“If you remember?” Abigail questioned.
“Yes, this is where it gets a little foggy. I remember a couple of ladies joining us at some point in the evening. I think by that time I had sufficiently celebrated all my gut could hold of the hard stuff,” he grinned hoping to add a little humor to his sordid tale of unbecoming behavior. “Anyway, that’s about the extent of my memories. From that point on, I’ve been told by my fellow officers what came next.”
Abigail turned and met his eyes. “So you’re saying you don’t remember Miss Babcock? Because I’d be willing to bet just about anything she remembers you. It’s obvious by the way her eyes light up whenever she sees you.”
Will hoped Abigail could sense he was being honest and not trying to downplay his ungentlemanly behavior that night. “That’s what I’m saying. According to Jeremy, he introduced me to Lanora and she helped me get home that night. I didn’t know she’d...stayed over until the next morning.”
“Ah, so Miss Babcock was a fully conscious participant in the evening’s festivities, but you weren’t.”
“Yes, that’s the ugly truth of that night I’m afraid. The next morning, while I was in full hangover mode, I had to rush Lanora out of my room because I’d just received word that the girls had arrived. Although, I didn’t know they were my nieces at the time.”
Abigail remained silent for a minute or two and he worried she thought less of him because of his disrespectful behavior toward Lanora. Finally, she turned to him. “I take it you didn’t know she was a schoolteacher at the time.”
“Oh, hell—excuse me, heck no. I would never...I mean...I didn’t even know her name until that next morning. I feel very bad about the way I—”
“Treated her?” Abigail provided.
“Yes. I’m not that kind of man and my only defense is that I—”
“Didn’t know what you were doing?” Again, Abigail provided the rest of his sentence.
“Well, that is the truth. But when you say it out loud, it sounds kind of—”
“Bad?”
He looked at Abigail and nodded, he didn’t even try to hide his shame.
She remained quiet for a bit and then gave him an understanding smile. “I can see you are truly sorry about what happened. And that tells me you are an honorable man, Will. I must admit it isn’t often I come across a man who actually cares about how he treats a woman. It’s a novel experience for me.”
Will breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn’t certain why he cared so much about Abigail’s opinion of him. All he knew right at this moment was that he did care...a lot.
Chapter 8
Abigail had fed and bathed the two older girls and had put Baby Rose to bed an hour ago.
After she finished drying and putting away the dishes, Jeremy had stopped by. He and Will had gone to the fort for a meeting with their commanding officer.
She hung the damp dishtowel on a peg in the wall and blew out the lantern sitting on the table. She liked to keep a clean house. It wasn’t always easy with a man and three little girls underfoot, but she managed.
Abigail walked down the hall stopping at the door of the bedroom she shared with Baby Rose. It just made more sense to have the baby close by so if Rose awoke in the middle of the night, her cries wouldn’t wake the rest of the household.
She looked in on Baby Rose and saw the precious little darling snoozing away. Abigail pulled the baby’s quilt around her little body and tucked it underneath to keep her from getting chilled when she wet her diaper in her sleep. Satisfied the baby was sleeping peacefully, she pulled the door closed part of the way and slipped next door to the room Violet and Lily shared.
“Ladies, are you ready for bed?”
Lily giggled at Abigail’s remark. “We aren’t ladies. We’re girls.” The three-year-old skipped across the oval braided rag rug covering the wood-planked floor and jumped onto her twin bed. Violet put away the rag dolls they had been playing with and climbed into her own bed across the room from Lily’s.
Abigail smiled at Lily and pulled her covers up to her neck and tucked them in around her. The little dark-haired girl looked up at her with dark eyes and it made Abigail realize for the first time how much these little girls looked like her. To a stranger’s eye, they could have been her natural-born children.
Lily snuggled under the covers. “Are you gonna read us a bedtime story, Abigail?”
“Yeah, Abigail. Are you gonna read us a story?” Violet joined her sister’s pleas.
Abigail crossed the room and tucked Violet under her bedcovers. Then, she pulled a chair next to the bed. “I suppose I could do that. You’ve both been such well-behaved ‘ladies’.” She emphasized the word and glanced at Lily who giggled and covered her head beneath her quilt. “Ladies who are polite. And kind. And hard-working. And smart. And—”
Lily popped the covers off her head. “And have fun.”
Abigail smiled. “Yes, and ladies who have fun.”
Lily looked at her sister and then sat up in the bed. The look on her face seemed unsure.
“What is it, Lily? Is something troubling you?” Abigail rose from her chair and sat on Lily’s bed. She saw tears pool in the little girl’s eyes and she reached up with a finger to wipe them away. “Aww, honey. What is it? You can tell me anything.” Abigail pulled the little girl into her lap and hugged her close. “Tell me what’s troubling you.”
“Was our momma a lady?” Lily hung her head down and leaned into Abigail’s embrace.
“Oh, sweetheart. Of course your momma was a lady. She was the grandest lady ever. And she would be so proud of the young ladies you and Violet are becoming. So very proud.”
