****
Dorothy was not one to usually nap, but after her long travels via train, she was certainly not going to turn down Mrs. Shields’ offer. She slept peacefully on the soft brass bed until she heard a light knock on her bedroom door. Blearily, she opened her eyes and saw the smiling housekeeper standing in the doorway once more. “Sorry to disturb you, Miss Aldridge, but it is time for us to get along to Mr. Edwards’ house. He is expecting you, and I daresay everyone is expecting me to provide a meal this evening.”
Dorothy stretched a bit, hoping that she did not seem too lazy or lethargic. “Thank you, Mrs. Shields,” she said, standing up from the comfortable bed that she would be happy and grateful to return to at a later time. The mattress was filled with down feathers, which made the small bed that much better. She wondered if she should have a feather mattress in her bed at Mr. Edwards’ home, and then she blushed for thinking of it at such an early stage.
Dorothy smoothed out her dress and fixed her hair, making sure that it was nicely styled instead of appearing too slept-upon. Clint seemed quite taken with her thus far, and she did not want him to lose his enthusiasm for her.
Once she felt that she was ready, she joined the housekeeper and they went out together to get into the carriage that had been sent for them by the dashing master of the household. Dorothy looked out of the window as they rode the short distance to Clint’s house, wondering what the home was going to look like and telling herself that it was certainly not going to be like the homes she had encountered in Boston. Indeed, when they arrived at Clint Edwards’ home, she nearly laughed when she saw how similar it was to the other homes in the town. No buildings were tall around there, and the builders seemed to rely heavily on wood from the nearby forests. She smiled, appreciating that the more she thought about it. These homes and businesses had been built up. They were new, and people had taken a real gamble in order to move out here and try to make something of the land and the things that they had been dealt. She had to admire the men of Missoula Mills for that, and that of course included Clint. She felt so humbled and honored to be able to call herself his fiancée.
The two ladies disembarked from their carriage and walked up to the house together. Mrs. Shields naturally had a key to the house, and she held the door open so that Dorothy could precede her inside. Dorothy gazed around the small home, smiling when she noticed that there were two bedrooms in this home as well. One room, the slightly larger one, was clearly for Clint whilst the smaller one belonged to the twin little boys. There was no upstairs, and there did not need to be. Dorothy rather liked the homey atmosphere of the place.
Clint emerged from his room as Dorothy was looking around his living room at all of his shelves. He beamed at her and held out his arms, presenting his home to her. “Welcome,” he said. “Please make yourself comfortable. Mrs. Shields, please see that Dorothy has some tea before our dinner.”
The housekeeper nodded and swiftly headed to the kitchen to prepare everything.
Dorothy took a seat on Clint’s sofa, smiling up at him. “I adore the houses here in Missoula Mills,” she complimented. “They’re so quaint and much different from the homes in Boston. I truly like that. I am getting an entirely new experience and I am just delighted beyond belief.”
Mrs. Shields brought in a tray of tea and cookies for Dorothy and Clint before going back to the kitchen to continue working on their dinner. Clint sat in a nearby chair and added the accoutrements to his tea, stirring it slowly with a spoon as he looked at Dorothy, smiling.
She added milk and sugar to her tea as well and then sipped it carefully. “Lovely,” she said. She was feeling a bit shy now that they were completely alone together again. She could hear the sounds of the children scuffling around in their room but they had as yet not even really been called to attention.
Once he could see that she had settled in, Clint set his cup down on the table. “Would you like to meet my sons now?” he asked her.
Dorothy appreciated that he took care in asking if she was ready, rather than just thrusting new people and things at her as soon as possible. “Yes,” she told him. “I am so excited to meet them.”
Clint rose from his chair at that and went to the room to fetch them. He rapped upon the door. “Boys,” he called, then he opened the door. Dorothy watched but then shyly looked away before she could see the children, biting her lip in nervous anticipation. These little boys were her future sons. She could not believe it, and it filled her with a happiness she had not known that she could feel. Dorothy had wanted a family, of course, but she had never envisioned that she would be blessed with two sons right off the bat.
