Mitch finished his spaghetti, watching her work, and for a moment wished things were different between them. Amanda had tried to set them up long before Tyler had come home from his mission, but it hadn’t worked, either. Of course, that might have had something to do with how he’d brought Lizzy Lizard along to the dance club. Lizzy had crawled out of his pocket and lodged in Savvy’s hair. She’d laughed good-naturedly but wasn’t impressed. Mitch hadn’t apologized—not because he was discourteous but because he was so disappointed. The woman he married would love his animals as much as he did.
At the sink, Savvy stopped moving, staring out his window, looking lost and sad. In a heartbeat, Mitch was at her side. “What’s wrong?”
Impatiently, she clenched her lips and shook her head. “Nothing.”
“We’ve been friends too long. I can tell something’s wrong. Maybe I can help.” He touched her shoulder gingerly; if she’d been one of his sisters, he would have hugged her.
She let her plate clank into the sink and met his gaze. “It’s your brother.”
“What did he do?” Mitch growled. “I’ll kill him.”
“He’s done nothing. That’s the whole point.” She sighed loudly before continuing. “Do you know how many proposals I’ve had in three years at BYU? Eight. Nine, if you count that student from Africa who was trying to extend his visa. Anyway, I’ve had eight serious proposals from nice guys who wanted to marry me and make a good life together. But there wasn’t even one I felt it could work with, not one who was more interesting to me than astronomy. Not one that I could imagine promising to love for eternity.”
“Well, that’s okay.” Mitch was unsure where she was heading. “You have the right to be in love. You didn’t have to accept their proposals.”
She glanced toward the doorway where Tyler had gone. “I know. But I also know that I’m a little hardheaded when it comes to romance. Cynical, you might say.”
“Aren’t we all?” Mitch had a good share of that himself. For all the women he’d dated over the years, none had clicked with his heart. Lately he had begun wondering if such a thing as falling in love even existed.
“Well, now that’s all changed. I don’t care about school anymore. I’m only taking one class this summer, and I can’t seem to concentrate.”
Mitch anticipated what was coming next. “You’re in love.”
“Yes.” She shook her head and snorted delicately. “With your brother. But he’s always chasing after someone else. Usually a skinny, popular someone else. In fact, I’d say he’s rather fixed on the worldly things right now. Basically, he’s a big jerk.” This last came with undisguised forcefulness.
A smile tugged on Mitch’s lips, but he didn’t let it show. “You have awfully clear vision for someone in love.”
She shrugged. “Just because I say he’s acting like a jerk doesn’t mean I don’t care about him. I do. At first when he came home and we started dating, it seemed we were headed the right direction. Then after six months, we suddenly became only friends.” She bit her bottom lip. “I really should tell him to get lost.”
“You should.” Mitch shook his head at his brother’s stupidity. He had seen how well Tyler and Savvy got along, though admittedly, Tyler was a little on the immature side. Couldn’t he see a good future when it stared him in the face?
“Look, I’ll talk to him,” he said.
“No, no.” She shook her head. “I’m working on a plan right now to cure myself of this stupidity. I’d rather you forget I said anything.”
“I can’t, Savvy. We’re friends.” He squeezed her shoulder awkwardly.
She smiled at him, her wide eyes filling with tears. “Oh, why couldn’t we have hit it off? Everything would be much easier.”
“Funny, I just had the same thought. My mom says that I should hurry and get married. You know, for Emily Jane’s sake. And you’re someone I really admire.”
Savvy sighed. “Do you still have your lizard?”
“Sure. You want to see her? She got out the other day and caught a cold while she was away from her heating lamps, but you can take a peek—”
“No, I don’t want to see it. Sorry, Mitch.” She hugged him tightly as she glanced over at Emily Jane, who sat in her high chair playing with her food. “But I’ll help you with the baby any time you want.”
“Ahem,” came a voice behind them. The two parted quickly as Tyler reentered the room. “Look at that baby,” Tyler said into the awkwardness. “With all that spaghetti sauce, she looks like an accident victim.”
