Joline's Redemption by Vickie; McDonough Page A

wobbling, but regained his balance as he held on to the post he’d banged into.
    â€œLet me pass. Please. I need to get through.”
    Jack closed his eyes. Not now.
    Cora Sommers rushed to Jack’s side and gasped. “What in the world happened? Did you get into a fight, Jack?”
    He narrowed his eyes. Did she have such little faith in him? “Of course not.”
    Doc looked around. “This man can’t walk on his own, and I need to get him over to my office.” He snapped his fingers then pointed at two men. “You and you, help me with the parson.”
    Jack wanted to argue that he could walk by himself, but he wasn’t sure that was true. At least with a man pulling on each of his arms, Cora had to step back. While they were friends, he didn’t want the townsfolk suspecting anything more in their relationship. He’d told her several times that he wasn’t sure he’d be staying in Glen Haven very long, and he didn’t want her getting her hopes up that he would.
    He placed one foot in front of the other, trying to keep from losing his breakfast as the ground swirled. He needed to regain his faculties and then go find those boys. They had no one but him now.
    As they stepped inside the doc’s office, the man turned to Cora. “You’ll have to wait out here, Miss Sommers.”
    â€œAre you sure you don’t need me to assist?”
    â€œI’m sure,” Doc grumbled.
    Jack suspected Cora wasn’t too happy about that, but she didn’t protest and he didn’t look at her. Cora liked to have her hand in everything happening in the town. It was one thing he both admired and disliked about her. She was always helpful, but she bordered on being a busybody. The men assisted Jack onto the doc’s table then shuffled out. The antiseptic odors in the room threatened to make Jack’s belly erupt. He pressed his hand against it.
    â€œI’ll need to give you something for the pain, but it’ll make you sleep for a while.”
    â€œNo.” Jack gently shook his head. “Just sew it up.”
    â€œIt’ll hurt like heck.”
    He shrugged and flexed his hand. “It’s not the first time I’ve been injured.”
    â€œHave it your way.”
    Jack focused on Mr. Beatty’s boys. He couldn’t recall that the man ever stated their names. How was he going to get them to come with him? Chances were, they wouldn’t believe him if he told them about their pa. In fact, the youngest one was probably too small to even understand it all.
God, what do I do with two orphans?
    Jack hissed as the needle pierced his skin, burning like fire.
    â€œWon’t take long. Just hang in there.”
    Boys—focus on them.
Where could he take them? There wasn’t an orphanage nearby, not that he was aware of. Even so, the idea of placing them in a home knotted his belly. Was there a family who might want to take them in?
    Most of the married couples in his church had a whole slew of young’uns. And he wanted to find a family who really wanted children to love and care for, not just some extra hands to work their farm or business.
    The doc wrapped his head and handed him a bottle with six pills in it. “Take one of these every four or five hours if the pain gets too bad, although I suspect you won’t need them.”
    Jack nodded and paid the man for his services then steeled himself to face Cora. She was looking out the window as he slipped from the back room. Her dark green–striped dress looked pretty with her auburn hair, which was pulled back from her face and hanging in tight coils down her shoulders. The dress’s color almost matched her pine-green eyes. She must have sensed him because she turned, and he noticed she was holding his hat.
    â€œJack!” She rushed to his side. “How are you? Does it hurt badly?”
    He shrugged. “I’m all right, so don’t