Theresa (Orlan Orphans Book 15) Read online

  Katie squealed. “Edna Petunia, I don’t know if you should say that when we get to church!”

  Edna Petunia waved her hand. “It’s the truth! They’re little bastards!”

  Katie looked at Theresa, and despite her exhaustion, Theresa burst out laughing. Her family was peculiar, but they were all hers. She was glad she had found such a loving home. She only hoped that the babies would have the same chance she had.

  When they arrived at church, all of the Sanders sisters crowded around Theresa. Everyone asked questions about the twins. What were they eating? How were they sleeping? How could she tell them apart?

  “Enough about the babies!” Cletus cried. “We are here for church!”

  As Cletus was talking, Gabriel reached out a tiny hand and brushed the side of Cletus’s face. Cletus’s expression softened.

  “See? Isn’t he sweet?” Theresa grinned.

  Cletus shook his head vigorously. “I’m not saying he’s not adorable. But he needs to get out of my house—soon!”

  Theresa sighed. She silently hoped Cletus would change his mind.

  The family filed into the church and took their seats. The Sanders family, including the daughters, their husbands, and their children, filled several rows of seats.

  At the front of the church, Pastor Micah Barton began to preach. Micah was married to Sarah Jane, one of Theresa’s older sisters. Theresa scanned the church to find Chrissy, Sarah Jane and Micah’s oldest child. After Chrissy was orphaned, she had captured Sarah Jane’s and Micah’s hearts before they were even married. They’d quickly wed in order to officially adopt her.

  As Micah spoke, Theresa daydreamed about marrying Cody. She knew it was an impossible situation, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel his warm breath on her face and the electric way he made her body feel.

  At the end of the service, Micah held up a hand. “I have one more announcement. We have twin babies who were left on the steps of the schoolhouse.” He gestured toward Theresa, who was holding both babies, rocking them back and forth.

  A hush fell over the churchgoers. People turned and stared at Theresa and the babies, then started to whisper.

  Micah cleared his throat. “If anyone has any information about the babies, especially who their parents are, please come forward. We would like to return the twins to their family. In the meantime, the Sanders family has provided them a safe and loving home.”

  Theresa’s heart beat faster as she looked around the church. One of these families could claim the babies, and she may never hold them again. She clutched them a little tighter. Even though they weren’t her own flesh and blood, she felt a sense of ownership for the babies. She knew she would do anything to protect them.

  “If anyone knows anything at all, please let us know so we can seek out the family and make sure the twins have a good home to go to. If we can’t locate the parents, they may need to be adopted by good families. Thank you,” Micah concluded his speech.

  Theresa’s head spun. She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or the stress she felt from being the center of attention, but she was confused by Micah’s words. “Good families?” Theresa whispered to Edna Petunia as the congregation began to leave the church.

  Edna Petunia nodded. “Just like when you arrived in Nowhere. They thought they’d have to split all of you bastards up.”

  “Sh, Edna Petunia!” Katie giggled.

  “It's the truth!” Edna Petunia said indignantly.

  Theresa’s face fell. “They can’t split the twins up. They just can’t.”

  “There, there, Theresa.” Edna Petunia pulled a peppermint stick out of her bosom. “Have a candy. It will cheer you up.”

  Theresa shook her head. “No, thank you.” She was sad, but she wasn’t so inconsolable that she would consider eating something that had been in Edna Petunia’s cleavage.

  “I’m sure it will all work out,” Edna Petunia assured Theresa.

  Theresa sighed. She hoped her adoptive mother was right.

  Outside, the other churchgoers gathered around Theresa and peppered her with questions about the babies. She tried to answer the questions as best she could.

  As she smiled and talked to the townspeople, Theresa felt a prickle of anticipation on her skin.

  Cody Witherspoon walked up to Theresa and lifted his hand to hold onto Faith’s tiny fingers. “Hello, little darling. And you, too, Faith,” Cody said.

