“How dreadful it would be for them if they are forced to be separated. They are obviously devoted to each other,” Rose said.
“Actually, I was worried about Claire being adopted first. To be honest, I’m surprised no one has adopted her yet. There were two families who wanted to adopt her in the last year, but she refused to speak to them. No matter how they urged her to talk, she simply would not utter a sound. I think both families didn’t think she could talk, and that frightened them. I was hoping when we came here I would have a better chance of placing them in a home together.”
“Perhaps she didn’t speak so she wouldn’t be adopted without her siblings,” Granny said.
Addie had thought the children may have hatched that plan, though she never said as much to anyone. “Claire is a bright child.”
It was evident to Granny that Addie had taken on the role of their mother. “You’ve grown quite fond of them.”
“Yes, they are wonderful children. I wish I could adopt them, but the rules state that only married couples can adopt. They were very fortunate to be in the orphanage, or they may have ended up on one of the orphan trains. They would surely have been separated had that been the case.”
“We heard about those trains,” Rose said.
“I’m sure some of the children find a good home, but it is sad how they are treated. Many people are looking for workers, and the children are paraded about, like they are horses at an auction. Oftentimes, if the children don’t live up to the standards of the people adopting them, they put them on the next train and off they go to another town.”
“I can’t imagine what they must go through,” Rose said.
“The children certainly seem taken with Jack. It must be because he was an orphan, and he understands their need to feel wanted,” Granny said.
Addie thought that might explain his tolerance with Claire’s fascination for him.
“Jack rarely mentions his past, but he told Morgan he ran away from an orphanage and drifted from town to town when he was a young boy. I often think it must have been a sad, lonely childhood for him,” Rose said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised. If not for working at the orphanage, I may never have understood the hardships on these children.” Addie thought Jack had successfully overcome his difficult past, and she hoped the children would be as fortunate.
Granny thought Addie could use some good news. She glanced at Rose, and said, “Have you given her your other news?”
“Not yet.”
Addie looked from Granny to Rose. “What? You mean there is more bad news?”
Rose squeezed Addie’s hand and smiled. “No more bad news. Morgan and I are going to have a baby.”
Addie jumped up and wrapped her arms around her sister. “That is wonderful news.”
“Now we need to find you a husband, Addie, so you can have some children of your own.” Granny was determined to see all of her granddaughters married with children.
Just as she feared, her marital state would be the topic before long. “Granny, I think my life will be quite full with the children who will be coming to the orphanage.”
“What about Prescott? Didn’t he mention marriage?” Rose asked.
Addie shook her head. “I doubt his mother would have approved if he had asked.”
“Well, he doesn’t need his mother’s approval.” Rose had met Mrs. Adler on several occasions, and she thought the woman was insufferable.
“It’s for the best. If we had married, I’m certain he would have complained about how much time I spend with the children. I think once we had children of our own, he would have insisted I no longer work at the orphanage.”
“Things have a way of working out as they should,” Granny said. “Now what do you say we go upstairs and get you unpacked while the children are sleeping?”
* * *
When the girls awoke from their nap, the women took them to the stable to see some horses. The first person they saw was Joseph Longbow. “Girls, this is Joseph Longbow.”
“Hi, Mr. Longbow. Miss Addie told us about you,” Jane said.
Joseph nodded at the girls. “Hello.”
“Joseph, how are you?” Addie didn’t think Joseph had aged a day since she last saw him.
“Good. It is good that you are home,” Joseph said.
Addie smiled at him. “Yes, it is good. Granny tells me you have been making some furniture for the new house. I want to thank you for your help.”
“It keeps an old man’s hands busy.” Joseph opened a stall to lead one of the horses out.
“Joseph, we are going to let the girls ride a horse to the farmhouse. Which one do you think would be best?” Rose asked.
“I’ll get one saddled,” Joseph said.
“We really get to ride on a horse?” Jane asked.
“I will hold the reins, and you and Claire can sit in the saddle. Would you like that?” Addie didn’t need to ask the question; Jane was literally jumping up and down in anticipation.
“Yes, ma’am!” Jane grabbed Claire’s hand and said, “We get to ride a horse.”
“Ride with Papa,” Claire said.
Addie kneeled in front of Claire. “Claire, the sheriff is not your papa. You need to call him Sheriff Roper. He’s working at the farm where we are going, so please remember to call him Sheriff.”
Claire stuck her lower lip out, but she remained silent.
Jane placed her arm around her little sister. “We are going right now to see Sheriff Roper.”
Once Joseph tightened the girth on the gentlest horse in the stable, he lifted the girls in the saddle and passed the reins to Addie. “He is gentle.”
“Thank you, Mr. Longbow,” Jane said.
Joseph nodded.
“Now, Jane, put your arms around Claire and hold the pommel,” Addie said, pointing to the pommel. “I will be on one side and Rose will be on the other, but we will go slowly.”
Jane hadn’t realized how far off the ground she would be once she was in the saddle. “I didn’t know it was so high.”
Addie remembered how hesitant she had been when she first learned to ride. “You won’t think about that after a while.”
“How did you learn to ride, Miss Addie?” Jane asked.
