But if she had taken some of that ill-gotten money from Clyde, then as far as he was concerned, she was as guilty as her pa.
By the time he arrived at his place, Sawyer still hadn’t made up his mind what he would say to her.
Chapter 9
Emma Jean watched Henry use a stick to ward off pretend attackers as they walked home from church. It was so good to see him being a carefree little boy instead of the solemn shadow he’d been lately.
She’d held off telling him about her conversation with the mercantile owner so he wouldn’t have time to worry about it, but she couldn’t hold back any longer. “I talked to Mr. Flynn yesterday.”
Henry paused midstep and slowly lowered his stick. “About what?”
“About maybe hiring us to help care for the baby he’s taken in.”
“Oh.”
She watched him process the information for a moment, waiting for him to speak.
“What did he say?”
“He said he’d think about it. He wants to talk about it some more this afternoon.” When Henry didn’t say anything, she prodded. “So, what do you think?”
He scuffed the tip of his shoe in the dirt. “It would be good to have a real job again.”
She winced at this admission that he didn’t consider their activity at the train depot a real job.
Then Henry looked up at her from the corner of his eye. “But do you really think he’s going to hire us?”
She smiled down at him, doing her best to hide her own doubts. “Well, that’s what we’re going to his place to find out, isn’t it?” She nudged him teasingly. “Besides, he’d be foolish not to. We are the hardest workers in all of Dewberry.”
Her attempt at teasing didn’t erase the crease between Henry’s brows. “But he doesn’t like us much. You know, because of what Pa did.”
She hated that she hadn’t been able to shield him from the brunt of that. But she couldn’t just brush his very real concerns aside. “Mr. Flynn is still hurting from what happened to his brother, just like I would be if it had happened to you. Pa’s not around anymore, so he needs someone else to blame.”
“Well, it ain’t fair.” The words nearly exploded from Henry, as if they’d been held in way too long.
She knew that feeling. “No, it’s not. But maybe, if we do get to work for him, we’ll be able to show him that we’re not like Pa. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Henry just shrugged and kicked a small rock.
Taking a deep breath, she deliberately injected some cheeriness into her voice. “And I haven’t told you the best part yet. If Mr. Flynn agrees to hire us, we’ll be spending lots of time at his place where it’s warm and cozy, and we’ll be eating at his table where the food is plentiful. What do you think of that?”
His eyes lit up at the mention of food, and she sent up a silent prayer. Please, Lord, don’t let me have gotten his hopes up for nothing.
Then she pressed on. “And there’s more. You’ll be spending your nights there, so you’ll have a soft, warm bed to sleep on.”
He stopped and his forehead furrowed. “Won’t you be there too?”
She shook her head. “No, just you.”
“Why can’t you sleep over too? His house sure looks big enough for both of us.”
She mentally grimaced. How did she explain propriety to a ten-year-old boy? Better to keep it simple. “Someone needs to be at our place to feed our livestock every day.”
“Then I should be there to help you.”
“That’s sweet of you, but Mr. Flynn needs someone to help him with AJ at night.”
“I don’t know anything about taking care of babies. It should be you staying over.”
That was a concern she could address. “Don’t worry. I’ll teach you what you need to know. And you can’t spend the night at our place all by yourself.”
“Why not?” He drew himself up. “I’m not a little kid anymore. You told me when Pa left that I was the man of the house.”
Emma Jean resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She had said that, right after their pa destroyed their world. She’d been trying to give Henry a sense of purpose, a reason to hold his head up when everyone was looking at them with either pity or outright dislike.
It seemed she’d have to get into the propriety discussion after all. Emma Jean started walking toward the house again, eyes focused straight ahead. “That’s true, but the thing is, it’s not proper for a single woman and a single man to spend the night in the same house alone if they aren’t related.”
“Why?”
She sighed. “Please trust me, it just isn’t.”
“But you won’t be alone with Mr. Flynn. I’ll be there and so will the baby.”
