The Texan's Twin Blessings

He did so with a sigh and a smile that said thank you.

Emily Jane nodded and then handed the second little girl the other spoon and pan. She’d have to stop thinking of them as little girls and ask what their names were. While he pulled out a kitchen chair, she turned to the stove.

Again, she had something to be thankful for. Emily Jane had already fried up chicken, made mashed potatoes and warmed up a jar of green beans just before she’d seen him and the girls arrive. She expected Anna Mae to arrive home from school any minute now.

And then what? He couldn’t stay in the dusty house tonight, and he couldn’t stay here.

She glanced at him over her shoulder. His deep blue gaze met hers. Emily Jane could get lost in the depths of his needs. She could...but she would not. She simply couldn’t allow that to happen.

The girls banged happily on the pans. The noise filled the room and prevented the need for polite conversation. Emily Jane didn’t want to enjoy the sound of children playing, but deep down she did. She also didn’t want to be aware of the man sitting at her kitchen table. But she was. They reminded her of home and all that she’d lost when she’d answered Levi Westland’s mail-order-bride ad all those months ago.

Would she be able to ignore the man and children in her kitchen? Had things just changed in her life? If so, how was she going to distance herself from the handsome man and his beautiful girls?

Chapter Two

“Thank you for the offer of supper. I’ll be happy to pay you for what we eat.” William laid his hat on the table and ran weary fingers through his hair.

The young woman, Miss Rodgers, turned from the stove with a platter of fried chicken. She set it down on the table. “That won’t be necessary. I always make more than we can eat.”

“We?” It hadn’t dawned on him that Emily Jane Rodgers would have a husband and her own children to take care of. He’d been so absorbed in the loss of his grandmother and the dilemma of what to do with the girls that he’d not even considered the marital status of the woman before him.

She nodded. “Anna Mae and I.”

Was Anna Mae her sister? His gaze moved to the sisters, who banged happily on the pans with the spoons she’d supplied. They were very close and affectionate with each other. He had heard that was the way with twins. Would they someday live together? He sighed tiredly. Right now, their future was as unclear as his own.

Miss Rodgers walked back to the stove for more food. She turned with a bowl of green beans and a plate of biscuits. His stomach rumbled with hunger. It had been a while since he’d had a good home-cooked meal. During the trip, he’d made sure the girls had food and milk but hadn’t worried about his own stomach.

She gave him a knowing smile. He had no doubt in his mind that Miss Rodgers had heard his belly rumble. “Anna Mae Leland is the schoolteacher here. She should be home any moment.” She placed the rest of the food on the table. Her gaze swept over the girls before she moved to the sideboard and pulled out plates and silverware.

“Are you sure she won’t mind having company?”

“I’m sure. Anna Mae loves children, so these two will be a welcome sight to her.” Miss Rodgers smiled at him again as she placed the plates on the table.

Her pearly white teeth flashed, but her eyes didn’t hold the smile. Did she feel obligated to help him? Miss Rodgers seemed nice, but her gaze seemed dubious at best. Was it because they were alone in the house together?

He cleared his throat. “I need to go take care of the horse and wagon.” He looked to where the girls played contentedly. Should he ask her to watch them while he unloaded the wagon and found housing for the horse? Or just assume she knew he needed her to do so.

They looked up at him with their mother’s trusting eyes. Rose and Ruby were his responsibility. He’d take them. William stood and stepped toward the girls. Weariness rested upon him like the shroud of death that seemed to haunt his family at the moment.

“If you’d like, you can leave the girls with me.”

Her soft voice held no regret at the suggestion, so William nodded. “Thank you. I won’t be gone any longer than it takes to get the horse and supplies settled.”

“Your grandmother kept her little mare in the lean-to in the back. It’s small, only two stalls, but you are welcome to put your horse there also,” she offered as she poured milk into two cups.

He nodded. “I’ll look into putting him up at the livery tomorrow.”

Just as William got to the door, Miss Rodgers called after him. “What are the girls’ names?”

