by Regina Scott
The invitation reminded her of dinners with her aunt. Those seemed miles away and hundreds of years in the past now.
“It’s very kind of you,” Elizabeth assured him, “but you’ve seen what it’s like trying to take care of them, much less having a civilized dinner.”
He bent and picked up a wicker hamper she hadn’t noticed at his booted feet. “Mrs. Tyson anticipated as much. She made us a picnic. Would you like to eat in the field by the church?”
Would she! At times, the walls drew too close. Elizabeth shot him a grin. “If you’ll help me with the boys, we’d be delighted to join you.”
A short while later, they were spread out on the grass. All three boys were crawling about, exploring, while Brandon handed Elizabeth goodies from the hamper—sliced ham, corn rolls with fresh butter, newly picked apples and cider from the previous crop.
“Easy there, little fellow,” Brandon cautioned when Jasper showed every intention of climbing into the hamper after a bright red apple. “You probably need to wait a few months before you try one of those.”
“Less time than you might think,” Elizabeth said, reaching for the baby and pulling him back. Jasper wiggled in her arms, and she distracted him with a bit of ham. “He’s already grown four teeth, and two more are coming in.”
Brandon peered closer at Jasper’s brother who was also making for the hamper. “Eli’s sporting a mouthful as well. The ladies better start watching where they put their fingers.” He turned the baby in the opposite direction, and Eli headed toward Theo, who looked a bit alarmed.
With a cry of triumph, Jasper seized a black beetle and brought it toward his mouth. Elizabeth snatched it away. The baby pouted a moment, then set off hunting once more.
“Maybe a picnic wasn’t such a good idea,” Brandon ventured, tugging Eli off Theo, who promptly snuggled up against Elizabeth.
“It would have been the same at the boardinghouse,” Elizabeth reminded him, leaning over to detour Eli from a patch of daisies that didn’t deserve his tough love. “They’re at the age when they want to move, to try everything. I hope your plans for the children’s home take that into account.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He popped a piece of ham into his mouth with one hand while tugging Jasper back onto the quilt with the other. “The Lone Star Cowboy League agreed to fund the endeavor, so I’ll be starting work on the project tomorrow.”
Elizabeth smiled at him. “Oh, Brandon, that’s wonderful. Congratulations.”
He shrugged, gaze on the baby attempting to scale his long legs. “The triplets convinced them more than any words from me.”
She liked how he didn’t take too much credit for the feat. “What’s the first step?” she asked, rubbing a hand on Theo’s back. He lay his dark head against her skirts and breathed out a happy sigh.
Brandon picked up Jasper and settled him across one knee, jiggling it up and down as if the boy was riding a horse. Jasper crowed with delight. “David McKay and I are going to plan out each step so we know exactly what should be done, when and by whom.”
“I’d be happy to help,” Elizabeth offered. “After being a governess and now a nanny, I’m beginning to have a good idea of the situation needed to raise children in groups.”
Brandon leaned back, letting Jasper splay out on his belly. “Oh? What would you suggest?”
“Easy line of sight.” When he raised a brow, she hurried on. “Think about it. Particularly with the triplets, would you want walls and corridors to separate you while you’re doing your chores? The person running the children’s home will still need to cook and clean and wash, you know, all while watching over the children.”
He nodded, capable hands holding the baby. “That makes sense. We may have to knock out a few walls or add others to make that happen. What else?”
“Fireplace screens,” she told him. “Ones strong enough to keep a toddler from tumbling into the flames.”
Brandon winced. Jasper, watching him, furrowed his brows.
“And really,” Elizabeth couldn’t help putting in, “you must give the children at least a few toys to play with. I’m sure they will have chores and schoolwork, but every child needs time to just dawdle.”
“Dawdle.” His voice was thoughtful. He peered closer at Jasper. “What do you think, little man? Do you like to dawdle?”
In answer, Jasper bounced up and down in his grip, ready to ride again.
Somewhere near at hand, a door slammed, and a woman’s voice echoed across the grass, hard and angry.
