by E. E. Burke
The boxes shifted, a narrow hand appeared, and then another one, and then a shock of bright red hair.
“Sonofabitch,” Sum muttered. He eased the hammer down and stuck the gun in the back of his waistband before he latched onto a skinny wrist and hauled the intruder to his feet. “Stupid kid, what the hell are you doing? I almost shot you.”
Felix trembled so hard Sum could feel the vibrations quivering up his arm. The boy was so scared he might’ve wet his oversized dungarees. Smelled bad, too. A wonder the stink hadn’t reached the apartment before the sounds.
Sum released the boy’s bony wrist. No point frightening him to death. He already looked like death warmed over, with no coat, no gloves, no hat, and…someone else’s boots, at least two sizes too large. Surprising, he hadn’t made more much noise tromping around.
“Where are the shoes I gave you,” Sum demanded.
Felix wrapped his arms around his chest and hung his head. Maybe that’s why he’d broken in here, to steal more shoes. It was possible someone might’ve stolen his.
Sum modulated his voice to a calmer level. “Did you lose them?”
The boy shook his head.
“What then?”
“Gave em away.”
Well, hell… Sum heaved a frustrated sigh. “I’m not really Santa, you now. I don’t have a workshop and don’t know of any elves that make shoes, which means I can’t afford to keep giving them away.”
Felix raised his head. He met Sum’s gaze with a challenging look. “Boxer needs shoes more than me. I know you ain’t Santa, but you still got lotsa shoes.”
“Who the hell is Boxer?”
“My little brother. His real name’s Harold, but we call him Boxer because he likes to climb into boxes and hide.”
Sum tried to ignore the tug on his heart. For all he knew, the kid was making this up. “And what about the clothes? You give those to Boxer, too?”
“Gave him the coat. Gave the shirt and trousers to Elsie, so she can wear them under her dress and keep warm.”
Sum rolled down his sleeves, chagrined by what he was hearing. “How did we miss Boxer and Elsie the other day?”
“Mrs. Meaney didn’t bring us all. She knows if she brings Elsie and Boxer and me into town together, I’ll take them and run away. She keeps them locked up in the house most of the time. I sleep in the barn.” Felix scratched underneath his arm.
Sum eyed the raggedy child. There were dark circles under his eyes and his cheeks looked gaunt, as if he hadn’t eaten in a while. “How did you get into town?”
“Waited until Mr. Meaney headed for town then crawled into the back of the wagon. He’s deaf in one ear, so he don’t hear so well. He can’t see real good, either.”
“The four girls I met, are they related to you?”
“No, they’re from other families.”
“How many children are out there on the farm?”
“Eight of us, if you count the baby.” Felix reached behind his neck, going for another itch.
“Someone gave that old witch a baby?” Sum declared, astonished. “That’s worse than giving me an infant.”
A reluctant smile pulled at the boy’s lips. “Tommy’s Ma was an Indian and nobody else wanted him. One of the older girls takes care of him. Mrs. Meaney will put him to work soon as he can walk. She says white folks can make slaves outta Indians. It ain’t against the law.”
“The hell it ain’t.” Sum clamped his teeth shut. He was starting to sound like Felix. “I’ll talk to the judge about this. He’ll take you and the other children away from the Meaneys.”
Felix pawed at his chest. “No room on the other poor farms, that’s what I hear; and you can’t make us go to that destitute house. It’s worse than putting up with mean old Mrs. Meaney.” He looked around and scratched his head. Possibly he had lice. He didn’t look, or smell as though he bathed regularly. “Could we come here? I’d work for you, and Elsie can cook. Boxer’s only seven, but he can help out with odd jobs.”
Sum shook his head. The very idea of taking on three children was absurd. He wasn’t even married, not to mention he had terrible parenting skills, having learned from two of the worst. “That isn’t possible. I won’t be around much longer.”
Felix looked surprised. “Where you going?”
“Haven’t decided.”
“Is Mrs. Claus going with you?”
