Vera (Widows of Blessings Valley Book 2)

by Maxine Douglas

  Willa’s false cheerfulness sucked the breath from Vera. The concern in Willa’s eyes felt like a well-deserved slap in Vera’s face. She realized a bit too late she’d been wrong to not at least send a note to Willa.

  “Good morning, Willa.” Vera fought the urge to turn around and run into the back room like a naughty child. “I don’t believe we have any items for the boardinghouse, do we?” she asked, going through the work slips to avoid looking at Willa. She couldn’t bear to see the disappointment lingering there.

  “No, you don’t,” Willa answered, moving toward Vera until only the width of the counter separated them. “That’s not why I’ve come, though, is it?”

  “Oh?” Vera hung her head for a moment to steady the tears about to flood her eyes. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

  “I think there is something you’ve not told me, isn’t there?” Willa asked, her gaze hard against Vera’s face.

  In spite of Willa’s tendency to be bossy, Vera knew she only meant well. Willa had become a mother, or at the very least an older sister, to not only Vera but all the widows of Blessings Valley. It was that guilt of knowing how much Willa cared that stung the most.

  “Yes, I suppose there is,” Vera admitted, holding her head high. She’d not let anyone shame her for wanting to keep her own company or secrets. “I suspect you already know, though.”

  “If it has something to do with Wally Baldwin, then yes, I suppose I do.” Willa’s gaze softened, and along with it, the wall Vera had placed between them. “There are two sides to every story, Vera. I want to know what yours is.”

  “Not here,” Vera whispered, spotting Mollie in the street. “I’ll come by tonight, but you have to promise me Wally will not be around. I don’t want to see him.”

  “Until tonight, then.” Willa nodded. “But mind you, if you don’t come, I will send your brother-in-law to fetch you.”

  The threat was light, but it held a solid promise. One that Vera knew Willa would fulfil. Vera nodded as the bell jingled Mollie’s return.

  “Willa! What a surprise,” Mollie exclaimed, giving the woman a hug. “Have you dropped a few items off to be laundered? I’m sorry you had to make the trip. I should have sent Vera over to check with you.”

  “That’s not necessary. I was only coming to check on Vera and to ask her to stop by for some tea on her way home tonight,” Willa assured.

  “Wonderful!” Mollie rejoiced, turning to Vera. “I think it will do you some good. Maybe then the sweet young woman I know and care for will return in the morning.”

  Mollie’s hand upon her arm did little to ease another wave of guilt taking over Vera. Without another word, Mollie returned to the back room and the work that waited there for both of them. The bell jingled, and Vera turned to watch Willa go through the door without so much as a goodbye.

  Vera had a few fences to mend, that much was evident. And she might as well start with Willa. The sooner, the better.

  Wally watched Willa cross over to the laundry then sprinted down the stairs. He didn’t want to have a repeat of a few nights ago and have to dodge all the questions he knew were on her mind. Avoiding her was the only option he could come up with.

  Once Willa disappeared inside Nana’s, Wally pushed open the screen door and all but jogged in the opposite direction to the telegraph office. He’d sent his mother a short message saying his parents needed to come to Blessings Valley as soon as possible. That he’d found something important pertaining to Thomas they needed to hear in person. Hopefully, today there was a response waiting for him.

  “Hello, Mr. Daniels! A telegram arrived just this morning for you,” Art Waters said as he turned and retrieved a folded paper from the boardinghouse slot. “Sounds like good news.”

  “Let’s hope so.” Wally took the message but didn’t open it until he stood outside. He knew it wouldn’t be long before news of his visitors from Ohio would spread through town.

  Unfolding the paper, relief and worry spread through him. The message from his mother said they would be on the next train. That they’d made reservations to stay at the Grand Hotel for an indefinite amount of time. Had he sent the telegram in haste before having more time to know Vera? To convince her to go back to Ohio with him? And if she refused, then what?

  So many questions and no time to find the answers.

