A Nurse for Niall Read online

  A Nurse for Niall

  Nursing the Heart

  Marisa Masterson

  A Nurse for Niall

  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are all products of the author's imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblances to persons, organizations, events, or locales are entirely coincidental.

  The book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. All rights are reserved with the exceptions of quotes used in reviews. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage system without express written permission from the author.

  A Nurse for Niall ©2020 Marisa Masterson

  Cover Design by V. McKevitt

  http://www.virginiamckevitt.com

  Vector courtesy of Vectzeey.com

  Poem reference from

  John Donne, The Complete English Poems

  Editing by Amy Petrowich

  Formatting by Christine Sterling

  1st Ed.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Leave a Review

  About this Series

  Author’s Note

  Sneak Peek

  Books by Marisa Masterson

  About Marisa Masterson

  A Nurse for Niall

  Alice Cordell is done with isolation. After being shut away to nurse her dying father, she wants to find a community that needs her and will accept her, limp and all. To that end, she trains as a nurse, graduating with the school's first class. The future seems bright until she realizes she's once again being forced into isolation, cut off from her new community of Kilbourne City, Wisconsin

  No one could blame Niall MacKenzie for growling at the woman. After all he’d caught staring into his home through a back window. Worse yet, only minutes later she told him she was his caretaker. He already hates most people in Kilbourne City, Wisconsin after the bitter lie the community accepts about him. Her insistence that he start doctoring those locals doesn’t endear him to her.

  Soon he has a fragile nurse to watch over and resist. A woman that calls to him more as a man than a doctor. As for Alice, the surprise waiting for her will lead to an unwanted marriage and a rivalry that threatens her only hope for a career and a home.

  Dedication

  Thanks to Sam and Trevor for the trip to Wisconsin Dells. The area, and Sam especially, inspired me as I wrote this book. I appreciate the pep talks, Sam!

  Chapter 1

  Wanted:

  Woman to fill role of caretaker and nurse for busy doctor. No one under the age of twenty-five need apply.

  The paper crinkled as Alice Cordell once again read the advertisement. She’d folded and opened the small piece of newsprint so often that lines had formed through the words. Care was now missing from caretaker, but her brain filled in that part of the word, mulling over it. What was included in being a caretaker?

  When Alice showed it to her teacher, Nurse Harrow stared at the small square ripped from the newspaper and gave her typical sigh. Nothing unusual there. Alice had heard that sigh many times.

  The woman had never been encouraging during Alice’s time at the school. The instructor had a ready compliment for the other women in the course. Alice had witnessed that repeatedly. For some reason, Nurse Harrow wanted to discourage Alice from working as a nurse.

  Other graduates had been placed by Nurse Harrow. When Alice made an appointment to find out her placement, the woman only shook her head and sighed, “Nothing just right for your physical limitations, I’m sorry to say.”

  That day when she’d shown the advertisement to the head of the small school, the woman became brutally honest. “I don’t see you being able to work in a hospital or clinic. The hours are grueling. While you are talented at healing, your stamina is a problem.”

  The woman fingered the square, her lips flattening. “This may be the answer. You spent years caring for your father, and you are more than qualified as a caregiver. You could help a doctor and care for the man’s home if you answer this.”

  Nurse Harrow wasn’t unkind. Alice knew that. She was, however, very concerned that her graduates impress others with their skills. Well, Alice had no doubt her own skills surpassed others in this graduating class. Her leg was the problem.

  That terrible day came to her in nightmares some nights. The day when she’d chased a small dog out of the road and been hit by a runaway wagon. In the awful dreams, she saw her eleven-year-old self and knew the team of horses would stomp her. With a scream, she’d thrown her body to the side, but not fast enough.

  Her left side had suffered from the heavy wheel of the wagon as it rolled across her thigh just above that knee, breaking her leg and exposing a bone. Pain continued to intrude into her dreams for years afterward.

  Alice’s limp had never stopped her. Not when the family doctor told her parents she’d never walk again. Not when she’d been cossetted and forced to stay in bed.

  No, she hadn’t let it stop her. All too soon, her family grew bored of their bedside vigil and left her alone. Even at the tender age of eleven, she’d known she had to push herself or be permanently crippled.

  Alice took those first halting steps with blood dripping from her mouth. She’d bitten her lip to keep from screaming at the pain movement brought. No matter, Alice had the goal to walk again, and she had done it. Haltingly at first, but she’d achieved her goal then.

  And would again. She was determined to be both a nurse and a part of her new community. Kilbourne City, Wisconsin. The name rang pleasantly in Alice’s ear as she whispered it. It seemed distinguished to her.

  The scenery after the train entered Wisconsin delighted her. Lush green fields and thick forests alternated outside her window as the train rushed past them. Now, almost to Kilbourne City, beautiful rock formations appeared along the river they followed.

  A man in the seat across from her leaned forward. “That’s the Wisconsin River, miss. Lookin’ at those carved rocks shows you how powerful it is.”

