Baby On Her Doorstep

by Rhonda Gibson

  He chewed and swallowed. “Is that a yes?”

  She nodded with a sigh. “I suppose.”

  “Good. I’m sure the girls will enjoy the trip.” Clint ate his cake happily as if he’d been dreading making the outing alone.

  A few minutes later, Laura stood up. “If you will excuse me, I’m going to go check on the girls and call it a night.”

  Clint nodded. “We’ll leave for town right after breakfast.”

  “Um, are you in a hurry to get back here?” She hadn’t thought to ask him if he minded waiting for her while she spoke to Hope’s grandparents.

  Confusion laced his features. “Why?”

  “I have some business I need to take care of. I’m not sure how long I’ll need.” She twisted her hands in the blue floral apron around her waist.

  “Oh, of course, you can have as long as you need.” He picked up his plate and carried it to the washbasin.

  “Thank you. Good night.” Laura hurried to her room. Her nerves felt as if a hundred ants were parading up and down them. Fear and uncertainty troubled her as she dressed for bed.

  Tomorrow, would she find out that the Maxwells had decided to take Hope from her after all? Or would they show her the house that Mrs. Maxwell had said she and Hope could use? Would Grace like Selina? Laura wasn’t sure she was ready to take the steps that would lead her farther and farther away from Grace and Clint.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Laura took a deep breath and stepped into the bank. She looked about the rich interior. Every piece of wood shone, every worker was dressed to perfection. She felt out of place in such a place. A classroom was where she felt at home, and knowing that Mr. Maxwell not only worked here but owned the place sent rocks into her stomach.

  Maybe this was a mistake. She turned to leave.

  “Mrs. Lee?”

  At the sound of her name, Laura turned with a smile. She didn’t feel like smiling. She felt like the rocks had just grown and she was going to be sick. “Yes?”

  An older gentleman with silver hair and beautiful blue eyes smiled at her. He held out his hand as he approached. Laura didn’t have to be told that Hope’s grandfather was about to shake her hand. “I’m so glad you stopped in today. I was about to go to the house for lunch. The Missus would love it if you joined me.” He shook her hand as if they were old friends.

  Laura took a deep breath, aware that he only had eyes for Hope. She offered her best smile and nodded. “Thank you.”

  He looked to his left. “Mr. Jones, I’m going to lunch. If you need me, I’ll be at the house.”

  “Yes, Mr. Maxwell.”

  His gaze turned back on her. “Shall we?” He indicated the door.

  Laura turned with a nod. She’d only taken two steps when she felt his hand in the small of her back. Unaccustomed to having men escort her from a building, Laura wasn’t sure how to react to his touch. She straightened her shoulders and walked faster.

  He held the door open for her. Once on the boardwalk, Mr. Maxwell pointed to the right. “Elizabeth has been talking nonstop about you and the baby. I hope you don’t mind that I thought she would like to see you both.”

  Hope studied her grandfather with big eyes. She sucked her finger and patted Laura’s shoulder with her free hand as if offering her comfort. Did the child realize Mr. Maxwell was her grandfather? Probably not.

  Laura nodded. “No, that’s why I came to the bank today, to see you both.” She knew the Maxwells were the wealthiest family in town. She knew that he was one of the school board members and that they were a large part of the community church, but for the first time she realized she didn’t know where they lived. Laura allowed him to gently guide her to his house.

  “I’m glad.” He hurried her up the street and then down two others. They stopped in front of a tall two-story brick house with blue shutters. Mr. Maxwell used his hand in the small of her back to propel her up the walkway and to the front door.

  It opened as soon as they stepped onto the porch. A heavyset woman wearing a stark white apron over a black dress held the door open for them. She addressed the banker, “Mrs. Maxwell is waiting for you in the dining room, sir.”

  “Thank you, Harriet.” He handed her his hat, then turned to Laura. “The dining room is right down this hall and then to your left.”

  Laura swallowed. She’d never been in a house this big and never one with servants. Her feet felt as if they were caked in mud as she walked to the dining room.

