“Imposition? Are you serious, Harry? These sweet children are in such need, not just for food and shelter, but for some love and guidance. I just wish I could do more to help them.” She paused a moment. Her chest burned and she hesitated. “We should probably speak more privately. Mom is going home as soon as the children have finished eating. She only works once in a while now, so she can help me out with them—and she’ll be glad to do it. She’ll take the children home with her so they can settle in, and Daddy can see to them. Could you meet me somewhere so we can talk?”
He grinned. “I’ll be back in an hour to get you. That will give me time to speak with the sheriff and social worker about what I saw when we found the children. I’ll tell you everything when I come back.”
Chapter 4
Instead of driving her somewhere, Harry asked Juliet to walk with him. He wanted to show her the house he bought for them. It was the old Marlow house, a big Victorian house with a wrap-around porch and plenty of room. After Elizabeth Marlow had died without children or relatives, the house had stood empty for over a decade. The town sold it to Harry for the cost of taxes on the property. Harry had been working on it secretly ever since he proposed. Juliet had talked endlessly about the house. Every time she passed by the house, its dark windows devoid of life and its paint faded and peeling, she would remark what a shame it was that such a beautiful house had no family to cheer it up. He knew she would be happy here—if she’d just give him a chance.
“How bad was it, Harry?” Juliet asked as they rounded the corner onto Willow Lane.
“Very bad. We found them locked in a barn tied to the beams. Even the little one, Blossom, was bound so she couldn’t move. They have bruises, burn marks and raw wrists where their hands were tied with hemp rope. The Wilsons made them work from sunup to sundown.” His voice cracked. “I’ve never seen anything so heinous and cruel in my life.” He felt a little better now that he had shared the terrible scene with Juliet.
Juliet didn’t say anything for a moment. Harry glanced at her and saw that she was trying to get control of her own emotions. Then, very quietly, she said, “Those poor children. I hope the sheriff and Miss Thoroughgood have those people put away in jail for a very long time.”
“If I know Wilcox, you can bet on it. And that social worker is tougher than she looks.” Harry guided her to the left, toward Mayfair Avenue. The shadows and sadness in Juliet’s eyes had returned, now that she was away from the children.
When they reached the house, he stopped in front of it.
“Oh look!” Juliet exclaimed. “Someone must have bought the old Marlow house.”
He didn’t miss the touch of envy in her voice.
“They’ve painted it and fixed the rotted boards on the porch. It’s so beautiful.” She sighed, and then relaxed. There was resignation in her voice as she spoke. “I always thought we would live there one day and have kids running all over the house and yard. I hope this family has lots of children and a swing in the back yard, maybe even a treehouse.”
Harry made a mental note of the swing and treehouse. “Look Juliet, the lights are on inside. Let’s go see.”
Juliet resisted. “We can’t go knocking on a stranger’s door and ask to see their house.”
Harry couldn’t hold back the grin on his face, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise before she had a chance to see what he had done to renovate the inside. “What? A Wilding woman who’s a scaredy cat? Well, that’s a first.” He took her hand and pulled her to the side of the street where the house stood and through the front gate. “Not to worry, I have the permission of the owner.” He reached in his pocket and opened his hand to display the shiny brass key. “See? He even gave me the key. Come on, let’s take a tour.”
Juliet gave him a sidelong glance. “Who is the owner, Harry? Someone I know?”
“You might say that.”
The fragrance of honeysuckle and fresh-cut grass drifted on the soft breeze as they stepped onto the porch and approached the front door. The cut glass in the solid oak door fairly sparkled from a fresh polishing. Harry slipped the key into the lock and opened the door to a vision of time tested beauty and the kind of clever and artistic detail only a well-seasoned house could give. Polished oak floors had obviously been freshly sanded and varnished and gleamed in the light glowing from the crystal chandelier in the wide vestibule. An old trunk sat beneath a mirror, and beside the trunk, an umbrella stand and a shelved box for muddied shoes stood ready in the vestibule.
