“It’s not that hard. I do a lot of that sort of stuff for my father. Besides you seem like a fast learner. I can talk to him about you if you want me to.”
“Oh would you? That would help me out so much, Maggie. You and your father have been so kind to us. I wish there was some way I could repay you.”
“Nonsense. It would be my pleasure. I’m going over there later, I’ll talk to him. Why don’t you come back tomorrow and I can take you over there to meet him when he’s expecting you?”
“Sure! What time?”
“Um, he’s usually back at work by two o’clock.”
“I shall be here! See you tomorrow.”
At a quarter until two the next afternoon I was outside the pastor’s home. I wanted to be right on time when we went to the construction company office.
I brought some blueberry muffins that I got from the bakery next to the restaurant as a gift to Maggie and her father.
“Oh! My favorite!” She gushed over the muffins. “That bakery makes the best breads in town! I love that place.”
“I’m so glad you like them,” I replied. “You have gone out on a limb for me and I just wanted to do something nice for you.”
“Well, I did talk to my cousin and he hasn’t found anyone for the administration job yet. He’s anxious to meet you and he said that this afternoon is the perfect time for you to come over. So, if you’re ready to go, I’ll go there with you to show you where it is.”
We took a brisk walk through town until we came to the office where I would hopefully be working soon.
When I entered the building and met my new boss, my heart sank. There behind the desk my gaze was met with piercing blue eyes. The same eyes from the restaurant just a few weeks ago. Mr. Vance Gifford.
He cocked his head to the side looking at me. I could see the wheels turning. He was trying to remember where he had seen me. I knew the moment he recognized me.
“I guess we did have a position after all. Maggie tells me you’re a fast worker, and good with math.”
He was straight to the point. No greeting, no smile. He was the same gruff man as he was the day I met him.
I realized then that Maggie had probably made up whatever she didn’t know for sure to ensure that I would get this job. I decided to go with it. I did need this job, after all.
“Yes, I’m good with numbers,” I answered.
“Good.” He nodded. “Well, that’s your desk. I left you a list of things to do today. After a while you’ll get the hang of things and won’t need the list. You get half an hour for lunch. Seeing as it’s after two already, I assume you already had lunch so you can just work until closing.”
“Wait, wait.” I put my hands up and shook my head. “You want me to start today? Right now?”
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“It’s just that my children will be expecting me when they get home from school. Today at least.”
“I can pick them up, Emily. I’ll feed them supper too,” Maggie chimed in, clearly not wanting her cousin to fire me before I even started.
“Um, well, if that’s not a problem, Maggie. Oh my. You know the children, I suppose. You’ve met them in church before.”
“No problem at all. If I leave now, I can catch up with them. Good luck, Emily!” Maggie smiled and scurried out the door.
“Good. You can hang your shawl on that hook and get started. You’ll work each day until five. Is that suitable?”
“Yes. Thank you for this opportunity.” I smiled, but my smile wasn’t really sincere. I hope he couldn’t see through it. He was so austere and I was almost afraid of him. At the very least, he intimidated me.
My first work week went by rather quickly probably because I was busy. Very busy, indeed. The more time I spent with Mr. Gifford, the more I realized he was an excellent business man. Although stern, he treated his staff very fair. His fairness included me.
I quickly began to not only respect the man, but be grateful for this opportunity. With my salary, I was able to afford to move to a small place with a kitchenette. I even had enough money to buy some new clothes for the children. They were growing fast and needed clothes that fit.
One night, Maggie agreed to keep the children so I could meet Henry at the restaurant for dinner. She would be treating them to supper, so I didn’t have to worry about that tonight. My feelings for him hadn’t changed, and I had started trying to see him less.
Although I really liked and admired his parents, he just didn’t have the same warmth that they did. His work ethic was lacking and I didn’t admire that at all. I had a feeling he would sell their ranch when it came to him at their deaths if it meant he didn’t have to run it.
“Oh, you’re still here, Emily?” Mr. Gifford had come back into the office to get his hat. “It’s after five on a Friday. You should be home with your family by now.”
“Yes, but Mr. Sawyer is taking me out to supper. I asked him to meet me here, if that’s all right.”
Mr. Gifford nodded. “Yes, it’s fine.” He was quiet and I noticed he turned his hat over and over in his hands, like he wanted to ask me something. Finally he did. “I assumed you were married.”
“I was.” I felt the lump form in my throat as I thought about my real ex-husband, the one who was very much alive. The one who had left me. I could have told him the truth right then and there, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. “My husband passed away two years ago. It was an accident. He was thrown from a horse.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. That’s a terrible loss for you—and your children.”
I felt like I was about to cry, so I changed the subject. “What about you? Do you have a wife?” I blurted the words out forgetting that he had placed that advertisement in the newspaper. Of course he didn’t have a wife.
“I did. A daughter, too. They passed away. It was an accident as well.”
“I’m so sorry. Maggie didn't tell me.”