  Tucking the telegram into a pocket, Wally took the path leading to the cemetery. He wasn’t sure why he felt the need—or was it more the responsibility—to go visit his brother’s grave each day.

  Was it out of guilt that Wally lived on while Thomas wasn’t?

  Or guilt that he found himself attracted to Vera, his brother’s widow? That he felt—no, wanted—to protect her and the baby? Right or wrong, he’d protect his family and that included Vera and her unborn child.

  Reaching the church, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. The door stood open as always—a beacon in the dark for those lost souls. Mrs. Rochester peeked around the heavy door with a smile on her face.

  “Hello, Mr. Daniels,” she said, stepping out onto the landing. “I saw you coming up the path.”

  “Hello, Mrs. Rochester,” he smiled, taking a few steps toward her. “I trust you are well.”

  “Yes, thank you,” she agreed. “Have you come to talk to the Lord today?”

  The unanswered question hung between them as Mrs. Rochester disappeared back into the church.

  Had he? Even as he took the steps slowly one at a time, he had no idea until he found himself sitting in a pew.

  His thoughts wandered back to the days when Thomas and he were close. To the baseball games they played in the yard with their father and a few neighbor kids.

  Cutting down the family Christmas tree each year, then dragging it, snow and all, through the front door and across the polished floor. Mother scolding and laughing at the same time as she pointed to the spot in the corner reserved for the pine.

  They were a happy family once. What happened? When had it all changed?

  Bowing his head, tears streamed down his face. Wally prayed for guidance. For forgiveness for the desire he was feeling toward his dead brother’s wife.

  For the safety of Vera’s unborn child.

  That his parents would open their hearts and welcome Vera and her baby into their family.

  And above all else, that Thomas had been forgiven for any sins against God, family, and himself.

  Vera approached the boardinghouse with caution. She hadn’t expected Willa to be sitting on the porch swing waiting for her, yet there she was like a mother watching for a loved one to come home.

  Vera felt like a child instead of a grown woman, wife, and soon-to-be mother. Totally ridiculous, she knew, yet those feeling stirred inside her like a pot of witch’s brew waiting to bubble over and devour her at any moment.

  Lifting her skirts, Vera strolled up the steps and, in silent strength, sat in the chair next to Willa.

  “I want to know what happened between you and Mr. Daniels, Vera,” Willa began, pouring two glasses of tea. “And while you may think I’m poking my nose into your business, I feel responsible for you and the others. I don’t want you to go through life raising the baby alone. It’s not a pretty life, and you are all far too young to do so.”

  Taking a sip, Vera swallowed hard, digesting Willa’s words. Her hands trembled slightly. She was right, Willa did see herself as a mother figure over her.

  “I know you do. I know you have a good heart and only mean well.” Vera smiled, feeling slightly more relaxed. There was still the matter of Wally Baldwin to be discussed. How long could she put it off before Willa would want to talk about it?

  “Are you going to make me drill you, Vera? Or are you going to tell me what transpired between you and Jack Daniels?”

  Obviously not as long as Vera would have liked.

  “Things are not as they seem, Willa,” Vera looked off into the distance, searching for what she wasn’t sure. More courage maybe?


  “Jack Daniels is—” Vera turned to Willa, fighting the tears of anger, betrayal, and hope. “His name is Wally Baldwin. And he’s Thomas’s younger brother.”

  “Yes, go on.” The instruction was soft and encouraging.

  “His parents sent him here to find out what happened and to collect Thomas’s belongings.” Vera paused for a moment and meeting Willa’s gaze head on. “Wally didn’t expect to find me. And I didn’t expect to find him.”

  Was it a confession of some kind? That she’d found Wally attractive wasn’t a sin? That she’d like nothing more than to get to know him if the circumstance was different? How could she saddle a man with another man’s unborn child, even if that man was his brother?

  “Yes, I know. He told me a few days ago. It was just as much of a shock to him as it was to you, Vera. The Baldwins had no idea Thomas had a wife, let alone a baby on the way,” Willa said, her hand lightly on Vera’s arm, a small sign of compassion and understanding. “Wally has gone to the cemetery, I suspect. He has been there every day since he found Thomas’s grave.”

