Elof's Mission (Grooms with Honor Book 9)

by Linda K. Hubalek

  “Add shelves and side tables, and it will be a good kitchen. But paint the walls first. The area around the stove is off-color from the grease and soot.”

  The look on Elof’s face showed it hadn’t dawned on him to paint the interior. Every room could use a new coat of paint.

  Linnea was looking out the back window to see what was behind the house. “Oh, you have outbuildings too. The little barn is just what you need for your horse and to store your wagon of tools.”

  “That was the first thing that drew my attention to the place.”

  “There’s a garden spot that could be worked up, and a chicken coop. I like there’s a fence around the backyard.”

  She turned to look at Elof. He was staring at her and fidgeting with his hat.

  “Would you like to live here with me?” he blurted out.

  “Excuse me?”

  The banging of the front screen door and a worried voice of Nolan interrupted their questions to each other. “Elof! Linnea! You in here?”

  “Yes, what’s wrong?” Elof questioned his friend when they met each other in the front room.

  “Lyle needs you over at his office right now,” Nolan pressed the urgency. “Jamie’s grandparents are here for their grandson.”

  Chapter 10

  “Where’s Jamie now?” Elof asked Linnea as they rushed out of the house and down the street.

  “Last I knew he was with the Wilerson children. I’m guessing he’ll eat lunch with them. Millie always invites him to stay.”

  “Nolan, can you see if Jamie’s at their house and ask Millie to keep him there for now?” They needed to talk to the Schmidts and Lyle before bringing Jamie into the situation. Elof had to be sure meeting this couple was the best thing for Jamie first.

  “Will do. And if he’s not there, I’ll find him,” Nolan answered as he quickly veered off toward the Wilerson house.

  “Elof? What should we do?” Linnea was practically running trying to keep up with Elof’s long strides toward the lawyer’s office. He slowed his pace for her and for time to think.

  “I think we should be quiet and let Lyle and the Schmidts talk it out. Don’t say anything unless they ask a question. Lyle knows the situation and knows how to deal with this better than we do.”

  Elof’s stomach churned thinking of the confrontation about to happen and worse, the consequence. There was a good chance the grandparents had the legal right to take Jamie home with them.

  He stopped at the lawyer’s door and looked at Linnea. She was trying her best not to cry from fear and worry. “Take a deep breath before we go in. Everything will work out as it is supposed to.”

  “Yes, you’re right. What’s best for Jamie.”

  Elof opened the door and ushered Linnea into Lyle’s office. A well-dressed man in his seventies stood as they entered. The woman stayed seated, but tentatively smiled looking behind them; probably hoping her grandson was with them.

  “Mrs. Meyer, Mr. Lundahl, please come in. I’d like you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt.”

  Lyle diplomatically introduced both couples before waving for them to take seats in the other two chairs around his desk.

  “Now that you’re here, I’ll proceed. I haven’t said anything to the Schmidts yet about Jamie’s situation.”

  “We’d like to see Jamie. It’s been four years since we last saw him and his parents,” Mrs. Schmidt’s voice cracked as she pleaded.

  “We didn’t know our daughter had died until you wrote to us,” Mr. Schmidt added.

  “I’m so sorry for your loss. Can you tell me the circumstances of why you haven’t been in contact with the family?” Lyle kindly asked.

  Elof hoped the couple could fill in the missing parts of Jamie’s story.

  “Noreen went to finishing school in Philadelphia where she met George. Noreen’s first letter about George was that they’d married,” Mr. Schmidt reached for his wife’s hand. It was comforting to Elof how they clamped hands and smiled at each other. They seemed to be a sincere, loving couple.

  “Of course we were shocked and wondered about the man she’d married, his family, what he did for a living,” Mrs. Schmidt looked at her husband before she spoke to Lyle.

  “We would have left immediately to visit them, but I was a Kansas senator at the time and couldn’t leave the session. We wired a congratulatory message right away and also wrote, trying to sound positive until we met our son-in-law.”

  “Why the worry?” Lyle asked.

