by Lori Wick
"We can't very well give you a trial period since this is the end of March and school ends in two months but I do think we, as a school board, need to consider this. Maybe the best route to take would be a lower wage for the first month, you know, until you've proven yourself."
"That's fine, Mr. Carson." Kate assured him in her gentle way. Burt felt very guilty about such a move but the time was moving on. He didn't want this interview to make him late in leaving-he and his wife were going to see their eldest daughter, who was about to have a baby. He'd take up the matter with Greg, when he returned.
Sean and Marcail were ushered into the office and introduced. The next thing Kaitlin knew, they were being led down the street to ahotel for the night.
"Now, Mr. Carson will start first thing in the morning finding you a place to live." Burt was walking and talking so fast that Kaitlin was straining to catch his words.
"You should be comfortable here tonight." They were in the hotel now, going up the stairs at an amazing pace. "That will give you the weekend to get settled, and you'll be ready to start school Monday. Oh! The school records. Greg can bring you those. Oh, yes, my daughter... we're going on a trip but you'll have her when we return."
Mr. Kemp had seen them to their room and opened the door. He gave a quick look around before bidding them good-bye and nearly running from the room.
The door closed and the children stood still in the middle of the room. A moment went by, and then Kaitlin walked toward the only chair in the room and sank into it. She was nearly trembling with fatigue.
Marcail was fascinated with the idea of staying in a hotel and she did a thorough inspection of the room. There was only one bed, but there was a good-sized sofa, and Marcail declared it would be Sean's. Sean was too busy watching his older sister to pay much attention to Marcail.
"Are you going to cry, Katie?"
"I'm too tired to cry."
'Are you happy you got the job?"
"Yes, I'm just a little overwhelmed."
"Why don't I go get us some supper?"
"Would you, Sean?" Kate perked up at the very idea.
"Sure. Marcail and I will go find some food while you freshen up."
Kaitlin did cry then, because he was so thoughtful. Sean never knew what to do when his sisters or mother cried and then he remembered he didn't have a mother.
Please God, his young heart prayed as he moved close so Kate could cry onto the sleeve of his jacket, please help me take care of my sisters. And please take care of me, too.
fourteen
The next morning Greg Carson walked with a jaunty step into the hotel dining area to find the new schoolteacher. She was easy to spot because the room was near to empty. If he'd thought her attractive yesterday, he didn't know what to think today. Kaitlin was well rested and in a clean dress.
"Good morning, Miss Donovan." Greg was irritated at the way his voice nearly stuttered, but to his relief none of the Donovan family seemed to notice.
"Good morning."
"I have good news for you." His stuttering was forgotten in his excitement. "I've found you a house. Now, I didn't rent it, because it's up to you if you want it. It needs a little cleaning up but the price is very good. . . ."
Mr. Carson went on to name an amount which caused Kaitlin to blink. This was the very man who had set her salary yesterday and then casually announced to her today that the rent for the house would be swallowing about 90 percent of her monthly income.
Moments before Mr. Carson had come in, Kate and Sean had been discussing the idea of Sean getting a Saturday job. Kate wasn't thrilled with the idea, but if the rents in town were high, they just might not have any choice.
After breakfast they walked to the house that Greg had found. The house turned out to be a one-room cottage. It was quaint, charming even, and painted white. Kaitlin was pleasantly surprised to see a stove and a table with two chairs. She became concerned, though when she saw only one bed.
"It's very nice."
"Then you like it?" Mr. Carson seemed so delighted that Kaitlin smiled.
"Yes, I do." She glanced around and then asked, "Is there any way we could have another bed?"
Mr. Carson looked a little surprised at the request and then looked at Sean as though seeing him for the first time. He'd been given no authorization from the school board to furnish the house and the thought went against his grain, even if he had.
"I forgot that there were three of you," he said almost absently and then a smile lit his face. "The male schoolteachers usually stay with Marshall Riggs. I'll bet he'd let Sean stay with him!"
