“What will he do if someone adopts the children before he leaves town?” Rose asked.
Granny looked at her and smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.”
“Doesn’t Addie need a husband in order to adopt?” Morgan asked.
“Yes,” Granny replied. “But that’s not what Rose was thinking.”
Morgan looked at his wife and arched his brow. “Oh?”
“We could adopt them for Addie. When Jack comes to his senses and marries Addie, they can adopt them legally from us.”
Morgan wasn’t opposed to the idea. “But what if Jack doesn’t marry Addie?”
“Then we’d have two more children, and Addie can live here with them.”
Morgan glanced from his wife to Granny. “You two seem to have this all worked out.”
“Do you see something wrong with the plan?” Granny asked.
“Just one hitch. Clarissa made it clear to Jack the other night that she is interested in marrying him.”
“Jack won’t marry her, he doesn’t love her.” Granny knew if Jack loved Clarissa he’d have asked for her hand a long time ago.
Morgan laughed. “That’s what he said.” Morgan strolled to the back door and reached for his coat and hat. “I need to speak with Joseph, but I’ll be back to pick you up.”
“Give us enough time to put some sandwiches together for the workers today,” Rose said.
“Okay.” Morgan walked back and planted a kiss on his wife. “If you are going today, you must promise me you won’t be doing too much.” He worried about his wife now that she was in the family way.
“Don’t worry, Morgan, Rose will only be serving the sandwiches. I’ll see to that,” Granny said.
“Thanks, Granny. But don’t you do too much either.” Morgan didn’t argue with them about going with him today. As long as Frank was roaming free, he felt more at ease if Rose and Granny were in his sight.
* * *
Morgan and Jack had worked on building the jail all day, but they hadn’t had a chance to talk. They were working a few feet from each other as they nailed boards for the roof. Morgan hadn’t realized it was already time for school to be dismissed until he saw Addie walking toward the mercantile with the girls. He worked his way toward Jack. “Stop working for a minute, I’ve got something to tell you.”
Jack stopped hammering, swiped at the sweat dripping from his brow. “What’s that?”
Morgan told Jack what he’d heard from Granny that morning. “Granny said when Addie turned down Prescott’s proposal of marriage, he told her he was closing the orphanage and insisted the children be returned to Boston.”
“What about Davey?” Jack asked.
“He said Davey was adopted and they wouldn’t see him again.”
Jack could hardly believe what he was hearing. “Did the girls hear him?”
Morgan nodded. “He said it in front of them during breakfast.”
“Now why would he do a fool thing like that?”
“I guess he was angry with Addie.”
Angry or not, it made no sense to Jack. “Why would he want to close the orphanage? There’s no one better with children than Addie.”
“I don’t know. When I got to town, I went to the boardinghouse, hoping to talk to Prescott, but he wasn’t there. Granny said she didn’t think he would listen to reason.”
“So Addie said she wasn’t going to marry him?” Jack thought most women would jump at the chance to marry a rich man like Prescott Adler.
“That’s what Granny said. He told Addie he was catching the next stage back to Boston.”
“Too bad the stage won’t be here for another three days.” Jack wished there was a stage tomorrow to be rid of the scoundrel.
* * *
Addie and the girls reached the mercantile, and she thought it looked as though the entire population of Whispering Pines had turned out to help. The framework on all three structures was nearly complete. Addie immediately spotted Jack and Morgan at the top of one structure, nailing boards. She looked around for Prescott, but she didn’t see him. She thought about walking down to the boardinghouse to speak with him, but she wasn’t prepared for another confrontation. Granny and Rose were in front of the mercantile, carrying cups of coffee to the men taking breaks.
Jack and Morgan were still talking when Jack glanced down and saw Claire standing on the sidewalk below, waving at him.
“Papa!”
Jane joined Claire, carrying two cups of coffee. “We brought coffee for you.”
As soon as the men reached the ground, Claire wrapped her arms around Jack’s legs and started crying.
Jack kneeled down and wrapped one arm around her. “Honey, what’s wrong?” From what Morgan told him, he already knew, but he was stalling for time, trying to think of what he could say to calm her down.
Claire mumbled something through her tears, but Jack couldn’t understand her. “What are you saying, honey?”
“She said we have to go back to Boston,” Jane translated for him.
Jack picked Claire up, pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, and dried her face. “It’s cold out here and you don’t want your face to freeze.”
Claire shook her head. “I won’t see you and Davey again. Mr. Adler said so.”
Jack looked at Jane, and he saw she was about to cry too. Morgan took the cups of coffee from her, and Jack pulled her to his side. “I’ll have a talk with Mr. Adler.” He wanted to do much more than talk to Prescott, but he wouldn’t say that in front of the girls.
While the children were with Jack, Rose quickly told Addie about the plan to adopt the children. “You can live at the ranch with the children until you are married.”
“As Prescott told me, I probably will never receive another offer,” Addie said. “What happens then? I can’t live with you and Morgan forever.”
“Prescott isn’t privy to God’s plans,” Granny said.
“My prospects are not good. Perhaps if I were more comely—”
Granny placed her fingers to Addie’s lips. “Shush. No more of that talk. Your words have power, and you have much more to offer than you are willing to recognize.”
