Theresa (Orlan Orphans Book 15) Read online

  Cody was relieved that Clarkson had visited that day and not a week earlier, when he’d had no clients at all. “Thank you, Mr. Clarkson.”

  “Goodbye, sir!” Clarkson called to Lewis as he headed for the door. “See you in a few weeks, Witherspoon!”

  Cody took a deep breath. This would add some complications to his plan, but he was confident that with Theresa’s help, they would be able to figure it out. “I’m going to the Sanders’ house now,” Cody told Lewis.

  Lewis came back up to the front of the store. “I thought you wanted to eat something.”

  “I suddenly have a lot more on my mind than food,” Cody explained.

  “Who was that man? Did he bring you trouble?” Lewis asked, concerned.

  “No, nothing like that,” Cody replied. “He’s my boss, Fitzsimmon Clarkson. He just gave me a promotion.”

  “You don’t seem very excited about that,” Lewis observed.

  Cody sighed. “It’s a wonderful opportunity. But it also would involve moving to Austin in two weeks. I don’t know how Theresa will feel about all this. Or how we’ll travel to Austin with the babies. Just taking them back and forth to church can be a challenge!”

  Lewis nodded. “I’d be sad to see you both move to the city. But you need to do what’s right for your job. Plus, with so many of us holding one of your policies, maybe you could justify a trip to Nowhere every now and again.”

  “That’s a good idea. I think I need to talk to Theresa before doing anything else,” Cody said.

  “All right,” Lewis said. He handed Cody a small package of nuts. “Take these in case you get hungry.”

  “Thank you, Lewis,” Cody said gratefully. He was appreciative that all of Theresa’s brothers-in-law were so effusive and generous. It seemed like they genuinely wanted Cody in their family.

  Now he just had to convince the most important person of all that he belonged.

  Cody rushed away from the mercantile, carrying his surprises for Theresa. He knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer.

  As Cody waited on the porch, he practiced what he would say to Theresa. After a few minutes, he looked at his watch and frowned. On every other visit to the Sanders’ house, someone had opened the door quickly for him. Where was everyone?

  Cody wondered if they weren’t home. The family wagon was gone, but that could have simply meant that Cletus was at work. Cody pounded on the door again just in case. He set down the flowers and chocolate, saving them as a surprise in case Theresa opened the door. He wanted everything to be perfect.

  This time, Theresa opened the door. Her eyes were red-rimmed as if she had been crying. “Oh, Cody,” Theresa breathed and flung herself into his arms.

  Cody wrapped himself around Theresa and squeezed her, trying to comfort her. “What’s wrong?”

  Theresa tried to speak, but tears ran down her cheeks. She motioned for Cody to follow her into the formal parlor.

  Cody looked down at the babies snuggled in their bassinette and realized with a shock that only Gabriel was in the bassinette! Gabriel rolled around, seeming agitated with fat, wet tears rolling down his face. “Where’s Faith?”

  Theresa’s bottom lip trembled. “I thought they weren’t coming until Wednesday. But they came today for Faith.”

  “Who are you talking about? What are you saying, Theresa?” Cody asked.

  “The family who wants to adopt Faith,” Theresa explained tearfully. “Cletus said they were coming on Wednesday for Gabriel, but there was another family who came this morning for Faith. She’s gone!”

  “Oh, no!” Cody exclaimed. He finally understood why Theresa was so upset. His proposal would have to wait—the babies were more important. “Do you know where they live?”

  “That’s the worst part,” Theresa continued. “The family who wants to adopt Gabriel lives in Nowhere. But the family who took Faith lives in the next town over. They are relatives of some of our friends from church. Oh, Cody, I don’t know how I’ll go on without the twins in my life!”

  “Don’t worry, Theresa. I’ll find a way to fix this,” Cody said. Even as the words were coming out of his mouth, he realized he had no idea if it was true or not. He certainly hoped he could fix it, but there were no guarantees. Still, he had to do everything in his power to get the babies back. “At least we still have Gabriel.”

  Theresa nodded, picking Gabriel up and holding him to her chest. He quieted a little, but Cody could still see the tears on his cheeks.

