Love Blossoms: 7 Spring-Fresh Christian Romances

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  She ended up waiting to read the letter until they got back to the house. Ryan shadowed her as she made her way into the kitchen and sat down at the table. He didn’t say anything, just sat on a chair opposite her and waited.

  Mrs. McFadden – I wish to apologize for my behavior tonight. It was rude and inexcusable and for that I am sorry. If your offer to watch my boys still stands, I would like to take you up on it. If you are also willing to feed them supper as you suggested, I will pay you to help with the increased cost of your grocery bill.

  He included two numbers, one for his home and the other for his work. Then he signed off with his name.

  She glanced at Ryan, who sat looking at her expectantly. “He said that Mitch and his brothers could all come here each day until he gets home from work.”

  Ryan’s eyes went wide. “All of them? Gabe and Tristan too?”

  “Yes and their older brother as well. Is that what you wanted?”

  A wide grin split across the boy’s face as he nodded. “I asked God for Mitch and He gave me all of them.”

  Ryan slid off the chair and raced from the room. As Emily watched him go, she thought it might be a good thing that Steve Callaghan wasn’t going to be spending time helping her out after all. What would she do if the little guy got it in his mind to ask for Steve as a dad? He’d made it clear he wasn’t in the market for a wife and while Emily hadn’t ruled out remarriage, that was the furthest thing from her mind at the moment. Or at least, it had been until Steve had so rudely rebuffed her attempts to help him.

  She picked up the phone and punched in the home number, knowing full well that Steve was likely still at work. Hopefully, they’d pass the message on to him so she didn’t have to talk to him just yet.

  “Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line was young.

  “Hi. Is your dad there?”

  There was a pause before the boy said, “He can’t come to the phone right now. Can I take a message?”

  Emily realized that the boy had likely been instructed not to say that there was no adult home. “My name is Emily McFadden. Your dad and I spoke last night about you and your brothers coming to my house after school.”

  “Oh, yeah, he told us about that.”

  “Can you just let him know that it would be fine for you to come? You and your brothers can meet us at the fence at the front of the school and then he can pick you up from my house when he’s done work. Can you tell him that for me?”

  “Yes. I’ll tell him.”

  “Do you have a paper that you could write my telephone number on?”

  “Just a minute.” She heard movement and waited until he said, “Okay.”

  She gave him her phone number as well as her address since she realized that she hadn’t given that to Steve and he’d need it to pick the kids up.

  “Is this Kenton?” Emily asked.

  Another pause then he said, “Yes.”

  “I didn’t get a chance to see you last night, but I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.”

  “Okay. Bye.”

  Emily smiled as she hung up the phone then she called the kids to come with their backpacks. They slid into their seats around the large old table and began to pull out their homework. While they got settled, Emily got them each a snack and a glass of milk. After turning on their favorite CD on the player on the counter, she worked her way around the table, checking to see if they had any teacher notes or needed help with their homework.

  She wasn’t sure how having an additional four children would work into her schedule. In order to keep life as a single parent with four children from devolving into total chaos, Emily had developed a system early on. Every once in a while, someone—normally Makayla—would protest, but usually, a trip to their room for a time-out helped to get them back on track.

  As she left them to their work, Emily began to think through the contents of her freezer to plan the suppers for eight children.

  *

  “I expect you guys to be good and obey Mrs. McFadden, okay?” Steve looked at each of the boys where they stood just inside the doorway of their house. “She has offered to help us out, and I don’t want her to regret that.”

  “Why do we have to go there?” Kenton asked, a frown on his face. “I promise I won’t try and cook again if you don’t make us go.”

  “It isn’t about that, son,” Steve said. “Legally, you four shouldn’t have been here on your own. I know I had asked the neighbor to watch out for you, but I feel more comfortable with this arrangement.”

  Kenton crossed his arms as temper flared in his eyes. This move had been hardest on the ten-year-old, and Steve knew he was pushing it having set up this arrangement. Unfortunately, whether they liked it or not, he once again had to put the safety of his kids first.

  “Just be respectful and do what she says. If something comes up and you absolutely need to leave, you have my cell phone number.” Steve pulled his keys from the pocket of his jacket. “Now let’s go to school.”

  The boys crawled into their seats in the truck, and he drove to the school before heading for his first job site. He hoped the day went well for all of them, but no doubt Kenton was going to be a very unhappy camper when he picked him up later. At least, he wouldn’t be worried about their safety. He had gotten the feeling from their brief meeting that it was concern that the kids were on their own that had precipitated Emily McFadden’s visit. Plus, he’d called the school to verify what she’d said about working there and had received a glowing report on her. He just hoped she could handle all four boys in addition to her own son.

  *

  After getting Sammi and Ryan from their classrooms, Emily went out to the front of the school and found Bennet and Makayla waiting. Glancing around, she spotted the four Callaghan boys heading in their direction. As they got closer, Kenton’s gaze looked over her and the kids, pausing when he got to Bennett.

  “Hey, guys, I’m Emily,” she greeted them, smiling as she turned to where her four stood. “These are my kids, Sammi, Ryan, Makayla, and Bennett.”

