A Family for Christmas

by Winnie Griggs

  “Besides,” Chance continued with a hint of challenge in his tone, “if I can help make candy, then you can dance.”

  Why did he care so much? Was it because he was trying to please Reggie, who’d backed him into this corner?

  But people were starting to notice their discussion and Eve decided it would be best to just dance with him and get it over with. After that she could disappear back into the schoolhouse.

  And truth to tell, she was a bit curious as to what it would be like to give in to the music the way the other dancers were doing.

  Before she quite realized that they had moved, she found herself on the edge of the dance floor, facing Chance.

  “Rest your hands on my shoulders, like so,” he said as he positioned her hands. “I’m going to place my hands lightly at your waist, like so.”

  The feel of his hands at her waist shocked her, sent a little shiver of surprise coursing through her.

  But Chance’s expression didn’t change and she quickly got herself back under control. Of course it was nothing to him, he’d held any number of ladies thusly tonight. It was just the novelty of it that had caught her off guard.

  “Now, keep your eyes on mine, relax and feel the rhythm of the music.”

  Feel the rhythm of the music—yes, she could do that. Relaxing might be a little more difficult.

  “Ready?” When she nodded, he smiled approval. “Good girl. Just follow my lead.”

  He began leading her through the steps of the dance, patiently directing her.

  At first Eve was self-conscious, stiff. She was still very aware of the way he held her and of the warmth radiating from him under her own hands. But his gaze held hers, full of encouragement, and challenging her to keep time with him. It didn’t take her long to relax into the music and let all her worries slip away for a little while. It was as if she and Chance were encased in a bubble of sound and movement and glowing, swirling colors. For the moment that was all that existed—that and the feel of Chance’s hands at her waist, connecting her to him, making her feel safe.

  It was a lively tune and by the time it was over, her pulse was pounding with the exertion and exhilaration, and she was laughing. She understood now why everyone was enjoying themselves so much, why Dotty had spoken of dancing in such glowing terms.

  Chance smiled down approvingly and it warmed her down to her toes. She couldn’t remember feeling quite this happy before.

  He turned to lead her out of the dance circle and abruptly the bubble burst. The real world came crashing back in and she saw herself as her grandmother would see her—as the embodiment of her wayward mother. The smile died on her lips and she stumbled slightly.

  Chance’s expression turned from pleasure to concern as he took a firmer hold of her elbow. “Are you all right? Do you need to sit down for a moment?”

  She stepped away from him. “No, I—” She took a deep breath and attempted a polite, dismissive smile. “I thank you for the dance. You’re an excellent teacher. But I think I’m just tired from all of the day’s activities. If you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ll find Leo and head back to your place.”

  His concerned expression deepened. “You’re much too pale. Why don’t you sit a minute and let me get you a glass of punch?”

  “No.” Eve realized she’d said that a bit sharper than she’d intended. She took a breath and moderated her tone. “I mean, that’s very kind, but I think it best if I just go back to my room and rest.” She attempted a smile. “I’m okay, truly.”

  “Then at least let me escort you.”

  She took another step back, widening the distance between them. “That won’t be necessary. I’m perfectly fine. Just a little tired is all.” She glanced around, glad for a reason to drop her gaze from his. “Have you seen Leo?”

  “He’s over by that hickory tree with a bunch of other kids.” His tone had lost most of its warmth. She felt a pang of regret, but perhaps it was best. It wasn’t his fault she’d let her guard down. And that she suddenly couldn’t seem to think straight

  “It’s early yet,” he continued in that same formal tone, “and there’s no point in cutting his fun short. I’ll see that he gets back well before bedtime.”

  Eve hesitated. Her gut reaction was to hold tight to Leo, to keep him close. But she knew he needed some fun in his life right now, a chance to be carefree as a child should, as he hadn’t been able to be since his parents passed away.

  She finally nodded, then turned and walked away.

  Chapter Eleven

  Chance watched Eve leave the schoolyard, her back stiff, her steps determined. What had just happened? He was absolutely certain she’d been enjoying herself out on the dance floor. And that enjoyment had transformed her into graceful young woman.

  And to be perfectly honest, he’d been enjoying himself. She was so small, so fragile seeming—it had made him feel protective. Holding her petite form had felt very right. And knowing he was her first dance partner added an extra fillip of pleasure. Watching her discover the delight of moving in time to the music, so completely losing herself to the rhythm of the piece, had been quite satisfying.

  But then the music had ended and it was as if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over her. As if she’d suddenly realized she was having fun and her prim nature had been shocked, had rebelled.

  Well, she’d had a taste of it now, and he strongly suspected she’d savored that taste, in spite of herself. If that made her uncomfortable, wounded her sensibilities, then so be it. Her biggest problem was that she needed more practice at having fun—perhaps then it wouldn’t frighten her.

  At least she’d had the sense to not let her own crisis of conscience spoil Leo’s fun.

  Chance was momentarily distracted by the sight of Walter Hendricks, the carpenter, talking to his son Calvin. A moment later Walter gave Calvin a clap on the shoulder and a broad smile of approval.