He turned to face her. “The one with the yellow ribbon is Rose and the other is Ruby. Those ribbons are the only way I can tell them apart, so please don’t take them out of their hair.” Shame filled William. What uncle, who had taken care of his nieces for as long as he had, couldn’t recognize them without their silly bows? He hurried out the door before Emily Jane could ask him the question he’d just asked himself.

What must she think of him? Showing up with two little girls, dirty little ones at that, and not knowing that his grandmother had passed away? William crossed the dirt road. He moved to the back of the wagon and began pulling out the few belongings he’d brought. He told himself it really didn’t matter what she thought. Emily Jane Rodgers had no say in what he did. Other than being their neighbor, she held no place in his or the girls’ lives. And to be honest, he had too much on his plate to worry what some silly woman thought of him.

He had to admit, though, that she was very pretty and had been helpful. And so far silliness had not been part of her character, more a cautious, no-nonsense attitude toward his circumstances. She had known just what to do for the girls and had been willing to feed them. Was she just being neighborly? Or had she seen him as a single man with two children and a possible husband?

William shook his head. No matter how pretty or helpful Miss Rodgers was, he had no intention of becoming her husband. Or anybody’s husband, for that matter. He picked up the closest box and realized being tired put very wayward thoughts into one’s mind. Miss Rodgers was simply a nice woman. Very pretty and very nice. Nothing more. He hoped he was wrong that she might see him as a possible husband; he definitely wasn’t looking for a wife.

He limped up the porch and entered the house. It was time to focus on himself and the girls. They needed a place to sleep tonight. William walked straight through the sitting room and into his grandmother’s bedroom. Her bed rested against the center of the back wall. Other than the dust that covered everything, it looked much like it had five years ago when he’d last visited her. She had a small cabinet for clothes, a washbasin by the window and a small writing desk against the opposite wall. A side table sat on the other side of the bed and held a kerosene lantern and her Bible. He set the box of clothes down inside the doorway and then went to explore the rest of the house.

He followed a short hallway to the other side of the building where the kitchen and another bedroom rested. His grandmother had used the other bedroom for a sewing room as well as her guest room. Would the girls be too far away from him if he put them in this space?

William sighed as he went back out to the wagon. He lifted an oblong box from the bed that had served as Rose’s cradle during their trip and carried it into the house and his grandmother’s room. Then he went back for Ruby’s. The girls would sleep in the room with him until they were old enough to be put in their own room. Plus, he’d need to clean only one room tonight.

On the way back outside, William noticed the bag that held the girls’ diapers and drinking cups beside the sofa where Emily Jane had left it. He scooped it up and continued on to the horse and wagon.

It didn’t take long to find the lean-to behind Emily Jane’s house and take care of the animal. What had happened to his grandmother’s horse? Miss Rodgers had said that she kept her here. William made a mental note to ask her about the little mare.

Taking a deep, unsteady breath, he hurried around the house, only to stop disconcerted at the door. Was he supposed to knock or go on in? He knocked.

Footsteps hurried across the floor. So far he hadn’t heard the girls crying; that was a good sign, right? A rush of fragrances, sugar and cinnamon, hit him when she opened the door. He breathed deeply, enjoying the calming smells, making another mental note to cook something spicy at his grandmother’s so the stale smell would leave.

“Mr. Barns, please, come on inside. You didn’t need to knock. I expected you to return.” She spun around on her heels and hurried back to the kitchen.

The slight bite in her voice had him hurrying after her. Had the girls misbehaved while he was gone? The diaper bag slapped against his side as he went to check on his nieces.

The scene that met him almost had him laughing out loud. Each girl sat in a chair by the table. Miss Rodgers had tied them to the chairs with what looked like aprons. Their faces were clean and their eyes sparkled as they gnawed on chunks of bread. They smiled up at him.

He eased into a chair beside Ruby. “I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

Miss Rodgers sat across from him. “Oh, no, they were just hungry. Now that they’re eating, they seem content and happy.”

The front door opened and closed in the sitting room. A voice called out, “Emily Jane, I’m home.”

This must be the Anna Mae that Miss Rodgers had mentioned.

“I’m in the kitchen,” Miss Rodgers called back. She offered him a smile. “I’m sorry for the yelling, but if I don’t answer she will think it strange.”