  “Hi, Emily!” Gabe greeted her with a huge smile. Mitch offered her a smaller one while Tristan and Kenton’s expressions remained more reserved.

  “We buddy up to walk home, so grab a partner and let’s go.” Gabe and Mitch immediately grabbed hands which left Kenton to take Tristan’s hand. She thought he might protest, but he didn’t. “Ben, why don’t you lead the way?”

  They probably looked hilarious as they marched along the sidewalk, but if she needed order to control four kids, she needed it even more with eight.

  Once they got in the house, Emily showed them where they could hang their jackets and leave their shoes.

  “I don’t know what schedule you guys are used to, but for us, we tackle homework right away while we have a snack.” She turned to Bennett. “Can you take them into the kitchen?”

  “Is there enough room at the table?” he asked.

  “Yep. I added the leaf to it today.”

  Once everyone was seated at the table, Emily rested a hand on the back of Ryan’s chair and looked at the eight children sitting there. Strange how this many kids didn’t make her feel overwhelmed. She’d always wanted a big family since she’d been an only child, but it had taken a lot of convincing to get James to even agree to four.

  Chapter Four

  “So why don’t you tell me what grades you’re in,” Emily suggested. “Starting with you, Kenton.”

  He shot a glance at Bennett. “Grade five.”

  “Really?” She turned her attention to her son. “Are you guys in the same class?”

  Bennett nodded without looking at Kenton. Something about the way the boys were acting concerned Emily, but first she’d figure out the rest of the kids.

  “Mitch and Gabe, you’re in grade one with Ryan, right?”

  They nodded then Sammi piped up, pointing to Tristan, “He’s in my class and daycare too.”

  “Guess you’re the odd girl out, Makayla
,” Emily said with a smile at her daughter, noticing that she didn’t seem to be bothered by that at all. “Okay, so let’s talk homework.”

  It took a little while, but eventually they all settled down and heads were bent over pencils scratching on papers. Emily began to set glasses of milk and cookies in front of each of them.

  When Kenton looked up, she smiled. “Eat and work.”

  He nodded. “Thank you.”

  Once she was certain everyone was doing what they were supposed to, Emily went to the crockpot and stirred the spaghetti sauce she’d started earlier. She figured this was food that she could easily stretch to include four more mouths. The bread sticks and brownies she’d made earlier sat on the counter.

  “Mom?”

  She turned to look at Bennett. “Need some help, sweetie?”

  When he nodded, she went to him, bending down to see what he was stumped on. Math. Her least favorite subject and not one he usually had trouble with. As Bennett explained what was stumping him, Emily noticed that Kenton was listening as well.

  “You having problems with that too, Kenton?” Emily asked. He hesitated before giving a quick nod of his head as if he didn’t want to admit to it. “Well, why don’t you trade seats with Makayla and let’s see if we can get this figured out.”

  As Bennett worked his way through the problem at her request, she quickly realized that he didn’t have an issue with it. Had he suspected Kenton would be struggling and might not ask for help? She’d definitely be asking a bit more about that later.

  “All done, Mommy,” Ryan said.

  “You boys okay now?” Emily asked as she laid a hand on Bennett and Kenton’s shoulders. “Just talk it out if you have more problems. Sometimes working through it out loud can be helpful.”

  Ryan held his paper up for her to look over. “Good job, sweetheart. You can get down now.” She looked to where Mitch and Gabe sat. “How are you two doing?”

  They both held up their papers for her. After checking them over, she nodded and they scampered to where Ryan waited near the entrance to the kitchen.

  Tristan had seemed more interested in the cookie and milk she’d given him, so she wasn’t too surprised that he hadn’t finished his letter-of-the-day paper. Sammi, however, was done hers even if it was a bit sloppy.

  “Can I go too, Mommy?” Sammi asked.

  “Yep.” Emily sat down in the chair next to Tristan. “Hey, sweetie. You need some help?”

  “He’s not dumb or anything,” Kenton said from across the table. “He just takes longer to do things, especially if he gets distracted.”

  “So it’s okay to just let him sit until he’s finished?” Emily asked.

  Kenton nodded. “He’ll get it done.”

  The little boy didn’t seem in any hurry to get down from the table and follow the others to play, so Emily left him taking small bites of his cookie interspersed with sips of milk. As she filled the pot with water for the noodles she’d be cooking a little later, she could hear Bennett and Kenton talking over another problem. She had no illusions that things would always go so smoothly, but having it work out like this the first time made it easier to consider doing this long term.

  After she had set the pot on the stove, Emily went to the table and began to return the homework to the correct backpacks and set Gabe and Mitch’s by the front door. Kenton took care of his own once he finished.

  “Do you want to show Kenton your room, Ben?” Emily asked as he shoved his homework back into his pack.

  She didn’t miss the quick glance Ben shot the other boy. It wasn’t until that moment that the physical differences between the boys struck her. Ben was on the small side with a slight build. He’d never been into sports. Science and books were more his thing. Kenton, on the other hand, stood a good three inches taller than Ben and was broader. He would no doubt be close to his dad in size when he reached maturity. The boys clearly fell into the nerd and jock categories, even at their young age.