Clint led the two boys to the couch. They both had his sandy hair and hazel eyes. Dorothy looked at them, smiling in her amazement. They were the spitting image of their father. She felt that it made things a bit easier for her; she felt such sorrow for Clint’s late wife but it was going to be less awkward for Dorothy to assume the role of their mother if the children favored their father’s appearance more than their late mother’s. One thing that did strike her right away was that they did not have the same carefree sort of smile that Clint possessed. They did not have dimples either; they appeared much more serious than Dorothy had expected. Neither one of them smiled when they approached her.
“Dorothy, please allow me to introduce my sons Hank and Sam,” Clint introduced. “Sam, Hank, this is Miss Dorothy. She is going to be your new stepmother.”
The two little boys looked at her in icy unison. Dorothy felt her heart drop a bit. They did not seem pleased to meet her at all.
****
Hank and Sam did not say anything to Dorothy beyond a pair of quiet, terse hellos. They scuffed away from the couch and sat on the floor, playing with some toys and entertaining themselves while they waited for dinner. Clint was still smiling though the corners of his mouth twitched a bit. He did not know what to say in response to his sons’ icy behavior. He had not expected them to be that way.
He sat in his chair beside Dorothy once more and resumed drinking tea with her. “I am frightfully sorry,” he said in a low tone, not intending for his sons to hear. “I suppose they are a bit shy, and they are cross with me because they’re still grieving. Perhaps I should have waited.”
“Oh, no,” Dorothy said. “It is okay. I did not expect them to want to be friends with me right away when they are going through something so tragic and sad. I thank you for having me over and introducing them to me. They are quite handsome, like their father.”
Clint smiled and blushed at that. There was that charming dimple again. Dorothy had missed it. She glanced over and saw that one of the boys–Hank, she thought–was looking at her. As soon as he noticed her gaze, he immediately looked away, back at his brother. She felt confident that they were just shy and would need more time before they would warm up to her and be friendly. In the meantime, she would be able to get used to the idea of being a mother for them… perhaps in the form of working at the orphanage as she had planned.
The meal with Clint and his family was pleasant, if a bit quiet. Neither little boy spoke aloud, though they spent a great deal of time whispering things to one another. Dorothy wondered if it was because they were twins. She had read something once about a pair of twins even having a secret language that they spoke to each other so that only they could understand. She thought that Sam and Hank possibly had something like that.
“Boys,” Clint addressed them patiently. They stopped whispering to each other and looked at him, seemingly a bit perturbed by his interruption. “Miss Dorothy is going to be helping us run the shop soon, so I am going to need you both to help me show her the ropes, okay?”
They each nodded slightly and went back to their secret conversation.
“I think I shall start at the orphanage tomorrow,” Dorothy told him. “That seems like a good introduction to life in Missoula Mills, and it will prepare me a bit more for motherhood.”
The word made the twins stop thei
r chatter and shoot a look at her. “You are not our mother,” Sam said.
Dorothy frowned at that. “I know, but I would like to be as supportive and as close to a mother as I can be.”
The twins huffed a bit and went back to stabbing at their food with their forks, whispering asides to each other. She looked at Clint, feeling embarrassed and ashamed for reasons she could not explain.
Dinner could not end fast enough after that. Once it was over, she and the housekeeper were to take the carriage back to their house. The boys, on the other hand, went right back into their room, happier to spend time together than be around Dorothy another moment. She felt convinced that they hated her, and she did not exactly know what she had done to deserve that or how to make things better.
“Goodnight, my darling,” Clint said to Dorothy, taking her hand for the briefest of moments. “Please do not take tonight too harshly. I shall speak with them about their behavior.”
