“Give her some syrup to soothe her cough,” Dr. Neal said. “There’s not much else we can do for her unless you can diagnose her. I’d not be threatened if you can figure it out. May the best doctor win and all that.” He gave me a weary smile.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Before you go, though,” Nurse Kelley said from the doorway, “we have something for you.” She reached under the desk and came up with a black doctor’s bag. “This is filled with everything you need.”
“Including some of the cough syrup,” Dr. Neal said.
I took the bag from Nurse Kelley’s hands. “I’m touched. Thank you both.”
“We’re glad you’re here,” Dr. Neal said. “But no one more than my wife.”
***
I drove out to the Cassidys’ farm tingling with nerves. Would my old schoolmates and their parents take me seriously as a doctor? Or would they see me as Theo, the quiet twin?
The farm was in better shape than it had been just after the war. When Flynn, Isak, and I had seen the state of the barn, we’d volunteered to do the repairs. That had been the beginning of Flynn and Shannon’s courtship. I still shook my head when I thought about my wild brother tamed by pretty, sweet Shannon Cassidy. Life never turned out how we thought it would. At least it seemed that way to me thus far.
I parked outside the barn. A few of the cows in the meadow raised their heads, curious to see who had interrupted their peaceful grazing. Seeing nothing of interest, they returned to their main job. Several calves stood close to their mothers. The barn, painted red, was pretty against the backdrop of the mountains and blue sky.
As I exited the car, Nora Cassidy came out of the barn. She wore a pair of men’s overalls and cotton shirt. A straw hat covered her light hair. I held up a hand to wave. She grinned and started running toward me.
When Nora reached me, she held out both hands. “Theo Barnes, as I live and breathe? Is it really you?”
I squeezed her hands, taking her in. She was as pretty as always but had a sinewy muscularity that came from physical labor. “Dr. Neal sent me out to check on your mother.”
“Yes, thank you. She’s back to coughing again. I’m scared. She’s always sick.”
“Shall we go in and take a look?” I turned back to the car to grab my new doctor’s bag.
“Theo, I can’t believe you’re a doctor,” Nora said.
“I can’t believe you’re running this farm by yourself.”
“I’ve got a few men helping.” She pointed toward the barn. “Flynn and Phillip fixed up a place for hired men to sleep up in the loft. I’ve got the farm turning a profit, thanks to Poppy figuring out what w
as wrong with my cattle. Plus, I’ve added milk and eggs. If I could afford a delivery truck, I’d be even better off. As it is now, folks have to come out here to pick up their orders.”
“Seems to me you’re on your way.” I glanced at her as we went up the front porch stairs of the farmhouse. “I’m impressed.”
“Thanks, Theo. I miss my dad every day, but I know he’s up there watching over me. His dream was for this farm to prosper. Now it’s mine.”
“You’re sure? Do you ever want anything more?” I asked.
“Like what? A husband?”
“Or a day off?”
“There’s plenty of time to sleep when I’m dead,” Nora said. “For now, I’m up with the sun and I like it that way.” She wrapped her hands around the straps of her overalls and rocked back on her heels. “A husband might be nice. But who would want an old, thin, worn-out thing like me?”
“You’re not worn out. At least not from the outside,” I said. “Any man would be lucky to have your heart.”
“It’s Shannon all the boys loved. Even incorrigible Flynn.”
“One of the biggest surprises of my life was those two being a match,” I said.
“Oh, me too. Mom and I thought he was a bit of a scoundrel. We had our hopes set on you and Shannon. It made so much more sense, don’t you think?”
I laughed. “The human heart is a complicated matter.”