“What?”
“Well, taking all those classes, then struggling to prove yourself all over again. Being competent and smart, then dealing with people who believed you were neither.”
“How kind of you to say.” Eliza swallowed a bite of potatoes and gravy. “It’s a struggle sometimes, but I knew it would be when I made the decision to attend medical school. The doctor I worked with in St. Louis was understanding. He had me work with patients, women mainly. Still, I was never able to use my surgical training. I made the decision to continue on to California.” She looked outside at the gently falling snow. “And now…” She spread her hands. “Here I am.”
She set down her fork to stare out the window. After a bit, she let out a breath. “And what brought you ladies here?”
Rachel cradled her cup of coffee in both hands and leaned back in her chair. “Well, my story begins back east during the war. I was a nurse for the Union Army, tending to the wounded and ill. When the war ended, my uncle invited me to work at his clinic in Splendor.”
A wistful look crossed her face. “Dax was a Confederate officer during the war. Afterward, he left the south and traveled to Texas with his brother, Luke.” She nodded at Ginny. “They became Texas Rangers. When a fellow Ranger was killed, he asked them to make sure his ranch in Montana went to the legal owners. So, they came here and discovered their friend had left them the ranch. We butted heads at first. But over time, we fell in love.”
“What a nice story.” Eliza turned to Ginny. “What about you? How’d you meet your husband?”
Ginny blushed slightly. “Well, my younger sister and I ended up here after our parents died. I actually worked for Suzanne for a while before Rachel offered me a job. I was in the kitchen at the ranch, putting up supplies in the cupboard, when Luke returned from an assignment. He’d been working for the Pinkerton Agency. He thought I’d snuck in and was stealing. Well, we worked it out and fell in love.”
Eliza smiled at the two women, touched by their stories. She set down her coffee cup and straightened in her seat, becoming uncomfortable at the somewhat personal discussion. It was her own fault for asking.
“Where did you go to medical school?” Rachel asked.
“I grew up in Syracuse, New York. My father was a doctor, so I was immersed in medicine from a young age. I attended Syracuse Medical College and was one of two women in my class.” Eliza gave a wry smile. “Needless to say, it was a challenge to gain respect in such a male-dominated field. I persevered and graduated with honors.” She gazed out the window, noting the storm had let up some, allowing her to see the mountains in the distance covered in snow. “The rest you already know.”
Rachel leaned forward eagerly. “Well, we’re glad to have you, even if it’s for a little while. Since you are here, I should introduce you to the doctors at our clinic. Their backgrounds are quite impressive.”
“We’ll see. I don’t know how long I’ll stay.”
“With this much snow so early, it would be impossible to cross the pass toward San Francisco,” Ginny said.
Rachel grinned at her sister-in-law. “She’s right. I doubt you’ll get out of here for at least eight weeks. I was thinking. Why don’t you come out and stay with us at the ranch for a spell? It’llgive you a taste of life on a large ranch. I know Luke and Dax would be pleased to have you as our guest.”
Eliza hesitated. “I wouldn’t want to be a bother.” She wasn’t thrilled about the idea of staying at a rustic ranch cabin for even one day, thinking they probably didn’t have running water or enough wood stoves to heat the rooms.
Rachel pressed on. “You’d be no bother at all. There’s a guest room already made up. Oh, do say you’ll come, if only for a couple nights.”
Inwardly groaning, Eliza forced a smile. “Well, how can I refuse such a gracious invitation? I’d be delighted to accept your hospitality and see the ranch.”
Rachel beamed. “Wonderful. I can’t wait to get your reaction to Redemption’s Edge.”
When Eliza’s brow lifted, Ginny clarified. “It’s the name of our ranch.”
“Such an interesting name. I’m looking forward to learning all about a working ranch. The few I’ve seen have been quite small, with a few horses and maybe a couple cows.”
“Well then, this is going to be quite enlightening.” Ginny laughed.
After packing enough for three or four days, Eliza sat on the wagon bench on one side of Rachel while Ginny sat on the other. The storm had cleared, though she knew it could be a temporary respite from the harsh weather.
The scenery on the road to Redemption’s Edge was spectacular. Turning a winding corner, a large ranch house came into view.
“Over there is the main ranch house,” Ginny said as the wagon wheels crunched through the frozen mud.
Eliza’s eyes widened as she took in all the buildings. “It’s rather large.”
Rachel chuckled. “We’ve added to it over the years. It has ten bedrooms.”
“Ten?” Eliza’s brows rose.
“We have company quite often. Ginny and Luke have two children and so do Dax and I.”
Dax, Luke, Bull, and Spencer were standing near the barn, deep in discussion, as the wagon approached.
