by Lois Richer
“I can see it.” Ben probably should have shut up given Victoria’s annoyed glance in his direction. But he couldn’t. “Trails to hike, endurance or training courses, a chance to work with the cows and chickens you have. Kids might really enjoy a place like this.”
“You know a lot about kids?” Victoria demanded, probably reminding him of his claim not to know how to parent. But Ben let his imagination go.
“I don’t, but I’d guess the river I’ve seen crossing the valley could offer decent swimming in the summer,” he mused.
“Where would these kids stay?” Victoria’s question was directed at her aunts. “They have to sleep somewhere. They’d need counsellors or someone to watch them.” She scowled. “There are only ten bedrooms here in The Haven.”
“There are the cabins,” Margaret replied.
Ben glanced through the big window but saw no buildings.
“Aunties, the cabins haven’t been used in years. They’re decrepit and…” Victoria’s tone bordered on exasperation.
“No, they’re not.” Tillie’s normally soft voice was loud and firm. “Jake checked them over for us. He did some repairs himself and oversaw local volunteers who helped with others. Bottom line, we have eight cabins that will each sleep four, five at a pinch. Maggie’s already ordered new mattresses for the cots,” she added defiantly.
“We weren’t going to say that, Tillie,” her sister admonished. “But since you have…” She shrugged. “We also ordered some canoes. Boating on the river was something our boys enjoyed so much,” she explained to Ben.
Boys? he wondered.
“Our fiancés were real outdoorsmen,” Tillie agreed with a reminiscent smile.
Victoria looked dumbfounded. Mikey glanced curiously from one woman to the other. Ben was intrigued.
“Describe who you envision coming here,” he murmured.
“Children like our four girls,” Tillie said with a smile at Victoria. “Kids who need to escape the lure of drugs or whatever evil they’re trapped in. Or perhaps they and their foster families simply need a break from each other, time to think.”
“We’re still in touch with the foster system in Edmonton, you know,” Margaret added with a pointed look at her foster daughter. “They think it’s a wonderful idea.”
“I’m sure they do.” Victoria chewed another cracker.
“You think we’re too old, don’t you?” Tillie frowned. “Well, we’ll never be too old to answer when the Lord calls us.”
“Are you sure He called you, Auntie?” Victoria’s normally musical voice had a frosty edge. “Or was it your friends in Social Services who made you think this was a good idea?”
Ben watched the twins draw erect, their annoyance obvious.
“We have thought and prayed about this decision for months, Victoria. We’ve conducted many inquiries into how the logistics would work, the cost, the need for helpers,” Margaret spoke clearly, her voice confident. “We have sought the Lord over and over to ascertain His will. We believe this is it.”
“You’re going ahead with it.” The words carried resignation.
“We’d like to.” Tillie took her hand. “On one condition.”
“We’ve been praying that you’d be willing to help us,” Margaret finished.
“Me?” Victoria’s dark head reared back, gray eyes wide. “How could I help?”
“My dear, you are a fixer, a problem-solver for the hotel. You didn’t train for it. You trained to be a teacher. But when your school closed, you took the hotel job and mastered anticipating and resolving situations that frustrated others. You made things work. That’s what we want, someone who will enable our idea. Right, Maggie?” She looked to Margaret who nodded once.
“But—but—” Victoria’s glance moved around the table, staring at each one of them. Ben felt her gaze rested on him longest.
“May I ask something?” he said quickly, desperate to know if his trip had been in vain.
“Please do.” Tillie inclined her head.
“Does your new plan mean you’ll stop writing people in the military? That you won’t want them to come to The Haven anymore?”
“We see the two meshing. Veterans who visit The Haven may be willing to interact with our guests, even become mentors.” Margaret’s words came crisp and clear. “We think they’d have much to offer.”
“And that brings us to the reason you came to see us, doesn’t it?” Tillie’s smile warmed him, chased away the fear that had hatched inside him. “Let’s go to the study and talk about your situation, Ben. I’m sure Victoria and Mikey can find something to do until we’re finished.” She rose, linked her arm with her sister’s and beckoned him before they walked out.
