Both boys grinned and nodded, and Luke had a feeling they didn’t get to go to the grocery very often. He’d be sure to pick them up some candy while they were out.
“You stay right with Mr. Patterson, do you hear?” Kathleen said as they headed out the door.
“Yes, Aunt Kate,” Collin said.
Kate. Luke quite liked that name. He turned and said, “I’ll make sure they do...Kate.”
Her cheeks turned pink when he winked at her and shut the door behind him. Yes, he liked that name just as much as he liked Kathleen. Perhaps it was because he’d come to care for the woman—no matter what her name.
The air inside the halls hadn’t freshened any at all and as he and the boys stepped outside, they all seemed to inhale deeply, even though the air outdoors wasn’t all that fresh, either.
Both boys slipped a hand in each of his and looked up at him. His heart went out to them. Losing a father—even though the man hadn’t deserved the family he had—then finding out they weren’t going to have a baby brother or sister after all, and seeing their mother in such bad shape had to affect them. And yet they looked up at him trustingly, and a familiar protective feeling washed over Luke. He could easily come to care for Kathleen’s family, almost as much as he cared for her. He wanted them all out of the tenements as soon as possible.
They picked up the boys’ mother’s medicine first and then headed for the grocer she used. Collin and Brody were very good in the store, helping him pick the things they were familiar with, pointing out which brands of canned goods his mother used, along with staples.
“Aunt Kate can fry the best potatoes,” Collin said with a sigh.
They weren’t on Kathleen’s list, but he put a bag on the counter along with several other things he could tell the boys might like and that he thought Kathleen might need but not have the money to buy.
He made arrangements for the groceries to be delivered and then let the boys each pick out a stick candy. They grinned as the grocer handed them their choices.
“Thank you, Mr. Patterson!” they both said at the same time.
“You’re welcome.” Luke wondered how long it’d been since they’d had a piece of candy.
They took their time getting home and when they did, it was to find that the groceries had already been delivered. He thought Kathleen might be angry with him for adding to her list, and figured she’d tell him all about it when she sent the boys in to see their mother.
“She’s awake and asking for you,” she told the children.
They hurried into her room and Luke turned to Kathleen, ready for whatever it was she had to say.
But she surprised him. Hands on her hips, she looked at him and shook her head before advancing toward him. “Luke Patterson, you are a good, kind man. It appears the boys let you know of their fondness for fried potatoes.”
“They say you make the best. I wouldn’t mind trying them out.” He grinned at her, relieved that she didn’t appear mad.
He looked down at her as she stood in front of him, and he had the strongest urge yet to pull her into his arms and hold her. But his instincts told him that holding her in his arms the night everything happened had been an exception and she’d permitted it only because of the stress she was feeling at that moment. Kathleen still seemed skittish around him most of the time and he didn’t want to damage the fragile friendship they appeared to be developing.
“Thank you.” Kathleen made an abrupt turn and went back to putting the groceries up. “I’m sure you have things to do, but you may come back for supper, if you’d like.”
“Oh, I’d like. Thank you. What time should I be here?”
“About six, if you can make it by then.”
“I can.”
“Did they thank you for the candy?”
“They did. They are very good boys, Kathleen. You have every reason to be proud of them.”
“They’re pretty special.”
“They are that—just like their aunt Kate. Thank you for the invitation. I’ll see you at six.”
* * *
Rose had asked Kathleen to let the boys come play with her son later that afternoon while Colleen slept and Kathleen took that time to straighten up and wash a few of the boys’ clothes. She was hanging them up on a makeshift line strung out the window when a knock came on the door.
She opened it to find Mrs. Heaton and Violet. It was so good to see them that she fought down the humiliation of having them in this neighborhood and this building, and opened the door wide.
“It’s so good to see you, Kathleen, dear,” Mrs. Heaton said. “We miss you a great deal.”
“I miss you all, too.” And she did. More each day.
“How is your sister, dear?” Mrs. Heaton asked.
“She’s very weak, but I think being home will help her. The boys cheer her up.”
“Where are they?”
“With a neighbor. She has a son Collin’s age and she thought Colleen could rest better if they played with him for a while. They seem to keep wanting to check on her just to make sure she’s here, I think.”
“That’s understandable.”
“Let me make us some tea.”
“We don’t want to make more work for you.”
Kathleen was already putting the kettle on. “It’s not work and I’m ready for a cup. Please take a seat at the table.”
“We’ll join you, then,” Mrs. Heaton said, sitting down at the table. Violet did the same. “We have something we’d like to tell you.”
“Tell me?” Kathleen sat down. “What is it? Not bad news, is it?”
“Oh, no, dear. And we certainly wouldn’t burden you with any more of that right now, even if it were.”
“Then what?” Kathleen couldn’t imagine what it was they wanted to tell her.