Mitch didn’t find his brother’s choice of words amusing, but Emily Jane grinned, happy to be noticed. “Come on.” Mitch unlocked her high chair tray.
“Let me bathe her,” Savvy said. “Then you can get back to work.”
Happy to be released, Emily Jane didn’t mind who carried her. Mitch knew she’d be happy in the bath as well, so he went back to the computer. Thinking of Savvy’s confession and his brother’s apparently obliviousness, he sighed.
After Tyler and Savvy left, Mitch put Emily Jane and himself to bed early. Emily Jane seemed to sleep better. Several times he awoke to find her in his arms, though he couldn’t remember getting up and taking her from the crib. He decided then and there to figure out a better sleeping arrangement.
The next day he went early to Kerrianne’s to borrow her toddler bed. He found his sister dressed and alone on her front porch, holding her mail in her hands as she stared off into the distance. “You’re up,” he said, shifting Emily Jane to one hip. “I was worried I’d get you out of bed.”
Kerrianne started, and she then turned toward him, smiling. “My mail comes early. I think this street must be the first on the mailman’s route. I don’t like the idea of it sitting out too long these days, what with mail thieves around and all.”
Mitch scratched an itch on his neck. He had never thought about mail thieves before, but if they got his sister dressed and out of bed to bask in the morning sun, he was glad they existed.
“How are you, Emily Jane?” Kerrianne asked the baby. Emily Jane babbled nonsense that made Kerrianne laugh. Turning her attention to Mitch, she asked, “Are you sure it’s not too cold out here for you? You’re scratching and your neck is red. You should have worn a jacket.”
Now that she mentioned it, he felt cold, and hives were already forming on his arms. He should have worn something more than a T-shirt and long denim shorts. He almost never wore shorts, unless it was baking outside, and he often wore a light jacket in the mornings during the early weeks of summer. But he’d been in a hurry when he’d left the house this morning and had put on the first thing that came to hand. Sheesh! he thought. A guy shouldn’t have to worry about a stupid allergy to cold in the summer.
“I’m okay,” he told his sister. “It’ll pass when the sun warms things up.”
She frowned. “Not for an hour. I know how your hives get.” She took him inside and gave him a jacket he recognized as having belonged to Adam. “Wear it while we get the bed into your car,” she said. Not wanting to offend her, he agreed.
She helped him carry the small bed out to his orange-red Mustang that had garnered him more than his share of odd looks. His family called it ugly, but Mitch told anyone who would listen that it was exotic. Emily Jane watched with interest as Mitch dismantled the boards of the bed so most of it would fit in the trunk. The rest went on the floor of the backseat.
“Are you still heading for the zoo today?” Kerrianne asked.
“Yeah. I just hope it doesn’t rain.” His allergy really acted up when he was out in the rain—no matter how warm the weather. Only on his mission in northern Brazil had he been able to enjoy a warm summer rain.
“Do you want me to watch Emily Jane?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to leave her yet. She gets too upset. Manda and her kids are coming with me to watch her. We’re taking their van.”
“You’ll need my double jogging stroller then, for the babies. Manda only has
a single. I’ll call and have her pick it up on her way over.”
“Thanks.” Mitch gave her a hug, not liking the dark circles under her eyes that hinted of lost sleep. Remembering that Amanda had said Kerrianne was having a rough day yesterday, he asked in a low voice, “Are you okay?”
She smiled. “The nights are still hard, that’s all. But I know Adam’s near. I feel him.”
“Thank heaven for temple sealings.” Mitch gave her another hug, put Emily Jane in her car seat, and drove back to Sandy.
He thought about his sister as he unloaded the bed. Kerrianne was sealed to her husband, and they would be reunited. Emily Jane’s parents would also be together and would one day have Emily Jane with them. More than anything Mitch also wanted an eternal relationship, but now with his new responsibilities, he didn’t see how he’d have time to meet anyone. He wondered if the single father Internet group he’d heard about would know where he could find a good wife. Or maybe he could take out an ad in the newspaper: Temple-Worthy Bachelor Seeks Single Woman Who Likes Children/Animals.
