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  She opened the door and found the two boys where she’d left them. It was as if they were so unused to someone treating them like they were normal that they couldn’t seem to stop looking at her. “Are the girls still sleeping?” she asked as she set the two baskets down on the work table and went about the task of putting her groceries away.

  “I think they’re playing upstairs in their room,” Bobby told her, surprising her. “They do that a lot when they wake up.”

  “Well, I want to meet them. Would you boys like to come with me?”

  Bobby and Matthew exchanged a glance, but then Bobby shrugged. “I can show you where their room is.”

  The three of them went down a short hallway that led out of the kitchen and there was a flight of stairs that led up off the parlor. “This way?” she asked.

  Matthew took her hand and led her up the stairs. There were two rooms at the top of the stairs, so she could only surmise that Harvey’s room would be on the first floor. Where will I sleep? She swallowed hard. Hopefully Harvey would let her wait a while before fulfilling her wifely tasks, but he hadn’t seemed to be planning on it when he’d talked to her in the parsonage earlier.

  Bobby opened the door to a room, and Doris grinned as she saw two little girls sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, playing with a pair of dolls and jabbering away in a language only the two of them could comprehend.

  “Hello, Pauline. Hello, Priscilla.” Doris made sure she knew who was whom by the trick Harv had told her about their eyes. “I’m Doris, and I’m going to be your new mama.”

  The little girls looked at her, the confusion showing on their faces. “Didn’t your papa tell you I was coming?”

  Doris sat down right in the middle of the floor and picked up one of the rag dolls. “Who is this?” she asked, keeping her voice soft.

  “Lolly,” Pauline answered. Then she pointed at the doll in her sister’s hand. “That’s Dolly.”

  Doris grinned. “Lolly and Dolly. I like those names.”

  Priscilla pointed at a third doll. “That’s Polly.”

  “I see.”

  Pauline picked up another doll. “This is Molly.”

  “Well, you girls certainly like rhyming names, don’t you?” Doris stood up from the floor. “I’m about to make supper. And I’m making a chocolate cake for dessert. Would you girls like to help?”

  They seemed confused for a moment, but finally both of them stood, each taking one of Doris’s hands. Her heart ached for them. They’d never known the love of a mother, and it showed. She couldn’t wait to get to know them better.

  As they went to leave the room, Matthew said, “You have to change their diapers before you go downstairs.”

  Doris nodded. “I didn’t realize they still wore diapers. I think we’ll work on learning to use the outhouse this week!”

  “We have a water closet,” Bobby told her. “You could teach them to use the water closet.”

  “That’s exactly what I’ll do then.” She saw the clean diapers and changed first Pris, and then Pauline. “There. Nice and dry. And tomorrow we’ll start learning to not wear diapers.” They were certainly old enough to be trained, but she could understand that no one had time to work with them.

  Ten minutes later, she stood at the work table, with a twin standing on a kitchen chair on either side of her. She’d wrapped towels around the girls’ waists to keep their dresses clean, but truthfully, their dresses were way too small and needed to be replaced soon anyway. She had a lot of sewing in her future. She could see that now. She’d make them new dresses and then she’d make them aprons. Pretty dresses they’d be proud to wear.

  Harv sat at the kitchen table watching as all four of his children clamored to be around this stranger he’d married. Already they seemed to want to please her. Even his most stoic child, Bobby—the one who missed his mother the most—was with her, handing her the things she needed.

  When the chicken pot pie was in the oven, she gave the boys dishes to set the table, and to Harv’s surprise, they set it perfectly. No tricks were played. No complaining was done. They wanted to help her. He’d never seen anything like it.

  She pulled the finished cake out of the oven to cool, and she and the girls mixed up icing for the cake while the boys watched, ready to take a spoonful when she offered it to them. “That’s delicious, isn’t it?” Doris asked. She’d always loved to work in the kitchen. Her mother had been letting her cook for years. It was where she felt the most accomplished.

  Bobby nodded, his eyes lit up. “I haven’t had cake in a long, long time.”

  “Not since right after your mother died,” Harv said, his voice a bit harsher than he meant for it to come out. When his wife had first died, the neighbors had rallied around them. They come in every day to help with the girls, and they’d brought meals. At first the meals had been nice wonderful culinary feasts. Gradually, as it became clear he wasn’t looking for another wife, they’d dwindled to a leftover casserole. The meals hadn’t stopped coming, but the love that had initially been put into the meals had disappeared. They’d become a burden on the whole town.

  Bobby nodded, his face full of sadness. “A very long time.”

  “So the twins have never had chocolate cake?” Doris asked, her face shocked.

  “I never really thought about that…but no, I don’t think they have.”

  “Then I’ll have to make lots of cakes to make up for the way they’ve been neglected over the years. Cake makes everyone happy.”

  Matthew didn’t say anything, but he wrapped his arms around Doris’s waist from behind and just held on to her. “Thank you for coming here to be our mama.”

  Doris felt tears fill her eyes, but she didn’t turn around. She didn’t want them all to see how much the boy had touched her. “I am so glad to be here to be your mama. We’re going to be happy together.”