“Well, you know we love you at Heaton House.” Mrs. Heaton smiled. “And if you didn’t know, let me assure you we do. We and your coworkers have been very worried about you and your family, too. And, well, none of us want you to worry about money while you are helping out your sister.” She pulled an envelope out of her parasol and placed it on the table. “We all want you to have this.”
“Oh, Mrs. Heaton, I can’t—”
“Kathleen, you can. It’s for your family and we aren’t going to take no for an answer.”
Kathleen looked from one woman to the other.
“Mrs. Heaton is right. We aren’t taking it back, so you might as well accept it and use it to help Colleen and the boys,” Violet reiterated.
Kathleen swallowed around the clump of tears in her throat. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t begin to thank you all for everything you’ve done for us.”
“We just want you to feel free to help your sister, but know that we are already thinking about ways to help her, too.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we can’t tell you just yet. But, Kathleen, we aren’t going to just let you and your sister fend for yourselves. I wish you’d bring them all to Heaton House.”
Kathleen shook her head.
“I am trying to understand why you think it’s best not to. We want you back at Heaton House.”
“Oh, Mrs. Heaton, I’m not sure I’ll be coming back. I—”
“You’ll be back, dear.” Mrs. Heaton reached over and patted her hand. “You’ll be back, if for no other reason than to visit. Don’t think for one moment we’re not going to expect that.”
Kathleen wasn’t sure what to say. Wasn’t sure of anything at that moment except that she loved these two women. They’d become family to her in the short while she’d known them and she couldn’t wait for Colleen to meet them.
Mrs. Heaton pushed the envelope over to her. “Now take this for your family’s sake, Kathleen. Please.”<
br />
“Everyone wanted to contribute, Kathleen,” Violet said. “This will make it easier for you until you can work again.”
Kathleen had no idea when that would be. Colleen had to get much stronger before she could. “Thank you. Please thank everyone for me.”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, Kathleen got up to pour boiling water over the tea leaves in the teapot that’d belonged to her mother and left it to steep before wiping her eyes and turning back to her guests.
“I hope there comes a day when I can repay you by helping others as you’ve all helped me and my family.” Oh, yes, she’d been truly blessed the day she’d been taken to Heaton House.
She turned back to pull down cups and saucers for their tea and tried to get her composure. Thank you, Lord. For all of those who’ve reached out to help, and especially for Mrs. Heaton and Elizabeth...and for Luke.
* * *
Over the next few days, Luke spent his time going back and forth between Heaton House and Kathleen’s sister’s apartment. He’d enjoyed the fried potato supper she’d prepared on Monday and fought the urge to overstay his welcome when he left that night.
Colleen seemed to be improving each day, but still appeared quite fragile. But by the middle of the week she was up and around and had even told Kathleen that she thought she’d be all right if Kathleen needed to go back to work. Mrs. Walsh had offered to help her with the boys.
Now, Luke listened as Kathleen used him as a sounding board.
“I’m not sure what to do. I can’t stay off work indefinitely, but I don’t feel Colleen is well enough to be left alone yet.” Kathleen added some seasonings and stirred the soup she’d put on earlier. “At least with the collection that Mrs. Heaton took up for us, I don’t have to worry about rent for the next month and we can eat. But Mrs. Driscoll can hold my position for me for only so long.”
“Don’t be worrying about it right now. She gave you all of this week off. Take the time, Kathleen.” Luke was afraid that after all she’d been through even before her sister’s near murder, she could easily have a setback herself if she tried to do much more. “Your sister and the boys need you and by Monday you’ll feel better about leaving your sister for the day.”
“That’s true, I will.”
There’d been several meetings in the small parlor at Heaton House about Kathleen and her sister’s situation and the plan for child care homes. Luke knew what was going on because Mrs. Heaton, Violet and Elizabeth had kept him and Michael apprised of the situation, but until they had everything firmed up, he’d promised not to say anything to Kathleen and her sister. And he didn’t want to get their hopes up in case it all fell through. But he prayed daily that the plan would come together and Kathleen and her sister could move out of this neighborhood.
Colleen appeared in the doorway of her small room and Kathleen hurried over to help her to the kitchen table. “Mr. Patterson, it’s good to see you. I believe I’ve been sleeping my life away these past few days. Kathleen tells me you’ve been keeping my boys in treats. Thank you.”
“It’s been my pleasure. You have good boys, Mrs. Sullivan.”
“Please, call me Colleen. Mrs. Sullivan makes me feel old.”
And probably reminded her of the husband who nearly killed her, he thought. “Colleen it is. And I’m Luke.”
He didn’t want anyone feeling he should be invited to eat each night and thought that Kathleen’s sister would feel more comfortable if he left. She did have better color now, but he could tell from the sorrow in her eyes and the way she wrapped her arms around her middle that she mourned the baby she’d lost, possibly the husband, too, and she still had pain from the gunshot wound. But these two sisters were made of tough stock and he prayed the Lord would ease their burdens.
“I’d best be on my way.” Luke got up and headed toward the door. “I told Mrs. Heaton I’d be there for dinner tonight. I’ve imposed on you enough this week.”