“It happened on one of my construction sites. They came to bring me lunch. The room wasn’t secure. It collapsed and—“
He didn’t have to say another word. His expression spoke volumes. It explained so much. Why he was so meticulous about his work and employees. Why he ate lunch at the restaurant every day. I had been so afraid of this man. So insulted by him. But I realized now that gruff disposition wasn’t the real him. It was just a wall of protection to hide him from the pain of his reality. Again I wanted to tell him the truth. But how could I? Everything I had done to get here was based on a lie. For good reasons, but a lie just the same.
“Mrs. Graves, I don’t know much about you, but I do know a great deal about Mr. Sawyer. You and your children deserve better than him. I know my words probably don’t hold much weight, and it’s none of my business, but please think about, um, ending things with him.” He pulled on his hat and walked to the door. “I’ll see you on Monday.”
“Bright and early,” I said with far more joy than I was feeling at the moment.
Chapter 9
That moment with Mr. Gifford had made an impact on me. All through supper as Henry complained about work at the ranch I wanted to flee. He again brought up how wonderful it would be if I allowed Oliver to come and work at the ranch.
He didn’t want a wife. He wanted to use me and the children to distance himself from his wonderful parents. That he was using us and disrespecting them made me sick.
“What will you be having for dessert tonight, Emily?” Henry asked in his snobbish, fake aristocratic voice.
“You know Henry,” I said impatiently, “I’ve had enough of just about everything. Including you.”
“Whatever do you mean by that?” he responded in surprise.
I looked him straight in his bland brown eyes and didn’t back down. “I mean that you and I are through.”
“Why would you break off with the best thing that’s ever happened to you or your kids? What will you and those fatherless brats do without my money? I’ll see to it that yo
ur job dries up and then you’ll come running back to me.” His nasty tone made my skin crawl and I wanted to run away but I needed to stand up to him.
“I doubt you can have my job terminated and I don’t think you’ll even try. You’re all talk. You don’t want to be in a relationship with me, anyway. All you want from me and my fatherless brats is to divert your parent’s attention away from you. Well I’m not going to play that game with you any longer. Find someone else, if you can.”
I stood up and turned to leave. But he wasn’t finished being rude to me.
“You’ll never find a man as wealthy as I am who will be willing to take on another man’s children,” he spat.
I turned back to face him and laughed out loud. Right there in his face.
“Mr. Sawyer, all the wealth in the world cannot buy happiness. I would never be happy with you and neither would my children.”
The look on his face was all the satisfaction I needed. I was able to walk away with a clear conscious.
When I got to our new place, the children were already back with Maggie. I was fresh from a fight and needed to let off some steam. I told Maggie about the incident while the twins finished the game they were playing.
Maggie was rolling with laughter. “Oh I wish I could have seen his face! I went to school with Henry. He was a prig then, and he’s a bigger prig now!” She held her stomach as she laughed. “I do feel bad for his parents though. They don’t deserve him.”
Maggie left to go home and I prepared to tell Oliver and Vivian that Henry was no longer part of our lives.
“Vivian. Oliver. Hurry up and put the game up. You can play later in the weekend. I need to talk to you for just a minute,” I said. I wanted to get this conversation over quickly. I didn’t know how they would react, but I hope it wouldn’t be too disappointing for them.
“What is it, Mama,” Vivian asked as she came to me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I hugged her back and then nudged her toward the well-worn sofa where we could all three sit down.
“Henry and I are no longer courting. It turns out that we aren’t a good match,” I said. I thought it best to deliver the information basics and let them ask questions if they wanted to.
“He’s funny, but he kept trying to get me to ask you if I could live at the ranch. I want to live with you and Vivian, so I never asked you,” said Oliver.
“He did? Oh Oliver. You should have told me. I would never have let it go on this long if I’d known that.”
“Well, it’s alright now, I suppose. We just have to start looking for another husband for you,” he said.
“Are you alright about this, Vivian?”
She nodded. “He was nice to me, but I could tell he didn’t make you happy. You never laughed with him like you do with us.”
“It looks like things have worked out for the best for now,” I said. “Let’s go to sleep and we’ll worry about the future later.”
Oliver yawned and nodded. That was proof enough for me that the Henry subject wasn’t going to be a problem for the twins.
After I’d tucked the children into bed, I thought about Henry and his parents. He wasn’t a very nice man. I wondered how that had happened when his parents were such wonderful people.
They don’t deserve him. Hadn’t her cousin, Vance Gifford, used the same words but regarding us? I went to bed that night giving more thought to Mr. Vance Gifford than I had when I first encountered him.
I realized I felt much more than admiration for his business acumen. Over the time I had worked for him, I had seen his quiet steadiness. The loss of his family had changed him for sure, but from time to time I had seen a spark of mischief that was trying to resurface.
His handsome face was rarely far away from my thoughts after I started working in his office. I had fallen in love with him because of his strong character, his sense of fairness, and his handsome good looks. The thought of looking into his amazing blue eyes for the rest of my life sent chills through me. Good chills.
That night I dreamed of walking hand in hand with him beside a lake. I dreamed that we kissed like young lovers in the moonlight. Oddly, the children were not a part of this dream. I woke up and felt flushed when I remembered the intimate embraces we had shared in my dreams.