“Granny’s right, Addie. You are a beautiful woman, and if you can’t realize that, then how can you expect Jack to notice you?”
Addie turned to her sister. “Jack? Why did you bring him into this conversation?”
Rose placed her hands on her hips and gave her sister a look that silently conveyed she knew what was on her mind. “I think you know why.”
“Rose is right,” Granny said. “Addie, it’s high time you stopped dressing like an old-maid schoolteacher and started showing off your curves.”
“I’m expected to look like an old-maid schoolteacher.”
“Nonsense,” Granny said.
“The way I look is the least of my worries. I’m not certain Prescott would even let you and Morgan adopt the girls. He would see right through that plan.”
“I can tell you one thing, Prescott will not find anyone in this town to take the girls to Boston. I’ve had all day to put the word out. If he wants them in Boston, he will have to take them with him,” Granny said.
“He wouldn’t want to be bothered with the children,” Addie agreed.
Rose saw Jack and Morgan walking their way with the girls. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“We’ll be wrapping things up here in the next hour,” Morgan said to Rose.
“We’ll finish up and be ready to go when you are.”
“Jack and I will be back shortly,” Morgan said.
“Can I go with you?” Claire asked Jack.
“Not this time. Stay here with Miss Addie.” Jack kissed her on top of her head and passed her to Addie.
Jack and Morgan started to walk away, but stopped when they saw Roy Coburn and Davey riding toward the mercantile.
“Davey!” Jane hurried to greet her brother.
Claire squirmed out
of Addie’s arms and followed her sister.
Davey jumped from the buckboard and hugged his sisters. “I’m so glad to see you.”
“We miss you, Davey. Do you like your new home?” Jane asked.
Davey glanced at Mr. Coburn and saw he was watching him. “Yeah.”
Jane knew he wasn’t telling her the truth.
Addie walked over to Davey and hugged him. “It’s so good to see you. I’ve missed you.”
Davey pulled away from her and leaned over to pick up Claire.
Jack noticed Davey’s cool reception toward Addie. “How are you doing, Davey?”
“Fine.”
“I was hoping you and Mr. Coburn would come into town earlier to help with the building of the hotel,” Jack said.
Coburn jumped from the buckboard. “We got our own business to take care of.”
“We want you to come home,” Claire whispered.
“Boy, go on in the mercantile,” Mr. Coburn said when he stepped on the sidewalk. He didn’t acknowledge anyone as he passed them to enter the mercantile.
Jane walked in the store with Davey, but knowing Mr. Coburn was listening, she waited to talk to him. Coburn walked to the counter to hand his list of needed supplies to the clerk, and Jane leaned closer to Davey and lowered her voice. “Do you like it there?”
Davey shook his head.
“Mr. Adler is in town and he said we have to go back to Boston. He got mad at Miss Addie and now he’s closing the orphanage.”
“When do you leave?” Davey asked.
“I think in a few days. He won’t wait until the term ends, and I heard Granny say the next stage will be here in three days.”
Claire had her arms around Davey’s neck and she whispered, “I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you and Miss Addie and Papa.”
Jane saw Coburn glance their way. “Shh, Claire.”
“This is all Miss Addie’s fault,” Davey said.
Jane was surprised at her brother for blaming Miss Addie. “No, it’s not. Don’t you see, Davey, she had no choice but to allow the Coburns to adopt you. And we heard her arguing with Mr. Adler, trying to talk him out of taking us back. I heard her crying all night. Please don’t be mean to her.”
“I guess you’re right.” Davey remembered what Jack told him about being angry with everyone when he’d been adopted. Davey knew he was taking his anger out on Miss Addie. Maybe it wasn’t really her fault, but he still thought adults didn’t really care what happened to them. “You remember what we talked about?” Davey whispered.
Jane looked at him and nodded. “When?”
Davey leaned in and whispered in Jane’s ear.
“Boy, put that kid on the ground and carry some of this stuff to the buckboard,” Coburn yelled across the room.
Davey put Claire on the ground and said good-bye to his sisters. “Be ready.”
* * *
“Don’t let it upset you,” Jack said to Addie once the children walked inside the mercantile.
“Davey’s so angry with me.” Addie was on the verge of crying. She felt her life was spinning out of control. She wondered if she could have Davey’s adoption voided. If the girls had to go back to Boston, at least Davey could go back with them.
“He’s just missing everyone,” Jack said. “Right now, he’s blaming you for the adoption, but he will get over that in time.”
Addie looked up at him. “Will he?”
* * *
On the way to the boardinghouse, Morgan told Jack about their plan to adopt the girls to keep them in Whispering Pines. “Addie can live at the ranch with them until she marries, and then she can adopt them.”
“What did Addie think about this plan?” Jack liked the idea of the girls staying close to Davey.
“Rose and Granny were going to speak with Addie tonight after the girls go to bed. I guess they’ll be staying at the ranch, since Prescott won’t be there.”
Jack figured he could stay at the orphanage tonight. He no longer had a home or a jail where he could sleep. Of course, Addie might object. “Do you think Prescott would let you adopt them?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Unless he’s so angry with Addie that he’ll use the girls to get back at her.”
