by Sarah Thorn
“A man in Nevada is looking for someone to come and help him raise his four sons,” she said, summarizing the ad. “You think I should…” She looked back up at him with wide eyes. “I…I don’t think I could do that! That’s so far away!”
“That’s what you want!” Dave said, encouragingly. “That’s your dream! Follow your dream!”
Ella looked back down and picked the paper up to look at the ad again as Dave went back to his seat.
“That’s an insane idea!” Oscar said, leaning over to read over Ella’s shoulder. “She can’t just up and leave like that. She doesn’t even know this guy. What if he’s some weird character or he’s violent or something?”
Dave nodded. “Those are all options, but if you want to get anywhere in this life, you have to take risks. If you want to live your dreams, you definitely have to take risks. Well, she wants to be free of this house and Papa and live in the West. That advertisement is probably her only chance to make that happen.”
Oscar frowned, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting back in his chair. “I don’t like the idea. I don’t think she should be so far away with only a stranger for company. And she’ll be doing the same thing! Watching and raising more boys!”
“I…” Ella spoke up, interrupting Oscar. “I think I want to do this, Dave. I think I should answer this ad.” She could suddenly see a bright future stretching out in front of her. She hadn’t felt that excited in some time.
They heard the sound of their father coming in the front door. She was suddenly a bit fearful and went through her chores in her mind to make sure she had gotten to them all. She got up quickly to take the ham and cheese biscuits from the warming cabinet and pulled out a cup to give her father his noontime coffee.
“I’ll go see to him,” Dave said, scooting out the door quickly. They could hear him greet their father in the hallway. “Papa! How was your day?”
They couldn’t hear their father’s reply.
Oscar got up and moved to stand next to Ella. She looked up at him.
“I will be the one who is blue when you leave, sister.” Oscar leaned to give her a kiss on the cheek. She felt a warm wash of love for him and put her arms around him for a hug.
Chapter Two
The train rumbled along at a fearful speed. Ella had never been on a train or in anything that moved faster than the horses she rode. She watched the scenery moving past with amazement, unable to focus on anything for very long before it was gone. Except for the mountains in the distance. She tried counting them at first but because tired and anxious from that so she stopped.
She was not alone in the car. There was a family across from her, three children and their mother. The grandmother and grandfather were apparently the older couple that had chosen the seats next to her on the red velvet-cushioned bench. The children were rowdy and talkative. Ella had already found out that their father was in the military, and they were going to meet him where he was stationed in Arizona. They were anxious to be there and bothered their mother fairly consistently about how long it would be until they got there.
Their mother was beginning to look a little haggard, although Ella thought she was doing a wonderful job with so many children under the age of ten. When the train moved into a tunnel that would go through a very long mountain, the children became anxious.
“Mama, how long is it going to be dark out there?”
“Are we in a mountain, mama? Is the mountain going to come down and trap us in here?”
“The mountain is going to collapse! We’re going to be trapped!”
“Now see, Robert, you’ve gone and frightened your little sister. No, Penny, the mountain isn’t going to collapse. We’re going to be fine. Everything will be fine. This is a strong tunnel. Don’t you worry now.”
“Excuse me.” Ella sat forward and said quietly. “I see your children are anxious. I would love to read to them to calm them down if you don’t object.”
“If you would like to, I would be very appreciative.” Their mother sounded extremely relieved. “I’m Rachel. These are my children, Joseph, Robert, and Penelope. They are, as you can see, very tired at the moment. A good story would do them some good. What do you have to read to them?”
Ella reached into her sewing bag, where she had tucked both of her newer books. She decided that Alice’s Adventures would be more appropriate for the small children than the Sherlock Holmes story. It was full of imagination and colorful characters. She had enjoyed it so much, she wanted to share it with them.
“Have you seen this book before?” The children had settled down and were watching what she was doing, curiously. All three shook their heads.
“What’s it about?” Robert asked. She grinned at him.
“It’s about a little girl who follows a white rabbit into the woods and then falls down a hole, and when she wakes up, she’s in a brand new place with talking animals and everything!”
“I want to hear it!” The little boy demanded.
She nodded. “And so you shall.”
She opened the book and read to them until they had to get off at their stop in Arizona. They stayed still and quiet the whole time, intrigued by the story. Their mother was even able to shut her eyes for a few minutes. Ella marveled at the way she seemed to sleep sitting up without her children even noticing.
She received three small hugs before the family departed and the mother and grandparents looked at her with grateful eyes, thanking her for keeping them entertained almost the entire way to their new home. She was left with a satisfying feeling of accomplishment.
She continued reading once she had the car to herself. It didn’t matter if she’d only finished the book a few weeks ago. She still enjoyed it.
Ella was distracted from the book with wandering thoughts of what this man and his four small sons would be like. According to the one and only letter she had received in response to her own initial correspondence answering the ad, his name was Andrew Robinson. He worked in a carpentry shop in town. She couldn’t tell whether he owned the business or was an employee there. He said that his ranch was big enough for all of them to live in comfortably and that he’d been having some trouble finding someone who was willing to take care of so many small boys. His request was for her to be kind to them, understanding and compassionate to their troubles.
