Katie Read online

  Aaron stepped back. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. Are you all right?”

  Aaron’s perplexed expression made Katie giggle even harder. She tried to tell him she was fine, but she doubled over in laughter.

  Aaron bent down so he could see her face. “Are you ill?”

  Katie shook her head, feeling her cheeks turn an even brighter shade of red. She continued to laugh.

  Aaron lost his balance and fell over, and suddenly, they were both on the ground, laughing hysterically.

  After a long while, Katie and Aaron finally quieted.

  Aaron spoke first. “I can’t remember the last time I actually laughed.”

  “You don’t often laugh?” Katie asked, turning her head to look at him. They both were on the ground, staring up at the sky. Katie estimated that they still had a good twenty minutes before they would arrive at the Sanders home.

  Aaron shook his head. “Usually I’m too busy worrying about the boys to have time for luxuries like laughter.”

  “That’s sad,” Katie declared, grabbing Aaron’s hand. “I hope you will start to laugh more often.”

  Aaron smiled. “Thanks to you, I already have.”

  Katie felt warmth rush to her cheeks once again.

  Suddenly, Aaron’s expression grew serious. “I should get you home to your parents. They’ll worry about you. Plus, I need to get back to work.”

  Katie tried to keep a smile on her face, but the corners of her mouth slumped. She wanted to stay with Aaron and enjoy the beautiful winter day. “Do you have to work today? I didn’t think you held class on weekends.”

  Aaron nodded. “I work every day of the week. Many of the boys came to the orphanage behind where they needed to be in their schoolwork. I’m doing everything I can with the time I’m given.”

  “You’re so dedicated to your work.” Katie was impressed by Aaron’s commitment to the boys. She wished she had something in her life that she cared so much about. She could think of one thing, and he was standing right in front of her.

  Aaron continued talking as they began to walk again. “I don’t teach formal classes on weekends, but I often tutor the boys individually on subjects in which they need extra help. Today, though, my job is different.” He stared off into the distance, his face set solemnly.

  “What’s that?” Katie asked.

  “I need to find homes for the boys,” Aaron explained.

  “Have you made any progress?” Katie looked down at the ground. She was torn. She hoped Aaron would find a loving home for the boys, like the one Edna Petunia and Cletus had provided for Katie and her sisters. At the same time, she hoped that it would take a little longer. She didn’t want Aaron to leave Nowhere.

  Aaron sighed. “It’s not as easy as anticipated. They all need homes, but most families seem to have room for only one child, not fifteen all at once.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that. I guess my sisters and I were lucky that we found a home when we did, and one that could accommodate all of us.” Katie looked over at Aaron. He seemed lost in thought.

  “I agree. I just don’t know what to do. I don’t suppose your parents want to take in another set of orphans, do they?” Aaron said. He was joking, but Katie seemed to take his question seriously, pausing before she answered.

  “I know Edna Petunia would adopt an orphan every day of the week if she could, but I have a feeling that their adopting days are over. They love to spoil their grandchildren, though,” Katie said gently.

  “That’s what I thought. Cletus has been very helpful to me, though. He’s arranged meetings with different men and women from Nowhere and Bagley who may be interested in adoption.” Aaron put his hands in his pockets. “But no paperwork has been signed yet. I suppose I’m waiting for someone to say that they’ll take the whole lot, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”

  Katie felt a surge of joy pulse through her body. “If you feel that’s really what’s right for the boys, maybe you should stay in Nowhere a little while longer.”

  Aaron frowned. “I’m afraid I’ll have to. I hope to return to New York by Christmas.”

  Katie was upset at how disappointed Aaron looked. “Do you hate it here in Nowhere? Why are you so anxious to leave?”

  Aaron realized what Katie was asking. “Oh, Katie. I hope I haven’t misled you in any way. You’re a wonderful person, and I’m so grateful for all of your help with the boys. But my life is in New York. My career is there, and I have never wanted to live anywhere else. I’m embarrassed at my behavior. I hope you don’t think I’ve been dishonest.”