  Alice bobbed her head under her plain black bonnet. Not because she was shy. Not at all.

  This man seemed too friendly, and she didn’t want to encourage him. She’d save her enthusiasm for her patients, thank you very much!

  He didn’t seem dissuaded, unfortunately. “I noticed your ticket earlier. Since we’re going to the same spot, I’d be happy to show you round the town.”

  Worse and worse. Now, he wanted to squire her around sightseeing. How to discourage the man?

  Clearing her throat at its sudden dryness, she worked to keep any nervousness out of her voice. “No, thank you very much though. I have plans to meet my employer as soon as I arrive.”

  A smarmy smile appeared on the man’s face. “Not meeting a husband? Glad to hear it.”

  When Alice turned her face from him to stare out the window, he fell silent for only a brief moment. She ignored his presence, as she’d been doing since boarding this train in Chicago.

  Fixing her gaze on the scenery, she willed the train to chug faster so they’d arrive. She’d be able to escape from the man then. With the train car’s seats filled, she had nowhere else to sit and was trapped across from him.

  His oily tone broke the pleasant silence. “Name’s Paul O’Hanlon.” His words ended with a lilt upward, as if he were asking a questio
n.

  Alice pivoted her body, making eye contact impossible. Was this man thick-headed that he continued to pester her?

  “Well, since you won’t give me a name, I’ll just call you Miss Beauty.”

  Silence. She refused to answer him. Refused to turn to look his way. Across from her, she heard him harrumph and assumed that was the end of this one-sided conversation.

  “I’ll just have to guess who your employer is.” His voice took on a teasing tone. Rather than being lighthearted, it held a note she didn’t recognize. Not exactly cruel, but definitely frightening. Her shoulders stiffened in response.

  He leaned diagonally across the small space between the seats, forcing himself into the space around Alice. The older woman next to her banged a wooden cane and objected. “That is quite enough, sir. Leave this girl alone!”

  Her words brought Alice around again in her seat to stare at the woman beside her. She noticed that the belligerent man had pulled back and was scowling fiercely as he ran a hand through his red hair. At the scowl, Alice looked curiously at the old woman to study her reaction.

  That lady had her cane raised and was waving it in the air. “I switched many a boy like you in my days as a schoolmarm, and I can still do that. You’ll get this cane alongside your head if you harass this girl.” She gripped the mentioned object like a club and shook it as she spoke.

  Alice’s tormentor crossed his arms over his midsection and glared. Until he noticed Alice watching him. Then he straightened his shoulders and smiled what he probably thought was a charming grin. Something about it made Alice’s skin crawl, and she scooted closer to her champion.

  The old woman picked up Alice’s small, gloved hand and patted it. “Now, no worries. You’re nearly to Kilbourne City, and I’m getting off there, too. I’ll wait with you at the depot.”

  Giving her a relieved smile, Alice felt her shoulders relax. She’d never had a beau and lacked any experience dealing with persistent men. Obviously, this one hadn’t seen her walk onto the train or he’d known about the limp. That always had been enough to keep the men away from her.

  Trying to appear normal while ignoring the beast across from them, Alice smiled at the woman. “I appreciate that. Do you have family in Kilbourne City?”

  The older woman bobbed her head. “Oh, my yes. Too many, some might say. I’ve been living in Kilbourne City with my sister. Ever since my days teaching school in Ohio came to an end a few months ago.”

  She eyed Alice. “I am Miss Emma Steele, by the way, and I can tell you aren’t a schoolteacher. Maybe a governess?”

  Alice shook her head. “No, I’m going to help the local doctor after training at a school in the East. My name is Alice Cordell.”

  Miss Steele pushed the wire-rimmed glasses up her angular nose and peered closely at Alice. “Are you one of those women nurses I’ve heard about?”

  Alice’s relaxed shoulders again stiffened at Miss Steele’s question as she silently nodded her response. Would the woman tell her to find a husband and behave as God intended women of her class? Alice’s own uncle and aunt lambasted her choice to train as a nurse, cursing women like Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton for filling Alice’s head with silly ideas.

  The old woman grinned impishly and cackled. “Good for you. Don’t settle for a man and children if you want something else in life.”

  Nodding, Alice still remained quiet, though she did relax. The woman’s words stirred up a familiar ache. Nursing was a way to fill her life since she seemed doomed to remain a spinster. But, oh how Alice longed to be a wife and mother.

  Already thirty-years-old, nearly thirty-one. She grieved that the possibility of motherhood had almost passed her by. Just like it did the old spinster sitting next to her.

  “Kilbourne City!”

  The call from the conductor pulled an audible sigh of relief from Alice. One that came from her toes and rolled upward and out her mouth. Finally, she could start the life she’d trained to live.

  The hours of sitting on the padded seats took their toll as Alice tried to rise. She flopped downward as her bad knee refused to immediately bend. A hand shot into her line of vision, followed by a yelp.

