At church the following Sunday, Dorothy invited Stephen to sit with the Sanders family. Stephen looked around for Abner, but he wasn’t in sight. He smiled and accepted Dorothy’s invitation, sitting down next to Dorothy’s husband, Carter.

Hope stole a few glances at Stephen during the sermon. She knew she should be focusing on Micah’s words, but she found it difficult to concentrate with Stephen only a few feet away. Her sisters could be obnoxious with their meddling sometimes. She knew that Dorothy had taken a liking to Stephen, finding him kind and trustworthy. Betsy, of course, had praised the way Stephen had fixed Matthew’s broken leg. Edna Petunia thought Stephen was an ideal young man and had dropped several hints to Hope that she wanted the two of them to end up together.

Even Gertrude and Sarah Jane, the two pickiest Sanders sisters, had told Hope they liked Stephen. He had mentioned a few of his favorite books, and Gertrude said he had good taste. Sarah Jane liked the fact that he diligently attended church and helped some of the elderly parishioners get into and out of their seats.

Hope wasn’t as sure as Edna Petunia that Stephen was her perfect match. For one thing, they had opposite ways of doing almost everything. She knew he was intelligent, but didn’t have much common sense. For another, he was always so sensitive and talking to people about their feelings. For Hope, things were black and white, and she wasn’t afraid to say anything out loud. She worried that Stephen was too sensitive for her tastes.

But then again, she also could admit to herself that every time she was in a room with Stephen, she watched him and only him. She loved the way his eyes lit up when he talked about something he really cared about, or how he gave extra help to the people who came to see him at the medical office. She watched him as he played and joked with her nieces and nephews and found herself imagining him as a father himself one day.

More than that, he was genuinely interested in her and what she had to say. When he talked to her, it seemed like she was the most important person in the world to him, and she loved that feeling. Lately, though, he hadn’t been saying anything at all.

After church, several of the Sanders sisters and their families set up a picnic lunch on the lawn outside the parish. A little girl ran up to Stephen and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Hello, there!” Stephen said, amused by the spirited child.

“You fixed my brother’s leg! Pretty soon, he’ll be able to carry me around on his back again. Thank you!” the little girl exclaimed.

Betsy walked over to Stephen. “This is Amy. She’s Matthew’s younger sister. You made our entire household very happy, Dr. Bennett.”

“It was nothing.” Stephen smiled at Betsy. Then he leaned down and stuck his hand out to Amy. “I’m Dr. Stephen Bennett. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Amy giggled as she gave Stephen her hand. “I’m Amy Elizabeth Brooks. Pleased to make your accountant!” She ran off to play with her brothers and cousins.

Betsy laughed. “She was close with her pronunciation…we’re working on her vocabulary.”

“She’s delightful.” Stephen watched as all the children ran through the field and laughed with each other. They were lucky to grow up so close together in age and distance. He found himself missing his entire extended family in Seattle.

“How are you settling in here? I’m sure we’ve asked you that a hundred times, but we really do like to make people feel welcome here in Texas. I know it took me a little bit of an adjustment at first,” Betsy confided.

“That’s a good way to put it. I’m still getting adjusted,” Stephen agreed.

“You let me know if there’s anything we can do to make you more comfortable here. We’re so grateful to you for setting Matthew’s leg. He really gave us a scare,” Betsy continued.

“Thank you, Betsy. I really appreciate that,” Stephen said. He spotted Hope out of the corner of his eye. “If you don’t mind—please excuse me.”

Hope was standing in the middle of a group of her nephews, holding a kite. The string had gotten horribly tangled, and she was helping to unravel it.

“Hello.” Stephen said, walking over to the group. “How are you, Hope?”

“Kind of busy at the moment.” Hope squinted in the sunlight as she tried to figure out how to get the kite’s string untangled.

“You know—I’m pretty good with these things. It can get very windy in Seattle, and the weather is perfect for flying kites. Mind if I give it a shot?” Stephen asked gently. He knew Hope was probably going to tell him he was doing it wrong, but he had to at least try.

Hope struggled with the string for a few minutes, then handed it to Stephen. “Fine. Take it.”

Stephen examined the string for a few minutes, then figured out what he needed to do. He placed his fingers at specific points on the string and then pulled until the knots and tangles shook loose.

“That was amazing!” One of Hope’s nephews shouted.

“No problem. My kites used to get tangled all the time.” Stephen shrugged.

Hope rolled her eyes as the boys ran away to fly their kite through the air. “Now I’m never going to live it down that you’re better than me at untangling kite strings.”

Stephen frowned. “No, I wouldn’t tease you about that.”

“Why not?” Hope asked.

“Because I care for you, Hope. And I’m not cruel to the people I care for,” Stephen told her.