  “Do you know where the family who took Faith lives?” Cody asked. If she could find out their address, maybe they could pay the family a visit and convince them to give her back.

  Theresa shook her head. “I have no idea. It all happened so quickly, Cody. How could I have let this happen?” She looked down at the floor guiltily.

  Cody placed his hands gently on Theresa’s shoulders. “It absolutely was not your fault, Theresa. You’ve done everything you can to take care of those babies. It’s not your fault this happened.”

  “It’s hard not to feel like it is,” Theresa admitted. “I should have stood up to Cletus and Edna Petunia.”

  Cody pulled Theresa in for a hug. He ran his hands up and down her arms, trying to comfort her. “I’m here now. We can confront them together.”

  Theresa nodded. “Thank you. I know I may not show it, but that means everything to me.”

  Cody and Theresa waited until Cletus got home from work to talk to both Cletus and Edna Petunia. Cody could tell that Theresa hadn’t slept in days, so he sent her to her room to take a nap as he took over Gabriel’s care. The poor boy wailed and fussed all afternoon. Cody was sure that Gabriel was upset because his sister had been taken away. He hated to think about the babies being separated. He and Theresa’s plan had to work. It just had to.

  Eight

  Theresa slowly rocked Gabriel back and forth. Even though he was too young to be able to do much of anything, she could sense a special connection that they shared. And one thing was certain—both of them missed Faith terribly.

  Theresa had washed Gabriel and dressed him in the finest newborn clothes handed down to him from one of his cousins. She couldn’t remember which sister had given it to her, but it was a beautiful linen dressing gown that was only slightly too big for Gabriel. He looked darling in it, but Theresa felt a pang of sorrow in her chest as she looked at him. Faith should be there by his side.

  Edna Petunia and Cletus had instructed Theresa to wash and dress Gabriel so he would be ready for the Sibley family to pick him up. Theresa didn’t want to think about handing Gabriel over. Ever since Faith had been taken from her, he was all she had left.

  Theresa hoped desperately that Cody’s plan would be successful. He seemed sure that he could convince all the parties involved that the babies belonged to them. Soon, they’d be married, and no one could tell her that she wouldn’t be able to provide for the babies. She didn’t think it was polite to talk about money, but she knew that Cody was comfortable financially. He had assured her that he would easily be able to pay for the living expenses of a family of four.

  “Theresa!” Edna Petunia called from below. “They’re here!”

  Theresa sighed and squeezed Gabriel a little tighter. “I don’t want to say goodbye,” Theresa whispered. She kissed Gabriel on the forehead.

  “Theresa!” Cletus hollered.

  Theresa felt like tears would stream down her face at any moment, but she composed herself and carried Gabriel down the steps carefully.

  Gerald and Veronica sat politely in the formal parlor, chatting with Edna Petunia and Cletus. When Theresa brought Gabriel into the room, Veronica stood up and rushed to take him from Theresa’s hands.

  Theresa didn’t want to let Gabriel go, but she also didn’t want him to get hurt, so she allowed Veronica to pull him into her arms.

  Mrs. Sibley immediately began cooing. “Oh, isn’t he just darling, Gerald?”

  “She hasn’t been able to stop talking about babies
for years. Now that our daughter is out of the house, she wanted to fill it,” Gerald explained to Cletus. Mary Sibley, Gerald and Veronica’s only daughter, had recently married.

  Theresa tried not to show her true emotions. She didn’t want to hurt Gerald or Veronica’s feelings, but they were old. She didn’t know how they would possibly take care of a newborn child. And as Gabriel grew older, how would they be able to chase after him?

  “Thank you for taking care of this little cherub for us, Tara,” Veronica smiled.

  “It’s Theresa,” Theresa corrected her.

  Veronica ignored her, distracted by a squirming Gabriel in her arms.

  “Well, we’d best be going. We’ll have our hands full tonight.” Gerald shook Cletus’s hand.

  Within a minute, Gerald and Veronica had departed the Sanders’ house, taking Gabriel with them. Theresa could not contain her emotions any longer. Tears rolled down her face.