“I don’t care what Pastor Stillwater says. Tug Coleman is a low-down, hard-hearted old codger, and I won’t help him one more moment.”
Brandon sighed, a significantly less happy sound than the one Theo had made, then set Jasper back from him and rose. “Excuse me a moment.” In three strides, he was around the corner of the parsonage.
Elizabeth shook her head. So this was the life of a small-town minister—settling disputes, moving civic projects forward. Somehow she doubted he’d learned such skills at Harvard. Ministers there had been lofty-minded individuals, bent on the contemplation of scriptures and their learned interpretation. When did Brandon even have time to plan his sermon?
Just as they had the last time she’d been on the lawn, the bushes at the end of the grass rustled, and all three babies paused in their crawling to watch. So did Elizabeth. She’d been relieved to find Little Horn remarkably civilized after the stories she’d read about the Texas frontier. But the church was at the end of the street, and all around it grasses waved toward the hills and stony outcroppings in the distance. Had some animal crept closer, lured in by the thought of making the babies its next meal? She reached out and gathered Jasper and Eli closer to Theo.
“Who’s there?” she demanded. “If you’re here for trouble, go on, scat!”
The bushes rustled again, with more conviction this time, and Elizabeth was certain she caught sight of blue jeans and a pair of wide brown eyes. They had a visitor, and a shy one at that.
She softened. “It’s all right. I won’t hurt you. Are you here to see the triplets?” She held out one hand. “Come on, then. We’d be happy to meet you.”
As if emboldened by her speech, a boy of around four or five squeezed past the greenery, followed by an older girl. Both had brown hair, the girl’s close to her face, the boy’s curling down over his forehead. The shape of their thin faces said they were siblings. Jasper, Theo and Eli immediately wiggled as if determined to get closer to the newcomers.
Elizabeth offered the pair a smile. “Hello, there. I’m Miss Dumont and these are Jasper, Theo and Eli. Who are you?”
The girl dropped down onto the grass and held out a hand toward the babies. After a moment’s hesitation, Elizabeth allowed Jasper to crawl toward her.
“I’m Gil,” the boy said, and the maturity in his tone told her he was older than she had first thought. “That’s Jo. You’re the lady taking care of the babies now.”
“That’s right,” Elizabeth said.
“They’ve had a lot of mamas,” Gil said, sounding envious.
His sister didn’t speak as Eli crawled over to her as well. She stroked the hair back from Jasper’s face, her own look soft.
“And where is your mother?” Elizabeth asked, wondering whether the children might have come with whoever Brandon was placating.
Gil pointed upward. “In heaven with Pa.”
They were orphans like the triplets? Sadness lanced her. “My parents as well. You must miss them.”
He nodded, face far too solemn for a child. “A whole lot. But Mrs. Johnson says we should be happy they’re in a better place.” He hitched up his dusty pants, which had been rolled at the hems to keep from dragging in the dirt. “I reckon she’s right. Her place ain’t so good, and she don’t like us much.”
He sounded so sad she hurt for him. “Well, I like you, Gil. And Jo too.”
The girl ducked her head, but Gil was eyeing the picnic basket.
“Are you hungry?” Elizabeth guessed. “There’s ham and apples still in that hamper. Help yourselves.”
They fell on the basket like locusts on Nile grass. Jasper, Theo and Eli looked impressed.
Mouth stuffed with ham, Jo glanced up and met Elizabeth’s gaze. She sat straighter and nudged her little brother, who swallowed the bite of the apple he’d taken.
“Please and thank you, ma’am,” he said.
The words were so run together she wasn’t sure he even knew their meaning. His sister did, for she smiled her approval at him.
“Do you go to school?” Elizabeth asked the girl, keeping an eye on the babies, who were once more converging on the hamper as if emboldened by Jo and Gil’s repast.
The girl ducked her head.
“Jo don’t talk,” Gil said, reaching for another piece of ham. Jasper opened his mouth, but Gil shoved the food into his own mouth. Jasper pouted.
