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“Why not?”
“Because this is between Anna and Miss Carmichael.”
“Anna’s my blood.”
“Mine as well and she needs a mother.”
“She has me.”
“I’m thankful for all you’ve done for Anna, and I know Adele would be pleased as well.”
The crone’s eyes sparked with resentment. “I’m not enough? Is that what you’re saying?”
“I’m saying, I’m thankful you were able to step in when Anna and I needed you most.”
Her lips thinned. “I insist on being there this evening.”
“No disrespect intended but this isn’t a debate, Minnie.”
“You’re determined to blaspheme my Adele’s memory.”
“No, I’m determined to do what I think is right for her daughter and mine.”
She eyed him angrily. “Carmichael won’t be half the wife my Adele was to you.”
“I need to get back to my work, Minnie. Thank you for stopping in.”
They stared at each other like enemy combatants in war, until she snapped, “This is not the end, Colton Lee.”
“Have a good day, Minnie.”
She stormed out.
Colton drew in a deep breath and silently applauded himself for not lashing out at her the way his temper demanded. Minnie tried his patience even on the best of days and the idea of him marrying again had been a bee in her bonnet since he began advertising for a second wife. It was his hope that she’d eventually accept the fact that he’d moved on with his life but she seemed unwilling to do so.
He spent the rest of the day in relative peace; there were no medical emergencies, Minnie didn’t return, but thoughts of Regan Carmichael kept surfacing like the child’s game of peekaboo.
The Paradise cemetery was an open stretch of land on the outskirts of town, and as Colt left his horse, he passed by graves marked with crude stones, weathered crosses, and others bearing no tribute at all. At the Lees’ family plot, he stopped before the gray slab atop where his mother, Isabelle, lay. He knelt to brush away the leaves and other detritus that had accumulated since his last visit and a familiar sadness took hold.
He’d hoped becoming a doctor would give him the skill and knowledge he needed to save her, but her cancer had been incurable. The last years of her life had been racked with a pain that left her bedridden and him filled with an abject helplessness. By all rights, his father, Lewis Lee, should be lying in a grave beside her, but he was among the one hundred and seventeen men of the First Kansas Colored killed at Poison Spring in 1864. His remains were never found.
Instead, beside her lay his wife, Adele. The cold granite marker bearing her name and her dates of birth and death was a sharp contrast to how warm and vibrant she’d been in life. It was her he’d come to the cemetery to see. He was on the verge of choosing someone to replace her and even though he still felt unsure about his choice, he wanted her to know that no matter the outcome, she would never be forgotten. In a way, he’d also come seeking reassurance. In spite of Minnie’s belief that a new wife would dishonor Adele’s memory, having Anna go through life motherless and without proper guidance would be more of a dishonor. She deserved the care and softness only a mother could provide, even one as unconventional as Regan Carmichael.
“I’m doing this for Anna because it’s the right thing to do, and I know you agree.”
He stood there for a moment longer; remembering, regretting, honoring, then after saying good-bye to them both, walked back to his stallion, August, and rode home.
Ben had picked Anna up from school and Colt found her sitting on the back porch. “Hello, Anna.”
She smiled. “Hello, Papa.”
“How was school today?”
“Okay. Mr. Adams gave us some sums to work on.”
“Are they hard ones?”
“No.”