“That’s not the same. Children aren’t considered appropriate chaperones.”
“What’s a chaperone?”
Emma Jean just barely avoided a sigh. That’s exactly why she hadn’t wanted to get into this discussion. “It’s an older person who makes sure that when men and women who are not kin are together, they are acting in a proper manner.” She was trying not to think of the handsome mercantile owner in any manner other than as a potential employer.
Before Henry could ask anything else, she changed the subject. “Now, we need to get on home, eat some lunch, and prepare ourselves for the meeting this afternoon.” Not that she was sure she could eat much—her stomach was fluttering nervously. “And speaking of lunch, why don’t we open a fresh jar of blackberry preserves to have with some of that hardtack we have left over from last night?”
Henry nodded enthusiastically and seemed to shrug off any concerns he’d had earlier.
She wished she could be as easily distracted about the upcoming interview. So much of her and Henry’s future was riding on this.
Not to mention the fact that she so longed to have Sawyer look at her with something other than blame and anger.
Chapter 10
Sawyer stood up from the lunch table and carried his dishes to the sink. “That was a mighty fine meal, ma’am. I appreciate your doing the cooking while you folks are here.”
Mrs. Shultz smiled. “It is my pleasure. I enjoy cooking, don’t I, Papa?”
Mr. Shultz smiled. “So you say. All I am certain of is that I enjoy eating what you cook.”
“So do I.” Sawyer grabbed a washrag. “Now, I’ll take care of these dishes while you rest. It’s the least I can do.”
Mrs. Shultz made shooing motions. “No, no. Katherine and I will take care of this. You and Papa just go in the parlor and relax.”
Before Sawyer could protest, AJ started fussing.
Mrs. Shultz nodded in the boy’s direction. “Besides, it looks like someone else is claiming your attention.”
Sawyer almost protested that he’d rather do the dishes, but the woman had a way of looking at him that made him feel like a schoolboy caught doing mischief. So he meekly nodded and moved toward the baby. “Yes ma’am.”
She smiled approval. “Remember, I will only be here a little longer to answer your questions—we are leaving in the morning. You must learn to tend to little Aaron yourself.”
Sawyer gingerly picked up the fussy child and settled him in his arms the way Mrs. Shultz had taught him. Then he took a seat on one of the kitchen chairs rather than join Mr. Shultz in the parlor. He always tried to have Mrs. Shultz close by when he was tending to AJ.
“He is probably hungry. Do you remember how to fix his bottle?”
“Yes ma’am.” Sawyer shifted to stand, but Mrs. Shultz waved him back down.
“I’ll take care of it this time. I just wanted to make certain you were comfortable doing it.” She gestured toward the baby. “Just pat his back and talk to him until his bottle is ready.”
Easy enough for her to say. Talking to a baby made him feel both foolish and clumsy. But he obediently patted the baby and self-consciously mumbled whatever foolishness came into his head.
Mrs. Shultz hummed as she went to work and then bustled
over to hand him the bottle.
She stood watching like a schoolmarm eyeing a problem student as Sawyer rearranged AJ and brought the bottle to the child’s lips. Once AJ was happily feeding, she nodded and moved back to the sink. “Have you found someone to help you yet?”
Sawyer wasn’t quite sure how to answer that. “Maybe.”
“You are not sure?”
He kept his gaze focused on AJ. “There’s someone interested. She’s coming by this afternoon to discuss it with me.” Was he actually considering accepting Emma Jean’s offer? Trouble was, when she was standing in front of him, gazing at him with those large, sincere-looking eyes and that demeanor that was an impossible mix of strength and vulnerability, he had trouble remembering she was a Gilley. And Mrs. Martin’s words after church today certainly hadn’t helped matters.
The grandmotherly woman gave him a broad smile, pulling his thoughts back to the present. “That is good, is it not? I will feel much better leaving tomorrow if I know you will have some help.”