Was his sister mute? She certainly wasn’t deaf. She reacted now to Eli’s squeal for attention, patting the baby’s back with a soft hand. Then her head turned, and Elizabeth heard footsteps coming closer. Jo scrambled to her feet and tugged on her brother’s shoulder.
“It’s all right,” Elizabeth assured them, rising as she sighted Brandon around the side of the parsonage, Annie Hill beside him. “It’s just the pastor and a friend.”
In answer, Jo and her brother scrambled back into the bushes. Jasper’s face clouded, Eli’s lower lip trembled and Theo started crying. Elizabeth knew just how they felt. It was as if their friends had deserted them.
Who were Jo and Gil, and what connection did they have with the triplets?
* * *
Brandon caught a glimpse of the Satler siblings slipping away from the parsonage and sighed. Only the other day, he’d spoken with Mrs. Johnson, who had taken the children in, about being more involved in the orphans’ lives. Unfortunately, the woman was overwhelmed. She and her husband were struggling to make ends meet here in town while raising their own three young children. Jo and Gil were mostly left to themselves, sometimes riding around the range on an old mule. Who knew what kind of trouble they could get into that way?
Just another reason the children’s home was needed.
“Oh, there are my darlings!” Annie Hill’s exclamation recalled him to his purpose at the moment.
“Miss Hill,” he said, “have you met Miss Dumont?”
“I’m just Annie,” the girl said with a smile as she dropped down next to the triplets, her flowered skirts pooling about her.
“Louisa introduced me to Annie,” Elizabeth told him with a smile to the girl. “She helped me in church this morning. I know she’s very familiar with our boys.”
Our boys. The words seemed to lodge in his heart. That was why he was creating the children’s home, to make sure their boys had a loving place to live until they were ready to go out on their own. That was what every child deserved, just like David had said. Brandon and Bo had struggled to find that place, especially after their mother had passed.
The babies were crowing their delight at Annie now, surging across the grass to reach her side. She gathered them all into her lap, cooing and crooning.
Brandon sat next to Elizabeth. “Annie brought her mother to town this afternoon to see me,” he explained, careful to leave an opening for the young lady to share the full reason for her visit.
Annie nodded. “Ma and Mr. Coleman don’t get along,” she explained to Elizabeth, hands patting baby shoulders and backs. “Pastor’s been trying to get them to see reason. I thought he could talk to Ma some more.”
He was no longer sure talking would help. The Hills and the Colemans had been living in the area before he and Bo arrived and chartered Little Horn, and their enmity had been evident even then. The Hills accused the Colemans of stealing their prize possession, a diamond ring that had been in the family for generations. The Colemans insisted the ring was theirs, won by rights in a bet.
The families’ heated interactions had escalated recently when Annie and Tug Coleman’s oldest son, Jamie, had fallen in love. Brandon had hoped the engagement would bring the families closer, but the wildfire that had swept through both ranches had everyone on edge.
“She says she won’t help Mr. Coleman unless he apologizes and gives back the ring his family stole from us,” Annie was saying now. “I told her Mr. Coleman says his family didn’t steal anything. He’s never even seen that old ring. But she won’t believe him. She called him a liar to his face. Men like him don’t stand for that.”
He imagined not. Tug was a bear of a man on his best days. Still, he generally cared about providing for his family to the point where he’d humbled himself to accept help from the Lone Star Cowboy League to repair his fences and outbuildings. The Hills had a similar need. Brandon had convinced the league to provide funding for the materials only if the families worked together. Now that plan was in jeopardy.
“We’ll have to find a way to get them talking again,” Brandon said, rubbing his chin.
Annie sighed, picking Jasper up and giving him a hug. Eli raised his hands for a turn as well. “I don’t know, Pastor. She’s terribly angry.”
“Does she like babies?” Elizabeth asked.
Brandon cocked his head. Elizabeth’s look was narrowed, as if holding in deep thoughts. “Why do you ask?”