He sounded nice and reasonably intelligent. She only noticed a few errors in his grammar and spelling. She hoped that the boys she would be raising were well-educated or on their way to being so. If they weren’t, she would be glad to help out. A good education, as far as she was concerned, was one of the cornerstones to growing up to be a successful adult. It was what she had taught her younger brothers, and they seemed to be much the better for it.
She caught herself staring at the pages on her book instead of actually reading the words. She smiled. It was going to be a brand new life for her. A brand new life.
When the train pulled into the station, Ella was ready to get off. She had been sitting there for hours, only getting up once to go to the dining car and get a few pieces of fruit. She was craving an orange, but they didn’t have one.
She picked up her sewing bag once the train was at a complete stop and the attendant opened the door.
“This is Elko?” she confirmed with the attendant, who just nodded and smiled at her. She could see the appreciative look on his face and felt a bit flattered. She didn’t feel young and pretty. She felt like an old mother.
She stepped down onto the wooden platform and looked both ways. There were quite a few people around her, more than she expected. Families were seeing other family members off on whatever trip they were making to their wherever destinations. She felt like her bag was heavy all of a sudden and felt a little overheated.
She took out her hand fan and flipped it open, fanning herself with hot air. She laughed a little and continued to fan even though the breeze it created was not very cool. When she didn’t see a man with four boys around him com
ing her way, she strolled over to a white painted wooden bench and sat down to wait. She was sure she wouldn’t miss him when he finally arrived. She had no idea what time it was, and there were no clocks anywhere around. A train station attendant approached her after a moment and inquired as to whether or not she was okay.
“You look a bit flushed, Miss. Are you all right?” he asked. He was an older gentleman with a thin face and a ready smile.
“I am.” She looked up at him. “I am just waiting for the man I came here to be with to come and fetch me. I’m sure he’ll be along any time now.”
“Yes, Miss.” The attendant nodded. Ella caught a glimpse of his shiny nametag, which said “Alfred.”
“Alfred is my younger brother’s name,” She said in surprise. He grinned.
“Well, he must be wonderful then!”
They both laughed, and the old man wandered off.
She looked back down the platform when she heard the sound of little running feet. It was a familiar sound, and she knew what it was immediately. She stood up when she saw the family approaching. She greeted them with a smile, looking up at her soon-to-be husband, admiringly. He was a handsome man with dark hair cut short, a trim beard and mustache and a big, broad chest. He smiled at her, and she was happy to see a row of healthy looking teeth. They were so healthy; she wondered how he did it.
He held out his hand, which she took. “You are Ella Barrett from Virginia?”
“I am. You are Andrew Robinson?”
“I am. We’re glad to have you here. Boys, say ‘hi’ to Miss Ella. She will be taking care of you from now on. Papa’s going to marry her and make her his wife. Do you understand?”
The older boys nodded, but Ella could tell that Carl, the youngest, had no clue what his father was saying and only nodded after he saw his brother’s doing so.
What an agreeable, adorable little boy! She thought.
Andrew pushed each of his sons out in front of him as he introduced them. He caught Carl first and held him so that he would be still in front of Ella.
“Say Hello to Miss Ella, Carl. Carl is six.” Andrew said gently.
Carl dropped his eyes to the ground and barely whispered out, “Hello.”
“Well, hello Carl!” Ella said in an excited voice. “How are you today?”
“Tell her you’re doing fine, Carl.” Andrew prompted him. He gave Ella a glance. “He’s a little touchy with strangers right now.”
Ella nodded. “I can understand that. Well, I’m going to help Papa take good care of you, dear. I promise.”
Carl chuckled and began to circle his father and brothers in an all-out running face against himself around and around his father and brothers.
“This is Peter. He’s seven.”
“Hello, Peter.”
Peter didn’t respond even with a “hello” until his father pressed down firmly on his shoulders. Then he whined out a hello and moved to the side as if he was done speaking for the day, thank you.
“This is Freddie. He’s 9.”
Freddie held out his hand to Ella, which she half-expected from the look on his bright little face. He was an outgoing child, probably always getting into mischief. His smile was wide for her and very genuine. “I’ve been telling papa for ages that I’m not Freddie anymore,” he said. “My name is Fred. That’s what I want to be called.”
She took his hand and shook it, giving him a sober look. “Yes, sir. I can do that.”
He grinned wide. “Thank you, Miss Ella!”
“You are welcome.”
“This is Raymond. He’s twelve.” Andrew put a hand on Raymond’s shoulder and barely pushed him forward. He was a larger boy, looked to be built like his father. He was going to be a big, strong man in his adulthood. He stood rigid and his smile was almost nonexistent.
“Hello, Miss Ella.” He did as he was told.
“Hello, Raymond.”
“Okay, the wagon is back this way.” Andrew turned around, and they began to walk down the platform in the direction of the steps that led down to the dirt lot surrounding the building.
“I am glad you don’t have an objection to helping me raise my sons,” Andrew said, looking down at her. She shook her head and pushed a strand of blond hair back up into her bonnet. “I want you to know that you don’t have to keep those layers on here. Our climate won’t do you well with all those clothes.”
