But he’d known in his gut that if he’d asked, her answer would be the same as before. She just wasn’t interested.
So it seemed he’d have to go through the tedious process of finding another suitable woman to wed. To say he was dreading the search was an understatement. But at least he wasn’t going through it alone. Having Miss Whitman do the interviewing and offering her opinion on potential candidates, something she seemed uniquely qualified to do, would free him up to focus on everything else clamoring for his attention.
And giving Miss Whitman reason to keep coming around was something to look forward to.
For the children’s sake, of course.
* * *
Hank looked up from his work at the sawmill as Gus started barking. That was his we’ve-got-company bark. Was it a customer?
He headed for the entrance, then paused as he caught sight of the visitor. Janell Whitman stood calmly in the yard, eyeing Gus with a cautious but unafraid stare. She was speaking too softly for him to make out the words. And Gus, while still alert, was not braced for any sort of attack.
“That’s enough, Gus.”
The dog immediately stopped barking and began wagging his tail.
“Hello.” Miss Whitman gave him a sunny smile.
“I hope you don’t mind me coming here,” she said.
“Not at all. I’m just surprised. Did you walk all the way here?”
“It’s not all that far and the weather is nice.”
He considered two miles a fair distance, especially for a woman in skirts. He helped her up onto the elevated floor of the mill. As soon as she was settled, she looked around. “It’s my first visit to a sawmill. Would you mind showing me around before we talk?”
“Not at all. We do more than saw trees into lumber here.” He waved a hand toward the right. “Simon is working with our shingle machine. The shingles we make get shipped to cities all over this part of the country and even points east.” He started walking again. “And this time of year we also do a brisk business cutting and selling firewood.” He also donated quite a bit of that firewood to the church and the school.
The complete tour took less than thirty minutes and then he escorted her into his office—a small room just big enough for a small desk and two chairs.
He dusted off the seat of the guest chair with a rag. “Sorry, in a place like this, sawdust gets on everything.” Straightening, he waved her into the chair then moved around the desk to take the other seat. “So what can I do for you?”
“I paid a visit to Betty June this morning.”
Hank had almost forgotten about their matchmaking deal. And at the moment he wasn’t certain whether he wanted her to say Betty June was the right woman for him or not.
“I was quite impressed with her,” Miss Whitman stated. “Betty June would indeed make a good mother for the children.” She gave him an apologetic look. “But I’m afraid she won’t be interested in the position.”
It figured. “Why not?”
“Betty June wants to become a journalist. She has a cousin who lives in Tyler and this cousin has connections with the local newspaper. Betty June plans to move there as soon as she’s saved enough money to pay her way.”
“I see.”
“However, since she’s trying to earn money for this venture, she might be open to you hiring her as housekeeper for a time, just until you can find a wife.”
“We’ll see.” His funds couldn’t stretch for any long-term commitment, but perhaps he could make it work short-term.
“So, have you been thinking of any other names to add to that list of yours?”
“I suppose I’ll have to start a new list.” He glanced her way. “Any suggestions?”
She hesitated a moment, then nodded.
“You’ve thought of someone?”
“Not exactly. But I was thinking that we might apply an organized, systematic approach. Since one of the criteria we discussed was that she be a God-fearing woman, we could look to the women who attend church regularly.”
“All right. But that’s still a large group to sort through.”
“Most everyone sits in the very same place from week to week. Just mentally picture the people sitting there on Sunday morning, starting in the front and moving back. Then start picking out the single ladies. I suppose we should start with the choir. Eliminating the single women who are either too old or too young.”
“Well, there’s Hazel Andrews. She seems a bit too flighty for my taste, but she appears to have a good heart.”
“Hazel does have an exuberant approach to life. But she can be quite sensible and down-to-earth when called for. You are also correct in that she does have a good heart. In fact, she would make an excellent mother to Alex and Chloe. But I’m afraid she has her heart set on someone else.”
Just about everyone in town knew the dressmaker had her sights set on Ward Gleason—everyone but Ward himself, it seemed.
Hank frowned. “I’d think she’d given up on that by now.”
Miss Whitman shook her head. “When Hazel sets her mind on something, it takes a lot to dissuade her.”
He tried imagining the choir again. “There’s Abigail Fulton, but she’s too young.”
“I agree. You don’t want to offer this sort of businesslike arrangement to a young lady who’s still looking for romance.”
He frowned. “The only other unmarried lady in the choir, besides you, is Addis Floyd, and she’s my mother’s age, so I think we can rule her out.”
She nodded. “Then let’s move on to those who sit in the pews. Let’s start with the left side of the aisle, going front to back.”
He tried to picture the church on Sunday morning. “There’s the Hymel family—no marriage candidates there. Behind them are the Daley and the Sanders families—again no candidates.” Then he sat up straighter. “But Emily Johansen is in the next pew. I hadn’t considered her before, but now that I think on it, she might be a possibility.”
