Snowbound Read online

  Snowbound

  A Silverpines Companion Novel

  Christine Sterling

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Get Free Books

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Epilogue

  Leave a Review

  Sneak Peek

  Read more by Christine Sterling

  About Christine

  Dedication

  For The Silverpines Readers

  I appreciate you supporting each of the authors in the Silverpines series. It has been so much fun to write these stories for you, our readers.

  I have received many messages asking for Brawny’s story, and who better than to pair him with than Dr. Chelsea Tory? So here is their story. Enjoy!

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  January brings the snow, makes our feet and fingers glow.

  - Sara Coleridge

  Chapter 1

  Late May 1899, Silverpines, Oregon

  Dr. Chelsea Tory noticed him right away.

  She was sitting in the lobby of the Silverpines Apothecary watching Hattie sleep on the sofa across the room when he walked in. The even rise and fall of her chest let Chelsea know that the medicines she gave her mentor were working.

  Hattie was an herbalist and doctor. She wasn’t fond of conventional medicine, but Chelsea knew that the shot to her shoulder was going to require more than just willow bark tea and turmeric poultices. Hattie had been shot when the brother of one of her patients, kidnapped her in retaliation for his brother passing. Truth be told, no one knew why that Winters brother passed.

  Pete Winters had been injured in the earthquake that rocked Timber Town and caused an avalanche of mud to race through the trees, destroying everything in its path. Pete was one of the lucky ones. He had been found caught under a tree and brought to Hattie’s makeshift hospital for recovery. Unfortunately, he passed under Hattie’s care, most likely from an embolism in his leg, which was badly mangled.

  It didn’t matter much to Jack Winters. He kidnapped Hattie and took her to his family’s home in a valley on the other side of the mountain. There, Hattie had been shot during the rescue attempt. Dawson Elliot, who turned out to be a Pinkerton Agent, was also an expert marksman. Dawson killed Jack by firing through Hattie’s shoulder with a single shot. He knew the shot wasn’t life threatening, but it didn’t mean that Chelsea shouldn’t provide the best care for her patient.

  After all, Hattie had sent for her to assist with all the injuries from the earthquake. Chelsea felt it was the least she could do. So, there she sat while Hattie’s husband, Dr. Robert Childs finally caught a moment to rest.

  The man didn’t see her when he walked in the apothecary. Instead, he came in and walked over to Hattie, squatting down next to her laying there on the sofa. He took off his hat and dropped his arms between his knees, rotating the hat between his hands in a fashion that told Chelsea he was thinking.

  The light poured in from the large glass window, and surrounded this man in a large beam, almost giving him an aethereal appearance. His hair was a little too long for her liking and fell in shaggy waves to his collar. The sun caught the golden stubble of his beard, signifying he hadn’t shaved in a few days.

  However, it wasn’t any of those things that she first noticed.

  The first thing she noticed was the sheer size of his chest and arms. The man was built like an ox. She had never seen anyone so muscular before, and honestly it even made her a little faint.

  Her heart fluttered as she saw the muscles bunch under the cotton fabric of his shirt. Since Chelsea didn’t believe in love at first sight, she blamed it on nerves from being in a new town and didn’t make her presence known.

  The men in Philadelphia certainly were not built like that. Her mama would be thrilled if she even thought that Chelsea was thinking of a man. Nothing would make her mama happier than to see Chelsea married off with a house full of children. Unfortunately, for Mama, Chelsea was more interested in her medical journals and healing the wounded animals she would bring home.

  She had been courted once, but the man wanted her to quit school and Chelsea wasn’t having any of that. Being a doctor was part of her identity. It had been since she was small. She wanted to practice medicine.

  Now, as she was getting older, she did turn her mind to thoughts of marriage and children. She wanted to be married to someone who cherished her and allowed her both a career and a home. She wanted someone who could take care of her and provide for her, someone handsome, caring and kind. Someone who happened to be a great kisser.

  Chelsea had never been kissed, as she didn’t believe in allowing anyone to take liberties, but she saw her Poppa kiss Mama and she wanted to be kissed like that by her own husband. She didn't move to Silverpines to meet a man, but if she met one that happened to accept her for who she was and didn’t try to change her, then she would consider it.

  Yes, she would like to be a wife and a mother, but not at the expense of her career.

  As she sat there on the sofa, she drifted into a reverie of a mystery man with blond hair, a passel of children and a small house in the woods. She could picture it so clearly. In this particular dream she couldn’t see the face of her mystery man, but she knew they had a happy life together because her heart felt full.

  She stayed in her daydream for a moment longer before Robert’s voice cut into her thoughts and brought her back to the here and now. “Brawny!” he said as he walked down the stairs coming from Hattie’s apartment above the apothecary. “What are you doing here?” Robert held out his hand, and the blond stranger clasped it in both of his.

  Even his hands were huge. Stop it, Chelsea, she thought to herself. She wondered what color his eyes were.

  “I was just here to check on Miss Hattie. I heard congratulations are in order.” His deep timbre filled the room. Chelsea felt the rumble all the way through her bones.

