The Hand-Me-Down Family Page 3

  Chapter Four

  As he took the papers from her, Callie closed her eyes, trying to absorb the fact that she had become a widow without ever knowing what it meant to be a wife. Yes, it was true that Leland had meant this to be a marriage in name only, but she had secretly hoped that, given time…

  Stop it! Callie gave herself a mental shake. She should be mourning the man, not the end of some foolish daydream.

  More to the point was the fact that she no longer had a reason to be here.

  Had she come all this way for nothing?

  Heavenly Father, I thought this was Your answer to my prayers. But was I too impulsive yet again? Was this mere wishful thinking on my part rather than Your intent for me? Please, help me understand what it is You want me to do now.

  The sound of rustling papers drew her attention back to her companion.

  He leaned forward, pinning her with that intense gaze again.

  Her skin prickled. Even though they were out in the open rather than closed up in a stagecoach, being alone with him suddenly felt much more dangerous than it had earlier.

  “So tell me,” he asked, “how did this proxy marriage of yours come about?”

  She bristled at his suspicious tone, forgetting her previous discomfort. Then she softened as guilt washed over her.

  How could she sit here feeling sorry for herself while he dealt with such pain? He might seem gruff and overbearing, but how could she blame him? He’d lost his family less than a week ago, and now he was confronted with a sister-in-law he hadn’t realized existed until just a few moments ago.

  At the very least he deserved an explanation, something to help him make sense of the situation.

  No matter how humbling it might be for her to tell him the story.

  “Your brother was in need of someone to help raise his daughter,” she said evenly. “And I wished to find a husband and household of my own. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

  “As for why we did it by proxy…” She shrugged. “My family wouldn’t hear of my leaving Ohio without ironclad assurances that the wedding would actually take place, and this seemed the best solution.”

  His eyes flashed with an emotion she couldn’t identify. “Forgive my bluntness, ma’am, but why you? I mean, you just admitted the two of you never met. And, unless things around here have changed more than I realized, I’m sure Lanny could have found a local girl more than willing to marry him and help raise Annabeth.”

  She gave the edge of her bonnet a little tug. He was treading on uncomfortable territory. “Your brother is—was—a good-hearted, God-fearing man. He was very open about the fact that he wasn’t looking for, nor could he offer, a love match.” She brushed at an imaginary speck on her skirt. “He loved Julia very much and was certain he would never feel the same about another woman. I understood and accepted that.”

  Callie titled her chin up as she met her inquisitor’s gaze. “I think he found it easier to say those things in a letter, and to someone he hadn’t grown up with.”

  At his raised brow, she looked down at her clasped hands. “Besides which, as I said, your brother was a very kindhearted man. He knew I would receive his offer in the same spirit in which it was given, and as the possible answer to a long-standing prayer of my own.”

  He handed the papers back to her. “Ma’am, you just raised a whole wagonload more questions than you answered with that statement.”

  His tone had lost some of its belligerent edge. He seemed to be leaving it up to her as to whether she continued her story or not.

  And his consideration lifted some of her reluctance to explain. “So ask your questions.”

  “It sounds like, in spite of what you said a moment ago, you and my brother knew each other.”

  “Knew of each other would be more accurate.” She tucked her marriage papers back in her purse. “Through Julia.”

  He made a small movement of surprise. “You knew Julia?”

  Callie nodded. “Yes. Her family lived next door to mine when we were children. We were best friends, closer than sisters, and almost inseparable. It was one of the saddest days of my life when I learned they were packing up and moving to Texas. She and I kept in touch after that through letters.” She smiled. “Julia wrote the most wonderful letters. I feel like I already know the people and the town here.”

  He sat up straighter. “Wait a minute. You said your name was Callista. You’re Callie.”

  Her brow furrowed at his abrupt statement. “Yes.”

  “Julia talked about you all the time when she first moved here. Really looked forward to getting them letters from you, too.”

  Her smile softened. “As I said, we were close. Even after she moved here, I always felt I could confide anything to her. Julia was that kind of friend.”

  He rubbed his chin. “So that’s how my brother knew so much about you.”

  She nodded. “Once Julia was married, she shared some of the things from my letters with her husband. She asked first, of course, and I didn’t mind. And naturally her letters to me were sprinkled with references to him.”

  “Naturally.”

  She wondered at his dry tone, but continued with her story. “Julia assured me she and Leland often included me in their prayers, a consideration I cherished. It also let me know that Leland was familiar with both my dreams and my situation.”

  “Situation?”

  Callie took a deep breath and loosened the strings to her bonnet.

  This was it.

  Time to get it all out in the open. How would he react? Would he be as understanding as his brother? “Yes, my situation. The reason why I’m nearly twenty-six years old and unmarried. The reason why I always wear this stuffy bonnet when I’m in public. The reason why I would probably have remained a spinster the rest of my days if your brother hadn’t made his generous offer.”

  Slowly she pushed the confining bonnet back until it hung loose behind her neck. She’d thought she was past feeling self-conscious. She shouldn’t care what this man thought of her appearance, but somehow she did.

  She lifted her head and waited for his inevitable reaction.