  “It was the stilted tone of Noreen’s letter. She always wrote long letters of what was going on with her school, friends, and outings. This letter was only one page announcing her marriage.”

  Elof watched the couple talk to Lyle. They seemed sincere but were they telling the truth?

  “You said you saw Jamie when he was two. Was that the only time you saw Noreen and her family?” Lyle continued the conversation.

  “Three months after receiving the letter we visited them in Philadelphia. Actually, they seemed happy and had a nice apartment. George worked for the biggest newspaper in town as a printer, and Noreen stayed home, already pregnant and having problems with morning sickness.”

  Mrs. Schmidt pulled out her handkerchief and dabbed her eyes. “Unfortunately Noreen lost that baby and the next. We asked them to move to Topeka, but George refused to consider it.”

  “We thought if Noreen had better care and family around...”

  “Martha and I were over the moon when we heard Jamie was born in Philadelphia. Made a trip as soon as we could to see the baby and stayed a month.”

  “There was a photograph of Noreen and George with Jamie when he was young. It was taken in Columbus, Ohio,” Lyle picked up the photo he had on his desk and handed it to Mr. Schmidt.

  “Yes, they moved for George’s employment.”

  “And Noreen lost another baby soon after the move,” Mrs. Schmidt added.

  So far, the couple’s story matched the names and death dates in the family Bible. What a sad situation for a young couple to face.

  “When Noreen wrote she was with child again we wrote we’d travel to Columbus and stay through its birth. I was retired, and we even thought about moving to Columbus.”

  “So did you move to be near them?” Lyle asked.

  “Noreen wrote back, telling us emphatically not to come. Didn’t give us any particular reason, just...she didn’t want us there,” Mrs. Schmidt wiped her eyes again.

  “I wrote Noreen a personal letter, asking her to come home to Topeka. Something wasn’t right, and we worried about her and Jamie. George was quiet and reserved when we visited, but we wondered about the marriage when we weren’t there. Noreen’s personality wasn’t the same bubbly girl we’d known.”

  “The loss of children could put a strain on the marriage,” Lyle suggested.

  “Oh I’m positive it did, but still...” Mr. Schmidt trailed off while shaking his head.

  “Then we didn’t hear anything from Noreen or about her until your letter, Mr. Elison. It was such a shock.” Mrs. Schmidt couldn’t stop the trickle of tears down her lined face now.

  Lyle turned to Linnea. “This is where the Schmidts story ends, and yours starts. Would you please tell them how you met George and Jamie?”

  Linnea took a deep breath and looked at Elof before turning to the Schmidts.

  “I took care of an elderly woman in Chicago. When she died, her lawyer arranged for my marriage to George, who had recently moved to a farm near Silver Crossing, Montana Territory.”

  “What? Montana Territory? Why in the world were they up there?” Mr. Schmidt asked.

  “George talked very little about his past, just said his wife had recently died, and he needed a mother for his son. We were married as soon as I departed the train in Miller Springs. Then it was a two-day wagon ride to the farm he’d rented.”

  “He was a newspaperman. Grew up in the city. I wonder why he thought he’d try farming?”

  “I’m afraid I can’t answer
that. He stayed outside the short time we were married, only coming in for meals and bed.” She cleared her throat, probably hating to continue with the worst of the news.

  “We were only married eight days when his clothes caught fire. It was early morning; Jamie was holding a lantern while George milked the cow. The cow kicked out, Jamie dropped the lantern, and George tried to sweep the lit hay out of the barn.” Linnea didn’t continue seeing the pale faces of the couple. They figured out what happened without any more details.

  “Jamie rode his pony to the neighbor, who was George’s landlord. He helped us get to the cemetery.”

  Elof touched Linnea’s shoulder because he could tell the rest of the story. “I was at the cemetery putting up a marker on a friend’s grave, so I helped bury George. The landlord ordered Linnea off the property by the end of the day. I had just retired from Fort Ellis, stopped to mark the grave, and then I was traveling on to Clear Creek, to live with friends and to start my new career.”

