The Orphans' Blessing Read online

  Zach frowned. “How would you know?”

  Hank took a seat at the table, drowned his waffle in syrup and grinned. “She was outside on the deck when I arrived. She’s a softer version of her sister, don’t you think?”

  Zach set his jaw. “Is she? I hadn’t noticed.”

  “Right.” Hank drew the word out with a skeptical grin. “She seemed very nice. I like her.”

  “You can have her.”

  Hank speared another bite of waffle, then washed it down with a gulp of coffee. “So what’s your beef?”

  “No beef. I don’t know her.”

  His friend nodded. “How did the kids take to her?”

  “Like a long-lost relative.”

  Hank chuckled under his breath. “I get it. She’s bonding too quickly with the youngsters and that makes you nervous.”

  Zach gripped his mug between his palms. “She’s going to stay with them while I’m on hitch this week.”

  “Whoa, that was fast.”

  “I didn’t have a choice. There wasn’t anyone else.”

  Hank shrugged a shoulder. “It’s only a week. And Paula and I are right up the street. What could happen?”

  “I don’t know. That’s the problem.”

  Hank patted him on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ll check in on them every day to make sure she hasn’t kidnapped them or anything.”

  Zach jerked his head up. “Do you think she would do that?”

  “Whoa. Chill, buddy. I was joking. You’re getting yourself all worked up for nothing. Don’t anticipate trouble before it happens.”

  Zach tried to ignore his friend’s comment, but even after he’d left, the words rolled around in his head, sending roots deep into his already troubled thoughts. Was that why the aunt had shown up? She wanted to legalize her rights as a relative? They’d already disagreed on the closet. Could she use that against him and prove he wasn’t a suitable guardian?

  He emptied his mug in the sink, then fisted his hands on the counter. It wouldn’t be hard to do. He messed up royally every day. It was his worst nightmare. Leaving a stranger to take care of his kids. It was going to be a long week.

  Chapter Three

  Sophie stepped into the master bedroom later that morning, unprepared for the emotional tidal wave that engulfed her. Her pulse raced, sending blood surging through her ears. How was she supposed to stay here? How could she sleep at night without thinking about her sister being in this room?

  She sank onto the edge of the bed, her knees too weak to hold her. A picture of Madeline and her husband sat on the nightstand and she picked it up, tears stinging her eyes.

  Why had she abandoned her? She could understand not contacting their mother, but why hadn’t she at least let Sophie know she was all right? They’d been close even though they’d been four years apart in age. But what did she know about her sister really? Nothing. Her eyes scanned the room again. But maybe now, in Madeline’s home and surrounded by her children, Sophie might find the answers she longed for.

  And she needed answers. She needed family. Now more than ever.

  “Aunt Sophie. I have a surprise for you.”

  Sophie looked up as Linney appeared in the doorway clutching flowers in her little hand.

  “I picked them for you.”

  Sophie quickly wiped the moisture from her cheeks and smiled. “Thank you. I love them.” She reached out her hand but Linney’s smile faded and she took a step backward. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

  “I don’t want to go in there.”

  It took Sophie a moment to grasp the significance of the situation. Linney knew it was her parents’ room and she was reluctant to enter. Sophie’s heart ached. Poor little thing. Sophie understood only too well the emotional impact of being in this room.

  “This is a very nice room. I’m sure your mommy and daddy were very happy here.”

  Linney mulled that over for a moment. “I guess so.” Slowly she entered the room, her free hand clenched into a tight fist.

  Sophie’s throat tightened. “It makes me sad to be in this room. It makes me miss my sister very much. Is that why you don’t want to come in? Because it makes you miss your mommy and daddy?”

  Linney nodded, her eyes wide.

  “Would you like to help me unpack? You know where everything is and I don’t.”

  “Yes, ma’am. Mommy said we should always help others.”

  Sophie took the flowers from her hand and laid them on the bed. “Your mommy was a very nice lady.” Sophie fought the knot in her throat. She pulled a pair of shoes from her suitcase. “Where should I put these?”

  “There’s a special rack in the closet. Mommy put hers there but all her things are gone now. Uncle Zach gave them to needy people.” Linney took them from her, then hurried ahead to the door beside the bathroom, opening it and placed them on a shelf. “You can hang your clothes in here, too.”

  “Good idea. Thank you for helping me, Linney. Your mommy would be very proud of you. You look like her.” Linney was a miniature of her mother down to the brave tilt to her chin.

  “That’s what Daddy always said. He called me his little Madeline. Linney for short.”

  “Linney, are you okay?”

  Zach stood in the doorway, glancing between Sophie and Linney, a deep scowl creasing his forehead and a dark shadow of concern in his brown eyes.

  She nodded. “I’m helping Aunt Sophie unpack.”

  “That’s very nice of you.” He motioned her toward him, clasping her hand and pressing her against his side in a protective manner. “Why don’t you go downstairs and feed Lumpy? His bowl is empty.”

  Zach didn’t speak again until the child was out of earshot. “What are you doing?”

  The harsh tone in his voice sent a twinge of alarm along her skin. “What do you mean, what am I doing?”

