Too, the ranch could use a good do over. His brother’s poor money management had left him in a not so good way. With the stable almost empty, there was no need for a full-time stable hand. And had it not been for the children, he would have let the help go altogether. But there was just too much they could get into; he couldn’t manage it all on his own. He’d decided it was more feasible to have him come by once a day for an hour or two, and tend to the basics.
Standing at the mirror, he gave himself a good looking over as he buttoned up the plaid shirt he’d decided to wear. It was the least wrinkled of all the shirts he owned. It didn’t sit well with him. He was a military man, used to things being spick and span, with himself turned out perfectly. But with no time to spare on any given day, he stuck to doing things that were necessary and ironing wasn’t one of them. Once done, he grabbed his hat from where it was hanging on the bedpost and adjusted it on his head.
The bell rang. Austin caught sight of the clock which read 5:55 a.m. Although it was only five minutes before the time she was supposed to be here, knowing Moira, she’d been sitting outside for at least ten minutes. He gave himself a quick second look. Deciding it was a bit much and perhaps strange to be wearing a hat so early in the morning, he tossed it to the side before heading for the door.
“Good morning,” Moira said, smiling brightly with a sparkle in her eyes. She wore a red and white dress that accented her auburn hair nicely. Austin hadn’t thought about it before, but now he couldn’t help wondering why she didn’t have a husband of her own. Since he’d been back home, he’d visited the diner often and had seen plenty of outwardly appropriate men throw hints of interest her way. But she’d never taken any up on their offers. She was always polite but never took it past that. Maybe one day he would bring up the subject when the children weren’t around. That meant it would likely never happen.
“Good morning, Moira,” he said, stepping aside to clear the entrance. Up until that point, Emma-Jean had been tucked off to the side and the only indication of her presence was her dress blowing in the wind. When she’d finally stepped into sight and entered behind Moira, it was like looking at a ray of sunshine. She stood holding a bag, wearing a long-flowing, indigo dress that accented her icy-blue eyes nicely. Instead of her hair hanging loosely like before, she’d braided it into one, with its length trailing her shoulder. Beautiful but delicate is how he would sum it up.
“Good morning, Emma-Jean,” he said, trying not to appear overly amused, despite her having had that effect on him from the moment he’d laid eyes on her.
“Hello, Mr. McNeil,” she said in a low voice, shuffling on her heels. “I have some muffins for the children. Moira thought it would be a good thing to come with treats on my first day.”
“I’m sure they’ll love you with or without the treats. Chloe could hardly sleep knowing you were coming today. You really made an impression. And please call me Austin.”
Her expression was one of pure delight. “I’m happy to be here, Mr. Austin.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Umm...if you don’t mind, Austin will do just fine.”
She looked up at him wide-eyed as if she was surprised. “Okay then. Good morning, Austin,” she said, her gaze veering to the floor when mentioning his name.
“So, I’ll be back to pick her up around 8.00 p.m. I’ll bring dinner as well when I come. That way Emma-Jean has time to get settled in and can focus on getting into a routine with the kids.”
“But I can cook. Really, I don’t mind,” she said, turning toward Moira.
“No, no. I insist. You can’t just jump in and have all the fun. Besides, I really want you to get acquainted with things a bit more.” She placed a gentle hand on Emma-Jean’s arm. The way her voice trailed off, it was almost as if they had a secret.
Austin didn’t care one way or the other. He was just happy to have the help.
He cleared his throat.
“So, here’s what I would like to do. Since you don’t drive, I’ll take the morning to run errands like finishing the children’s registrations and getting some stuff from the store. Then later this afternoon, I’ll go in to the shop for a few hours. How’s that?”
“Just one thing,” Moira said, looking at him and then Emma-Jean, “she gets a little car sick, so be sure to make the drive easy for her.”
Austin hadn’t expected to hear that but it was fine with him. He wasn’t a reckless driver anyway, especially with the children. If anything, he was overly cautious.
“Sure. Not a problem.”
“Mooorrrrnnning,” Chloe sang, skipping down the stairs, holding her doll. Her straight hair falling as it may, covered half her face.
At the sight of Emma-Jean, she lit up like a light bulb which made Austin’s insides flutter. It was either that or he’d already had too much coffee.
He was even more surprised when after hugging Moira, she’d done the same with Emma-Jean. Austin watched as they interacted like they’d known each other forever.
“Come see your room. We did it for you last night,” Chloe announced eagerly while reaching for Emma-Jean’s hand.
Austin’s shoulder’s sagged as he took in Emma-Jean’s obvious concern. Her mouth dropped open as their gazes met.
“Oh, don’t worry. She knows you won’t be staying overnight but at least while you’re here you can have your own space.”
“And we made it pretty for you,” Chloe stood with her arm linked to Emma-Jean’s, swinging it back and forth.
“That was kind of you, Mr. McNeil… I mean, Austin.”
“You’re very welcome.”
“Thanks again, Moira,” she said before taking off with Chloe.
They waited until she was out of sight.
“Thanks again, Moira, especially for putting her up in the spare bedroom over the diner. I wouldn’t have wanted that to be a deal breaker. You really are a lifesaver.”
