Debra Ullrick (14 page)

She described their differences and even pointed out the differences in some species of bugs Zoé had preserved and had pinned onto boards.

Josiah and Graham’s attention remained glued to what she showed them.

When she finished, even Harrison looked slightly impressed.

He squatted down until he was eye level with his boys. “You learned a valuable lesson today. Do you know what that was?”

“Yes. We want Abby for our mother.”

Abby froze stiff as ice, afraid to look at Harrison. Instead, she busied herself by putting the frog back into the jar, and by sending Zoé a pleading look to get her out of this sticky situation.

“Well,
mademoiselle,
” Zoé said, striding right into the middle of the conversation with a knowing twinkle in her eye. “I’ve had enough fresh air for one day. I’m going to my room now to read that book you lent me.”

Abby wanted to hug Zoé for annihilating a very uncomfortable situation. “Thank you, Zoé. I hope you enjoy
Emma
as much as I did.”

“I’m sure I will.” With those words, Zoé hugged each of the boys and picked up her bug collection boxes. Her skirt swayed like a bell as she scampered toward the house.

Abby kept her eyes on Zoé’s retreating back, for fear of facing Harrison.

“I’m sorry, Abby.” Harrison stood so close that his breath had brushed the hair around her ears when he spoke. She understood he needed to keep his voice down for the children’s sake, but having him this close set her insides to squirming.

Oblivious to her discombobulated feelings, he continued, “I can see that my son made you uncomfortable.”

Not as much as Harrison’s nearness was.

“He did me, too,” Harrison continued. “But he’s just a child. He doesn’t have any idea what he’s saying.”

Oh, yes, he did, and that was both scary and satisfying. Those thoughts would remain tucked inside her. She shrugged as if it was nothing. “Remember, I have nephews and nieces, so I’m used to them saying embarrassing things.” Nothing quite as embarrassing as that, though. She discreetly stepped away from him.

Neither one said anything. Moments of silence passed. Finally, Harrison spoke. “Well. My sons have had a long day. I’m going to take them home.”

“Ah-h-h. We don’t wanna go home. We wanna stay with Miss Abby and Miss Denis,” Josiah whined.

“That’s not up to you to decide. I’m your father and I make the decisions. Is that clear?” Even though his tone sounded firm, the man’s heart was as fluffy and soft as a baby duck.

“Yes, Daddy,” Graham answered first.

Josiah nodded and scuffed the toe of his shoe in the dirt.

“Tell Miss Abby thank you for this wonderful day.”

“Thank you, Miss Abby, for this wonderful day,” they both said. Suddenly, before she could brace herself, the twins barreled into her legs.

Harrison’s arm shot out to steady her, but he missed. She and his sons landed on the ground with a thud.

“Josiah! Graham! Apologize to Miss Abby this instant.” He helped them to their feet, more yanking than helping. Then his hand took hold of hers, and her heart jumped inside her. The gorgeous man staring into her eyes affected her, and that wasn’t good. Yet, she was powerless to stop it. The heart was a powerful, influential thing. Hers had gone and betrayed her by falling for another man. Not just any man, either. A man who had made it very clear that he hadn’t met the right woman yet, and that he wanted a house filled with his offspring. It would do her good to remember that from now on. Her heart be hanged in this matter. She was in control. She sighed. If only that were true.

Chapter Eleven

S
itting on her front porch on one of the new outdoor chairs, sipping a cup of coffee, Abby watched the hummingbirds lick the nectar from her flowers. Delighted that everything else was going the way she had planned, a smile tugged at her lips.

With the extra men Fletcher had hired, the stage was now finished and a lot of the props were, too. Today the theater chairs and the carpet runners would be arriving by train. The table and chairs wouldn’t arrive for a couple more weeks. Abby had tried to time it where everything didn’t come at once, so it wouldn’t be too hard for the hired men to have to deal with.

The sound of horse’s hooves clomping on the hard ground pulled Abby’s attention in that direction. It was Harrison. For two solid weeks now, after her heart betrayed her by falling for him, Abby had done her best to keep her mind off just how much she cared for Harrison, and onto business.

She missed the boys, too. She’d seen very little of them since they had a new nanny. That was a good thing. Right? Someone needed to tell her heart that. It kept forgetting, and she missed the little tykes something fierce. If she missed them this much now, what was it going to be like when they left for Boston and she never saw them again? Or Harrison? That thought thudded across her heart even more loudly.

Harrison raised his hand in greeting, and the familiar butterflies she got in her stomach every time she saw him returned. She reciprocated the wave as his buggy headed toward her house.

Harrison parked his carriage and joined her on the porch as he did every morning.

“Good morning. How are you this beautiful, sunny morning?” Abby asked.

“Very well. And I can tell just by looking at you that you’re doing wonderful, as well.”

My, how handsome he looked in his blue pants and light blue shirt. It was nice to see him in a more casual style of clothing. It meant he was getting used to the more laid-back style of country life. “Would you care for some coffee?”

Harrison pulled out a chair at her table and sat down. “I’d love some. I didn’t have time to stop by Lucy’s today. My nanny quit.”

