Читать книгу The Gift Of Twins - Gabrielle Meyer - Страница 13

Chapter Three

Ben returned home, disliking the way the men had surrounded Emmy. He’d seen it countless times before. As one of the only single females in town, she would be hounded incessantly. He didn’t doubt she could resist their charms—but it wouldn’t be an easy task.

He trudged through the drifting snow, his thoughts full of the young lady and all that had transpired since last evening.

A sleigh sat in front of Ben’s home. It was piled with furniture and household belongings. A man waited on the front bench, reins in hand, while half a dozen children sat huddled in the back. They looked as if they were just passing through. People often stopped by the church and parsonage for one thing or another, and he tried to accommodate everyone to the best of his ability.

“Hello,” Ben called as he drew near the parsonage. Snow continued to fall, but it was letting up and would probably stop soon. Activity had begun to commence on Main Street, though most would still be home, digging out from the storm.

A woman stood by Ben’s front door, two small children by her side. She turned when she heard Ben and grabbed each child by an arm. “Are you the pastor?”

“I am.”

The man on the buckboard gave Ben a cursory glance, but his attention was soon snagged by one of his children.

“I need to talk to you, quick,” the woman said.

“Would you and your husband like to step into the house?”

“Norm will stay outside with the children, if it’s all the same to you. We don’t have much time and I’d like to get this over with.” The woman had brown hair with strands of wiry gray at the temples. She looked tired and worn—but there was grit in the way she held her thin shoulders.

“Please step inside,” he said, opening the door.

The lady walked into Ben’s home with heavy footsteps, pulling the two children with her. Now that he was close enough to see, he noticed they were little boys, about the same age, if he were to guess.

Ben closed the door behind them, but didn’t make a motion to remove his hat, or invite her farther inside. “How may I help you?”

“These here are my sister’s boys, Zebulun and Levi. They’re twins, five years old.” She grasped each one’s wrist. “Their ma died when they were three and their pa wasn’t fit to raise them, so she sent ’em to me.” She let them go and gave a decided nod. “My husband and me ain’t got the means or the energy to raise ’em no more. I’ve got six of my own, and one more on the way, and we’re just plumb wore out.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Ben stood there expectantly, wondering why she’d come. Did she need money? He kept some on hand for situations like this one. “If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”

“You can take ’em off my hands.” She started to move to the door. “That’s why I’ve come and now I’m heading out with my man. We’re going north and want to get a move on before another storm takes us by surprise.”

Alarm rang inside Ben’s head as he looked down at the two little boys. They clasped hands and looked up at him, their eyes round with fear.

“I can’t take them.”

The lady grabbed the knob. “I can’t take ’em, neither. Do what you want with them. I did what I could, and now I’m handing them off to you. I told my man that the first church we come across we’d drop ’em off, so here we are.” She turned the knob to leave.

“Wait.” Ben reached out to put his hand on the door to stop her departure. “I don’t have a wife, or the means to raise them.”

“Then find a family who needs a couple extra hands.”

“But—I don’t even know their last name, or their kin. How am I to find their father?”

She snorted. “That good-fer-nothing shouldn’t be found.”

“But he deserves to know where his sons have gone.”

“The name’s Trask—Malachi Trask—but I don’t know where he is. Last I heard, he was in St. Paul, but I suspect he moved on. Probably lying in a saloon somewhere west of here, I’d wager.”

“Malachi Trask.” Ben repeated the name.

“They’re not my problem anymore,” the lady said. “I did what I could, but I can’t do no more.” She nodded at the twins. “Goodbye, boys. I hope the pastor’ll do right by you.”

She opened the door and Ben moved back, knowing he couldn’t keep her from leaving. He followed her out of the house, his pulse speeding up as she walked toward the sleigh.

“How will I contact you?” Ben asked.

“I don’t aim to be contacted,” the lady said, climbing into the sleigh. “I told my sister not to marry that man, but she went against my wishes. I don’t hold no responsibility for them boys she bore.”

“Giddyup,” the man said as he hit the horses’ rumps with the reins.

Neither one looked back as they pulled north, out of town.

