Heartstrings

by Lily Graison

  Grace stilled, her heart suddenly racing. She lifted Josie from the water, hugging her tiny wet body to her chest before turning. “Oh, Rafe—”

  He smiled and leaned down, placing a kiss to Josie’s wet head, then one on Grace’s lips. “I don’t know if Ada will be back, nor do I know how long it’ll take for a legal adoption to take place, but I’m not waiting week’s on end, alway’s looking over our shoulder to see if she’ll come back. I’m going to find out how to go about making her ours for good so you need to start thinking of a middle name for her.”

  Grace’s heart felt so light, had it ben outside her chest, it would have flown away. She wrapped one arm around his neck, kissed him soundly on the mouth and laughed when Josie squirmed. She looked up at them, her beautiful little face so serene and Grace wasn’t sure how her heart held so much love. Between her and Rafe, it was near to bursting, and for the first time in years, that feeling of melancholy she’d lived with was nothing more than a distant memory.

  While Rafe headed into town the following day to see about the legal adoption of Josie, Grace spent the day going through the trunk of baby clothes she’d spent years making. There were dresses and gowns, more bootie socks than any one child could wear, and she’d even found an afghan she’d started crocheting and stopped working on when she lost their last baby.

  Since she was on the planning committee for the Valentine’s Day dance, and was expected to be there, she wanted Josephine to be dressed like the little princess she was. A pink dress she’d made and found buried under the pile of baby things would be perfect so she’d pulled it out, then spent the morning embroidering dark pink roses all along the collar. A small sweater set she’d knitted years ago would compliment the dress perfectly, and she felt a sense of excitement at the thought of the townsfolk seeing her little angel.

  The guest room had been designated as Josephine’s room. She’d pulled the trunk in there and began unfolding all the baby things and putting them into the dresser. The cradle was still in their room and would likely stay for a while but this space—

  Grace looked at the room. It needed new curtains and maybe a new blanket for the bed. The rocking chair Rafe had purchased when she was expecting their first baby was finally getting some use and life felt—right. As if all the heartache she’d endured was just preparing her for Josephine.

  Josie made the same grunting squeak she liked to do when waking up. Grace crossed the room to look down at her, smiling as Josephine opened her eyes and stretched.

  “Good morning, sleepy head. Did you have a nice nap?”

  Josie kicked both feet, lifting her arms into the air—and smiled. Grace’s heart clenched.

  “Oh, you precious little thing.” She scooped her up and hugged her to her chest, lowering her head to smell her hair. That sweet baby scent still clung to her skin, and she’d never get enough of it.

  She changed Josie’s wet clothing, washed her off and redressed her and headed downstairs to start lunch but a knock on the door stopped her. Thoughts of who could be there flashed through her mind and several ladies popped into her head. She was halfway across the room when another face flashed in her mind’s eye. Grace stopped, her heart suddenly racing. Would Ada knock if she came back? Or would she sneak in and steal Josephine away as quietly as she snuck out in the dead of night?

  Hearing another knock made her stomach queasy. The desire to run back upstairs and pretend she wasn’t home was strong, but she’d never been a coward. Blowing out a resigned breath, she walked the door, took a steadying breath and opened it—and smiled. The Avery wives were on the porch, arms filled with baskets and blankets in colors so pale it was obvious they were meant for a baby. The scent of cooked apples and cinnamon filled the air as well which told her somewhere in one of those baskets they held, was food.

  Alex was the first inside the door, followed by her step-mother, Laurel, Morgan’s wife Abigail and Sarah, one of her toddlers clinging to her skirts.

  “We’re the welcome wagon,” Alex said as she slung off her cloak. “Emmaline couldn’t make it. Her oldest is sick, and she didn’t want Josie to catch anything.” She set the basket hooked over her arm down and smiled. “Come sit down and look what we brought you. We’ve got baby gifts and more sweet treats than any one person needs.”

