Family Wanted

“Okay. Why don’t you sit here in front of me, and I’ll see what I can do.”

Savannah’s mouth lifted in a subtle smile, and she glanced at her father before turning and sitting on the step in front of Isabella. “Sometimes it hurts when Daddy does it, and I cry.”

He frowned and shrugged. “That’s true.”

Isabella was touched by the relationship before her, a daddy so concerned for his little girl. What would it have been like to have had a parent care that much?

“Well, let’s see if I can manage not to make you cry today.” She thought about the statement and then added, “Not that your daddy did anything wrong, but I’ve had a little more practice.” She glanced in the pink bag and saw a teeny hairbrush at the bottom. “Look, there’s a little brush for your doll.” She fished it out and then handed it to Savannah. “Why don’t you brush her hair while I brush yours?”

* * *

Isabella was obviously a natural with children, and it touched Titus immensely that his little girl already seemed to be warming to her.

Savannah rubbed her hand down her doll’s hair as Isabella gently drew the brush through the top layer of Savannah’s long brown hair. Then she lifted that layer and flinched at the mess. Apparently, Titus flinched in reflex, and Savannah noticed.

“Did I make it too bad?” She twisted around to look pleadingly at Isabella. “Can you not do it now?”

“No, I can do it,” Isabella said. “I’ll just take my time.” Then she tenderly worked her fingers into the knot to loosen it before she tackled it with the brush. “Do you go to school yet?” she asked, obviously still trying to get Savannah’s attention on something besides her tangled hair.

“Not now. Now it’s summer,” Savannah said softly.

Titus watched as Isabella eased her fingers through, the knot appearing to give a little with her effort. “That’s right. How could I forget that? But before it was summer, did you go to school?”

Savannah nodded, which must have caused her hair to pull, because tiny tears crested the bottom of her eyes and trickled free. “Ow.”

Titus flinched again. He couldn’t help it.

Isabella couldn’t see Savannah’s face, but she saw his and leaned forward to spot Savannah’s tears. “Oh, dear, I’m so sorry about that.”

“That’s okay.” Savannah blinked a couple of times and tried to act older than her age, the way she’d often done since that day when she’d been forced to grow up overnight, the day her mother left.

Titus watched her visibly compose herself to speak, another quality she’d learned since their world fell apart. “I was in kindergarten last year,” she said. “This time I’ll be in first grade.”

He was pleased that she wanted to communicate with Isabella. Typically, she remained silent unless absolutely necessary, so seeing her engage in conversation was a huge step. He thought about calling the child psychologist and relaying the event, but he’d already decided they weren’t going back. Besides, that woman hadn’t been able to get Savannah to utter more than a couple of sentences during the entire time they’d been going to her. Isabella had her talking in a mere day. Obviously, this woman was special, and Titus said a prayer of thanks to God for sending her their way.

“What was your teacher’s name?” Isabella asked, while Titus continued enjoying the vision of his little girl slowly but surely creeping out of her shell.

“My teacher was Mrs. Carter,” Savannah said, “but I don’t know who my teacher next year will be yet.”

The knot released, and Isabella grinned as her fingers moved all the way through. “I think I’ve got it,” she said, then took the brush again and gently pulled it through the mass of hair. “You’ve got a lot of hair, don’t you?”

Savannah turned toward Isabella, her eyes wide. “Mommy said that, too.”

Titus fought the emotion pulled from her words. He could almost see Nan, sitting on the couch with Savannah seated in front of her on the floor. They’d often watched television together that way, with Nan brushing Savannah’s hair.

“Well, your mommy was right,” Isabella said. “So, do you want a ponytail, or do you want two pigtails, like Rose and Daisy had yesterday?”

“Two pigtails.”

“All right then.” Isabella parted the hair down the middle, then gathered it into a pigtail on each side while Titus watched, amazed. She made it look so easy, but he had no doubt that if he tried, he’d probably have a worse tangle than the one Savannah had created this morning. Unlike Rose and Daisy’s pigtails, which were short and curly, Savannah’s were long, draping well past her shoulders.

