Читать книгу The Texan's Twin Blessings - Rhonda Gibson - Страница 11

Chapter Three

William stood holding a niece on each hip. He stared at the group of five women, wondering if they had lost their minds. He could see one or even two of them being a little addled due to age, but all five?

“We’re not asking you to move away, at least not right now. All we’re asking is that you consider Miss Rodgers as a future bride. She could help you with the girls, and she really is a sweet little thing,” Mrs. Harvey said as the others nodded their agreement.

When the women had stopped him on the sidewalk in front of the bank and introduced themselves as his neighbors, he’d been happy to meet them; but now they were butting in where they didn’t belong, and he planned to put a stop to their meddling. “Look, ladies, I know you mean well, but I have no intentions of marrying Miss Rodgers or anyone else. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going home.” William thought they’d move to the side and let him pass.

He thought wrong.

Mrs. Orson put both hands on her chubby hips and demanded, “Why not? Those girls need a mama. If they had a mama, she’d know how to keep them quiet so a body could rest at night like God intended. Miss Rodgers comes from a large family. She’s perfect and knows how to take care of small children.”

So that was it; they didn’t care about Miss Rodgers. They just wanted him to keep the girls quiet. Rose sucked her thumb with her head on his shoulder. Ruby’s chubby little hand played with the hair on the back of his neck. He returned his attention to the ladies. “You’re right, but I’m not the man to get one for them. I’m sorry we disturbed your sleep last night. I’ll try to keep them quieter.”

“If you are going to stick around here, won’t you need a wife to take care of the children while you work?” Miss Cornwell asked in a quiet voice.

The elderly woman did have a point. He’d need someone to help him take care of the girls but didn’t think the woman had to be his wife. Surely he could pay someone to watch Ruby and Rose.

Thanks to his visit to the bank, William now knew that his grandmother’s house belonged to him and his sister, Mary. A lump formed in his throat as he thought of Mary. Now that she was gone, William would make sure that the girls would own the other half of the house. He’d made arrangements for his money from the sale of the mercantile to be transferred from the bank in Denver to the Granite bank. Then he’d walked over to the general store and asked about the job Miss Leland had mentioned the night before.

Mr. Moore had eyed the girls and then agreed to give William the job. He’d asked William if he could work from ten in the morning until four in the afternoon, and William had agreed.

“You ladies wouldn’t happen to know of any young ladies who would be willing to watch the girls while I work, would you?” He hoped the change of subject would sidetrack them enough to drop the idea of him marrying Miss Rodgers.

Mrs. Orson sighed. “You got a job?”

“Why, yes, ma’am, I did.” He looked directly at the sour-faced woman.

She shook her head. “I see. The only lady I know of who is home during the day and able to keep up with two small children would be Miss Rodgers.” Mrs. Orson looked to the other women for agreement. “Emily Jane gets home around eight thirty every morning. Isn’t that right, ladies?”

The group nodded. He could see the spark of joy and scheming in their eyes. William couldn’t believe he’d walked right into their plans for him and Emily Jane. Well, hiring the woman to watch the girls and marrying her to watch the girls were two very different things.

Rose began to fuss at standing in place too long. Ruby decided it was time to join her sister in the protest, and she too began whining and trying to push out of his arms.

“If you will excuse me, ladies, I need to get these wiggle worms home.”

William took a step but stopped when Mrs. Green called to him.

“Mr. Barns, you will check with Emily Jane about watching the girls, won’t you?” she inquired.

“She is really good with young children. After all, she has had lots of practice,” Mrs. Harvey prompted.

They were an insistent bunch, he’d give them that. He grinned at Mrs. Harvey. “I’ll ask her, and thank you for the recommendation.” William hurried down the sidewalk toward home but could still hear them as he walked away.

“He really seems like a nice young man.”

“I think he and Emily Jane would make a nice couple, don’t you, Lois?”

“I do hope those girls settle down soon. I need my sleep,” another grumbled.

“Well, after a woman gets her hands on them, I’m sure they will become little darlings, and Emily Jane is just the woman for the job,” Mrs. Orson said in a no-nonsense tone.

Their voices faded as William hurried toward the house. As soon as he started walking again, the girls quieted down. They were already little darlings. He really didn’t see that having a woman in their lives would change them that much.

