Page 14 of Her Gentle Protector
Baxter took a deep breath and knocked on the door, which creaked open on its hinges. Inside, he could see that the house was in even worse shape than he thought. The walls were bare and stained, and there was hardly any furniture. The only thing that seemed to be in good condition was a small potbelly stove in the corner.
Midge appeared from the shadows, looking even more ragged than she had the night before. Her face was flushed, and Baxter could see the exhaustion written all over her face. Her hair hung limply around her shoulders, and she wore a dress that was torn in several places. A child, only two years old, balanced on her hip. But when she saw Baxter, there was a spark of recognition in her eyes.
“Mr. Hartman,” she mumbled.
“Hello, Midge,” he said, lifting his hat in greeting.
Midge looked at him warily. “What brings you here, Mr. Hartman?”
He frowned. “Just Baxter will do. I wanted to bring you some supplies.”
Her eyes widened as she looked past him at the cart. “You brought us supplies?”
“I brought some things for you and your siblings.” He motioned towards the cart.
Midge’s eyes flickered towards the cart, then back to him. “Why are you doing this?”
Baxter shrugged. “I want to help.”
Midge looked down at her feet. “Thank you,” she mumbled.
Taking a basket from the cart, he followed her into the house, trying to be as gentle as possible with the eggs and bread. He could see Midge’s eyes lighting up at the sight of the food, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness and anger at the same time. No one should have to go hungry like this.
The kids watched him with caution as he carried the basket and placed it on the table. Removing the linen cloth covering the basket, he lifted out a loaf of bread and placed it on the table. “My sister Annamae made this fresh this morning. There are nineteen eggs. Normally I’d have more, but...” he looked at Midge and then the children, as he placed a bowl filled with white and brown eggs next to the bread, “some of my hens have wandered off. Annie needed half a dozen, so we kept a few.”
He rooted in the box some more. Pulling out a glass jar that sparkled in the little sunlight getting through the windows, he twisted it so that everyone could see. “This is my Ma’s preserves. These are elderberry.”
“Like me!” Baxter looked at the little girl. “That’s my name. But you can call me Berry.”
“Elderberry is one of my favorite things.” He handed Berry the jar. “Hold tight to that. There should be a small jar of honey in here too.”
“Honey?” Petunia’s eyes grew wide.
“My brother and I found a hive in an old log. We stole the honeycomb from those bees, and it is the sweetest thing you’ve ever tasted.” He gave Midge a wink as he handed her the jar.
“Thank you. I’ve not had honey from the honeycomb before.” Midge held up the jar, looking at it. “Look at that, Olive,” she said when the toddler tried to grab for it.
“There’s also some salt pork and a piece of ham in the basket outside. A sack of beans and some flour.” Baxter pointed to the tallest boy. “Your name is Peter, right?”
Peter shrugged. “Yeah. What about it?”
“Peter! Mind your manners,” Midge scolded. “I apologize for my brother, Mr. Hartman.”
“It’s alright. I’m a stranger. I was just going to ask for your help in bringing in the vegetables. There are potatoes, onions, and a handful of carrots.”
“I’ll help you, Mr. Baxter,” Ira said, running out the door.
“Me too,” Petunia said. She moved towards the door and stopped to look at Baxter. Hesitating for just a moment, she threw her arms around him. The stench radiating off her nearly knocked him sideways. “I heard Midge praying for an angel, and here you are. Here you are.”
Releasing him, she ran out the door, followed by the rest of the children, except Peter. Peter went and sat down on the worn settee, crossing his arms over his chest.
He turned back to Midge, who was looking at him with those big brown eyes. Clearing his throat, he shifted his weight while he held onto the back of the chair. “Don’t eat everything at once. It will make your bellies sore.”
“Thank you, Baxter,” she said in a voice that was barely above a whisper. “You didn’t have to do this.”
“I know. But I wanted to,” Baxter said with a soft smile. He stepped closer to Midge and reached out to brush a strand of hair from her face. “I couldn’t bear to see you and your siblings suffering like this.”
Midge’s cheeks turned pink, and she looked away from him. Baxter couldn’t help but notice how young she looked, and how much she had to take on. She was barely more than a child herself, yet she was caretaker to all these kids.