She nodded up at him. “I am happy to hear that.”
“Your bonnet isn’t necessary, and you probably won’t need those gloves.”
She grinned and stripped them off her hands, proceeding to her bonnet, which she happily took off and sighed.
Andrew laughed. As they walked, the boys had begun an action-packed game of tag where they ran around and around their father and Ella. She was delighted to see them having fun together. Like her brothers, they seemed to get along very well. That was an indication to her that their father had treated them well. She didn’t ask what happened to their mother. She assumed that would come out in due time.
Carl was running in the smallest circles, narrowly darting around his brothers when they came to “tag” him. As he ran around Ella, he reached out and brushed his hands on her skirts lightly. She noticed and smiled wide. The third time he came around that way, she hung her hand down so that would brush it when he went past. He did so and spun around to stare at her.
When she laughed, he laughed too and continued running.
Adorable! She thought.
Chapter Three
The house was large and roomy. There were only a few pieces of furniture in each room and several colorful rugs on the floor, but it did seem there hadn’t been a woman living there for some time. She wondered how long it had been when she went in through the front door and saw the layers of dust on the furniture and window sills. It wasn’t untidy. In fact, everything was in its place. But it was dusty and looked depressing. She wanted to immediately throw open the curtains and let in the light but feared it would only show the dust in the air.
It was fairly late, but Andrew had kept a pot of beef stew on the fire, waiting for her to get there to feed them all.
“I hope you like beef stew.”
She nodded. “I do.”
It would be the first time she had eaten a meal she had not prepared herself. She found it to be one of the tastiest meals she’d ever eaten. It made her wonder if she was not the good cook she thought she was. That brought a secret smile to her face.
She was catching looks of approval from Andrew and was glad of that. She was slender, had been told she was pretty and had a strong sense of self-esteem that probably had come naturally from her father. Though strict, her father had always been fair.
Andrew wasn’t strict with his boys. In fact, she noticed quickly that he let them have their way more often than not. She was shocked that they were well-behaved at all, considering he treated them like they were not responsible for anything. She had arrived on a Saturday night and was expecting church in the morning. When no one seemed to be up early enough, she asked Andrew whether they were going.
He seemed surprised but proceeded to get his sons ready to go. Their loud protests let her know going to church was not a common occurrence.
Once again, she was shocked by their behavior in public, not that they were rowdy but that they were not. They stayed quiet and still all through the service, with the exception of Carl, who had taken to leaning over and whispering loudly in her ear anything that came to his mind. She had a quick, strong affection for Carl, who seemed to be the sweetest little boy she’d ever met.
After the service, Andrew introduced her to everyone he knew in a proud tone that made her feel special. Carl held on to her hand or her skirt the whole time, forgoing his tag game with his brothers for the first time.
Before they reached the wagon, Ella felt a hand on her arm and turned to see Myrtle Leamon, Andrew’s sister, giving her a wide smile. “Hello, Ella,” She said, warmly, pulling the young woman int
o an abrupt hug. “I’m so glad you are here to help Andrew with his boys. He needs help, as I’m sure you’ve seen.”
“Myrtle, don’t you start now,” Andrew said, good-naturedly, lifting Carl up into the wagon. He smiled at her, and she returned it with one of her own. She looked back at Ella.
“That’s my brother. He’s such a card.”
“Which one?” Andrew asked.
“Oh you.” Myrtle shook her head. “Now, Ella, I’m going to come by in the morning and help you settle in. Is that all right with you?”
Ella nodded. “I would love that, Myrtle, thank you!”
“It’s my pleasure, believe me. Andrew needs someone, as I said. And you look absolutely lovely, honey.”
“Thank you again.” Ella’s cheeks flushed, making her look even prettier.
“If you need anything, such as cleaning supplies or groceries, we will gather them from the garden or come to town to the market. Does that sound good?”
“It sounds very good, Myrtle. Thank you.”
Myrtle just laughed and nodded. “I’ll see you in the morning about seven.”
“All right, see you then!”
The next morning, Ella woke up just as Andrew was leaving for work. She heard him in the kitchen moving around. The boys were all still asleep in their beds upstairs. They each had their own room, which they were very proud of. Carl had made a point to show her every inch of his room, all of his wooden horse figurines and soldiers. Peter had also allowed her to look in his room, which he kept immaculate. Neither Freddie nor Raymond invited her to their rooms, and she didn’t push.
She wondered what time they usually got up. Before she could talk to him to ask, Andrew was gone.
She smelled the scent of rich coffee floating down the hallway to her and smiled. At least, he had done that for her. He had been quiet during dinner, letting the boys chatter with each other. She hadn’t spoken much, just listened to what they had to say. They had stories to tell, and she felt like most of them were wild tales of adventure that these four boys had never experienced. She refused to think of them as “lies” because the boys were so young and it was fruitful to encourage their imagination. If the stories had been about damaging another person’s property or well-being, she would have stepped in or talked to Andrew about it. But they were tales of boyhood dreams and competition between the four of them in racing, playing ball, racing their safety bikes around the farm. If they had as many of the adventures as they claimed, Ella was sure they had been left on their own for quite some time.