  When they sat down to eat their supper, Harv prayed the most heartfelt prayer he’d said in years. “Heavenly Father, I thank You for bringing this wonderful woman to Oregon to be in our lives. Please help us to make her as happy as she’s made us in the short time she’s been here. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.”

  Doris felt tears touching her eyes again as she served supper to each of the children. “No cake unless you eat everything on your plates!”

  There was no danger of any of them not eating. The children dove into the food as if it had been months since they’d had a good meal. “I’m going to need all of you to tell me what your favorite foods are. I got most things that I thought I’d need at the store, but all you have to do is tell me, and I’ll make it if I know how,” Doris told them.

  Bobby looked at her, a bite of food in his mouth that he chewed slowly. “You’re not like our real mama. She made yucky food.”

  Doris frowned. “Do you want me to make yucky food?”

  Bobby shook his head. “No, you keep making good food. It will remind me that you’re not her.”

  Harvey ate his food in silence. Bobby was right. Doris was a much better cook than Patricia. She was probably better at everything than his first wife had been. Except at loving. Patricia had had the capacity to love everyone. No, he’d need to keep his heart guarded against this new wife of his.

  When Doris served the cake, giving them each a big slice, Pris took a bite and hummed happily. “Yummy!”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Doris said with a laugh. “I’ll have to bake some cookies tomorrow, or maybe a pie. Which would you boys prefer?”

  Matthew’s eyes were wide. “Cookies tomorrow and pie on Sunday. You should always have pie on Sunday in case the pastor comes over.”

  “Does the pastor come over on Sunday?” Doris asked, a little confused.

  Harv shrugged. “No one has come over except to bring us food in a long while. Hopefully having you here will change that.”

  Doris hoped he didn’t think she could change everything. She was just a rather small woman. She would do her best, but chang
ing the world wasn’t going to happen.

  Chapter 4

  After supper, Doris did the dishes while the twins sat at the table and jabbered away at her. She had been raised that the boys did the outside chores, and the girls worked in the house. She wasn’t sure if she felt that was how she and Harv should raise their children, but she’d talk to him about it later. After the kids were in bed.

  As soon as the dishes were done, she took the twins into the parlor to join their menfolk. She had a twin on each knee, telling them a story about one of her sisters. It was a joy to be able to hold these children and know that she would have an influence on them. Why had she even thought it might be a bad idea to answer that letter?

  When it was time to put the children to bed, Doris and Harv climbed the stairs together, each of them carrying a sleepy twin. She changed them both, telling Harvey over her shoulder that she would work on training them to use the water closet the very next day. They weren’t going to be in diapers for much longer if she had anything to say about it.

  After they tucked the boys in, she preceded him down the stairs. When they got to the parlor, they looked at one another. Doris blushed, and Harvey rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed as well. “I guess I should have shown you around the house as soon as you got here. I’m sorry I didn’t think of that.”

  “Mrs. Johnson was tied to a kitchen chair. Anything you’d planned to do would have flown your mind when you saw her there.” And she was perfectly capable of looking around the house and finding what she’d needed to find. It had been easy enough for her!

  He laughed. “That’s true. I can’t believe you didn’t scold the boys for that.”

  She shrugged. “I read the letter that woman sent about your children. I don’t think anyone needs to feel sorry for her. I can just imagine what she said to make the children behave that way.” She shook her head. “Is school in?”

  “They start Monday. I’m glad you got here when you did. The boys will be able to go to school, and I won’t have to worry about the girls.”

  “Who watched them last schoolyear?”

  “Some of the ladies from the church took turns coming over. It was someone different every week, and that person would cook supper. I still had to see to breakfast and lunch.”

  She frowned. “It sounds like you’ve had it really rough the past few years. I hope I can take some of the weight off your shoulders by being here.”

  “If you’ll just cook three meals a day, that will take a lot of the weight off me. And then taking care of the girls. Training them to use the water closet. There are so many ways you’ll help, just by being here.”

  “I will do anything I can. I already love the children. They’re all darling.”

  “That’s only because the boys were on their best behavior. When they start acting like themselves, you’ll wonder what you thought was good about them.” Harvey shrugged. “Why don’t I show you where you’ll sleep?”

  Doris swallowed hard. “I assume we’ll be sharing a bed?”

  He nodded. “That’s generally what married people do.”

  “I—I wonder if you can give me a little time to get used to you, before we do more than simply sleep in a bed together?”

  He frowned. “Are you refusing—?”

  “Not at all. I’m asking you kindly for a little time to get to know you before we become intimate. Would that be a problem for you?”

  Harvey was surprised by how much of a problem it would be. They’d only been married a few hours, but there was something special about the woman in front of him. He didn’t want to wait. “I reckon not.”

  She smiled. “Thank you!”

  “How long are you thinking you’re going to need?”

  “No more than a month or two…”

  He grimaced. “You’ve got two weeks. Better make the most of them.” He turned away from her and started from the room. “Our bedroom is this way.”

