The Orphans' Blessing

by Lorraine Beatty

  “He’s not. I think he’s overprotective of the children. I don’t blame him for that. It’s his resistance to me being part of the family that’s troublesome.”

  “What’s he look like?”

  Sophie smiled. Angela was all about the attractive quotient. “He’s tall, a little over six feet, I guess, with broad shoulders, trim and fit. His hair is dark brown, almost black. He keeps it short. Brown eyes, intelligent, probing, but they soften each time he looks at one of the children.”

  “Uh, girlfriend, he sounds yummy.”

  “He’s attractive, I guess, but I’m not looking for any kind of relationship and I’m positive I’m not his type.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I just know. My only concern right now is the children. I just want to find a way to connect with Zach so I can be part of the family. I’m so tired of being alone, of having no one.”

  Sophie hated the break in her voice. Thankfully, Angela understood. Was there any way Sophie could penetrate Zach’s shell and not feel like a stranger who was intruding into the children’s lives? “He doesn’t even know the children’s birthdays.”

  “Maybe he’s not family material.”

  “Then maybe he shouldn’t be their guardian.”

  “Give it time, Sophie. You’ll work it out.”

  Sophie ended the call hoping her friend was right.

  Chapter Five

  Zach slid his phone into his pocket, then headed out the back door a few days later. He’d hoped to have more charter flights from Hank, but his regular pilots were covering the schedule which left little to a part timer like him. At this rate he’d never earn a paycheck. And working as a flight instructor for the county airfield didn’t pay well either. He needed a full-time job.

  He’d applied for several helicopter openings locally. The position with the forestry company had already been filled. That left the energy company and the pilot job for the county hospital helicopter emergency evacuation team. He’d made follow-up calls to both but there’d been nothing to report. Hopefully something would come through soon. The children’s future was secure thanks to their parents’ life insurance, but the day-to-day expenses had fallen on him. His savings were sufficient for the time being but they wouldn’t last forever. He needed a job.

  A flying job.

  Thankfully the remodel at the closet kept him occupied, and teaching DJ the ropes had been more enjoyable than he’d anticipated. He was especially looking forward to working today. Sophie had taken the three kids to the dentist, which would tie her up for most of the morning. She would bring DJ by this afternoon, which worked out well because Zach had a meeting with Buck to go over the plumbing situation in the morning.

  Zach always got more done when she wasn’t there. Her questions about how things were done were annoying and her mere presence a big distraction. He kept looking for her, wondering where she was and what she was doing, just to make sure she wasn’t disturbing anything, though it didn’t seem to bother Buck much. He appeared to enjoy explaining the construction process to her.

  The shop was buzzing with activity when Zach arrived. Buck was leaning over the blueprints in what would become the office with Owen Young, the plumber, beside him. He’d expected someone from Ace Plumbing Company to be here since he and Buck had agreed to use them as a subcontractor, but Owen was retired now.

  Owen turned and smiled. “Hey, Zachary. Good to see you.”

  Zach shook his hand. “I’m surprised to see you, sir.”

  “You’ll be seeing lots more of me for a while,” Owen said. “I’m going to be roughing in your new pipes.”

  Buck grinned. “He called me last night and offered his services and materials. I couldn’t turn him down.”

  “That’s great. Any place we can save money is a good thing.”

  “Well, I know how important this place was to Dean and Maddie and it’ll be a valuable asset to the community. When the tire plant closed last year, a lot of people lost their jobs. A place like this can help folks get back on their feet.”

  Zach gestured toward the two men at the back of the building. “And those guys?”

  “Part of my crew. They wanted to help, too.” Owen gave him a pat on the back and joined his men.

  Buck slipped his hands in his pockets and smiled. “I’ve had calls all morning from people who want to help. Jeffery Logan has offered to handle the landscaping. Mrs. Fuller has arranged for lunch for the workers each day, and the church youth group is available to help whenever.”

  Zach ran a hand through his hair. “I had no idea people even knew about this place.”

  “Apparently, Maddie had lined up a long list of volunteers. Your sister-in-law was a very persuasive woman.”

  “So I’m learning.” He’d thought he knew his brother and his wife but he was beginning to think he didn’t know them at all. How had he been part of the family and not been aware of their plans?

  Buck scratched his chin. “That’s the good news. Now for the bad.”

  Things had been going smoothly so far. Zach wasn’t surprised there were a few problems cropping up. “Lay it on me.”

  “Asbestos. That back room is covered in it. It’ll have to be professionally removed. I’ve already talked to the remediation company and they can start the day after tomorrow, but this could hold up construction for almost a week.”

  Zach clenched his jaw. A delay like that could have a domino effect on other parts of the remodel. Plus, if he got a job now, it would make finishing the closet nearly impossible. He’d forgotten how unpredictable the contracting business could be. He had no idea how his brother had survived the job for so long.

  “I’m hoping they’ll seal off that part of the building and allow us to work in the other areas for now,” Buck went on. “In the meantime, we’ll stay out of that section.”

  One week into the remodel and they’d already hit a big snag. Zach didn’t want to think about what else might come up.