  Robert gave him a signal to lower his tone but beamed under Brawny’s well-wishes. “I don’t want her to wake up. She needs the rest. Pastor James married us yesterday.” He looked at Hattie’s sleeping form on the settee. “Happiest day of my life. Not much of a honeymoon, but I’m glad she is alive. We might go to New Hope or New Harbor once she fully recovers.” He looked at Brawny again. “I’m glad you stopped by. Do you have a moment to sit?”

  Brawny nodded. “I can spare a few. I wanted to talk to both of you, but I can always come back.” Brawny turned and stopped short when he spied Chelsea sitting on the second bench, sipping her tea. Blue. His eyes were crystal blue and they stared at her with full force. He nodded, gripping his hat tighter in his hands. “I didn’t realize you already had company.”

  “I’m not company,” Chelsea said, placing her cup on the side table. “I am Hattie’s personal physician.”

  “My apologies, ma’am,” he replied giving her a sheepish grin. “I guess I thought that Doc Childs would be taking care of her.”

  Robert chuckled. “I would, except that Chelsea here has been rather overprotective of Hattie since I was able to bring her back home.”

  Chelsea stood up and walked to the blond man. “I didn’t catch yo
ur name. I’m Doctor Chelsea Tory,” she said, sticking her hand out.

  A grin broke out on his face and he shook her hand with gusto. “Imagine that. Two lady docs right here in Silverpines.” He paused for a moment. “You a real doctor? Or a healer like Hattie?”

  Chelsea reluctantly released his hand. “I am most definitely a doctor. In fact, Hattie and I went to the same medical college.” After completing her studies, she went to start her residency at a hospital in Tennessee. While she was working in the hospital, she received a telegram from Dr. Belinda Morris, one of the teachers at her alma mater. Dr. Morris had received a telegram from one of her former students who graduated a few years before Chelsea, asking for a doctor to come out west. The doctor wanted someone who had completed her schooling but was still in residency. Chelsea learned that the town suffered a major catastrophe and needed additional medical professionals as quickly as possible. Dr. Morris thought of her immediately.

  Whether Dr. Morris really thought of her immediately or not, it didn’t matter much to Chelsea. She was just so excited to travel by train across the country into the great unknown. She considered herself a great adventurer. She wouldn’t have entered the medical field otherwise. Although after day three on the train the adventure wasn’t so appealing. But she fell in love with the scenery and of course, Hattie. Her kind mentor that took her under her wing and showed her all about herbal medicine.

  “Musta been one of those fancy jib-jobs back East.”

  Chelsea chuckled. “Yes. It was. All the way in Philadelphia.”

  “Sure is good that Silverpines is getting all these lady docs. We will be the envy of every county in Oregon.”

  “But I’m not staying,” Chelsea replied.

  “Why not?”

  Robert interjected, “Chelsea is looking at moving to New Hope. She was here to help with the last of the recoveries from the earthquake, but she wants to have her own practice.”

  “Ain’t no reason why you couldn’t do that here.”

  “Right now, there just aren’t enough people here for three doctors and a nurse. If Silverpines grows, or there is a hospital established in the area, then perhaps. But right now, there isn’t a reason for me to stay here once I finish my training.”

  “How long is that?”

  Chelsea thought for a moment. “About six months. So sometime at the end of the year. I might wait until Spring before moving, though. I hate the thought of being caught out there in the snow.”

  “Never, if I have my way.” Chelsea turned and saw Hattie looking at them with eyes half closed.

  “You’re awake,” she said, walking to the sofa and pressing her hand against Hattie’s forehead.

  “You could wake the dead with all that noise.” Hattie struggled to sit up, wincing as she put pressure on her arm. She looked to her husband. “Help me up. I can’t lay down anymore.”

  “Hattie,” Chelsea said, worried for her friend, “you really should continue to rest. Your wound is healing, but you’ve not had a chance to fully heal yet.”

  “But there is nothing wrong with my hips or my legs.” Hattie reached her arm out to Robert. “Now, help me sit up.”

  Robert complied, placing his arms under and around Hattie, so he could move her to the other end of the sofa. Chelsea grabbed the light coverall and placed it over Hattie’s knees, tucking it in around her. “How about I get you a fresh cup of tea? What kind would you like?”

  “How about chamomile?”

  “With a bit of honey?” Chelsea asked, heading to the display to pull the marked tin down.

  Hattie smiled. “That would be lovely,” she said before turning her attention to Brawny. “Now, Mr. Winters, what brings you here?”

  Winters? That was the same name as the man who kidnapped Hattie. It couldn’t be the same family, because Hattie was sitting there talking happily to him. The soft murmurs of the conversation couldn’t quite reach her ears. Brawny seemed very intent on what he was saying to Hattie, even going as far as to wipe his eyes. Hattie reached up and patted him on the shoulder, responding to whatever he just said.