A huge fireplace graced one wall in the living room and a long row of tall windows let in the fading light on the wall beside the fireplace. Two chairs separated by a round, cherry wood table sat invitingly before the fireplace. Those were the only pieces of furniture in the generous room. “Oh, Harry, how cozy this is.”
The dining room stood empty except for the magnificent chandelier just waiting for a long table with plenty of chairs and a glass front china cabinet.
Harry heard the excitement in Juliet’s gasp when he showed her the refurbished kitchen. “The new owner must have a fondness for cooking. Just look at these new appliances.” She grinned. “He must have a wife with very discerning taste, or maybe he’s a cook, himself. Why, this looks like a professional kitchen. What a lucky person who gets to cook here.”
Harry loved the sound of excitement and amazement in her voice. In the corner of the kitchen was a bay window that allowed a glimpse into the backyard where a mature apple tree stood along with a couple of oak trees and a big space for a garden.
“Look at that, Harry. There’s a big bird feeder right where the breakfast table should be at the bay window to watch the birds.” She walked close and looked out the window. “Why, that feeder looks just like the ones Joey makes. The owner must know my brother.”
“I think they’re very good friends.” Warmth filled Harry with Juliet’s approval. “There’s a huge pantry, and the basement has room for a workshop and plenty of shelves for canned goods. Right off the kitchen is a room with plenty of windows…perfect for an office.”
He took her by the hand and led her into the hall where the wide staircase led to the rooms above. “Come, see the upstairs.” Wouldn’t she be surprised when she saw there were five bedrooms and a huge bathroom? He had put in new sinks and built shelves and drawers to store towels and linens with the help of her uncle, Banjo Wilding and Teekonka Red Sky. But he had left the clawed Victorian tub for Juliet. He knew she would enjoy soaking in its depths to luxuriate in a bubble bath at the end of the day.
A blush of pink ran up her neck when she entered the spacious bedroom he had designated as theirs. It was the only room with a bed in it. The bed had belonged to his grandparents. They had brought it with them from Ireland. Its old world design suited this regal house perfectly. French doors led out to a small balcony just big enough for a couple of chairs and a table—a lovely little quiet place where a man and his wife could relax and enjoy each other’s company.
Once they traveled back down the stairs, Harry stepped into the hall. He grew anxious to know what she thought. When he drew her into her arms, she seemed rigid and distant. Something was wrong. She must be upset about the house. It wasn’t what he hoped. “Don’t you like the house?”
She pulled away from him. “It’s everything I ever imagined it could be. The woman who gets to live in this house will be the luckiest woman on Earth.”
Harry hated the sorrowful tone in her voice. Had he been cruel to show her the house and pretend someone else had bought it? Maybe he should tell her. Maybe she would change her mind if she knew.
“When will the new owners be moving in?” She asked the question without making eye contact.
“On the twenty-first of June.”
She slowly turned to look up into his face. “Why that’s when our wedding day was supposed to take place.”
“That’s when our wedding day will take place, Juliet. And this house is my wedding gift to you. Actually, it’s a wedding gift f
rom your family, too. They helped me renovate it…with you in mind.” He lifted his hands to encompass the whole house. “All of this, it’s all for you, darlin’. It doesn’t have much furniture yet, but—”
She extended her arm and kept him away with her hand on his chest. “No, Harry, this can’t be our house.”
“I assure you it can…it is.”
A tear slipped from her eye and made a path down her cheek.
What the hell? Had he been wrong to buy the house? “If you don’t like it, I can change it. I’ll do whatever you want. I just want you to be happy.”
“It’s not the house. It’s not you; it’s me. I can’t marry you. I refuse to ruin your dreams or your life.” She wrestled out of his arms when he attempted to embrace and reassure her.
The earth was churning under his feet and his heart clenched so painfully he wasn’t sure he could get his breath. “I know you love me, Juliet. You’re my dream. You’re my life and my future.”