  Mrs. Maxwell stood beside a side bar. She turned at the sound of footsteps and then gasped when she saw Laura and Hope. “Oh my gracious, please come on in, Mrs. Lee.”

  Mr. Maxwell’s warm chuckle had Laura looking to him once more. “I knew you’d be pleased, dear.” He walked over and kissed his wife lightly on the cheek.

  Laura followed him. She looked about the dining room with interest. It wasn’t that different from other homes, only everything was bigger. Paintings covered the walls and a large table sat in the center of the room.

  Hope popped her fingers out of her mouth and smiled sweetly at her grandmother. She babbled something and pointed to Mrs. Maxwell.

  “She remembers me.” Mrs. Maxwell said, coming to stand in front of Laura and Hope.

  Laura nodded. “I believe you are right.”

  Mr. Maxwell walked to the table and held out a chair for her. “Please, sit.”

  Laura did as she was asked. She placed Hope on her lap, facing her grandparents. It was time she stop acting like a frightened little girl and find out what the Maxwells’ intentions were toward their granddaughter. She took a deep breath and said, “Thank you both for seeing us.”

  Mrs. Maxwell turned to another woman who’d entered the room. “Mrs. Jefferies, please set two more places at the table. We have lunch guests.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The servant quickly left the room.

  Priscilla’s mother turned back to face her. “Nonsense, you’re family.”

  “No, ma’am, I’m not. Hope is.” She looked them both in the eyes. “I’d like to know what your intentions are toward your grandchild.” There, she’d said it. Now they knew why she was here.

  Mr. Maxwell’s eyes hardened. “Are you asking us for money?”

  “No. I’m asking what role you want to play in your granddaughter’s life. I’m not sure where I stand here and want to find out. I do not want your money.” Laura meant it. She didn’t come for their money, hadn’t even thought about asking them for money.

  Mrs. Maxwell sighed. She pulled a chair from the table and placed it in front of Laura. “We simply want to be grandparents to her.”

  Mr. Maxwell moved to stand behind his wife. He placed a hand on her shoulder which she quickly reached up and took.

  Laura’s voice shook as she asked. “How?”

  Hope looked over her shoulder at Laura. Her big blue eyes filled with tears as she sensed Laura’s distress. She looked back to her grandparents and puckered her lips.

  Laura hugged Hope close. “It’s all right, Hope. We’re just talking.”

  “Maybe we should go to the sitting room for our talk. Hope can get down and move about in there,” Mr. Maxwell suggested.

  The kitchen servant chose that moment to reenter the room with two more place settings. Mrs. Maxwell stood. “Mrs. Jefferies, would you be a dear and tell cook not to serve lunch for another thirty minutes?”

  She answered, “Yes, ma’am,” and left the room.

  The older woman stood. “I agree. We need a more comfortable room for our talk.” She walked out the door with her head held high.

  Feeling as if she had no real choice in the matter, Laura followed. This was taking forever. All she wanted to know was if they intended to take Hope from her.

  The windows in the sitting room windows were open, allowing a cool breeze to blow through the large a
rea. A couch and two chairs made for a nice sitting area. Mrs. Maxwell took one of the chairs and indicated that Laura sit down on the couch.

  Laura sat down and then set Hope down. The little girl smiled up at her. Gone was the stress from the child’s face. She walked around the table that sat in front of the couch and smiled at her grandparents.

  “To answer your earlier question,” Mr. Maxwell began, “we want to be grandparents to Hope. Priscilla chose her deathbed to tell us of the child’s existence and that she felt you were the perfect replacement for her.”

  Mrs. Maxwell picked up where her husband left off. “I know we don’t really know each other, but we do know that you are a good woman with a good reputation. Our Priscilla said you would be the perfect person to raise Hope, that you were kind, fair and still strict enough not to let Hope hurt herself or to let anyone hurt her.”

  Laura didn’t know what to say. She held her tongue and waited for them to continue.

  Mr. Maxwell shook his head. “Of course, Priscilla didn’t always make good choices, so I hope you can understand that we took it upon ourselves to make sure you are the woman she thought you were.”