  Katie shook her head slowly, her heart pounding. She felt sad, but she wasn’t cross with Aaron. She understood his position. “No, you haven’t been dishonest at all. I suppose I was just hoping...that you might stick around a bit.”

  As they walked, the sun cast beams of light on Katie’s face, highlighting her delicate nose and long eyelashes. Aaron wondered if he had enough time for a detour.

  “Aaron?” Katie asked as she noticed Aaron had stopped walking. They were just outside the Sanders home, but she didn’t want to say goodbye.

  Aaron snapped back to attention and grimaced. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I hope you have a wonderful day.”

  “You, too, Aaron.” Katie smiled politely, but inside, she was glowing with happiness. No matter how much Aaron said otherwise, she knew that he liked her. Katie said a silent prayer that Aaron would stay in Nowhere a little while longer. She knew that fate had brought them together, and with a little more time, she could ensure that they would never have to part again.

  Chapter Five

  “I want a spinning top for Christmas!” Susie Bennett cried.

  “I want a rocking horse!” Will Reeves shouted.

  “I’ve already got my Christmas wish!” Edna Petunia winked at her children and grandchildren.

  Dorothy Reeves moved her chair a little closer to the table, rocking her baby boy back and forth. Dorothy, Hope, and their families had come over for dinner at the Sanders home. Katie loved the opportunity to see her nieces and nephews. She was able to see them at church most Sundays, but it could be overwhelming. Her sisters had given birth to or adopted more children than anyone could keep track of. It was nice to see them in a smaller group setting, like dinner at the family home.

  Dorothy smiled at Edna Petunia. “Let me guess. A house full of bastards and grandbastards?”

  No one completely understood why, but Edna Petunia was partial to calling her daughters bastards. None of the girls felt compelled to correct her, though, mostly feeling that Edna Petunia had earned the right to a few eccentricities in her maturity.

  Edna Petunia threw her head back and laughed. “No. But it’s not polite to share at the dinner table.” She smiled at her husband, Cletus.

  The patriarch of the family shook his head, joining her in laughter with a loud guffaw. “Edna Petunia, my bride, you’ve continued to surprise me since the day I met you.”

  “And you wouldn’t have it any other way,” Edna Petunia commented. Cletus leaned over for a kiss, and Katie smiled to herself. She hoped that one day, she’d have a love like theirs—even if they were sometimes obnoxiously affectionate, especially in public.

  Dorothy made eye contact with Hope and smiled. Edna Petunia had been an unconventional adoptive mother, but Dorothy wouldn’t have traded her for anyone in the world.

  Hope grinned back. She placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder. She felt so lucky to have even met Stephen in the first place. She owed it all to Edna Petunia. Before Edna Petunia had lived in Texas, she had worked in Seattle for a female doctor, Iris Harvey. They traveled to Texas together and were still close friends even though they didn’t work together. Hope had met Dr. Iris’s nephew, Stephen Bennett, when he’d arrived in Nowhere to conclude his medical education. Now, Stephen and his aunt both ran the medical practice in Nowhere together, and he and Hope had three beautiful children.

  K
atie watched her nieces and nephews excitedly discuss their plans for the Christmas holiday, and a wave of sadness washed over her. She looked down at her food, no longer hungry.

  “Katie, what’s wrong? Are you ill?” Dorothy hated to see Katie without a bright smile on her face. As the youngest daughter, Katie was almost always the cheeriest person in the room, often singing or humming. It was out of character to see her so forlorn.

  Katie looked up at Dorothy, tears welling in her eyes. “I was just talking to Aaron Cavett. He told me about how the orphans don’t have homes yet. They’ll probably be split up. I was just thinking, if they don’t find homes before Christmas, how will they get Christmas gifts?”

  Katie knew that Christmas was about much more than gifts, but she also thought that exchanging presents was a wonderful thing to do. But who would buy presents for the orphans? They had no family to speak of, and time was running out. Christmas was less than three weeks away.

  Edna Petunia frowned. “That’s so sad. You know I’d adopt them if I could. But if we added fifteen boys to this household, in addition to the fifteen girls along with the husbands, the children, the pets...well, I don’t think they’d all fit. And what kind of family would it be if you can’t all fit under the same roof?”