  Chelsea looked at the flowers floating in the cup as they turned the water a shade of light green. She heard someone stand and when her eyes flew up, they were met by Brawny giving her another long stare. He put his hat back on top of his head before bending the rim towards her. “Ma’am.”

  “I’ll walk with you, Brawny. I have to go to the mercantile,” Robert offered as they both headed out the door. Chelsea watched those broad shoulders move down the sidewalk. She continued to stare until she saw Brawny and Robert turn the corner and disappear from view.”

  Hattie cleared her throat. “See anything interesting?”

  Chelsea blushed. “Just admiring the view. It is a beautiful day out there.”

  Hattie laughed. “How about you bring your tea over here and we’ll have a chat,” she said patting the cushion on the sofa next to her.

  “Oh, the tea!” Chelsea exclaimed. “I totally forgot.”

  Hattie laughed again, then winced as she moved her shoulder.

  “Maybe I should add a bit of willow bark to it?” Chelsea offered. Hattie nodded and leaned back on the sofa cushions. She added the herb and allowed the mixture to steep for a few more minutes before pouring the brewed tea into a fresh cup and adding a spoonful of honey.

  She turned to let Hattie know her tea was ready, but Hattie was fast asleep. Chelsea looked at her friend, and sighed. Hattie really did need to rest. Chelsea made a silent promise to limit visitors for the near future until Hattie felt well enough to see her friends.

  Placing the cup of tea back on the counter, she returned to her original seat across from Hattie. She picked up the copy of the New England Medical Journal and turned back to the page where she left off. The issue was from early June, but it took nearly 5 weeks to arrive in Silverpines. There was an article discussing how X-rays helped identify tuberculosis and pleurisy in patients. It would mean quicker diagnoses and treatment for patients having trouble breathing.

  Exhaling another soft breath, she forced herself to concentrate on the words in front of her and not the blond-haired blue-eyed man that was invading her thoughts.

  Chapter 2

  October 1899

  “Marry me?”

  “Repeat that?” Brawny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He stopped in the middle of the street and looked at Chelsea. He just happened to see her on his way to the mine. She was coming back from tending to one of the Chinese workers.

  “I asked you to marry me.” Chelsea looked at him with her big green eyes looking at him intently.

  He shoved his hands in the pocket of his leather duster. He didn’t want her to see him clenching his fists, a trait he had when he was nervous.

  “Normally it is the man that does the askin’,” he responded dryly.

  She gave him a quick smile, the corners of her mouth turning up. “I know. But if I had to wait around for you, I’d be waiting forever.”

  Brawny let out a sharp bark of a laugh. He had to say that every moment he spent with this beauty was definitely interesting.

  If there was anything, he learned about Dr. Chelsea Tory in the past few months, she attacked everything with passion. Even her flaming red hair suggested the fire burning inside her.

  They were not even courting, so it came as a surprise that she was thinking of marriage. He knew there were several men at the mining camp that mentioned how pretty the new doc was. Brawny wanted to punch them for the way they looked at her. But she wasn’t his to protect.

  “I thought Milo Wooster was courtin’ you.” Milo was a drifter who came to Silverpines to help open the mine.

  Chelsea started to fidget, which was unlike her. She wouldn’t look Brawny in the face. “He would like to. Well, there are a few that would, but I’m not interested in anyone. I have the clinic to think about. Which is why I was thinking, if we got married then I wouldn’t have to worry about anyone in Silverpines.”

/>   She wasn’t interested in anyone. Interesting. Brawny looked around the town. People were starting to put their lives back together from the earthquakes and men were flocking to town to marry the widows left behind. “Why me?”

  Chelsea grabbed his hand, forcing him to turn and look at her. She really was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She came right to the middle of his chest and he could imagine her laying her head on it as he held her petite frame in his arms.

  She had stunning green eyes, the color of precious stones framed by dark lashes, lips that he had wanted to kiss since he met her in Hattie’s office in July.

  Chelsea looked at him, her eyes bright and almost gleeful. “Honestly, I figured you would be the safest man here in Silverpines.”

  Safe? She thought he was safe. There was nothing safe about his thoughts towards her in the past three months. Every time he was around her, he wanted to kiss her senseless. There was nothing safe.

  He took a deep swallow. “What do you need protection for?”

  Chelsea looked around the town before leaning in and whispering, “The men in town.”

  Brawny nodded; that reason he could understand. An influx of men, of all colors and nationalities, had arrived by the hundreds into Silverpines. Part of them were simply workers, here to do a job and leave. Some decided to establish a business in town and were looking to make a life for themselves in the cozy community. And others were preying on the young widows and single women in the town.

  “I don’t live in town, darlin’,” he drawled, spreading out the words into long syllables.

  “I know. But I thought you could move here. There is an extra bedroom in the apartment above the clinic.”

  Brawny clenched his jaw. Not only did she want him to marry her, he would have to sleep in another room. He had no intention of living in town. He enjoyed the seclusion and peace in the little valley where his parents raised him.

  Now, he lived there with his mother. He took care of her now that his Pops and brothers were gone.