by Lily Graison
Willow creek ran clean through the valley and depending on where you were, the width of the creek varied. Here it was rather shallow and the creek bank was an easy step down to the water.
Grace slowed her steps, taking care not to startle her. When she was close enough to be heard without raising her voice, she said, “Hello.”
Despite not wanting to scare her, the girl jumped and swung around to face her, both arms crossed over her chest.
“I’m sorry,” Grace said. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.” This close, Grace could tell the girl was older than she’d first thought. If she had to guess, she’d put her age at about sixteen. Her cheeks were a bit sunken in but with the bulk of her clothing, Grace couldn’t tell if she’d gone hungry for any length of time.
She smiled and took a step closer. “Has the food I’ve been leaving in the clearing been enough? Would you like anything in particular?”
The girl had the largest blue eyes she’d ever seen. What she could see of her hair looked nearly black and her complexion was fair. She was pretty but clearly frightened and alone. “My name is Grace.”
Those large blue eyes darted to the left, then right before landing on her again. She didn’t move for long moments but eventually licked her lips and said, “I’m Ada.”
“It's very nice to meet you Ada.”
The wind whistled through the trees. Ada turned her head to avoid the cold slap of it to her face. Grace took another step closer to her. “Are you here alone?” When Ada looked back to where she stood, Grace smiled, hoping the gesture calmed the girl. “I haven’t seen you around town much. Are you new to the area?”
“Yes.”
“Well, in that case, welcome to Willow Creek.” The basket she’d left that morning hung from the crook of her arm. It was now empty as it was every day she’d left it. She lifted her arm and touched the basket with her other hand. “Has the food I’ve been leaving enough to feed you and your family?”
The girl looked away, a muscle in her cheek twitching. “It’s just me.”
The words were barely audible but confirmed what Grace had already suspected. This young girl was alone. “I see.” She took another step toward her and smiled again. “Where are you staying?”
Chapter 4
It was nearly suppertime before Rafe saw Grace’s sleigh coming across the field. He stilled, relief easing the tension in his shoulders.
He pulled the saddle back off the horse and carried it into the barn, placing it on the rail. The worry that had been gnawing at him for the past few days that something wasn’t right with his wife had intensified, and when she wasn’t home right after lunch, that worry had turned into panic. Seeing her now eased some of his anxiety but stepping out of the barn brought it back in an instant. Grace wasn’t alone.
He ushered his horse back inside the barn, got him settled, then stood by the door to wait. When Grace was close enough to make out her face, he could see her passenger wore a blue bonnet. It was a girl but he couldn’t for the life of him think of who it might be.
There was a tiny smile curving the corners of Grace’s mouth when she pulled on the horse's reins and stopped the sleigh. There was also a look of concern in her eyes. Grace glanced at the girl briefly, said something in a voice too low for him to hear, then turned and climbed down from the sleigh. When she met his gaze again, her smile wavered.
Rafe had danced around words for so many years, it was almost instinct to wait for Grace to explain any unusual behavior but looking at the girl made his gut clench. She was young and not knowing where his wife’s head was most of the time anymore, worry about why she was there made him uneasy.
He stepped out of the barn and took hold of the horses harness. “Who is your friend, Grace?”
To his wife’s credit, she blushed and ducked her head a bit before turning to look at the girl. “Rafe, this is Ada. Ada, this is my husband, Rafe.”
The girl did nothing more than nod, but she met his gaze and held it. There was something defiant in the way she looked at him but he wasn’t about to ask why. “Nice to meet you, Ada.”
“Ada will be staying with us for a little while if that’s all right with you.”
Grace was still blushing but the pleading look in her eyes was enough to hold his tongue. He nodded, agreeing the girl could stay without a word. If he’d said no—he didn’t want to think about what Grace would have done.
He had no clue who the girl was or why she was here but he had a hunch. He started unhitching the horse from the sleigh as Grace turned her attention back to her guest.
“Ada, you can head on to the house. I’ll be there in a moment.”
Rafe was guiding the horse into the barn when he saw Grace out of the corner of his eye. She blushed again and blurted, “she has no family,” before he could get a word out.
“She tell you that?”
“Yes. And even though she didn’t say as much, I think she’s been living in the woods behind the mercantile.”
“So you brought her home with you?”
“I couldn’t leave her there.”
He sighed and tended to the horse, Grace watching him from the railing. When he was finished, he locked the stall gate and leaned back against it. “So, what are you going to do with her?” She shrugged. Rafe laughed and shook his head. “Don’t give me that, Grace. You didn’t bring that girl home just to have tea with you.”
“She’s homeless, Rafe—“
“—So what? You’re going to let her live here?”
She shrugged again.
Rafe sighed. “Grace—”
“Please.”
It was such a simple word but one look into her eyes and Rafe knew it meant more than the obvious. She wasn’t asking him to let the girl stay. She was asking him to let her keep her.