But he knew the length of her pigtails wouldn’t matter to Savannah. What mattered was that she had something like her friends, and Isabella had helped that happen.

“All done,” she said, looping the elastic band around the second pigtail.

Savannah pulled a small mirror with a princess on the back from her bag and held it out to see each of the pigtails. She turned and gave Isabella the smile that Titus had been waiting for. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Isabella said, and then, while Titus’s heart squeezed tightly in his chest, Savannah scooted closer and put her arms around her in a hug.

“I’m gonna play with Rose and Daisy today,” she said, her voice more cheerful than Titus had heard in a very long time. Then she glanced toward Titus and added somberly, “I’m supposed to go to swim lessons tonight, but I don’t think I want to.”

His jaw tensed with his disappointment. “You don’t want to give it another try? That was only your first lesson last week, sweetie. You might like it better this time.”

“I want to swim,” she whispered, turning her attention from him to the doll in her hands, “but I’m afraid.”

Titus’s gaze caught Isabella’s, and she looked as though she understood that he had no idea what to do, what to say, to help his daughter.

Then her eyes brightened, and she gave him a smile before telling Savannah, “You know what? I taught swimming lessons when I lived in Atlanta. Maybe I could help you learn to swim.”

Savannah’s eyes lifted. “But I’m scared. I really want to, though.”

“We would go very slow,” Isabella said, “and I’ll be right there with you, if you decide to let me help.” She paused and then added, “I sure would like to.”

“What do you think, Savannah?” Titus asked. He said to Isabella, “I’d be happy to pay you for private lessons, if that’s what you’re offering.”

She shook her head. “You wouldn’t need to pay me. I’m happy to do it. And I didn’t get paid for teaching in Atlanta. I volunteered.” She shrugged. “It’s something I enjoy.”

“What do you say, Savannah?” he asked, throwing in another quick prayer for God to set this in motion.

She took another look in the mirror at her pigtails, then turned to Isabella. “I’ll try.”

Isabella wrapped an arm around her and gently squeezed. “That’s great.” She looked to Titus. “You’ll have to let me know where the nearest pool is.”

“John and Dana Cutter just put in a pool at their dude ranch, and they told me I could bring Savannah to swim anytime. I’m sure they’d be fine with you teaching her there.” He couldn’t believe this change of events, this incredible breakthrough with his little girl.

“That sounds great,” Isabella said. “Just let me know when y’all are ready to start.”

“You think I can learn it, Daddy?” Savannah asked, and he hated that he still heard hints of doubt and fear in her voice. “That I can swim?”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “I sure do,” he said as Savvy’s truck appeared in the driveway. She, Rose and Daisy waved as they parked beside Isabella’s car.

Seeing Savannah, the girls wasted no time climbing out. “Hey, Savannah! I like your hair!” one said.

“Me, too,” the other said. “And I like your doll. Do you want to bring her inside to play in the toy room? Our dolls are already there.”

Savannah looked at Titus, and he nodded his approval. “Go ahead,” he said. “Have fun.” Savannah gave Isabella a little nod before following them inside.

“I appreciate you offering to teach her to swim,” Titus said after the girls entered the trailer. He appreciated it more than she’d ever know. Her kindness had placed a crack in the tough shield Savannah had set in place after Nan left.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.

“You teach swim lessons?” Savvy asked.

“I volunteered teaching swim lessons in Atlanta and loved it.” She pointed to the paper beneath her purse. “I included it on my résumé, even though it isn’t office experience.”

“It’s experience helping children, so it’s totally applicable for this job. And who knows? Maybe we’ll build a pool here for the kids eventually. If you’re gonna dream, might as well dream big, right?”

Titus looked toward the trailer. “Right,” he said, and he realized that his dreams for Savannah may have started coming true today.

Thank You, God.

Chapter Two

Sometimes, God gives us tough decisions to make, and maybe I made the wrong one.

The main room of the trailer had a small kitchen to the left, a couple of desks in the center forming a workspace and a tiny sitting area to the right with a sofa and television. “You brought your résumé?” Savvy asked, guiding Isabella to the kitchen table.

“I did.” Isabella handed her the piece of paper.