Each girl laid her little head on his shoulder. It was a short walk to his grandmother’s house, now his and the girls’ new home. He reached for the doorknob and found a small cloth bag hanging on it.

William ignored it; even though his curiosity was stirred, his hands were full. He carried the girls inside for a morning nap. After changing their diapers, he put them in their cradles. Thankfully, they curled up and went to sleep almost immediately.

Tiptoeing from the bedroom, William sighed and closed the door. His gaze moved about the sitting room. Thanks to Miss Leland and Miss Rodgers, the house now looked and smelled fresh. Once they’d started cleaning the night before, they hadn’t stopped until the whole house shone.

He remembered the bag on the front doorknob and went to retrieve it. The sweet scent of sugar and spice filled his nostrils. William pulled it open and saw two cookies inside. Had Emily Jane brought them over? Or perhaps another neighbor. Until he found out, William decided not to give them to the girls.

After the racket the girls had made last night, it wouldn’t surprise him if one of the neighbors put a sleeping draft in the cookies. He grinned at the silliness of his thoughts. Still, he’d wait on giving them to the girls until he was sure they were safe.

He walked over to a big chair and sank into its cushions, laying the cookie-filled bag on the side table. A yawn stretched his mouth wide. Nap time for the girls was one of his favorite times of the day. Often at night, one or both of them would wake up fussy. When was the last time he’d gotten a full night’s sleep? As his eyes drifted shut, William’s thoughts went to Emily Jane Rodgers. Would she watch the children? If so, he silently prayed she could get the girls into a regular sleeping routine.

* * *

Emily Jane pulled a fresh batch of oatmeal raisin cookies from the oven. She never tired of the baking smells that filled the kitchen. This recipe was no exception. She’d played with the ingredients a bit and liked the results. A pinch of this and a pinch of that had been her mother’s motto, but Emily Jane liked the results of being precise with her measurements. She wrote everything down as she went, and if the dessert turned out well, she could fix it over and over again without adjusting anything.

She put the cookies on a cooling rack and sat at the table to sip her coffee. All morning she’d been thinking about the neighbor ladies. How could they be so mean? Yes, children were noisy, yes, they cried, and, yes, the twins’ voices did carry on the night breezes, but that was still no reason to wish them gone. A smile teased her lips as she thought about how they would have reacted if they’d lived near her family. Her five brothers and six sisters were far from quiet.

Living out in the middle of nowhere pretty much explained why she and her sisters Sarah and Elsie had never married. There were no boys nearby to marry. Anxiety spurted through her. Had twenty-two-year-old Sarah and twenty-one-year-old Elsie been forced to answer mail-order-bride ads, too? Emily Jane hoped not, but then again, if it worked out as well for them as it had for her, maybe it would be the best thing for her sisters.

She thought over her own experience as a mail-order bride. Thanks to her father’s decision to lessen the mouths he had to feed, Emily Jane had answered an ad. She’d arrived in Granite, Texas, expecting to be courted by Levi Westland. His mother had written to Emily Jane and two other women telling them to come to Granite. She’d promised Emily Jane that if Levi didn’t choose her as his bride, then she’d help her find a husband.

Emily Jane shook her head as memories flooded her mind. She hadn’t wanted a husband then but wanted to be obedient to her father’s wishes and had come to Granite. It had been a relief when Levi had chosen Millie Hamilton as his new wife.

After Levi and Millie’s wedding, Bonnie Westland had offered to make good on her promise of a husband, but Emily Jane had assured her she was happy without one right now. Thankfully, Bonnie had understood but still assured Emily Jane that, should she change her mind, she’d be willing to help her find the perfect man. As if there were such a thing as a perfect man.

Emily Jane walked to the sink and placed her coffee cup in the hot soapy water. She hadn’t written her family since she’d arrived in Granite. The last thing she wanted was for Pa to tell her to come home and start the husband hunt all over again.

Still, she often thought about her siblings. Her sense of loss was beyond tears. She missed their laughter; she missed her sisters whispering in bed at night so as not to wake their parents. She found herself listening sometimes for their voices. And the little ones—tears welled within her eyes—how she missed cuddling their bodies close, burying her nose in their necks and smelling the powdery softness. Her lips pressed shut, so no sound would burst out. It had been a long time since she’d felt such a strong urge to cry. She straightened her shoulders and dared the tears to fall. Yes, Ruby and Rose made her homesick to see her family again, but her time of grieving the loss of her siblings was over. She’d proved adept at handling herself without any help from others and couldn’t afford to be distracted by homesickness.