  He took a step toward her, making her heart jump. “Linney is a very sensitive child. She’s still trying to adjust to losing her parents. Forcing her to enter this room is cruel and I won’t—”

  She held up a hand. “Excuse me. I didn’t force her to do anything. She entered on her own.”

  He set his jaw. “No. Linney refuses to come in here.”

  “She did at first, but we talked a little and then I asked her to help me unpack, and she agreed. There was no coercion involved.”

  Zach’s jaw flexed. “Did you offer her candy or something?”

  Sophie tried not to be insulted. He was obviously concerned for his niece, but he had no right to accuse her of doing something hurtful. “No. I talked to her about her mom and dad. That’s all.”

  Zach shifted his weight. “I don’t want you to push the kids to talk about their folks. That’s my job.”

  Sophie raised her chin. “Are you? Talking to them?”

  The scowl on his face deepened before he spun on his heel and walked off, leaving Sophie scolding herself for speaking so bluntly. There was something about the man that got under her skin and made her want to challenge him.

  That had always been Madeline’s response to things. Challenge and attack. Maybe Sophie was more like her sister than she realized.

  * * *

  Zach went in search of his youngest niece, taking a few calming breaths as he went. The woman was infuriating. Leaving her in charge of his kids for a week was a mistake. He hated to think of the damage she might do, but he had no other option. He found Linney in the kitchen poking a straw into a juice box.

  “Are you okay, Linney Bug?”

  She smiled up at him. “Yes, sir.”

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry your aunt made you go into your mom and dad’s room.”

  “She didn’t make me. I wanted to go in.”

  He’d tried multiple times to coax the little girl into the room, hoping to overcome her fears, but he’d
failed each time. “You did? Why?”

  “She asked me to help her unpack since I knew where everything was, so I did. Mommy always said we should help others.”

  “It didn’t upset you, to be in there?”

  “A little, but Aunt Sophie needed my help.”

  “You know you can talk to me about your mom and dad whenever you want.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t like to talk about them. Can I go outside now?”

  “Yeah.” He ruffled her hair as she ran out the back door, leaving him with an odd discomfort in the center of his chest. The child was right. He didn’t like talking about Madeline and Dean. He owed Sophie an apology. He’d been convinced she’d dragged his niece into a room she dreaded. Somehow the woman had managed to break through the child’s fear and grief simply by talking.

  Talking. It apparently worked for everyone but him. When he had attempted a conversation about their parents, the kids had become more upset than before so he’d backed off, assuming that when they were ready they would talk to him. Maybe they were ready now.

  How was he supposed to know?

  Sophie had accused him of resenting the responsibility of the kids. If he was perfectly honest, he did miss the freedom of coming and going as he pleased, the satisfaction he found in his career. But all he had to do was look at those three sweet faces and he knew whatever he’d given up was nothing compared to having them in his life.

  He wasn’t looking forward to making his apology. Neither was he looking forward to being gone all week. What else would Sophie talk them into? She had a connection with them that he obviously lacked. He couldn’t deny there was something warm and compelling about Sophie. He could understand why the kids were drawn to her.

  All he could do was hope that a week managing three kids would be too much for her to handle and she’d be ready to pack up and go home.

  He held on to that thought as he said goodbye to the kids a short while later. Katie and Linney stared at him with worried expressions. DJ looked indifferent. Zach wished he could find a way to connect with the boy but so far all his attempts had failed.

  “We’ll miss you, Uncle Zach.”

  “I’ll miss you, too, Linney Bug.”

  “Have fun flying your helicopter.” Katie hugged his waist. “Be careful.”

  “I will, Katie Belle. You be good for your aunt.”

  She nodded happily. “We will. It’s going to be so fun having her here for a whole week. We’re going to do all kinds of cool stuff.”

  Zach didn’t want to think what that cool stuff might be. The sooner he went to work, the sooner he’d be back home.

  He met Sophie’s gaze. “Take good care of my kids.”

  She lifted her chin in a defiant gesture. “I will. I love them, too.”

  He held her gaze a moment. Was it possible to love kids you’d only known for twenty-four hours? He’d have to take her word for it. And do a lot of praying between now and when his hitch ended.

  * * *

  Sophie rinsed her coffee mug and placed it in the dishwasher. So far her first full day alone with the children was going well. Zach left right after lunch yesterday. She knew he hadn’t been thrilled about leaving her in charge. He’d left her detailed instructions on their daily routines, a schedule of activities, a list of chores and an emergency phone number list that covered half the population of Blessing.

  She couldn’t fault his actions. She would have been anxious, too, if the situation were reversed. She may have reservations about some of his parenting decisions, but there was no doubt that he loved their nieces and nephew.

  “Aunt Sophie.”

  She turned around as the children came and stood in front of her. They exchanged conspiratorial glances. DJ spoke first. “We want to talk about Mom’s closet.”

  Katie nodded. “We have to talk Uncle Zach into it.”

