The Gift of Twins

by Gabrielle Meyer

  Her trunks were now in the attic, with two long flights of stairs in between. She’d taken only the necessary items she’d need, but she suspected she’d make that trek up the stairs several times a day.

  With a final glance around the room to make sure her few items were in their place, she entered the kitchen at the same moment as a young lady she’d yet to meet.

  “Hello,” Emmy said. “You must be Rachel.”

  “And you must be Emmy.” Rachel set a pile of folded towels on a worktable and smiled. “Welcome to Little Falls.”

  Rachel was not a girl, after all, but a young woman in her midtwenties with shiny black hair and large brown eyes. If Emmy wasn’t mistaken, she, like Ben, had Indian heritage, though her English was flawless and lacked any hint of accent. She was a beautiful woman, and Emmy wondered for a fleeting moment why she wasn’t married.

  “I’m sorry to intrude on your space,” Emmy said, indicating the small room.

  “I don’t mind. It’s nice to have another lady in the house again.” She opened a cabinet door and placed the towels inside. “They come and go so fast.”

  “Is Mrs. Hubbard close at hand?” Emmy moved through the kitchen, not wanting to intrude on yet another room Rachel occupied.

  “She’s in the parlor, setting her feet up.” Rachel smiled. “I told her to take a little break with that baby coming any day.”

  “Thank you.” Emmy left the kitchen and walked down the long hall to the foyer. She didn’t want to bother Mrs. Hubbard if she was resting, but it was important to find a room to work, and the sooner the better. With school starting in two short days, she needed to prepare.

  The parlor was beautifully decorated with floral wallpaper, wide plank flooring painted blue and a large piano in the corner.

  Mrs. Hubbard sat in a chair near a window, a sewing project in hand, while three men sat at a table in the opposite corner, a card game between them. When Emmy entered, the men immediately stood.

  “Sit yourselves down,” Mrs. Hubbard said to the men. “She probably didn’t come to see you.”

  Emmy smiled at Mrs. Hubbard and nodded an acknowledgment to the men, who listened to their landlady and stayed on their side of the room.

  “What can I do for you, Miss Wilkes?”

  The front door opened, letting in a gust of wind and snow. A man walked over the threshold with two boys in tow, holding hands.

  “Ben?” Mrs. Hubbard rose from the chair, holding the small of her back as she stood.

  Ben ushered the boys into the house and then closed the door behind them. They stood like little statues, their eyes wide beneath the felt brims of their flat caps.

  The pastor took off his knit cap and held it in his hand, nodding a greeting to Emmy before turning his attention to Mrs. Hubbard.

  “Who are these lads?” Mrs. Hubbard asked.

  Ben glanced at the boys, and then stepped around them, coming into the parlor. He spoke quietly. “Their aunt just left them with me.”

  “Are they your relation?”

  Ben shook his head, his eyes filled with concern. “I’ve never met them or their aunt before. She left them with only their names and the clothes on their back. I don’t know who she is, or where she is going. The only thing I know is the name of their pa.”

  “Well, I’ll be.” Mrs. Hubbard looked around Ben. “They’re cute little ones.”

  Emmy caught the eye of the blond-haired boy and smiled. He looked at her with soulful eyes, but didn’t return her smile. How frightened they must be.

  “What will you do?” Mrs. Hubbard asked.

  “I don’t know.” Ben clenched his cap and glanced from Emmy to Mrs. Hubbard. “That’s why I came here.”

  “It seems the good Lord is full of all kinds of surprises today,” Mrs. Hubbard said with a smile in Emmy’s direction. “Never a dull moment in these parts.”

  “What will you do?” Emmy asked.

  Ben swallowed and looked at the boys again. They glanced up at him, quiet as mice. “I’ll need to find them somewhere to live.”

  “I wish I could help,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “But Timothy and I have more than we can manage now.”

  “I understand.” Ben nodded. “I wouldn’t ask you to care for them, but is there anyone else you can think of?”