“Goodnight, Clint,” she said in a voice which betrayed how defeated she felt. “I shall see you tomorrow evening, and I do so hope that things will be better.”
When she returned to her room at Mrs. Shields’ home, Dorothy sat at her desk and cried for a long while. She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and tried to put the boys from her mind for the time being. She decided that the best thing to do would be to focus on her work at the orphanage. Her friends would be there! That would make her feel better and give her more courage to deal with these children.
Hank and Sam were such precious little boys. She wanted to be able to love and befriend them, and hoped that she would be able to get them to lower the walls that they had built up against her. Working at the orphanage would hopefully give her some training in this matter, so she could better know how to approach them.
****
When the sun rose the following morning, Dorothy dressed herself in a lovely maroon dress with red trim. She felt ready for a new challenge as she took a carriage to the orphanage, which was just up the road from Mrs. Shields’ home. The town was so small; Dorothy considered simply walking to work thenceforth, as long as it was daylight. Once she reached the orphanage, she took a deep breath and entered the building, going straight to a front desk where a woman sat to greet people.
The woman was older, with a kind smile. “Hello,” she said. “Welcome to Missoula Mills Orphanage.”
“Hello,” Dorothy replied. “I am Miss Dorothy Aldridge. I am here in search of a position.”
The older woman introduced herself as Mrs. Kline. She was the head of the orphanage and in charge of hiring, as luck would have it. She showed Dorothy around, helping her to get her bearings in the place. “Are you married, my dear?” Mrs. Kline asked.
“Not yet,” Dorothy replied. “But I am engaged to the owner of the general store, Mr. Edwards.”
Mrs. Kline brightened at that. “Oh, it is quite fantastic to see all these young men finally settling down. My husband–God rest his soul–was always a big believer in marriage making the best of men.” She winked at that and Dorothy laughed gaily.
It was an amusing thought, and one that Dorothy believed must surely be true. Men needed women just like women needed men. Elsewise, why were so many of them desperately seeking brides out here?
Dorothy got to work right away in the orphanage, caring for the children with whatever they needed. She most enjoyed entertaining them with games and books. They were such dear little things. She wondered if her friends were in town and had discovered the place yet. Surely, they must be, for they had all traveled before her.
It was not long before her wish was granted. Shortly before leaving that first day, she noticed Virginia working nearby. The atmosphere surrounding all of the children and their various ages and attention spans meant that Dorothy did not get a chance to talk to her friend, but she was very excited to do so as soon as possible!
The following day, good luck struck her again. Dorothy went into work and was enjoying spending time with a little girl who was about ten years old–Hank and Sam’s age, which she thought might prove helpful somehow–when she suddenly heard a familiar voice call out her name.
She turned around and who should she see but Margaret Sinclair! Dorothy squealed in excitement and met with her friend, giving her a hug and admiring her gorgeous engagement ring. She did not have a ring yet, though Clint had proposed to her. She wondered if he planned to give her a ring on her wedding day. He came from more modest means than a doctor, after all.
“You look like a proper nurse already,” Margaret remarked with a laugh. “I hope to be like you soon.”
Dorothy chuckled. “I am sure you will be. I have not been here for very long.”
They chatted and reminisced about their other friends Eliza and Virginia. Dorothy informed Margaret that she had seen Virginia working there, but had been so far unable to talk to her. It felt so marvelous to be with at least one of her friends again. Working at the orphanage was about to get even better for Dorothy.
****
Life at Clint’s general store was another matter entirely. Though he was enthusiastic about showing her how things were to be run, his sons were simply of no help. Whenever they were tasked with assisting her, they rolled their eyes and did their best to make themselves scarce whenever she was there with them.
“How was school today?” she asked them one afternoon in an attempt to be cordial and seem interested in their lives. She hoped that they knew she was trying to get to know them.
The boys looked at each other. “Okay,” Hank answered. “We made a new friend named Nicky. He is in class with us. We have a new teacher, too. She lets us draw pictures.”
