Destined for You

by Tracie Peterson

  “Good morning, darling girl,” Gloriana declared, lifting Sally from the cradle. The baby calmed immediately. “Let’s get you washed up and into some dry clothes.”

  She unwrapped the baby from her blankets and swaddling. Sally kicked her legs and flailed her arms a bit, happy for the freedom she’d suddenly achieved. The room was chilly, though, so Gloriana lost little time getting the infant changed and redressed.

  “We’re going to church today, because it’s Christmas,” she told the baby. She had chosen an embroidered white gown that the child’s mother had made for her. There were little rosebuds sewn into the bodice.

  “Just in case it’s a girl,” Sally had told Gloriana. “If it’s a boy, I can always take them off.”

  “Your mama made this gown for you,” Gloriana whispered. “She’s not here to tell you about it, but I am. And I won’t let you forget her.”

  Baby Sally began to fuss again, as if bored with the entire matter. Food was her number one ambition now that she was warm and dry.

  “All right. I know what you want, but I haven’t even gotten dressed yet myself.” Gloriana decided it would be better to see Sally content than to worry about her own attire for the moment. She took the baby with her to the living room, collecting the bottle from the kitchen on the way.

  Sally’s eyes widened and her mouth started working before the leather nipple even reached her lips. Gloriana laughed at her. “You little piggy. At least wait until I can put a towel under the bottle.” She wanted to protect the gown Sally’s mother had worked so hard on.

  Gloriana arranged everything just so and sat in the rocking chair by the fire. Finally, they were settled and the baby was content. Just then, however, a knock sounded at the door. A moment of panic washed over Gloriana. It would be Luke. She wasn’t dressed, and her hair wasn’t pinned up or even brushed out. She hated to let Luke see her this way but felt she had little choice. If she didn’t call him in, he’d just keep knocking.

  “Come in.”

  Luke entered as if he owned the place. He had two big bags in his arms. One looked to be full of wrapped gifts and the other held food. “I’m glad you’re up. I couldn’t wait a minute longer. When I saw the fireplace smoking, I knew I had to bring this stuff over.”

  “I’m barely up. I haven’t even had a chance to dress or arrange my hair.”

  He smiled at her. “It looks good down. But don’t you worry about me. I’ve got all of this figured out. I want to get the presents under the tree before JT wakes up. He is still asleep, isn’t he?” He glanced toward the hall.

  “He is. It’s just us girls so far this morning.”

  “Good. That serves my purpose quite well.” He set down the bags and immediately began pulling gifts from the larger of the two.

  “What in the world did you do, buy out the store?” Gloriana couldn’t believe all the packages that Luke was putting under the tree.

  “I know it’s a lot, but call me sentimental. I got some of it here in town, and some of it I had my secretary pick up in St. Paul. I can’t imagine poor Mr. Sedgwick trying to procure some of these things, but it honestly never dawned on me that it might be an embarrassment for him until he was already well on his way.”

  “An embarrassment? Goodness, Luke, what did you buy that would be embarrassing?”

  “Just some clothes and things like that. I want you to have everything you need.”

  Gloriana had never had a man shop for her. Not for clothes, anyway. Her father usually left all of that kind of shopping to Mama, and Mama generally made the things they wore. Even their undergarments.

  Luke continued putting gifts under the tree while Gloriana fed Sally. Neither chore took long, and when Sally was done, Gloriana set the bottle aside and got to her feet just as Luke grabbed the second bag and headed to the kitchen.

  She watched him for a moment while burping Sally. He was completely at ease pulling a variety of cakes and pies from the bag. He held up a slab of bacon and a small basket of eggs. “I didn’t know if you had any, so I brought extra.”

  She nodded but didn’t bother to comment, as he was already continuing.

  “I have some of those wonderful Swedish doughnuts. I ordered them when we were there after cutting down the tree. I told the woman I needed them for Christmas morning and paid her extra to drop them off to me. I could see she thought I was crazy. But maybe we could make our own pot of chocolate.”