Ben stared after them, helpless to stop them and make them return for the boys. He didn’t know the name of the lady or her husband, but he suspected that was intentional. They didn’t want to be known.

Ben turned back to the house, scratching his head with his mitted hand. What would he do with twin boys?

He entered his house and found them exactly as he’d left them.

Ben closed the door, apprehension making his back tight. He tried to smile, to reassure them that he was trustworthy, but they continued to look at him with those sad, fearful eyes.

“You’re twins?” Ben asked, uncertain what else to say. They didn’t look like twins—didn’t even look like brothers, really. One had brown hair and round green eyes, while the other one had blond hair and almond-shaped green eyes. The brown-haired boy was shorter, but he was the one who nodded at Ben in answer to his question.

The blond-haired boy just stared.

“Which one of you is Zebulun?” Ben asked.

The brown-haired boy raised his hand, just enough for Ben to acknowledge him. “And this is my brother, Levi.” He spoke with a bit of a lisp.

“It’s nice to meet you both.” Ben slowly took off his coat, not wanting to frighten them with quick movements. Memories of the day his father had left him at the mission at Pokegama came rushing back unbidden. He hadn’t been much older than these two, and he’d been just as scared. Above all else, he remembered how hungry he was that first day, but he’d been afraid to ask for a thing. “Would you like something to eat?”

The boys looked at one another, and then Zebulun nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Let’s see what we can find.” He didn’t bother to ask if they’d like to take off their coats. He remembered feeling safer keeping his meager belongings with him when Father left. These boys didn’t even have a bag—just the clothes on their back, and threadbare clothes at that. Where had they sheltered the night before? Had they been cold? Scared? He hated to think that they had suffered through the storm, only to be abandoned today. But he suspected their suffering had started long before now.

They slowly followed him, not letting go of one another, their eyes roaming his home.

The breakfast he’d enjoyed with Emmy only an hour before was still on the table, cold and half-eaten. Ben cleared away the dishes and set them to the side, then he stoked the fire and put the frying pan over the heat. “Do you like eggs?” he asked.

Zebulun nodded, but Levi shook his head. Ben smiled to himself. It was the first response he’d gotten out of Levi. “What do you like, Levi?”

The little boy looked around the kitchen, his gaze resting on the bread and jam. “I like toast and jam.”

“Then that’s what you’ll get.” Ben sliced a couple pieces of bread and looked at Zebulun. “What about you? Do you like toast, too?”

Zebulun nodded.

“Why don’t you two have a seat at the table. I’ll get some milk for you while we wait for the food.”

The boys did as he suggested, needing to let go of each other to take their seats.

“Do you know your names are from the Bible?” Ben asked as he placed the bread on a pan to put into the oven.

“Yes, sir,” Levi spoke up, confidence in his answer. “We’re tribes of Israel.”

Ben’s eyebrows rose, impressed that a boy so young would know about the Tribes of Israel. Someone must have taught him.

“My name is Benjamin,” Ben said, trying not to pay them too much attention, lest they get nervous, but trying to hold up the conversation to keep their minds preoccupied. “It’s also a Tribe of Israel.”

Zebulun looked impressed, but Levi didn’t show any response to the revelation.

Ben grinned. “We just need to find Asher, Judah, Naphtali, Reuben, Simeon, Issachar, Gad, Dan and Joseph, and then everyone would be here.”

The boys looked at one another, clearly confused at the string of strange names he’d just said.

Ben’s smile fell and he took a deep breath. What would he do with these boys? He wasn’t equipped to care for them, yet he didn’t know who could. Abram and Charlotte Cooper had just welcomed their fifth child less than three weeks ago, and Jude and Elizabeth Allen had their hands full caring for their twin girls, only two months old. With the national recession, and troubles closer to home, he could think of no one eager to take in two extra children. Ben had the financial resources—he just lacked the skill and experience, not to mention the help.

The only thing he could think to do was go back to the Hubbards and ask Pearl for advice. She had become a surrogate mother in the community. An honorable woman of wisdom and discernment. If anyone could help, it would be Pearl.