  The sharp stab of jealousy he felt took him completely by surprise. He couldn’t remember a time when he’d had such a moment with his own father. He thought he’d long ago gotten past letting that affect him but apparently it could still catch him at unguarded moments.

  He’d need to work on his control before his father arrived.

  * * *

  Eve walked through the nearly deserted streets of town, her mind a tangle of emotions. Her grandmother had always warned her against participating in the town dances or any such activity that included single young men. It was just such an event, after all, that had set the wheels in motion that led to her mother’s downfall.

  But surely an activity that the whole town, including the preacher, participated in couldn’t be as sinful and fraught with temptation as her grandmother believed. And it had felt so wonderful, so joyous, so fun.

  But maybe that was the problem. Maybe it wasn’t the activity itself, but her response to it that was so dangerous. Maybe she was more like her mother than she had believed.

  Because, if she were being totally honest with herself, it hadn’t been just the music that she had enjoyed, but the experience of being held by Chance. Something in her had responded to his attention and the sensation of being safe and somehow valued while he held her. Is that how her mother had felt when she’d first danced with her father?

  Oh, why had she given in? She should have stayed in the schoolhouse with the babies and their caretakers. Things had been going so well—she’d made new friends and felt she was making a difference with Leo. And now, like so many times before, she’d failed to think things through.

  Her grandmother had been right—when faced with the temptation, she had succumbed. It was a slippery slope and she needed to make very certain she didn’t slide down it.

  If only she’d held to her convictions she wouldn’t have felt this need to retreat like a coward. Was she turning i
nto her mother? Please, God, don’t let that happen. I want to be a good girl.

  She didn’t foresee much chance of her facing that particular temptation again. Once she left Turnabout to start her new life, she’d probably not have another opportunity to dance, at least not with Chance.

  Now, why didn’t that thought bring her comfort?

  Chapter Twelve

  When Chance plopped down at his workbench the next morning it was barely light outside. Truth to tell he hadn’t slept well the night before. He wasn’t sure if it was the memory of that dance with Eve—of holding her, of the sweet smell of her hair, of the sight of her joyful smile—that had kept sleep at bay. Or if it was her abrupt transformation back into the stiff, guarded woman he’d thought had disappeared for good.

  In either case, he found himself wanting to find ways to bring that smile back, just to see if it was as bewitching as he remembered.

  He hadn’t had much opportunity to speak to Eve when he, Leo and Dotty had returned from the festival yesterday. Predictably they’d found her in the kitchen, cleaning the stove. She’d immediately sent Leo to get cleaned up and ready for bed. Then, after some chitchat with Dotty, during which she’d never once looked his way, she’d excused herself, as well.

  Oh, there’d been nothing he could fault her for. She’d been polite to him, in fact overly so. But there was a distance between them that hadn’t been there since he’d first encountered her. Had that been only two days ago? Why did it feel as if he’d known her so much longer?

  His current line of thought brought him up short again. What was happening? Eve was only going to be here for a few more days, and she certainly wasn’t the kind of girl to enter into a casual flirtation with. Which was all he really wanted.

  Wasn’t it?

  He looked up at the sound of someone on the stairs and found the subject of his thoughts descending. Which face would she show today?

  “Good morning,” he said. “Feeling better today?”

  She smiled but didn’t quite meet his gaze. “Yes, thank you. I’ll have breakfast prepared in just a bit.”

  He saw the tentativeness in her, as if she wasn’t certain of her reception. “No rush,” he said casually. “I haven’t seen Leo or Dotty come down yet.”

  Some of the tension in her demeanor eased and she seemed poised to say more. But a heartbeat later she nodded and turned toward the kitchen.

  Disappointed that she hadn’t engaged in more conversation, he watched her cross the room. She paused at the counter and it was his turn to stiffen as he realized what had caught her attention.

  “Is this today’s newspaper?” Her tone was much more animated than it had been earlier.

  “Yes.” He subscribed to the paper, but normally Dotty read it to him. He wasn’t certain how he was going to handle that while Eve was here. “Feel free to borrow it if you like.”

  “Thank you.” She seemed genuinely delighted. “Perhaps after breakfast then.” And with another smile she disappeared into the kitchen.

  Would she smile at him that way if she knew his secret?

  * * *

  Eve went through the motions of cooking breakfast, but her mind was elsewhere. The encounter with Chance this morning had gone better than she’d dared hope. There was none of the censure she’d expected. That was a relief, yes, but curiously it was also a bit of a letdown. It was as if her dancing with such abandon and then withdrawal from him hadn’t affected him at all. And why should it? To him it had just been a dance, something he’d done hundreds of times before. She doubted she’d served as a very remarkable partner. Apparently she had, in fact, been quite forgettable.

  Breakfast passed pleasantly enough, though she let the others carry most of the conversation. An easy thing since Leo wanted to excitedly recap everything he’d done at the festival.

