CHAPTER 10Mary picked up the newspaper and flipped through it. She wasn't interested in its contents, but it gave her something to do instead of dwelling on her thoughts.She briefly read some of the columns, was convinced that there was nothing in it, and was about to close it when she saw it.Opening the paper fully, she took a second look at what had grabbed her attention. It was an advertisement placed in one of the middle sections. However, it wasn't the fact that it was an ad that piqued her curiosity. It was what the ad specified. A doctor urgently needed a female nurse with experience.Well, she was a nurse, and one with a lot of experience. Checking further, she saw that the address was in California. She had heard things about California- about the sights and much more. It was one of those places she had dreamed about settling in before the war began. This could be her opportunity to move there finally.

CHAPTER 12Mary came down from the coach, her back aching and her legs tired- even though she had not walked from New Hampshire. The stagecoach she took had encountered some fault along the way, severally, and the journey had taken longer than she expected.All she wanted to do was find where the doctor lived, drop her bags, take a shower, and sleep for as long as possible. She knew it could present her as unprofessional, but she doubted that she could be of any use in the state she currently was. All she desired was rest- lots of it.She had tried to sleep once or twice during the journey, but the coach's nose kept her awake. After bumping her head against the door, as she dozed off at intervals, she had pried her eyes open and waited the hours out in silence.Thankfully, the driver had not attempted to engage her in small talk except when he had to apologise for stopping the coach. The last time she had taken a co

CHAPTER 14Mary walked outside the medical clinic down to the main road, dragging both bags, grumbling to herself. She was tired, and the bags felt twice as heavy as they did when she had gotten lost. At least, at that point, Mary still had a sliver of hope. She knew she had come to a place where she wanted to be, had a job she knew she loved, and would meet the doctor she so much admired. How could things have gone from a hundred to zero in the space of hours?Maybe getting lost should have been the first sign to her. Then the uproar should have been the second. Both things had not happened to her since she had returned home. But no, her mind had been fixed on an optimistic assumption. That she would get to his place, take a bath, sleep, and work would begin proper.Well, look at that turned out. A total nightmare! How could she not have figured it out? That she had applied for a job with the worst person? That she had gotten an appointment w

CHAPTER 16Mary walked behind Sam, keeping a fair distance between them.  Not because she did think he would harm her- not after what he did, but because she had no idea what to say to him.When the men had walked away, leaving her standing alone, she had opened her mouth to thank him, but the look on his face stopped her from saying a word.He did not want her to talk to him. He had only said two words, "follow me," and she had followed meekly behind him.Why did he come to save her? She thought in her head over and over again. After the harsh words they had exchanged, she had expected him to be glad of her absence.Standing in the middle of the crowd, she had given up hope. There would be no one to save her, and these men- as many as they were, would be free to do whatever they wanted. Imagine her surprise when she had sighted him and a much larger surprise when he walked through the crowd.

CHAPTER 18  Joel walked as fast as he could to his office, his thoughts racing. He had been called from his home to his office a couple of times, but not with the frantic expression he had seen on the sheriff’s face. It was pure, unadulterated fear. What could be wrong that could scare him that much? And how could the accident have involved so many people that he told Mary to tag along? He thought about the worst-case scenarios he could come up with in a bid to prepare himself.Maybe a huge boulder had fallen, and some people had gotten severely injured- limbs that needed to be amputated and deep, gashing injuries. “How many patients are we talking about?” he asked Edwards. If he did not have room for them, treating them could constitute a problem. “I don’t know, Doc. I was called up to the mine, and I saw the mine supervisor bring out some of them. He told m