The dull pain centered in Sum’s chest began to throb. If only he could take her with him. Once he paid off his debt, they wouldn’t have to worry about his creditor sending thugs after them. Wishful thinking. He would never ask her to leave her family behind, knowing how important they were to her. “No, she won’t be going.”
Felix scratched behind his ear. His scratching was making Sum itch.
“How long since you’ve had a bath?”
The boy shrugged, making it clear bathing was unimportant to him.
“How about since you’ve eaten?”
His eyes lit up at the mention of food. “I could eat something, if you’re offering.”
Sum couldn’t throw the kid out. Maybe a month ago he would’ve, but not after meeting Maggie and learning about the plight of orphans. He also couldn’t turn his back on the situation the children faced on that poor farm. With Christmas two days away, it was unlikely a new home could be located, although he would talk to His Honor first thing in the morning.
He would ask the judge to put the three siblings with him until their case could be heard. He had an extra bedroom for the girl and could make a pallet in his room for the two boys. It would only be for a few weeks at most, until someone else took them. In the meantime, he’d start looking for potential buyers for his inventory. Maybe O’Brien.
Sum motioned to Felix. “Come on, then. But you have to take a bath if you expect to sleep upstairs. Don’t want the place infested with…with whatever it is you’re scratching.”
Chapter 12
The doctor ordered Maggie to remain in bed after what he called a terrible shock to her system. He pronounced she could succumb to illness if she didn’t rest and remain quiet. A bruise above her left breast appeared to be the only injury, as far as she could tell. She still got nauseous when she thought about how close she’d come to dying, but she wasn’t so weak she needed to remain abed through Christmas Eve, especially given Sum’s surprising revelation.
He had some nerve telling her to stay away from him. After hounding her for weeks and finally wearing her down, he thought he could send her away with the snap of his fingers? It would take more than an unprincipled creditor to frighten her off.
She selected her favorite striped suit, which reminded her of candy canes, and paired it with a white shirtwaist fastened with tiny buttons. The collar had a nice bow. She sat down at the dressing table in Fannie’s room and took extra care arranging her hair. It took over an hour to pin up the heavy tresses and make the style appear casual. A figured bonnet completed the look.
Gazing at her reflection in the mirror, she touched the spot on her chest where the gold watch would’ve been pinned and tears gathered in her eyes. That watch was all she had left of her mother. Perhaps the works could be rebuilt, or if not, she would still wear it. The imbedded bullet would serve to remind her that her mother had a hand in saving her life, not once but twice. Ma had been the one to tell Da to put her and David out on the porch roof to get them away from the smoke while their parents tried to find another way out.
Maggie crossed to her suitcase and took out the jacket she’d been wearing, and then recalled she’d removed the watch. Only the pin remained. Perhaps she’d given the ruined watch to David.
Making her way downstairs through the storeroom, she heard the children before she saw them. Fannie and Patrick were playing at a small table near the back, one David had set up, which had toys they were allowed to touch.
Victoria, wearing a white apron over a festive green dress, appeared to be assisting an elderly man in selecting a nightgown for his wife. She m
ust’ve insisted on David wearing that plaid waistcoat. He wouldn’t have picked it out. He waited on another customer while four others stood in line, their arms filled with last minute shopping.
The potbellied stove in the center of the store radiated warmth, and the air smelled wonderful: baked goods, fermented cider, chocolate, pickles, leather and tobacco. She and David used to guess which new items their parents stocked going by smell alone. Funny, how she remembered that but couldn’t call her Ma’s face to mind.
When the elderly man joined the others waiting to pay, Victoria headed in Maggie’s direction. Her frown made it clear she wasn’t pleased to see her sister-in-law up and dressed. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“Coming to see my family.” Maggie smiled sweetly. She was just as stubborn as her brother’s wife. “I wanted to know if you had any luck convincing David to partner with Sum. It makes so much sense.”
“For Mr. Sumner, I imagine it does.”
Victoria’s droll tone grated on Maggie’s nerves. “You don’t agree it’s a good idea? How can you not? We’ve always known both stores can’t continue to thrive across the street from each other, carrying the same goods. David nearly went under two years ago, before you came along and showed him that he was resisting progress for no good reason. He’s good at operations and finance, but Sum is a natural salesman. He could sell tea to a Chinaman. Can you not see how well they could work together?”
