A Family for the Titanic Survivor

by Lauri Robinson

  The playhouse was adorable. So was the way Elsie showed them the child’s table and chair set inside, as well as a rug on the floor, curtains on the windows and hand-drawn pictures hanging on the walls.

  Bridget’s heart tumbled again at how Karl knelt down, listening to Elsie talk about the playhouse.

  When the puppy ran out of the house, Elsie took chase and Karl stood up, laughing.

  “You’ve made one little girl very happy today,” Bridget said.

  He nodded, and time seemed to stand still for a moment as he looked at her. Bridget could feel a pull inside, toward him. It was unique and made her heart race. Her eyes went to his lips, and she bit hers together as they tingled, as if they wanted to touch his.

  “Yes,” he said, looking away. “She’s very happy.”

  Bridget took a step back and drew in a deep breath to get her thoughts in order. “You and Benjamin certainly had some fun times together.”

  He took ahold of her elbow and they started walking toward the house again. “Yes, we did. It’s been good to remember them.”

  Her legs were slightly wobbly and her heart was still racing. “And now you’re making good memories with Elsie. She’s very lucky to have you.”

  He nodded. “She’s very lucky to have you. We both are.”

  Chapter Eight

  Bridget’s heart did an odd flip-flop. Not so much at his statement, but at how he was looking at her. His look was so intent, so focused on her, that her blood warmed. He smiled. She smiled in return, but had no idea how to calm the blood rushing through her veins faster than it should.

  “What did you think of the playhouse?” Reggie asked from the porch.

  “I didn’t know you were a builder,” Karl said in jest.

  “I’m not,” Reggie answered. “I’m a pharmacist, but my father helped me.”

  By the time they arrived on the porch, Bridget was sure she had her insides under control, but knew the moment she sat down that she didn’t, because Karl kept his hand on the back of her chair. The problem was she liked it. She liked having him close. Liked breathing in the scent of his aftershave. Liked him in a way that kept getting deeper and deeper inside her and wondered what all that meant.

  The girls joined them a short time later for cookies and lemonade, and shortly thereafter, Karl suggested it was time to leave. Bridget’s heart saddened at the disappointment on Elsie’s face as she looked at the puppy sleeping on her lap, the one with the white spot that had barely left her side since they’d arrived.

  Bridget prepared to stand, to walk over and ease the separation between Elsie and the puppy, but Karl laid a hand on her arm.

  “Would you mind if the puppy came home with us?” he asked quietly, leaning even closer.

  Her insides nearly melted. “It’s not my place to mind,” she answered just as quietly.

  “Yes, it is,” he said, “because I’m certain its care would fall to you. If you don’t want that, I’ll understand.”

  She had the greatest urge to kiss his cheek, and withholding it was tremendously difficult. Resting a hand atop his, the one still on her arm, she whispered, “I’d enjoy the duty as much as Elsie would enjoy the puppy.”

  His gaze was locked on hers and remained there as he whispered, “Thank you.”

  She closed her eyes briefly as the idea of kissing him grew even stronger. He truly was a very caring man. A very wonderful man. Right now, she knew for sure that Da would approve of her working for him. It was herself now that questioned if that had been a good idea. She had an odd feeling that she could come to care for Karl more than she should.

  He gently squeezed her arm. “Shall we go tell her?”

  Putting thoughts of Elsie first, she nodded. “Yes.”

  Within a short time, they were all four in the front seat of Karl’s automobile, with Elsie holding the sleeping puppy on her lap sitting between them. The discussion, as he drove, was about the puppy’s name. Elsie was trying out several, but having a hard time deciding.

  “Four,” she said.

  “Four?” Karl asked.

  “Yes,” Elsie said. “Because I’m four.”

  Swallowing a giggle, Bridget shrugged at the amusing glance Karl gave her over Elsie’s head.

  “That’s true,” Karl answered. “You could name him four. But what will happen when you turn five? Will you change his name?”