  Jack watched her remove her bonnet and got his first good look at her face. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected after her dramatic lead-in, but it wasn’t this.

  While not beautiful, she was passably fair, pretty even, at least in profile. Her hair was sandstone brown and her green eyes were brighter now that they could more fully reflect the sunlight. She had a small crook in her nose, but that added interest to her appearance rather than detracted from it.

  So what was this “situation” she’d mentioned? “I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t—”

  Then she turned to him and he stopped cold. He winced before he could stop himself.

  Along the left side of her face, from mid-cheek to hairline, her skin was stained by a palm-sized blotchy patch of a deep red color. It was difficult to see past such disfigurement to the pleasant picture she’d presented a few seconds ago.

  Her gaze drilled into his, allowing him to look his fill, waiting for him to say something.

  But he had no idea what to say.

  She finally turned away, presenting him with her unblemished profile again. Her shoulders drooped slightly, but she gave no other sign that she’d noted his reaction.

  “So now you know.” Her voice was steady and surprisingly unemotional as she reached back and pulled her close-fitting bonnet up once more. “Your brother understood what he was taking on by marrying me. And he also understood why I would see his offer as a welcome opportunity to finally have a family of my own.”

  Her acceptance of his unguarded reaction made him feel like a complete oaf, like the worst kind of mannerless fool. “I—”

  She raised a hand, palm out. “There’s no need to say anything, Mr. Tyler.” She faced him fully again, her smile perhaps a little too bright. “I assure you I’m quite accustomed to such first-time reactions.”

  It was good of
her to give him an out, but his momma raised him better than that. “Look, ma’am, I’m sorry I was so rude. You caught me by surprise, is all. And, well, I don’t believe in fancy speeches or anything, but I want you to know I admire you for agreeing to my brother’s scheme and coming out here on your own the way you did. I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision.”

  At least the whole situation made more sense now. It was exactly the kind of grand gesture Lanny would make.

  Her smile warmed a bit. “You’d be surprised.” Then she brushed at her skirt. “Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’m ready to pay my respects to my—our—family.”

  Jack recognized her desire to change the subject. “Agreed.” He helped her rise, then offered his arm as they made their way across the churchyard.

  Once through the cemetery entrance, he led her around the inside perimeter, past the graves of his parents, to three freshly turned mounds with markers. Nell and Jed rested side by side, and Lanny was buried a few yards away, next to Julia’s grave.

  Jack stopped in front of Nell’s grave while his companion trudged the last few steps to Lanny and Julia’s resting places.

  Somewhere nearby a blue jay squawked his displeasure. A heartbeat later Jack caught a flash of movement as a squirrel raced down the trunk of a nearby pecan tree.

  Other than that, everything was hushed, still.

  He frowned at the half dozen or so pink roses someone had placed on his sister’s grave. That wasn’t right. Daisies were Nell’s favorite flower.

  The memories pelted him, one after the other, piercing him with their clarity, battering his attempts to hold them at bay.

  He could see his little sister, skipping along the fence row, pigtails bouncing, picking armloads of the yellow blooms. Then she’d sit under the oak tree in their yard and make braids and crowns and other little girl treasures for hours on end.

  Ah, Nell, I’m so sorry I didn’t come home sooner like you kept after me to. You always warned me I’d be sorry I waited so long, and as usual, you were right.

  He twisted his hat brim in his hands.

  I’ll find you some daisies tomorrow, I promise. Bunches of them.

  A leaf drifted on the breeze and landed on the grassless mound. Jack stared at it as if memorizing the nuances of color and the tracery of its veins were vital.

  About those young’uns of yours. You know I don’t know anything about being a father. And they sure deserve a lot better than me. But I swear to you, whatever happens, I’ll do my level best to see that they’re taken care of proper.

  He wasn’t sure if mere seconds or several minutes passed before he finally looked up and took his bearings again.

  The woman, Callie—easier to think of her as Julia’s friend than Leland’s wife—stood between the markers that served as Lanny and Julia’s headstones with her head bowed and her eyes closed.

  Was she feeling faint?

  Or praying?

  As if she felt his gaze, she looked up and drew in a deep breath, then let it go on a sigh. Jack joined her and stared silently at his brother’s grave.

  Lanny, the big brother who was good at just about everything he attempted, who could be bossier than the day was long, but who bent over backwards to lend a hand where it was needed.

  Regret threaded itself through Jack’s feeling of loss. Why hadn’t he come here sooner, made peace with Lanny, offered him the apology he deserved?

  Now he would never have that chance….

  Movement drew his gaze to Julia’s grave. He watched as a butterfly, its wings the same deep blue that Julia’s eyes had been, landed briefly on her marker, then fluttered toward them. It rested momentarily on Callie’s bonnet before drifting away on the breeze.

  When he looked back, he found her watching him. He straightened and shoved his hat back on his head. “Ready?”

  She nodded and took the arm he offered. Their silence was companionable this time, all of the tension that had been there when they marched through town earlier having evaporated.