  “At George’s death, Jamie and I had no home, no income...” Linnea's voice cracked thinking about her situation.

  “I came to America from Sweden many years ago. Linnea was a recent Swedish immigrant, so I suggested she travel with me to Kansas. I knew there were Swedes where I was moving so she could start over with fellow countrymen.”

  “And Elof was a big help with Jamie, who was shocked at the loss of his father, and all the sudden changes in his life.”

  “So where are you living and what are you doing to support our grandson?” Mr. Schmidt diplomatically asked. Elof figured he had a ton of questions going through his mind now.

  “Jamie and I are living with Pastor and Mrs. Reagan, and I’m working at the café,” Linnea answered.

  “And how is Jamie adjusting?”

  Linnea looked over at Elof, probably wondering how truthful she should be.

  “He’s made friends with the boys in town and spends most his days playing with them. It’s a safe town, and they’re always watched, whether they know it or not.”

  “How is he acting with you?” Mr. Schmidt’s question meant he knew what her hesitation was about.

  “I must admit he didn’t want to have anything to do with me when I married George. We were thrown together by accident, but he clung to Mr. Lundahl on the trip here. Most of the time he minds me, but this week he’s been acting out. He misses his family but hates to show it.”

  “He’s been through several upheavals in his young life, so we understand that.” Mr. Schmidt acknowledged. “So now how do we proceed?” He turned back to Lyle.

  Lyle lifted a piece of paper off his desk and passed it to Elof. “Mrs. Meyer, the Schmidts have a document stating they are the legal guardians of any of Noreen’s children if anything happened to her.”

  “Wouldn’t Jamie’s stepmother be considered his guardian?” Elof asked rather than read the page.

  Linnea’s hand slightly trembled when Elof passed the document to her. He knew she probably couldn’t read it, but felt she still needed to know it was legal and feel it.

  “No, the document spelled out Noreen’s wishes, even going so far as hoping we could raise Jamie instead of his father.”

  “But legally—” Elof argued.

  “The Schmidts are his guardian,” Lyle stated.

  “George probably left Columbus so we couldn’t find them. I’m guessing he knew about Noreen’s wishes, and that she’d sent the document to us,” Mr. Schmidt surmised.

  “So what does this all mean?” Elof asked for Linnea.

  “Technically, Jamie should be living with his grandparents. He is their charge to take care of,” Lyle spelled it out while gesturing to the Schmidts.

  “We appreciate you taking care of him these past weeks for us. At least it’s been a short time, so you haven’t grown attached to each other,” the older man tried to smooth things out.

  Linnea’s closed her eyes and nodded, not letting them know how much she wanted to be Jamie’s mother.

  “So may we see our grandson now?” Mrs. Schmidt implored.

  “Yes, I’ll get him and...” Linnea stopped, wondering what she should do next.

  “Can I suggest we all meet at the Paulson Hotel dining room for lunch? We checked in there to spend the night,” Mr. Schmidt suggested.

  “All right. Can we meet there in a half hour, Linnea?”

  Elof stood and took Linnea’s elbow to guide her out of the office. “We’ll see you then.”

  Once they were out the door, Elof spoke to her.

  “I’m sorry, Linnea. I know you wanted to raise Jamie. He would have settled down and been a good son because you would have been a good mother.”

  “Yes, well it wasn’t meant to be,” Linnea briskly walked down the boardwalk.

  Elof didn’t know if the timing was right, but he needed to finish the conversation they started before they were interrupted.

  “I want to stop and talk a minute before we go over to the Wilerson’s to collect Jamie.”

  “Why? Jamie needs to be with his grandparents. They can provide a nice home and education for him. I can’t.”

  Elof grabbed Linnea’s arm to stop her. “You would have managed because I would have helped you.”

  “It wasn’t your place to do that either.”

  “Please, let’s sit down on the bench in front of the sheriff’s office before we go around the corner to their house.” Elof guided her to the bench and eased down, waiting to start until she sat down beside him.

  “We were just at the house I’m about to buy, and I started to ask you a very important question before Nolan interrupted us.

