Embers of Love (35 page)

Her mouth dropped open and her eyes widened.
My, but she
has the loveliest dark eyes
. She was speechless, which only managed to elicit a chuckle from Christopher.

“So . . . let me . . . let me get this straight. You are willing to train me to be a physician?”

“I am.”

“And what will you expect in return?”

The question surprised him. He grinned. “I hadn’t really thought of that, but I suppose you can work here to earn your training. That is, if you can spare the time from home.”

“And that’s all?”

He looked at her and dropped hold of her hand. “Did you expect there to be something more? Perhaps you thought I’d force you to court me? I’m really not that kind of man at all.”

Her face flushed scarlet again. “I . . . well, not exactly.” She turned her gaze to the floor.

Christopher couldn’t help himself. He reached out to touch her sleeve. “I would want you to court me, only if you truly desired it. I wouldn’t want you to spend your time doing such a serious thing unless you could honestly see yourself one day becoming my wife.”

Her head snapped up. “You would marry a woman doctor?”

He tilted back his head and roared with laughter. “That’s all that you’re concerned about? I mention marrying me, and you’re only worried about being a woman doctor?”

She shook her head and looked befuddled. “I suppose I didn’t think about it that way. Goodness, but you have a way of setting me off balance. A part of me feels like laughing and another part like crying.”

“Should I get the water pitcher?” he asked quite seriously.

Deborah immediately calmed and began to smile. “So let me get this straight: You want to teach me to become a doctor
and
you are asking me to court you?”

“That sounds about right. Of course, there is something you need to know, something that might change your mind on the entire matter.”

She frowned. “And what would that be?”

“My family. They need me, Miss Vandermark. My father cannot work and my mother can barely earn enough for food. I am sending very nearly every penny I make back to them. Until my siblings are able to help or the younger ones grow up, I cannot think of marrying anyone.” He again saw her surprise and added, “Not that I’m proposing. I’m simply asking you to . . . well, commit to waiting?”

She considered his words for a moment. “I think that very wise of you, Dr. Clayton. Your family is obviously in need of your help.” She smiled. “It only serves to make me fonder of the idea. I will bide my time.”

“But you must agree to stop calling me Dr. Clayton. It makes me feel very old.”

She giggled. “But you are old. And your years have made you oh so wise.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m not that old. I’m only thirty.”

“Hmm, I suppose that isn’t so very old.” She cocked her head slightly and smiled. “Christopher Clayton, I would be happy to learn all that I can from you.”

He felt the embers of love that had been smoldering within him spark a flame. This woman was simple and complex, all at the same time. How was that even possible?

He gently took hold of her face. Her dark eyes seemed to drink him in. “And I shall be very happy to teach you all that I can.”

–––––––

Turn the page to enjoy
a family recipe from Tracie Peterson,
featured in this book!

Black Grape Tarts

4 cups black grapes

2 Tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

¾ cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

Cut grapes in half and pull out seeds. (Or for the old fashioned way: push hulls from skins and set skins aside. Cook hulls until mushy and seeds come free, then strain to get rid of seeds and add pulp and skins back and cook until the skins are tender.) Cook grapes over medium heat until the skins are tender.

Take off the heat and add brown sugar, cornstarch, butter, and lemon juice. Pour into tart crusts. Bake for 20 minutes at 365° F or until the crust is brown.

Sweet Dough Pie Crust
(for tarts – do this ahead of time in order to chill)

4 cups of all-purpose flour

½ cup butter

¼ cup sugar

cup cold water

Mix dry ingredients, then add butter and mix. It will be crumbly. Add water until dough sticks together.

Divide dough and shape in a flattened ball. Wrap and chill 3–4 hours.

Roll out and use large drinking glass to cut circle that will fit into cupcake pans or mini-muffin pan. Form your tart crust in the cupcake pans. Poke a few holes into the raw dough with a fork to vent and prevent puffing.

T
RACIE
P
ETERSON
is the author of over eighty novels, both historical and contemporary. Her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling Heirs of Montana and Alaskan Quest series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana.

Visit Tracie’s Web site at
www.traciepeterson.com
.

Visit Tracie’s blog at
www.writespassage.blogspot.com
.

Books by Tracie Peterson

www.traciepeterson.com

A Slender Thread • What She Left for Me • Where My Heart Belongs

S
ONG OF
A
LASKA
Dawn’s Prelude • Morning’s Refrain • Twilight’s Serenade

A
LASKAN
Q
UEST
Summer of the Midnight Sun
Under the Northern Lights • Whispers of Winter
Alaskan Quest (3 in 1)

B
RIDES OF
G
ALLATIN
C
OUNTY
A Promise to Believe In • A Love to Last Forever
A Dream to Call My Own

T
HE
B
ROADMOOR
L
EGACY
*
A Daughter’s Inheritance • An Unexpected Love
A Surrendered Heart

B
ELLS OF
L
OWELL
*
Daughter of the Loom • A Fragile Design • These Tangled Threads

L
IGHTS OF
L
OWELL
*
A Tapestry of Hope • A Love Woven True • The Pattern of Her Heart

D
ESERT
R
OSES
Shadows of the Canyon • Across the Years • Beneath a Harvest Sky

H
EIRS OF
M
ONTANA
Land of My Heart • The Coming Storm
To Dream Anew • The Hope Within

L
ADIES OF
L
IBERTY
A Lady of High Regard • A Lady of Hidden Intent
A Lady of Secret Devotion

R
IBBONS OF
S
TEEL
**
Distant Dreams • A Hope Beyond • A Promise for Tomorrow

W
ESTWARD
C
HRONICLES
A Shelter of Hope • Hidden in a Whisper • A Veiled Reflection

Y
UKON
Q
UEST
Treasures of the North • Ashes and Ice • Rivers of Gold

*with Judith Miller       **with Judith Pella

© 2010 by Tracie Peterson

Published by Bethany House Publishers
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287.

E-book edition created 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-1316-7

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Scripture quotations are from the King James Version of the Bible.