The Sound of Emily's Voice

By Lisa Smelter

Forty-year-old bachelor veterinarian Jonathan Ryan is struck to his core the first time he hears the sound of Emily’s voice. It’s not only the sweet lilt of her voice that affects him, but also the fact that the boy she is tutoring at the time—his nephew—is laughing and relaxed, both rare occurrences. Jon is intrigued.
English professor Emily Erickson is recovering from an automobile accident that has left her with physical limitations and has undermined her self-worth. She dedicates herself to nothing less than a full recovery while navigating her first real romance.
Can this man of nature and this woman of words find love in Litton?
Devoted followers of Lisa Smelter’s Love in Litton series will no doubt recognize familiar names and places as this romance covers the distance between the beloved Minnesota town and Redding, Iowa.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Captured Muse Entertainment
• Release date: May 7, 2024
• ISBN: 9781662939068

Book preview

CHAPTER

One

Emily chuckled at Caleb’s droll comment. He was far too young to be so cynical. She sometimes found herself disconcerted at the stark difference between his appearance and that of his parents. Caleb was a very tall skinny teenage boy with a wispy mustache on his pimpled face. His Adam’s apple stuck out like a beacon in his scrawny neck, and his light brown frizzy hair was too long and had no shape. It hung lankly on his head and flopped around when he moved. Caleb did not look or act like either of his parents, who were tall, elegant, and attractive people.

While Caleb went into the fridge to get a beverage, she briefly reflected on the events that led to being his tutor. After her car accident, she had lain in bed for months healing from her devastating injuries. She had to temporarily give up her job as an English professor at the college as well as her great apartment. As her gaze fell on her left leg, she recollected ruefully another painful loss, that being the fun of driving a car—and she loved driving. The wind blowing her hair around when she sped down the road with her car window open was always a freeing sensation. Now her leg was twisted and scarred and still giving her a great deal of trouble. Healing but not yet able to drive, at least she was out of a wheelchair and walking with a cane.

Emily had made tremendous progress since that terrible day months ago when a young student crashed into her car. She had come to terms with her life as it was now because she was a courageous and normally happy young woman. Her sheer determination to get better and resume her life had helped her.

Of course, she had plenty of other people who also helped her. Her greatest cheerleader was Casey Miltown, her elder sister by five years. Casey and her family took Emily in after she was finally released from the hospital. Their parents now lived in Florida, and Emily did not want to move there. Casey’s husband, Andrew, and their eleven-year-old daughter, Chelsey, were also very supportive of Emily and all of the special accommodations she now needed. The Miltowns were kind and generous with their home and possessions. Emily thought that she would never be able to repay them for immediately coming to her aid when she most needed their help.

Because Emily was likely to need a walking cane for months, maybe even for the rest of her life, Casey and Andrew had a beautiful cane designed for her. It was a lightweight, sturdy chestnut cane, lovingly carved with flowers and birds along its length. The sleek light brown finish glowed with warmth and even matched the color of Emily’s shiny hair.

Since Emily couldn’t climb the stairs to her apartment, or any stairs for that matter, the Miltowns turned their main floor living room into a bedroom for her. It was quite a sacrifice for them to go without a general living area in which to watch TV, listen to music, or hang out and play board games. They had always done those things before they invited Emily to live with them.

Chelsey and Casey covered the room divider between Emily’s new bedroom and the dining room with pictures and wall art, so it didn’t look so odd. They were very careful to give Emily her privacy behind that room divider.

Because Emily’s newish Toyota Camry was totaled in the accident, her insurance paid for a new car. As soon as she was released from the hospital, Emily, Casey, and Andrew went to look at new cars. Emily’s eye was caught by a beautiful deep red Toyota Camry Ascent; she liked Toyotas. She would not be able to drive it for a while, but Casey piped up and said that she would ferry Emily to and from wherever she wanted to go. So . . . Emily got a new car. She couldn’t wait until her leg was so much better that she could drive it for herself.