His would-be matchmaker nodded slowly. “She seems to have the right temperament for taking care of children, and since her husband has been gone for almost fifteen months now, she may be receptive to your offer. But keep in mind that she has two young children of her own. Are you certain you’re ready to add more children to your household right now?”
He grimaced at that thought. It wasn’t that he disliked children so much as that he wasn’t sure he was ready to be a father to four kids. “Why don’t we keep going and see who else might fit the bill.”
“Very well. The Barrs are in the next pew and the Parkers and Dawsons are behind them—no single ladies of an appropriate age in any of those groups.”
“But behind them is Hortense Lawrence.” He nodded as he mentally dredged up all he knew of her. “She’s about my age, seems to have a good head on her shoulders and she’s single.” He paused and cut a look Miss Whitman’s way. “No one’s courting her, are they?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Something about the way she said that caught his attention. “Do I detect a note of hesitation in your voice?”
Miss Whitman pursed her lips as if trying to hold back her words. What wasn’t she saying?
“We’ll keep her name on the list, and if she makes it to the top, then you can make up your own mind.”
He crossed his arms. “That’s not how this works. Remember, your function is to share your thoughts and advise me on the candidate’s suitability to be a mother to the kids.”
“Of course I’ll share my thoughts with you. But I don’t like to spread gossip. For the sake of our agreement, let’s just say she wouldn’t be my first pick.”
“Then let’s scratch her name from the list.”
“Just keep in mind, in the end it’s you who’ll have to marry the woman you choose. I would
caution you to take the time to make an evaluation of your own.”
“But I don’t have the luxury of time.”
“I understand. Believe me. But you’ll be making a lifetime commitment, and regardless of how pressed you feel, you need to really think before you make any sort of proposal.” Her voice nearly vibrated with the force of her passion. “And you don’t have to decide today or even this week.”
She really didn’t understand. “I know I can cut back on some of my hours at the mill. But that’s my livelihood. If I don’t work, I don’t have money coming in to keep food on the table.”
“I have a suggestion for something that will work until you find a wife, assuming you do find her by Christmas.”
Finally! “I’m listening.”
“It’s a little unorthodox.”
“At this point, I’m willing to listen to any ideas.”
“Well then, first off, since your aunt is leaving Friday, I think that will be a good day for Chloe to start attending school again.”
“You think she’ll be ready?”
“Perhaps not fully. But she can come in and read on her own and begin to get used to being around the other children again.”
He raised a brow at that. “So you’re just going to play nursemaid to her?”
“It’s more than that. It’s a way to ease her back into the classroom. And since I hope to give sign-language lessons to the other children, she can definitely participate in that activity.”
He nodded. “If you think she’ll be okay, then yes, that’ll be a big help. I can walk them to school in the morning and leave work early to meet them after school.”
“There’s no need for you to cut your workday short unless you just wish to. I can walk them home after school and stay with them until you return home in the evening.”
“But isn’t that tying you down quite a bit?”
She shrugged. “As I said, this is just a short-term solution, until you settle on a wife. But it gives you a little breathing room so that you can make the right decision. Besides, I can work with the children on their sign-language skills, and they’ll need extra help with their class work until they catch up with the other children.” She spread her hands. “So you see, your urgency to find a wife is not as pressing as you believe. You can take the time you need to get it right.”
Getting it right seemed mighty important to her. Was it just her concern for the children? “I know there are a good many people out there, mostly the young and foolish, who hold out for a love match. But I’m not one of them.” At least not anymore. “And there are many people who marry for other reasons, reasons that have to do with business or convenience, or comfort or security. None of these require that the parties be more than merely compatible.”
“True. But it’s important that you are more than a little certain of that compatibility.”
“Is that why you never married?” he asked impulsively. “Because you couldn’t find a man you felt was compatible?”
He was surprised by her reaction. She stiffened and her expression closed off. He’d obviously touched a nerve of some sort.
* * *
Janell felt everything inside her constrict and she regretted again that she couldn’t explain. He couldn’t know her secret, but still his words cut.
“First of all, my personal life is not what’s under discussion here. And secondly, it will do the kids no good, and lots of harm, if they grow up in a home where the parents don’t get along. And make no mistake, you will be as parents to them.”
She tried to relax. “Now, let’s continue building our list. Behind Hortense is the Douglas family.”
They went through the remainder of the church quickly and ended up with three more names for Janell to check up on.
Then she stood. “I’ll leave you to your work now. I promised your aunt I would come by and relieve her so she can get out of the house and away from the cat for a little while.”
Mr. Chandler stood as well. “I can take you in the wagon.”
“No need. I enjoy the walk.”