Kaitlin felt her breath leave in a rush. Have Sean live somewhere else, with some man they hadn't even met yet? Kate didn't know what to do.
She asked cautiously, not wanting to complain, "Mr. Carson, when you were checking, did you see any places for rent that were a little bit bigger?"
"Not in this price range," he told her, not unkindly.
"Well-" Kaitlin began, but really couldn't think of anything to say. Greg took it as an agreement.
"Fine, fine. I can go over right now and explain the situation to Rigg and then I'll show you the schoolhouse. Can you find your way back to the hotel?"
"Yes, thank you." Kate's voice was strained but Greg didn't notice. With a quick wave he was gone.
"Are we going to go back to Aunt Maureen's?" Marcail wanted to know. "Katie, are we going to go back to Aunt Maureen's?" The little girl tugged on her sister's dress and Kaitlin finally looked at her.
"I don't know-"
"No, we're not," Sean interrupted in a strong voice. Kaitlin just looked at him. "We're staying here and giving this a try. I can go live with this Riggs fellow and you guys can stay here. You got the job, Katie, and I take that as an open door for staying here. I would rather that we were together but I still think we're going to be okay."
Kate stared at her brother and wondered when he had gotten older than 14.
"All right, Sean, we'll give it a try."
They made their way back to the hotel to pack and wait for Mr. Carson. He was knocking at their door soon after they'd closed their cases and once again all of the Donovans accompanied him, only this time to the schoolhouse.
For Kate, it was love at first sight. The school was painted white with flower boxes beneath the windows. Once inside, she smiled as her eyes caressed the dark wood on the rows of small desks and then the larger one up front for herself. A large flag hung on one of the side walls flanked by a picture of George Washington.
Whoever had come before her had been meticulous because everything was spotless. The blackboards covering the entire front wall were scrubbed clean. On the teacher's desk sat a globe of the world. Kaitlin moved it to a library table against the side wall. She continued to move around touching this and moving that in a way that reminded Sean and Marcail of their mother.
Mr. Carson was very solicitous and had all the school records with him. Kaitlin looked through them with great relish. That she loved to teach was written on her face and her every movement. She would have sat all day in that schoolroom planning for Monday, but Mr. Carson brought her quickly back to the present.
"I think Sean and I should go get your things at the hotel. We'll stop at your house first and then go to Rigg's, so Sean knows where it is."
Kate was quickly learning that when Mr. Carson had a plan, he executed it almost immediately. Before she could say yea or nay, he was gone with her brother in tow.
"Where will I sit, Katie?"
Kaitlin looked at her younger sister and thanked God for her. Marcail had a way of bringing Kate down to earth with her questions.
"Well, Marc, I don't know. We're going to have to wait and see." Kate watched her expressive face and smiled. Marcail was worried and trying not to show it. "What's bothering you?"
"I miss Loni and I wish I knew which desk was mine."
"Does it matter?"
"I don't know, I just wish I knew."
Kaitlin di
dn't try to sort through this. She just listened and went over to sit beside her sister on the long bench that stretched across the front of the schoolroom.
"Everything is so different here Katie, and I don't want to get a spanking."
"Why would you get a spanking?"
"Because we left Aunt Maureen's without asking Father."
Kate slipped an arm around the nine-year-old. "Marc, who is in charge when Father's not here?"
"You are."
"That's right. So if Father is angry about our move, and I don't think he will be, I'll be the one in trouble."
"Who will be in trouble?" A good-natured voice spoke from the doorway of the schoolhouse and two men came in with easy familiarity.
Kate had been startled to have someone speak so suddenly. Both she and Marcail had jumped up and spun around to see them approaching. That they were father and son was more than obvious as they came closer.
"I'm William Taylor and this is my son Jeff. I'm sorry if I startled you." He didn't look the least bit sorry and Kaitlin couldn't help but smile at the charming display of teeth he was giving her.