* * *

Jonathan Ryan, Caleb’s uncle, was staying with his sister and her family for two weeks while he was in town for a conference. He was a veterinarian and was lecturing at the conference. While he was in town, he also guest taught in some veterinary classes at the college for his good friend, Ken, talking with the students about real life veterinary practices.

He and Ken had gone to college together and remained good friends. Ken invited Jon to guest teach in his classes during both fall and spring semesters. Jon enjoyed it very much. It gave him an excuse to get away from his vet practice for a few weeks several times a year. That was fine because he had a partner in his practice. It was a large practice that served several small towns and their surrounding communities—about thirty square miles.

That Wednesday in early April, he walked into his sister’s house and heard a very sweet and pleasant voice coming from the kitchen. Listening more carefully, he heard Caleb’s voice make some reply. Then, amazingly, he heard Caleb laugh. It was a rusty sound, coming from someone who laughed all too seldom. Caleb was such a quiet and somber young man who Jon had only seen and heard laugh a handful of times in eighteen years. Intrigued, Jon went into the kitchen to see who was making his nephew laugh. He expected to see some young teenage girl.

Instead, Jon was surprised to see a woman, between twenty-five and thirty years old, sitting on the rocking chair with the orange kitty on her lap. Tucker, the old sheep dog, was lying as near to her as he could get and still be free from the rocker. It was one thing to rest comfortably in someone’s arms while the contraption gently lulled an occupant to sleep yet quite another to have a tail caught beneath.

Jon looked at her and saw her gleaming short honey brown hair. As he regarded her pleasant face, he was surprised by the appearance of a long scar on the left side of her head. It was still pink and raised as if the injury was fairly recent. Hoping that his expression did not betray his surprise, he observed that her deep brown eyes were twinkling and her wide gentle mouth was smiling. She has a lovely smile, Jon thought.

He walked into the kitchen and said, Hello, it’s good to hear someone laughing. My whole day was spent with intense people who were either listening to every word and writing them down, or making speeches.

He stopped talking to look down on the woman. Her face was raised up to look at him. Her eyes were bright and beautiful, with their long dark curly lashes framing them. Her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink and her mouth was still smiling from whatever she had said to make Caleb laugh.

She held out a small pretty hand, and they shook hands. Jon immediately liked her. He wondered about the scar but then forgot it when they started talking. Her voice was calm and had so much expression that he felt like closing his eyes and just listening to her talk. She should be on the radio or dubbing audio books, he thought with an inner smile.

My name is Jonathan Ryan, and I am this young scallywag’s uncle. I’m staying with my sister and her family while I’m attending lectures at the college—and who are you?

Emily smiled at him. My name is Emily Erickson. I’m tutoring Caleb, so he will be prepared to take the ACT test next month. This is my third night tutoring him. I’m here from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m.

She looked at Caleb and briskly said, Caleb, if you are done with your break, we’ll get back to work, okay?

She looked back at Jon and said pleasantly, It was nice to meet you, Mr. Ryan. Please excuse us. We have to get back to our studies. With that, she stiffly rose, grabbed her cane, and hobbled to the table. Her notebook and ACT prep manual were spread out there.

Jon tried not to stare at her when she hobbled to the table. He now understood that she had been in some kind of accident and was still healing.

Arriving back to home base each evening, Jon quietly listened to Emily talking and heard her gentle, but firm voice, giving his nephew confidence. He usually waited until nearly 8:30 p.m. each evening before going into the kitchen. He didn’t want to interrupt their tutoring session. Truth be told, he could have sat in the living room for hours, just listening to Emily’s sweet voice. Even if he could make out her words—which he couldn’t—it wouldn’t matter. It was the lilt of her voice and the sweetness it conveyed that made him close his eyes and imagine that she was speaking directly to him.

This sudden realization caught Jon off guard. Attractive women had caught his eye before, to be sure, but never had he been so struck by a voice from another room prior to setting eyes on the speaker.

Jon knew that most juniors in high school took the ACT test in the spring. This gave colleges a chance to review the scores over the summer and the new high school seniors time to narrow their choices of postsecondary schools. He also knew that Caleb had refused to take the ACT test last year, claiming that he was just not ready.