  “And, how did you go about doing that?” Laura knew they’d snooped into her past, without them saying so.

  “We hired a man to research your past.” Mr. Maxwell answered matter-of-factly.

  Since she didn’t have anything to hide, Laura simply nodded. Would she have gone to such lengths to guarantee that her child was safe? Or in their case, grandchild was safe? If she were honest with herself, Laura would have had to answer, yes.

  “And, are you satisfied with what you learned?” she asked.

  “Yes. From every person he interviewed, all he got were good reports. I’m sorry if it upsets you that we went to such lengths, but I hope you understand,” Mrs. Maxwell said as she watched Hope play with the doily on the table.

  Laura smiled. “I believe I would have done the same, if I were in your shoes.” She watched them visibly relax. “Look, I’m not trying to take your money or even keep Hope from you.”

  Mr. Maxwell eased into the chair beside his wife. His gaze followed Hope as she walked around and around the table. “Why do you think she chose you?”

  Laura shook her head. “I don’t know. All I know is that Priscilla put her baby on my doorstep. She asked me to take care of her. I told her to talk to you, to be honest about what happened in Denver. I pray she did.” Laura pressed on before she lost her nerve. “But I also promised to take care of Hope and tell her someday about her mother and that she loved her enough to give her to me to care for.”

  “We hope you will allow us to be a part of her life,” Mrs. Maxwell said with tears in her eyes.

  Laura looked from one of them to the other. “So, you aren’t going to take her away from me?” She searched their faces, looking for the truth.

  “No, dear. Our daughter wanted you to raise Hope. All we are asking is that you let us be a part of her life.” Mrs. Maxwell reached out and touched Hope’s soft curls. Tears filled her eyes.

  Mr. Maxwell nodded. “We’ll give you however much money you think you will need to raise our grandchild.”

  Laura shook her head. “Mr. Maxwell, I said it before. I don’t want your money.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but Laura butted in, “All I want is for you to love Hope. She is your grandchild. I have no intention of keeping her from you.”

  His eyes misted over. “We already love her.”

  Hope turned around and looked at him. As if her soft heart couldn’t take the thought of him being upset, she toddled over to him and rested her little hand on his arm.

  He looked to Laura.

  “She’s your grandchild. If you want to pick her up, hug her or simply touch her, do so.” Laura watched as he nodded and pulled Hope up into his lap.

  Mrs. Maxwell leaned toward them and touched the child’s head, shoulders and back. It was as if she couldn’t believe that Hope was real.

  Priscilla would have been happy to see her daughter and parents coming together as a family. Laura had to trust that they’d let her raise the child. But if they did choose to take her, she knew she wouldn’t stop them, not that she could. With their wealth, Laura felt sure she’d not be able to fight them for the baby she loved.

  He passed Hope over to his wife and then Mr. Maxwell looked at her. “Thank you. We were so worried you’d hold Hope away from us or demand payment to be in her life.”

  She shook her head. “I will never do that. Hope needs her family, Mr. Maxwell.”

  “Please, call us John and Elizabeth.” He smiled. “We’re practically family now.”

  Elizabeth looked up at her. “We’ve been talking and are hoping that you will take Priscilla’s house.”

  Uncertainty hit Laura. They’d been so concerned she was after their money but once more were offering her a home for herself and Hope.

  “Please, we want our grandchild to grow up close to us, and we’re hoping you’ll allow us to keep her from time to time.”

  Laura knew it wasn’t easy for Mr. Maxwell to use the word please twice in less than two minutes. She nodded. “Only if you understand that I am not after Hope’s inheritance.”

  “We understand, dear.” Elizabeth Maxwell kissed the top of Hope’s head. She put Hope back down on the floor.

  Hope toddled over to Laura and lifted her arms. She giggled as Laura picked her up and hugged her close. “Thank you. I really should be getting back to the bank. Mr. Shepard is going to pick me up there.” Laura stood to leave.