"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Kaitlin Donovan and this is my sister, Marcail. I was hired yesterday as the new schoolteacher."
The younger man, who Kaitlin had only glanced at when introduced, mumbled something about Nate being lucky, something Kaitlin didn't understand. But then Mr. Taylor was asking her a question and she didn't have time to pay any further attention to Jeff.
"We were staying with our aunt in San Francisco when I saw the ad for this job."
"How was the trip up?"
"Well, it was different," Kate tried to put it delicately. "You see, we'd never ridden in a stagecoach before and we were unprepared for the dust."
"Where are you from?" Jeff asked, as if Kaitlin had just sprouted wings. Kaitlin was not offended, in fact, she laughed and Marcail answered.
"We live in Hawaii."
"Hawaii? As in the middle of the ocean, that Hawaii?" Again Jeff was incredulous.
"One and the same," Kaitlin said with great amusement, even as she thought that Jeff Taylor was very nice looking.
Bill watched his son's face as he spoke to the new teacher. He doubted Jeff knew he was staring rudely, but then Bill was also compassionate. Kaitlin Donovan was a beauty, as was her little sister. May was going to love these-girls.-
"What I've come about is to ask if you would come with us to church Sunday morning and then join our family for dinner. And you can't tell me no, because my wife is already planning on you."
Kate was so pleased she took a moment answering. "We'd love to. Oh, my brother, that is, he's here, too, and-"
"The invitation includes all of you. Jeff will come by with the wagon Sunday morning about ten."
"That would be wonderful. My brother is living withwhat was his name Marc?"
"I don't remember his name but I think he's the Marshall."
Bill and Jeff shouted with laughter over this, much to Kate and Marcail's confusion.
"I think you mean Marshall Riggs."
Marcail nodded.
"Marshall is his name and he happens to be my stepson. Rigg, as we all call him, lost his father before he was three. I married his mother the next year, the woman you'll meet Sunday. Actually I hadn't thought of it before, but if your brother is staying with Rigg then you can just all come to church with him. I'll ask him about it. Either way someone will be at your house that morning."
"I'm not sure how to tell you where our house is."
"We just saw Greg Carson," Bill assured her. "He told us where you're living."
"Oh, well, thank you, Mr. Taylor. We'll be looking forward to Sunday then."
"Anytime and if you need anything, I run the shipping office where the stage came in. Just come down and if I'm not there, someone will know where to find me."
Kate once again thanked him and then decided she'd best get to the house and get settled. She wondered, as she and Marcail walked to find Sean, if he was getting along.
fifteen
"Two evenings a week and Saturdays."
"Thanks, Mr. Riggs!" Sean felt overwhelmed as he answered. He couldn't believe he was actually being offered a job, something he'd never had before, and by the man with whom he would be staying.
"I think, Sean, that if you're going to be living in my house, you should-call-me Rigg. Everyone does."
Sean nodded and took a bit of bread. He had a strange look on his face and Rigg noticed.
"Is anything wrong with the food?"
"No, it's fine. I just feel funny eating without Kaitlin and Marcail."
"I've got plenty here. When you're done, we'll take the rest over."
The young man thanked him in awe, finding it hard to believe how generous he was. Sean, quite frankly, had been terrified at the thought of going to live with this stranger, but he hadn't wanted Kate to know. She was a good teacher and even though things were going to be tight, Sean believed they could make it.
He'd come to this house with Mr. Carson expecting the worst, and before he knew what was happening, he was being shown a nice bedroom and given a plate of food.
And Marshall Riggs, well, Sean couldn't stop watching him. He was as tall as Father but Sean didn't think he'd ever seen such a powerful chest and upper arms on a man. Maybe he wasn't a very good judge, but Sean thought Rigg could break a man in two if he wanted.