  Elsie frowned, as if contemplating that.

  “What about Spot?” Karl offered. “Because of that white spot on his head.”

  “Or White,” Elsie said, excitedly.

  Karl chuckled. “Or White,” he said glancing over Elsie’s head again.

  Bridget had to giggle at that, and at his expression. She gave the puppy’s soft fur a long pet. “The rest of his hair is copper colored. What about Copper for a name?”

  “Copper! I like Copper, Bridget!” Elsie said.

  “So do I,” Karl said, nodding.

  She tapped Elsie’s nose. “I like it, too, but you don’t have to decide today. You can think about it for a while.”

  Elsie nodded and gave the puppy a hug. He woke up long enough to lick her chin and yawn, before snuggling his little head back in her lap.

  After a quiet moment, Elsie asked, “Uncle Karl, will Mommy and Daddy ever come home?”

  Bridget’s heart went from being full and joyous to nearly breaking in two. For both Elsie and Karl. He’d gone stiff and stared out of the windshield.

  Wrapping an arm around Elsie, Bridget tugged her close and kissed the top of her head. “Remember what I told you, Poppet,” she said softly. “When you want to see your mommy and daddy, you just close your eyes and think about them. Think hard, until you can see them in your mind.”

  “I do that, Bridget,” Elsie said. “And can see them, but I want them to see Copper.”

  Bridget kissed the top of Elsie’s head again and patted the puppy. “Oh, darling, they do see him. They are watching over you all the time.”

  “Just like your mommy and daddy?” Elsie asked.

  “Yes, just like mine.” Glancing up at Karl, seeing he was still staring out the windshield, Bridget added, “And just like your uncle Karl’s daddy. Your grandpa. They are all up there watching over us.”

  “That feels good,” Elsie said. “Doesn’t it, Uncle Karl?”

  He reached over and patted Elsie’s head. “Yes, it does feel good.” He then glanced over Elsie’s head and smiled.

  Bridget smiled in return and then stroked the puppy again, trying to stop her heart from racing all over again. “So, Copper is his name?”

  “Yes,” Elsie said. “Copper is his name, and I love him.”

  * * *

  Karl stood on the back porch of his house watching Elsie and Copper run across the backyard. Bridget had suggested bringing the puppy out here before taking it inside, so he could smell the ground and know where to do his business. He wouldn’t have thought of that, yet that had been the first thing the puppy had done. His business.

  She was wise, in so many ways. Wiser than him.

  He laid a hand on the small of her back, looked into her deep blue eyes when she glanced up at him. “Thank you for how you handled that earlier, her question about her parents.”

  Her face softened as she shrugged. “She’s been asking those question since that night. I couldn’t lie to her. Couldn’t give her hope when there isn’t any.”

  He touched the side of her face with one knuckle. “You gave her a way to cope, and that’s more important.” Having her around was different from all he’d known, a good different. She’d brought out a side of him he’d never known. He’d thought not caring was the only way to cope, but she cared, and had somehow transferred that to him, because he certainly was starting to care. His hand on her waist slipped around her back, keeping their bodies close. Inches apart. �
�Thank you for that.”

  Her lashes fluttered as she whispered, “You’re welcome.”

  She sounded breathless, and that increased the desire to kiss her. Made it so strong, so consuming, he tried to look away, to break the spell, but he couldn’t. Those thickly lashed blue eyes were so mesmerizing. Her skin so flawless, her lips so enticing. He trailed his knuckle down her cheek, to her chin and lifted her face as he leaned down, brushing his lips over hers.

  The simple touch, the feel of her breath on his lips, ignited a stronger desire, a powerful one. He pressed his lips to hers again, more firmly, fully feeling the warmth and softness of her lips. Her response, the way she returned the pressure, made him want to completely explore her lips, claim them, but something—common sense, perhaps—told him to stop. Despite protests from other parts of him, he pulled back, lifted his head.