  He was surprised to realize how glad he was that she’d been here these past few minutes. Somehow it felt right to have her share this graveside visit, to mourn alongside him for a few moments over their mutual loss.

  “Those poor little ones,” she said softly. “They must be so confused and frightened by what’s happened.”

  The mention of the children brought back his earlier worries. Was he up to the job of playing nursemaid to three confused and frightened young’uns?

  “Who’s been looking out for them since the accident?” she asked.

  “Mrs. Mayweather.” At her questioning look, he elaborated. “Sweetgum’s schoolteacher. She offered to take them in until I could get here.”

  “How kind of her. Does she have children of her own?”

  Jack smiled at the thought of the major general of a woman that was Alberta Mayweather having a husband to “take care of her.” “The ‘Mrs.’ is more of a courtesy title,” he explained. “She never married. But Mrs. Mayweather’s been schoolteacher here since before I was born, and she knows what she’s doing when it comes to watching over young’uns.”

  Unlike me.

  Jack’s gut tightened. He had quite a tangle to deal with, and it kept growing. He still hadn’t figured out what he was going to do about the three kids, and now he had to add Lanny’s widow to the mix.

  Of course, he probably wouldn’t have that added worry for long. Now that Lanny was gone, she’d likely head back to Ohio where she’d be amongst people she knew.

  “Then they’re lucky to have someone like her looking out for them.” Her steps quickened slightly. “But the sooner they can settle into a permanent home again with family around them, the better it’ll be.”

  Hah! Easy enough for her to say. She didn’t have the responsibility of making it happen.

  Her sigh interrupted his thoughts. “I just pray that, with God’s help, I can be a good mother to Annabeth.”

  Mother? Jack stopped in his tracks.

  “Wait just a minute. You can’t honestly believe you’re going to take charge of my niece.”

  He might not know how to be a father, but he’d just made a solemn promise to Nell and Lanny to give it his best shot. And there was no way he’d break a promise like that. No sir, he wasn’t about to hand any of those kids over to a stranger.

  No matter who she’d been married to.

  Her eyes widened, but she didn’t back down. “In case you’ve forgotten, helping to raise Annabeth was the reason Leland asked me to come here. I’m still Annabeth’s stepmother. Of course I’m going to take care of her,” she said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

  “Stepmother!” He rubbed the back of his neck, more to keep himself from reaching out to shake some sense into the woman than anything else. “You were married to my brother for less than half a day. Why, I’ll wager you’ve never even laid eyes on Annabeth, have you?”

  She crossed her arms and he saw a flash of temper in her eyes. “Have you?”

  He didn’t much care for the ring of challenge in her tone. “I’m her blood kin,” he argued, sidestepping the question. “It’s my responsibility to—”

  She yanked the marriage papers from her handbag and held them in front of his face. “Not according to these documents.”

  The woman was downright maddening. If she thought for one minute he was going to let her lay claim to Annabeth, she was going to be mighty disappointed.

  He was maddening! Why couldn’t he see that this was something she needed to do, was meant to do? It had to be why God had led her here.

  That reminder drew Callie up short.

  There she went, making assumptions again.

  “I’m sorry.” She offered a conciliatory smile. “I don’t believe either of us is thinking clearly right now. I’m certain we both have Annabeth’s best interests at heart, and that’s what counts. We just need to make certain we understand what those are.”

  His expression did
n’t soften a bit. “The best thing for her right now is to be with her family. And that’s me and her cousins.”

  Callie took a deep breath and tried again. “Mr. Tyler, why don’t we call a truce for the moment. At least long enough to pray about it. I’m sure God will help us resolve this if we just look to Him for guidance.”

  Her oh-so-stubborn brother-in-law didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gave her a peculiar look.

  A prickly unease stole over her, engulfing her like a scratchy woolen cloak.

  No. She must have misinterpreted his expression.

  Leland and Julia had been such steadfast Christians. Surely Leland’s brother…

  She forced her lips to form the question.

  “You do believe in God, Mr. Tyler, don’t you?”

  Chapter Five

  Callie watched as Jack paused, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he gestured back the way they’d come. “My dad helped build that church and my mother was the organist there for years.”

  She frowned. What his parents did or didn’t do had nothing to do with—

  “It’s just, well, I’m not really the praying sort.”

  The words shocked her. “I don’t understand.”

  He shifted his weight. “Look, I don’t have anything against folks praying if they’ve a mind to. It’s just that I don’t believe in asking for handouts myself. I cotton more to the ‘God helps those who help themselves’ way of thinking.”

  Callie blinked. Surely she’d misunderstood. “Mr. Tyler, asking for guidance and direction from our Heavenly Father is not the same as asking for a handout.” She saw the skepticism in his eyes and tried again. “Besides which, there is absolutely nothing wrong with humbling ourselves before the Almighty.”

  He waved his hand as if to brush her words aside. “Ma’am, you just go right ahead and pray for guidance if that makes you feel better.” Then he folded his arms across his chest and his eyes turned flinty. “But I’m telling you right now, there’s nothing on earth—or in heaven, for that matter—that’s going to convince me to turn any member of my family over to a stranger, no matter how strong that stranger might think her claim is.”