“I’m not saying it’s a bad idea.” Victoria laid a hand on Maggie’s shoulder, speaking low.
Maggie toned down the volume. David had heard her outburst, if that frown was any indication. She would get nowhere by airing their disagreement in public. “Then why do you say it’s only beneficial to Mr. Sumner?” she whispered. “I believe David would benefit from Sum’s expertise.”
“If he’s such an expert, how did he get into debt?”
“I’ll be asking him that, but it doesn’t mean David shouldn’t consider a partnership, or at least be open to talking about it. You’ll help me convince him, won’t you?”
“Mama!” Patrick tugged on Victoria’s skirt. “Kee!”
Victoria lifted the toddler onto her hip. He’d soon be too big for his mother to lug around. “We’ll go see the kitty in a moment, sweetie. Let me finish talking to Aunt Maggie. You go play with the train Dada gave you.”
She set him down and he toddled off in the direction of a table stacked with glassware. Fannie intercepted him and guided him back to their toys.
“She’s good with him,” Maggie observed.
“Oh, yes. Without Fannie’s attentiveness, we’d have a lot more broken dishes.”
“Fannie adores her little brother, and she adores you, too.”
Victoria’s eyes grew bright. She withdrew a handkerchief from her apron pocket. “Now you…look, you’ve made me cry.”
The former Boston socialite, who’d come to town with no housekeeping skills and little knowledge about children, had turned out to be a wonderful mother. She loved her stepdaughter as deeply as if she’d borne the child. Fannie hadn’t spoken for two years after her mother had abandoned her and her father. Then Victoria had come along, and had taught her sign language so she could communicate without words, and had eventually won Fannie’s trust. When Fannie had started talking again, it had been Victoria she’d spoken to first.
For being so petite, Victoria had a huge heart. Maggie was counting on it.
She hugged her sister-in-law. “You know I love you as much as if we’d always been sisters.”
Victoria returned the hug, and then dabbed at her eyes. “I’ll help you convince David without you buttering me up.”
“I’m not buttering you up.” Maggie smiled. “Well, maybe just a wee bit.”
Victoria kissed Maggie’s cheek and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “I’m willing to help you because I know you’re in love with Mr. Sumner…and he loves you.”
Maggie drew back, now she was the one tearing up. “How do you know?”
“Oh, Maggie. Everyone who knows the two of you is aware of it. Even Nancy mentioned to me that she’s anxious to see you and Mr. Sumner wed.”
“Nancy?” Maggie’s cheeks grew warm. “I tried matching them up.”
“Oh, yes, she told me all about it. I wish I could’ve been there.”
Victoria’s expression turned from amused to serious. “Mr. Sumner has been by to check on you, but David wouldn’t let him upstairs, said it wasn’t proper, and Mr. Sumner seemed reluctant to push it. I’ll talk to David again about considering a partnership, but you may have to wheedle a proposal out of Mr. Sumner first. Then it’ll be harder for your brother to say no.”
Or David would get pigheaded about it. The chances were fifty-fifty. But those odds were better than the odds with no proposal. That is, if Sum’s offer was still good.
Maggie squared her shoulders. Now that she’d accepted the idea that she was in love with the annoying, charming, pretend Santa, she wasn’t letting his guilt or fear stand in the way of their future together. “I’ll take care of the proposal. You work on David. He’s difficult to turn once he’s got the bit in his mouth.”
* * *
“Put that down!” Sum raced over to where the seven-year-old stood on tiptoe at the edge of the counter, reaching for a bottle of Dr. Bradfield’s Regulator.
Startled, the boy twisted, and his heel slipped.
Sum caught the child as he fell, and set him on his feet. His clerk had been with another customer, and he hadn’t been paying enough attention. The little imp could’ve broken his neck, or pulled the shelves down and been crushed beneath them. A wave of fear receded into anger. “What were you doing up there?”