  Theresa blushed and stared at the ground. Cody was being so forward—there were so many people around! A few feet away, an older woman who was watching Theresa closely looked away. Theresa wondered if she had heard what Cody had whispered into her ear.

  Cody sensed Theresa’s anxiety and stepped backward. “Don’t worry, Theresa. I’ll respect your parents’ wishes,” Cody said softly. In an instant, he slipped backward and away from the crowd.

  Theresa felt her anticipation turn to disappointment. Edna Petunia watched sternly, shaking her head. “That young man had better watch himself.”

  Theresa turned her attention back to her fellow churchgoers. She patiently waited and politely answered their questions, but she thought of Cody the entire time and wondered if she’d ever get to see him again. She was surprised that he had been at church—she would have expected he would have moved onto the next town by now.

  Once the crowd had disappeared, Cletus helped Theresa into the wagon. Although Cletus and Edna Petunia looked disappointed, Theresa was secretly happy. They had learned no new information about the babies. No one knew any young woman who had recently been pregnant, much less anyone who had given birth to twins. One of the older men suggested that maybe it had been someone passing through town on a journey to a different city.

  Cletus shrugged as he prepared the wagon to return to the Sanders’ home. “I guess we’ll need to look into adoption if no one comes forward to claim those little squealers.”

  “Cletus!” Katie scolded.

  Theresa nodded sadly. “Yes, I understand. But haven’t you thought about what might happen if . . .”

  “What might happen if what?” Edna Petunia turned to face Theresa sharply.

  “Nothing,” Theresa sighed. She wasn’t ready to explain her plan to Edna Petunia and Cletus. She was sure they wouldn’t agree to letting her adopt the babies and continue to stay in their house. And they definitely wouldn’t allow her to marry Cody and move in with him.

  Theresa held the babies’ bassinet close as the wagon barreled along the road back to the Sanders’ home. A tear trickled down her cheek as she imagined having to say goodbye to the babies. Edna Petunia said that everything would work out. But was she right?

  Four

  Lucille Winchester pulled her sweater around her thin, frail bones. “I’m not sure we have room for you, sir.”

  Cody Witherspoon flashed his biggest, friendliest smile. “I can pay cash in advance, ma’am. You’d be doing me a big kindness.”

  After a long pause, Mrs. Winchester nodded. “This is only temporary. I don’t take permanent boarders.”

  Lucille was one of the few people in Nowhere who took on boarders, but she was skeptical of the handsome young salesman. She had heard that he had visited several of the businesses and residents of Nowhere to sell them insurance, and she wasn’t sure why he was still hanging around.

  At eighty years old, Lucille had seen and heard it all. She was used to salesmen traveling to Nowhere, staying for a few days, and then moving on. Although Cody seemed friendly enough, Lucille didn’t trust him one bit.

  Nevertheless, times had been tough lately, and she hadn’t had many opportunities to take on a boarder. This insurance man would just have to do.

  Again, Cody flashed a wide smile. “Thank you very much, ma’am.” He began to count out crisp bills.

  Lucille had to admit, she was impressed by a man who could pay two weeks’ rent in advance. She slid the money off the countertop and into her locked box. She handed Cody a key
. “Go up the stairs, and it’s the second room on your left.”

  Cody nodded gratefully and walked over to the stairwell, carrying his briefcase and a garment bag carrying his only other suit. He only owned two, but he wore a suit each day, which made for quite a bit of laundry to do.

  At the top of the stairs, Cody walked to the second room on his left and inserted the key into the door. The lock clicked, and the door swung open. The room was neat and tidy, with a large quilt spread across a twin bed. At six foot two, Cody hoped his lanky frame would fit on the bed.

  Although his boss had given him strict orders to move onto the next town, Cody had sent him a telegraph telling him he needed to stay to close a few more accounts. Although he knew he could sell more policies, there was another, deeper reason that was keeping him in Nowhere—and her name was Theresa Sanders.

  Since he’d met her, he’d been drawn to her, and each time he saw her, his love for her only intensified. He had to make her his wife.