“No problem at all. I’m happy to do what I can, you know that. Anyway, I can see Chloe has already taken a liking to her. And it looks like someone else has too,” she said, throwing him a look over his shoulder.
“Honestly, I won’t lie. There’s something about her that sends tremors through me and it’s not just because she’s an attractive woman. I mean, you saw Chloe with her. And then yesterday, how Adam responded to her at the diner. I can hardly get the kid to talk. But she sits right next to him, lifts his head gently and they hit it off right away. The way he gave her his unwavering attention…” His thoughts trailed off as he recalled the event. “I tell you. I knew at that moment she would be perfect for the job.”
“I think she’s a great fit too,” Moira said, stepping into the car after Austin had opened the door for her.
“Call it a gut feeling, but I think things are really going to start looking up for you and the children.” She winked and shut the door.
“Moira Lockhart, you’re a real piece of work,” Austin murmured to himself, watching as she drove away.
Different Times
Chloe had given Emma-Jean a tour of the house. The little girl touched something on the wall and Emma-Jean jumped back.
“How did you do that?” she asked, looking up curiously at the lantern on the ceiling.
“Do what?”
“Turn on the lantern...I mean, that.” She was pointing up.
“Like this.” Chloe backtracked over to the light switch and flicked it on and off. “Now, you try.” She reached for Emma-Jean’s hand and placed it on the switch.
“Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Yes. We do it all the time. You need it to see with.”
Hesitantly, Emma-Jean flicked the switch down and then up, and then down again and up. She did it a few times before saying, “Oh, look at that.” She’d been so tired last night, she’d fallen asleep on the bed and woken up when it was light, she hadn’t had to light the lanterns or douse them.
Chloe grabbed her hand, “It’s not that much fun,” she said urging her to move o
n. “But don’t leave them on when you’re not in the room. Adults don’t like that, especially not Ma. But she’s gone now so you don’t have to worry about her,” Chloe’s voice trailed off and she put her head down.
Emma-Jean was curious as to where her ma was but she wouldn’t dare ask the little girl whose cheery spirit had suddenly dwindled about her mother. She’d asked Moira on the way there but she’d only said the mother was gone and it was sad for the children but at least they had Austin.
“Hey, what’s that?” Emma-Jean asked, pointing and then running her hand over the screen with the floating fish.
“A computer.” Chloe tapped the large pad with letters and numbers on it.
“What does this do?”
“Daddy says it’s for learning stuff only. And you can write stuff on it, send people stuff, read stuff, and watch movies on it.”
“What do you watch?”
“You know…cartoons and stuff,” Chloe said, touching some buttons that made a clicking sound every time she pushed down. “Like this.” Suddenly, there were little colorful animals talking on the screen.
“Oh my,” Emma-Jean blurted out, leaning forward.
“Do you like cartoons?”
“I’m afraid I never heard of them before now.”
“You should watch it with me. They’re funny. Well, some of them aren’t but most are. Come on,” she said, walking her over to another door.
Emma-Jean was completely in awe of how very prettily the room had been decorated. The wooden bed had four-posts with pink and white bedding on top with a lace trim. There was also a chest of drawers, and a closet in a separate room. In the corner was a chair with a knitted throw on it.
Chloe opened the door. “This is your bathroom. You’ll share it with me. My room is right on the other side.” Emma-Jean still had a hard time accepting the outhouse was inside the house rather than outdoors. Moira had explained everything to her the previous night and it hadn’t made sense then and it didn’t now. But it sure was more convenient then using a bucket and dumping it outside.
But the sight of the bathtub had brought back horrible memories of the previous night when she’d almost drowned. The rush of water-streaming from overhead, had come down fast and hard. She’d nearly fallen when getting out and had pulled down the hanging curtains Moira said were used to stop water from going on the floor and for privacy. She’d thought, what about safety? Had anyone thought about that?
Moira had burst into the door, shouting for her, saying she’d heard the loud thump from downstairs. She’d used the curtain to cover herself while explaining what had happened. Moira suggested until she’d gotten used to things, baths would be the way to go, and she’d agreed.
“And this is my room,” Chloe said, showing her all the stuffed animals and dolls she had.
“They’re very pretty,” Emma-Jean said politely, picking up the doll, noticing how different it was from the one or two she’d seen. “Your room is very pretty too.”
“You can come in anytime. Just no boys allowed. I let Daddy and Adam in sometimes.”
Emma-Jean smiled. “I understand,” she said, following Chloe out of her room and into the next one where Hanna had been standing in the bed, with her arms spread.
“Oh, poor, darling,” she said lifting her. She winced, turning her head as she sat her back inside the bed.
Chloe was standing beside her holding out a plastic box and holding her nose.
“What’s this?”
“You know. This is what you use to clean the stinky stuff.”
Emma-Jean opened the box and pulled out the wet cloth.
“You need more,” Chloe insisted.
Emma-Jean took out more. “Okay, where’s the baby cloth-linen and safety pin?”
“You mean these,” Chloe said, holding out something that sort of looked like some kind of diaper.