Savvy scanned it as she spoke. “After you left yesterday, I realized I never told you the history behind Willow’s Haven. Brodie reminded me that it’s important everyone who works here knows how the place has come about and the reason behind our desire to help children.”

Isabella had wondered what caused Savvy and her husband to start the home. “Were you orphaned?”

“Technically, no,” Savvy said, “but my mother abandoned me when I was born and left me to be raised by my grandparents. I was fortunate, because my grandparents are amazing, but there are a lot of kids who are abandoned by their parents and have nowhere to go, which is why we’ll help children who are either orphaned or abandoned. That’s the reason we’re classified as a children’s home, rather than an orphanage.”

Isabella could hear the compassion in Savvy’s voice as she talked about the home, and it touched her heart. “It sounds amazing,” she said, praying she’d get this job and have an opportunity to be a part of something that would truly change children’s lives. “Where did you get the name, Willow’s Haven?”

“It’s named after my best friend, Willow Jackson. This trailer was her home.” She took another look at the résumé and glanced up at Isabella. “Willow passed away a little over a year ago and left her children to me. Brodie and I couldn’t get over how much love Dylan, Rose and Daisy needed after Willow died, and we couldn’t stop thinking about the children who didn’t have anyone to provide that love. We knew there were orphaned and abandoned children who didn’t have anyone who would talk to them about things that are truly important, like faith and God.”

Isabella’s throat tightened. She’d never had anyone mention faith or God in the orphanages she’d lived in. She’d latched on to every snippet of God’s love that she’d learned on the rare occasions she’d gotten to attend church, primarily at Easter and Christmas, and that was only because those were the times the churches gave cash to the orphanages or foster homes. But those tiny glimpses of God, whenever she got them, saw her through the hard times. Gave her hope. Even if she’d seen Richard as something of a savior when she’d been eighteen.

“So the plan for Willow’s Haven is to provide a Christian environment where children will know that they are loved by the staff and, more importantly, by God. And our ultimate goal, of course, is to place each child in a loving, Christian home.”

“That sounds incredible.” Isabella wondered how different her life would’ve been if she’d have been placed somewhere like Willow’s Haven. Would she have responded so quickly to all of the attention Richard Gray provided?

Savvy’s dark eyes practically sparkled with excitement. “I know. We were so blessed that Ryan Brooks and Dana Brooks Cutter—the brother and sister at the head of Brooks International—thought so, too. Their company is funding the child home. And I was so excited to hear from you so soon. I just placed the ad three days ago.”

Isabella didn’t want to lie about seeing an ad that she still hadn’t laid eyes on. “I believe God led me here.”

Savvy’s mouth lifted on one side. “I’m thinking you may be right.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “I made a pot of coffee earlier. Would you like some?”

“Sure, but I can fix it.” Isabella served herself a cup of coffee with plenty of cream and sugar. “You want some, too?”

“Already had three cups.” Savvy held up the résumé. “You have a business administration degree, but it doesn’t appear that you’ve used it.”

“No, but I’d like to.”

Savvy looked as though she wanted to ask more about the degree but then thankfully moved down the page. “Okay, I see your volunteer work teaching swimming at the Y, but this says you’ve also been volunteering at the charity hospital in Atlanta, up until last week?”

Isabella sipped her coffee, enjoyed the delicious warm liquid on her tongue. “I put the name of the administrator under my references. I really enjoyed working there, volunteering there, I guess I should say.”

Savvy wrote something on the paper. “What made you start volunteering at those places, and why did you leave?”

She’d started volunteering at the Y because Nan told her she’d enjoy working there. Nan had held a paid position as an office assistant at the Y until she was too sick and went to the hospital, where she met Isabella.

Isabella wouldn’t tell Savvy about her relationship with Titus’s ex-wife, so she focused on the other reason she’d started volunteering. “My husband—ex-husband—and I divorced last year. I wasn’t feeling very good about myself at the time, and I wanted to do something to help others while I waited for the divorce to be final. Then I planned to move away, find a small town and start my life new, away from the big-city lifestyle.”

“You don’t get much farther away from big-city than Claremont,” Savvy said, grinning.

