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Nicole bent low and gathered her in her arms. “Sweetie, go and take your seat,” she murmured. “I plan to teach you and the other children some letters of the alphabet today.”
“You look so sad suddenly,” Hannah murmured. She placed her tiny hands gently on Nicole’s cheeks. “Why?”
“I’m not sad,” Nicole said, trying to give the child a smile that looked sincere. She truly regretted having to take these children’s dreams away.
She reached up, removed Hannah’s hands from her cheeks and held them tenderly for a moment. “It’s just that I want to be a good teacher,” she murmured. “It’s my first day, you know.”
Hannah smiled. “You will be the best teacher in the world,” she said, then went back to her desk and sat down.
Hannah smiled over her shoulder at Nicole, who still stood at the window. Nicole knew that this tiny child recognized Nicole’s hesitance and was trying to reassure her that things would be all right.
Nicole returned the smile and felt sad about deceiving these children, especially these four sweet girls, for this was the one and only day she would be teaching them anything.
She hoped the town would find another teacher soon, as she could see the eagerness in these children’s eyes to learn.
But Nicole most certainly could not be their teacher. Nor would she be the mother who would give the four sisters a brother.
She forced a smile on her face and hoped that she was hiding her stiffness as she went to the front of the room and stood at the chalkboard. She picked up a piece of chalk and again printed her name in big letters. She pointed to each letter as she spoke it aloud to the children, then again told them her name.
“And now, children, which one of you wants to come to the chalkboard and learn how to print your name?” Nicole asked.
She smiled to herself, for she was not at all surprised when Hannah was the first to raise her hand.
“Me! Me!” Hannah said, eagerness in her dark brown eyes.
“Come, then, Hannah, and let the children see you print your name. Then you can choose who will be the next to place their name on the chalkboard beside yours,” Nicole said.
Hannah printed her name, then turned with a broad smile and pointed to a boy her same age. “Adam,” she said, not at all shy, as Nicole would have expected her to be at choosing a boy over the other girls.
Nicole could only smile at that, and love the child all the more for proving that she was an individual who could express her own wants and needs.
This child was someone special and Nicole hoped that Hannah would have the opportunity to follow her own dreams into the future, as Nicole had.
Nicole had thought and dreamed for so long of being a teacher. She had eagerly attended school and learned everything there was to learn in order to be the best teacher possible.
And now?
She would only teach for this one day and then must abandon her post. Now she doubted she would ever be able to teach. Surely it was just not meant to be.
She looked from the window again toward the mountain where her heart longed to be.
Eagle Wolf.
Oh, how she wanted to see him again. She prayed that when she went to that mountain again, she would find him and he would know that she had followed her heart.
He had shown such kindness and love while they were together. She knew that their destinies were intertwined.
She had to make certain they were intertwined forever.
Yes, she must find him!
And she would not let herself doubt the outcome of her search. When she was determined to accomplish something, there was no stopping her.
“Miss Tyler, is it my turn to go to the chalkboard and write my name?” Kathryn suddenly asked, breaking through Nicole’s deep thoughts.
“Miss Tyler, can I?” Kathryn persisted. “Can I go now? Adam is finished writing his name. Can I? Can I have my turn?”
“Why, you most certainly can,” Nicole said, smiling at Kathryn while the child came up to the board and painstakingly wrote her name.