  “He has?” The disbelief in her words surprised her. Vera couldn’t believe that he’d do that. She thought she was the only one to visit her late husband’s grave. Yet why shouldn’t Wally pay his respects? He was family the same as she was.

  The only one who cared and loved him.

  To learn there are others who felt the same as she hurt her deep. Even as her heart swelled with love she thought was lost.

  “Go to him, Vera. He needs help healing. He hasn’t had the time that you have had.” Willa stood to gather the glasses. “Like it or not, you need each other. The baby needs a mother as well as a father. To have someone to look up to and guide him through everything. I believe that man is Wally Baldwin. Whether you do or not is totally up to you, Vera.”

  She’s right, no matter how much I deny it. Wally is my brother-in-law. Family that I didn’t know existed. Vera rallied her courage. Leaving her fear on the porch, she headed down the steps then turned toward home and the cemetery.

  11

  Wally stepped through the church doors, feeling at peace for the first time in a while. The sun bathed him in the warmth of a late summer day. Inhaling, he could smell the faint rich scent of fall approaching.

  He still didn’t know for sure what he was going to do about Vera, not to mention his parents once they arrived. He had a crazy solution floating around in his head. He wanted to talk with his parents first before suggesting to Vera that she come back to Ohio to live and raise the baby. He had no doubt his parents would be accepting and take Vera in; the question was would Vera only see it as charity? If she did, then he had a feeling she’d fight it every bit of the way.

  “Hello, Wally.”

  Like a vision come alive, Vera stood at the bottom of the church steps gazing up at him. The sun’s rays created a halo of light behind her.

  If this is a sign, I’m not sure if it means to go ahead with my plan or not. I leave that in your hands, Lord.

  “Vera,” Wally said, feeling a smile as big as the Oklahoma sky fill his face. “I trust you are on your way home?”

  “Not quite yet,” she answered, taking a small step toward him before looking away for a brief moment. “Have you gone to visit him yet?”

  Her voice small, Wally shook his head, slightly taken aback. How did she know he came to visit Thomas’s grave today? Ah, yes, Willa! “No, I haven’t made it there yet.”

  “Do you mind if I go with you?” Vera asked, hope in her eyes. “If it isn’t imposing on your time, that is.”

  Wally thought this was his chance to understand Vera’s grief. He knew his, but he didn’t know hers. How different was it from his? Was she on her way to healing her broken heart while he still felt the stabbing pain? He prayed he could convince her to leave Blessings Valley.

  There it was. His plan to get her to leave with him now a solid thought in his mind.

  “I think Thomas would like that.” Wally nodded, walking down the steps and offering his assistance to his sister-in-law. “In fact, I believe he would insist on it.”

  Vera slipped her fingers over his arm. A bolt scorched through him. Afraid she’d felt it as well, Wally clutched her hand in place to keep her from breaking their delicate connection.

  “How have you been feeling?” Wally asked, guiding them around the corner of the church toward the cemetery. “Is the baby doing well?”

  What kind of stupid questions are those? You sound like a caring, doting old uncle with the right to ask such things, Wally thought as they strolled past the first row of headstones. I have every right to ask because I am family!

  “I’m doing well, thank you. As for the baby, she is getting more active every minute it seems,” Vera laughed, her hand protectively on her belly where the baby lay in wait. “She likes to remind me that she’s there, like now!”

  She grabbed Wally’s hand and placed it gently on her belly. A sense of unexplainable surprise and awe jolted through him at the flutter of activity below the surface.

  “Is that?” he asked, looking down into her loving eyes. Love for the child yet to come. Would she ever give that kind of love to anyone else?

  “Yes.” Her voice was soft and filled with the wonderment of an expecting mother. “It’s a miracle, Wally. A God-given gift.”

  “Yes, I suppose it is,” he agreed, slipping his hand out from underneath hers.

  They continued along the path of the cemetery in silence to the last row where Thomas’s grave was.