* * *

The bedroom was smaller than Emmy anticipated, and there was only one bed she’d have to share with the girl named Rachel. There were four hooks on the far wall, a single window looking out at a snow-covered world, and a rag rug on the floor. The space was so tight, it would be almost impossible to dress properly without bumping the walls. She thought of the large room she’d slept in the night before at Ben’s home and sighed. How would she get the privacy she craved, or the necessary space to study here? A cursory glance around the house had suggested there were generous public areas—but those rooms would also hold men. Lots of men. Too many men for Emmy to get anything done if she took her books to the parlor or dining room to study. Maybe there was another space she wasn’t aware of. She’d be sure to ask Mrs. Hubbard.

Her trunks were now in the attic, with two long flights of stairs in between. She’d taken only the necessary items she’d need, but she suspected she’d make that trek up the stairs several times a day.

With a final glance around the room to make sure her few items were in their place, she entered the kitchen at the same moment as a young lady she’d yet to meet.

“Hello,” Emmy said. “You must be Rachel.”

“And you must be Emmy.” Rachel set a pile of folded towels on a worktable and smiled. “Welcome to Little Falls.”

Rachel was not a girl, after all, but a young woman in her midtwenties with shiny black hair and large brown eyes. If Emmy wasn’t mistaken, she, like Ben, had Indian heritage, though her English was flawless and lacked any hint of accent. She was a beautiful woman, and Emmy wondered for a fleeting moment why she wasn’t married.

“I’m sorry to intrude on your space,” Emmy said, indicating the small room.

“I don’t mind. It’s nice to have another lady in the house again.” She opened a cabinet door and placed the towels inside. “They come and go so fast.”

“Is Mrs. Hubbard close at hand?” Emmy moved through the kitchen, not wanting to intrude on yet another room Rachel occupied.

“She’s in the parlor, setting her feet up.” Rachel smiled. “I told her to take a little break with that baby coming any day.”

“Thank you.” Emmy left the kitchen and walked down the long hall to the foyer. She didn’t want to bother Mrs. Hubbard if she was resting, but it was important to find a room to work, and the sooner the better. With school starting in two short days, she needed to prepare.

The parlor was beautifully decorated with floral wallpaper, wide plank flooring painted blue and a large piano in the corner.

Mrs. Hubbard sat in a chair near a window, a sewing project in hand, while three men sat at a table in the opposite corner, a card game between them. When Emmy entered, the men immediately stood.

“Sit yourselves down,” Mrs. Hubbard said to the men. “She probably didn’t come to see you.”

Emmy smiled at Mrs. Hubbard and nodded an acknowledgment to the men, who listened to their landlady and stayed on their side of the room.

“What can I do for you, Miss Wilkes?”

The front door opened, letting in a gust of wind and snow. A man walked over the threshold with two boys in tow, holding hands.

“Ben?” Mrs. Hubbard rose from the chair, holding the small of her back as she stood.

Ben ushered the boys into the house and then closed the door behind them. They stood like little statues, their eyes wide beneath the felt brims of their flat caps.

The pastor took off his knit cap and held it in his hand, nodding a greeting to Emmy before turning his attention to Mrs. Hubbard.

“Who are these lads?” Mrs. Hubbard asked.

Ben glanced at the boys, and then stepped around them, coming into the parlor. He spoke quietly. “Their aunt just left them with me.”

“Are they your relation?”

Ben shook his head, his eyes filled with concern. “I’ve never met them or their aunt before. She left them with only their names and the clothes on their back. I don’t know who she is, or where she is going. The only thing I know is the name of their pa.”

“Well, I’ll be.” Mrs. Hubbard looked around Ben. “They’re cute little ones.”

Emmy caught the eye of the blond-haired boy and smiled. He looked at her with soulful eyes, but didn’t return her smile. How frightened they must be.

“What will you do?” Mrs. Hubbard asked.

“I don’t know.” Ben clenched his cap and glanced from Emmy to Mrs. Hubbard. “That’s why I came here.”