Sawyer gave her a half smile. “What, you don’t think I’m ready to handle AJ all by myself?”
She didn’t return his smile. “Not while you are still so nervous around him.” She nodded. “Raise his head just a little and try to relax. Babies can sense when you are anxious and it can agitate them.”
Relax? Sawyer felt like a grizzly trying to handle a very thin-shelled egg. No doubt about it, he needed to hire someone to take over AJ’s care as soon as possible.
And speaking of that, where were the Gilleys? He’d figured they’d be here by now. Of course, to be fair, he hadn’t been specific as to time.
And he still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to her. On the one hand, she was ready to go to work immediately and stay for as long as he needed her, which was definitely a plus.
On the other hand, she couldn’t spend the night here and he had his doubts about just how helpful Henry would be in caring for AJ at night.
And then there was the fact that they were Gilleys and had likely profited from Clyde’s thieving. There was no way he could forgive her helping the man who’d shot down his brother for no reason other than he’d been in his way.
As for her offer of working for just room and board, she was likely seeking to make some sort of restitution for what her father had done. And he wasn’t ready to accept that.
He might never be ready.
Sawyer had just finished feeding AJ when he heard the knock at the door. That must be the Gilleys. Finally.
“I’ll get the door while you finish with Aaron,” Mrs. Shultz said. And she was gone before Sawyer could assure her he was, in fact, done.
He set the bottle on the table and quickly followed her, still carrying AJ.
Mrs. Shultz already had the door open and was stepping aside to let the visitors in when he reached her. “Miss Gilley, Henry, how nice to see you again.”
Emma Jean nodded acknowledgment. “Thank you, ma’am. We’re here to see Mr. Flynn.”
Sawyer looked from one to the other. “You know each other?” When had they had time to meet?
“Miss Gilley and her brother were at the train station when we arrived.” Mrs. Shultz was practically beaming. “She very kindly helped with our luggage and showed us the way to the hotel.”
“I see.” And he thought perhaps he did.
“Are you here to help with little Aaron?” Mrs. Shultz’s tone was hopeful.
Sawyer stepped in to answer before Emma Jean could. “It’s something we’re going to discuss.”
“Of course. Then we shall leave you to it.” Mrs. Shultz held out her hand. “Come, Katherine, Papa, you can join me in the kitchen.” Then she turned to Henry. “Would you like to join us too, young man? We have some pecan pie left over from lunch.”
The boy’s eyes lit up at that. “Yes ma’am!” Then he checked and turned to his sister. “If it’s okay with you?”
Emma Jean nodded and sent the matron a grateful smile.
“Would you mind taking AJ with you?” Sawyer asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.
As he’d expected, Mrs. Shultz shook her head. “I think perhaps, if you are discussing Aaron’s care, he should be here with you.” And without waiting for his response, she made her exit, shooing the others before her.
Once they’d left the room, Sawyer waved Emma Jean to the sofa. “Please, take a seat.”
When she’d complied, he sat in the armchair facing her, steadying AJ on his shoulder with a hand to his back.
“He seems to be a well-behaved child,” she said with a timid smile.
“He’s just taken his bottle, so he’s content for the moment. He’s still not sleeping through the night though.” Now why had he admitted that?
“He’ll need to settle in and get used to everything.” She gave the baby a sympathetic smile. “Just give him time.” Then she looked up and met Sawyer’s gaze again. “Do you mind if I ask who his parents were and what happened to them?”
He supposed it couldn’t hurt to tell her. He quickly related what he knew of AJ’s short history and how the boy had ended up in his care.
“Oh, the poor little thing.” Emma Jean appeared ready to scoop AJ up if he gave her the slightest opportunity. “He’s had his whole world turned upside down.”
For a moment he believed she was nothing more than a sympathetic young woman with no ulterior motives. Then, irritated by his own softening toward her, he sat up straighter. AJ squirmed unhappily for a moment before settling down again.
