Which left Polly comforting a sobbing woman whose husband was now accused of murder.
“It’s going to be all right,” Polly said gently. “He won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”
Laura looked up at her. “How can you say that? You don’t know what he’s capable of. When he gets out...”
“He’s not getting out.” Polly used a firm tone as she stared into Laura’s eyes. “With what you told us, plus with what further investigation is going to prove, he’ll be in prison for a long time.”
Laura nodded slowly, but fear lurked in her eyes.
“Are you ready?” Mitch gently put his hand on her shoulder. “I’d like to get Laura settled before word gets out.”
“Yes.” Polly turned her attention to Laura. “Will you come with us? I promise we’ll keep you safe.”
Experience had taught her to ask for permission, because the women who came unwillingly were always the ones who went back.
“How long can they keep him in jail?”
“A few days,” Polly said, wishing she had a different answer. “But knowing Will, he’ll find other charges on which to hold him. By then, folks will be up from Denver to take him. And I can’t see them letting him out.”
Laura looked over at Mitch. “You’re out. And they think you did it.”
“I had a good lawyer,” Mitch said. “And I made bail. Had to use my house and my store, as well as those of my brother, as collateral. Everything I own is tied up in my legal case. If all the money is yours, I can’t see Booth making bail.”
“But his friends...”
Mitch shook his head. “Which ones? The ones he owes money to? How many people will actually stand by him when it all comes out? I didn’t do it, and were it not for a brother who believed in me, I would still be in jail. Everyone else, including people I thought were good friends, abandoned me. No one wants to be connected to a murderer.”
“But you have Polly, Mary and Will,” Laura said.
“I met them after my life fell apart. And I will always be grateful for their support.”
Then, eyes shining, he looked at Laura with such tenderness, it made Polly’s heart nearly break in two. “And you have them, too. You will never meet more loyal and devoted friends. I promise you are safe with them.”
He reached over and put his hand on top of Polly’s, which still held Laura’s hand in hers. She met his eyes as he said, “I mean that. You have no idea the precious gifts you’ve given my family. That you’ve given me, and I will treasure our time always.”
His words sounded like a goodbye. Ridiculous, of course, but Polly’s eyes stung and her chest hurt at his words.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling away, then standing. She shifted her weight to put her back to them as she wiped her eyes. This wasn’t about her, or her feelings. They were saving a woman, Laura, from her abusive husband. Which was all in a day’s work as part of their ministry.
Laura also stood, and after saying goodbye to their hosts, they returned to the Lassiter house. They all quickly retreated to Uncle Frank’s study, where he was apprised of the situation. Because James was in jail, he decided that for now, the safest place for Laura was to remain at the Lassiter house. When the sheriff arrived from Denver, they’d want her close so she could tell him her side of the story. He didn’t want them all going back and forth between safe houses and risk their operations being discovered.
Polly was moving her belongings into the attic with the children so Laura could have her own space, when Laura walked in.
“You don’t have to do that,” Laura said. “I would be perfectly fine in the attic.”
“But the children are used to me. And this way, you have some privacy. Trust me when I say that they will give you no privacy whatsoever.”
As if to prove her point, Clara and Isabella came bounding in. “Can we help?”
Clara’s voice was suspiciously overearnest. Isabella merely lifted her arms up to be held. Polly picked up the little girl.
“I think we’re fine. Uncle Frank said I should keep my dresses in the closet here, since there isn’t a good place for them in the attic, and I just have this one small bag.”
Polly held up the bag and smiled.
“Who’s she?” Clara eyed Laura suspiciously.
“She’s our friend, Laura, and she’ll be staying with us for a while.”
Though Caitlin and Nugget were familiar with the comings and goings of people in the house, this was the first the Taylor children had experienced.
“She’s not a nanny, is she?”
“No.” Polly smiled at the little girl. “I’m the nanny, remember?”
Clara’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t think you’re going to be marrying our father, do you? Because we don’t want you. If anyone’s going to marry him, it’s Polly.”
Polly sighed. They still hadn’t been able to convince the children they weren’t getting married. Now they had to convince them that Laura wasn’t a threat to the status quo.
“I told you, I am not marrying your father. We don’t suit.”
“Yes, you do!” Clara’s scowl deepened. “We made a list of everything we want in a mother, and you’re it. He looks at you like he wants to kiss you, and you want to kiss him. So you should marry him already.”
From chocolate cake to kissing. Polly took a deep breath as she tried to find the right words to say to this little girl, who knew nothing about kissing.
“And who told you about kissing?” A teasing approach might be the best way to handle the situation.
“Everyone around here does it. Every time Mary walks into a room, Will kisses her and pats her tummy. Joseph and Annabelle do it, too. Yesterday, he even kissed her big stomach when he left. I saw Jasper kissing Emma Jane yesterday at church. At church!”
