With Autumn's Return (Westward Winds Book #3): A Novel Read Online Free PDF Page B

might lose patients the way Papa had lost congregations.
    Gwen reached for a loaf of bread. “Miriam agrees with you. That’s why she’s having the party at her parents’ house and why she invited all her friends and her parents’ associates. She wants them to meet you so that when they do need a doctor, they’ll think of you.”
    Elizabeth turned as the sound of laughter reached her ears. Though Rose had been playing quietly in the parlor, something had caught her fancy, with the result that a giggle had turned into a full-fledged laugh. Like her mother, Rose had a sunny disposition. So did Miriam Eberhardt. Though she’d only met her twice, Elizabeth understood why she’d become one of Charlotte’s closest friends. Now that friendship was being extended to Elizabeth.
    “I hadn’t considered that.” Elizabeth smiled as she added, “I suppose it’s like the ads I placed in Miriam’s father’s paper—advertising. Charlotte told me that Miriam was responsible for most of her clientele, that once she bought a few dresses from her, her friends wanted similar gowns.” Miriam had even defied her mother’s edict to buy only Parisian fashions, insisting that Charlotte’s were more beautiful.
    Gwen looked up from the bread she was slicing. “The Taggerts are influential, and Miriam wields her own power, especially with the younger women. The party will be good for you.”
    “So long as I don’t have to speak to Jason Nordling.”
    A knock on the door interrupted whatever Gwen might have said. To Elizabeth’s surprise, Gwen’s cheeks flushed as she called out, “Come in, Harrison. Dinner’s almost ready.”
    The man who lived next door entered the small apartment, hanging his hat on the rack with the familiarity of someone who’d done it dozens of times before. He had. When Charlotte and Barrett had decided to go East for the summer and perhaps longer, Barrett’s brother had volunteered to come to Cheyenne to oversee the expansion of Barrett’s new dry goods store, and Gwen—generous Gwen—had insisted on providing meals for Harrison. Now that Elizabeth was here to serve as a chaperone, she had invited him to eat with her and Rose and Elizabeth. It was, she said, the least she could do, since Barrett was letting her live here rent-free.
    “How was your first day of practice?” Harrison asked as he moved further into the apartment, settling into one of the chairs that flanked the dining table. Though he addressed the question to Elizabeth, she noticed that his eyes returned to Gwen, and he appeared to be studying her, as if memorizingeach feature, while Gwen seemed to be looking in every direction other than Harrison’s. How odd. Though it was true that Harrison was not a man who would warrant a second glance from a woman who cared only about physical beauty, Elizabeth did not believe Gwen judged people based on superficial appearances. Harrison’s dark brown hair and blue eyes could have been striking, but they were overshadowed by the solemn expression that seemed habitual. Though she did not know the reason, other than the times when his eyes were fixed on Gwen, Harrison Landry did not appear to be a happy man.
    Elizabeth was not a happy woman, at least not today. “My first day was a great success,” she said, not bothering to mask her sarcasm, “unless I wanted patients. I had not a single one.”
    His eyes still on Gwen, Harrison shrugged. “You need to be patient.”
    “That’s what Gwen said. The problem is, I’m not a patient person. Today seemed endless. I never had a minute to spare when I was in school, so it felt strange to have so much empty time.” Once Jason Nordling appeared, boredom hadn’t seemed so bad.
    Gwen turned from the stove to grin at Harrison. “I told Elizabeth to enjoy being idle. Before she knows it, she’ll be so busy that she’ll wish for a free moment. I predict that by the time autumn returns, I’ll rarely see her because she’ll have so many