  Later, after she’d meticulously cleaned the kitchen, Eve stepped back out into the main room, feeling at a bit of a loss as to what she should do next. She found Dotty there, reading the paper to Leo. Chance had returned to his workbench and had his head down over whatever he was working on. He glanced up to smile a greeting her way, then went right back to work.

  What now? She supposed she could start on lunch. Or perhaps get that old suit Chance had given her and begin to refashion it. But before she had taken two steps toward the stairs, her interest was snagged by the article Dotty was reading. Almost without thinking, she gave in to the temptation to join her and Leo.

  Dotty looked up. “Ah, there you are. Would you mind taking over for me? I’d like to get back to work on this shawl I’m knitting—it’s a Christmas gift for my daughter.”

  “Of course.” Eve eagerly took the paper and scanned the front-page article on yesterday’s festival until she found the spot where Dotty had left off.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chance continued tinkering with the old clock Mrs. Northram had asked him to take a look at as he listened to Eve read the paper. And read it she did, all the way through, even the advertisements. She had a wonderful voice, feminine yet strong, alive with nuance and emotion. Her love for reading, which he’d merely suspected earlier, came shining through in her face. And in the way she paused occasionally to make astute or humorous comments on what she had just read.

  And trust Dotty to handle the matter of reading to him with great tact and absolutely no prompting from him. As soon as they’d excused themselves from breakfast she’d insisted on reading it to Leo.

  “Chance.”

  He glanced up at the sound of Eve’s hail. It was the first time she’d used his first name and he decided he rather liked the sound of it on her lips. “Yes?”

  “How often did you say the paper is printed?”

  “Twice a week, Fridays and Tuesdays.”

  She nodded and he detected a note of disappointment in the gesture. But she dropped the subject and turned to Leo. “Tell me, do you know how to read or write?”

  Leo shifted in his seat. “I used to be able to read a little. But I couldn’t read nothing like that newspaper.”

  “Anything like that newspaper,” she corrected. “The first thing we need to do, then, once we get your name cleared, is get you enrolled in school. Reading is a very important skill to have.”

  Chance mentally winced at that reminder of what he lacked.

  “I’ve known other folks, grown-up folks, who can’t read. Like the man who helped Pa plow his fields in the spring.”

  “The poor man probably never had the opportunity to learn. But we will see that you do.” She leaned forward. “A man who can read is not only more respected and knowledgeable, but he is much harder to take advantage of. You don’t want to be someone who must lean on others to do his reading for him, do you?”

  Chance cast a quick glance Dotty’s way to see how she was reacting to this. She met his gaze with a sympathetic one of her own. But Eve wasn’t through. Was it because she felt so strongly about this, or was she just trying to convince Leo that he needed to go back to school?

  “Not only is reading important,” Eve was saying, “but it’s fun, too. There are so many wonderful adventures you can go on, just by losing yourself in the pages of a book.”

  Leo glanced across the room. “That’s what Mr. Dawson said when you were looking at the books in the restaurant.”

  “He did?” Eve glanced his way with approval shining from her eyes. “I’m glad to hear Mr. Dawson shares my love of books.”

  Chance made a noncommittal sound then focused back on his work. Or at least tried to.

  But she wasn’t going to let him off so easily. “Do you have some favorite stories to recommend to a boy Leo’s age?”

  Chance remembered his mother reading to him as a young boy and dredged up the titles of his favorites. “Robinson Crusoe and anything by Jules Verne.�
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  Eve gave him a smile of approval and turned back to Leo. Why did he feel as if he’d just lied to her? He’d never actually said a word about liking to read, just about liking books. Surely he wasn’t responsible for any conclusions she might be jumping to.

  * * *

  Later that morning, when Eve and Dotty were in the kitchen, Chance looked up from his workbench to see he had visitors. Adam had pushed through the swinging doors and had Jack and Ira Peavy with him.

  Chance stood and headed across the room. He noticed Jack and Leo made a beeline for each other.

  Before they could do more than exchange greetings, the kitchen door opened and Eve and Dotty stepped out, curiosity on their faces.

  As soon as Adam spotted them his face lit in a broad smile. “Good morning, ladies. Your presence sure does brighten up this old workroom of Chance’s.” He glanced around. “In fact, I see you’ve added quite a few softer touches since the last time I was in here. A definite improvement.”

  “Hey! Are you implying I didn’t keep this place neat and comfortable before now?” Chance gave him a mock frown to go with his accusation.

  Adam spread his hands. “Let’s just say it’s looking much better—especially the caliber of the residents.”

  Chance grinned in response. “Is there something we can do for you?” He studied his friend closely. Adam’s manner seemed relaxed and unhurried, but something about him led Chance to believe this was more than a casual visit.

  Adam nodded toward his son, who was exploring the workshop with Leo as his guide. “Mrs. Peavy is in the mood to make some persimmon jelly and Jack and Ira here are heading out to pick some of the fruit for her. We thought Leo might want to go along and maybe collect some for you, as well.”

  “How kind of you to think of him,” Eve said. “Persimmons would make a welcome addition to our table.”

  “Does that mean I can go?” Leo asked hopefully.