“Coming.” Ben rose and moved awkwardly toward the door. He paused by Victoria, touched by the confusion in her eyes. “Their plan upset you. Will you be all right?”
“Eventually.” Her smile held more determination than mirth. “Go. Mikey and I will be fine.” She grimaced and jumped up. “Right after I’m sick.” She scurried from the room as if chased.
“Is Vic okay, Unca Ben?” Mikey sounded worried he’d lose another adult from his world.
Ben couldn’t respond because he’d time-traveled back to Neil’s, sitting in the kitchen, watching as his sister-in-law, Alice, turned green and then raced away.
“Is she okay?” he’d asked his brother.
“Alice is fine. Just pregnant.”
Could Victoria be pregnant?
Brain whirling, Ben ordered Mikey to stay put and hobbled out of the kitchen to answer Tillie’s impatient call.
Was Victoria going to be a mom? A mental picture of her cradling a tiny baby in her arms stuck with Ben all through his conversation with the elderly sisters.
Why was he so certain Victoria would be an amazing mother? It was obvious. She was kind and generous and obviously willing to put her own wants after the needs of her elderly aunts. And she was great with Mikey.
But where was the baby’s father? Did she love him? Was she planning to marry soon? And why did that thought bug him?
Ben had a hunch that Victoria was keeping the news from her aunts and probably her sisters also since none of them had offered congratulations. But why?
All of these questions and hundreds more made Ben decide to question Victoria. Maybe she’d explain it as she’d explained about her aunts. He felt this intense need to know everything about her, though in truth, it wasn’t any of his business.
Chapter Three
With her stomach upset, her mind troubled by the aunts’ grandiose plans for The Haven and her heart even more bothered that Ben was considering letting Mikey be adopted, Victoria couldn’t sit still, so she did what she always did when she needed to think. She went for a long walk through the forest—with Mikey.
“What’re those marks in the snow?” he wanted to know.
“Rabbit tracks.” Kids, here at The Haven?
“What’s that big block?”
“Salt. Deer like to lick it.” Why not kids at The Haven? As Auntie said, we four sisters found plenty to do here.
“Why is that tree black?”
“Forest fire.” Victoria smiled at his worried look. “We don’t have forest fires in the winter, Mikey, and even if we did, there’s a lot more equipment to fight them now than there was when this one happened.”
Safety—another reason why inviting kids out to the mountains wasn’t a great idea. They could get lost or injured.
“I wish I could live here.” Mikey’s comment jerked her out of her thoughts.
“You do?” Victoria hid a smile as he veered away from the panting dogs. “Even though Spot and Dot live at The Haven?” Mikey’s emphatic nod said a lot. “How come?”
“There’s no bad men here,” he whispered. “They won’t get me an’ Unca Ben.”
“No, they sure won’t,” Victoria assured him.
But that was hardly comfort enough. She tried to imagine what she would tell her own child
in such a situation. For sure she’d want to soothe him. Maybe she’d gather him on her knee, hug him close and tell him the Bible story of how God protected little Samuel, just as her foster aunts had told her.
As Mikey’s anxious face searched hers for answers, Victoria knew she couldn’t fail him so she crouched beside him and drew him into the circle of her arms.
“Nobody’s going to get you, sweetheart,” she comforted, moved by his little-boy-lost expression. “Uncle Ben’s nearby. And God’s looking after you.”
“He didn’t look after my mommy an’ daddy.” Clearly Mikey was troubled.
Victoria wasn’t sure how to respond, but she didn’t have to because he added in a very quiet voice, “Me an’ Unca Ben woulda been there to ’tect Mommy and Daddy if I didn’t ask for ice cream.”
“Oh, no, my darling.” Victoria’s heart ached for the blame he carried. Mikey and Ben both felt responsible for something over which they had no control. “Listen to me, Mikey. Having ice cream with your uncle didn’t make those men hurt your parents. You are not to blame.”