“Well then, I’ll walk you there.” He held up a hand. “And I won’t take no for an answer. I want to check in on Aunt Rowena anyway.”
Janell knew he was just using that as an excuse, but she nodded anyway.
They walked without speaking at first, but after a few moments, Janell felt compelled to break the silence. “I just want to say, I think you are more capable of being a father to those children than you believe.”
He cut her a startled look. “What brought that up?”
“I just thought you should know, is all.”
“Even if you’re right, what they really need is a mother.”
“And you’re working on that. I just want to caution you one more time to make certain you take enough time to make the right choice.” She knew all too well how disastrous making the wrong choice could be.
Janell met his gaze with earnest entreaty. “It won’t really benefit them if you marry a woman who is wrong for them or for you.”
He rubbed the side of his jaw. “I hadn’t thought of it in those terms.”
“I understand your nervousness about getting them ready in the morning and putting them to bed at night. I have a suggestion that might help.”
“Your suggestions are always worth hearing.”
She didn’t miss the fact that he said worth hearing not worth following. But she pressed on. “While your aunt is still here to help, start developing some specific routines for both Alex and Chloe. Get them up at the same time every morning. Make it clear there are certain tasks they are expected to perform before they eat breakfast, such as getting the table ready or straightening their beds. Then do the same thing in the evenings. After supper, set a specific time when they should clean up and get ready for bed. Say prayers with them and tuck them in. Set rules around whether they are allowed to read or play quietly or if they must get right to bed.”
“And how will that help?”
“It’ll provide order and structure to their days. That’s important for a child. Before long, they will do these things automatically without you even bringing it up.” She smiled. “And just as importantly, it will give some order and structure to your day.”
And perhaps ease this headlong race he was running to find a wife before Christmas. She knew all too well how not taking the time to know your future spouse could develop into a disaster that would ruin the rest of your life.
She couldn’t bear to think of him falling into that same trap.
She wasn’t ready to admit to herself that there were other reasons she didn’t like to think about him marrying any of these ladies they’d discussed.
Chapter Fourteen
When Hank returned home for lunch that afternoon, it was obvious that Aunt Rowena was not going to last in this house much longer. Her eyes were watery and even puffier than before, and her sneezes were more frequent now.
Janell pulled him aside. “Since it was such a pretty day, I’ve given the children their lesson out on the back porch most of the morning, with Smudge, too, of course.” She chewed her lower lip for a moment. “But it hasn’t seemed to make much difference. Your aunt is determined to stick this out, for your sake, but she is truly miserable.”
“I agree. I need to get her away from here.”
“Perhaps she can spend the afternoon at my place. I’ll be with the children, so there’s no pressing reason for her to be here for the next few hours as well.”
Relieved, Hank nodded. “Thank you. It seems I’m indebted to you yet again.”
At first his aunt refused, but Miss Whitman could be hard to turn down when she put her mind to something. At last Aunt Rowena was convinced. While the schoolteacher escorted his aunt to her place, Hank took the kids for a walk
to Abigail’s library. As they passed by the various shops, the children slowed to admire the decorations that had gone up in many of them. Even Daisy’s restaurant, where the library was housed, had a festive arrangement of gingerbread men strung across the front window.
The joy on Chloe’s face when she realized she could check out any book that caught her interest convinced him that this needed to become a weekly trip for them.
And he had Janell to thank for making the suggestion.
He was finding it harder and harder to understand why the woman had never married and didn’t have a family of her own by now.
* * *
“My nephew tells me he proposed to you. And that you refused him.”
Janell almost missed a step at Mrs. Collins’s rather tactless statement. Trying to maintain a dignified air as they continued down the sidewalk toward the boardinghouse, she nodded. “That’s true.”
“Forgive an old woman for prying, but might I ask why?”
“My reasons are personal.”
“Well, at least you didn’t try to lie and tell me it was because you don’t love him.”
Again Janell was caught off guard by the woman’s boldness. “I beg your pardon?”
“Oh, come now. The two of you can’t be in the same room without it becoming immediately obvious that there’s at least a spark of attraction there—for both of you.”
Was that true, that he felt it also?
Mrs. Collins studied her a moment longer, but Janell held her peace. Finally, Hank’s aunt reached up and touched a cameo locket at her neck. “You see this?”
Janell nodded. “It’s quite lovely.”
“There’s a story behind it. It’s personal and rather lengthy, so I won’t go into it all, but I wear it as a reminder of what havoc false pride can bring into a life.”
“False pride?”
“The kind of pride that wears the disguise of humility.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“Let’s just say there was a time in my life when I refused to take chances, to step out in faith. I told myself it was because I wasn’t worthy, because I didn’t deserve success and joy the way others did.”
The Holiday Courtship Page 12