“You’ve done nothing of the sort. You’ve been a great help and the boys love having you around,” Kathleen said, walking him to the door. “But we take up enough of your time.”
“No, I believe it’s the other way around. I know it goes against your grain to let me help, but you’ve been very gracious in letting me.” He grinned and winked at her when he was sure Colleen wasn’t looking. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Luke, you don’t have to—”
“I know. But I’ll see you tomorrow anyway.”
He finally won a smile.
“See you then. Good night.”
“Good night, Kathleen.”
He spoke to several people as he passed their apartments on his way to the stairs. And he’d gotten used to the stuffiness and the smells—well, maybe not totally. What he’d learned was not to breathe deeply until he reached the street, and found it helped a lot.
He walked outside amid people trying to escape both the heat and the odors, he supposed, and walked as fast as he could over to Third Avenue and toward Gramercy Park, taking deep breaths of the fresh air. He hated leaving Kathleen and her family in the tenements more each time he had to.
Seeing them up close on a daily basis, even getting to know some of the tenants, had given him new insight and understanding of the struggles most of them faced. While he’d never use the names of Kathleen and her family, or those he was getting to know, their plight lent new energy to the writing of his book and he’d been staying up late into the night working on it.
But the days and early evenings, he saved for Kathleen and her family. He’d come to look forward to visiting with Collin and Brody, and Colleen, too, when she felt up to it. The hardest thing was leaving them and coming back to Heaton House.
Much as he loved living there, it felt lonely to him without Kathleen’s presence and the few hours he spent with her and her family weren’t the same as seeing her first thing in the morning at the breakfast table and again in the evening for dinner and then spending time in the parlor after dinner. He missed the outings they’d had and—
Luke sighed. Kathleen had to do what she could to help her family. He knew that and his esteem for her grew daily. She never complained, never whined about how her life had changed. And yet he was sure she wondered what the future held for her and her family.
He wondered the same. And he wanted to fix it all, only he didn’t know how. And even once Mrs. Heaton’s plan was put into place, he didn’t know if Kathleen would be moving back to Heaton House or not.
He arrived home just in time for dinner and took his seat, trying not to think of Kathleen’s empty one beside him. Nor did he want to compare the meal Mrs. Heaton served to the simple one Kathleen’s family would be eating.
When Elizabeth asked about Kathleen and her family he was more than glad to talk about them.
“The boys seem to be doing all right and Kathleen’s sister was up when I left there. But I hope your plan comes together soon, Mrs. Heaton. I’d surely like to see them get out of there.”
“That may be sooner than you think, Luke,” Mrs. Heaton said. “We had a meeting today. Thanks to word getting out and Elizabeth’s and John’s articles, several business leaders have heard of our idea and, well, we’re getting some good backing. Our initial plan to help Kathleen and her family is going to end up helping many others in the same predicament.”
“What’s happened?”
“We’ve begun looking for a house for the first child care arrangement. I’m going to talk to Kathleen and her sister tomorrow about it, but if Colleen thinks she’ll be able to run it, she’ll get the first one. And we’ll have to find another woman who needs to provide for herself or her family to help. It will provide a home for two different families and at the same time provide care for others who must work outside the home. We still have to decide how many children each home will be able to care for.”
“What about Kathleen?”
“We have an offer for her, if she’ll take it. We need someone who can find out which families have a real need for what we’re doing, as well as who can run a child care home.”
“But what about her job?”
“Clara says this would be a much better position. The salary will be more than Kathleen is making now or anytime in the future, according to Clara. And we’ve been asked to come up with someone who can relate to what those living in the tenements are going through in their day-to-day lives. Who better to fill that position than Kathleen?”
“I certainly can’t think of anyone,” Luke said. Still, he didn’t like the idea of her having to be in the tenements on a regular basis. But if she didn’t have to live there... “Will Kathleen be living at the home with Colleen?”
Mrs. Heaton shook her head. “No. She’d come back here. We all know how devoted she is to her family and that is all well and good. But it’s doubtful there will be enough room. And even if there is, Clara and I believe Kathleen needs to have a life of her own. She’ll be able to see her sister and nephews anytime she wants. She just won’t have to feel responsible for all their needs.”
“When will you be presenting the plan to her?”
“First thing tomorrow.”
“Good.” For the first time in days Luke felt the heaviness in his chest lift. If his prayers were answered, Kathleen would soon be moving back to Heaton House.
Chapter Ten
After Mrs. Heaton and Violet’s visit, Kathleen knew something was in the works to help her family, but she wasn’t sure what. When Mrs. Heaton sent word by Luke that she and the ladies would like to bring lunch to her and Colleen on Saturday, Kathleen had a feeling they were about to find out more.
Luke had asked if he could take the boys to Central Park and fly kites with them, since the weather was unseasonably warm, and of course Colleen had agreed. They were all becoming fond of Luke, and the boys loved going on outings with him.
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