“But Unca Ben coulda stopped them if we’d gone home. He coulda,” he assured her with a frown. “Unca Ben is big and strong. His job is to ’tect people.”
“I know.” Victoria bit her lip. She could hardly reassure Mikey that his uncle would be here to protect him because that wasn’t true. Ben felt he had to find someone else to do that—unless she, or perhaps the aunts, could change his mind. “Mikey, God’s even bigger than Uncle Ben. He can keep you safe when Uncle Ben’s not there. You can trust God. When you’re afraid, you can pray and ask Him to make the fear go away. God’s your Heavenly Father and He loves you very much.”
After studying her silently, Mikey resumed plodding through the snow. Victoria inwardly winced at his sad expression, glad for the silence as recrimination filled her. How dare she tell others to trust—she who hadn’t trusted God to find her a man deserving of her love? She’d failed to live up to standards her aunts had ingrained in her. What kind of example would she be to kids who came to The Haven? How could a pregnant single woman talk to them about God, about keeping His commandments? Her cheeks burned with shame.
She kept glancing at Mikey as they walked. Why couldn’t Ben see that Mikey needed him? Now more than ever. She sighed with frustration. Walking had failed to provide her with the answers she craved.
When they returned to the house, Ben waited for them in the kitchen.
“Are you all right?” His dark blue eyes inspected her face.
“I’m fine.” She turned away to make some toast. “The fresh air up here always does wonders for me.”
“Uh-huh.” Something in the way he said that made her twist to look at him. Disliking the speculative look on his face, she quickly changed the subject. “Mikey saw lots of interesting things.”
Thankfully that sent the boy into a long-winded explanation of the sights and sounds around The Haven, leaving Victoria, who was suddenly ravenous, to munch on toast and peanut butter between sips of well-creamed coffee.
“What do you have planned today?” Ben asked when she finally rose to put her dishes in the dishwasher.
“Well, since Olivia and Adele are gone, I suppose lunch will be up to me. Unless—” She checked the fridge and then pumped her fist. “Yes! My dear sister left us a huge pot of soup which means I don’t have to cook.”
“I can cook if you need help,” Ben offered.
“That’s nice of you, though I can cook. Tillie and Margaret would never have allowed us girls to leave The Haven without knowing how to care for ourselves.” She wrinkled her nose as she set a coloring book and crayons in front of Mikey. “It’s just that cooking’s not my favorite activity.”
“What is?” Ben accepted a refill of coffee before leaning back in his chair and waiting.
“Almost any kind of sport. Or anything to do with kids or animals.” She glanced from him to Mikey before asking, “Were you able to discuss—things, while we were walking?”
“Yes.” He studied his nephew with a frown. “The ladies are writing a few letters. This afternoon they’re going to town to mail them and—er—check into some possibilities.”
“Ben, are you sure about this?”
“Pretty sure.” His mouth tightened in a grim line. “I can’t think of any other way.”
Victoria studied Mikey. “It’s just—”
“What do you think of Tillie and Margaret’s idea for The Haven’s newest outreach?” Now he was trying to change the subject.
“Over the top.” Victoria grimaced. “But that’s par for the course for them.”
“I think it’s amazing.” Ben’s face blazed with interest. “Think of the possibilities. What kid wouldn’t want to come here?”
“If only it were that easy,” she muttered.
“You mean your aunts don’t have the qualifications or certifications or whatever they need?”
“I’m pretty sure they do. Tillie and Margaret took all the necessary courses to foster long before they brought us here. And they’re diligent about keeping up with the foster system, constantly adding to their knowledge.” She tapped her finger against her mug. “But more importantly, they have good contacts.”
“In Jasper, you mean?” Ben looked confused.
“Jasper, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto. You name the place and I can almost guarantee my aunts know someone there who knows someone who knows someone.” Victoria grinned at his visible skepticism. “It’s true. How do you think they got to know so many people?”
“Tell me.” His shrug made her chuckle.
