Changing Seasons Read online

  Changing Seasons

  A Silverpines Companion Tale #4

  (2nd Edition)

  Christine Sterling

  Changing Seasons

  He has been secretly in love with her for years. She sees him as nothing more than a boy. But when she is about to become homeless and he proposes a marriage of convenience, can time change these two hearts?

  Lacy Lou Miller pretends she doesn't hear the talk around town. Even though she is studying to be a nurse, she still can't escape her past as a soiled dove. She knows no one would want to marry her given her reputation. It's bad enough trying to care for patients that don't want her services or want services of another sort. But not Marty Gale.

  Marty has loved Lacy Lou since he first saw her, and that love grew as he watched her care of the townsfolk in Silverpines after back to back disasters. When he offers to marry her to provide her a home and to help change her reputation, she laughs at him, causing him to leave town.

  Marty returns years later a changed man without emotions. This time, when Lacy Lou needs his help, he concedes to assist her once again. But this time she will never have his love.

  Is it too late for her to claim Marty's love once again? Can Lacy Lou teach the citizens of Silverpines that some things are best left in the past? Can Marty find the love for Lacy Lou he once had, or has it all disappeared with the CHANGING SEASONS?

  Table of Contents

  Changing Seasons

  Get Free Books

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

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  Dedication

  For everyone who had a childhood crush. True love always wins.

  Acknowledgements

  Every morning I list my blessings. My Heavenly Father has blessed my life so richly. Thank you, Jesus, for letting me earn a living doing what I love.

  One of my greatest blessings is my husband Daniel, who supports me in everything I do, even when it isn’t convenient. I love that you encourage me daily.

  My greatest blessings are my three daughters, Rebecca, Nora and Elizabeth. I’ve told you stories since you were little. I hope these inspire you to craft some of your own.

  Thank you to the authors in the Silverpines Series. I have made some of my closest author friends (and my writing bestie) through this project. I wish it never ends! <3

  Consistently, Carolyn and Amy have come through for me time and time again. I couldn’t do this without you.#EditorsRock.

  For my readers – I love your words of encouragement and notes. Keep them coming!

  Chapter 1

  August 1900, Silverpines, Oregon

  Marty Gale ran across the park and up the street to the apothecary. His heart was beating in his chest. He quickly jumped the steps and pushed open the door of the clinic, rushing inside.

  “Woah! Where’s the emergency?” Dr. Robert Childs asked, placing the tin in his hands down on the counter. Dr. Childs was the resident doctor since both Miss Hattie and Doc Chelsea semi-retired.

  Miss Hattie was a certified doctor as well. Some folks called her Doc Hattie. Even though she was married, Marty always thought of her as Miss Hattie.

  Hattie was spending less and less time in the apothecary since Anna was born five months ago. The birth of her daughter shifted Hattie’s focus from doctoring to mothering. Hattie and Dr. Childs had just purchased a piece of land so Hattie could focus on growing herbs. Her herbs provided many of the holistic remedies they used at the clinic. Doc Chelsea was providing care for the many expectant mothers around town. It was an arrangement that worked for everyone.

  A fire destroyed much of the town earlier that spring. And rebuilding was going to take much longer than expected.

  More people were flocking to Silverpines every day. Many were only there to help with the rebuild. Several new families, however, had moved into the small western town at the foot of the trees that gave the town its name. They set up businesses and purchased homes, with the intent to be there permanently.

  Marty stopped at the counter and looked at Dr. Childs. “It’s Ma,” Marty said, putting both hands on the counter, pausing between big gulps of air and speaking. “Ma woke up from her nap and she can’t talk. Her face looks all funny, like it has melted or something.”

  Dr. Childs looked at the young man for a brief second before reacting. “Let me grab my bag and we can ride out there, it will be faster than running. The buggy is right around the corner as Hattie just came back from New Harbor. Go hop in and I’ll be right there.”

  Marty watched as Dr. Childs ran to the back room to grab his bag. He heard him call to Lacy Lou to let her know where they were disappearing to.

  “Lacy Lou,” Dr. Childs called as he climbed into the wagon. “I’m headed to the Gale’s. If anyone needs anything, Hattie is upstairs with the children.”

  Even though the Childs family had moved to the farm they kept the apartment in town. Marty didn’t know why. He preferred the countryside.

  Marty was just seventeen years old and was the only provider for himself and his mother, Odessa Gale. They lived alone in a small cottage on the outskirts of town.

  Born in Russia, Odessa travelled to the Pacific Coastline with her husband and small son, settling in Silverpines. It was shortly after that, her husband disappeared leaving her with an 8-year-old son to raise on her own. When Marty was 10, she fell sick with consumption and couldn’t work anymore.

  So, the responsibility fell on Marty’s young shoulders to take care of them both. And take care of her he did; they just had each other.

  Marty began to pick up several odd jobs to provide for his mother and him, but he also was an expert barterer. He could be found trading small game or fish he caught to the townsfolks for medicine, supplies and extra food.