Caleb’s parents offered to supply a tutor for him this year so that he would be more confident taking the test in his senior year. He generally earned good grades in his classes, but he was a nervous and serious young man. His parents and Jon prayed that Caleb would grow in confidence after the tutoring sessions. The Conrads searched long and hard before finding a tutor they liked. Jon could tell that Emily was the right person for the job.

These two weeks of lectures and teaching Ken’s class were stressful. Yet, at the close of the day, Jonathan looked forward to relaxing to the sound of Emily’s voice from another room. If he was a timid or fearful young man—or perhaps a blind one—he felt certain that he would be soothed by her gentle, kind voice.

She was full of fun, too, as he heard Caleb laughing every day with her. He could almost see Caleb’s confidence grow daily with her help.

Jon was intrigued by Emily. After the third evening of visiting the kitchen at 8:30 p.m., he learned that she was a college Professor of English. She was currently living with her sister, Casey, and her family. She had already come a long way and was trying to strengthen her leg so she could get rid of the cane and start to drive again. His intrepid queries were met with polite candor.

It’s a long and often painful process, Emily said, in answer to his questions.

Every time Jon went into the kitchen to talk with Emily and Caleb, she looked at him with an absence of self-consciousness. She had come to terms with her limitations for the moment, and she was always friendly and even-tempered. Jon admired her so much for that.

Jon looked forward to seeing Emily every day. He knew that she would soon wrap up her tutoring with Caleb and be off to work with another student. Jon, himself, would soon be leaving Litton to go back home to his veterinary practice in Iowa. He was saddened that he would likely never see her again. Regardless, he would remember her voice and her smile for the rest of his life.

The last day of tutoring came. Jon’s parents were both there. They were very complimentary to Emily when they paid her for her service. Everyone was in a happy mood, and jokes were flying around the kitchen when Jonathan walked in. He had one more day to guest teach at the college before taking the weekend off prior to driving home Monday morning.

Hey, everyone. It sounds like there’s a party here. Am I missing something? Jon asked in an interested voice.

No, Uncle Jon. We’re not having a party, even though we probably should. We are just talking with Emily before she leaves us. She’s promised to keep in touch with me, though. I want to share my ACT test results with her. She has the weekend off before she starts tutoring someone else next Monday.

Caleb’s voice was light, even though he was feeling a little sad. He had truly enjoyed learning with Emily. She made everything interesting and fun. He felt quite confident that he would score high on the ACT test in three weeks.

They stayed, talking and laughing, for another half hour. When Emily packed up her briefcase and grabbed her coat, in preparation of leaving, Jon stood up to assist her. He helped her put on her light jacket and grabbed her cane, which had been leaning against the table. Handing it to her, he looked deeply into her eyes for a few moments. Her eyes are so beautiful, Jon thought, again. Her face was a bit sad as she stared at him for a few seconds, too.

It was lovely to meet you, Emily. I enjoyed your laughter. Every night, I listened to you work with Caleb. And every night, I heard Caleb laugh. He hasn’t done that very often over these last eighteen years. You have been good for him. Thank you. I’m sure that his parents already thanked you, but I wanted to add my sentiments, too. I hope you take care of yourself and have all wonderful students to tutor. Goodbye. Jonathan squeezed her small hand gently.

Thank you, Jonathan. I have enjoyed meeting you, too. I’ve always been interested in animals, and I would have become a vet if I hadn’t decided to teach. Your stories of some of your four-legged patients were so interesting and funny. I’ll always remember them. Goodbye. Emily’s voice was soft and quiet, as if she was finding it difficult to say goodbye to Jon and this wonderful family.

As they all walked Emily to the door, they saw a red Toyota waiting in the driveway.

That’s my ride. Goodbye, everyone. Caleb, please make sure you email me when you find out your score, okay? Emily smiled once more at all of them and waved before getting into the passenger’s side of the car and driving away.