“Their colonel, of course.” Victoria shrugged back at him. “When vets the aunts had written to came for a visit here at The Haven, they told the ladies about the appalling situations they and some of their buddy veterans now lived in. Of course, the aunties had to do something. They enlisted the colonel and his colonel and general buddies to petition the government to spend more on those who’d given their service to this country. Because of the huge support, government response was enacted.”
“Good for them,” Ben said.
“Yes, but more importantly, as folks learned of Tillie and Margaret’s original letter-writing, they began asking the aunts to write to their deployed family members. My dear aunties’ letter-writing ministry grew.” She smiled. “They always include a word about God and invite everyone to visit. Many come to thank them or seek their advice. My aunties have led a lot of people to Jesus and thus continues their missionary work,” she said proudly.
“Now they want to extend it to foster kids. Judging by their past success, I’d say their idea has a good chance of success,” he mused quietly.
“Of course it does,” Victoria said crisply.
“But you don’t want it to?” The words had barely left Ben’s lips when he recanted. “No, that’s not right. You love these ladies. Naturally you want them to succeed. So what’s your stumbling block?” He watched her closely.
“The amount of work. They can take a rest from letter-writing if they need to, but running this place as a retreat will be nonstop. They’re seventy-five, Ben.”
“They seem younger.”
“They can’t run the kind of place they’re describing alone. They’ll need employees, payroll, insurance, programs, knowledge of regulations and, I’m sure, renovations,” Victoria sighed. “There will be a ton of stuff involved.”
“You don’t want to help? Because you’re afraid of the work or…? Say, what do you do again?” he asked suddenly.
“I am—was, a fixer for a hotel chain.”
“A—huh?” Ben’s confusion made her smile.
“A fixer. Solver of problems. If hotel rooms are empty too often, I figure out why and devise strategies so they’ll be booked. If a hotel restaurant isn’t working to capacity, they send me to figure it out. If clients are complaining about something too frequently, or we’re not getting enough repeat business—actually any problems the hotel couldn’t solve on its own w
ere my problem. My job was to fix them. And I did.”
“Sounds interesting and challenging.” Ben’s blue eyes stretched wide.
“It was. But it meant a lot of traveling, and I’m tired of that. I’m a Big Sister to several preteen girls in Edmonton whom I dearly love. So much travel made it difficult to interact with them as much as they need.” She grimaced. “I guess I haven’t made things better by coming here either, though I tried to explain.”
“How do you train for a job like that?” Curiosity filled Ben’s question.
“I didn’t. I trained as a teacher. I loved it, but my salary couldn’t cover all the things I wanted to do with my Little Sisters, so I started as a part-time host on the hotel’s main desk.” She shrugged. “Stuff came up and I handled it. Then my school closed and I was laid off. I couldn’t get on anywhere else. The hotel manager offered me full-time hours.” No need to tell Ben about Derek. “After the first year, head office noticed our hotel didn’t have the volume of complaints others in the chain did. Somebody decided I was the reason and things kind of took off from there.”
“Good for you.” Ben’s stare seemed riveted on her.
“Thanks. I loved my job, but I need a break, so I’ve taken a leave.” She shifted uncomfortably, answering Mikey’s question about the right color to use for the stone house he was drawing while trying to think of a way to ignore questions she knew Ben would ask.
“You could do the same sort of thing here, with your aunts’ ideas,” he mused. “But you want to go back to the city.”
“No.” Victoria’s emphatic denial startled him. “I’m happy to bend over backward if the aunts ask me to. I just don’t want them doing it.” She could see he still didn’t get it. “They should be retired, enjoying life.”
“They’re not enjoying life now?” He chuckled. “Could have fooled me. I’ve only been here a day but it looks as if those two ladies are having the times of their lives.”
“I mean I want them to slow down, not take on even more. They’ve already got their fingers in so many pies.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “Missionary society, teaching quilting to high school girls, programs at the seniors’ center, not to mention their letter-writing and tons of stuff at their church.” She bit her lip before lowering her voice. “Tillie and Margaret are my family, Ben. I don’t want them worn out or tired. Inviting kids, keeping them busy, handling the seesaw of teen emotions and staff issues—I don’t want them upset by that.”