  Mrs. Hubbard pursed her lips as she looked from one boy to the next. “I don’t know of a single family who could take the pair of them—and I don’t think they’d like to be separated.”

  The boys locked hands even tighter than before.

  Ben shook his head. “I would never separate them.”

  Mrs. Hubbard sighed. “Then there’s only one thing to do.”

  Ben watched her, waiting.

  “Keep them yourself.”

  Emmy’s eyebrows rose as she looked to Ben for his reaction. She didn’t doubt his capability—but was his life conducive to raising a family?

  “What?” Ben asked.

  “Widow Carver was by here last week,” Mrs. Hubbard said. “Since Stan passed, she’s been mighty lonesome in that house by herself. Her oldest daughter is expecting her first child come New Year’s, and Mrs. Carver plans to go to her—but she’s not needed until then. Perhaps she’d consider keeping house for you, until you can create a more permanent arrangement.”

  Ben frowned, his eyes hooded as he studied the boys, deep in thought. “I visited Mrs. Carver a couple weeks ago and sensed she was lonely.” He took a step toward the boys and they looked up at him. They didn’t warm to his nearness, but they didn’t cower, either. It would take them some time to come to know and trust this unexpected guardian.

  “I think I’ll visit with Mrs. Carver again and ask if she’d consider such a request.” Ben nodded, lifting his shoulders. “That might be just what we all need—for now.”

  “If she’s willing, it will give you some time to think and plan for the future.” Mrs. Hubbard smiled at the boys. “Give you all time to pray.”

  Ben continued to nod, as if he was trying to wrap his mind around this change of events. “Thank you for your advice, Pearl.”

  “You’re always welcome.”

  Emmy took a step forward, eager to meet the boys and try to put them at ease. “I’m Miss Wilkes, the new teacher,” she said in her kindest voice. “Have you been to school?”

  The boys shook their heads, but it was the one with blond hair that spoke up. “I know all my numbers and letters, and I can spell Zeb’s name.”

  Zeb smiled at his brother, admiration in his eyes. “Levi’s smart.”

  “I’m sure you’re both smart.” Emmy bent to look them in the eyes. “I’d love to see you at school on Monday. We’ll have fun learning how to read and write. Would you like that?”

  The boys looked at each other, and then Zeb glanced up at Ben, a question in his eyes.

  “I think school’s a fine idea.” Ben put his cap back in place, his handsome brown eyes filled with appreciation. “We’ll see you first thing Monday morning.”

  “Hopefully you’ll see me at church tomorrow first.” Emmy straightened and gave him a reassuring smile. “I’d be happy to sit with the boys during the service.”

  Relief washed over his features as he put his hands on the boys’ shoulders. “We’ll plan on that.”

  Ben said his goodbyes and then left with Zeb and Levi.

  “Well, what do you think about that?” Mrs. Hubbard shook her head. “Ben Lahaye, raising a set of twin boys.”

  “It is a strange turn of events,” Emmy conceded, wishing she could help the pastor in some way. “I imagine he’ll have a lot of adjusting to do in the coming weeks.”

  “He’ll need help, that’s for sure.”

  Emmy glanced out the window and watched Ben walk away with the boys. One slipped on the ice, b
ut Ben reached out and grabbed him before he fell.

  As she watched them, her heart tugged at the tender scene. If things had gone differently with her and William, perhaps they would have had children close to that age by now. Instead of Ben, she would be watching William walking in the snow with their children.

  Tears threatened to gather in her eyes, but she forced them away, nibbling on her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. It had been almost a year since she’d given up the melancholy of losing her fiancé. At that time, she’d set her mind to fulfilling their dreams, even if William was not there with her—and that’s what she was doing, she was living her life in the West. She just prayed it would be everything she’d always hoped and imagined.