“I realized that last night, when I went to the town square.” Isabella recalled the quaint Mayberry-type atmosphere that radiated from the place.

“And so your divorce just finalized, and you were looking for a small town where you could settle down?”

“No. It was final six months ago, but I...” She struggled to say enough, without saying too much. “I became friends with one of the patients at the hospital, and I didn’t want to leave until—” she carefully picked her words “—until she no longer needed me.”

Savvy’s hand moved to her heart. “You’re going to be great here, you know. You may even be perfect to oversee a cabin eventually, but having you in the office will work, as well.”

Isabella wanted her to understand how much she already felt drawn to Willow’s Haven. “I was raised in orphanages,” she said. “And they were terrible. I won’t go into detail, because I honestly don’t want to think about it—or talk about it—ever again. But when you described what your plans were for Willow’s Haven, I felt like God brought me here for a reason. Because I know how children feel when they’re abandoned, and I know how important it would’ve been to me to have someone who cared, someone who told me about God and someone who truly loved me.”

Two thick tears trickled down Savvy’s cheeks, and she brushed them away. “I knew God answered my prayers with you,” she said softly. “I’d like to go ahead and show you everything today, what computer software we’ve bought for the office, the files that we’re going through in our search for children needing a home. There are plenty of kids—too many, truth be told—but we want to be ready to take as many as we can as soon as possible. As the cabins go up, we want to fill them.” She motioned toward one of the small desks with a laptop. “Everything’s over there. We’ll go ahead and get started. Sound good?”

“That sounds great.” Eagerness flooded Isabella’s soul. God had brought her here. She could feel it. And she couldn’t wait to get started.

“I thought it would,” Savvy said. “And while you’re figuring things out, I’ll call your references. But I already know that everything will be fine.”

Happy with this turn of events, Isabella took her coffee and started across the room as the phone on the desk began to ring. “Do you want me to get that?”

“Sure,” Savvy said. “Just answer, ‘Willow’s Haven.’”

Isabella picked up the phone on the third ring. “Willow’s Haven,” she said. “Can I help you?”

“Well, ma’am, I hope you can. I’m trying to get in touch with a Mr. Titus Jameson. I called his office, and the voice mail left this number. Would he happen to be there? It’s rather important.”

“Yes, he is. Hold on one moment, and I’ll see if he’s available.” She lowered the receiver and said to Savvy, “It’s a gentleman looking for Titus. He said it’s important.”

She nodded. “His cell doesn’t pick up out here. Let me see if I can get him.”

Isabella waited while Savvy went outside. She heard her calling Titus’s name, and then she returned.

“He wasn’t far away,” she said. “He’s coming.”

A few minutes later, Titus entered, his forehead already starting to dampen with sweat and his work shirt beginning to cling to his muscled frame.

Isabella handed him the phone while trying not to stare.

Not an easy feat.

“Thanks,” he said, his fingertips brushing hers in the exchange.

“You’re welcome.” She didn’t want to blush, but she thought it might be happening anyway, so she turned her attention to the laptop in front of her, even though the only thing on it was a screensaver of Dylan, Rose and Daisy.

“This is Titus,” he said.

Isabella heard the other man’s voice, a distant mumbling through the receiver as he spoke to Titus, but she couldn’t make out the words. And she really didn’t want to eavesdrop on the conversation, so she moved the mouse around on the computer with the hopes that something would show up besides the screensaver.

Savvy had gone to the kitchen area and started washing dishes. But since Titus took the call at the desk, and there wasn’t a whole lot of room for him to walk around and talk with the cordless, he simply sat in the chair opposite Isabella and listened to the man on the other end.

Which made it easy for her to see when the color drained from his face.

“She’s...dead?” His eyes slid closed and he remained silent for a moment, while the other man’s muffled words continued to sound through the phone. Then Titus took a deep breath and answered, “No, I’m not her brother,” he said, his words slow and deliberate, as though he struggled to get them out. “I’m her husband.”

Chapter Three

I thought I could handle anything, that we could handle anything, but I learned my limitations.

