The Promise in Your Eyes

by Wendy Lindstrom

  “Something the matter?” he asked.

  “Margaret’s pantry is nearly bare,” she said quietly. “How does she feed these children?”

  “I don’t know, but they’re all healthy so she’s managed somehow. And it will be much easier for her to do so now that she has an open account at the grocer and mercantile.”

  Despite the clamor around them, Nancy gave his cold fingers a gentle squeeze. “Oh, Dawson… Thank you for being such a generous man.”

  Before he could comment, Margaret pulled Leo into a robust hug. “Thank you for being here and bringing so much joy to the children. This means more than you can know.”

  “Actually, I do know,” Leo said. And Nancy knew that he did, in fact, know the value of their gifts. “And that’s why I’ll always be here for you and the children.”

  “Thank you, Leo.” Tears brimmed Margaret’s eyes. “I do so hope that you can find your other siblings.”

  Leo’s smile faded and his shoulders sagged. “Me, too, Mrs. Donovan.”

  Nancy’s heart broke for him and she turned to Dawson, who had an equally sympathetic look in his eyes. They both knew what finding his siblings meant to Leo and that each time he followed a lead to an unsatisfactory end, his disappointment was crushing.

  The sounds of children giggling and bumping around the dining room drifted into the kitchen, breaking the somber mood and setting them in action. They each carried lunch items to the dining room, where the children had begun to gather around a long oak table. Rebecca and Adam joined them and helped fetch the food from the kitchen. Nancy looked on with a sense of relief to see the children safe and warm and a nutritious meal on the table for them. She thought about other children who might not be so fortunate during the holiday season, and that made her wonder what had happened to Leo’s siblings. Her heart ached for Leo and she prayed that he would find them healthy and alive… and that he would find them soon.

  Nancy sat beside Dawson. As the others chatted and took their seats, she realized that she’d sat at Dawson’s side as if she’d been doing so for years, as if it were her natural place.

  “I wish there was more I could do to help Leo find his family,” Dawson said, keeping his voice low so the conversation remained between him and Nancy. “I hear that Adam’s father, Steven, is helping Leo search for his siblings.”

  “He is,” Nancy replied. “I do hope he finds something soon. And a good something. Leo is carrying so much guilt over how his family became separated. He can’t seem to move on with his life until he finds them.”

  Dawson shook his head. “What a shame.”

  “It makes me incredibly grateful that my family is all here, safe and sound,” she said, taking in the melee around the table as the children settled in. “We worried so much during the war when Radford was gone, and the years after, when he failed to return to Fredonia. But my boys are all home now, and so are all my grandchildren. At least for Christmas. I dread the day Rebecca and Adam return to Crane Landing.”

  “Do you dread my leaving as well?” Dawson asked, his expression a mix of playful and serious inquiry. Before she could answer, he said, “Unless you’ve decided to return with me, which makes my question irrelevant.”

  Nancy smiled. “This is a conversation for another time. We are about to say grace now.” With that, she bowed her head with the others and gave thanks for her many blessings.

  If Nancy had thought wrestling five young grandchildren had been a challenge at Evelyn’s for Sunday dinner, keeping all the children from the orphanage as well as many of her own grandchildren occupied and focused on their meal was virtually impossible. The children had a wonderful innocence about them despite their troubles. She laughed along with them, shared stories of Christmases past, talked about the Sleigh of Hope and simply reveled in the innocent joy the children exuded.

  When the children finished lunch, Margaret excused them. While they donned coats and hats, and ran back outside to play in the snow, Nancy and Rebecca helped Margaret clear the table.

  As they finished cleaning up and placed the final dish in the cupboard, the sound of voices from the foyer announced that Nancy’s sons and grandson had returned. Duke and Boyd planned to spend the afternoon making repairs around the orphanage. She entered the foyer as they were hanging their coats.

  “Did we miss lunch? I’m famished,” Boyd said.

  “You did, but I’ll make a plate for you boys.”

  “You are the best mother in the world,” Boyd exclaimed, scooping Nancy into a playful bear hug.