Ada was young and without a family, if what Grace said was true. And knowing his wife, he knew exactly what she thought when she found that bit of information out. The girl, even though past the age of needing a mother to coddle her, was alone and and his wife, bereaved as she was and in want of a child, found out Ada had no home and decided she was exactly what that girl needed.
He rubbed a hand over his face.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she said.
“Really? And what would that be?”
“You’re thinking I’m so desperate to have a baby that I took one look at Ada and laid claim to her.”
“Didn’t you?”
She scowled. “No.”
“Grace …”
“She has no where else to go, Rafe.”
She was pleading. The look in her eyes, he’d seen so many times over the last several years, it was as if she was screaming at him without saying a word.
He pushed off the railing. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“I won’t be.”
He wasn’t so sure about that. This entire situation had trouble written all over it and for reasons he couldn’t name, he knew that this girl was going to change their life. He just hoped it didn’t destroy Grace in the process.
He kissed her on the forehead, then wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go see to our guest.”
Ada was in the doorway that led into the sitting room when they walked inside. She turned to look at them both before walking back into the kitchen.
Grace removed her cloak and hat and hung them both before moving to the stove to grab the kettle. She filled it with water and placed it back on the stove then spent long minutes getting a fire started. The stew that had been simmering all day was finally thick enough to stick with you. She gave it a stir and turned to Ada. She hadn’t moved. She was still bundled in those bulky layers, the ends of her scarf still tucked underneath her bonnet.
Rafe ignored them both as he hung his coat and hat and headed to the sink to wash up. Ada gave him an odd look. Her chin was raised, eyes narrowed, lips pursed. She looked defiant but for all her outward appearance, something in the expression o
n her face said she was wary of him.
Grace cleared her throat to get her attention. “Would you like something to eat? I have beef stew cooking. Or I could fix you something else.” Ada’s attention went to the pot. The girl didn’t have to say a word. The look in her eyes told of her hunger. Grace spooned up a big bowl for her and set it on the table. “Take off your coat and bonnet and sit down. I have more if you finish that and want it.”
Ada was slow to move but finally pulled her arms out from under her cloak and took off her bonnet and scarf. Her hair was indeed black and fell in a single braid down her back. Without the bonnet obscuring most of her face, Grace could see her guess on the girls age was probably correct. She didn’t look much older than a sixteen, if even that.
The cloak she wore was threadbare but the coat she had on underneath it was thick and looked fairly new. Ada watched them both as she laid the cloak across the back of the chair she was standing closest to and started unbuttoning her coat. When Grace could see the bulky layers underneath, her brow furrowed. What looked like a thin blanket was strung across one shoulder, the material crossing her chest and going around her side and tying at the back of her neck. It was an odd garment. It couldn’t possibly keep her warm but Grace didn’t think mentioning it was polite.
The coat was placed over the cloak and when Ada laid her arm against the blanket across her chest, reaching up to pull the material over her head, Grace narrowed her eyes, wondering if she was hurt and hadn’t realized it.
A soft muffled sound was followed by a light grunt. Grace’s gaze was drawn to that arm over Ada’s chest. When the girl stuck her free hand inside the material, her other arm shifting to move the fabric away, the tiniest baby she’d ever seen lay nestled in a tattered shawl. Grace didn’t realize she was holding her breath until her chest started to burn. She saw Rafe move out of the corner of her eye and looked at him. The expression on his face, and his raised eyebrow said, “did you know?” She shook her head and looked back at Ada.
The girl was watching them both, her arms clutched around the baby. Other than that one small grunt, it hadn’t made a sound. Grace took a step toward them, then stopped. “You have a baby.” It was a stupid statement. It was obvious she had a baby but—how had she not known?
The bulk of the coat and cloak Grace had thought was only there for warmth had actually hidden the infant well. It had kept the baby sheltered and warm and hidden from view and probably muffled any noise it made.
Grace braced her hands on the back of the chair closest to her. “I didn’t realize—”
Ada’s lips turned white, her mouth pinched into a hard straight line. “Does this mean I can’t stay?”
Grace’s eyes widened in horror. “Heavens, no! Had I known you had a baby, I wouldn’t have just left baskets of food for you. I would have hunted you down and brought you home with me days ago.”
Relief flooded the girls face and Grace saw her physically relax. The baby moved and her attention was drawn to it again. She could see very little of it but from here it looked to have a head full of black hair. She dug her nails into the wooden chair and smiled. “Is your baby a boy or a girl?”
“Girl.” Ada shifted her in her arms and the tattered shawl fell away enough to see all that fine black baby hair on its head. “Her name is Josephine but I call her Josie most of the time.”
“That’s a beautiful name. How old is she?”
Ada pulled the shawl back up. “A couple of weeks, I guess. I sort of lost track of the days.”
No one said anything for long minutes. Rafe was still watching her and Grace’s heart was racing so fast, she felt a bit dizzy. “Sit and eat your stew before it gets cold.”
Ada nodded and pulled a chair away from the table and sat down, then looked over at Rafe. The same odd look she’d seen in her eyes when he came in was once again there. She wasn’t sure what to make of it but made a mental note to ask her later on.