  Tears burned the back of her eyes as the ladies all came inside. They removed their cloaks and huddled around her and Josephine with enough, “oohs, and aws,” to fill the room with merriment, her earlier concerns washed away by their kindness. As she handed off Josie to Abigail, watching the marshal’s wife fuss over her baby, the sense of completeness filled her soul to bursting.

  In all the years they’d been married, Rafe didn’t think he’d ever seen Grace look so beautiful. For the first time in years she looked—at peace. As if all was right with her soul.

  She was stretched out across their bed, sleeping, her arms loosely wrapped around Josephine. He leaned back against the door frame and sighed. He’d sent several messages to Missoula in search of someone to help them with the legal adoption of Josephine and finally found someone willing to talk with them, but it meant traveling to Missoula and in the dead of winter, that was an easier said task than done, especially with a baby, which meant they may have to wait until the spring.

  Grace stirred, then opened her eyes, her attention instantly going to Josephine. She smiled, kissed the baby on the head and sighed, pulled her close, and closed her eyes again. Rafe turned and quietly left the room, stopping outside the guest room door when Grace’s old trunk caught his attention. She’d stored all the baby things she’d made in it when their babies hadn’t survived.

  He stepped into the room. Clothes were spread over every surface. Blankets and afghans, baby gowns and drying cloths. She’d turned their spare room into a nursery again and a sense of dread filled him at the sight. He hoped this time, she was able to leave it that way because the alternative may just break her permanently.

  Chapter 8

  Her stomach fluttering with nervous butterflies, Grace waited for Rafe to secure the horses reins to the hitching post. She bundled Josephine tighter into her blankets, then took Rafe’s hand when he reached up to help her down. “Can you grab my basket?”

  He pulled it from the sleigh, put a hand on her back and ushered her toward the stagecoach station.

  People were already milling around the door, mostly men smoking or telling lies, she imagined. Lights shined through the windows and illuminated the sidewalk and the sound of laughter and raised voices bled out onto the streets.

  Rafe ushered her inside the building. More people than they’d thought had shown up. She looked at Miranda who stood by the table filled with cakes and pies they’d spent a week baking and wondered if they would have enough.

  “Grace!”

  Someone saying her name drew her attention. Alex was on the other side of the room, arms waving as she motioned her over. She smiled at her and reached up to unhook the button on her cloak. Rafe took it without a word, kissed her on the cheek, and carried it and the basket that held Josie’s dry linens and extra clothes to the table along the wall.

  The group of ladies with Alex was made up mostly of those who’d lived in Willow Creek when she arrived thirteen years ago, but a few new faces were scattered throughout the small group. They all greeted her with smiles and she knew they wanted to see Josie the moment she stopped next to them. Their "ohhs," and "awws," were telling.

  Grace pulled the blankets away from her enough they could see her completely and she swelled with pride at the compliments.

  “She is so adorable, Grace.”

  “She is. I spend most of my day just looking at her.” She laughed. “It’s a wonder I get anything done at all.”

  After spending close to a month tending to Josephine, Grace knew her promise to Rafe was all but broken. She was so in love with this tiny girl. There wasn’t a second that went by that she didn’t think about her, and the heartache she’d lived with for
so many years due to the loss of her own babies was finally starting to heal.

  Miranda headed in their direction and sighed heavily when she joined them. “Edna is going to drive me to drinking.”

  They all shared a laugh. “I don’t think she’s seen me yet.”

  “Oh, she’s seen you.” Miranda glanced at Josephine. “And she’s already said she was coming to see the baby.” She raised her head. “Can I hold her?”

  Miranda Talbert was the kindest soul she knew. They shared a kinship, so to speak. They had both wanted the same things in life. A husband and a house full of kids. At thirty-two, Miranda was the oldest spinster in Willow Creek and many had wondered why. There were more than a dozen single men in town but not many knew Miranda had been holding out for a certain someone to ask for her hand. Grace didn’t think it was ever going to happen though. Not that Miranda wasn’t a lovely woman. It was just her husband of choice didn’t give much thought to anything other than his job.