But even as he thought of it he knew it would never happen. Marshall Riggs' powerful build was not from fighting, not with those beautiful white teeth that flashed at you when he smiled. And his eyes, they spoke of a deep kindness whenever he looked at you or when he offered a couple of strange girls the rest of his lunch. No, Rigg was not the fighting type.
When Rigg spent the next few minutes explaining to Sean what his duties would be, it wasn't hard to figure out how he'd built up his body.
"I get shipments of goods from all over, just about every day of the week. Anything that comes in on Sunday stays at the shipping office until Monday, but everything else I like unloaded right away. How much can you lift?"
"I'm not really sure." Sean was afraid he'd take the job away, but he had to be honest.
"Well, the important thing is that you don't overdo. Whoa, look at the time! I've got to get back to the store. Here, gather all of this up and take it to your family. I'll meet them some other time. Oh, and Sean, can you start this Saturday?"
"Sure!" Sean's expression showed all the enthusiasm he felt. Rigg put his hand out and Sean's smile nearly split his face as they shook.
Sean watched Rigg head out the door and move in a long-legged stride down the street. Watching until Rigg was out of sight, he bolted out the door to find his sisters, the bundle of food in his arms.
"You really got a job?" Kate asked around a mouthful of cheese. Sean laughed. It wasn't like his sister to be unladylike, but he knew how hungry she was.
"I start Saturday."
"That's wonderful. What's Mr. Riggs like?"
"He likes to be called Rigg."
"You don't call him Rigg, do you?"
"He told me to."
Kaitlin's brow furrowed with disapproval and Sean shrugged. Nothing more was said on the subject but it continued to bother Kate. She was a bit leery of such familiarity with strangers.
Of course, she told herself, you agreed to have a meal at a home when you'd never before laid eyes on the man who'd asked you. Kate took time right then to pray for God's protection and not to listen to fears that were groundless.
Some hours later the house was settled and clean but Kaitlin's battle with the stove had been a losing one. After an hour of trying she could not get it lit and Kaitlin looked like she'd been in a war. Her face was smudged with soot and her hair was coming out of it's bun and hanging around her face. The front door stood open for air because she could only get one of the windows open. The family was sitting down to a cold supper.
Kate had found two cans of beans on the shelf which
she'd opened and put into the one pot the house sported. There were no dishes or bowls. She'd discovered two spoons and a knife in a drawer. Sean had moved the table up to the bed to provide a third seat. Marcail sat on the bed and Sean and Kate took the chairs.
The pot was passed around and the girls shared one of the spoons. There had been a bit of bread left from lunch but that had been devoured earlier and now the pot was passed from person to person in an attempt to satisfy the appetites they'd built up cleaning the cabin.
This was the scene Rigg came upon. As the afternoon wore on, he realized he didn't know if Sean was coming back to the house for supper, so he'd gotten the address from Greg Carson to the schoolmarm's house. The picture before him was one he would not forget.
Rigg's frame, stealing all the light from the doorway, was the first indication to the Donovans that they were not alone. Sean immediately recognized their visitor and got up to welcome him.
"Hello, Rigg, come on in."
"Thanks, Sean. I don't want to take you from your supper." Rigg had spoken to Sean but he hadn't taken his eyes off Kaitlin. Kate was acutely aware of his scrutiny and equally aware of the way she must look. She came out of her chair in one graceful movement that belied what she was feeling inside, to meet their guest. Her hands fluttered around her face and hair before she forced them down to her sides.
For some reason she was overcome with uncharacteristic anger at being caught by this man in such disarray. Unfortunately, Rigg was to suffer the brunt of it. It didn't help that Sean was looking at his sister strangely as he made the introductions.
"Rigg, these are my sisters, Kaitlin and Marcail."
"Katie, this is Rigg."
"It's nice to meet you Mr. Riggs. We certainly appreciate your letting Sean stay with you." She had to mentally stop herself from flying off into Hawaiian.
"It's my pleasure, and please call me Rigg."