The shock of seeing the baby finally dissipated enough Grace could move. She took Ada’s coat and cloak and hung them on one of the pegs nailed into the wall by the back door. When she turned back again, Ada was watching her.
Grace’s attention fell back to that tiny bundle in Ada's arms. Other than the small grunts it’d made when Ada removed it from the sling she had been carrying it in, it hadn’t made another noise.
“Would you like to hold her?”
Her gaze shot up, her eyes meeting Ada’s across the room. She nodded, not trusting her voice enough to speak.
Ada stood, and crossed to where she was and handed her the baby, then retook her seat at the table, picked up her spoon and started shoveling the food in as fast as she could get the spoon picked up. Grace watched her for a few long moments, then stared down into the baby cradled in her arms. The sweet little thing was beautiful but so tiny.
The kettle started to whistle. Rafe crossed the room without a word, moving it to the back of the stove before turning to look at her, his gaze falling to the baby in her arms. Some unreadable expression shined in his eyes. She wanted to ask what he was thinking but if she had to guess, she already knew. He’d tell her to not get attached. That the girl more than likely wouldn’t stay and she’d agree with him. She knew when she brought Ada home with her that she probably wouldn’t stay but hoped she would. At least for a little while.
Rafe finally looked away and took two cups from the cabinet and sat them on the table, along with the tea pot and the tin of loose tea leaves. He fixed the tea as if he himself were going to sit and have a cup, then crossed to where she stood. He looked at the baby before meeting her gaze. He opened his mouth but closed it with a snap, then said quietly, “I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ll be in the sitting room if you need me.” She didn’t know what he was about to say before stopping himself but she was sure she’d find out the moment they were alone.
He left without another word and Grace looked at Ada before crossing to the table. “Do you like tea?” she asked.
Ada shrugged a shoulder, scrapping the last of the stew from her bowl. “I’ve never had any.”
“Oh, well, you’re in for a treat.” Grace served her a cup, adding a cube of sugar and slid it closer to her, all with one hand. “Would you like more stew?”
Ada nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please.”
Grace refilled her bowl and set it back in front of her, then grabbed the loaf of bread from the warmer on the stove. She’d been saving it for supper but Ada needed it more than they did.
Ada tore into the bread and stew and Grace’s chest ached as she watched her. She ate as if she was starved. “How long have you been alone?”
Ada stared into her bowl and didn’t speak for several minutes but finally said, “Since she was born.”
“Are you from around here?”
She shook her head. “No. I hitched a ride with a family back in Virginia City. They stopped in town to rest their horses and this place looked as good as any to stay in so I thanked them and we parted ways.”
“I see.” Grace took a sip of her tea, questions by the dozens whispering popping into her head. “Do you mind if I ask how old you are?”
Ada paused, spoon halfway to her mouth. “Turned sixteen a few months back.”
So, she’d been right. The girl was very young, alone, and with a new baby—
How had she survived on her own?
“Do you have any family?”
“Got three brothers and a sister. They’re all younger than me, though.”
“And your parents?”
Ada fidgeted in her seat. “My ma passed when my sister was born.” A sudden change overtook Ada’s face. Her eyes narrowed, her lips pursing as she stared down into her bowl. “My pa’s still around but he ain’t good for nothing.”
The baby stirred and let out a weak cry. They both looked down at her and the tiny mewling sounds Josie was making seemed to suck the tension from the room. She turned her head as if seeking its mother’s breast and Grace smiled. “I thi
nk she needs you.”
Ada leaned back and held out her arms. Grace had seen Alex feed her babies so many times, she’d memorized every expression that ever crossed her face. Never once had she seen the one now on Ada’s. She didn’t look angry—but she didn’t look happy either. If she had to describe it, she’d say she looked—resigned.
“Would you like more to eat?”
“No. I’m full. Thanks.”
Ada was unbuttoning her dress to feed Josie when Grace took away the tea cups and Ada’s empty bowl. She set them in the sink, then drew more water, filling the heating bucket and placed it back on the stove. It was beginning to release steam as Ada turned Josie to her other breast.
Since first seeing Ada, Grace had wondered how long she’d been alone. She wasn’t outright filthy, but it took very little to realize she’d not had a proper bath in some time. Her boots were caked in grime and the hem of her wool skirt looked as if she’d dragged them through every mud hole between here and Virginia City.
Grace looked at the other water buckets under the sink, then smiled. “Would you like a bath?”
Ada shrugged one shoulder.
“We have a tub large enough to sit in.” She pointed to the small room off from the kitchen. Rafe had used it as a bedroom when she first arrived in Willow Creek but now the space was used for a bathing room. “There’s privacy as well.”
Ada glanced behind her to the bathing room door, then shrugged her shoulders again. “I don’t want to be any trouble.”
“You’re no trouble, Ada.”
The girl met her gaze for long moments before she seemed to relax. She looked back down at Josie. “I can’t remember the last real bath I had.”