Would these dreams have a chance to come true? Certainly not if I continued to pretend to be someone I wasn’t.
On Monday, I was at work bright and early as promised and eager to tell Mr. Gifford the truth. I couldn’t live this lie any longer and I wanted him to be the first to know the real me. Whether or not he would be accepting was another matter.
I had no idea if he would fire me for my duplicity. If he did, I worried about what I would do. Something told me that this wouldn’t be the result of my honesty. I hoped my hunch was right.
He was quiet as usual, and with the other employees around I didn’t have any chance to speak to him privately, but then he surprised me.
“I’m going to lunch Mrs. Graves.”
“All right.” I looked up at him and smiled. “Enjoy.”
“I was wondering if you would like to join me?” I dropped the stack of papers I was holding. He instinctually bent down and picked them up for me.
“You want to have lunch with me? But you always eat alone.”
“Well, I was hoping you might remedy that. I’m ready for a change.”
“Sure. Let me get my bonnet,” I said stunned. I had found my opportunity to be alone with him, but would I find the words to tell him the truth?
The walk to the restaurant seemed to take forever. I was aware of every step, and how he hadn’t offered his arm, and more importantly the worry of what would I do if he had? I folded and unfolded my hands, and felt like a general fool as I walked beside this handsome man who everyone knows preferred to be alone. When he spoke, I was relieved.
“Maggie told me that you ended it with Mr. Sawyer,” he said.
“I did.” I swallowed hard, not sure how much he wanted to know.
“I’m glad. As I told you on Friday, you deserve better.”
I stopped walking, frozen by the moment. “And you deserve the truth.”
Mr. Gifford stopped walking as well, stuck his hands in his pockets and looked at me rather concerned. “The truth? I wasn’t aware I didn't know the truth.”
And then the entire story came pouring out of me. Everything from the news I received at the doctor’s office, to my husband’s reaction, to the advertisement, to the kidnapping of the twins, and the fake names.
“You’re the only other person I’ve told. The children and I are the only ones who know our story. Except of course for you now.” I felt silly for spilling my whole story in the middle of the street. I’m sure I could have told it in a more compelling manner if I hadn’t had people walking around me as I spoke.
I couldn’t look at him and I was horrified at the reaction he had to what I’d told him. He stood frozen in front of me, those marvelous blue eyes locked on me in absolute shock.
“I’ve told you everything. There’s nothing left to tell. Can you say something? Anything?”
“Ava.” He said using my real name. He seemed to allow it to soak in. “I, um. I think I need to be alone for lunch after all.” He stormed off in the opposite direction from the restaurant. Away from me.
That night, while the children slept, I wept. I had messed everything up. But I couldn’t live a lie forever. In the morning I would prepare to take the children back to New York. Back to Miss Lily.
I had failed, and I didn’t deserve them. I hoped by turning myself in she wouldn’t press charges. It was the right thing to do. I was done with deceit, it hadn’t gotten me anywhere. The children would hate me and I didn’t blame them. My selfishness and short-sightedness had hurt them.
Morning came quicker than I would have liked, and with it came an unexpected visitor. Mr. Vance Gifford knocked on our door before I had a chance to get dressed. I pulled my robe tightly around me and met him in the hallw
ay.
“I’m sorry about yesterday, you just gave me a lot of information to take in. But I reckon it wasn’t easy to come clean with me, now was it?”
“It wasn’t easy at all, but you needed to know the truth. It was the right thing to do.”
There’s just one thing I don’t understand. You were telling your story so fast, and you mentioned an ad for a wife. You said you saw my picture, is that right?”
I nodded. “I still have it if you want to see it.”
“I do,” he answered.
I went inside and fumbled through my bag until I found the crumpled piece of paper in the bottom. I opened the door stepped back into the hallway and handed it to him.
He ran his fingers through his dark hair. Clearly this was the first time he had seen this advertisement.
“You didn’t enter this ad, did you?”
He rubbed at the scruff on his chin. “No. No, I did not.”
“Well then… who?”
The corners of his moved lifted up into a soft smile. I had rarely seen him smile. It had the same effect on me now that it had had the times I had seen it before. I felt like a silly school girl. His smile made him even more handsome.
“Maggie. It had to have been her. God bless her.”
“So I guess now you understand why I came here looking specifically for you?”
There was a faint blush that rose in his cheeks, and I smiled realizing this was the big gruff man who had been so intimidating to me just a few months ago. “Ava,” he said softly, and I realized I loved how my real name sounded on his lips. “I am beyond flattered.”
“You’re not mad?”
“I was yesterday, but now knowing everything, I wasn’t exactly the kindest man when you first encountered me. Perhaps if I had given you an opportunity to talk, you wouldn’t have felt a need to lie.”
“I wanted to tell you the truth.”
“I’m glad you did, the truth is important if this marriage is to work.”
Christmas Miracles: Mega Mail Order Bride 20-Book Box Set: Multi-Author Box Set Page 45