Hope could tell that he meant it, but they were interrupted by Cletus walking over and putting his hand on Stephen’s shoulders.

“Young Dr. Bennett. How are you doing today, son?” Cletus asked. Hope was surprised—he was acting just as friendly as he would to one of her brothers-in-law. Apparently, her entire family just couldn’t get enough of Dr. Stephen Bennett.

“I’m fine, Judge Sanders.” Stephen used Cletus’s official title, and Hope saw Cletus’s smile grow a bit wider. “It’s a beautiful day, and always a pleasure to see your terrific family.”

“I remember the bachelor life, son, so any time you get an inkling for home cooking, you come pay us a visit. I’m sure Iris and Francis are treating you well, of course, and they’re family, but everyone needs a break from family once in a while!” Cletus said.

Stephen smiled. “Thank you, sir. I will take you up on that.”

“See that you do, son. Now if you don’t mind, I smell some of Edna Petunia’s fried chicken—and I need to get my hands on her breasts!” Cletus rushed over to the blanket where Edna Petunia was opening up a food pail.

“My family sure seems to like you,” Hope remarked.

Stephen nodded. “The feeling is mutual. It makes me feel a lot better, knowing I’ve got you all and the Harvey family when I miss my parents and siblings.”

Hope peered into Stephen’s eyes. “Do you think you’ll go back to Seattle when you’re done with your training?”

Stephen looked right back at her. “It depends on whether or not I’m able to make a home here in Nowhere. And that depends on me finding the right woman to settle down with and build a family.”

Hope felt a tingle run through her stomach. She wanted to be the one he settled down with, the mother of his children. But that was crazy! She barely knew him, and experience told her that they couldn’t exchange more than a few sentences without getting into a fight.

“I know you’re spoken for,” Stephen continued. “But I hope you’ll reconsider.”

Hope was puzzled. “What are you talking—?”

Just then, they heard a shout. A woman screamed. “It’s a snake!”

Robby, one of Penny’s and Tom’s adopted sons, was holding his wrist and howling. A crowd formed around him. “The snake bit me!” Robby yelled.

Penny was sobbing as well. “Oh, Robby, oh, Robby! Tom, do something!”

Stephen pushed to the front of the crowd. “Robby, I’m going to need you to sit up straight and put your arm below you. Can you do that for me?”

Tom helped Stephen adjust Robby into an upright position. They gently laid the bitten arm on the ground.

“Hope, get my medical bag. It’s in Francis’s wagon,” Stephen commanded. Hope didn’t think twice and simply did what she was told. She took off running for the Harvey’s wagon, which had been left on the other side of the church. As it came into sight, she saw that the Harveys were getting into their wagon.

“Wait!” Hope cried.

Francis Harvey looked over in concern. “What’s wrong, Hope?”

Hope was nearly out of breath. “Robby was bit by a snake! We need a medical bag.”

Iris climbed all the way into the wagon and emerged carrying two bags. She handed one to Hope and set off running next to her.

When they joined the rest of the group, Robby’s face was red and he was breathing heavily.

“I’ve got you, Robby,” Stephen said, putting his hand to Robby’s forehead. He looked at Iris. “I don’t think we have time to take him to the office.”

Iris looked back in the direction of the wagon. “But all my medicine is there. We have to go.”

Edna Petunia grabbed Iris’s arm and clenched it. “Do something!”

Stephen reached for the bag Hope was carrying, and she set it on the ground and opened it for him. He began rummaging through it. “I have a poultice in here from Seattle. It might be a little unconventional, but it’s the best shot we have.”

“Please, do whatever you need to do!” Penny cried.

Stephen pulled a small jar out of his bag, unscrewed the lid, and began rubbing a paste all over Robby’s wound. He pulled out a soft bandage and placed it over the wound. “Tom, hold this in place, but don’t press down.”

Dr. Harvey nodded approvingly. “Good idea.”

Penny looked at her son hopefully. “What’s going on?”

Gradually, the redness faded from Robby’s face, and he began to breathe more normally.

Stephen exhaled. “The paste is helping get the venom out of Robby’s wound. As more of it drains out, he’ll feel better and better.”

“I know how to make him feel better.” Edna Petunia took out her hip flask and poured a little into Robby’s mouth. “A little cough tonic never hurt anyone.”

Hope and her sisters had long suspected that Edna Petunia’s flask contained something other than cough tonic, but everyone was too relieved to say anything. It looked like Robby was going to be all right.

“We should keep a close eye on him over the next few days and make sure he doesn’t spike a fever. I’ll show you how we can make sure the venom gets out completely,” Dr. Harvey explained to Penny and Tom.

Penny hugged Iris and Stephen. “Thank you both so much. I don’t know what we would have done without you here.”