Dorothy smiled. “Oh, how nice.” She looked at Clint. “Perhaps we can have Nicky come over to play sometime if that’s all right with your father.”
Clint nodded in agreement. “Sounds great,” he said. “Whatever keeps you two out of mischief.”
The orphanage was suddenly and unexpectedly placed under quarantine when a bout of influenza struck. This meant that Dorothy no longer had that as an outlet and spent much of her time working in the shop instead. Dorothy’s poor friend Margaret seemed to catch the worst of the sickness. She was taken to her fiancé’s home where the doctor could better take care of her. Meanwhile, Dorothy and Virginia did their best to visit their friend as often as possible, and in doing so, they were allowed to catch up as well. This turned into a perfect opportunity because, as it so happened, Virginia knew a certain little boy.
“How extraordinary that your friends have mentioned little Nicky. Archie and I have decided to adopt him!” Virginia told her friend all about the situation with the Indians and the land disputes, and how the little boy had saved the day for them. “He is a polite and astute little boy.”
Dorothy brightened at that. “He sounds like the perfect companion for Hank and Sam, Clint’s sons.”
She could never have known how right she was about that.
****
Nicky came over to the general store one day to spend time with Hank and Sam. “My mother told me that this was a good idea,” he said politely. “But I can return home if it is too distracting for me to be here.”
Dorothy, feeling confident that she could handle things, told Sam and Hank that they could go off and play with their friend if they wanted to. The twins smiled at her—which made her feel overjoyed—and then left the shop to go play outside. At last, she seemed to be chipping away at their cold, unwelcoming exteriors.
The atmosphere of the general store was pleasant most of the time, with people stopping in at all times of the day for the essentials, such as dry goods and vegetables. The store’s inventory had been such a savior for Dorothy’s friend Margaret in her time of need, so she hoped to put her heart and soul into working there and show Clint that she was worthy of it—and of him.
When he checked the inventory at closing time that night, she could see that he was frowning. “What in the Sam hill…?” he asked aloud, talking mainly
to himself and scratching his head.
“Whatever is the matter?” Dorothy asked him, eyes widening when she saw how fretful Clint had become.
“A whole row of beans is missing,” he said, looking through the shelf to see if they had merely been misplaced.
Dorothy came from behind the counter to help him look. “That is the strangest thing,” she said, biting her lip. “Have we been robbed?”
He looked at her. “I don’t know,” he said finally. “I guess I will just mark this down and see if they turn up. I’d hate to get the sheriff involved over a few misplaced beans.”
Dorothy did her best to remain calm. This surely was something that happened in stores from time to time. Perhaps the inventory had been marked down wrong. His sons might have made a slight error. She hoped that things would be better upon the new day.
When they arrived at Clint’s home, they found the three boys rough-housing in their room. Addled by the missing store items, Clint rubbed at his brow. “Boys, could you please get ready for dinner?” he asked Hank and Sam. “Thank you for visiting, Nicky. You should run along home before your parents start to worry.”
The little Indian boy bowed to Clint. Dorothy covered her mouth, surprised and delighted at Nicky’s sense of propriety. It was something that seemed to be a bit lacking in Sam and Hank, so she hoped that his kind nature would rub off on his friends. “Thank you for allowing me to come over,” he said to Clint and Dorothy before he left.
“What a nice little boy,” she said to Clint once Nicky was gone. “My friend Virginia has adopted him, and I am so glad he has her.”
“Yes,” Clint said, smiling slightly. “I hope my sons don’t scare him off in time.”
They both laughed a little at that. Hank and Sam were far from terrors, but they did have a certain lack of politeness that Clint was hoping would change—and soon. “They’re diligent workers,” he added as if to lessen the judgment of them. “And they are good with customers. They seemed much nicer to you today.”
Annie: A Bride For The Farmhand - A Clean Historical Western Romance (Stewart House Brides Book 3) Page 41