Emily Jane placed the cooled cookies into the metal cookie bin and decided to work on a new batch. Cookies that were different, plus a new recipe would take her mind off family. She’d wanted to try her hand at making lemon cookies and had gotten the ingredients to try them.

A knock at the front door pulled her away from the bowl of flour. Emily Jane wiped her hands on her apron. She’d had more company in the past two days than she’d had in a month. A chuckle escaped her as she realized that that really wasn’t much company, just Mr. Barns and his nieces. Very seldom did anyone come calling during the day.

She pulled the door open and found them standing on the porch as if just by thinking their names they’d appeared. “Hello, Mr. Barns. Please come in.”

He stepped inside and inhaled. “Something sure smells good in here.”

Emily Jane grinned at the two girls looking over their uncle’s shoulder. “I just baked a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies. Would you like to try them?” Heat filled the room, making it warmer than it had been a few moments earlier, so Emily Jane left the front door open.

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, we’d love to try them. Wouldn’t we, girls?” He followed Emily Jane into the kitchen.

“No trouble at all. I’ve been experimenting, so you’ll be the first to taste my new creation.” She took Rose from him and set her on the floor.

He set Ruby down beside her sister and frowned. “Experimenting?” William placed the girls’ bag on the floor at his feet.

Emily Jane saw the worry on his face and laughed. “Yes, experimenting. I do it all the time with cookies, cakes, bread and different kinds of pastries.” She picked up a cookie and handed it to him.

She scooped two sugar cookies from a plate on the sideboard and handed one to each of the girls. “Here you go,” Emily Jane said as their chubby little hands wrapped around the sweet treats.

Emily Jane watched William take a big bite and then close his eyes. “Well, what do you think?” The lines of concentration deepened along his brows. She waited for his reply, surprised at her feelings of uncertainty.

He swallowed and then opened eyes that brimmed with appreciation. “I think you can test your cookies out on me anytime. These are delicious.” William popped the rest of the cookie into his mouth and looked to the sideboard, where more cookies rested on various plates.

“How about some coffee to go with a small plate of cookies?” Emily Jane moved to the coffeepot and poured him a generous cup.

“Both sound wonderful.” He sat down at the table.

Emily Jane’s gaze moved to the girls, who happily nibbled at their sugar cookies. She should have set them at the table but no matter; the crumbs could be swept up after they left.

“Did you leave a couple of cookies on my door this morning for the girls?” William asked.

She nodded. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all. I just wanted to make sure it was you before I let them have them.” His grin brightened his face.

Emily Jane decided not to focus on his good looks and placed several cookies onto a dessert plate. She carried them to the table and set them in front of William. “So, what brings you over? Surely it wasn’t the cookies I left for the girls.” She sat down across from him.

“Straight to the point. I like that in a woman.” He set his coffee cup down. “This morning I had a chat with the neighbor ladies.”

She looked down at the angelic faces covered in cookie crumbs. Oh, please, Lord, don’t let him be here to ask me to marry him and take care of the girls.

“And they suggested you might be interested in watching the girls while I work.” He searched her face, his eyes curiously observing. She wondered briefly what he expected her face to reveal. Emily Jane had no idea. His voice was calm and steady and gave nothing away. “This morning Mr. Moore offered me a job working in his store from ten to four every day. He suggested I find someone to watch the girls and start work this afternoon. I sort of hoped you’d be able to watch them today.”

She wanted to help him, she really did, but the thought of growing attached to the girls worried her. And how much time would they take from her experimental cooking?

“What hours did you say you would have to work?” Something in his eyes beseeched her to help.

“From ten to four.”

She found herself nodding. “I’ll help, but only until you can find someone else.”

A sweet grin split his lips, revealing straight white teeth.

“That’s all I’m asking. Thank you. I’ll be back a few minutes after four to pick them up. Thank you again.”

William hurried from the house as if he suspected she might change her mind at any moment.

As the door closed behind him, Emily Jane asked herself the hard questions. Had she done the right thing by agreeing to help him? Emily Jane knew it was the right thing to do, but was it the right thing for her? Was it possible she’d lose her heart to these darling little girls and William?