Maybe not.
He set up the toddler bed next to his own. With this arrangement, he figured he could get Emily Jane to sleep with him and then roll her into her own bed. If he was careful, she might not wake. Later, when she began to stir during the night, he could pat her back without getting out of bed. If he timed it right, they both might be able to sleep for longer periods of time. He suspected that Emily Jane had slept with her parents and that she missed having someone close.
The toddler bed had a safety rail, and after securing it in place, he felt satisfied the arrangement was as safe as the crib. There was an open space near the end of the bed that wasn’t covered by the rail, and he worked with Emily Jane until she could get in and out of the bed by herself. She giggled as they practiced.
“Nothing like a little independence,” he said.
She picked up an empty cardboard cracker box from his bedside table and began to chew on the edges. “You like cardboard, too?” he asked. Her response was to bite off a small, soggy section, swallowing quickly before he could fish it out. Sighing, Mitch picked her up and went to find her a snack.
Amanda arrived in her new van a short time later. “Are you sure you don’t mind doing this?” he asked, as he loaded Emily Jane’s car seat. “I could have asked Mom.”
“I don’t mind,” she said. “The kids need to get out, and they’ll be good company for Emily Jane.” Sure enough, blond little Kevin, soon to be six and self-appointed baby tender, was already making both Emily Jane and his two-year-old sister, Mara, laugh like crazy.
“We’ll have time to walk around a bit.” Mitch slipped into the passenger seat. “Then I’ll go alone to the wolf habitat with the zoo employees.”
“I’ll show the kids the monkeys,” Amanda replied. “Emily Jane’ll be fine.”
Mitch hoped so. He couldn’t stand the thought of her crying any more than necessary. He knew he’d have to stop being so paranoid about her tears and about the permanent effect her parents’ death would have on her, but now was not the time. When would he quit worrying? When he found her a mother? Or maybe when she called him Dad.
As though reading his mind, Amanda said in a low voice. “Kevin asked us last night if he could call us Mom and Dad.” She checked her rearview mirror to be sure the children were watching the animated DVD she’d put in.
“Well, that’s great, isn’t it? You sound a little uncertain.”
“Well, Blake’s been the only father Kevin and Mara have ever known, so that’s great where he’s concerned, but it becomes a bit sticky calling me Mom since they have a mother in California.”
“One who hasn’t seen them in eighteen months.”
“She calls and sends cards and presents . . . sometimes.”
“It’s not the same.”
Amanda sighed. “If they keep calling me Amanda, my own baby will probably do the same, and I definitely don’t want that. Truthfully, I feel Kevin and Mara are mine. I’ve been with Mara for all but eight months of her life. And Kevin was only four when we met. Every day I thank the Lord I can be a part of their lives. Nothing would make me happier than to have them call me Mom. I’m just worried that Paula will come back and be furious when she finds out.”
“Hey, she’s the one who gave up custody.”
“Because she loves the children.”
Mitch shook his head. “If Kevin asked, I think he’s needing a change.”
“He may have overheard me talk to Blake about it.”
“So you think he’s just trying to please you?”
Amanda frowned at the freeway in concentration. “No, I think what I said made him speak up, but I suspect he’s been wondering about it for a long time. He said he wanted to be like other boys and girls at school.”
“Then you should definitely let him call you that. He deserves to have both a mom and a dad.” Mitch felt a little guilty as he said this. Emily Jane deserved two parents, too, and likewise Kerrianne’s children deserved to have their father.
I guess we do what we can, he decided. Beginning with Kevin and Mara calling Manda Mom.
He looked back at Mara in her car seat next to Emily Jane. Mara’s head was framed by dark waves that exactly matched her brown eyes. Her bright grin was contagious. Obviously, Mara had survived losing her mother. Though the way she had lost her mother was far removed from what had happened to Emily Jane’s, her apparent contentment gave him hope. She was doing well with the replacement of what she had lost.
