nodded to Katie and Addie. “Good day, ladies. I’m sure I’ll see you again quite soon. If you hear of a dependable woman looking for a live-in position as nanny, please send her to me.”
E LEVEN
W ILL OPENED ONE scratchy eye at about eleven o’clock in the morning. Jennie slept in the crook of his arm. She’d howled the whole night long, and he’d hauled her up and down the lighthouse steps as he tended to the light. They’d fallen into bed at dawn, but even then she’d been restless next to him and hot enough to make his forehead break out in a sweat.
Hot. Wait a moment. Was she ill? He touched her skin and found it dry and very warm. Holding her against him was like nestling up to the hot coals in a fireplace. She coughed and the harsh bark made him sit up and stare at her. Spots of red dotted her pudgy cheeks. He scooped her up and leaped from the bed. While he had no notion of where to find the doctor, someone in town could direct him. He rushed down the steps to the front door and yanked it open to come face-to-face with Miss Russell’s fist poised to land on the door.
Her eyes matched the color of the sea foaming at the foot of the cliffs. What would you call the shape of her face—heart-shaped? The high cheekbones were pink. So were the full lips above her narrow chin. The lilac dress and wide-brimmed hat she wore were in the latest fashion, and she clutched her bag in her gloved hands as she stared up at him. She looked every bit as beautiful as she had at church yesterday.
She dropped her hand. “Mr. Jesperson. You were going out?”
Before he could answer, the baby let out a wail loud enough to call Poseidon from the depths of the ocean. He shifted Jennie to his other arm. “Could you direct me to the doctor?”
Miss Russell peered into the baby’s face. “She’s flushed.”
“I think she has a fever.” He handed the baby to the woman with a sense of relief, then stretched out the cramp in his arm muscle.
Miss Russell put her hand on Jennie’s forehead. “A high fever. We must get it down right away. Run some tepid water in the sink.”
He sprang to do her bidding. Had he done something wrong? Perhaps this was all his fault. Another person might have recognized the child’s condition last night by her inability to settle. After pumping water from the hand pump into the dry sink, he poured in enough hot water from the kettle on the stove to bring the temperature to lukewarm.
Miss Russell crooned to the wailing baby then tested the water. “Perfect.” She laid Jennie on top of the cabinet and quickly stripped her clothing off. The tiny girl screeched when Miss Russell eased her into the sink. “I know, sweetheart,” she said.
She splashed water along the baby’s skin for what seemed an eternity. Will wanted to clap his palms over his ears so he didn’t have to listen to the child’s cries. “I’ll get a towel,” he said. He rushed up the steps to the bathroom and found a stack of towels in the corner cupboard by the claw-foot tub. By the time he got back downstairs, the baby’s wails had tapered off to an occasional hiccup.
He opened the towel between his hands, and Miss Russell lifted the dripping wet baby from the water and deposited her into the folds of the terry cloth. He wrapped the edges around Jennie, and Miss Russell cuddled her against her chest. The baby’s eyes closed.
“She seems better,” he said.
“For now. We should let the doctor examine her to ensure she doesn’t have something like diphtheria.” She quickly dressed the sleeping child and lifted her to her shoulder.
“I’ll get the buggy ready. You’ll have to direct me. I don’t know where to find the doctor.”
She followed him into the entry. He paused and glanced down at her. “How did you happen to come by this morning?”
“It can wait,” she said.
He studied her face and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
She sighed. “My mother wants to see
E LEVEN
W ILL OPENED ONE scratchy eye at about eleven o’clock in the morning. Jennie slept in the crook of his arm. She’d howled the whole night long, and he’d hauled her up and down the lighthouse steps as he tended to the light. They’d fallen into bed at dawn, but even then she’d been restless next to him and hot enough to make his forehead break out in a sweat.
Hot. Wait a moment. Was she ill? He touched her skin and found it dry and very warm. Holding her against him was like nestling up to the hot coals in a fireplace. She coughed and the harsh bark made him sit up and stare at her. Spots of red dotted her pudgy cheeks. He scooped her up and leaped from the bed. While he had no notion of where to find the doctor, someone in town could direct him. He rushed down the steps to the front door and yanked it open to come face-to-face with Miss Russell’s fist poised to land on the door.
Her eyes matched the color of the sea foaming at the foot of the cliffs. What would you call the shape of her face—heart-shaped? The high cheekbones were pink. So were the full lips above her narrow chin. The lilac dress and wide-brimmed hat she wore were in the latest fashion, and she clutched her bag in her gloved hands as she stared up at him. She looked every bit as beautiful as she had at church yesterday.
She dropped her hand. “Mr. Jesperson. You were going out?”
Before he could answer, the baby let out a wail loud enough to call Poseidon from the depths of the ocean. He shifted Jennie to his other arm. “Could you direct me to the doctor?”
Miss Russell peered into the baby’s face. “She’s flushed.”
“I think she has a fever.” He handed the baby to the woman with a sense of relief, then stretched out the cramp in his arm muscle.
Miss Russell put her hand on Jennie’s forehead. “A high fever. We must get it down right away. Run some tepid water in the sink.”
He sprang to do her bidding. Had he done something wrong? Perhaps this was all his fault. Another person might have recognized the child’s condition last night by her inability to settle. After pumping water from the hand pump into the dry sink, he poured in enough hot water from the kettle on the stove to bring the temperature to lukewarm.
Miss Russell crooned to the wailing baby then tested the water. “Perfect.” She laid Jennie on top of the cabinet and quickly stripped her clothing off. The tiny girl screeched when Miss Russell eased her into the sink. “I know, sweetheart,” she said.
She splashed water along the baby’s skin for what seemed an eternity. Will wanted to clap his palms over his ears so he didn’t have to listen to the child’s cries. “I’ll get a towel,” he said. He rushed up the steps to the bathroom and found a stack of towels in the corner cupboard by the claw-foot tub. By the time he got back downstairs, the baby’s wails had tapered off to an occasional hiccup.
He opened the towel between his hands, and Miss Russell lifted the dripping wet baby from the water and deposited her into the folds of the terry cloth. He wrapped the edges around Jennie, and Miss Russell cuddled her against her chest. The baby’s eyes closed.
“She seems better,” he said.
“For now. We should let the doctor examine her to ensure she doesn’t have something like diphtheria.” She quickly dressed the sleeping child and lifted her to her shoulder.
“I’ll get the buggy ready. You’ll have to direct me. I don’t know where to find the doctor.”
She followed him into the entry. He paused and glanced down at her. “How did you happen to come by this morning?”
“It can wait,” she said.
He studied her face and noticed the dark circles under her eyes. “Is something wrong?”
She sighed. “My mother wants to see
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