  Edna Petunia offered Theresa a peppermint stick. “This will help.”

  Theresa shook her head. “Nothing will help.”

  Cletus frowned. “I’m sure you’ll be as cheery as usual. You just have to give yourself a little time, Theresa. You’ll miss the babies for a while, but you’ll get over it. You have your whole life ahead of you!”

  Theresa sat down, unsure what to do next. Without a baby to feed, change, or hold, she felt useless.

  Just then, there was a knock at the door. Despite her tearstained face, Theresa walked to the entrance to open it. She was expecting someone.

  As she opened the door, Cody took one look at Theresa’s face and knew exactly what had happened. “I’m too late.”

  Theresa simply nodded.

  “Who’s there?” Edna Petunia shouted. “We don’t have any babies left to give away!

  Cody hated to see Theresa so miserable. He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back reassuringly. “It will be all right. I promise.”

  “How do you know that?” Theresa sobbed. Even though it wasn’t Cody’s fault, she felt angry.

  “Let’s go talk to Edna Petunia and Cletus. I’m sure they’ll help us get this settled.” Cody wasn’t convinced that what he was saying was true, but he had to hope for the best. He couldn’t let Theresa down. He had to keep trying to make things right.

  Theresa wiped tears from her cheek. “If you say so.”

  Cody strode toward the parlor, and Theresa trailed after him.

  “Don’t tell me you want to adopt a baby, too.” Cletus chuckled. He shook Cody’s hand. Cody couldn’t believe how different the man seemed than when Cody had first arrived in Nowhere. That Cletus had been disapproving and stern. The man in front of Cody seemed relaxed and carefree.

  “Actually, sir, there’s something we need to discuss, and it does relate to the babies,” Cody explained.

  Cletus touched a hand to his head as if he were in pain.

  “Peppermint stick?” Edna Petunia offered.

  Cletus shook his head, and Edna Petunia stuck the stick in her own mouth, loudly crunching it.

  Cody took the pause in conversation to launch into his speech. He had practiced at the boarding house that morning as he’d shaved. He was ready to say what needed to be said. “Sir,” Cody began. “I plan to marry Theresa. I can provide for her, and I can provide for the two babies who have been in her care for the past several weeks.”

  “The babies are gone, though,” Edna Petunia pointed out. She was baffled. Cody seemed like a nice enough man, but he didn’t seem very bright at the moment. She wanted to make sure every one of her bastards ended up with a deserving husband.

  “We need your help to get the babies back. You said that Theresa couldn’t support them as a single woman. Well, soon she’ll be married to me. We can certainly support two infants better than the families who have them now.” Cody continued.

  Theresa stopped sobbing as she listened to Cody’s impassioned plea. Would it work?

  Cletus’s face remained neutral. “Now, I don’t know where you come from, but here in Nowhere, fair’s fair. We gave those babies to good homes; we’re not going to take them back.”

  Cody’s heart sank. How could Cletus not see what was going on? “With all due respect, sir, I know Theresa and I can give both babies the best possible chance in life.”

  Theresa swallowed hard. “And they’d be together. They’re going to be so lonely apart.” A fresh wave of tears overtook her.

  Edna Petunia went to her daughter to comfort her. “She has a point, you know. The little bastards seemed awfully fond of one another. Well, as fond of one another as two lumps could be.”

  Theresa smiled through her tears. Edna Petunia had such a strange but delightful way with words.

  Katie entered the formal parlor. “What’s the matter? I heard crying from upstairs. Theresa, what’s wrong?”

  “Both the babies are gone,” Theresa said, tearing up again.

  Cody put an arm around Theresa’s shoulder. “But we’re going to get them back.”

  “You are?” Katie asked, wide-eyed.

  Cletus crossed his arms. “I don’t know about that.”

  Cody thought quickly. “What’s the name of the family who took Faith? We know who took Gabriel.”

  Cletus frowned and scratched his head. “It was the Thomas family from Bagley. We know them through Penny and Tom.”

  Cody nodded. “I’m going to pay them a visit. Theresa, will you join me?”

  Theresa looked up, feeling hopeful at the prospect of seeing little Faith. “Absolutely.”