Hope was still in shock. She couldn’t believe all that had happened in the past half-hour. She was again impressed by how calm and collected Stephen had been under pressure. Even with the entire Sanders family crying and yelling at him, he had kept his composure and figured out what needed to be done.

She also liked seeing him in command and directing people to do things. Sometimes at the practice, he seemed unsure of himself, like he didn’t want to bother her or Dr. Harvey. It was nice to see him coming into his own and commanding the respect he deserved.

* * *

Monday began peacefully, with Hope arriving early to finish balancing the ledger. The week before had been the busiest week of the year for the practice, and she was a little behind. Stephen also arrived early and went into the office to read one of Dr. Harvey’s medical journals.

When he had finished, he came out to the front area and put the journal back onto the shelf.

“That’s not where that goes,” Hope called from the desk.

Stephen took the book down again. “I thought all the journals go on this shelf.”

Hope sighed. “No, all the textbooks go on that shelf. Journals stay in the back office. We don’t have room for all of them up here.”

“It’s getting pretty crowded in the back office with both me and my aunt sharing the space. Could we try something different?” Stephen suggested.

Hope scowled. “That’s the way it’s always been, and I don’t think we should change it. Especially since you don’t plan to be here permanently.”

Stephen tried to be patient and calm. Hope was a force to be reckoned with. Normally, he liked that about her. But sometimes, it drove him crazy. “I’ll be here at least for the next year training under Dr. Harvey. Can we talk about this and come up with an arrangement that works for both of us?”

Hope kept her head in the accounts book. “Not interested.”

Stephen exhaled sharply and went into the back office. He slammed the door behind him. She was impossible.

Hope’s heart thudded loudly in her chest as she heard the door crash against the wall. She knew she was being a little harsh with Stephen, but she was also trying to protect herself. She had spent the rest of the evening Sunday thinking about him and how he’d helped two of her nephews, saving the day on both occasions. She couldn’t stop thinking about his strong arms or kind, easy smile. Throughout her evening chores and prayers, her thoughts continued to return to Stephen Bennett.

She knew that she would never leave Nowhere, and she knew he couldn’t wait to return to Seattle. He and Dr. Harvey were constantly talking about one of her sisters, or telling a story about something that had happened in their hometown. Although she knew he had left under less than ideal circumstances, she also knew he intended to return one day.

Hope had decided that her only option was to treat Stephen the same way she’d treat anyone else—with brutal honesty.

Stephen fumed in his office. He’d thought the weekend had gone well. He’d enjoyed talking to Hope and her family in church before Robby was bitten, and after he’d recovered, Hope had seemed grateful and appreciative of his work. But now she was simply being obstinate. He wondered if she was deliberately being cruel to him because she knew how he felt about her. After all, he had told her that she was special, that he liked her, and that he wanted to find a wife. Maybe this was Hope’s way of letting him know she wasn’t interested. He also knew that she had probably seen Abner after church. He still could not understand why a woman like Hope would go out with a man like Abner…but then again, there was a lot he didn’t understand about women.

Dr. Harvey arrived a few minutes later and sensed the tension in the small medical building. “Having a good morning?”

“Yes. I’m almost done balancing the ledger,” Hope told her.

Iris nodded and walked toward the back office. “Good morning, Stephen.”

“Hi, Aunt Iris.” Stephen’s shoulders were slumped as he read through another medical journal.

Iris took a seat in the small office. It wasn’t built for two people, but they were making it work. Their elbows were almost touching. “Okay, Stephen. What’s going on?”

Stephen groaned and slumped a little more. “It’s Hope.”

“Hope? What do you mean?” Iris was confused.

“She’s so…so…impossible. She’s driving me crazy, always telling me what I’m doing wrong.” Stephen buried his head in his hands.

Iris smiled. “Sounds to me like Hope Sanders being Hope Sanders. She’s an honest person, Stephen.”

“Sometimes, I wish she wouldn’t be so honest!” Stephen exclaimed in frustration.

Iris patted her nephew’s back. “You seem pretty upset. Why don’t you go outside and get some fresh air? Walk around a bit. You’ll feel better.”

“I’m sorry, Aunt Iris. I don’t want to cause you any trouble.”

“Nonsense. Now go ahead. You have a little time before our first patient of the day.” Iris smiled as she watched her nephew walk out of the office. For such a capable and intelligent young man, he sure could work himself into a frenzy over young women. She knew he’d figure it out in due time, and as his aunt, she felt it was her duty to make sure he didn’t get too emotional. She settled in at her desk and picked up the patient’s chart sitting on top of the pile at her desk. It was time to get to work.

In the front office, Hope watched as Stephen stormed out of the building without a word. She wondered if he was still upset with her. She tried not to worry about it and busied herself with the accounts again. It was going to be another long day.