It’d taken Titus six days to gather the right words to tell Savannah that her mommy would never come back. The phone call from the hospital had sucker punched him, and he hadn’t known how to deal with the blow. Nan had been sick. Dying. And he hadn’t even known.

And his “closure” had been pathetic. Pitiful, even. Nan hadn’t had a funeral. An online memorial page had been set up by the hospital for guests to sign. There weren’t even any pictures. According to the guy from the hospital and the memorial page, Nan had chosen to donate her body to science in the hopes of curing the rare kidney disease that killed her. That, of course, was the type of thing the woman he knew and loved would’ve done.

But what had happened to Nan between the time she left and the time she died? He’d learned from the memorial page that she’d worked at the Atlanta inner-city YMCA before she’d gotten sick, but that was all. She’d had an entire new life that he knew nothing about.

During the past three years, he’d been confused. Hurt. But for the past six days, he’d been angry. And oddly enough, his anger hadn’t been focused on Nan but on God. How could He deal Titus this blow? How could He have turned his back so thoroughly on Titus and, even more, on Savannah?

Savannah. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his little girl. She was already so sad from Nan’s abandonment, but now he couldn’t even offer her hope of seeing her mommy. And he wondered if he’d ever see her happy again.

But each time he doubted whether she could recover from all this, he thought of the way she lit up each morning when Isabella talked to her about what she planned to do to her hair. And he thought about the way she played with Rose and Daisy and the fact that those two little girls had lost their own mom not that long ago.

He knew Savannah could be okay, but it wouldn’t happen on its own, so he had to get out of his own funk and help his little girl. He’d hesitated about asking Isabella to do more than fix her hair each morning, because he couldn’t stop the feeling of guilt he experienced each time he was around her. He’d been attracted to her, very attracted to her, even before he learned of Nan’s passing.

Truthfully, he still was.

But his little girl had connected with Isabella, and he had the perfect means to allow them to intensify that bond and to help Savannah cope with this new pain of Nan’s death. Savannah wanted to swim, and Isabella had offered to teach her. Titus hadn’t done anything about that because he’d felt wrong for being attracted to Isabella at all. But he had to put his daughter’s needs first, so he’d deal with this attraction...and ask Isabella for help.

* * *

“My mommy is in heaven now.”

Isabella glanced up from the laptop to see Savannah, clutching the same doll she’d brought to the trailer each day since they’d first done hair together last week. She looked hopefully at Isabella as though expecting some kind of perfect response to the statement. Not knowing where this conversation would go, Isabella said a quick prayer for guidance and then said, “Yes, she is.”

A couple of blinks, a chew on her lower lip, and then Savannah added, “Daddy is sad.”

Isabella knew that was an understatement, since Titus hadn’t said a word about his wife’s passing since the phone call last week. In fact, each morning he entered the trailer, hugged and kissed Savannah before she started playing with Rose and Daisy and then worked like a madman until the sun went down. “I know he’s sad.”

And undoubtedly shocked, too. Isabella had also been shocked. That phone call had overturned the main thing she’d thought she knew about Nan. Titus hadn’t been her ex-husband; they were still married when she died. Isabella had no idea why her friend had lied about something like that, and now that Nan was gone, she’d never know.

She wanted to help Titus cope with the loss, but she barely knew him and certainly didn’t know what to say about his wife’s death. It wasn’t as if she could now tell him that she’d known Nan and had been with her, holding her hand, when she died.

The trailer door opened, and the twins bustled inside, their chatter quickly filling the room. “We got the stuff to make grilled cheeses,” Rose said, as Savvy followed them in with a bag of groceries she’d retrieved from their cabin. Rose and Daisy had asked to tag along when she went for the items, but Savannah had said she wanted to stay with Miss Isabella. She’d done this often over the past few days, asking to stay at the trailer with Isabella instead of leaving with the girls.

“My mommy went to heaven,” Savannah said to Savvy, in much the same sorrowful tone that she’d made the statement earlier.

Savvy glanced at Isabella before she responded, her features softening and her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I know, sweetheart. And I’m sure she’s happy there.” She forced a smile. “Everyone is happy in heaven.”