  Chapter Four

  On Monday morning, Ben trudged through the snow before the sun had crested the eastern horizon. His breath billowed out in a cloud of white as he turned and glanced at Zeb and Levi who followed behind, their mitted hands clasped together. Levi’s pants were about an inch too short, and a hole in Zeb’s pants showed his knobby knee. Ben wished he had found proper clothing for them before they started school, but there hadn’t been time. Sundays were always a busy day for him, and especially so with two little boys in tow. If Mrs. Carver came to live with them, he’d ask her to sew them a new set of clothes immediately.

  The school was only three blocks up Main Street from Ben’s front door, but with the snowdrifts and the boys lagging, it took much longer than he’d anticipated.

  “We’re almost there,” Ben said over his shoulder.

  The boys didn’t respond. They had been quiet since their aunt had left them and they only spoke when spoken to. Ben had used every conceivable idea to draw them out and so had the ladies in the church. When Charlotte and Abram had invited them to lunch yesterday, the boys had sat in the kitchen with the grown-ups, while the Cooper children played in the other room.

  More than anything, Ben wanted them to feel safe in his care—but he knew better than to expect too much, too soon. It had taken him months, years really, to get used to his life at the mission when Father left. And, as soon as he’d come to accept the Ayers as his guardians, there had been an ambush by the Dakota and the Ayers had fled for their lives, leaving Ben with the Chippewa missionary, John Johnson. He’d felt abandoned all over again, and it had led him to rebellion and the darkest moments of his life.

  He shook off the memories as he spotted the schoolhouse just ahead. A lantern was lit within the white clapboard building and smoke puffed out of the chimney. He’d hoped to get to the school before Emmy to start the fire and haul in wood for the day, but he wasn’t surprised to find her already there.

  A movement behind the school caught Ben’s eye. Emmy was wrapped in the scarf and cap he’d lent her, and she was filling her arms with wood.

  Seeing her again sent a warm sensation straight through Ben’s chest. It had been a pleasant, if somewhat unnerving, experience to see her shining face in the congregation yesterday. His gaze had returned to her several times, and each time he’d looked at her pretty face, he’d had a hard time concentrating on his sermon.

  He smiled now as he watched her determination. She tried to pile the wood high, but she’d have to return to the pile three or four times to have enough wood for the school day.

  “Come, boys,” Ben said. “Let’s help Teacher bring in the wood.”

  The boys followed obediently around the schoolhouse and into the back lot where a pile of wood had been stacked earlier that fall by members of the community.

  Emmy didn’t notice their arrival as she continued to stack the wood precariously on her arms. She turned, and swayed under the cumbersome weight, but Ben reached out and put a steady hand on her elbow.

  “Whoa, there,” he said.

  “Oh, my!” She startled at his touch and the wood cascaded from her arms.

  “I’m sorry.” Ben still held her arm to steady her. “I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

  She was breathing heavy and her cheeks were pink from exertion. Her free hand came up and rested over her heart. “I was so preoccupied with my chore I didn’t hear you arrive.”

  Ben reached down and picked up the wood one piece at a time. He could carry three times as much as her, but he didn’t want her to feel incompetent. “The boys and I are here to help. I should have made our presence known a bit sooner.”

  She straightened her cap and smiled at the boys. “Good morning.”

  Ben handed a stick of firewood to Zeb. “Hold out your arms.”

  Zeb obeyed and Ben stacked three pieces in his grasp.

  “Your turn, Levi,” Ben said.

  “I can hold more than three.” Zeb puffed out his chest.

  “Zeb’s strong,” Levi said to Ben. “He’s stronger than anyone I know.”

  Emmy smiled as she started to gather more wood.

  “One more piece, then,” Ben said with a serious nod, though he caught Emmy’s eye and smiled. “Now you, Levi.”

  Levi took a few pieces and then Ben filled his own arms.

  “Thank you,” Emmy said to all three of them. “But you didn’t need to bother.”

  They followed her into the back of the school and filled the wood box near the door.

  “We’ll plan to get here before you tomorrow and have all the chores done,” Ben said. “It’s the least we can do.”

  Emmy’s eyes showed her appreciation as she shook her head. “I don’t expect such treatment. I’m capable to do the work required of the teacher.”

