Chapter 1

I stopped my horse as I heard the door slam loudly and knew exactly what was coming.

"James Timothy McAllister, just where do you think you are going?" Was the icy voice asking a question or making a statement? Regardless, an answer was due.

"Now sugar, you know very well that is Wednesday and I have to go to Mountain Top to check in with Miz Maisy. I have to get the weekly reports on my patients and any new births or deaths."

"What about my condition? Isn't it important, too?" " What if I go into labor and you aren't here, what am I suppose to do? I have no idea why you cotton to going up in the hills to visit those heathen people and insist on caring for them, Lord knows they don't give a flit about you and I am tired of being paid with eggs, chickens and vegetables." "Don't they know that bills should be paid with cash money? If not maybe you should explain that to them!"

"Abigail MaryAnn Beaumont McAllister whatever has come over you?" "You know very well that Bet and Addie can take care of you and Thomas can ride over to Mountain Top if there is an emergency, besides darling you have over 3 weeks left until you are term and have had a very healthy time. Why just look at you, cheeks all rosy and your hair and skin have never been so soft and smooth. Why I would just bet any of the town women would give their best silverware to look as good as you during their time of confinement." "Now I'll be back around dark and we'll eat supper together, you just rest on the porch and keep sewing on my boy's wardrobe, we can't have the doctor's son running around naked in the front yard, what would the gossips say?"

"Why James, what ever in the world makes you think this is a boy? For all you know if could be a girl." "Now get on and hurry up and get back. We'll hold supper for you but I can't make promises on dessert." And with a sly wink she turned and went back into the kitchen to eat breakfast.

I kicked my horse into a gallop and left the side yard before she could change her mind and give me another ear lopping. I stopped when I got to the top of the hill and turned to wave, as was customary and I could see a handkerchief waving back at me. I know that pride is suppose to be a sin but a man couldn't ask for a better life. The blessings we had received had to be directly from God above. The valley where we lived was lush and green and provided the best weather around, not too hot and not too cold, all of the seasons were mild. The land was fertile and put forth a good yield to supplement our little group. Our two level house had plenty of room for us to welcome visitors and to put up family when they came for a visit, which wasn't very often. We were about 1 mile out from town and a good 2 hours riding time to Mountain Top.

Gabby, as I so often called my wife, was born into a very large southern family of very old money and new ideas. Which, I believed helped with the decision for her to marry me and move to a remote part on the state so that I could establish my own medical practice. The life that we led here wasn't what she born into but she had adapted very well and seem to enjoy being the doc's wife. Seeing as to how her daddy told her that she had better marry when she had the chance, her being the youngest and the most exposed to his points of views and loud ways of expressing them, she surely wasn't going to find a local boy to take her on. With her strawberry brown hair and medium complexion she was able to work outside and not be affected by the sun. She still looked at 21 as she had when I met her at 18.

I will never forget the day I came riding up in their front yard to treat an older brother who had been thrown from a horse. After I had dismounted and was let into the house, I was directed up the the stairs and to the 3rd door on the left. From about half way up I could her a loud female voice admonishing my patient, "you are about as crazy as an outhouse rat, what in the world were you thinking Clayton Henry Beaumont?" " I swear you are going to be the death of our momma, what with her worrying about you from sun up to sun down, I don't care if you are 21 years old, daddy ought to take a strap to you and beat you until your nose bleeds."

At that point I thought that I had better enter the room to save the patient from other afflictions and knock loudly. When the door opened I expected to be greeted by a scrawny little girl in pigtails and barefoot, instead I was greeted by a young women with the most beautiful strawberry ringlets I had ever seen. She was about 5 foot and 5 inches tall, with a light dusting of freckles on her nose and a small, bowed mouth.

"Well, are you going to come in or are you just going to stand there gawking all day?" "I suppose you are doc's helper seeing as to how he ain't here?"

"Isn't here dahling, isn't here" came a small, quiet voice from the corner. As I stepped into the room I spied a middle age woman sitting in the corner darning what looked like a basket of socks from a small village. When she rose to meet me I was surprised at her small stature, why she couldn't be more than 5 foot tall. "Hello Doctor McAllister, I am Abigail Beaumont, you have met my daughter Abigail and lying over here on the bed is my youngest son, Clay." "In answer to your next question, no, it does not get confusing to have two Abigails in the house, we refer to my daughter as Gabby, I sure you couldn't imagine why? My husband decided that since all 8 of our children had his last name I should at least get credit for one." I heard a small sigh from Gabby as I walked towards the bed.

"Well Clay tell me what happened." "Ok doc, Major just bought a new filly in town." "Major is my husband" Mrs. Beaumont interjected.

"Anyway, he told Mose to put her into the corral next to the other horses so she could get used to the scents around here and adjust to the changes and after a couple of days we would move her into the breeding pen. I just had to go and see her, she was the prettiest honey brown you had ever seen and she was nuzzling my hand and letting me rub her ears and I thought well heck, I sure I can ride her, she seems to be right calm. As soon as old Mose went into the barn I eased over the fence and talked to her real quiet like. I guided her over to the mount box and thought I would take her around the corral a couple of times, bareback, just to see if I could claim her and we did all right for about a lap or two but then she spooked something awful and started bucking, twisting and jumping to get me off her back." Gabby interrupted "And she did too, right over the top fence rail and into a water trough."

"Miss Gabby, why don't you leave the room so that your brother can undress and I can check him over." "Why? You think he's got something I ain't never seen?"

"Has something I have never seen" Mrs. Beaumont corrected, "but you still need to leave the room." And then the love of my life stomped out of the room and slammed the door behind her. "I declare, that girl is her father's daughter" stated Mrs. Beaumont.