  “Of course.” Gloriana laughed as he filled the table with more food than she’d ever seen for Christmas morning.

  “What’s going on?” JT asked, yawning as he padded down the hall in his nightgown and heavy knit socks. It seemed to dawn on him all at once that it was Christmas. He raced to the tree, and Gloriana watched as his mouth dropped open. “There are so many presents!”

  “Yes, but it will all wait until after church,” she warned, “so you’d best go get dressed.”

  JT looked at her and nodded. “You gotta get dressed too.”

  Gloriana smiled. “I do. Come, Sally, you can help me.”

  It took her longer to comb through her tangled curls than to dress. She was anxious about going to church. She hadn’t been there since the memorial. No doubt people were talking. They had probably already formed their judgments about her and Luke living so close to each other and raising Luke’s niece together. But the child needed someone to care for her and keep her safe. There was nothing strange about that.

  Gloriana did up the buttons on her green wool skirt, then pulled on the matching jacket. It was one of only two outfits she ever wore for church. She’d never had more than one or two dressy things. There simply had never been the money for it. Now she wondered what Luke had purchased for her. How would he even know the right sizes?

  They made their way to the church in Luke’s new carriage, and all the way, Gloriana couldn’t help but feel like they were a proper family. They were comfortable and happy with each other. It reminded her of days so long ago when she had walked to church with Mama and Papa and the others.

  Church was crowded, and when Gloriana entered with the baby in her arms, she was immediately set upon by friends who had been worried about her.

  “Gloriana, you look so pale. Are you ill?” one woman asked.

  Another commented, “You’re so thin. You must be working much too hard taking care of that baby.”

  “How are you getting by without your father? We’ve heard that Mr. Carson is paying you to care for his niece.”

  The chatter went on without Gloriana even being able to reply.

  “We’ve missed you so much, my dear,” Mrs. Sedgwick declared, coming to save Gloriana from the onslaught. “Sit with me.”

  Luke and JT trailed up the aisle behind Gloriana as the pastor’s wife took charge. Gloriana took her seat with the baby, and Luke and JT joined her. Luke had the good sense to put JT between them. Gloriana couldn’t help but feel the entire church was whispering about them.

  She raised her chin. Let them think what they would. She’d done nothing wrong. God knew the truth, even if she felt at odds with Him at the moment.

  The thought surprised her. God had always been a safe harbor for her, a refuge in times of trouble, but this time she had made Him the enemy.

  Everything in her soul rose up against that. He wasn’t the enemy. Still, what did she do with a God who seemed so indifferent to her pain?

  The service was short. Pastor Sedgwick prayed a blessing on them after sharing his hopes for their new year and the love that he and Mrs. Sedgwick felt for the congregation. To her surprise, it was announced that the ladies’ committee had set up a Christmas pounding for them. Each of the congregants had brought pounds of flour, sugar, salt, and coffee to gift the Sedgwicks. There were other things too—jars of jellies and vegetables, as well as fish. Gloriana felt bad that she hadn’t known about it.

  When the service concluded, it looked as if Gloriana would be set upon by the nosy women of the church again. Luke seemed mindful of t
his, however, and whisked her and JT from the church. He had them loaded in the carriage and headed home before too many people could react.

  “Can we open presents now?” JT asked when they reached the house.

  “Of course.” Luke laughed. “I won’t make you wait anymore.”

  “I would like it if you would change out of your good clothes,” Gloriana told him.

  JT moaned, but the second the carriage stopped, he jumped out and raced for the house.

  Luke laughed. “I have to go to the livery to leave the horses and carriage. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  “It seems like an awful lot of trouble for a short ride to church.”

  “Not when you care about someone.” Luke met her eyes and winked.

  Gloriana’s breath caught in her throat. She hugged Sally closer, much to the baby’s dislike. “Speaking of which, I’d better get the baby down for a nap.”

  “She has Christmas presents too,” he said, smiling. “Maybe you could let her open a few first.”