“Stop it. Just stop it. I told you why. I can’t have children. I can never, ever have children. This house you worked on so hard would just be a big empty house if you married me. You deserve a wife who can give you those children.” She walked to the front gate and turned to look at him. “Now, I’m going home…and I don’t want to talk about this again.”
Harry hurried to her. His chest burned. He couldn’t tell if he was hurt or angry—maybe both. In a few long strides he caught up with her, took her by the arm maybe just a little too tight, and turned her to face him. “You’ve lost sight of the most important thing of all—love. I’ve loved you since the first grade. No woman will ever dislodge you from my heart. I’m not some king who needs heirs; I’m a man who loves you no matter what. And here you are trying to ditch me and our future because you can’t produce a flock of kids. You’re being ridiculous.”
She pulled her arm from his grasp. “Think whatever you like, Harry O’Connor, but the wedding is off. Now, this is goodbye.”
He couldn’t help it. As she rushed away down the street in the direction of the hotel, he shouted after her, “June twenty-first I’ll be at the church.”
He stepped away from the gate. He knew it would be counterproductive to chase after her. Stubborn and hard-headed, Wilding women needed a different kind of persuasion—a delicate balance of firmness and tenderness. Courting a Wilding woman was not for the weak hearted. He squared his shoulders and walked toward the boarding house to his room where he could quiet his riot of thoughts and emotions—and come up with a plan.
Chapter 5
As soon as she arrived home, emotionally spent and empty, Juliet took off her shoes as quietly as possible. Her parents had built a big bedroom downstairs and left the second floor to Juliet, her siblings and Grandpa Ben. The last thing she wanted right now was to arouse her parents’ attention. They would be full of questions, and she just didn’t want to go down that painful road again tonight. She would deal with her cancelled wedding tomorrow.
When she reached the second floor landing, she heard muffled weeping from Lilith’s old room. Oh my goodness, the children are here! How could she have forgotten? Feeling a little ashamed of her self-involvement, she padded toward the sound. As bad as the last few hours had been for her, these children had suffered unimaginable horror, not for just an hour or a day, but for most of their lives.
In the soft light of the hall, Juliet saw the little red-headed girl, Mina, she remembered standing in the yard of the hotel. She made her way to the child, passing by the crib she recognized as Joey’s from his childhood. The baby in the crib made soft, sweet breaths. At least Blossom wouldn’t have to remember the terrible things the other children would most likely never forget.
She spoke just above a whisper as she approached the weeping girl, careful not to startle her. “What’s wrong, sweetheart? Did you have a bad dream? Are you frightened?”
The child scooted into a tiny ball wedged against the headboard and clung tightly to a pillow as if it were a shield between her and whatever evils she thought might be coming toward her.
“I’ll only come as close as you allow me to. I promise, I won’t hurt you No one in this house will ever hurt you. May I sit on the side of the bed?”
The little girl did not speak, nor did she object, but Juliet noticed the wide, wary eyes and how the girl guarded her body with the pillow. She decided to sit at the foot of the bed and come no closer. She knew it would take time for these children to heal and let down their guards again.
“I didn’t get a chance to properly introduce myself earlier this evening. My name is Juliet Wilding. Harry O’Connor, the man who rescued Max from the snow storm is my…friend.” The word friend seemed so pale to describe her relationship to Harry. He was so much more. “Would you like to tell me your name?”
In a small, timid voice, the child spoke. “Mina.”
“What a beautiful name. How old are you, Mina?”
“Eight.” Her shoulders relaxed a little.
“Is there anything I can do for you to help make you feel better, Mina?”
The child’s eyes filled with tears, and her breath hitched. “They killed my bunny, Rosie, and cooked her for supper. I couldn’t eat Rosie. She had been a good bunny and she was my friend. None of us could eat her…but they did. They laughed when they ate her.” She did cry then.