  “We’d like to help.” Ben looked at the boys, who stared at the schoolroom with a bit of awe. “Wouldn’t we like to help, boys?”

  Zeb glanced toward Ben and nodded, but Levi didn’t seem to hear Ben. He took a step away from his brother and looked at the shelf full of primers.

  Emmy’s gaze followed Levi and she watched him for a moment, a knowing look on her face.

  “I’ll fetch more wood and then bring in fresh water,” Ben told her.

  Emmy looked his way. “I’d be happy to fetch more wood.”

  “No need.” Ben stepped outside before she could protest and returned to the woodpile.

  The sun peeked over the horizon when Ben entered the school with the last load of wood. He filled the water buckets and then put more wood in the stove as the first children arrived outside the schoolhouse, their conversation and laughter filling the air.

  “Boys, you’ll need to go outside until Miss Wilkes rings the school bell,” Ben said to the boys. “You can join the other children in their games.”

  Zeb and Levi looked at one another, apprehension in their green eyes.

  “It won’t be long.” Emmy stood in front of the chalkboard, a piece of dusty chalk in hand. “I’ll ring the bell in about fifteen minutes.”

  The boys walked quietly toward the door, in no apparent hurry.

  “I’ll be back to pick you up at the end of the day,” Ben said as they slipped outside. Zeb glanced at Ben before he closed the door, his sad eyes filled with uncertainty.

  Ben let out a sigh. “It’ll take them time to trust me.”

  “I’m afraid you’re right—but you’re off to a great start.”

  He turned and met her gaze. “I’m heading to Mrs. Carver’s to see if she’ll agree to keep house for me.”

  “I hope she’ll say yes.” She smiled, and the light in her eyes made him want to stay right where he was for the rest of the day, but she looked at her pocket watch and then glanced out the window, and he knew it was time to leave.

  “I need to get going,” Ben said quickly. “I’ll see you later this afternoon.”

  “Goodbye.”

  Ben left the school, looking around for Zeb and Levi. They stood off to the side, alone, as they watched the other children laugh and play. He hated to
see them excluded, but there was little he could do. They weren’t like the other children, nestled into warm and loving families. They were twice abandoned, living with a man they didn’t know, in a town they’d probably never heard of. The other children didn’t seem to notice them, and the boys didn’t try to join the games.

  Maybe, given time, they would warm up to the other students—but by then, they’d probably be back with their father and need to readjust all over again.

  * * *

  That evening, Emmy wanted nothing more than a quiet corner, a comfortable chair and a good book. Instead, she sat awkwardly on the bed she shared with Rachel, her feet hanging off the edge, and her back against the hard wall. In place of a good book, she held a large tome titled: A School Atlas of Physical Geography, while balancing a piece of paper on another book on her lap to take notes. Her handwriting was wobbly and her patience waning.

  Supper had been an exhausting affair filled with eager young men all clamoring for her attention. They begged her to stay in the parlor afterward, but she had returned to her room to study. Though she was in the back of the house, she could still hear the piano music and boisterous laughter from the front.

  “What is the point in studying?” she asked herself as she closed the atlas with a thud.

  “Miss Emmy?” Rachel opened their door and peeked inside. “There’s coffee and cookies if you’d like some refreshment.”

  “What I’d like is to prepare my lessons for tomorrow.”

  “I’m sorry, I’ll leave you in peace,” Rachel said, closing the door.

  “Oh, no!” Emmy scrambled off the bed and opened the door, embarrassment warming her cheeks. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I didn’t mean for you to think you’re the problem.” It had been a long first day of school and things had not gone smoothly. From Mr. Samuelson’s daughters, who treated her like an imposter, to the Trask twins who had been teased by the other children, she’d had her hands full just dealing with discipline. It had taken most of the day to test the children and see where their strengths and weaknesses were, and she’d been disheartened to realize they were farther behind than most their age. Was it because they hadn’t had consistent teachers? “Maybe I do need some refreshments.”