  Gloriana nodded. “Maybe a few, although I’m sure she won’t care.”

  When they gathered at the tree a half hour later, Luke had already put food in the oven and started frying bacon on the stove. Gloriana was starved, and as the bacon began to pop and sizzle, she found herself far more focused on food than gifts. Still, she was excited to give Luke his present. She had also managed to get JT a nice present—at least she hoped he’d think so. It wasn’t a toy, so it was hard to gauge.

  “Here’s a present from me to you,” Luke said, handing JT a small package.

  JT opened the box and found his Christmas ornament with the etching of a dog. He looked at Luke in confusion. “Why did you wrap this?”

  “Luke and I discussed it and think it’s time for you to have your own dog,” Gloriana said. “Papa was already considering getting you one for your next birthday.”

  “A dog? A real dog?” JT was so excited that he began to dance around the room. “When can we get him?”

  “Captain Johnson said their collie had puppies at Thanksgiving. He thought they’d be ready to leave their mother by the end of January. You get first pick of the litter.”

  “Oh boy!”

  Luke grew serious. “But remember, there is a lot of work in training a puppy.”

  JT nodded. “Will you show me how to take care of him?”

  “Of course.” Luke smiled. “I’ve already started building him a doghouse.”

  JT put the box down and went to embrace him. “It will make me think of you and Papa.” He wrapped his little arms around Luke’s waist and hugged him tight.

  Gloriana smiled at the tender moment.

  Luke moved on and drew out a package for the baby. “I hope this will fit.”

  Between Sally trying to eat the paper and Gloriana doing her best to unwrap it in a neat order, the entire affair was comical. When the gift was revealed, Gloriana gasped. It was a beautiful pink gown with a white lace overlay.

  “This is beautiful, Luke. It’s too big for now, but it will be perfect soon enough.”

  He handed her another package. “This is a bonnet to go with it.”

  Gloriana had an easier time of unwrapping this, as Sally was preoccupied with the paper from the first gift. The bonnet was also a little big but matched the dress perfectly. “Luke, this is so beautiful. I know Sally will look sweet in it.”

  “And this one is for you.”

  It was a large box, and Gloriana couldn’t manage it and the baby at the same time. “You’ll have to take Sally,” she told Luke.

  He did so, and Gloriana lifted the box from the floor. It was tied with ribbon, so she quickly unfastened it and opened the lid. Inside was a heavy wool coat trimmed in fur.

  “Luke, it’s beautiful!” she gasped. She stood and pulled the coat from the box. “I’ve never had anything so grand.”

  “Try it on.” He was clearly pleased at her joy.

  She slipped into the coat and pulled it close around her. “It’s perfect and so warm. Thank you.”

  Luke nudged a similar box toward JT. “I have something in this one for you.”

  JT tore into the box and pulled out a black wool coat. “Thank you, Luke.” He wasn’t nearly as enthralled with it as Gloriana was with hers.

  “In keeping with the idea of warmth and protection,” Gloriana said, reaching for two packages, “I have these for you two.” She handed one package to Luke and the other to JT.

  They quickly opened them to reveal blue wool sweaters.

  “I made them. Originally they were for Papa and JT,” she explained. “Fishermen rely on their sweaters, and the women here have their own patterns for each family. This is the Womack pattern.”

  “I’m honored.” Luke held up the sweater and marveled at the work. “This is so heavy. I’m sure it’s very warm.”

  “They are,” JT told him. “Nothing warmer. But they smell because you don’t wash them. The wool has special oils on it from the sheep, and that makes them waterproof. So you don’t wash them. You wear one of these sweaters and your coat, and you’ll never even feel the wind. Except for your face. That gets cold.”

  Luke chuckled. “I’m sure.”

  The rounds of gift-giving continued. It was casual and lovely, and Gloriana found herself wishing the morning would never end.

  “We have a present for you, Luke,” JT said, bringing the wooden box from Gloriana’s room.