Juliet’s heart squeezed in her chest. What kind of monsters were those people to kill a child’s pet and serve it for supper? She could not keep from reaching out to the child with open arms. It felt so good when Mina, still clinging to her pillow, allowed Juliet to hold her and comfort her.
“Things are going to be better for you and your brothers and sister now. I know you probably don’t believe me yet, but I promise you, they will. You’re all going to be safe now.” She brushed Mina’s hair back from her face. She saw now that her hair was auburn like Harry’s. Juliet wondered if it had streaks of gold that shone in the sunlight like Harry’s did.
“My brother, Joey, is a veterinarian, or will be a month from now when he takes his exams. He’s a doctor for animals.” She chuckled, remembering how Joey spent his childhood fixing broken wings, sleeping in the barn with sick horses and patching up scrapes and cuts on all the farm animals. “You’ll like him. You seem to care about animals the way he does.”
Mina glanced up at Juliet and, for the very first time, smiled. That smile grabbed at Juliet’s heart. The child lowered her voice to a whisper. “Is he sleeping here?”
“He sleeps in the room down the hall. You’ll meet him in the morning. My brother doesn’t miss a meal. Do you like flapjacks?”
“I never had no flapjacks.”
“Well, you’re in for a treat then. I make some mighty fine flapjacks. Maybe after breakfast, Joey can show you around the ranch and introduce you to his patients.”
“Will I have to go in the barn?” Mina’s voice shook and reminded Juliet of the awful things Harry told her about the children being imprisoned and tortured in the barn.
“You get to say where you will go and where you won’t go, here. We don’t really have a barn now that Grandpa Ben is gone and we don’t do ranching any more. Joey has designated the barn as an animal hospital now.” She chuckled. “He keeps it cleaner than he keeps his room.” Juliet let go of Mina long enough to pull back the covers for her. Mina slipped under the covers and allowed Juliet to tuck her in.
“Does your brother have any bunnies?” Mina’s voice sounded drowsy.
“He has a few bunnies and kittens, too. Maybe you could help him. They’re in the barn…I mean hospital, but in this warm weather, Joey keeps the doors on both ends open. He wouldn’t close them if it made you nervous.”
“Maybe I could. Will he let me hold them?”
“Oh, yes, I’m certain he would let you hold them.” Unable to stop herself, Juliet leaned down and gently placed a kiss on Mina’s forehead. “Do you think you’ll be able to sleep now?”
Mina nodded her head and rubbed h
er droopy eyes. “Yes. I feel better now. You’re a nice lady.”
“Thank you. Goodnight, Mina. I’ll see you in the morning. If you need anything, I’m right across the hall.” She checked on the toddler on her way to the door. The yellow curls glowed in the light from the hall. Her little hands rested beside her head as she dreamed her baby dreams. When she stepped out of the room, she left the door open. She sensed that Mina was afraid to be closed in.
After Juliet left the girls’ room, she looked into Grandpa Ben’s old room where Max and Dane appeared to sleep soundly. Then, she passed Joey’s empty room. Liberty must be delivering her foal. Tomorrow, she wanted to talk to Joey about her broken engagement. Maybe he could help her, and understand why she had to break it off.
Chapter 6
“I think you’re a damn fool, Juliet.” Joey washed his hands and forearms at the old pump by the back porch. “Harry O’Connor loves you like some crazy man. You really think he cares if you can have babies or not?” The sun was up and the larks and house wrens were already at work at the feeders, gobbling down their breakfast.
“Most men I know want children. I want children.”
“I think you’re just feeling sorry for yourself. I suppose you’ll closet yourself away like a nun and grow old all alone and become a bitter old hag.” He ducked his head under the water, and then grabbed a towel from the stack that lay on the old washstand by the door and dried off his face and hair. His hair was so thick that it stood in golden, wet spikes.
His words bit into her like sharp needles. She drew herself up stiffly. “I’ll have you know I have my friends and my work and—”
“That wooden cross you’ve put yourself on,” he supplied for her as they walked back toward the house.
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