  She wobbled slightly, and he pulled her closer to steady her. Both of her hands landed on his chest and her lips curled up in a soft smile.

  It was so endearing, his heart kicked up another notch. He should release her, but couldn’t. Not just yet. “I sincerely appreciate you being here.”

  She nodded and then gave his chest a tiny pat before she looked away, toward the yard.

  For whatever reason, a great sense of happiness filled him. He gently pinched her chin. “Have I rendered you speechless?”

  She shot him a sideways look and giggled softly. “No.”

  He dropped both of his hands and took a step away so they both could turn and watch Elsie and Copper. “I think I have,” he said teasingly.

  “Gobshite!” she said under her breath.

  He laughed harder.

  She shook her head.

  The enjoyment inside him grew. He probably should be questioning his intelligence about kissing her, but not right now. If he started thinking about the how and why, he might do it all over again.

  A moment later, the back door opened behind them. “The little miss sure looks happy,” Willard said.

  “Yes, she does,” Karl answered.

  “Because she is,” Bridget said. “That little puppy is going to make everything that happened so much easier for her.”

  “How do you know that?” Karl asked, sensing something deeper in her words.

  Turning, to look at him, she said, “Because my Da brought me home a puppy after my mum died.”

  There was a wistfulness in her eyes, and he wondered if it was from their kiss or from the memory of the puppy her father had bought her. A part of him hoped it was their kiss, but the practical part of him said he’d better hope not, because his life didn’t need any more complications. He couldn’t care about someone that much and certainly didn’t need them caring about him.

  When a person cares, they lose. He didn’t want to lose again, and he didn’t want her to, either.

  “Excuse me,” Willard said, stepping around them. “I’m going to introduce myself to the little pup. We’ve needed a dog around here for a long time.”

  “What was your dog’s name?” Karl asked.

  “Shadow,” she said. “Da named him that because he was always in my shadow.”

  “Ours was Baxter,” Karl said. “Our father gave him to us for Christmas one year. A big black Labrador.” He nodded toward the porch swing as memories flowed. “We could put a piece of food on his nose, and he’d flick his nose to throw the food up in the air and catch it in his mouth. Benjamin taught him to do that.”

  “That sounds like quite a trick,” she said as they walked to the swing.

  “It was, and he’d chase the ball for hours on end.” He waited until she sat on the swing seat and then sat down beside her.

  “Did Benjamin teach him that, too? How to fetch?” she asked.

  Watching Elsie and Willard petting the puppy, he nodded. “Yes, he did.”

  She laid a hand on his arm, his bare arm, where he could feel the heat of her palm radiating into him.

  “Because you taught him,” she said softly. “You taught him how to teach Baxter to fetch and how to catch food he tossed in the air with his nose.”

  He drew in a breath, yet knowing his secret was safe with her, he turned, looked at her. “Yes.”

  Her smile was knowing, and sweet. Like her lips had been.

  He’d already told her more than he’d shared with anyone, yet found he had the need to say more. “Benjamin needed more than I did. He needed reassurance, encouragement. Our father was a good man, but he worked every day. Even Sundays. Mrs. Conrad, Willard and Mary raised us, but that wasn’t enough for Benjamin.”

  “He needed love, and that’s what you gave him,” she said quietly. “Because of you, he grew into a loving husband and father. I saw that. How much he loved Annette and Elsie. You need to be proud of that, Karl. It’s hard to lose people we love, very hard. We miss them so much and wish things could be different, even while knowing they can’t be. The best thing we can do for them, and ourselves, is to be honored to have known them. Be proud of who they’d been.” She rubbed his arm. “We do that by talking about them. Remembering them.”

  She was right, as usual. He’d barely spoken about Benjamin to anyone, except today, when she’d encouraged him to after learning that Reggie and Alice had gone to school with him and Benjamin. It had felt good to remember some fun times, and though only time would heal the pain inside him, it wasn’t as strong as it had been. Even his anger had eased. That, too, was because of her. She was remarkable in so many ways. “Tell me about your father.”