Violet got out of bed and came to sit on the other side of Abigail. She wrapped her arm around the six-year-old and hugged the two girls close. She knew what it felt like to be alone, without a family nearby. It was scary for her and she was twenty-four. She could only imagine how frightened these little girls were. Thank goodness Will’s sister had the forethought to make arrangements for them in case something happened. It was so unfortunate her life was cut short, but what did her actions say about her confidence in her brother’s love. For her. And her three little daughters.
She felt a twinge of regret that she and her sisters weren’t closer, but their choice in husbands made any kind of relationship with them nearly impossible. All her two brothers-in-law wanted to do was drink, yell, and complain. It seemed as though her sisters never did anything to their husband’s satisfaction. She felt sorry for the miserable existence her sisters found themselves in, but they had to live with the consequences of their choices.
She hugged the girls close for a few more minutes and then tried to lighten the conversation. “Now, how about that bedtime story?”
Violet grinned and ran back to her bed tucking herself underneath the quilts. Lily tried to do the same, but she couldn’t quite manage it and her legs from the knees down were exposed to the cooling air. The later the evening grew, the colder the house became. She would be sure to put some more wood in the fireplace in the living room before she headed off to bed. She knew Will would check it when he got home later tonight.
Abigail adjusted Lily’s covers and tucked them in tight around her little body making sure her feet stayed snug and warm all night long.
When the girls were settled, Abigail turned down the glow of the lamp and picked up one of the books she had borrowed from school. “Would you like to hear a Christmas story about a little baby born on Christmas Day?” Abigail asked.
“Is it a boy baby or a girl baby?” Lily demanded to know.
Abigail replied, “It’s a boy baby. His name was Jesus and he was born in a manger.”
“What’s a manger?” Violet wondered.
“It’s the wooden trough where the farmer puts his cow’s hay,” Abigail admitted.
“The baby was born in a barn?” Lily was round-eyed with disbelief.
“Yes. There was a terrible storm and his mother and fath
er couldn’t find a place in the inn, so the only place they had to spend the night was in a generous farmer’s barn.”
“Does it have a happy ending?” Violet wanted to know.
“Yes, a very happy ending. And this little baby is the reason we celebrate Christmas because it’s his birthday.”
“Good, I like stories with happy endings. And I like birthdays too.” Lily turned to face Abigail and snuggled down deep in the covers. “I’m ready for the story now.”
Abigail watched her yawn and knew she would be asleep before Abigail finished.
“ Very well.” She pulled her Bible off the shelf and opened it to passages she treasured from her childhood. “Behold the angel of the Lord…And she shall bring forth a son…” She watched the girls as she read the story and soon, just as she had predicted, they were both asleep before she was halfway through the story. Abigail closed the Bible and set it back on the shelf. She tiptoed across the room and checked to make sure they both were warm and cozy, then kissed each of them on their foreheads. “Goodnight, my sweet angels,” she whispered. Switching off the lamp, she turned to go when the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway startled her. She drew a breath to scream then she recognized Will.
“You nearly scared me to death.” She chided as she stepped outside into the dimly lit hallway. “I didn’t hear you come home. Why didn’t you say something?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you, but I didn’t want to interrupt the story you were reading to the girls.” She saw how seriousness he seemed. “Thank you.”
“For what? Doing my job?”
“We both know what you’re doing with my nieces...all three of them...is much more than just a simple matter of doing your job. You may be seeing to their physical needs, which I admit most anybody could be successful at that—”
“Except perhaps Hazel Boyle.” She tried to interject a little humor in Will’s serious comments.
He grinned and she was once again struck by how handsome the man was. She shook it off and reminded herself she wasn’t interested.
“Yes, except Hazel Boyle. Abigail, you are amazing at making the girls feel...loved, especially in the absence of their parents. You encourage them to be courageous and strong and self-sufficient, even if they don’t understand those concepts yet. Someday when they are older, they will look back and realize how special you were. Are.”
Abigail didn’t know what to say to Will’s heartfelt expression of his feelings so she offered a simple, “Thank you.”
An awkward silence followed. After a few seconds, Will spoke. “It’s getting chilly. I’ll go outside and bring in some firewood for the night. There’s a damp air about the evening and I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t get a bit of snow tomorrow.”
“Really? Snow? I’ve never seen snow, at least, not in the real world. I’ve only seen it on Christmas cards. And the few flurries we got back home.” She had to admit she was excited at the prospect.
“You’ve never seen snow? Ever?” Will’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“Nope. We didn’t get much snow that far south.” She laughed out loud and then covered her mouth with her hand when she remembered they were still standing right outside the room where the girls were sleeping.
She watched Will’s gaze drop to her mouth and she wished she knew what he was thinking. She didn’t have to wait long.
He took a step toward her and gazing into her eyes he asked, “Do you know how beautiful you are, but especially when you laugh?”
His comment caught her off-guard and for the second time tonight, she said the first thing that came to mind, “Thank you.”
He took another step toward her. Now, he was close enough she could feel the heat from his body. Desire swept through her. She had to fight her attraction to him. She had to fight these feelings. If she didn’t, they could cross a line that would make her staying to care for the girls impossible. And she knew she was falling in love with those three little girls.