  She followed him, grinning to herself. He’d agreed to give her time, which she’d needed, but he’d certainly made it clear exactly how much time he was willing to give her. When they got to the bedroom she’d share with him, she looked around the room. There was a nice dresser, a wardrobe for her dresses, and a very pretty headboard on the bed. She could see the quilt needed to be washed, but she’d see to that as soon as she could. There was so much work to be done. First thing in the morning, she’d look over everything and make a list, then she’d prioritize the list. It felt wonderful to know that anything she did would make her family happy.

  “This is a nice room,” she said softly.

  He just looked at her for a moment. “I’ll give you ten minutes to get ready for bed before I come in. I start work at seven, so breakfast by six is good for me.”

  “I don’t think that will be a problem. On the farm where I grew up, we had breakfast by five-thirty every morning.” She hid a yawn behind her hand. “I’ll be in bed in ten minutes. I promise.”

  He stood there uncertainly for a moment, but then he left, closing the door tightly behind him. He leaned back against the door and looked down at his hand. He realized it was shaking. He wasn’t sure if it was because she was so pretty, and he would be sleeping beside her, or if he felt guilty for having carnal feelings for any woman other than his Patricia.

  Would he have wanted Patricia to remarry if he had died? Thinking about it, he realized he would. He’d have wanted her to have the security of having a man to support her while she stayed home with the children. It was something they’d always felt was important. So maybe he shouldn’t have feelings of guilt for remarrying.

  As soon as he’d left the room, she sprang into action, quickly removing her dress and pulling her nightgown over her head. Someone had kindly delivered her things to the room she’d use, and she hadn’t even noticed.

  She didn’t want to climb beneath the sheets, which obviously hadn’t been washed in a while, but she didn’t have a choice tonight. She was too tired for it to matter. Tomorrow, she’d see to washing all the bedding first thing. But she still had to make sure the boys had school clothes, and the girls needed clothes, and everyone needed to eat, and the whole house needed a good cleaning from bottom to top.

  She took a deep breath. None of that could be accomplished tonight. Tonight, she needed to sleep. After a week on a train, she wasn’t certain she’d ever sleep well again, but she had to. She needed to have her wits about her and every bit of her strength. Her family needed her.

  She put her head on the pillow and smiled to herself. Her family. They were hers, whether they knew it yet or not. She closed her eyes, and she was asleep even before her new husband joined her.

  When Doris woke the following morning, she was snuggled against a very solid form. She’d always shared a bed with one of her sisters, so it wasn’t odd to wake up beside someone, but it was odd for the body to be so hard.

  Her eyes flew open. It was Harvey. Her new husband. She tried to slowly slide out of bed on the opposite side, sure that it was time for her to fix breakfast, but her hair was trapped under his shoulder. She tried to free it, but saw his eyes open as he gazed right at her. “Good morning, Harv,” she said softly. “Would you mind freeing my hair so I can fix breakfast?”

  “What about a morning kiss first?” he asked, his eyes still heavy with sleep. “You’ve only kissed me once, and that was with the preacher standing right there watching us. I’m not even sure we should count that as a kiss.”

  “I believe you kissed me.”

  He grinned. “So I did. Now you kiss me, and then I’ll let you have your hair.”

  She bit her lip nervously. She’d only been kissed once in her life, and she had no idea how to go about initiating something like that. She gently leaned into him, her lips brushing against his. She felt his lips flutter under hers, and she was glad, because now he’d take over the kiss and the pressure she felt to make the kiss good would be gone.

  Harv rolled to his side and up onto one elbo
w, never letting their lips part. He caught her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her body molded against his. “Good morning, wife.”

  She sighed, resting her head against the pillow. “Good morning.” Doris realized then she was free, and she rolled out of bed, grabbing her dress and hurrying from the room to the water closet. It would be easier to change in there.

  Ten minutes later, she was in the kitchen, carefully slicing off pieces of bacon to fry. She’d already mixed up a bowl of pancake batter. She didn’t know what the Butlers usually ate for breakfast, but this morning they’d have bacon and pancakes.

  She found some coffee and started a pot on the stove, grateful that he was a coffee drinker. At the moment, she was still tired enough that she wasn’t sure she’d make it through the day without a cup or two.

  When Harvey meandered into the kitchen twenty minutes later, he had a plate of pancakes and bacon sitting at his spot at the table, along with a hot cup of coffee. “I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “Do you want milk or sugar?”

  He shook his head. “No, it’s perfect just the way it is.” He took a sip, noting that she looked embarrassed. “Thanks for fixing breakfast for me. You’ll probably want to put the rest into the oven. The kids will sleep until seven or eight.”

  She nodded. “I’ll eat with you, and then I can get started on some of the chores I want to get done today.”

  He raised an eyebrow at her as he took a bite of his pancakes. “Chores?” he asked after slowly chewing.

  “There’s so much to do. Laundry, baking, sewing, cleaning…I don’t even know where to start! Do the boys have clothes that fit for school?”

  He shrugged. “They did at the beginning of the last school year.”

  “I’ll check. Would it be all right if I bought some fabric for clothes for them and for the girls? From what they wore yesterday, I think they’ve all outgrown everything.”