  * * *

  Three cars were parked in front of the old bus station when Sophie arrived midday. The vehicles didn’t belong to subcontractors. They were personal cars. Zach had called and told her DJ didn’t need to come to the closet today and that he’d explain when he saw her. Taking the tile samples from the back seat, she hurried inside hoping nothing was wrong.

  “There you are, Miss Sophie. I’m glad I caught you.”

  Evelyn Roberts was the last person Sophie expected to see in the middle of a dirty, dusty construction zone. The older woman was the most fastidious person she’d ever met. Never a hair out of place or a speck of lint or dust on her anywhere. Rachel had introduced them at church last week during the after-service fellowship gathering. “Miss Evelyn, how nice to see you.”

  “I brought a nice hearty lunch for everyone. My friend Velma and I set it up in the back corner. Please help yourself.”

  “That was very thoughtful. I’m sure the men appreciate your kindness.”

  Evelyn smiled and smoothed the front of her skirt. “Well, I wanted to help but there’s not much I can do other than pray, of course. I’m not very handy. My Arnold always took care of that. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t repair.”

  Sophie walked with Evelyn to the makeshift lunch buffet. The men were making quick work of the food as fast as Velma could replenish it. Zach waved and came toward her.

  “Thanks again, Miss Evelyn, for the lunch.” Zach said. “It’s a nice break from the fast food we’ve been getting.”

  “No trouble. I’m happy to help. I’m eager to see this closet up and running. Maddie was a good woman, and this was so important to her.”

  Sophie watched the woman return to the table and exchanged surprised looks with Zach. “I never would have believed I’d see her here.”

  “Me either. She’s not the only one who stopped by to help.” He gestured
behind her where two elderly gentlemen, deacons at the church, were sweeping up the floor. “They offered to come by each night and clean up.”

  “Amazing. I had no idea. I mean, I know there’s a list of volunteers but I didn’t really expect them to show up.”

  Zach caught her gaze. “Don’t people show up in your world?”

  There was no easy answer to that question. She pulled her gaze from his dark eyes and looked over to the food on the table. “I’m more used to them disappearing.”

  Zach sighed softly. “Well, Blessing is an unusual place, and this closet has, for reasons I don’t understand, drawn people together. Not that I’m complaining. We can use all the extra help we can get.”

  Tears welled in Sophie’s eyes. “It was Maddie. She had a way of drawing people in, getting them caught up in her plans and her dreams.”

  “I remember. She had an endless source of enthusiasm.”

  Sophie felt the fierce tightening in her chest. Her stomach knotted. Sweet memories of Maddie mingled with anger, flooded her mind like a tidal wave. Pivoting on her heel, she hurried outside, taking refuge behind the building where she could cry, away from curious eyes.

  Why had her sister made time to help all these other people but could never find the time to reach out to her? Had she hated her so much? She pounded her fist against the old bricks.

  “Sophie.”

  The soft voice pierced her grief. She froze. Glancing at the ground, she wiped her eyes and turned away from Zach’s presence. Why couldn’t he leave her alone?

  “Is everything all right?”

  “What do you think?”

  She heard him exhale slowly. “Sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

  She turned to face him. “Can you bring my sister back? Can you tell me why she left me behind and never called or wrote? Can you explain to me why she ignored my very existence?” She covered her mouth as sobs rose up in her.

  Zach reached out and touched her arm. She pulled away and felt a strange moment of regret. She ached for comfort but accepting it from Zach terrified her.

  “I wish I could answer your questions. Truth is, I didn’t know Maddie that well.”

  Sophie looked at him. “She was your sister-in-law.”

  “Exactly. My brother’s wife. Not my close friend. I loved her because she was a good wife to Dean and a wonderful mother to their children. She was kind and thoughtful and fun, but she didn’t confide in me. We didn’t share our secrets.”

  “Your brother never said anything?”

  “No. He hinted that she sometimes became sad and melancholy for no reason, but those moods were short lived and infrequent so he dismissed them as unimportant.”

  “Do you think she was regretting leaving me?”

  “Maybe. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know.”

  “But I need to know. I have to understand.” She fought a new wave of sobs.

  He rested his hand on her back, gently steering her back around the building. “Why don’t you go home? There’s not much you can do here. Time alone might do you good.”

  She shook her head. “I’ve had fifteen years alone. Now I need to keep busy. I have tile samples I need to look over.” She walked ahead of him and opened the front door. She turned. “Thank you, Zach. I appreciate your help.”

  “Any time.”

  Did he mean that? She hoped so. She had a feeling he really did understand her situation, more than she’d expected. Strange, because she hadn’t figured him for the sympathetic type.

  For the first time since she’d met Zach, she entertained the thought that he might actually become a friend.

  * * *

  Zach set his hands on his hips, chewing the inside of his mouth. He hated feeling useless, and finding Sophie in tears behind the store had made him feel worse than useless. He didn’t know what to say or do. Did he walk away and leave her alone? Or did he try to fix it for her? Walking away had seemed cruel. Besides he couldn’t stand to see her so upset. So he’d offered to help.