But when he leaned in, she found herself meeting him halfway. Will’s hands grasped her upper arms and pulled her against him. His head lowered and she closed her eyes in anticipation of his lips touching hers. She felt his breath on her face and her heart raced. Finally, his lips barely brushed hers when a baby’s cry broke the spell between them.
Abigail opened her eyes and Will’s dark eyes met hers. She caught a glimpse of his emotions before he quickly let her go and stepped away, putting distance between them.
“Um, I don’t know what to say, Abigail. I mean...I hadn’t planned...that was inappropriate of me to...I’m sorry,” he stammered.
She took pity on him. “It’s alright, Will. I understand completely. We just got caught up in all the emotions running havoc in our lives at the moment. Our love for the girls. You dealing with your sister’s death. Me missing my home. It’s been quite a lot for both of us recently. We’ll just have to guard against this sort of thing happening again. Wouldn’t you agree?”
He hesitated for a second and then nodded. “Yes. I would agree.”
The baby’s cries were growing louder by the minute. “Well, it sounds like Baby Rose needs you and I should go get some firewood.” He turned to go and stopped. Without looking back at her, he said, “Thank you for understanding, Abigail. I’m not the kind of man to take advantage of a young woman under my care. I hope you know that.”
“Of course I know that. And just so you know, I have a mind of my own and I don’t do anything I don’t want to.”
He turned to her and for a moment she thought he was going to come back and kiss her again.
“That’s good to know.” His eyes pinned hers with a knowing glance. “That’s very good to know.”
“But, let me make myself clear. Just because I wanted to this time, doesn’t mean there’s gonna be a next time.”
He nodded. “Understood.”
He turned back down the hallway and she followed him with her eyes until he stepped outside into the darkness quietly closing the kitchen door behind him.
What had just happened between them, she wondered? Her fingertips traced her lips where his had barely brushed them. While it was true that she would never allow anyone to push her into doing something she didn’t want to do, it was also true that the handsome captain didn’t need to push at all. She had wanted him to kiss her. More than she could ever imagine. Oh, dear. She was in big trouble.
Rose’s cries intensified pulling Abigail from her thoughts. She hurried to tend to the baby before she woke the other girls. She picked her up and felt her diaper. “Why you are dry as a bone. What’s got you so upset?” she cooed bouncing the baby in her arms. The baby’s dark eyes, full of tears, stared up at her.
Abigail continued to hold the baby close and speak to her in a low soothing tone. Soon, Rose quieted and snuggled into Abigail’s embrace. Abigail sat down in the rocking chair in her room with Rose in her arms and soon the precious baby was sound asleep again.
She kissed the sleeping baby’s head, soft tufts of hair tickled her face. “If it hadn’t been for you, sweet girl, I may have made a very bad decision tonight.” She kissed the baby’s head again and vowed to keep her distance from the man who made her feel things she never thought she would.
Will gathered an armload of firewood and carried it inside the house as quietly as he could. He passed down the hallway and saw a dim light coming from Abigail’s room. He glanced through the doorway on his way to the living room and saw Abigail rocking Baby Rose back to sleep. He wished he could stay and watch, but he’d done enough damage for one night with his boneheaded move to kiss his employee. For that is what Abigail was to him...or what she should be. She was here to temporarily care for his nieces and the last thing he needed to do was push her into leaving sooner. She’d promised to stay until after Christmas and he needed every minute to find someone to take her place. He knew her shoes would be hard to fill and since Christmas was only one week away, he was running out of time.
/> He lay the wood by the fireplace and stoked the fire with several logs. The logs would burn hot for an hour or so and then the coals would simmer until early morning. He returned to the woodpile for a second load refusing to allow his gaze to drift to the doorway where Abigail rocked his baby niece. Once outside in the cold, he quickly grabbed another load of wood. Then he wrestled the canvas tarp back over the rest of the pile as he wrestled his emotions back under his control. He thought he was done with letting a woman past his emotional defenses. Perhaps he was just out of practice. After all, it had only been a little more than a month since he received his divorce from Charlotte, although, it had been nearly half a year since the lying, cheating, manipulating female had been officially banned from his life.
A single snowflake fell to the ground. He looked up at the dark sky and knew they were in for some snow by morning. He shifted the weight of his armload of wood so he could open the back door as quietly as possible. Shucking off his coat, boots, and hat, he left them on the kitchen floor, then padded down the hallway to the living room. He noticed Abigail’s room was quiet and dark. He smiled to himself at the thought of the woman sleeping in that room. “She has never seen real snow.” He marveled at the thought and realized he wanted to make her first snowfall an experience she would never forget.
The fire burned bright and hot and warmed the little house. He had to admit he was a little bit proud of himself. He hadn’t expected to be a surrogate father to his sister’s children, but he was managing to do a pretty good job even if he did say so himself. With Charlotte never wanting children, he just figured he’d never have his own. But through a cruel twist of fate, he was now the father of three little girls.
He set his armload of wood next to the remnants of the first load and grabbed the iron poker. A half dozen jabs at the base of the fire made room for two more logs. That should keep everyone warm until early morning.
Abigail (Angel Creek Christmas Brides Book 12) Page 7