  She laughed and felt great love for each of her boys. Boyd reminded her so much of Hal that her heart ached with joy and sorrow each time she looked at her youngest son.

  After Boyd placed her feet back on the ground, he hitched up his leather tool belt. “Well, we’re here to work, so if you don’t mind preparing our lunch, Mother, we’re going to head upstairs until it’s ready.”

  “Of course not.” There were numerous projects that needed completion. The list was long and Nancy knew it couldn’t all be done today. Duke and Boyd would focus on hanging a new door and patching a leak in the bathroom ceiling.

  Duke gazed at her, his senses still sharp and assessing as they were when he was sheriff. “Are you feeling better today, Mother? I was concerned when you left the lighting ceremony early last night,” he said.

  “I was freezing and tired. Spending all day in the kitchen with your wives and your daughters exhausted me. And that wind and bitter cold was just too much for me.”

  Duke nodded. “It was miserable for everyone.

  “Come on, Duke. Daylight’s a wastin!” Boyd said, heading out of the foyer as Margaret came in.

  With a warm greeting to Margaret, Duke followed Boyd into the parlor.

  “You have such a wonderful family,” Margaret said. “I don’t know how we’d manage without their help. We can’t seem to stay ahead of the repairs on this old house. Boyd says he’ll return this spring to patch the roof and paint the porch.”

  “They take after their father. He was a good man, my Hal.”

  “I’m sure you miss him, especially now around the holidays,” Margaret responded.

  She did miss Hal, but Nancy left that question hanging in the air as her thoughts turned to Dawson. This was the first Christmas that she had another man in her thoughts… another man in her home for the holiday. She felt herself lovingly tucking away the memories of Hal as thoughts of Dawson filled her mind.

  A half hour later, while Duke and Boyd were finishing their late lunch at the small table in the kitchen, Nancy looked out the window and gasped. “Oh my goodness! That young man is just like his father,” she said with a laugh.

  A snowball fight had arisen among the children of the orphanage, and right in the middle, stirring up the most trouble, was Coulter Grayson. Nancy just shook her head “It appears that your son is the ringleader, Boyd. He is just like you.”

  “You mean incredibly handsome and witty, right Mother?” Boyd quipped from behind her.

  “Yes, that, amongst a myriad of other not so redeeming qualities,” Nancy replied in turn.

  She loved that she could joke with her sons. She had a different but very special relationship with each of her boys. Each of them reminded her of Hal in a different way, and she loved having little pieces of him still walking around in this world through their sons.

  Dawson entered the kitchen, peered out the window to see what they were looking at. “Looks as if the children are having a lively row out there. Shall we join them?”

  “Sounds like more fun than repairing a door frame,” Boyd responded quickly. “Come on, Mother. A little play will do us all some good.”

  Before Nancy had a chance to consider his suggestion or think about fetching her coat from the foyer, Boyd swept her outside.

  “No, Boyd! It’s chilly out here!” she said, laughing and shivering at the same time.

  “You’ll survive a few minutes of fresh air.” He winked, scooped up a
handful of snow, and chucked a lumpy snowball at his son.

  The blob of snow caught Colter square in the chest. “His blue eyes lit with surprise as he sought the source of the offense. When he spied his father standing on the stoop beside Nancy, Colter grinned and scooped up a large pile of snow.

  Before Nancy could warn him not to throw snow in her direction, her wild grandson flung the misshapen snowball at his father—and hit her in the forehead.

  The shock of cold made her gasp.

  “Oh no!” Colter’s horrified cry filled the air as he ran toward her. “Grandma! I’m so sorry.”

  As she stood there blinking snow out of her eyes and wiping it off her cheeks, she began to laugh.

  Boyd snorted as if trying to hold back laughter. “Are you all right, Mother?”

  “Yes, but I think you need to spend some time helping your son improve his aim.”

  Colter threw his arms around her waist. “I’m so sorry, Grandma. I was trying to hit my father.”

  “I know, darling. It’s not the first time your grandma has been hit with a snowball. Ask your father about the time he and his brothers ambushed your grandpa and me in the orchard.”