Polly tried not to giggle at the little girl’s indignant expression.
“There’s a whole lot of kissing going on around here, and you and Papa look at each other like you want to do it, too. So marry him already!”
Clara turned on her heel and stormed out. Isabella burrowed her face deeper into Polly’s shoulder. Polly gently kicked the door closed and burst out laughing. Laura joined her, and the melodic laughter coming out of the other woman only served to make Polly happier. Laura would survive. And thrive.
As for Polly...well, that was another story. Some days she wondered if she’d be forced to marry Mitch just to get the children to stop.
“I’m sorry about that,” Polly said when she finally stopped laughing. “No matter what we say to the contrary, the children are convinced that Mitch and I should marry.”
Laura smiled. “You two do have a way of looking at each other.”
Polly didn’t bother to hide her groan. “Not you, too. I’m so tired of everyone and their matchmaking. Mitch and I have made it quite clear to one another that we don’t suit.”
Laura nodded slowly. “Why don’t you suit?”
Polly stared at her. No one had asked that question before. “Well, because.” She paused. Everyone else had simply assumed they knew the answer, and they all thought she and Mitch suited quite well.
“I suppose it’s because we want different things out of life.”
“Like what?” Laura’s expression was gentle, understanding. She wasn’t trying to push Polly into feeling something she didn’t, or into a relationship she didn’t want.
“Well, for one, I don’t want to get married and have children. And Mitch has said that after what a disaster his marriage to Hattie was, he has no intention of ever remarrying. So for two people who don’t want to get married—marrying each other, why, that’s ludicrous.”
Laura appeared to consider her words, then said, “Why don’t you want to get married?”
Another question most peo
ple didn’t ask of her. And now, having had a heart-to-heart with Ma, Polly wasn’t fully sure of her answer. Especially with Isabella snuggled up to her, filling Polly’s heart with more uncertainty as to the direction she’d so firmly plotted out for herself.
“Because I’ve seen too many marriages go wrong,” Polly said. It seemed to be the simplest answer, given that of all the things she knew to be true, and the things she questioned, at least this remained constant.
“In what way?” Again, Laura’s question was gentle, seeming more curious than judgmental.
“Do you know how women end up working in brothels?”
Laura shook her head.
“Many of them are either running from abusive husbands, or are widows with nowhere else to go or have no family to care for them. Some choose the life, but so many do it because they have no other options.”
Polly took a deep breath. “Uncle Frank started his ministry in the mining camps, where we still do a lot of work. That’s where we met him, Annabelle and his late wife, Catherine. Until we met them, we lived a hard life. I helped Ma the best I could. Some people think miners are beyond salvation, and I don’t blame them. They’re a hard lot. I know what a man’s fists can do to a woman’s face.”
Trying to get the images out of her head, Polly closed her eyes and tried to bring to mind the feeling of hope she’d found in helping others. Then she turned back to Laura.
“I understood your pain and fear because I’ve seen it too many times to count. What happens if I marry a man and he turns into a monster?”
Polly could still remember hearing various couples fighting, back when they lived in the mining camps and all they had for shelter was a tent. Sometimes she still had nightmares about the things she’d heard.
Sympathy filled Laura’s face. “I can understand that. What evidence has Mitch given you that he’s going to turn into a monster when you two marry?”
Laura’s words hit her square in the chest.
“What evidence did James give you of being a monster?”
Laura let out a long sigh. “None that I could see. But my family saw. My father told me not to marry him, and when I did, he did everything he could to protect my fortune from him. I don’t know why I didn’t see it when everyone else did. Has anyone warned you that Mitch may not be who he seems?”
Polly’s heart sank as she realized that not only had no one warned her against Mitch, but they all seemed to be pushing her in his direction. Were they right after all?
“No,” she said quietly.
“I barely know you,” Laura said. “And I barely know Mitch. But I can’t fathom how a man who would raise the children of his wife’s indiscretions and give them the kind of love I’ve seen in this family would somehow turn into a cold-blooded murderer.”
She let out a long sigh. “I knew the first minute you all started talking about James and the murder that he did it. Had I been willing to open my eyes, I probably would have seen it the moment her body was discovered. I’ll own that I have been a poor judge of character. You may have, too. But I am putting my very life on the line on the belief that Mitch is a good man.”
Polly hadn’t thought about it that way. Trusting Mitch in this situation, at least for Laura, was a matter of life and death. If she was wrong in trusting Mitch, and Mitch was the murderer, or even if he was a bad man, Laura could wind up in more trouble than she’d bargained for. She was trying to escape an abuser, not run headlong into more trouble.
“His children clearly love you,” Laura said, gesturing to the little girl asleep in Polly’s arms. “And I have no doubt that if you would get past your fear, he would love you, too. You deserve happiness, Polly. A woman with as big of a heart, helping people like me, you shouldn’t spend your life alone simply because you’re afraid of being hurt.”