“My grandfather taught all of us to ride.”
Addie and Rose walked beside the horse, leading it to the pine tree boundary between the ranch and the farm.
“I want to ride with Papa,” Claire said.
Addie stopped the horse and looked up at Claire. “Claire, I know you understand me. Sheriff Roper is not your papa. We will not go see him if you refuse to call him Sheriff Roper.”
Rose thought her sister was a little harsh with the child, but she didn’t want to intervene.
“She doesn’t mean to be bad, Miss Addie. She just wants a papa real bad,” Jane said.
Addie heard the fear in Jane’s voice. The poor child always assumed if an adult corrected their behavior they would be sent away. “I know, honey. But we don’t want to make Sheriff Roper uncomfortable. Let’s just call him Sheriff, okay?”
“Okay.” Jane was quick to agree, but Claire didn’t respond.
Addie put her hand over Claire’s. “Claire, what are you going to call Sheriff Roper when we see him?”
Claire had a mutinous look on her face, and Addie thought she wasn’t going to answer. She’d hated to turn the horse around and go back to the stable, particularly since Jane wanted to ride so badly, but she thought it was important to make Claire understand she wasn’t going to win this battle. She stepped a few feet in front of the horse, and was about to turn around when she heard Claire whisper, “Sherf.”
Addie met her sister’s eyes and saw she was trying not to laugh. To keep from bursting into laughter, she ignored Rose and looked up at Claire. “Good girl.”
Chapter Three
“Davey, look, we’re riding!” Jane exclaimed as soon as she saw her brother. “It only took us a few minutes to get here thro
ugh those trees.”
Jack was teaching Davey how to measure and cut a piece of wood on the sawhorse, but when he heard Jane, he dropped what he was doing and ran toward them. “I know, we went through there. I’ve never seen so many tall trees.”
As soon as Addie tied the reins to the newly constructed rail, Jack was beside them. Claire held her arms out wide. “Pap . . .” She glanced at Addie and saw her frown, so she amended her words, saying softly, “Sherf.”
Jack smiled as he lifted her from the saddle. “Did you come to see your new home?”
Claire shook her head back and forth. “I came to see you.”
Morgan lifted Jane from the horse. “What about you? Did you come to see the house?”
“Yes, sir.” Jane glanced behind her into the pine woods. “Where are the people who were laughing?”
“What people?” Davey asked.
“I heard people laughing in the trees,” Jane said.
Addie looked at Rose, and they shared a smile.
“It was just the wind. It was really windy when we rode through there.” Davey had heard the same thing, but the sheriff assured him the wind caused the unusual sounds in the trees.
Jack thought the girls would be as excited as Davey to see where they were going to live. “Davey, why don’t you show Jane the house.”
“Sure thing.”
The adults followed behind, and before they walked into the house they heard Jane tell Davey that she’d met Mr. Longbow.
Jane could hardly believe this beautiful home was going to be where they lived. Even if no family adopted them, it would almost be like a real family living with Miss Addie. “Miss Addie, this is so pretty. It’s nothing at all like an orphanage, it’s like a real home. I can’t believe we are going to live here.”
Addie hadn’t expected the home to be three times larger than the original farmhouse. “It’s a lovely home.” She turned her attention on Jack and Morgan, and her words were filled with gratitude. “You’ve done so much work. I never expected anything so grand.”
“We didn’t know how many would live here, but we can always add on if we need more room,” Morgan said.
“This will mean so much to the children.”
After they toured the entire house, Rose looked at her husband and said, “If you will look after the girls for a moment, Addie and I are going to walk to the cemetery.”
“Of course.” Morgan knew Rose wanted to take Addie to their brother’s gravesite.
Addie looked at Jack, who once again had Claire’s little arms wrapped around his neck. She reached out to take Claire from him, but he said, “She’s fine with me. You ladies take your time. I will keep my partner entertained.” Jack had never spent time with such a young child, and he was as mesmerized by her as she was taken with him.
Addie and Rose walked hand in hand to the serene site where their grandfather and brother were buried under a massive willow tree. A new cross marked Stevie’s grave bearing his name and dates of birth and death. “Who made the cross?”
“Morgan,” Rose said.
Addie started crying again. “Rose, I still find it hard to believe Frankie killed Stevie.”
Rose placed her arm around Addie’s waist. “Frankie really is crazy. I don’t know if he was always that way, but I know he is now.” Rose explained how Frankie had treated her when he’d kidnapped her. “He tied me like an animal. After he shot Morgan, he told me he had killed him and laughed like someone insane. If not for Joseph Longbow, I would probably be dead.”
Addie hugged Rose. “I’m so sorry for what you went through. Do you think Frankie will come back to Whispering Pines?”
“I know he will, particularly if he finds out Morgan is alive. That is why Jack is determined to find him first. Jack and Joseph found Morgan on the trail where Frank left him to die. They saved his life.”
Addie shook her head. She didn’t understand what had happened to her brother. “I do remember Frankie disliked Morgan when we were young, but I didn’t know the depth of his resentment.”
