Read Online Summer of Promise by Amanda Cabot - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Amanda Cabot
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Charlotte asked from her perch on the bench, safely out of range of the now sodden puppy who looked as if he wanted nothing more than to shake every last drop from his coat. “Of course, she won’t want him here in the kitchen. She’ll probably threaten to quit, and then I’ll be in trouble.” Charlotte sighed. “Servants are almost impossible to find. No sooner does a woman get settled here than she’s courted by every single man at the fort. This is definitely the place to be if you’re looking for a husband.”
“But I’m not.” Abigail kept one hand firmly on Puddles’s back as she started to soap his belly. Though he was a small animal, he wiggled so vigorously that she wished she could ask Charlotte for assistance, but she wouldn’t risk ruining her sister’s gown.
“Of course you’re not looking for a husband.” Charlotte nodded briskly. “Woodrow is a fine man, very sensible and down-to-earth. He’ll make a good husband.”
And he’d give Abigail what she’d longed for all her life, a permanent home. Woodrow shared not just Abigail’s love of teaching but also her belief that the perfect life, the one God intended for them both, was to settle in one of the charming cottages within easy walking distance of the academy and raise their children there. But Woodrow was thousands of miles away. What was important now was getting Puddles clean.
Abigail pulled the puppy out of the water, holding him suspended over the tub while she rinsed him with water from a pitcher. “He’ll have to be trained if you plan to keep him indoors.” She wrapped Puddles in an old towel before handing him to Charlotte.
“I don’t know anything about training dogs.”
Abigail tried not to frown at the evidence that once again she’d been impulsive. She should have considered everything a dog needed before she rescued one. “I don’t know much, either, so I guess we’ll have to learn together.”
“It’ll be like old times.” The smile on Charlotte’s face told Abigail that any problems they encountered would be surmounted with laughter. That was good. That was very good.
“I thought I’d better warn you.” Ethan found Jeffrey on his way to the hospital. Though Ethan had been less than pleased by the order to ensure that the canine problem was resolved, it was an easier task than his friend’s. Today was Jeffrey’s day to listen to the surgeon’s complaints. It was the same each week. The doctor claimed that the enlisted men currently serving as nurses were negligent in their duties and required discipline. The men groused that the extra twenty cents a day pay they received was insufficient for the indignity of cleaning bedpans, not to mention the increased likelihood of contracting a communicable disease. Working in the bakeries, though unspeakably hot during the summer, was preferable to hospital duty, or so the men insisted. There was no way to resolve the problem other than to rotate men out of the hospital, but that had the predictable effect of causing the surgeon to complain that he had to train a fresh group.
“Is Dr. Pratt on the rampage again?” Jeffrey slowed his pace, as if grateful for an excuse to delay his meeting.
“Not that I heard. I just thought you should know that it appears you’re going to have a new addition to your household.”
Jeffrey grinned. “That’s not news. If you recall, I told you that. Late October’s when the child is expected.”
Ethan suspected Jeffrey’s grin would fade when he heard about the morning’s events. “I wasn’t referring to that addition. There’s a four-footed one, and he came today.”
As three dogs rounded the corner of the sutler’s store and began to bark, Jeffrey frowned. “Not a dog. Say it isn’t so.”
“’Fraid I can’t. Abigail decided to rescue a puppy. For some reason, she seemed to think your wife needed a pet.”
“What Charlotte needs is one fewer sister.” Jeffrey’s frown turned into a scowl. “I
“But I’m not.” Abigail kept one hand firmly on Puddles’s back as she started to soap his belly. Though he was a small animal, he wiggled so vigorously that she wished she could ask Charlotte for assistance, but she wouldn’t risk ruining her sister’s gown.
“Of course you’re not looking for a husband.” Charlotte nodded briskly. “Woodrow is a fine man, very sensible and down-to-earth. He’ll make a good husband.”
And he’d give Abigail what she’d longed for all her life, a permanent home. Woodrow shared not just Abigail’s love of teaching but also her belief that the perfect life, the one God intended for them both, was to settle in one of the charming cottages within easy walking distance of the academy and raise their children there. But Woodrow was thousands of miles away. What was important now was getting Puddles clean.
Abigail pulled the puppy out of the water, holding him suspended over the tub while she rinsed him with water from a pitcher. “He’ll have to be trained if you plan to keep him indoors.” She wrapped Puddles in an old towel before handing him to Charlotte.
“I don’t know anything about training dogs.”
Abigail tried not to frown at the evidence that once again she’d been impulsive. She should have considered everything a dog needed before she rescued one. “I don’t know much, either, so I guess we’ll have to learn together.”
“It’ll be like old times.” The smile on Charlotte’s face told Abigail that any problems they encountered would be surmounted with laughter. That was good. That was very good.
“I thought I’d better warn you.” Ethan found Jeffrey on his way to the hospital. Though Ethan had been less than pleased by the order to ensure that the canine problem was resolved, it was an easier task than his friend’s. Today was Jeffrey’s day to listen to the surgeon’s complaints. It was the same each week. The doctor claimed that the enlisted men currently serving as nurses were negligent in their duties and required discipline. The men groused that the extra twenty cents a day pay they received was insufficient for the indignity of cleaning bedpans, not to mention the increased likelihood of contracting a communicable disease. Working in the bakeries, though unspeakably hot during the summer, was preferable to hospital duty, or so the men insisted. There was no way to resolve the problem other than to rotate men out of the hospital, but that had the predictable effect of causing the surgeon to complain that he had to train a fresh group.
“Is Dr. Pratt on the rampage again?” Jeffrey slowed his pace, as if grateful for an excuse to delay his meeting.
“Not that I heard. I just thought you should know that it appears you’re going to have a new addition to your household.”
Jeffrey grinned. “That’s not news. If you recall, I told you that. Late October’s when the child is expected.”
Ethan suspected Jeffrey’s grin would fade when he heard about the morning’s events. “I wasn’t referring to that addition. There’s a four-footed one, and he came today.”
As three dogs rounded the corner of the sutler’s store and began to bark, Jeffrey frowned. “Not a dog. Say it isn’t so.”
“’Fraid I can’t. Abigail decided to rescue a puppy. For some reason, she seemed to think your wife needed a pet.”
“What Charlotte needs is one fewer sister.” Jeffrey’s frown turned into a scowl. “I
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