  His first-time employment came when Dr. Hattie Richards came to Silverpines and hired him to take care of her horses and drive her to various appointments. She also helped him learn about the various plants she grew in her garden or gathered in the wilderness that could prevent and treat sickness. He was so proud when she trusted him enough to gather the plants from the woods on his own. When she put those coins in his hand, he raced home as fast as she could to show his Ma.

  She was the one town-person that was truly kind to him and his mother. The rest tended to avoid them because of how poor they were, or because they didn’t have that male presence at the house.

  That changed, slightly, after the earthquake when most of the women lost their husbands and were now in the same situation his Ma was… raising their children without their fathers. Attitudes shifted as he was recognized for assisting Dr. Hattie Richards, now Childs, before and during the horrible disasters where they lost many of the town folks.

  Marty and his mother were fortunate not to lose anyone in the earthquake, but that was only because Marty w
as too young to work at either Timber Town or the silver mining company.

  As Marty waited in the buggy for Dr. Childs, he saw Lacy Lou come to the door holding a fitted sheet. She was a petite woman, no less than a foot shorter than Marty. She had a medium complexion, as if she had been in the sun a bit too long. Her black hair fell in ringlets around her cheeks.

  Marty took a deep swallow. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He lifted his hand in greeting. She waved back and called after them, “I hope your Momma is alright, Marty!”

  Marty nodded to her, his tongue thick in his throat. Dr. Childs climbed in the wagon, and Marty gave a “giddyup” and slapped the horse on the backside with the reins.

  Dr. Childs wasn’t fully in the seat when Pixie, Hattie’s golden bay, took off. Dr. Childs held onto the side of the wagon for the short ride so he wouldn’t be upturned.

  It was a quick jaunt to the Gale’s home. The small cottage was situated on the outskirts of town heading into the mountains. It was surrounded by thick trees that allowed sunlight to beam down through the leaves casting a golden glow onto the dwelling.

  They pulled next to the small porch on the front of the cottage. Marty dismounted and quickly tied off the reins to a nearby tree before running into the house with Dr. Childs not far behind.

  “Ma! Ma!” Marty called racing into the sitting room and to the side of his mother where she lay slumped on the ground. Marty knelt beside her and lifted her up by the shoulders, giving her a gentle shake. He felt the tears roll down his cheeks as he looked at how pale his mother was.

  Dr. Childs nudged him out of the way and listened to Odessa’s heart. He opened her eyes one at a time and peered inside the lids. Odessa was non-responsive. Dr. Childs lifted her arm. Marty watched as it fell back to the floor beside her.

  “Mrs. Gale, can you hear me?” Dr. Childs asked.

  Odessa didn’t respond, so he asked the question again while shaking her shoulder gently. Marty watched his mother’s chest rise and fall. Her eyes twitched, but she didn’t open them.

  “What about her face, Doc?” Marty asked, pointing to the side of her face that was drooping. Marty could see the white of her eye where the skin sagged away from her eyeball.

  Dr. Childs lifted himself up from the floor. “Looks like she has apoplexy.”

  “What’s that?” Marty wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Is she going to be alright?”

  “Help me get her to bed,” Dr. Childs said gently. “Then we can talk.”

  Marty lifted up his mother’s legs, while Dr. Childs lifted her by the shoulders. They placed her on top of her bed and Marty covered her with a blanket. Marty watched as Dr. Childs opened a box and placed it on the nightstand next to the bed.

  Marty watched as Dr. Childs put a band around his mother’s arm and his stethoscope where her arm would bend. He pumped up the cuff with a bulb attached to a tube that fed to the box.

  Marty could see a small clear tube with a silver liquid inside bounce as Dr. Childs squeezed the bulb. Dr. Childs listened for a few more seconds and then released the pressure on the cuff.

  “Her blood pressure is extremely high.” He led Marty into the hallway. “I think there is bleeding in her brain. The prognosis doesn’t look good.”

  “She can’t die! She is all I have.”

  “I know, son,” he said, placing his hand on Marty’s shoulder. “Just prepare yourself for the worse and pray for the best. She’s still alive. Most patients die within minutes of being unconsciousness. It is going to be in God’s hands from this point forward.” Marty’s shoulders slumped. “I’ll give her something to make her feel comfortable.”

  “What should I do?”

  “Just watch her tonight. We’ll see if she improves any.”

  Marty nodded. Dr. Childs picked up his bag and withdrew a syringe and a vial. He disappeared back into the bedroom for a moment before coming back to the sitting room. “I’ll send Lacy Lou back to sit with her.”

  Marty didn’t want Lacy Lou to see him like this. “No, it’s alright. I’ll stay with her.”

  “If she opens her eyes, someone will need to come to town to get me.”

  “I didn’t think of that.” Marty scratched his head, causing his dark brown hair to fall in front of his eyes. He swiped the hair away and looked at the doctor. “I guess it is alright.”

  Dr. Childs nodded, gathered his things and headed back to the wagon. “I’ll be back later tonight to check on her.”