  The dance was in full swing by the time every lady in their small circle had a chance to dote over Josie. Rafe had brought her a glass of punch, asked if she needed anything else and headed back to talk with the Avery men.

  The musicians played a lively diddy that had nearly everyone pairing off and venturing to the center of the room. Grace took Josie back from Miranda’s mother when a gentleman that was new to town approached and asked her to dance. Miranda watched them walk away, then turned her head in every direction before stopping at a group of men near the refreshment table. She sighed.

  “Go talk to him.”

  “Who?” When Grace laughed, Miranda’s cheeks heated. “Is it that obvious?”

  “No.”

  Miranda grinned. “You’re a terrible liar, Grace, but thank you for trying.” She inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay, if I look like I’m about to swallow my tongue, come rescue me.”

  Grace wished her luck as she walked away and turned back to survey the room. When her gaze landed on the door, her heart skipped a beat. Ada was standing there staring at her.

  Rafe pushed his way through the crowd, his heart slamming against his ribcage. The moment he saw Grace’s face, he knew she’d seen Ada, too.

  He’d been laughing at something Tristan Avery had said when movement by the door caught his attention. It took his brain several long seconds to comprehend who exactly was standing in the doorway looking around the room. When he realized it was Ada, he’d lost his breath.

  The week’s since she’d been gone came back in a flash. Every smile and happy laugh Grace had given him replaying inside his mind’s eye. As he hurried toward Grace, he wondered, if Ada took Josephine away from them, would his wife ever smile again?

  Grace clutched Josie to her chest, clearly panicking as she stared at Ada. When she finally saw him, she turned, her eyes glassy with tears, and hurried in his direction.

  “Rafe!”

  He’d heard her say his name with that same anguish-filled tone before. It was when they’d lost their last baby and it had nearly killed him. Hearing it now made his knees weak. The moment he reached her, he cupped her face in his hands. “Calm down, Grace.”

  She let out a sob, a tear slipping past her lashes. He wiped it away, then glanced back over his shoulder. Ada was headed their way.

  Grace had her face buried in Josie’s hair. She was whispering words too soft to hear. When she looked up, there was a defeated look about her. A resignation that he hated to see.

  Ada approached them slowly and stopped a few feet away. She glanced at him briefly before her gaze fell to Josephine.

  Rafe wrapped one arm around Grace’s shoulders and turned them to face the girl. “Ada.” Her eyes lifted to him again.

  “I know you’re probably mad.”

  “Mad doesn’t even begin to describe it.”

  “I brought him back.” She met his gaze again. “He’s tied up outside. He didn’t like me much. Threw me off more times than I want to remember. Not sure why you’d want an ornery horse like that.”

  “He’s only ornery to strangers.”

  She looked at Josie again and a tiny smile turned the corners of her mouth. “Is she doing okay?”

  Grace straightened her spine. “Yes. She’s perfect.”

  “She is.” She shifted on her feet. “I’ve missed her something crazy.” Ada lifted her gaze. “Can I hold her?”

  He felt Grace stiffen. She lowered her head, looking down at Josephine. She didn’t move for long minutes but finally placed a kiss on the baby’s head, took the three steps separating them from Ada and handed her over.

  Ada smiled brightly, her face near to glowing as she looked down at Josie. Rafe watched Grace. She’d yet to move or take her eyes off Josephine and he noticed more than a few people looking their way. The last thing they needed was a scene. Everyone knew they’d been taking care of Josie and most everyone knew the circumstances behind how they came to have her. Seeing Ada here would start tongues to wagging and Grace didn't need the gossips making her the center of their attention again.

  He closed the distance between them to tell Grace and Ada to move their meeting to the corner, but the moment he touched Grace’s arm, she turned, pushed him out of the way and ran for the door. He opened his mouth to yell her name but held his tongue. There were enough eyes on her as she ran across the room, him yelling her name would only draw more attention.