  “I blurted out ‘would you like to live here with me’ when I should have asked, will you do the honor of marrying me?”

  Linnea sat looking ahead instead of turning to him and his question. “Elof we’ve never talked about marriage. I’m afraid you’re just asking, so I don’t feel let down losing Jamie.”

  “I was in the midst of asking—maybe badly—before Nolan burst in. I was thinking of a home for the three of us.” He wished she’d turn his way to see how serious he was.

  “Elof, thank you for thinking of that but—.”

  “I think we’d have a good marriage, don’t you? Besides, we’re not young, with stars in our eyes. At our age a practical arrangement is what’s best,” Elof argued.

  He’d liked Linnea at first glance and knew there could be something between them. Why didn’t she see that?

  Well, maybe because she was a widow? Did she need a full mourning period, even if the arranged marriage only lasted eight days?

  “Are you not interested in a marriage because you’re in mourning...or you just don’t care for me?”

  “Elof, I won’t marry for convenience or necessity again. Two people need to know each other well and be willing to form a strong marriage. And I firmly believe love needs to be its base.”

  She didn’t answer his question either way. So did he have a chance with her or not?

  He picked up her hands out of her lap so she’d look at him. “If and when you’re ready for me to court you, just say the word.”

  “Don’t push me, Elof. All I can think of right now is that I’m losing Jamie.”

  “I understand that, and I’ll miss him too. But we can still have a family if you want. If God doesn’t bless us with our own babies, we can care for orphans who need a family.”

  “Please, just stop. I need to talk to Jamie and get this ordeal over with.” Linnea pulled her hands out of Elof’s, and walked off, leaving him sitting on the bench.

  Chapter 11

  “Yes Jamie, we’re eating lunch at the Paulson Hotel.”

  “No, I wanna stay here.” Jamie pouted as he folded his arms against his chest. This was not the time for him to have a tantrum.

  Elof stood in the doorway of the Wilerson home, waiting to walk over with them. “Jamie, thank Mrs. Wilerson for your morning here, then we have to leave.”

  Jamie mumbled than
ks to Millie and walked out the door in front of her. How was he going to react to seeing his grandparents?

  “I think you better tell him before we walk in the door,” Elof quietly said to Linnea as they stepped out into the street.

  It was only a half block to the hotel so they would be there in minutes. All their lives would change when the Schmidts met Jamie.

  “Jamie, stop a minute. We need to talk,” Linnea touched Jamie’s shoulder for him to stop and turn around.

  “Now what?” Jamie whined. Linnea took a deep breath thinking she’d even miss his whining after tomorrow.

  Linnea looked up to Elof for help. Tears were clogging her throat as she tried to hold them back.

  Elof motioned them to move off the boardwalk to stay against the building and then got down on one knee to get to Jamie’s height. “Remember we asked about your grandparents when we first met?”

  Jamie looked first at Elof and then her. “Yes, why?”

  “We found your mother’s parents, your Grandfather and Grandmother Schmidt, and they are here to see you.”

  Confusion crossed Jamie’s face. “Momma talked about them. How did they find me?”

  “Linnea found a letter from your grandfather in your mother’s trunk and Mr. Elison, the lawyer contacted them.”

  Linnea wanted to pull Jamie close because he looked so confused. “We just met them at the lawyer’s office, and they seem like a nice couple. That’s why we’re going to have lunch together at the Paulson Hotel. They want to see you.” At this point, she didn’t want to say the couple would be taking Jamie home with them.

  “But I don’t know them!” Jamie moved to lean against Elof’s shoulder.

  “That’s why we’re all going to eat together,” Elof explained as he wrapped his arm around Jamie.

  Elof stood, took Jamie’s hand, and motioned for Linnea to walk in front of them. She felt like she was walking to a trial where she knew the outcome.

  Lyle stepped out of the hotel, holding the door for them to enter. “They are waiting in the lobby,” he said to Linnea as she hesitated at the threshold. Everything was about to change—again for her—when they walked through the door.