“I think he hated Morgan for everything he’d accomplished with his life. Morgan is just a year older than Frankie. I didn’t realize that when I was younger, I thought Morgan was much older. But now that I look back and remember everything Frankie said about Morgan, I think he was eaten up with jealousy. Frankie never worked for anything, and Granny always took care of him. Morgan is the man Frankie wanted to be.”
Addie kneeled beside her brother’s grave. “Poor Stevie. He worshipped Frankie.”
They bowed their heads and Rose said a prayer before they turned to walk back to the house. It was the first time they’d been alone, and Rose wanted to ask Addie about Prescott while they had some privacy. “Tell me, what happened with Prescott?”
“He hinted about marriage several times, and he said he didn’t want me to leave, but obviously not enough to ask for my hand.”
“Would you have accepted had he asked?”
Addie shook her head. “I tell myself that I would have turned him down. I wanted to come home. Yet, I can’t say I don’t want to marry. Prescott might have been my only chance.”
“Prescott Adler will not be your only chance. Selfishly, I’m happy he didn’t ask you. I wanted you to come home.” Rose didn’t think Prescott was the man for her sister, but she kept that thought to herself. “Do you love him?”
Addie hesitated. “I’m fond of him.”
To Rose, that response was a no. Good. Addie deserved a man who appreciated what she had to offer.
Addie wrapped her arm around her sister’s waist. “I’m so glad to be home, and I think the children will be happy here.”
It was obvious Addie loved the children as her own, and she would be heartbroken if they were adopted. “It will be very difficult for you when they are adopted.”
“Yes, but I will be happy for them. They deserve a family to love them.”
“I think Claire has fallen in love with Jack,” Rose said.
“I’ve never seen her act like that with a man. I don’t know if she thought her father would be waiting when we arrived here, and Jack just happened to be the first man she saw. It’s difficult for her to understand their circumstances. Davey, on the other hand, understands their situation all too clearly. He doesn’t trust easily. He remembers his mother well, and he says he hates her. All of his anger is directed on his mother.” Addie glanced at Rose, thinking she looked even more beautiful than normal. “I can tell by looking at you that you have a happy marriage. Morgan loves you dearly and he will be an excellent father.”
Rose smiled at the thought of Morgan as a father to their babe. “I am so blessed. Morgan is the most wonderful husband, and he is so excited about the baby.”
“I was surprised to hear you married Morgan. You were so afraid of him when we were younger. Who would have ever believed some woman hadn’t snatched him up before you returned home?” Addie recalled how all the single women were vying for Morgan’s attention before they’d left Whispering Pines to go east for their education. “Did you know right away that he was the one?”
“After we spent some time together, I realized he wasn’t the terrible man Frankie had led me to believe for so many years. I can’t imagine finding a more honorable man.”
Addie hugged her sister. “I’m so happy for you.”
“You will find the same happiness.” Rose was confident the right man would sweep Addie off her feet.
Addie shook her head. “I think I’m destined to be an old maid.”
“Nonsense. Whispering Pines is a growing town, and more and more eligible men are arriving daily. What about Jack? He’s handsome, and judging by Claire’s reaction to him, he has a way with children.”
Addie thought about the sheriff’s physical attributes. Tall and lean, with sandy blond hair, and the most unusual steel-gray eyes she’d ever seen. “A man as handsome as the sheriff would never give me a second look. I don’t attract men like that.”
“
Don’t be silly. You are beautiful,” Rose countered.
“I’m passable. You are the beauty in the family. Emma and I always wished we could be as pretty as you.” Addie may have been envious of her sister’s beauty, but she wasn’t jealous.
“You are both lovely. Remember, Granny says outer beauty fades, so your heart should reflect your beauty. And just look at Granny. She is old now, but even the younger men speak of her beauty. It comes from within.”
Addie laughed. “Are you trying to tell me that there is hope for me?”
“Any man, including Jack Roper, would be fortunate to have you for a wife.”
“Thank you, Rose, but you are my sister and you love me. All I can tell you is handsome men want beautiful women. I’m sure the sheriff has his choice of women, much like Morgan did before he found you.”
“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit, Addie.”
“Prescott referred to me as a handsome woman.”
Rose rolled her eyes. Leave it up to Prescott to give a back-handed compliment like that. They approached the house and saw a rider reining in at the porch. Rose recognized him and waved. “Well, speaking of handsome men. You are about to meet our new pastor, Clay Hunt.”
Morgan and Jack greeted Clay, and introduced him to the children. When Addie and Rose joined them, Addie’s first impression was Rose wasn’t exaggerating; the pastor was an attractive man. Still, she didn’t think he was as handsome as the enigmatic sheriff.
Rose gave Addie a look that only a sister would understand. It clearly said, I told you so. “Addie, this is our new pastor, Clay Hunt.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Addie,” Clay said. “I was hoping to meet you today. If you attend church with your family in the morning, I plan to make an announcement about the new orphanage. It would be a perfect time to introduce the children and the new schoolteacher to the congregation. I’ll bet we will have some folks interested in adopting before you know it.”
“Thank you, we will be there. School will be starting soon, and it would be nice to have the opportunity to meet the parents and children beforehand.”
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