  Her eyes fluttered shut for a moment as a smile formed on her lips. “He was about Willard’s size, a mite shorter maybe, with the same ring of gray hair around his otherwise bald head. And his eyes, they were deep blue, and they twinkled.”

  “Like yours,” he said.

  “No, he always said I had my mother’s eyes.”

  He leaned closer. “Then hers twinkled, too, because yours are right now.” They were, and he liked that. “Tell me more.”

  “He could tell a joke, a story, like no other. The entire pub would go quiet when he started one of his tales because everyone knew it would be a good one and wanted to hear it.” She giggled slightly. “It wouldn’t be one he’d told before. He never told the same story twice. People would ask him to, and he’d say that was yesterday’s news.” She sighed. “He didn’t believe in yesterdays, only tomorrows. He said that to me, more than once. Said it to others, too, those who had too many pints and he’d had to send home. They’d come in to apologize the next day, and he’d say there was no need for that, it was a new day.”

  “Because he never let the sun go down on his anger,” he said, repeating the words she’d said to him the other night.

  She nodded. “He was kind, good to everyone he knew and to anyone who knew him. If there was someone who needed something, he’d go out of his way to find a way to help them.” Leaning back, she looked up at the sky. “I’d never seen him angry. I’d seen him stern, cross, but never really angry. He’d told me that I needed to learn to control my temper, that I riled too easy and that the only person it was hurting was me.”

  Karl leaned back, too, looked up at the same sky. He’d been angry his entire life. Thanks to his mother. “Have you learned to control it?” he asked.

  She laughed. “No. I’m still hoping that will happen someday.”

  He laughed, too. “You’re cute when you’re mad.”

  She laughed harder. “You haven’t seen me mad.”

  The door opened and Mary stepped outside. “So that’s why no one has come inside. I told Willard to let you know the meal would be ready to serve twenty minutes ago.”

  Karl liked times like this, when both Willard and Mary were family, not servants. “We all got a little distracted,” he said.

  “I can see why. I’ll have to add bones to the shopping list.” She smiled at him as sh
e walked to the edge of the porch. “You are a very special uncle right now.”

  “I agree.” Bridget patted his arm one last time before she stood. “Elsie, bring Copper inside. It’s time to eat.”

  He stood, touched her arm. “Just for clarification, do dogs eat in the dining room or the kitchen?”

  The look she shot him was so saucy he was still smiling hours later, while lying in bed, once again with her on his mind. The day had been an extraordinary one. Elsie adored the puppy and he hoped it would help her over the next few months, and the years following. Lord knows she would need it. The loss of a parent, whether through death or abandonment, affected a child forever.

  That’s part of what had made the day extraordinary. The things he knew and how they’d affected him over the years. Bridget, in her unknowing way, had made him think about his anger and several other things. After dinner, while Elsie played with her puppy in the living room, and he and Bridget sat nearby watching, she, unbeknownst to him as to exactly how, coaxed more memories out of him about Benjamin. Fun memories that had made him laugh and want to remember more. He had, and that had made him grow thoughtful as they’d retired for the evening.

  It was a bit unnerving, the way she made him feel.

  He shouldn’t have kissed her today. That was a given, and he wouldn’t do it again. It had made him want more. More of something he could never have. Benjamin’s death changed a lot of things in his life. The business. The family. He was now solely responsible for Elsie’s future and everything he did would affect that. She was the next generation of Wingard Brothers Investment Banking. His father had often told him that, how he’d been the next generation of the company. That had been why his father worked so much, and paid his mother to stay away. He hadn’t had time for a woman, any woman. Hadn’t wanted the interference.

  Karl had known that for years and had followed in his father’s footsteps. He’d been able to because Benjamin had married Annette, and Elsie had been born. That had secured the next generation. All he had to do was cultivate it, like his father had done for him.