“Is this what you use here?”
“Yes.”
Emma-Jean raised Hanna’s sleep gown carefully, rolling it as she came up and then observed the placement of the strange diaper she had on. It was important for her to get this right.
Concluding she didn’t know what to do, she looked at Chloe.
“Would you like me to show you?” Chloe offered as if Emma was slightly peculiar.
“Yes, just so I get this kind right. I haven’t used these ones before.”
“Okay, you do the nasty part of wiping, and I’ll do the diaper up.”
Emma-Jean, with Chloe’s help, undid the diaper and cleaned up the baby, wiping Hanna well.
“In here please,” Chloe said, opening a type of bucket container with a lid.
Emma-Jean was so thankful for having Chloe’s help. Things were done so differently. She hoped she’d be able to remember it all.
After she’d washed her hands, Chloe showed her the rest of the house, bringing her to Adam’s room last.
He was sitting in the bed, rolling something around on his lap with his head down.
Holding Hanna, she sat next to him and touched the thing he’d been rolling.
“Hi, Adam.” The little boy looked up and smiled. It was as if he had suddenly been infused with happiness again. Before when they’d first met, he’d looked so sad. She wondered why that was, though she’d made her own assumptions regarding the matter.
“Can we play too?” she asked. He opened her hand and gave her the toy. “Let’s sit down here.” Emma-Jean pointed to the floor. “You too, Chloe,” she insisted, tapping the space next to her and placing Hanna on her lap.
Her insides tingled with warmth, and her heart filled with joy as she interacted with Chloe, Adam, and Hanna. That’s when she’d realized, as different as things were, she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Getting Acquainted
“Is this how you do it?” she asked, lifting Adam’s chin.
He nodded, placing his hand on top of hers and rolling the truck.
“Ahem.” Austin knocked on the door softly.
“Oh, hello. I didn’t notice you standing there.” She stood Hanna to her feet before rising off the floor.
Brushing off her dress, the feel of the soft material had brought on forgotten insecurities. Though Moira had assured her the dress was appropriate, she couldn’t help feeling as if she needed to put on more clothes. Deciding she felt better holding Hanna, she reached down and picked up the toddler, placing her on her side.
“I see they’re all up early. They’re excited about you being here,” Austin said, reaching for Hanna.
“Oh, it’s okay, I have her.”
“I’m just going to change her. She’s potty training, so in the morning she’s usually in need of it.”
“Emma-Jean did it already,” Chloe announced, prancing toward them.
“Oh, well, thank you,” he stated.
“It’s what I’m here for,” Emma-Jean said.
“I just want you to know, I really appreciate you starting so soon. You are a lifesaver.”
She smiled, rather enjoying the feeling of being needed again.
“I’m happy to. If you like, I can start breakfast and get the children ready.”
“I think I can handle it when I’m home. But how about we do it together and that should help you become familiar with their routine.”
Emma-Jean hoped her face didn’t reveal her joy or else Austin could have easily mistaken her for being forward. His suggestion was absolutely perfect.
“Wonderful.”
Emma-Jean tried not to bring awareness to how amazed she was by almost everything. After the children brushed their teeth, she’d braided Chloe’s hair, while Austin helped Adam to get ready.
Afterward, they went into the kitchen and Emma-Jean mostly watched as Austin fixed something resembling johnnycakes and eggs for the children. Chloe had called them pancakes which she’d heard of. It was something that was the same—perhaps the only thing—well, plus the oatmeal for Hanna. And he’d poured orange juice out of a box for everyone at brea
kfast? She’d never seen such a thing but it was a nice treat.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked her.
“Yes, I’m sure. I ate before coming over.”
“Okay, but you’re free to eat anything in here.”
There was a comfortable silence for several seconds as they ate.
“Moira said you have horses in the stable, I can feed them if you like, maybe come a little early. I can also make sure they have water.”
“Really, I couldn’t ask you to do that.”
“Why not?”
“Well… I guess I’m just not used to it. I can’t believe you’re offering to. No woman I’ve ever dated would have dared. Although, I know we’re here in Texas and women do manage ranches and farms. But you’re not from Heartsbridge are you? Still, with you being here, it means I can tend to the horses rather than pay someone else to.”
Emma-Jean’s soft voice said, “I’m sorry for not helping more. It’s just that…”
“Hey now. I wasn’t implying that in the least.”
“She doesn’t know a lot of things, Daddy. You have to teach her.”
Emma-Jean smiled at the chatty little girl.
“Chloe, don’t say that,” Austin said, washing out the pan he’d just used.
“No, it’s true. I’m still learning about how things are done here. Where I’m from, things are different.”
“Oh, really?” He wiped his hands on the dish towel before putting the dishes away. “You’ll have to tell us about it someday.”
“She’s from a place far away. Like a magical place.” Chloe stuffed a spoonful of eggs into her mouth.
“Oh, not so much at one time. About this much.” Emma-Jean reached for the spoon, and put about a third of the amount onto it. “That way your food digests properly and doesn’t hurt going down.”
Timeless Honor (Timeless Hearts #7) Page 5