  He entered the store, glancing around to see where Sophie was, and found her in the front room spreading tile samples on the floor. She seemed okay now. She’d wanted to keep busy and he should, too. There was still a lot to do before they could start moving clothing in.

  Zach tried to lose himself in framing the walls of the dressing rooms, but he kept looking over his shoulder for Sophie. When he saw her leave, his tension eased. Maybe now he could concentrate on his work and not on the way Sophie’s tears had affected him.

  “You’re awful quiet. You seem a bit preoccupied.” Buck leaned against the wall and stared at him.

  Zach dropped his hammer into his tool belt, searching for an explanation. He could use some advice but didn’t want to betray Sophie’s confidence. “I guess I am. A friend of mine is having some trouble and I’m not sure how to help.”

  “Sophie?”

  “No.” His quick reply was a dead giveaway and he knew his friend would catch that.

  “Right. Well, sometimes all we can do is stand back and wait. Guys like to jump in and fix stuff, but when it comes to women, it’s best to just be patient and let them come to you.”

  He knew Buck was right but he couldn’t get the sight of Sophie in tears out of his mind nor the pain in her voice when she talked about her sister. He was beginning to see that finding Maddie, and learning why she’d cut ties with her family, was so important to her. He couldn’t imagine not knowing where Dean was for years on end.

  Sophie had a big heart, as big as her sister’s, but she managed it differently. Sophie went about her tasks quietly, steadily, with little fanfare. Almost as if she didn’t want anyone to know she had done something kind. Maddie had always been about getting attention. The more people she could attract, the more she could accomplish. He liked Sophie’s way better.

  Buck tilted his cap back on his head. “You told Sophie about the asbestos?”

  “No. I haven’t found the right words. She’s going to be upset.”

  “You’d better find them quick. It’s not the kind of thing you can hide.”

  Zach practiced telling Sophie about the asbestos issue on the way home. She’d left the store without speaking to him so he had no idea if she was still upset or not and the last thing he wanted to do was upset her again.

  He entered the house quietly, hoping to get a feel for her mood. She was curled up on the sofa, her back to him when he stepped into the family room. Her head was bowed as if reading a book. As he approached, he saw it was a sketch pad in her lap and she’d drawn a picture of Lumpy sprawled on the floor, his big sad eyes looking pitiful. He smiled. She’d captured the dumb dog perfectly.

  “I didn’t know you were an artist.”

  She gasped and tried to cover her work. “Oh, I didn’t hear you come in.”

  He rounded the sofa, nudged Lumpy from the cushions, then sat beside her, holding out his hand for her sketch pad. Reluctantly she gave it up. “You’re very talented.” He started to turn the page. “May I?”

  She shrugged. “I guess so.”

  The next sketch was of the shop, filled with clothes racks and people shopping. The next was of Katie and Linney at the breakfast table laughing.

  Sophie reached over and took the book back from him. “It’s just scribbles. Drawing helps me relax.”

  “I’m impressed.”

  She hugged the book to her chest as if it were something precious to be protected.

  He took the hint and changed the subject. “Where are the kids?”

  “Linney is over at Rachel’s playing with Bailey. Katie is up in her room planning her party, and DJ is—”

  Zach finished her sentence. “In his room.”

  She grinned. “Yes. He was very disappointed that he couldn’t go to the shop this afternoon. He likes working with you. He says you’re a go
od teacher.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yes. He says he wants to be a contractor like his father.”

  Zach rubbed his chin. “When did he talk to you?”

  “We talk every day in the car on the way home. He’s really enjoying working on the project. It’s good for him.”

  Zach stood and moved to the recliner. DJ talked to Sophie but wouldn’t talk to him. Zach had tried repeatedly to draw the boy out, even on the job site, but all DJ could manage was a grunt or a nod.

  Zach looked at Sophie. What was it about her that made people want to bare their souls? He’d felt it himself, a strange compulsion to unload his worries. She had the ability to talk to others, something he obviously lacked. Talking was supposed to smooth out all his issues, but when it came time, he could never find the words.

  “What happened?”

  He jerked his thoughts back into place. “What?”

  “At the shop. Why couldn’t DJ come to work this afternoon?”

  He couldn’t put it off any longer. “Asbestos. We’d thought since the place had been remodeled several times over the years that it would have been discovered by now. Apparently the back room had never been touched so now we have to have it remediated and that’ll take about a week to complete.”

  “Is it safe to be in the building?”

  “We’re hoping they can seal off that part and we can keep working but we won’t know until they look it over. We may have to stop work for four or five days.”

  “But this will put us behind schedule.” A frown creased her forehead. “We have such a tight deadline.”

  Zach didn’t want to think about that but it was obviously foremost on her mind. “I know. I’m afraid we might not be done before you have to leave.”

  Sophie’s hazel eyes darkened. She stood up and said, “I’m sure that suits you just fine, but don’t get your hopes up. I’m not leaving until this project is completed. I wouldn’t do that to the children.” She strode off, her shoulders stiff and rigid. He heard the front door close with more force than usual.