  He saw Alex out of the corner of his eye and motioned her over. When she was halfway there, he said, “Stay with Ada,” and ran after Grace. The men lingering on the sidewalk pointed down the street, telling him that’s the way she’d gone. Taking off at a run, he chased after her.

  Chapter 9

  Her heart was breaking. The pain was so intense, Grace could barely breathe. She ran into the clearing behind the mercantile, the darkness welcoming. The tears she’d been holding back came unbidden, and she didn’t try to stop them. She cried until she felt hollow, and when strong arms wrapped around her, she turned, knowing it was Rafe, and clung to him, inhaling his scent and let every ounce of anguish she felt out.

  When she’d cried her last tear, he cupped her face in his hands and kissed her so hard, she knew her pain was also his. She wasn’t the only one who would feel the loss of Josephine.

  “I feel like I’m dying, Rafe.”

  He wrapped his arms around her again and buried his face in her hair. “I know but we’ll get through this just like we did all the other times before.”

  She let out another sob. “I can’t.”

  “You can and you will.” He lifted her head so she’d look at him. “You’re the strongest woman I know, Grace.”

  The tears came again. “Why did she have to come back?”

  He let her cry until she was through, then just stood there holding her. The wind whistled through the trees and she shivered. She’d run out of the stagecoach station without her cloak. Rafe wasn’t wearing his coat, either. They’d have to go back soon.

  The sound of footsteps against the frozen ground were loud enough to bring her head up. They both turned and Grace froze when she saw Ada. She didn’t have Josephine with her. Grace pushed away from Rafe. “Where is Josie?”

  “A woman who said she was a relative of yours has her. Said her name was Alex.”

  Grace sighed in relief. When her heart stopped pounding, she met Ada’s gaze. Before she could get a single word out, Ada blurted, “I didn’t mean to cause no trouble.”

  Her voice trembled saying that simple sentence. As much as Grace wanted to be angry, she couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl. Ada had lost so much at such a young age. Despite her frustration at their situation, Grace said, “You’re no trouble, Ada. I just—” She rubbed a hand over her forehead. A headache was trying to come on and a hard pulse was pounding behind her eyes. When she looked back up, something about the way Ada was staring at her struck her so hard, it felt as if someone had punched her in the gut.

  Ada, for all her bravery of stea
ling a horse and food and taking off on her own, and for trying to tend to a baby at such a young age, was still nothing more than a child. A child whose father sold her to a man old enough to be her grandfather. A man who forced her to marry him, used and beat her and when he and her father made her leave, she’d had no one to turn to. As she stood there staring at her, Grace finally saw the fear on her face. The uncertainty. Ada was just a scared little girl who had been forced to grow up faster than she should have.

  She took a few steps closer to her and stopped. “Other than bringing Rafe’s horse back, why are you here, Ada?”

  “I—” She looked to her feet and shrugged her shoulders before looking back up. “I didn’t know where to go. I still don’t know where to go. The only place I can call home is Harold’s and I’d rather live under a tree than do that, which I’ve more or less been doing since I ran away from him.”

  “Then why did you leave?”

  She shrugged again. “You looked so happy taking care of Josie I knew I could leave her and you’d take care of her. I just figure you’d not want me hanging around while you did.”

  Rafe put a hand on her shoulder, his voice soft when he said, “Grace didn’t know about Josie when she found you, Ada. She brought you home because she thought you needed someone and its obvious you do. You having Josie was just a bonus. There’s still an empty bed at our house.” Grace and Ada both lifted their heads to look at him, Grace’s pulse leaping. “We meant it when we said you could stay. Even though I’m quite pissed you stole my horse, I’m not so cruel I’d make you live on the streets when we have room for you.”

  Grace wondered how she’d ever gotten so lucky as to been blessed with a man like him. He was selfless, generous, thoughtful, and kind. In her eyes, he was perfect and inviting Ada to come back and live with them made him a hero beyond measure.