He grinned back. “So the yelling back and forth is normal?”

“It’s become a part of our routine.” A slight blush filled her cheeks, and he wondered why.

“You would not believe my day.” The woman called Anna Mae stopped abruptly, her gaze taking in the scene at the table.

Light brown hair, piled on the top of her head in a bun, and big brown eyes made Anna Mae Leland look plain next to Emily Jane. At least, that was William’s first impression of her. She wore a simple gray dress, dusty brown shoes and a beige apron. He wondered if she dressed like that as a way to hide or become invisible to those around her.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize we had company.” Her brow crinkled, and then she looked at the two girls. A smile replaced the scowl. “Who are these darling ladies?” she cooed.

The little children smiled happily in return and kicked their legs back and forth. Who wouldn’t smile at someone whose tone of voice had gone from normal to doting?

Miss Rodgers introduced them. “Anna Mae Leland, this is William Barns, Mabel’s grandson, and his daughters, Rose and Ruby.”

William stood and shook the hand Anna Mae extended toward him. His hand engulfed her smaller one.

“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Leland, but I have to correct Miss Rodgers. Rose and Ruby are my nieces, not my daughters.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I assumed they were yours.” Her voice drifted off as if caught in a high wind.

“Nothing to be sorry about, Miss Rodgers. It was an understandable mistake,” William assured her, returning to his seat.

Both ladies were seated and, after a short grace, began filling the girls’ plates with soft food. Mixed emotions threatened to overwhelm him. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or offended at this liberty. He’d been the only caretaker of the girls since their mother had been killed. To suddenly relinquish that duty left him floundering, a bit as if he’d lost something precious. He shook his head. What on earth was wrong with him? This was what he’d needed his grandmother’s help with. It was as simple as that.

William then filled his plate. As he sank his teeth into the first bite, he closed his eyes in pure pleasure. “Ummmmm,” he all but groaned. He hadn’t tasted fried chicken this good in... He didn’t know how long. “You are a wonderful cook, Miss Rodgers,” he praised.

“Thank you.”

Miss Leland wiped Ruby’s mouth and then said, “Wait until you taste dessert. Emily Jane is the best baker in these parts.”

William watched Emily Jane finger a loose tendril of hair on her cheek as if embarrassed at her friend’s praise.

“Thanks, Anna Mae.” Her voice was smooth but insistent. “But we both know that isn’t true. Violet is the real baker. I still have lots to learn from her before I can ever open my own bakery.”

So she wanted to open her own bakery. Which to his way of thinking meant she wasn’t lazy. Good for her. His sister had been a hard worker with dreams of her own, also. Too bad her life had ended before she’d had a chance to realize them.

William listened to the women talk. His gaze moved to his nieces, who were making a mess of their dinners but were so happy he didn’t have the heart to make them stop. He was surprised that neither Miss Rodgers nor Miss Leland asked him questions regarding the girls and the lack of their mother and father.

In the short time since he’d arrived in Granite, Texas, he’d learned that Anna Mae Leland was the schoolteacher who loved children and that Emily Jane Rodgers was a friend of his grandmother’s and an aspiring baker. Yet, neither knew much about him, which to his way of thinking wasn’t all bad.

The last thing he needed was for either of them to start looking at him as an eligible bachelor. Since Charlotte’s rejection, he had no interest in women. His focus would be on the girls until their father returned. They were his sole concern now.

“Will you be staying long in Granite, Mr. Barns?” Miss Leland asked.

William rubbed his chin. “I guess that depends on what the banker says about the house and if I can find a job.”

Miss Leland nodded as if she understood. “Well, you might talk to Mr. Moore over at the general store. His wife just had their first child, and I hear he’s looking to hire someone.”

Working at the general store wouldn’t be so bad, at least until his money arrived at the bank. Selling the mercantile in Denver had made him a wealthy man, but until the money arrived he’d need to work. Not that he wouldn’t work after the money came in. It wasn’t in his nature to be lazy and watch others labor. “Thank you, Miss Leland. If all goes well at the bank tomorrow, I’ll stop by the general store.”