“What? Are you serious? Why?”

Harrison let out a long breath as his shoulders slumped forward. “Mrs. Glenn said they were too much for her.”

Abby couldn’t imagine what was wrong with the nannies he hired. There was nothing amiss with his sons. Yes, they had a lot of energy, but what boys didn’t? And they were the sweetest boys ever.

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to help you today. I’m going to have to find another nanny as soon as possible, or I’m going to end up losing my valet, too.”

“I’m sure Zoé would be more than happy to watch them. She’s been pining for them. And to be honest, I miss having them around, too.”

He turned surprised eyes on her. “You do?”

“Well, yes, of course I do. I don’t know what is wrong with those nannies. Josiah and Graham are adorable.”

“I don’t think it’s the nannies.”

Abby stared at Harrison. “How could you think that? Of course it’s them,” she blurted, surprised that he, their father, would even say such a thing.

“No. No, it isn’t.”

Abby’s ire rose. She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind.

His next words stopped her. “It’s yours.”

“What? Mine? Well, of all the nerve! What do you mean it’s my fault?”

“Just as I said. This time I think the boys purposely drove the nanny away. They kept talking about how much they missed you and Zoé. They’d been begging me to bring them with me so they could see you two. I think it was a concerted effort on their part to drive Mrs. Glenn to distraction because they think that will mean they will get to come back here.”

Abby’s anger melted away with those words, and she had to stifle the laugh, which didn’t work at all. “Ahh. Those little darlings.”

“Darlings? Hardly. Do you know what those little darlings did?”

She shook her head, anxious to hear.

“They caught a frog and put it in Mrs. Glenn’s teacup. When she went to pour tea into her cup, she nearly fainted.”

Abby pictured it and barely kept her giggle to herself.

“That’s not all. They found a small garden snake sunning on the shale rocks near the front porch and put it in her bed. Staimes said he didn’t know a woman could scream so loud.”

Abby giggled.

“It’s not funny.”

Yes, it is.

“The final straw was when they caught several stink bugs and put them in her hair while she was sleeping. The stench had her heaving for quite some time.”

Abby wanted to laugh again, but the truth was, she felt sorry for the poor woman. Stink bugs. How revolting. “How did someone so young come up with such ideas?”

“From you.”

“Me?” she squeaked.

“Yes. You. Remember last Sunday when we went fishing again and you were telling me what your brothers used to do to you and how it made you want to run away from home because you couldn’t stand it and feared what they would do next?”

Guilt made its way into her cheeks. “It is my fault. Oh, Harrison.” She rested her hand on his forearm. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea that they were listening, or that they would use those things to get rid of their nanny.”

“I know you didn’t. Neither did I. As bad as those things were, that wasn’t what caused her to leave. The final incident was the dead fish.”

“Dead fish?” Abby swallowed. “So that’s what happened to the missing fish last Sunday,” she said more to herself than him. “Please tell me they didn’t do what my brother Michael did to my sister, Leah?”

He slowly nodded his head. “I’m afraid they did.”

Abby dropped her head back and groaned. She pressed her hand against her chest and blew out in a long breath before turning her attention back to Harrison. “I’m really sorry.”

“Not as sorry as Mrs. Glenn was. I hope she can get the fish odor out of her clothes.”

Abby tried not to giggle. After all, it wasn’t funny what that poor woman had endured, but the giggle had a mind of its own and made its presence known. To her surprise, Harrison’s own chuckle floated toward her.

Naughty as it was to find humor in the situation, the two of them ended up bubbling over with laughter.

When they finally stopped laughing, Abby wiped at her tears. Gathering her composure, she poured Harrison a cup of coffee and handed it to him along with a freshly baked, sugar-glazed cinnamon roll with walnuts.

He took a bite of the sweet treat and swallowed. “That cook of yours is amazing. These are the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted.”

“I’m blessed that not only Veronique, but also her sisters, decided to join me.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t remember if you ever said, but how did you meet those three? Each one of those ladies is a rare find.”

“That, they are. They used to work for my mother until she got married. Their services were no longer needed, but my mother didn’t have the heart to let them go. My stepfather offered to find positions for them, but I asked if they didn’t mind moving if I hired them. The Denis sisters were thrilled to come with me. One reason being, they weren’t sure how they would enjoy working for a man like my stepfather.”

“Oh. Why is that?” He sipped his coffee and then took another bite of his roll.

“He is a prominent man, who entertains some very prominent people. They felt uncomfortable in that high-society, social environment, so it worked out great for me. Here, they might have to deal with the elite, but they don’t work for them. They work for me. And even though they do work for me, they are more like family to me, and I try to treat them that way, too.”

“They’re lucky to have you.”

“No. I’m the lucky one. Make that the blessed one. They work hard and they’re there for me whenever I need them as I hope I am for them. Speaking of work—” Abby set the teacup she’d been holding down on the table “—I can hardly wait. The chairs are arriving on the train this morning.”

“With the nearest train depot six miles away, how many wagons did you have to hire to deliver the chairs here?”

“Oh, no.” Her hand flew to the side of her head. “How could I have been so stupid?”