  Wally took a step back when Vera removed her hand from his arm and knelt in front of the headstone. Her words so soft and intimate, he knew she talked to Thomas. Everything about the private conversation between a widow and her deceased husband escaped him. As it should. He had no business being there with her. Trying to listen in. Trying to grasp what his brother had meant to her.

  After several minutes, she rose then turned to Wally. “I’ll leave you two alone for now. However, would you like to come to supper tonight? It won’t be much, but enough for the two of us. It will give us a chance to become acquainted.”

  “Why, yes,” Wally replied, stumbling over his surprise. “I’d like that very much.”

  “Wonderful.” Vera placed a hand on his arm, her eyes bright. “Come when you are finished here. No reason to rush, as it will give me time to prepare something.”

  Wally nodded then watched Vera walk away. Something had changed. He didn’t know the how or why of the feeling, just that it felt like life was taking a turn.

  Vera rummaged through the pantry, desperately searching for useful ingredients.

  “What was I thinking, inviting Wally for a meal?” she muttered, placing the items she’d gathered in her arms on the table. “Several small potatoes. One turnip. An onion. Flour. Salt. Pepper,” she recited. “Now, if there’s enough butter and milk, I can make some potato soup.

  “What are we going to talk about” she wondered aloud, preparing the potatoes and turnip for boiling. “The family Thomas kept a secret from me? How much they missed him?”

  Vera dropped the cut potatoes and turnip into a pot on the stove and began to slice the onion. Tears seeped from her eyes.

  “Tarnation!” she dropped the onion into the pot then wiped her eyes with the corner of her apron. “Onions. A good excuse for tears.”

  As the vegetables cooked in the boiling water, she scrubbed the onion juice from her hands.

  “He’s going to think I’m trying to rope him into something,” she declared, stabbing a potato with a fork checking its doneness. “As if I would! He’s a stranger to me, family or not.”

  Adding the rest of the ingredients, Vera set the pot on a low flame. The longer it simmered, the better it would taste. And she wanted this soup to be one of the best things she’d cooked in months.

  Why? Why should I care what Wally Baldwin thinks of my cooking? Why should I care if the soup is good or not?

  Why should she care what Wally thought
of her?

  “Because he is family, that’s why,” she said as if she needed to remind herself and the thoughts playing in her mind.

  Putting her supplies away and wiping down the table, Vera trotted up the stairs to her room. Pulling open the closet door, she searched through the dresses hung there, pushing one after another aside. Finally choosing a simple, long-sleeved dress the color of a chestnut horse, she slipped out of her work dress, tossing it into the wicker laundry basket.

  Stepping into the dress and securing the buttons, she looked into the mirror and splashed water on her face. “No need to look a mess when your brother comes for dinner, Thomas,” she said, tucking a few stray strands of hair back into place. “I mean to find out what happened between you and your family. I know I may not like what I hear, but once I do, then he can be on his way back to wherever it was he came from.”

  Trust him, Vera. Wally will take care of you. And the baby.

  “Humph! So you say,” Vera answered, walking down the stairs with a new purpose.

  Trust a stranger indeed. The last time she’d done that, she fell in love with and married Thomas. Now he lay cold in the ground. She wasn’t going to let it happen again—ever. Especially since she was having a baby.

  What man would want to be saddled with another man’s child?

  Retrieving a couple of soup bowls and spoons, as well as the last loaf of bread in the pantry, Vera set the table for two. The sun had begun to set, and she turned on every lamp she had in her small house.

  “No need to give the wrong impression,” she mused as there was a knock at her front door.

  He’s here!

  Quickly straightening her dress, Vera drew in a breath then slowly opened the door. Her heart flipping several times seeing the man who was both a stranger and family.

  His smile was as warm as an Oklahoma breeze. His eyes a calming blue like a summer sky. His large, strong hands delicately held a large bouquet of wildflowers.

  Her fingers lingered on his as she took the blooms he offered. “Thank you. Please come in. Supper will be ready soon.”