Page 44 of Choices of the Heart

“Heisgrowing older,” Sophie acknowledged.

“Mrs. Archer means to suggest to him that I would be a good choice for taking over his practice.”

“Truly?” She looked surprised. He supposed that was understandable; the offer had caught him off guard too.

“She has confidence in me as a doctor and feels I would do a good job of looking after Dr. Norwood’s patients.”

“They, of course, couldn’t hope for a better doctor.”

He smiled at her, appreciating the compliment. “I would have to sort out what to do about Hope Springs. Without me, they wouldn’t have a doctor, and they need one. There are enough difficulties here that the valley would quickly be in dire straits.”

“Oh.” She sounded every bit as surprised as she had when he’d first told her about the offer. “Then, you have decided to accept.”

“Not decided.” They reached his waiting buggy. Keeping her hand in his, he leaned his back against the side of the vehicle. “I am pondering the offer. I’m sincerely considering it.”

“You would leave Hope Springs?” she asked.

“I would have an infirmary that was already functioning. It would have furniture that I wasn’t required to make from scraps. I wouldn’t be saving every penny trying to obtain the medications I needed, knowing there were some that might be forever out of my reach.”

“And your practice and patients would be impressive.”

“I can’t think of anyone who would consider the Baltimore practice a failure.”

“People like Dr. Montgomery?”

“Or any of the many people who assumed I would amount to nothing.”

Her brow pulled low. “Is that still what is most important to you? That other people approve of what you’ve accomplished?”

“It isn’t just the that. It’s something bigger, something deeper.”

“I know,” she said. “I hadn’t meant to make you feel badly about this opportunity. I really hadn’t. Your memories of Robert’s stories helped me understand something that I’m not even certainyouunderstand. Having the comfort that comes from not scraping together a living or a home, the idea of having all you needed and extra, has meant something enormous to you for nearly all your life. It brings reassurance and hope. I can understand how that would be very appealing.”

“But you still don’t seem to truly approve.”

She stepped a little away, shaking her head. “Again, it is not my approval or anyone else’s that should matter to you in these things. You need to see the value in what you do. You need to be proud of and excited about the path you’re taking.You, not anyone else.”

“Is it so wrong that I had hoped that you would be excited?”

“Of course not, but that’s not what you were saying. If it were simply a matter of whether or not I was happy for you, that would be a different discussion altogether. But that’s not ever what you say. You’re forever wondering if what you do and who you are is good enough for other people. I wish you could see what the people of this town see, Burke Jones. You’ve always been good enough for them. More than ‘good enough,’ you matter to them. And not just as a doctor. They enjoy having you here. You, the person, not merely the physician. I wish there were a way to help you see that.”

“The people of Baltimore would likely be happy to have me as well.”

She smiled, but something in the expression was a little sad. “I would hope they would be wise enough to bemorethan pleased to have you. I would hope they would realize how fortunate they are.”

“They?” he repeated, realizing he was echoing Mrs. Archer’s question to him a few weeks earlier. “Do you not consider yourself one of them?”

She sighed a little. “Lately, I don’t know what I think.”

And on that confusing declaration, she walked back to the house, leaving him beside his buggy, more confused and more unsure than he had been in a long time.

Sophie walked with her arm through Mrs. Archer’s along the banks of the Hope Springs river. Joseph and Katie’s farm was ideally situated for spending a peaceful afternoon enjoying the beauties of nature. Sophie would miss that when she eventually left.

“Joseph has made a fine life for himself here, hasn’t he?” Mrs. Archer said.

“He certainly has. He has a prosperous farm and a beautiful family. He’s able to still be involved in the business in Baltimore, which is a benefit to both of you. And he gets to live here amongst the friendliest of neighbors, which is a decidedly lovely thing.”

“You have grown fond of Hope Springs,” Mrs. Archer said.

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