Rose and Ruby chose that moment to let everyone know they were done eating and ready to move to another activity. Their cries filled the house and had both women jumping to pick them up.

“I need to get these two down for the night.” William reached for Rose.

Miss Rodgers caught his attention. “Where?”

“I’ll take them to my grandmother’s house. Her bedroom isn’t that bad.” He hoped she didn’t think he was yelling at her. The girls’ cries were so loud that he had to raise his voice to be heard.

She shook her head. “It’s too dusty for them there.”

Before he could respond, both women handed him a little girl.

“Try to comfort them. We’ll be back in a little while. Between the two of us, we’ll have the house livable in no time,” Miss Leland instructed him as the two ladies walked out of the kitchen.

William hurried after them. The screaming children seemed unaware of the noise they were making. “I can’t let you do that,” he protested.

“It’s no trouble at all,” Miss Rodgers called over her shoulder as they left the house.

He continued after them, aware of several older women looking out their windows or standing on their porches. Instead of protesting further, William hurried across the road to his grandmother’s house. I’ll be glad when I get control of my life once more, he thought as the children howled and the women charged onward, on a mission to clean his grandmother’s home. He hurried into the house behind them, then stopped abruptly and sneezed; not once, not twice, but three times in a row. Dust particles swirled so thick he could hardly see the ladies jerking covers off the furniture. Then the twins sneezed. “I think we’ll just sit out on the porch awhile,” he muttered to himself, since the ladies paid him absolutely no attention.

* * *

Emily Jane loved working at the bakery, but on mornings like this, she wished her hours weren’t so early. Her new neighbors had kept her up most of the night with their cries for attention, and getting up at three in the morning had her even more tired than normal. A yawn filled her chest as she placed plates of pancakes in front of Mrs. Green and Miss Cornwell, two of her neighbors. She turned her head to release the yawn.

“Thank you,” Mrs. Green said tiredly between huge yawns. “I didn’t get a lick of sleep last night.”

“I know,” Miss Cornwell said, pouring honey over her pancakes. “Those babies cried almost the whole night. Disgraceful.”

Emily Jane should have walked away, but instead she turned to face the women and said, “They weren’t that bad.”

“No? Didn’t you hear them?” Mrs. Green asked, as her blue eyes searched Emily Jane’s.

“Yes, I heard them, but they were in a strange new place and were overtired. I’m sure they’ll settle down once they get used to their new home,” she answered, wiping down the table beside them.

“So he’s staying, then?” Miss Cornwell lifted the fork to her lips but waited for Emily Jane to answer.

“I don’t know.” Emily Jane didn’t want the women assuming she knew more about William Barns’s business than she should. Although she did wonder what he’d found out at the bank this morning.

The bell over the door jingled as three more ladies from her neighborhood entered the bakery, Mrs. Wells, Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. Orson. They hurried to where Mrs. Green and Miss Cornwell sat. Mrs. Harvey slipped into a chair at the table next to the other two women.

Mrs. Wells covered her mouth as a yawn overtook her. “Excuse me. I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night with all that crying.”

“We were just talking about that,” Mrs. Green said, leaning forward in her seat.

Mrs. Orson shook her head. “I don’t think anyone got any sleep last night. Mr. Orson paced the floor all night. It was very annoying. I’ll be glad when that man takes his children and moves on.”

Emily Jane decided to change the subject. “Ladies, what can I get you this morning?” she asked with a forced smile.

“Just coffee for me,” Mrs. Orson answered.

Mrs. Harvey smiled up at her. “Do you have any of those fruit-filled pastries?”

Emily Jane returned her smile. Fruit-filled pastry was one of the new items she’d suggested that the bakery start serving. “Yes, ma’am, we have apple and peach this morning.”

“I’d like to try the peach and a cup of your coffee.”

“I’ll have the same.” Mrs. Wells dropped into the chair opposite her friends. Her bulky figure pressed against the table as she leaned forward to continue the conversation Emily Jane had interrupted. “Has anyone learned if they are staying? Mabel was a friend of mine, but even she would have understood our reluctance to having crying children in our quiet neighborhood.”