  Boyd hooted so loud the children stopped what they were doing and looked at him. “I’d forgotten about that night.”

  Nancy exchanged a smile with Dawson who stood in the doorway taking in the scene with a smile on his face and an intrigued look in his eyes.

  * * *

  To Dawson, Nancy looked beautiful, dusted in snow, her eyes bright with laughter and mischief. Snowflakes clung to her eyelashes and her auburn hair, and even her rosy cheeks. He wanted to slip his arms around her plant a kiss on her lush lips right there in front of everyone.

  Instead, he scooped a handful of snow off the step.

  “Don’t you dare, Dawson!” As if understanding his intentions, Nancy laughed and moved down the steps, hands extended in a futile attempt to ward off his advances. Her laugh filled the yard and made him feel young again. This was the type of relationship he’d always hoped to have with a woman and now he’d found it. With Nancy Grayson. How could she continue trying to pretend they were just friends? The whole family could see how he looked at her—and how she looked at him when she let down her guard.

  He winked and tossed the snowball to Colter, who immediately launched it at his father. Together Dawson and Nancy watched the ensuing flurry of snowballs flying across the yard. The children laughed and tumbled through the snow, forgetting their troubles in those few minutes.

  Dawson watched in amazement, unable to believe how much his life had changed since meeting Nancy. If she hadn’t come into his life, he would be home alone right now, talking to Tuck and Sir John. Instead, he was standing here with this beautiful woman, and her loving family, feeling more alive than he had in many years. “I can’t remember the last time I laughed this hard.”

  “If you think this is outlandish, you should see our swimming parties in the gorge,” Nancy joked.

  Her sparkling eyes captivated Dawson, drawing him into their earthy depths. Distracting him so thoroughly that she easily caught him unawares when she plopped a snowball squarely on top of his head. He yelped and jumped back, surprised and delighted at her playful prank.

  Nancy laughed and clasped his hands. “Let’s escape back inside, Dawson, before we get pulled into the middle of that snowstorm.”

  Chapter 7

  December 24, 1890

  Dawson watched Nancy tuck the last basket filled with roasted chicken and canned fruits and vegetables into the overflowing sleigh.

  “Well, I think that’s the last of it,” she said, stepping back to stand beside him.

  “Good thing,” Adam said. “I don’t think we have room for one more thing. The town has gone above and beyond this year.”

  Awed by the heaping sleigh and the mountain of donations, Dawson watched as Adam made some final adjustments to secure the precious cargo, tying down blankets and barrels and baskets of food. There was not an empty spot in the sleigh that hadn’t been filled or occupied by food and gifts for the families in need this year.

  “I hadn’t anticipated all of this,” Dawson said to Nancy.

  Pride shone in her eyes as she looked up at him. “The Sleigh of Hope is Adam and Rebecca and Leo’s project. They started it when they were just fourteen years old. Leo was fifteen. Many of our friends and neighbors embraced the idea and added donations for that first run. Since then, so many families have been helped each year by the Sleigh of Hope that our whole community happily pitches in. It warms my heart to know that my grandchildren have made all of this possible.”

  “As it should,” Dawson said quietly, somewhat overcome by the magnitude of what he was seeing.

  The sleigh was magnificently decorated. The gleaming white sides sparkled beneath bright red bows tied gaily to each corner of the sleigh. Lanterns hung on hooks at each corner created golden halos around the sleigh. Rows of bells were fastened along the sides of the sleigh. Beau and Biscuit, the matched pair of bay Morgans were hitched to the sleigh and wore ribbons and bells woven through their harnesses. Dawson could imagine the joyful music they would make as they jingled and glided through town.

  “This is quite a sight,” he said, nodding towards the wagon parked behind the sleigh, equally overflowing with baskets and crates and barrels.

  “It is indeed,” Nancy said, “but I must confess that I am beginning to second guess my decision to ride along this year. That wagon isn’t going to be warm or comfortable.”

  Dawson slipped his arm around Nancy’s shoulders. “I’ll keep you warm.”