  “Do you play sports, Kenton?” Emily asked as she took the empty glass Tristan handed to her.

  “Yeah. I play hockey.” He shifted from one foot to the other.

  “Do you play in a league?” She was asking the questions in hopes that Bennett would understand him a bit better.

  “I did.” Kenton shrugged. “Not sure now.”

  “Well, we’re not too much into hockey around here. We used to live in Texas so there weren’t a lot of rinks around. Maybe you can teach us about it.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.”

  That seemed to be the end of that subject, so Emily said, “You guys can go into the living room if you want. We’ll eat in about an hour or so.”

  “My dad said he’d be here at six-thirty to pick us up.”

  “Okay. We should be done supper before then.”

  Tristan was now focused on the paper in front of him. Emily watched as he carefully copied the letter over and over. When he finished the last row, he looked up at her, his blue eyes wide.

  “What letter is that, sweetie?”

  He stared down at the paper for a moment then looked back up at her. “K. Like Kenton’s name.”

  She smiled as she ruffled his curls. “Good job. Can we put it in your backpack now?”

  He nodded and slid off his chair. He very carefully slid the paper into the folder they used to send the homework in.

  “Why don’t we put it by the front door so you don’t forget it when your dad comes?”

  After his pack was by the door, she took his hand and walked to the living room where she found all the kids except Bennett.

  “Where’s Ben?”

  “He went to get his comics,” Kenton said. “I brought some with me, and he said he has some too.”

  Pleased they’d found something in common, Emily led Tristan over to where Ryan and the twins were playing with the large tub of Lego. “Do you like to play with Lego, Tristan?”

  The little boy’s curls danced as he nodded. He dropped down to sit next to Ryan and immediately reached out to grab a few pieces.

  Much to Emily’s surprise, dinner went as smoothly as homework and playing had. The boys all ate without complaint, but as soon as six-twenty-five rolled around, Kenton told the twins and Tristan to get their jackets and shoes on. The four boys stood huddled around the front door, packs in their hands, as they waited for their dad to arrive.

  “He’s here,” Gabe shouted, pushing the door open and running across the porch to the steps.

  “Thanks, Mrs. McFadden,” Kenton said before following his siblings.

  Emily stood and watched as the boys scrambled into the truck, trying not to feel disappointed that their father hadn’t even come to say hi. It was like he still assumed she was going to try to lure him into her snare. When the truck pulled away from the curb, she closed the door and went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up before it was time to start getting everyone into bed.

  *

  “How was your time with Mrs. McFadden and Ryan?” Steve asked as he pulled from the curb and headed down the street to their own house.

  “It was great!” Mitch’s proclamation didn’t surprise Steve. After all, it had been Mitch who’d first asked to go play with Ryan.

  “What did you do?”

  “She made us do our homework,” Gabe announced in a less-than-thrilled tone. “But then she gave us cookies and milk.”

  “That sounds good.”

  “Dad, you do realize she doesn’t just have Ryan, don’t you?” Kenton asked as Steve pulled to a stop in front of their house.

  Steve turned to look at him. “She doesn’t?”

  “Nope. She’s got four kids too.”

  “Really?” Steve sat back against the door. “So she has eight of you there after school?”

  “Yep. But she has a schedule for her kids and made us keep it too.” Kenton pulled his backpack from the floor onto his lap.

  Steve couldn’t figure out from his tone exactly how Kenton felt about that. “Let�
�s get in the house. We can talk about this a bit more.”

  “Leave your packs on the table so I can look through them later,” Steve said as they straggled into the house. “Then go into the living room so we can talk about how things went at Mrs. McFadden’s.”

  Steve was starving, but he was also more than a little curious about how things had gone. He had hoped it would go well, but finding out that she had four kids of her own was a bit of a surprise.

  “So she has four kids?” Steve prompted once they were all seated in the living room.

  Kenton nodded. “Her oldest son, Bennett, is in my class. I didn’t know who he was until we met up after school. She has two daughters. Makayla, who is in grade three or four, I think. Sammi is in kindergarten like Tris. And of course, Ryan is in grade one with the twins.”

  “We like Ryan,” Gabe announced. “And his mom. She’s really nice.”

  “You guys didn’t give her any trouble?” Steve asked.

  “Nope,” Mitch said. “We were good.”

  “When we first got there, she had us sit at the kitchen table with our homework. She gave us cookies and milk while we worked on it. And she helped us if we needed it.” Kenton glanced over to where Tristan sat on the floor building a skyscraper out of Lego. “She even let Tris do his own thing. I explained that sometimes he got distracted but he’d get his work done.”

  “What did you do once your homework was finished?” Steve didn’t anticipate having this discussion every day, but he wanted to get a feel for how it had been for this first day at least.

  “The twins and Tris played Lego with Ryan. Ben has comics like mine so we talked about that. I don’t know what the girls did. Then we had supper.”

  “Sketti!” Tristan added to the conversation for the first time. Steve smiled at the boy’s excitement. The woman couldn’t have picked a better meal to win over his youngest son.