“What’s the matter?” He frowned.

“I can’t believe it.”

“What?”

Embarrassed, she dropped her gaze to her lap. “I didn’t think about that. I was so excited about ordering them, that I completely forgot about arranging for them to be delivered here. What am I going to do? How am I ever going to find someone this late to deliver them?” For the first time since starting her business adventure, panic took over and she felt completely inept as a businesswoman.

* * *

Seeing the distress racing across Abby’s face, Harrison settled his hand on her arm. “Don’t worry, Abby. I’ll take care of it.” He had no idea how, especially at such short notice, but he’d figure out something. He had to. He couldn’t bear seeing her so upset. His mind searched for a solution until one came. “Fletcher has three wagons. I expect most of his men have wagons, too. Let me see if they’d be willing to take their wagons and go pick them up. Plus, I know the livery owner has two wagons. I can rent them for the day.”

“Do you think they will? I’ll pay them extra for their troubles.”

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t. As soon as Fletcher gets here, I’ll ask him. In the meantime, why don’t we finish our coffee and rolls and enjoy the morning? By the way, I know it’s not even seven o’clock yet. I hope you don’t mind my showing up early. I would have never presumed to do such a thing, but I knew you would be sitting on the porch like usual, and I wanted to give you an early warning that I wouldn’t be able to help today. I’ll make the arrangements for the furniture and then I’d better get back home. Staimes can only handle the boys for a short time. They make him nervous.”

“Oh. I forgot about that. Listen.” She rested her arm on top of his, and that same warm feeling he always got when she touched him made its way into his chest again. “There’s no need for you to find a nanny. Truly. Zoé will be more than happy to watch them, and I miss having them around.”

“I can’t ask you to do that. Besides, you need Zoé to help you with other things around here.”

“Things are pretty well taken care of until we get closer to the grand opening. After that, you’ll be leaving and Zoé will get back to her normal chores then.”

The idea of his leaving didn’t sound very appealing anymore. But leave he must. He’d made a vow to himself years ago, the very day he’d been told by a once close colleague of his father’s, just how rotten his father had been to everyone who knew him after the death of Harrison’s mother. Therefore, leaving was definitely a must.

Not only because it was the right thing to do, but he had to do it for his sons’ sake. After all, he didn’t want them growing up with that same marked dark cloud that had hung over his head. No, he wanted his sons to be able to hold their heads high in Boston or anywhere else without shame. Harrison was determined to make that happen, and he couldn’t do it from here.

“It’s settled, then. As soon as I finish breakfast, I’ll ask Zoé if she minds. Which I know she won’t.”

He hated doing that, but the last time he looked for a nanny, he had trouble. There were very few single women in this town, and even fewer widowed ladies. Most all of them had their own households to take care of or they were too old to care for his young sons. No other choice remained. “Thank you, Abby. I appreciate this.”

“You’re welcome. And just so you know, I can drive one of the wagons.”

“You can drive a wagon?”

“Yes. I’ve been driving one since I was little. My brothers made sure that my sister, Leah, and I learned how, just in case we ever needed to use one and they were too busy on the ranch to take us.”

The woman never ceased to amaze him. “Tell me about your ranch.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Whatever you want to tell me. For starters, do you miss it?”

“Yes and no. Yes, I miss my family, and the ranch is beautiful. No, I love being independent and not being smothered constantly by my overprotective brothers.”

“I’m sure they meant well. If I had a sister, I would be overly protective of her, too.”

“I’m sure you would.” She chuckled.

“Tell me more.” He took a bite of his half-eaten roll.

“Well, I’m not boasting now, mind you, but my family owns the largest ranch out there. We have many acres of wheat. There are apple, pear and plum tree groves galore on the place. My family used to raise pigs only until the train started coming through Paradise Haven. Now they raise cattle, too.”

“Why only pigs?”

“Well, they were the only animals that could survive the rough winters there. They survived by eating camas bulbs. After the train came through, it was easier to get supplies and feed for the cattle. Now, enough about that. Tell me about Boston. What’s it like?” She popped a bite of her roll into her mouth and tossed a chunk to a chipmunk that had made its way onto the porch.

“Downtown Boston is busy and noisy and there are buildings everywhere. One rarely has to have anything shipped in because of the huge variety of shops. It’s highly populated and the people aren’t nearly as friendly as they are here.”

“You know—” Abby spoke as if she were almost speaking to herself and not him “—even though I was born in New York City, I was too young to remember it. Still, I could never live in a large city like Boston. While Paradise Haven has grown, it still has that small, hometown feel. Like here. After living here for the last few months, I could never see myself living anywhere else now. I just love it here.”

Those words were the final clincher where he and Abby were concerned. She herself said she could never live in Boston. She was settled here; he was leaving. So for his remaining time here, he needed to protect his heart completely from allowing her into it. The finality of that saddened him.

They finished their breakfast listening to the blackbirds and tossing small chunks of their rolls to a persistent chipmunk, whose cheeks were puffed full now.

At the sound of harnesses rattling and horse’s hooves clomping on the hard ground, the furry chipmunk scurried off, and the noise dulled the birds’ singing.