  No one argued with Edna Petunia. They enjoyed the fact that although their family was large, they could still get together every once in a while by squeezing into a larger home like the one the Sanders lived in.

  Katie sighed. “I wish I were older and had a husband. I’d adopt all the orphans and give them the best Christmas they’ve ever seen.” She rested her chin on her hands. She knew exactly who she wanted her husband to be. Now, she just had to convince him not to leave the state.

  “You’ll make a wonderful mother one day, Katie,” Dorothy said kindly. “Right now, you are a bit young.”

  “You were young when you had your first child,” Katie shot back, sharper than she intended.

  Dorothy looked stung. “That’s true,” she said uncertainly.

  “I’m sorry,” Katie apologized. “I didn’t mean to lose my temper. I’m just feeling so emotional about these orphans. If only there were a way to...” Katie bit her lip, concentrating all her energy on thoughts about the orphans. “That’s it!” Katie stood up abruptly and ran out of the room. Her footsteps echoed on the stairs.

  Edna Petunia took a bite of pot roast. “Hmph. What has gotten into that bastard?”

  The rest of the family continued to eat their dinner. The children talked about what they would eat for Christmas dinner and tried to contain their excitement about a gift they were working on for someone in the family.

  “I can’t tell you who it’s for. It’s a secret!” Susie explained.

  Hope smiled. “I’m glad you are thinking about giving gifts, not only receiving them! It’s more important to give than receive.”

  Susie grinned. “I know, Mama.”

  The floorboards from the stairs groaned and creaked and soon Katie re-emerged in the kitchen holding a sheet of paper, panting for air. “I figured out how we can make this Christmas a special one for the orphans!”

  “Oh? What’s the idea?” Carter, Dorothy’s husband, asked. He was an attorney in Nowhere and wanted to do his part to help out.

  Katie held up the sheet of paper. “If each couple—including Edna Petunia and Cletus—buys one present for one orphan, each orphan will get a present! Do you think everyone in the family would agree to that?”

  “I think they would enjoy that,” Hope said. “I personally would be honored to help make Christmas special for one of the boys. I’m sure they’re feeling overwhelmed by all the change in their lives right now. I remember what it was like when we came to Nowhere.”

  “You’re right,” Dorothy agreed. “Count me in, Katie.”

  “Thank you so much!” Katie rushed up to where her sisters were sitting and gave them each a hug.

  “Wait a minute,” Hope said. “What about you, Katie? Don’t you want to buy a gift?”

  Katie smiled mischievously. “Yes. I’m going to buy a gift, too. For Aaron.”

  Dorothy clapped her hands. “Do you have a crush on the headmaster?”

  “Will I ever be able to eat my dinner in peace and quiet?” Cletus moaned.

  “Hush, dear, I want to hear the answer!” Edna Petunia scolded.

  Katie felt her face turning red. “I just think he’s a very nice man!”

  “Good, he’s too old for you, anyway,” Cletus said, spearing his pot roast with his fork and waving it in the air to prove his point.

  Katie’s face fell. “What? He can’t be more than a few years older than me!” Katie protested.

  Cletus looked at Edna Petunia, Dorothy, and Hope, and they all burst out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” Stephen asked.

  “I don’t understand,” Carter remarked.

  “We’re only teasing Katie because it sounds like she’s got a crush on the headmaster,” Hope explained. “I’m sorry, Katie. I hope you know it’s all in good fun.”

  Katie shrugged. “All I know is that we need to make sure this is the best Christmas Nowhere has ever seen. Then I’ll be happy.”

  Cletus smiled at his youngest daughter. “We can certainly do our best to see to that.”

  Katie beamed. For all their teasing, the Sanders family was the best family she had ever known. She was proud to be a part of it.

  As Katie helped Edna Petunia clear the dishes, she thought of gift ideas for Aaron. She thought she might ask Penny to knit her a scarf, but then she realized it wouldn’t get much use in Nowhere. Since Aaron was from New York, he likely wouldn’t find the Texas winters cold at all. She tried to think of any hobbies Aaron had mentioned, but she couldn’t think of a single one.