Isabella stirred in Polly’s arms. “I should probably put her down.”
“Think about what I said.” Laura gave her another gentle smile. “Just because James hurt me, it doesn’t mean I don’t still believe in love. I’ve spent barely an afternoon in this house, and everywhere I look, I see deep, lasting love. You may be so used to it that you don’t see it, but I hope you open your eyes before it’s too late.”
Remembering Clara’s words about all the kissing that happened in their midst brought a smile to Polly’s face. There was an awful lot of kissing around her, and it wasn’t the way most places were. But most places weren’t firmly centered in God’s love. Most marriages weren’t supported by such an incredible group of people who vowed to love each other as family.
“Thank you,” Polly said as she exited the room.
Laura was right—Polly had been blind. She’d let the ugliness and fear from her past cover her eyes and keep her from seeing the incredible examples of love right before her. Even the love of Uncle Frank and Catherine, when she was alive, had encouraged others in pursuing a deeper connection.
Polly was so deep in thought that she nearly ran into Mitch on the landing. He held out his arms to keep her from colliding with him.
“Whoa! Everything all right?”
“Sorry.” Polly looked up and her eyes locked with his. A deep blue sky of compassion met hers. She used to feel the same peace lying on her back watching the clouds.
Even when he was the angriest, when he had the right to be the angriest, Mitch had never raised a hand to her. He’d never raised a hand to his children, though they’d all confessed to being beaten at times by nannies. Mitch had been horrified to learn that.
“What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?” she asked, searching his eyes.
“What?”
“Tell me.” She stared at him. “It’s important.”
“I’ve never committed a crime,” he said slowly. “If that’s what you’re asking. What’s going on here?”
“I need to know. What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
He finally seemed to understand what she wanted, because she wasn’t even sure herself. But for some reason, that question burned inside her.
“When I was a boy, I was supposed to be watching my brother. But I wanted to play with my friends, so I made him sit by a tree. He wandered off, and it took hours for us to find him. I’ve always felt guilty for not being a better brother.”
Mitch let out a long breath. “I promised to make it up to him, and I’ve done a poor job. I still haven’t figured out how to be a good brother to him, but now that I’ve realized my mistake, I’m doing my best to do it differently moving forward. Which is all we can do.”
No, you couldn’t change the past, or even how things happened. But you could, as Mitch said, do your best to do better.
“Thank you,” Polly said. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him how she felt about him, but something about it felt wrong.
“What about you? What’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?”
“I’m prideful and stubborn. I guess we all know that, but I’m realizing just how much I allow it to blind me. Now I need to figure out how to keep it from making me make the worst decision of my life.”
Mitch smiled at her. Gently. Kindly. And, if she were to be so bold, lovingly. “Take it from a man who has made more than his share of worst decisions. Even your worst decision can become your best decision, if you give it time. You don’t have to live your life perfectly as long as you’re willing to learn from it.”
Then he chuckled softly. “I suppose that’s where working on our pride has to happen.”
Isabella lifted her head from Polly’s shoulder. “Papa?” She turned and reached for him just as the thunder of footsteps sounded up the stairs.
“Papa’s back!”
The children entered the room, chorusing their questions of where he’d been.
Over the din, Polly said, “Yes, where did you go? Y
ou disappeared earlier.”
Mitch gave a small shrug. “I went over to the sheriff’s office to give my version of the events. They’ll want to talk to you to confirm what was said at the Steeles’, but it sounds like they’ve already got folks from Denver coming up.”
“Is that good?”
Clara, Rory and Thomas wrapped their arms around Mitch as he said, “I think so. Will sounded hopeful.”
Polly watched as Mitch greeted his children, hugging each one of them, even pulling Louisa, who’d been standing off to the side, into an embrace.
She’d have said that she lost another piece of her heart to this man and his family, but as she continued down the stairs, she realized she’d given it to them a long time ago.
Now to figure out what to do about it.
Chapter Eighteen
Mitch walked home from the Leadville sheriff’s office, a load off his back. The Denver sheriff had come up overnight and had insisted on meeting with Mitch first thing. Mitch’s story, as well as what Will found out about James Booth, had put together missing pieces in the investigation. Though Booth was still loudly protesting his innocence, this time they were convinced they had the right man. All charges against Mitch would be dropped.
Passing his brother’s store, he noticed the reporters had all left. Now that Booth had been arrested, they’d abandoned their interest in Mitch’s family. Mitch entered the store. Andrew greeted him with a warm smile.
“I see we have good news.”
“Yes.” Mitch looked around to be sure the store wasn’t busy. Fortunately, no customers appeared to be about. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“I understand.” Andrew shifted uncomfortably.
The Nanny's Little Matchmakers (Love Inspired Historical) Page 22