  Marty closed the door and walked back in to see his mother. She looked very pale against the dark quilt on her bed. He opened the blinds to allow the light to stream on her face.

  Marty removed her house shoes and rolled her so he could adjust the quilt, so it covered her. Adding an extra pillow behind her head, he sat next to her and held her hand.

  His chest hurt. He rubbed it with his free hand trying to dissipate some of the pain. He knew his mother hadn’t been well. She had been suffering from consumption for years.

  Dr. Childs said it was most likely bleeding in Odessa’s brain. But she appeared so much healthier at her appointment with Doc Hattie just last week.

  Marty clasped his mother’s hand tighter. It felt so cold. The heat from his hand didn’t warm her at all. He looked at the nightstand. Sitting next to a cold cup of tea was a worn leather bible with gold lettering on the spine. Letters were flaking off the binding from all the times that his mother would sit in bed and read it by the light of the oil lamp.

  Marty picked up the bible. He opened the bible and read the words on the page. “The Lord is my shepherd…” He finished the prayers and when he looked up, he realized his mother was gone.

  Lacy Lou Miller gave a little sniff as she watched the casket being lowered into the ground. It was a plain wooden box with no markings of any type on the light wood.

  Lacy Lou knew that Will offered to engrave something, no charge, but Marty declined, saying that his mother preferred simpler things. The plain box would do just fine.

  Marty was so young, even though he was just three years younger than she. But right now, it seemed like he didn’t have a friend in the world.

  Lacy Lou tried to comfort him when she arrived at his house that fateful afternoon. His mother had just passed, and Marty seemed to be in a state of shock. He wouldn’t respond to her. He just looked at her with lifeless eyes.

  She had read about it in one of the medical journals Dr. Tory had on her desk. It was when the body isn’t able to process an emotional disturbance, such as a sudden death. Lacy Lou recalled it being called neurogenic shock or something similar.

  What she wouldn’t do to see his eyes dance and laugh again. Everyone in town loved Marty. Including Lacy Lou. Unfortunately, her love would never be allowed.

  She still had the remnants of being a soiled dove at the Lucky Lady Saloon over her head.

  Marty was everything pure and unspoiled… and here she was… the furthest thing from that. Not even church could save her soul, it appeared.

  Even though it had been well over a year since the earthquake, and she had turned to nursing, the women in town were not so forgiving.

  Sure, they wanted her assistance when their men were injured and lying on the floor of the saloon. But now, the women wanted to put that behind them. Seeing Lacy Lou was a reminder of what they lost.

  She pretended she didn’t hear the snickers in town behind her back. She tried to ignore the comments when patients would insist that she not be the one to treat them at the clinic. The only one who didn’t treat her as an outcast, was Marty.

  From the moment she arrived in town nearly three years ago, she would see him watching her with dark thoughtful eyes.

  She met him when he was running supplies from the saloon in town to the one in Timber Town. She had just arrived and one of the men was being rough. Flora had a strict rule that no one could touch the doves unless the dove wanted to be touched.

  Two men were tossing her back and forth between the
m when Marty intervened. He knew exactly who they were and threatened to tell Mr. Woodson who owned the timber company, along with the sheriff. They left her alone after that.

  She hated being a dove, but there was no other recourse. Her brothers dropped her off in New Harbor and left her there. Fortunately, Miss Flora Adams found her and offered her a place to stay and a job.

  She didn’t know if she would ever see her brothers again. She heard bits and pieces about them, but nothing after the terrible earthquake. She didn’t know if they were in the area and could they have survived when mud laid waste to the forest.

  But the earthquake and landslides were the turning point for Lacy Lou. She started working with Doc Hattie and found her true passion. Nursing.

  She helped with the injured persons that were staying at the saloon during their recovery. When the last person was released, Hattie offered her an opportunity to learn nursing and healing at the clinic. Lacy Lou took the offer immediately and left her old life behind her.

  If anyone knew about prejudice, it was Hattie. Half-Indian, the kind doctor was regarded as a savage by many in the community. They didn’t understand her healing ways, or the oppression she faced under Doc Hamilton.

  Lacy Lou watched as he put the first shovel of dirt in the hole. He wasn’t wearing the black Stetson he normally wore so his dark hair fell over his eyes. He was constantly pushing his hair out of the way.

  Lacy Lou would tease him that the battered hat had seen better days. He told her that it was his father’s and the last piece of him he had. She never teased him after that.

  Marty tossed in a few more shovelfuls of dirt before handing the shovel to Will. Will patted Marty on the back and leaned over to whisper something in his ear. Marty simply nodded.

  Lacy Lou looked around the small cemetery. Most of the people had already left. Not that there were a lot that came for the quick graveside service.

  The only folks remaining were Hattie and Doc Childs, Chelsea Winters and her husband, Brawny, and Charlotte and Will Tuckering. Mrs. Tuckering, formerly Daniels, had become very close friends with Mrs. Gale since the earthquake.