  “Are you sure you can’t stay for lunch?” Elizabeth asked hopefully.

  Laura shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not. But I will be returning to town next week. Mr. Shepard is in the process of hiring my replacement. I’ll come by then, so that you can show Hope and me our new home.”

  Elizabeth smiled. “We’ll have the house ready for you to move into.”

  “Thank you.” Laura walked to the hallway.

  The Maxwells followed closely behind. “Thank you for coming to see us.”

  Laura stepped out on the front porch. She turned and allowed them to say goodbye to Hope. The little girl shyly waved and laid her head on Laura’s shoulder.

  Things had gone much better than Laura had hoped. She now had a home, Hope’s grandparents weren’t going to try to steal her away, and life would be returning to normal soon. Laura knew she should be happy, but for some reason she wasn’t.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Clint had never been so glad to be home in all his born days. In her excitement, Selina had talked all the way back to the ranch. She’d thanked him for the job and played with the little girls in the bed of the wagon. Laura had suggested she sit up front with him and her, but Selina had insisted this would give her a chance to get to know Grace better.

  He’d tried to figure out what Laura was thinking all the way back to the ranch. She’d been quiet and seemed at times to be in deep thought. How she could ignore the incessant chatter from the back of the wagon, he had no idea.

  Laura climbed down from the wagon and turned to Hope. “Come along, sweetie,” she said. She gathered Hope from the wagon and walked away.

  Clint stared after her. Why had she not taken Grace? Or at least helped him get Selina into the house and settled?

  Camelia met them at the door. She smiled at Laura, who asked, “Is there any lunch left? Hope and I are starved.”

  Why hadn’t he realized she hadn’t eaten? He’d taken Grace and gone for a quick bite to eat before gathering the chatty Selina from the boardinghouse.

  “There are fried potatoes and biscuits on the back of the stove. You’re welcome to them,” Camelia answered.

  “I have so much to tell you. As soon as Selina and Grace are settled, maybe you could join Hope and me in the kitchen?” Lau
ra asked.

  So much to tell her? Laura had said less than ten words to him all the way home. Why hadn’t she talked to him? Was she angry that he’d hired Selina? He pulled Selina’s bags from the wagon bed and tried to listen to Camelia and Laura’s conversation over Selina and Grace’s chatter.

  “I will be there as quickly as possible.” Camelia grinned as Laura dashed into the house.

  “Come on inside, Selina, and I’ll show you to yours and Grace’s room.” Camelia held the door open for Selina to pass with Grace on her hip.

  Clint put all the bags and things on the porch, then began setting them inside the door. Selina had brought more things than Laura had. He could hear her talking to Camelia in the bedroom. Exclaiming over every piece of furniture and toy that Grace showed her.

  Camelia came down the hall with a shocked look on her face. She looked at him and sighed. “I don’t remember her talking like that when she was here before.”

  He picked up an armload of bags and shook his head. “Me either. I don’t think she’s stopped talking since town.”

  “Well, at least Grace seems to like her.” Camelia walked to the kitchen.

  Clint would have loved to join them, but he had luggage to deliver. His mind worked as he made trip after trip to Laura’s—no, Selina’s—room. He set the bags down, all the while wondering what Laura was telling Camelia in the kitchen.

  “Thank you, Mr. Shepard.” Selina took the last bag and laid it on the bed.

  He smiled. “You’re welcome. I hope you will be comfortable here.” His gaze moved to Grace, who was playing with a pile of wooden blocks.

  Selina smiled sweetly at him. “I’m sure I will.”

  Clint glanced once more at Grace and then walked away. He liked Selina all right, and Grace seemed to be comfortable with her. This might just work out. If the rest of the week continued to go as it was now, Laura would be free to return to town.

  He’d miss her. Maybe since she’d be leaving soon, he’d spend more time with her. With that thought in mind, Clint walked to the kitchen.

  * * *

  Laura handed Hope a biscuit with jelly in it. “They offered me a house and seem to want to be with their granddaughter, but they didn’t act as if they were going to take her away from me.”