  Cody sat down on the bed and thought about his plan. He didn’t have much time. In only a few days’ time, his boss would get impatient and he would have to move on. With any luck, he’d be moving on with a wife and two children in tow.

  Cody sighed. He couldn’t get ahead of himself. There was a lot standing in his way. For one thing, the babies didn’t belong to Theresa. Someone could claim them and take them away from her. Theresa would be devastated, but Cody would do his best to comfort her.

  For another, her parents seemed to hate him. In addition to Edna Petunia’s disapproval of his proposal, Cletus Sanders had avoided him at church and also hadn’t taken his sales call at his office. Cody had heard that Cletus was a fair and honest judge, but that he had a bit of a temper when it came to his daughters.

  Cody knew that if he could get at least ten minutes of Cletus’s time, he could prove to the man that Cody was worthy of Theresa. But so far, it seemed Judge Sanders was avoiding him.

  Finally, there was the problem of his nomadic lifestyle. He loved Theresa and wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with her. But he also enjoyed his job. It was well-paying and fulfilling, and he had studied for a long time to do this work. He appreciated helping others, and his job made that possible. But it involved travel almost every week of the year. How could he ask Theresa to give up living near her family to go on the road with him? And even if they were able to keep the babies, how could they travel with them?

  Cody felt glum as he considered all of the possibilities. He decided to make plans for the following morning. It would be tricky, but if he could pull it off, he knew it would be worth it.

  Wearing glasses and a cowboy hat, Cody made his way across town toward the Sanders’ home.

  Theresa opened the door, rocking a baby—Faith, he guessed, by the yellow ribbon in her hair. “Hello—”

  Cody looked around. “Is anyone else home?” Cody whispered urgently.

  Theresa looked scared. She took a step back. “Yes, Edna Petunia is here.” The man at the front door was tall and wore a trench coat, a hat that shaded his face, and large glasses.

  Cody nodded. He slid the glasses off the bridge of his nose. “It’s me.” He used his other arm to grab Theresa’s hand and squeezed it gently.

  Theresa’s body came alive at Cody’s touch. “Cody?” She peered up at him, shocked.

  “I wore a disguise so no one would suspect.” Cody explained. “I needed to see you.”

  Theresa’s heart sang. “I’m so happy you came to see me.”

  “I couldn’t stay away,” Cody told her.

  Theresa smiled. “I should check on Gabriel.”

  “Let me help you,” Cody told her as he followed her to the formal parlor.

  When they got into the parlor, Cody went over to Gabriel’s crib and gently lifted the baby. He swayed back and forth, patting the infant on the back. Theresa felt a swell of emotion as she watched Cody with Gabriel. Cody was so diligent and attentive to the babies. Even though she knew the babies didn’t belong to him, he acted as if he was their father.

  Footsteps upstairs interrupted Theresa’s daydreams. She tried to think of an excuse for a stranger to be in the formal parlor. “If Edna Petunia comes in, what will we tell her?”

  “Tell her I’m a constable, investigating a crime that has taken place in Nowhere,” Cody said quickly.

  Theresa laughed. “How did you think of that?”

  Cody grinned sheepishly. “I read about it in a book. It seemed like a good disguise.”

  “I think you’re right about that. I can say that I didn’t have a choice but to let you in,” Theresa said.

  “That sounds like a good plan.” Cody nodded.

  For the first time in days, Theresa felt relieved. She was constantly thinking about the babies and all the things she needed to do in order to keep them safe. With Cody nearby, she could stop worrying and enjoy their company.

  As Cody rocked Gabriel in his arms, Theresa admired his strong jawline and broad shoulders. She remembered his words on the day he had proposed to her. Although she knew Edna Petunia and Cletus would never allow it, she found herself wishing that she and Cody could get married after all.

  She wondered if they would be able to run away and get married secretly before Edna Petunia and Cletus could stop them. When Theresa heard Edna Petunia’s voice calling out for her, she immediately felt guilty for her thoughts. She quickly straightened. “Yes, Edna Petunia?”

  “Who are you talking to?” Edna Petunia called.