“It seems the good Lord is full of all kinds of surprises today,” Mrs. Hubbard said with a smile in Emmy’s direction. “Never a dull moment in these parts.”

“What will you do?” Emmy asked.

Ben swallowed and looked at the boys again. They glanced up at him, quiet as mice. “I’ll need to find them somewhere to live.”

“I wish I could help,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “But Timothy and I have more than we can manage now.”

“I understand.” Ben nodded. “I wouldn’t ask you to care for them, but is there anyone else you can think of?”

Mrs. Hubbard pursed her lips as she looked from one boy to the next. “I don’t know of a single family who could take the pair of them—and I don’t think they’d like to be separated.”

The boys locked hands even tighter than before.

Ben shook his head. “I would never separate them.”

Mrs. Hubbard sighed. “Then there’s only one thing to do.”

Ben watched her, waiting.

“Keep them yourself.”

Emmy’s eyebrows rose as she looked to Ben for his reaction. She didn’t doubt his capability—but was his life conducive to raising a family?

“What?” Ben asked.

“Widow Carver was by here last week,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “Since Stan passed, she’s been mighty lonesome in that house by herself. Her oldest daughter is expecting her first child come New Year’s, and Mrs. Carver plans to go to her—but she’s not needed until then. Perhaps she’d consider keeping house for you, until you can create a more permanent arrangement.”

Ben frowned, his eyes hooded as he studied the boys, deep in thought. “I visited Mrs. Carver a couple weeks ago and sensed she was lonely.” He took a step toward the boys and they looked up at him. They didn’t warm to his nearness, but they didn’t cower, either. It would take them some time to come to know and trust this unexpected guardian.

“I think I’ll visit with Mrs. Carver again and ask if she’d consider such a request.” Ben nodded, lifting his shoulders. “That might be just what we all need—for now.”

“If she’s willing, it will give you some time to think and plan for the future.” Mrs. Hubbard smiled at the boys. “Give you all time to pray.”

Ben continued to nod, as if he was trying to wrap his mind around this change of events. “Thank you for your advice, Pearl.”

“You’re always welcome.”

Emmy took a step forward, eager to meet the boys and try to put them at ease. “I’m Miss Wilkes, the new teacher,” she said in her kindest voice. “Have you been to school?”

The boys shook their heads, but it was the one with blond hair that spoke up. “I know all my numbers and letters, and I can spell Zeb’s name.”

Zeb smiled at his brother, admiration in his eyes. “Levi’s smart.”

“I’m sure you’re both smart.” Emmy bent to look them in the eyes. “I’d love to see you at school on Monday. We’ll have fun learning how to read and write. Would you like that?”

The boys looked at each other, and then Zeb glanced up at Ben, a question in his eyes.

“I think school’s a fine idea.” Ben put his cap back in place, his handsome brown eyes filled with appreciation. “We’ll see you first thing Monday morning.”

“Hopefully you’ll see me at church tomorrow first.” Emmy straightened and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’d be happy to sit with the boys during the service.”

Relief washed over his features as he put his hands on the boys’ shoulders. “We’ll plan on that.”

Ben said his goodbyes and then left with Zeb and Levi.

“Well, what do you think about that?” Mrs. Hubbard shook her head. “Ben Lahaye, raising a set of twin boys.”

“It is a strange turn of events,” Emmy conceded, wishing she could help the pastor in some way. “I imagine he’ll have a lot of adjusting to do in the coming weeks.”

“He’ll need help, that’s for sure.”

Emmy glanced out the window and watched Ben walk away with the boys. One slipped on the ice, but Ben reached out and grabbed him before he fell.

As she watched them, her heart tugged at the tender scene. If things had gone differently with her and William, perhaps they would have had children close to that age by now. Instead of Ben, she would be watching William walking in the snow with their children.

Tears threatened to gather in her eyes, but she forced them away, nibbling on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. It had been almost a year since she’d given up the melancholy of losing her fiancé. At that time, she’d set her mind to fulfilling their dreams, even if William was not there with her—and that’s what she was doing, she was living her life in the West. She just prayed it would be everything she’d always hoped and imagined.