to check on her girls.