  “No one!” Theresa called out without thinking about it. “I mean, someone!”

  Cody shook his head in amusement. Theresa seemed rattled.

  Edna Petunia stomped into the formal parlor. “Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?”

  Theresa remembered Cody’s cover story. “This is Mr.—er—Constable Jones.”

  “That tells me who he is, but not what he’s doing in my house,” Edna Petunia said stonily.

  “He’s investigating a crime,” Theresa replied quickly.

  “And why can’t he speak for himself?” Edna Petunia asked suspiciously.

  Cody took a deep breath and lowered his voice. “I apologize, ma’am. I am investigating a theft that took place a few miles south of here.”

  Edna Petunia put her hands on her hips. “Crime in Nowhere is rarer than a fly on a horse’s rump in January!”

  Theresa cringed. There was no way they would be able to escape Edna Petunia’s wrath. She had surely seen right through their plan.

  Cody held his breath. He would do whatever it took if it meant he would keep getting to see Theresa. But he was running out of options. If Edna Petunia didn’t believe he was a constable, he didn’t have any other ideas.

  Edna Petunia stared at the strange man in front of her. Something about him struck her as familiar, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. “Well?”

  Cody felt his heart racing. He hoped his face didn’t give away his fear that Edna Petunia would ask him to leave. “Yes?”

  “Aren’t you going to tell me what the crime was?” Edna Petunia laughed loudly. “You say you’re a constable, but you’re not a very good one.”

  Cody and Theresa joined Edna Petunia with nervous laughter. Theresa felt like her cheeks were on fire. She had been sure Edna Petunia would recognize Cody, but so far, his disguise seemed to be working.

  Cody thought quickly. “Cattle!”

  Edna Petunia frowned. “Do you expect me to believe cattle committed a crime?”

  Cody shook his head vigorously. “No, ma’am. It was . . . a cattle theft!”

  “Hm.” Edna Petunia nodded but seemed distracted. Theresa was worried that she was going to confront Cody any moment. “Well, there are no cattle here.”

  Just then, Faith began to cry, and Theresa went to comfort her.

  Edna Petunia sighed. “I need to lie down.”

  Theresa breathed a huge sigh of relief as she heard Edna Petunia go back upstairs.

&nb
sp; Cody grinned and stepped closer to Theresa. “I can’t believe we pulled that off.”

  “I can’t either,” Theresa agreed.

  “We make a good team,” Cody said.

  Theresa blushed. “Yes. I suppose we do.”

  As soon as Faith quieted, Cody took the baby from Theresa’s hands and set the baby down in her cradle. Cody took Theresa’s hands. “Now we need to figure out how I can see you every day.”

  Theresa felt a rush of joy at the thought of seeing Cody every day. “I would like that.”

  Cody pulled Theresa closer, bringing his mouth closer to hers. Just as their lips were about to touch, there was a loud knocking at the door.

  Theresa pulled back. “I should get that.”

  Cody sighed in disappointment as Theresa rushed to the door. He watched the babies as they lay in their cribs. Faith sucked on one of her fists. It seemed as if they had grown in the short amount of time since he’d last seen them.

  Theresa returned to the parlor with Dorothy. “This is my sister Dorothy.”

  Dorothy extended her hand, seeming a bit confused. “Pleased to meet you. I had to stop by and visit these darling twins. Now that my babies aren’t as small anymore, I find myself missing the little ones!”

  Cody shook her hand. “The pleasure is mine. I’m Constable . . . Witherspoon.”

  “The Constable was just leaving,” Theresa said. “I’ll show you to the door.” Theresa whispered to Cody as she led him to the front door. “Witherspoon? You couldn’t think of any other name?”

  “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking,” Cody told her.

  Theresa paused in the entry. “It’s all right. I just don’t want you to get caught, because then we wouldn’t be able to see each other. We can’t let anyone from my family find out.”

  Cody nodded solemnly. “I know you’re right.”

  Theresa thought she heard wailing from the parlor. “I should get back to the twins.”