  Looking up in surprise at the sound, she glimpsed the persistent man holding his forearm as Miss Steele’s cane pulled away from it. Her rescuer threw a look of encouragement Alice’s way and advised, “Take your time, Miss Cordell. We’re just pulling into the station and will have a jolt as the train stops. You may wish to wait until after that before rising.”

  Trying to hide her movement under the duster she wore to protect her traveling dress—a garment left over from the prosperous years for her father’s business—Alice surreptitiously rubbed her left thigh. Her own family had thought Alice would suffer pain in the calf or just below her knee.

  Actually, knee problems always caused pain above, in the thigh. She’d learned that from years of suffering as well as from a doctor in the hospital she’d trained in back in Baltimore, nearby the Harrow School of Nursing.

  The train came smoothly to a stop with very little of the jolt Miss Steele had predicted. The old schoolteacher glared at the obnoxious rake when he waited for Alice to rise.

  “Ladies first.” The man bowed slightly in her direction as he taunted them with those words.

  “Get off with you, you bounder. We’ll leave once you have.”

  Giving him a jaundiced look, she muttered almost under her breath. Almost, but Alice still caught the woman’s words. “I can’t believe your father is so pleasant and you behave this way.”

  By this time, the conductor had returned to the train car after helping other passengers out, frowning in their direction. Before reaching them, he spoke with concern lacing his voice. “Is there a problem here? I have a schedule to keep and need to have you disembark if this is your stop.”

  Alice privately thanked the Lord for Miss Steele’s presence. The woman took command with an air of confidence. “Please tell this man to leave. We will disembark once the bounder has left us alone.”

  The conductor turned to their fellow passenger. When the railroad employee opened his mouth to speak, the annoying man shook his head. “Don’t bother. I’m leaving.” With a huff, he jammed a low crowned hat onto his red hair and stomped away.

  By this time, Alice was on her feet. She took a first tottering step and gripped Miss Steele’s nearby arm to keep from falling. The woman eyed her warily.

  “I think you need this cane more than I do. Why don’t you use one, my dear?”

  Alice only shook her head. She was holding her breath against the pain from that first step and couldn’t form an answer.

  Another step. Less pain this time. A third step and the stiffness was at least easing, even if the pain persisted. Alice had lived with chronic pain so long that she could manage to push through it. The stiffness had been the cause of her poor balance. With it almost gone, she finally gave Miss Steele a weak smile.

  “Really, I can do without a cane. I only needed to walk out some stiffness, and it’s already gone.”

  The harried conductor grabbed both ladies’ carpetbags and ushered them from his train car. A toot from the train’s whistle signaled the “all aboard” for passengers on the platform, and Alice was shoved by people rushing to board.

  Next to her, the old schoolmarm grumbled about “people not using the manners their mothers taught them,” but Alice understood.

  They’d inconvenienced other passengers. No, really it was the horrid man who’d inconvenienced them all. And she didn’t even remember his name to avoid him in town.

  Of course, a nurse or doctor couldn’t refuse treatment to a patient. If she saw him professionally, she’d have to help. But what were the chances of that in a large town or city?

  With an arm looped through Alice’s, the old teacher led her from the platform and past the small, wood-framed building that housed a waiting room and the ticket window. As they approached the street, Alice suddenly stopped, nearly
pulling her companion off her feet.

  “My trunk and my carpetbag! They’re back on the platform!”

  The other woman made a tutting sound before gruffly trying to reassure Alice. “Now, I’m sure your employer will take care of them when he arrives. We must find him first. Then it will all work out.”

  In front of the depot, a young man waved enthusiastically in their direction. Miss Steele disengaged her arm from Alice’s and returned the wave.

  “My nephew is here. He’s such a nice boy to not keep me waiting on him.”

  As the nephew climbed down from his buggy and approached them, Alice searched the other vehicles parked on the packed earth that formed a lot in front of the depot. She saw a farm wagon and dismissed that. A doctor would hardly use that. Spying a buggy that looked right for a doctor, she took a step toward it but stopped as she saw a man help an older woman into it.

  No one else waited. Where was her employer? Had an emergency kept him from greeting her arrival?

  Turning to Miss Steele, she saw the woman point with her cane toward a pile of luggage. After waiting for her to finish speaking, Alice worriedly suggested, “I think I’d best check with the depot manager to find out if Doctor MacKenzie left a message for me.”

  Mention of that name grabbed the young man’s attention. “I doubt if you’ll hear from the doctor, miss.” He blushed as he darted a glance at her and then looked down at his feet.

  Staring at his bent head, Alice prodded for more details. “Why do you say that? Has Doctor MacKenzie left town?”

  He looked up again, briefly, showing worried blue eyes. Once he again faced his feet, the boy muttered, “I guess you could say that.”

  His aunt had had enough of him sidestepping Alice’s questions. “Well, speak up, Thad! The lady asked you a question. Be polite enough to give her a straight answer.”

  At the woman’s tone, the boy lifted his head and squared his shoulders. “Yes, Auntie.”