Casey had arrived at Caleb’s home forty minutes ago, thinking that Emily would be ready then. She sat patiently in the car, listening to music, waiting for her friendly talkative sister. Since it was Emily’s last night working with Caleb, she probably had a lot to say to him and his parents before she took her leave.

Casey flashed her an indulgent smile and was quick to see that her sister was holding back tears. She drove without speaking and waited for Emily to start talking. When she remained silent, Casey stayed quiet, as well. She knew that Emily would talk with her about it when she was ready.

Emily went to bed that night thinking about Jonathan Ryan. Crestfallen that she had seen the last of him, his tall, strong body and handsome face were firmly beneath her eyelids. If she had met him before the accident, she might have flirted a bit with him, just to see if he was interested in her. His intent parting gaze would remain with her.

Now, they were just two ships that passed in the night, never to see one another again. That was too bad. Emily had never been attracted to any man as much as she was attracted to Jonathan. However, he could be married for all she knew. He certainly had beautiful manners and a gentleness that made her want to weep for things that could never happen for her.

As Jonathan laid in his bed that night, he thought about Emily. It seemed to him that they should not have said goodbye. She was such a wonderful lady. He should have asked if he could meet up with her again—although she was quite young, and he was forty years old. I’m too old for someone like Emily, he thought sadly as he punched his pillow and tried to fall asleep.

Thoughts of Emily persisted as Jonathan drove home that Monday morning. The few details he had about her accident he garnered from conversations with Caleb. What was clear to him was Emily’s courage.

He didn’t want to ask Caleb or his sister more about Emily’s accident, so he planned to search the internet for information. There were bound to be a few reports of the accident. After all, Emily was a prominent teacher at Litton College.

Jon’s online search produced several articles, ranging from the day following the accident to four months later. Satisfied with his results, he printed them for a closer perusal. One article in particular seemed to provide the necessary information:

Teenager Crashes into Litton College English Teacher September 15, 2018

Last night, a car driven by Jacob Wilson, an eighteen-year-old freshman at Litton College, ran into an automobile being driven by Ms. Emily Erickson, a popular English professor at the college. Wilson’s Honda Civic hit Ms. Erickson’s Toyota Camry on Highway 3, just north of Litton College.

Erickson, who was on her way home from a college welcome banquet, was hit when Wilson turned left on Highway 3 from a side road, his vehicle striking her car on the driver’s side. The impact of the collision sent Erickson’s car flying into the ditch, where it hit a culvert and turned over onto its side. Wilson’s car flipped over on the edge of the road.

Several passersby stopped to check on the injured parties and called emergency personnel.

Both victims suffered severe injuries and were unconscious when the police and ambulances arrived.

According to a hospital spokesperson, Erickson broke her left arm in two places and received severe lacerations from her left hip down to her knee. Her head apparently hit the side window, which shattered, leaving her with a severe head injury.

Wilson broke both arms and his left leg. He has multiple lacerations on his face, chest, and arms. Both were taken to the Trauma Center at the Litton Hospital.

Jon set the printout down and exhaled deeply. Wow, he thought, She’s lucky to be alive. Despite not knowing her well, his heart hurt on her behalf. As he solemnly sat in his office, his thoughts drifted to his sister-in-law, Tammy.

Jon had lived in the Litton area for ten years—from his freshman year at Litton College until he was twenty-eight. He finally moved back to Redding, Iowa, when his parents moved off their farm to go to Texas to live with their younger son, Henry. Henry and his wife had three children, from one to four years old. Henry’s wife, Tammy, had been in a car accident and was unable to walk. She was in a wheelchair and needed help with the house and children.

Jon’s parents were in their late fifties at the time and were ready to leave the farm. They had eighty acres of land on which they grew corn and oats. Mr. Ryan said that he was getting too old to run the farm singlehandedly anymore. None of their children wanted to farm it, so they thought it best to sell. They talked with Jon about it. Jon was ready to return to Redding and start up his veterinary practice. He offered to buy part of the homestead from his parents, making it clear that he didn’t want to farm it.

He asked them to sell off the fertile land and just keep five acres with the house and barn on it. He wanted a few animals, so the barn would be needed. The house was