Sawyer decided to be direct. “I’m not sure why I agreed to this meeting. I don’t think hiring you for this job is going to work out.”
A flicker of disappointment flashed across her face, but to her credit she hid it quickly and lifted her chin. “So, Mrs. Martin found someone for you already?”
Her tone was steady, but he detected the near-despair there.
“No, but—”
She didn’t let him finish. “So it’s me personally you object to. Because of my pa.”
“Yes.” He leaned back, holding her gaze, refusing to apologize for how he felt, wondering how she would respond.
Emma Jean seemed taken aback by his directness. Then she nodded and drew in a deep breath. “That’s your right, of course. But I understand the Shultzes are leaving tomorrow. Are you comfortable taking care of AJ on your own?”
Was he? As if to echo Sawyer’s thoughts, AJ started fussing and squirming in his arms. Then, without warning, the baby made a hiccupping sound and Sawyer felt something moist on his shoulder.
Smothering an oath, Sawyer shot to his feet.
Miss Gilley stood quickly as well and held out her hands. “May I?”
Sawyer handed AJ over and grabbed the rag that was always nearby for such emergencies. He took a few minutes to wipe the white goop from his shirt, then looked up to see Emma Jean had retaken her seat on the sofa and was using a handkerchief to clean AJ’s chin.
But it was the manner of it that caught his attention—she was also dabbing playfully at his face, uttering nonsense words in a singsong voice that had AJ giggling like they were already best friends. When she was done, she settled AJ on her lap where he sat gurgling contentedly.
Sawyer was impressed in spite of himself. Her composure and deft handling of the fussy infant were impressive. There was no doubt that she had the kind of skill with babies he was looking for.
Then he saw her amused gaze and realized he was still standing with the smelly rag in hand, scrubbing ineffectively at his shoulder.
Chapter 11
Emma Jean tried to refrain from laughing at the picture he made, a grown man getting all worked up about a bit of baby clabber on his shoulder.
Then his gaze met hers and his brows drew down. He sat abruptly and set the washrag aside.
No longer the least bit amused, she felt her mind start scrambling again in an effort to come up with some argument that would convince him to change his mind. He had to give her this job
—she was running out of options.
Drawing on her flagging courage, she met his gaze. “Perhaps we could settle on a compromise of sorts.”
He frowned suspiciously. “What kind of compromise?”
At least he was willing to listen. She blurted out the first idea that came to mind. “Since you haven’t found anyone else yet, what if you hire me to take care of AJ, just until you find someone you like better. And if you really can’t stand to have me around, I’ll make sure I leave as soon as you arrive home after you close the mercantile.”
“And suppose I find someone else in just a couple of days?”
She felt a small kernel of hope flicker inside her at the hint he might actually be considering her offer. “Then I give you my word that Henry and I will leave without a fuss.”
He leaned back, studying her face as if trying to read her thoughts.
Emma Jean tried to keep her expression serene, playing with the baby on her lap as she waited for his decision.
“I don’t get it,” he finally said. “Other than a few free meals, just what is it you think you’ll gain from this arrangement?”
Her lips turned up in a wry smile. “Don’t underestimate the value of a few free meals.”
That earned her a raised eyebrow. He rubbed his chin, obviously mulling over her words.
Against her own better judgment, she pressed harder. “Mr. Flynn, are you really willing to shortchange AJ’s care because of your feelings about my pa?”
For a moment she thought she’d pushed too hard. He stiffened and it was obvious she’d gotten his back up.
“I’m not going to mince words with you. I lost my brother at the hands of one Gilley. Why should I trust this baby in the hands of another?”
She reminded herself to hold her temper. “All I can do is say again, I’m not my pa. It was Ma who raised me and Henry by and large, and a gentler, more God-fearing woman you’d be hard-pressed to find. I learned my values from her, not Pa.”
Sawyer (Bachelors And Babies Book 6) Page 5