“Why don’t you come to dinner tonight? I’m certain Addie would want to hear what you think about this situation.”
Jack wasn’t so sure that Addie would want him there, but he cared about the children’s welfare. He didn’t like the thought of them going back to Boston. He thought about how that would affect Davey. He felt certain Davey would find a way to follow the girls, because that is exactly what he would do if he were in Davey’s position. “Dinner sounds good.”
“You can spend the night too. Why don’t you just plan on moving in until your home is finished?”
“Thanks, I will, because the boardinghouse is packed to the rafters.”
As soon as they entered the boardinghouse, Morgan spotted Prescott in a chair by the window, reading. “There he is.”
They walked across the room and stood in front of him. Prescott looked up from his paper and said, “Gentlemen.”
“We’d like to talk to you,” Jack said.
Prescott figured Addie probably sent them over to try and persuade him to change his mind. “Unless you’ve come to tell me Addie has changed her mind, we have nothing to say to each other.”
“Look, Prescott, it doesn’t make any sense to close the orphanage. Addie is good to those children, and she cares about their welfare,” Jack said.
“Jack is right. What happens personally between the two of you shouldn’t influence the fate of the orphanage,” Morgan said.
“Gentlemen, my business is no concern of yours. But as I told Addie, she is too close to those children, and I think that is the reason they have never been adopted. Not only that, but when I arrived in your town, I learned her brother is an outlaw. I can’t see how that would be a positive influence on the children.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. The judge in Denver disagrees that her brother is an outlaw. He is now a free man,” Jack said.
“That was just one of my reasons for closing the orphanage.” Prescott snapped his paper as though he was eager to start reading. “Is that all, gentlemen?”
“Do you plan on taking the girls back with you on the next stage?” Morgan asked.
“I’ve tried to hire someone to accompany them to Boston, but have been unable to find someone suitable. If necessary I will send someone from Boston to come here and travel with them.”
Jack knew this wasn’t about the girls at all. Prescott wanted to hurt Addie. “This seems like a lot of trouble for two girls when you have too many children in Boston waiting for adoption. Or is your orphanage empty?”
“We take our charges interests to heart and want the best environment for them.”
“You didn’t seem to care much one way or the other about Davey’s environment when you visited the Coburns,” Jack countered.
Prescott threw his paper to the side table and stood. “Now see here . . .”
Morgan held up his hand to stall the impending confrontation. “What if a couple would be interested in adopting the two girls before you leave? Would you be agreeable to that?”
Prescott turned his attention on Morgan. “Do you have a respectable couple interested?”
“I believe I do,” Morgan answered. “Would you have any objection, since this couple could provide them with a fine home?”
Prescott thought that might be the perfect solution. He could wash his hands of the matter, close the orphanage, and put this entire experience behind him. His parents were the reason he’d come in the first place. They wanted him to marry, and Addie was the only woman he knew that he thought he could control. She hadn’t turned out to be as acquiescent as he’d thought. He still had a difficult time believing she’d turned him down. It gave him a sadistic kind of pleasure to close the orphanage, since that seemed
to be what she wanted more than anything. “This would have to be done before I leave town.” He wasn’t going to take the chance Addie would interfere with the adoption once he was gone. He’d seen how she interfered with the boy’s adoption.
“I’ll get back to you tomorrow,” Morgan replied.
* * *
Addie, Rose, and Granny were loading the buckboard when Clarissa approached.
“It is a shame Jack’s home burned down.”
Addie turned and looked at her, wondering what she wanted since she was never civil to her.
“I asked Jack if he wanted to stay at my home, since he has no place to stay, but he was worried it wouldn’t be appropriate. He’s so thoughtful of my reputation.”
Addie turned back to arranging the items in the buckboard without comment.
Granny heard what Clarissa had to say. She thought Clarissa was trying to get under Addie’s skin. “Jack will be staying with us at the ranch.”
“Well, hopefully it won’t be for long. Jack and I discussed marriage last night.”
“Does that mean we should offer our best wishes?” Rose asked.
Thank goodness for Rose. Addie couldn’t have formed a sentence if her life depended on it. Hearing Jack discussed marriage with Clarissa was heartbreaking. Even though she’d suspected his relationship with Clarissa was more important than he’d admitted, it still hurt to have it confirmed.
Clarissa smiled. “After our evening together last night, I expect to be receiving best wishes very soon.”
Addie told herself she should be happy for Jack. To really love a person meant you wanted what was best for them. But right now she wasn’t feeling very loving. She wanted Clarissa to disappear.
“I was just going to do some shopping, perhaps buy a new dress for our next evening together,” Clarissa said.
“That reminds me, I need to make a purchase before I leave. I’ll be right back.” Granny reached for Clarissa’s arm. “I’ll walk inside with you.”
* * *
Later that night, Jack carried Claire to bed and tucked her in. She hadn’t left his side since he’d arrived at the ranch. After he’d kissed both girls, he saw Addie standing in the doorway.
“You must be worn out. I’m afraid Claire didn’t let you relax for five minutes tonight.”
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