Mitch wished he could find a way to replace what Emily Jane was missing. But was there any woman in the world who would put up with Lizzy Lizzard and company?
Somehow he didn’t think so.
Chapter Five
Two weeks after Emily Jane’s arrival, Mitch went to his parents’ house in Alpine for Sunday dinner with all his siblings. Mitch was glad to have Emily Jane distracted by the other children, though she still seemed leery of the adults. He himself was having trouble concentrating on the conversation.
“Mitchell, what’s wrong?” asked his mother. “You’ve hardly touched a thing.” Jessica Huntington was a beautiful woman who had aged gracefully. Blonde hair, gently teased in the latest style, bordered her slim face, and her artfully applied makeup made her appear younger than the fifty-odd years she claimed.
Mitch dragged his eyes from his plate. Normally meatloaf was his favorite, but today he didn’t feel like eating.
“And you haven’t said more than two words,” Amanda put in.
Mitch looked at Emily Jane, who sat in a high chair next to him. “I’m not sure,” he said. “I feel depressed.”
“Are you sleeping?” Kerrianne asked.
“Yeah. But I keep thinking about Lane and Ashley. In fact, I think about them all the time. I know it sounds weird, but it’s almost like I expect them to show up any minute.” There, it was out in the open. Would his family think he was crazy?
“That’s because you need to say good-bye,” Kerrianne said with a surety that came from personal experience. “That’s what funerals are for.”
Mitch sighed. “I would have been at their funeral if I’d known about it. Believe it or not, I did finally get a notice in the mail, but it was delayed because of a wrong zip code. Two of the numbers were off.”
“That’s too bad,” Amanda consoled.
“We need to have a memorial service.” Kerrianne passed him the applesauce for Emily Jane. “It hasn’t been all that long since Lane and Ashley lived here. I bet a lot of people would love to come.”
“How would I tell them about it?”
“Easy.” Tyler pulled out his cell phone. “I can get a friend to do an article.”
“Plus the paper has funeral announcements,” Amanda added. “You could call their old bishop to spread the word. I bet he’d speak, too.”
“I’ll take care of the food,” their mother volunteered. “Your father can find a place to hold it.”
The ba
ll began rolling. With all the help from his family, the only thing Mitch had to do was dig out one of Lane and Ashley’s wedding portraits from the numerous boxes the Texas lawyer had shipped to his house a few days ago—most of which now sat in his garage. He’d decided to wait to go through them until Emily Jane was older and could share in the experience. For the time being, he contented himself with taking the boxes containing photo albums and framed pictures inside the house where the moisture wouldn’t damage them.
On Monday morning, Mitch called Dolores Clark, the Texas lawyer, to tell her about the service. “I thought you might know of others we could invite.”
“We have discovered a list of e-mail addresses,” Dolores said. “We couldn’t find an address book at their house, but when my assistant was boxing up their possessions to send to you, she checked their computer for information we might need and printed the list. Many of the contacts may not have heard of the accident.” She paused before adding. “Your e-mail address was on that list. I’m sorry we didn’t find it before, or I would have e-mailed you. The only information I had on the official custody documents was your name, phone, number, and address—with the wrong zip, as you already pointed out to me last week.”
“I know you did your best. And you brought me Emily Jane.”
“How’s it going with her?”
Mitch gave a low chuckle. “It was rough at first, but she’s settled in. Won’t let me out of her sight, though. And she doesn’t like strangers anymore.”
“Sounds like she’s doing what she must do to cope.”
“That’s what I think.” He didn’t add how hard it still was for him or how many changes he’d made in his life. Lane and Ashley would have done the same thing for him. Besides, there were rewards. Each time Emily Jane put her little arms around his neck, Mitch marveled at how much love he felt for her.
“Why don’t I e-mail you the list?” Dolores said.
“Thanks, I’d appreciate it.”
“I do have some good news.”
“Oh?” He could use it right now.
Huntington Family Series Page 34