Page 10 of Montana Bride By Christmas
There was no clang of the spoon against the dish, and Annie knew the boy ate with his fingers. At the moment, it seemed the least of their worries. But Grandfather’s words encouraged her. He’d made it clear he meant to ally himself with her and Hugh in winning this boy’s trust and cooperation.
Hugh put his fork down as if he’d lost interest in the meal. “Any suggestions?”
Grandfather also lowered his fork and considered his words. “I once knew an old Indian so weathered and wrinkled you could get lost in the crevasses of his face. He and I worked for the same outfit back before I got married.” He paused and grew somber as he always did when he thought about his long-dead wife. “I knew him several weeks before I heard him utter a word. When I asked him about it, he said he never had anything to say until then.” Grandfather’s gaze went to Evan. “I expect it’s the same with him. Same with leaving his corner. He’ll do it when life beyond that spot is more interesting, more enticing than the walls he’s pressing into.”
Hugh turned his gaze toward his son.
Annie watched him, her heart slowly melting as sorrow intermingled with hope in his face.
She was needed here, and she could think of no better reason for seeking an arrangement with Hugh than to offer one little boy a safe home.
Hugh’s concern for Evan would guarantee Annie a home as well.
Unless a more suitable woman appeared on his doorstep in the next four weeks. She knew he’d sent the advertisement for a wife beyond the possibilities of Bella Creek.
Outside, the wind battered the walls of the parsonage. A cold draft swept by her feet, and she knew the temperature had dropped. If it snowed, travel would be difficult. Perhaps too difficult for any interested woman to be willing to venture to Bella Creek in answer to a request for a mail-order bride.
Being a ranch-raised young woman, she couldn’t bring herself to pray for a storm to break all records, but perhaps God would see fit to send enough snow to keep visitors away.
Surely, that wasn’t too selfish a request.
Hugh tried to relax.Grandfather Marshall’s words of support and encouragement meant a great deal to him. As did Annie’s insight into why Evan had struck out. He noticed she rubbed her leg when she rose to make the tea.
“Did he kick you?” he asked softly, not wanting to upset Evan.
“It’s nothing.” She glanced at Evan. “He didn’t do it out of spite.”
Again, she had an understanding of the child that rather surprised him. The few times he’d seen her before led him to believe she cared only about having fun, though if he’d stopped to think, he might see that she carried a huge load of responsibility and some lighthearted activity on occasion might be in order.
The thought only darkened his mind. There would be little enough time or opportunity for fun while caring for Evan. Hughhad consulted Dr. Baker who offered no assurances that Evan would ever be okay.
“Some children,” the doctor said, “are permanently damaged by being treated so poorly. Others, however, respond to patience and love. Just look at little Ellie.” He referred to the baby his daughter and Conner Marshall had adopted. The difference being that she was so young compared to Evan.
As Hugh drank his tea, he tried not to dread the upcoming bedtime. Three nights Evan had been with him, and three nights had been an experience he wouldn’t wish on anyone. It would surely test Annie’s commitment. But if she left, what was he to do?
He again prayed for a suitable woman. Again, no one came to the door except for the wind, and he shifted his attention to Evan. He’d soon learned that to look directly at him caused the boy to shrink into the corner and turn his back to Hugh, so he pretended to look out the window.
“Sounds like the wind is getting worse. We might get a storm.” He watched Evan out of the corner of his eyes. The boy looked at the window, then from under lowered eyelids, watched Hugh. What was he thinking? What did he see when he looked at the adults? Was he able to assess their reliability?
Annie quietly cleaned the table and did the dishes while the dread in Hugh’s thoughts continued to grow.
She finished and stood watching Evan. What was she thinking? She brought her gaze to Hugh, her eyes holding the darkness of the night. “How do you get him to bed?”
He pushed to his feet. “Can we talk in my office?” He turned to the older man. “Would you mind staying with him?”
Grandfather waved them away. “Sort things out. You’ll need to be in agreement if you’re to reach him.”
Hugh followed Annie to his office, careful to leave the door open so her grandfather could see them. He could tell by the setof her shoulders and the tip of her head that she expected he was going to take her to task about something. Nothing was further from the truth.
“About bedtime,” he began and was relieved to notice her shoulders relaxed. “It’s been difficult, so I thought it best to warn you.”
“Tell me about it.” She sat in the chair he’d indicated earlier, and he sank to his own across the desk.
“As you can see, he doesn’t like to be touched and doesn’t like anyone to get too close. I think the woman who kept him let him sleep on a mat in the corner. He relieved himself in the slop bucket.” His throat tightened with the memory of how he’d found the boy, and the words poured out as he described the situation.
“I searched for him for months. At times, I thought I would fail to find him. It wasn’t until I offered a reward of twenty dollars that the woman came forward. Twenty dollars! That’s all my son was worth. She told me when Bernice was dying?—”
“Bernice?”