  Instead of stepping away, she laughed and met his eyes, her beautiful face framed by a fur trimmed hood. “Once we leave there will be no turning back. Are you sure we shouldn’t stay behind and take one of the carriages straight to the orphanage?”

  “And miss all the fun?” He angled his head to see if she might be silently asking him to provide an excuse for her to remain behind. But he saw excitement and vibrant life in her eyes. “I’m hardy enough to survive the ride. Are you?”

  Her chin lifted and she cocked her head. “Need you ask?”

  He laughed and tucked her gloved hand in the crook of his arm. “Foolish question. Shall we?”

  Together they walked to the wagon where they would ride along with Radford. Adam, Rebecca, and Leo would be heading up the procession with the decked out sleigh. Dawson had learned that Duke, Boyd, and Kyle would join them with three lumber wagons full of firewood and several of Nancy’s grandchildren to help unload and stack it at the houses in need of fuel. The Sleigh of Hope had become a family affair, one that brought the Grayson family a great deal of joy.

  Dawson helped Nancy onto the wagon seat. His hand lingered on hers and their eyes met as she sat beside Radford. Dawson hauled himself up and took his place beside her on the seat. Thankfully, Radford had provided a thick leather cushion for the seat and two colorful horsehair carriage blankets.

  While Dawson tucked them in, Radford yelled ahead to the sleigh where Adam, Rebecca, and Leo had taken their places. “I think we’re ready, Adam. Take is slow and steady, son.”

  “Yes, sir,” Adam said as he took up the reins.

  Radford gave a light flick of the reins and set the team in motion with a click of his tongue. “I’m glad you decided to join us this year, Mother. Are you sure you can manage the cold?”

  “I’m tucked in so snugly between you and Dawson and these blankets that I’m almost too warm.”

  “That will change soon enough. Let me know if you grow uncomfortable.” Radford leaned forward slightly and addressed Dawson. “All good over there, Dawson?”

  “Never better,” he said. And it was true. It had been a long time, at least since he used to be a shipwright designing ships, since he’d felt intimately involved with any project or so connected to other people.

  As they began their trip up the street, the steel runners that had been added beneath the wagon sli
d and rocked over piles of compressed snow and ice. Dawson felt Nancy lean just slightly into him, as if she needed the warmth and comfort of his body against hers. And that surprised Dawson because her son was seated right next to her. Surely Radford could see how deeply the two of them cared for each other, and yet that didn’t seem to concern Nancy today.

  Had something changed?

  Dawson didn’t have time to chase that thought as their caravan rode through town and made their first stop. Street after street, house after house, they stopped and delivered items. Adam, Leo and Rebecca radiated happiness with each door they knocked on, announcing the arrival of their Sleigh of Hope. The children in those needy homes giggled, their eyes round as saucers as the packages were handed over. Many women cried. Husbands choked up, unable to speak, their pride making it difficult for them to accept help, but the relief in their wife’s eyes and the joy in their children’s faces allowing them to swallow that pride. The families hugged Nancy’s grandchildren and shook the men’s hands as baskets were handed over and firewood was stacked. And each thank you was accepted humbly by the kids as they jumped back on their sleigh and onto the wagons, and headed to the next house.

  “I’m stunned at the number of families who needed help,” Dawson said. “I had no idea.”

  Radford nodded. “It makes one appreciate what they have, that’s for sure.”

  Nancy nodded. “So many families truly need the food and canned items we deliver. If not for the Sleigh of Hope supplementing their pantry stores, many of them would go hungry before spring. And the firewood the boys deliver will keep those families from being forced to live their days under piles of blankets and quilts, because they’re unable to afford wood or gas heat during the long winter months.”

  “I’m humbled beyond words,” Dawson said. “I can’t imagine.”

  “I can,” Nancy said. “I’m very grateful for how comfortable my life has been. Even during the hard times in the early years of my marriage when we only had a couple of items in the pantry, Hal and I never had to go without heat for our home, or food for our table, even if the meals were light. Those hard times give me an even greater appreciation for my grandchildren and what they started with this project all those many years ago. The Sleigh of Hope really is a last hope to some people. Just knowing this breaks my heart,” she said, and he heard that truth in her voice.