  For a man so driven by his work, what could she possibly get him that he would find useful? She thought about it as she washed and dried the dishes to no avail. She wasn’t upset—merely determined. She would come up with the perfect Christmas gift for Aaron. One that would convince him to stay in Nowhere with her forever.

  “Cavett? Did you hear what I said?” Gerald Sibley asked, a concerned look on his face.

  Aaron blinked his eyes rapidly. “Excuse me, sir. What were you saying?” Aaron had been in a peculiar mood ever since his encounter with Katie early that morning. He couldn’t believe he had lost control of his emotions like that. He expected more from himself than that. It wasn’t fair to Katie, and it wasn’t fair to the boys. They were his charges, orphanage or not. He wasn’t about to abandon them now.

  Gerald continued, perturbed. “I was saying, we thought we wanted another child now that our Mary is married and living with her husband. Even took one of those Witherspoon twins for a spell. Then that Sanders girl—well, now she’s a Witherspoon—came here fussing about how twins ought to be together, and carrying on and on. So what I’m trying to tell you is, we just found out our Mary is expecting. A grandchild will be more than enough for us. You find another family to take the boys. We’re doing well, but not well enough to allow fifteen boys to stay with us.”

  Aaron nodded slowly, unsure of what Gerald was talking about and how it related to the Sanders family. Gerald was the third person who’d said no to him that day alone. He tried not to let panic creep into his voice. “I understand, Gerald. Thank you for your time.”

  Gerald stood up and walked Aaron to the door. “I wish I could have told you something better, son. But that’s the honest truth.”

  “Of course,” Aaron mumbled. He walked toward his horse. It was proving to be a long and stressful day. His next appointment seemed to be across town.

  As Aaron rode through Nowhere, he thought about what Katie had said about the open land. She was right, he conceded, that it did permit one a certain sense of freedom. Sometimes in the city, he felt trapped, like there was no place to go. He hadn’t had that feeling since arriving in Nowhere. The hills surrounding the small town made him feel like it was a seclud
ed little place. One his boys would be better for spending the rest of their childhoods in.

  Aaron wondered how his next appointment would go. He hoped that the couple, Louis and Lois Schramm, would be willing to take in at least two orphans. Since his plan of finding one family for all fifteen boys wasn’t coming to fruition, he had decided to focus on three or four families who could accommodate the boys.

  Aaron pulled up to the Schramm’s home, dismounted, and tied his horse to a post. He noted with dismay that the house seemed quite small from the outside. He couldn’t let that deter his efforts, though. He knocked on the door.

  A warm woman with gray hair and a purple sweater opened the door. “Ah, Headmaster Cavett. Welcome. May I fix you some tea?”

  Aaron shook his head. He had business to attend to. “Lois Schramm, I presume?”

  The woman nodded. “That’s me. Lou!” Lois called.

  Louis Schramm, a jovial man of roughly the same age, barreled into the room and pumped Aaron’s hand enthusiastically. “Glad to have you in our town, Headmaster. Can never have too many teachers, that’s what I always say. Isn’t that what I always say, Lo?”

  Lois bobbed her head up and down. For a moment, Aaron was worried she might hurt herself. But Lois merely smiled. “Yes, you always do, Lou!”

  Aaron’s head spun from their rapid dialogue. He tried to focus on the matter at hand. “Mr. and Mrs. Schramm, I’m here to speak to you about the fine young men from the Robert Ballinger Institution for Boys.”

  Louis gestured to a sofa and Aaron took a seat. Louis sank into a comfortable-looking armchair, and Lois settled into a rocking chair right next to him.

  “Each of the boys has a different skill set, and I believe every single one of them has the potential to be very successful in whatever he pursues,” Aaron continued. “Whether he chooses agriculture, business, law, or something else, these young men are going to do great things. As fine citizens of Nowhere, I ask you if you would do the town the kind favor of taking in a few of these fine, upstanding young men. You would be the parents they deserve.” Aaron finished his speech and panted for air.