“I asked the child to fetch my medicine.” Widow Dobbs stood at the counter, primly looking down her nose.
Boxer set the bottle on the counter. He looked up accusingly through a long fringe of white-blond hair, and then darted around Sum’s right side, heading straight for the storeroom. He’d hide in one of the umpteen boxes back there, and it would take hours to find him.
All right, so the boy had been helping a customer, but earlier he’d been helping himself to the fresh doughnuts.
Sum heaved a frustrated sigh. He’d been out of his mind when he’d agreed to take on three children, even just for a couple weeks. The judge hadn’t hesitated when he’d asked for them—temporarily. He had assumed some kindly matron who’d raised a pack of her own would be eager to take in three children…until he’d gotten to know them better.
He’d caught Felix sneaking pastries after devouring a huge breakfast. The eleven-year-old had to have two stomachs, like a cow. The boy never stopped eating. Hopefully, Felix wouldn’t eat the groceries he was supposed to be delivering. And his nine-year-old sister Elsie knew how to cook all right. Oatmeal. She could make gobs and gobs of oatmeal. Right now, she had her sticky hands all over a shiny glass display top, peering eagerly at bejeweled hair ornaments.
Sum finished filling his customer’s order—always medicine, sometimes a black handkerchief or shawl to go with her gloomy wardrobe. She’d become a professional mourner after twenty years of practice. He smiled, ruefully. “Sorry, Mrs. Dobbs. I’m not used to having children underfoot.”
“That’s obvious,” the widow drawled. “You ask me, young man, I think you better get yourself a wife before you start taking in children.” With that, she picked up her sack of medicines and tottered away.
The old lady was no sooner out the door than in waltzed Maggie O’Brien, wearing a candy-striped suit, looking delicious.
Sum’s heart slipped faster than Boxer’s heel. Sadly, there was no one around to catch it. He straightened his coat and smoothed his hands over the wool fabric. Nervous. Elated.
She approached the counter with a smile that tied his insides into knots. “Merry Christmas, Mr. Sumner.”
He fought the urge to drag her over the counter and kiss her silly. Not only would that be ill advised in a store filled with
customers, he had sworn to keep his hands off her. It took all his willpower to return nothing more than a polite greeting. “And to you, Miss O’Brien. I trust you’re feeling better?”
“I thought I would be.” Her smile lost some of its luster. She appeared dangerously close to tears. He couldn’t keep up this pretense. He cared too much for her. If he explained why he had to leave, she might not like it, but she would understand and be able to deal with it. Maggie had a deep well of strength. His had about dried up.
“Would you like some cocoa?” He came around from behind the counter and ushered her to the rear of the store, nodding gratefully at his clerk as she moved to take over at the register. “I just made a fresh pot…if the children haven’t finished it.”
She glanced at him with surprise. “Children?”
He motioned with his head toward Elsie, who had taken a seat and was trying on a pair of ladies’ boots while a young woman looked on. He’d asked the girl to assist customers if they needed help. Perhaps she thought that meant trying on clothes for them.
“The Erickson children, all three of them. That’s Elsie. She’s nine and knows how to cook oatmeal. Her seven-year-old brother Harold, they call him Boxer, is hiding somewhere in the back. He’s upset because I yelled at him. He tried to help a customer and almost pulled a shelf down on top of him. Felix, you’ll remember meeting him after the parade, is out making deliveries. I’ve got custody of them until another family can be found. The judge is also looking for a home for three other girls and an infant, so if you know of anyone—”
Maggie placed her fingers over his mouth. Then she lifted up on her toes and replaced her fingers with her lips.
For the love of Pete… Breathing ceased, thoughts stalled. He wrapped his hand around the back of her head, threading his fingers through the heavy curls, and kissed her. Oh God, she tasted wonderful, and he’d been starved for her.
She broke off the kiss much too soon, and slipped onto a stool at the back counter as if nothing had happened, like she hadn’t noticed the world tilting on its axis. Patting the stool next to her, she smiled. “You are a dear man, Sum, but you aren’t making any sense. Sit here beside me and tell me how you ended up with three children.”