  Sophie’s heart warmed at their love and devotion, but antagonizing Zach wasn’t wise. “That’s probably not a good idea. Your uncle was very clear that he had neither the time nor the money for the project.”

  DJ exhaled an exasperated grunt. “But he didn’t look at all Mom’s stuff. She had it all worked out. Maybe we can find a way to do it that won’t cost so much.”

  Linney clasped her hands tightly together under her chin and gave her a pitiful expression. “Please.”

  “It was important to Mom.”

  DJ’s pleading tone punctured Sophie’s conviction. Going against Zach was risky. He could forbid her to see the children ever again, but they were her nieces and nephew, too, and the community closet had been important to Madeline. And now it was important to Sophie. “Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to look over her files.”

  The girls squealed and gave her hugs. DJ offered up his palm for a high five.

  “But on one condition. We don’t say anything at all about this to your uncle. I need to look over all the information first and come up with a plan. But I’m not promising anything. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” DJ grinned and handed her a laptop.

  “What’s this?”

  “Mom’s computer. It’s all on there.” He opened it and with a few taps on the keys located the folder for the closet.

  Sophie clicked on the icon and a stream of files appeared. “There must be thirty files here. This will take time to go through.”

  DJ emitted a soft chuckle. “Yeah, but Uncle Zach won’t be home for another six days.”

  It took the better part of two days to go through all Madeline’s information. From what Sophie could tell, her sister had done all the prep work. Permits, licenses, taxes and approvals from the town had all been filed and approved. Even the details of the remodel had been addressed. All that remained was the mortgage on the building. It was considerable. The monthly payments would put a strain on any family budget. Sophie could better understand Zach’s concern.

  If only there was a way she could help with the payments herself, but she doubted he would agree to that. She’d put her aunt’s gift shop and her home up for sale, but money from that wouldn’t be available until the properties sold, which could be several months. This project needed to get underway quickly. The children needed this to move forward. And school would be starting up before long. If only there was a way around the money issue.

  Money! Of course. Madeline had money. Lots of it. Pulling out her own tablet, Sophie quickly scanned her personal files. There it was. The savings account her aunt had set up for Madeline after she’d sold their parents’ home. Sophie had used hers for college tuition. Since Madeline’s whereabouts had been unknown, Aunt Billie had put the money in a savings account until she returned. There should be more than enough to pay off the mortgage and remove Zach’s biggest objection.

  She sent up a prayer. This might just convince Zach to launch the community closet. But first she had some investigating to do.

  * * *

  Sophie stepped out onto the front porch the next afternoon and took a seat in one of the rocking chairs. Her head was throbbing and her vision blurred from staring at the computer for the last several days, but her hopes were rising. She had everything she needed to proceed with the closet, provided she could get Zach to accept Madeline’s inheritance. She hadn’t mentioned anything to the children in fear of getting their hopes up.

  A friendly shout caught her attention and she glanced up to see a tall, dark-haired woman come toward her from across the street.

  “I just wanted to say hello. I’m Rachel Burkett. My daughter Bailey is Linney’s best friend, and my son Carter is on DJ’s ball team. Are you the nanny Zach hired?”

  “Actually, I’m their aunt. Sophie Armstrong. Maddie’s younger sister.” Sophie braced for the surprise that was sure to come. She wasn’t disappointed.

  The woman’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. “I had no idea s
he had a sister. She never mentioned it and we were best friends.”

  “Maddie left home as soon as she was old enough and we lost touch over the years.” She saw the curiosity bloom in Rachel’s dark eyes, but Rachel only nodded and took a seat in the other rocker.

  “I’m sorry to hear that. If there’s anything I can do or if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”

  “As a matter of fact, I have one question. What do you know about a community closet my sister wanted to start?”

  Rachel grinned. “Everything. I was her assistant. Well, not really, but I helped her think it all through. It’s a shame it won’t happen now. It would have been a real blessing to the community. Why do you ask?”

  “The kids approached Zach about completing the project. They want to do it as a birthday memorial for their mother. It’s very important to them.”

  Rachel clasped her hands over her heart. “That’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. Maddie would be so proud of those kids.”

  “Well, their uncle said no. He claimed he didn’t have the time or the money for the project. The children were heartbroken. I even offered to take charge of the whole thing and help the kids, but he said I was undermining his authority.”

  Rachel sighed. “It might appear that way but you have to realize Zach went from being a carefree single guy to a parent of three kids overnight. Financially he must be stressed.”

  “Maybe, but how was Maddie going to get it done if money was tight? She must have had some kind of plan. I’ve been through all her files but I couldn’t find any financial information.”

  “Those records were probably on Dean’s computer. He was going to do all the remodel work himself. She was also counting heavily on volunteers. We had a long list of people who were going to help.”

  “From where?”

  “Church. I’m the president of the women’s ministries at Blessing Community, but there were others from around the town. We have no shortage of civic-minded folks in Blessing.”

  Rachel started the chair rocking. “Your sister was involved in many organizations in town. She spearheaded several of them. She was a bundle of energy. Sometimes I wondered if all her running around and busyness wasn’t a way for her to avoid something painful in her life. Something she was avoiding.”