She smiled. “You must have noticed the effect the boys have on people. It’s hard to yell at someone with a baby in your arms.”
He had cause to know the truth of that statement. He suspected Elizabeth had had to talk to him about their past in part because she had been trying to keep the boys calm.
“Tug has a heart for children,” he acknowledged. “He used to help with Sunday school.”
Annie rubbed her nose against Jasper’s, and even Theo cuddled closer to her. “And Ma thinks the triplets are adorable. She’d adopt them if we had room for them.”
“I know how she feels,” Elizabeth said, reaching out to touch Theo, who was hanging off Annie’s leg.
Did she mean she also wanted to adopt Jasper, Theo and Eli? Even with a position, how could she afford to care for them? The boys were already outgrowing her room at the boardinghouse. And if she was working, who’d care for the babies?
What she needs is a husband.
He shut the thought away. She’d come here to be a mail-order bride, but David had told Brandon he was certain he’d seen relief on her face when he had proposed a position instead. Despite Casper Magnuson’s claims that the men in town would be happy to offer Elizabeth marriage, Brandon should focus his efforts on helping her find work.
“Here’s what I propose,” she said, oblivious to his chaotic thoughts. “Tell your mother Pastor and I will bring the triplets out your way, but she has to accompany you to the Coleman ranch to see them.”
Annie nodded. “That might give her a reason to go on Coleman land.”
“We’ll give Theo to your mother,” Elizabeth explained, “and Eli to Mr. Coleman. That should stop anyone from yelling for long.”
“It might work,” Annie said. Her smile grew. “Oh, thank you, Miss Dumont! I was at my wits’ end.”
Brandon knew how she felt. But he thought Elizabeth’s presence might work to the good as much as the presence of the babies. She’d always made people feel welcome, valued.
What could he do to make her see the value in him once more?
He nearly shook his head to clear it. Where were his thoughts this afternoon? It shouldn’t matter what Elizabeth thought of him. The only approval he should seek was that of his Lord.
It wasn’t as if Brandon and Elizabeth were courting. He’d told her
he wanted to start over as friends. He was the Little Horn minister, respected in the community, a force for good in the area. He could not allow residual feelings for Elizabeth to interfere with his purpose. For that was all these feelings could be—leftovers from their time together in Cambridge.
Then as now, they were two people with different goals. He had to remember that. There was no future with Elizabeth, only today.
A shame some part of him protested otherwise.
Chapter Six
They fixed the momentous visit between the Colemans and the Hills for Tuesday. Then Brandon and Annie helped Elizabeth take the triplets back to the boardinghouse. Brandon seemed inclined to linger.
“No pressing engagements this afternoon, Pastor?” she asked as Annie gave each of the boys a farewell hug and kiss.
“None,” he replied. “After my Sunday morning sermon, the good people of Little Horn often leave me alone Sunday afternoons, except for a dinner engagement.”
His smile was as polished as ever, so why did she detect a hint of sadness under it? She walked him and Annie to the door, watching as they started down the stairs. No, there was something bothering him. Those broad shoulders were just a bit slumped. It seemed the pastor didn’t like being alone. Between having a twin brother and living in the dormitory at the divinity school, perhaps he’d never lived by himself until he’d moved into the parsonage. Was he lonely?
She was.
She straightened her spine and turned to the boys, who perked up in the crib.
“Nonsense. How could any lady be lonely with three such handsome gentlemen beside her? You are such dears, do you know that?”
Theo and Eli nodded, smiling.
“No!” Jasper crowed with a grin.
* * *
Elizabeth knew it would be challenging to bring all three babies out to the Coleman ranch with only her and Brandon in the wagon, so she asked Mrs. Tyson to watch Jasper at the boardinghouse. Theo and Eli looked none too pleased about leaving their brother behind. Both faces puckered above their blue shirts, and tears pooled in Theo’s eyes. She made sure to give them an extra hug and smile encouragingly as she carried them out. For all she knew, it might have been the first time the boys had been parted.