  “I apologize for a lack of wrapping, but the cost seemed frivolous,” she said, looking at the waste of boxes and paper in her front room. At least some of the paper could be saved, and the boxes would be useful for storage.

  JT handed the gift to Luke. “I hope you like it. It was my idea.”

  Luke opened the lid. “A compass. How beautiful.”

  “And useful,” JT declared.

  Gloriana could see Luke was pleased. “Some people around here say that a man only needs a Bible and a compass to always go the right direction,” she said.

  Luke smiled. “Sounds quite right.”

  “We thought the bigger compass could be something to place in your office as a reminder,” she continued. She glanced toward Sally, who had fallen asleep without any concern about her gifts. Gloriana turned back to JT. “I have one more thing for you.”

  She slipped off to her room and reached under the bed for a small wooden box. She hoped JT would be happy with what was inside.

  “Here you are,” she said, rejoining the men.

  JT looked at the box. It was about twelve inches across and maybe six inches deep. He opened the hinged lid and looked inside. “What’s this?”

  “A memory box,” Gloriana said, smiling. “See, here is a letter Mama wrote to Papa once when he had to be far away. And this is a little hair comb Papa carved for Mama long ago. There are other bits and pieces from our family that will always remind you of them. You can add to it over the years whenever something special happens.” She held up a small blue stone that had been tied to a leather thong. “Papa could never afford jewels for Mama, but he made this for her the day you were born.”

  JT took it from her and looked it over. “It’s sea glass. See how frosted it is?”

  “Papa found it while walking and waiting for you to be born,” Gloriana said, pleased that he seemed so in awe of the gift.

  He cradled the box close. “I’ll always love it.”

  Pleasure coursed through her heart. She had longed to give him something of their family to hold on to—something tangible. “I’m glad you feel that way, little brother.” She kissed his curls. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m starving and intend to eat—even if I need to do so by myself.”

  “I’m hungry too,” JT said, putting the necklace back in the box. “And I want to play with the things Luke got me.” He looked at Luke. “Thank you for my soldiers and for the puppy. I wish we could have him today.”

  Luke smiled. “There’s one more gift to give. JT, I believe you have a present for your sist
er.”

  JT’s mouth dropped open and he nodded with great enthusiasm. “I do!” Luke handed the boy a small box. “This is for you, Glory,” JT said with pride. “I earned some money helping Luke and got you this.”

  “I surely don’t need even one more thing. Luke has already been more than generous with the boots, coat, hat, gloves, and gowns. Goodness, I don’t know when I’ve ever had so many clothes.”

  “Well, you need clothes,” JT declared. “This is just for fun.”

  She opened the little box and gasped. “It’s . . . it’s lovely.” She pulled out the gold locket cameo and opened it.

  “Luke said one day we’ll get you some special photograph to put inside,” JT assured her.

  She hugged JT close. “Thank you, I’ll cherish it forever.” She looked at Luke. “Thank you for everything. You’ve blessed us in so many ways. We might not have even had food on the table but for your generosity. Thank God you came along when you did.”

  He smiled. “Thanking God, are you? That’s a good thing to hear.”

  She stiffened, then let her guard down again. “Be patient with me.”

  “For as long as I have breath.”

  Chapter 14

  Martin Carson sipped strong coffee and reconsidered his son’s letter. Luke’s message, though sparse with details, made clear the circumstances of his situation.

  The baby, a little girl who is named for her mother, is healthy and happy. Upon her deathbed, Sally asked that her dear friend, Gloriana Womack, and I take charge of the child and raise her in a manner that would have pleased Scott. We have done this, and I’m pleased to say that Sally Marie Carson is a strong and vital child.

  He set the letter aside and considered the situation, as he had done nearly every minute since receiving the letter two days earlier. It was January, and the baby was nearing four months in age. Martin had started planning what all that would require. Certainly a nurse who had training to care for infants. An entire nursery wing that could house the nurse and babe as well. There was the old nursery upstairs, but it would need to be completely redone.