  Cletus shook his head. “This isn’t a good idea. You’re only going to upset her further.”

  “And you might really upset the Thomases and the Sibleys,” Katie pointed out.

  “Whose side are you on, Katie?” Theresa asked, her voice quavering.

  Katie looked horrified for a moment and rushed to Theresa’s side. “I’m sorry, Theresa. I didn’t mean to upset you! I was just trying to help.”

  “We know you didn’t mean any harm by it, Katie,” Cody reassured her. He knew Katie had Theresa’s best interests at heart, too.

  “Let’s go, Cody,” Theresa said. Every minute away from the babies felt like torture. She hoped that they weren’t too upset without one other.

  “But you’ll miss dinner,” Edna Petunia protested.

  “I’m not hungry.” Theresa smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt. “We should go to Bagley first. Faith’s been away for the longest amount of time; she may be very upset.”

  Cody nodded and then held his hand out to Theresa. She accepted it, and they started toward the entrance.

  “Wait just a minute.” Cletus held up a hand. “What exactly are your intentions?”

  Cody fought off a groan. Cletus clearly didn’t understand how he and Theresa felt about the babies. In Cody’s mind, they were already a family. Why did he have to spell it all out for Cletus? “We’re going to bring the babies back and raise them as our own.”

  “I don’t see a ring on my daughter’s finger,” Cletus challenged.

  Katie gasped.

  Cody sighed. “There will be soon, sir.”

  “Oh, my goodness!” Edna Petunia shouted. She took a sip from her hip flask.

  “And where will you live? I thought you’re supposed to be some traveling salesman,” Cletus said grumpily.

  “Well—we’ll live—” Cody wasn’t sure exactly how to answer Cletus’s question.

  “We’ll find a place,” Theresa said confidently, slipping her hand into Cody’s.

  Cody looked at her admiringly. He was so in love with the strong, confident young woman beside him. Even though she was hurting, she knew how to stand up for what she felt was right.

  “You two can do whatever you want,” Cletus said, waving his hands. “But if I were Gerald Sibley, there’s no way I’d give a newborn baby to a traveling salesman and his unmarried female companion.”

  Theresa felt stung, but she had to admit, Cletus had a point. She looked up at Cody, who
se face had frozen. “Are you all right?” Theresa whispered.

  “I need to go now,” Cody said suddenly, turning around and sprinting for the door.

  “Cody?” Theresa rushed after him, but he opened and slammed the door shut behind him before she got to the entrance. She returned to the formal parlor with a dejected, bewildered expression.

  “Hmph,” Cletus said. “Guess you won’t be going to Bagley after all. Looks like that boy came to his senses finally.”

  “Why did he run off like that? Did he say where he was going?” Katie asked.

  Theresa shook her head sadly.

  “We’ve had enough excitement for one day. Let’s go eat dinner. I made pie for dessert,” Edna Petunia said proudly.

  Theresa stared at the floor. “I’m not hungry,” she mumbled.

  “What’s that, dear? My hearing isn’t what it used to be,” Edna Petunia explained.

  “I’m going to bed,” Theresa said flatly.

  “You hurt your head?” Edna Petunia asked.

  “I’m going to bed early,” Theresa said in a louder tone.

  “Your hair is curly? It looks straight, actually,” Edna Petunia commented.

  “I’m going to bed!” Theresa shouted.

  Edna Petunia seemed taken aback. “I know you’re upset about the little bastards and all, but you don’t need to shout, dear! It’s not polite.”

  Theresa shrugged and trudged toward the door.

  “I’ll put away a piece of pie for you for later,” Edna Petunia called after her.

  “Thanks,” Theresa called listlessly as she walked up the staircase.

  Edna Petunia turned to look at Katie and Cletus. “We have to make that girl smile again.”

  Cletus put his arm around Edna Petunia’s shoulders. “We will, dear. We will.” He bent Edna Petunia over and gave her a long, slow kiss.

  Katie scurried into the kitchen to prepare for dinner. She was happy that her adoptive parents loved each other, but sometimes they could be too affectionate. She wasn’t sure if they had even remembered she was in the room with them!