Seldom did they ever agree upon anything, but it seemed lack of sleep had all five graying heads nodding in unison.

Emily Jane left them to their gossiping. Why did they have to be so mean? Rose and Ruby were children who had simply been overtired the night before. She placed the fruit pies on two small plates and poured two cups of coffee, then returned to the women’s table.

“What are we going to do, if he stays here?” Mrs. Orson demanded.

She set the plates and steaming cups in front of the women. “I really don’t think the girls will be that much trouble once they are settled.” Emily Jane straightened her spine and resisted the urge to yawn again. “You know, talking about Mr. Barns and his children like this isn’t very Christian-like, ladies.”

Mrs. Green huffed. “Well, if you like Mr. Barns and his screaming children so much, why don’t you marry the man and keep those kids quiet?”

Emily Jane stood there with her mouth hanging open. Were they serious? She...marry a man to keep his children quiet? She glanced about the table. The other four women nodded their heads in agreement.

“I am not the marrying kind, ladies. I have dreams of opening my own bakery someday, and those dreams do not include a man with two children.” She offered each of them a smile, before hurrying to the kitchen and away from their speculative looks.

A little while later, Emily Jane entered the front door of her home. She carried the box of baking supplies to the kitchen table. After talking to her neighbors, her thoughts had clung to what they’d said. She admitted to herself that they were right in that Rose and Ruby had cried most of the night. It amazed her that the girls’ voices had carried so clearly upon the still night air, keeping most everyone in the neighborhood awake. But the plain and simple fact of the matter was that she could do nothing about their unhappiness. She wondered briefly why that bothered her so much.

She emptied the box, placing each item on the kitchen table. Today she was going to try her hand at adding a new ingredient to her oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. One of the joys of her job was that Violet, the manager of the bakery, supplied the ingredients for her to bake up new recipes. In return, once the recipe was perfected, Emily Jane fixed it at the bakery. Customers seemed to love her new creations.

As she mixed the flour with the rest of the ingredients, Emily Jane’s thoughts drifted to the women. She’d been surprised at their suggestion that she marry William Barns. Did they really think that if she married him, then the girls would settle down? How rude of them.

Emily Jane stirred the mixture hard and fast. There was no way she’d marry William Barns. She had no intention of marrying anyone and definitely not a man with children. The girls did remind Emily Jane of her own sisters, but that was no reason to get married to a complete stranger, not that he’d asked her. She shook her head. No, she wasn’t getting married now or anytime soon; she had a dream of opening her own bakery someday, and that dream didn’t include a family or a man who might be like her father and think he could control everything she did.

Chapter Three

William stood holding a niece on each hip. He stared at the group of five women, wondering if they had lost their minds. He could see one or even two of them being a little addled due to age, but all five?

“We’re not asking you to move away, at least not right now. All we’re asking is that you consider Miss Rodgers as a future bride. She could help you with the girls, and she really is a sweet little thing,” Mrs. Harvey said as the others nodded their agreement.

When the women had stopped him on the sidewalk in front of the bank and introduced themselves as his neighbors, he’d been happy to meet them; but now they were butting in where they didn’t belong, and he planned to put a stop to their meddling. “Look, ladies, I know you mean well, but I have no intentions of marrying Miss Rodgers or anyone else. Now if you will excuse me, I’m going home.” William thought they’d move to the side and let him pass.

He thought wrong.

Mrs. Orson put both hands on her chubby hips and demanded, “Why not? Those girls need a mama. If they had a mama, she’d know how to keep them quiet so a body could rest at night like God intended. Miss Rodgers comes from a large family. She’s perfect and knows how to take care of small children.”

So that was it; they didn’t care about Miss Rodgers. They just wanted him to keep the girls quiet. Rose sucked her thumb with her head on his shoulder. Ruby’s chubby little hand played with the hair on the back of his neck. He returned his attention to the ladies. “You’re right, but I’m not the man to get one for them. I’m sorry we disturbed your sleep last night. I’ll try to keep them quieter.”

“If you are going to stick around here, won’t you need a wife to take care of the children while you work?” Miss Cornwell asked in a quiet voice.