A Changed Agent (11 page)

Will left the twins sitting on the top porch step to go into the house. Now that he had time to look around, he noticed how the house had changed. It looked like a home. Elsie had hung curtains in the front windows and rearranged the furniture. Two chairs and a round table sat in front of the fireplace. She’d moved the small settee to the other side of the room, nestling it under the front windows.

He made his way toward the kitchen and then stopped dead in his tracks. There hanging on the wall, just to the right side of the coat rack, were a pair of stunning black-on-white silhouettes that had not been there before. Running his finger over the edge of the frames, he recognized the images of Harry and Minnie. Down in the right-hand corner of each picture were the initials E. M. He wondered when Elsie had found the time to do these. He imagined she’d had little time to herself this past week.

He’d been out at the lumber camp, helping John with the work crews. Up until a few short months ago, Will hadn’t any idea of how busy a lumber camp could be. Since the melting snow had filled the creeks with water, the loggers were floating their wintertime harvest downstream to the mill in Heartston. As the weather warmed, the activity would switch to processing the logs into lumber. He envied his friend. Even though John had been a devoted Pinkerton agent, he’d managed to come back to his hometown and build a successful business.

Will had no idea what he would be doing if he hadn’t found his life’s calling with the agency. He certainly didn’t think he’d find himself living in a small mountain town with two small children to look after.

“Uncle Will! Are you coming back outside?” Harry called from the front porch.

Will hurried to the front door and answered, “Yup. I’m right here.”

“Miss Mitchell took us out to her old house. We had a nice dinner with her parents, and we got to gather the eggs from the henhouse. Her ma said we could keep the ones we gathered, and then Miss Mitchell’s pa drove us back into town. He left those plants over there so we could plant our very own garden.” Harry nodded to a spot on the far side of the walkway.

Craning his neck around, Harry peered up at Will, adding, “Poor Miss Mitchell’s been so busy we haven’t had any time to get those plants in the ground. Just look at them, Uncle Will. They’re getting all droopy.”

Standing on the top porch step, Will could see where the plants had been left in the front yard, sitting out in the bright sunlight. Even though there had been a few dewy mornings this past week, it hadn’t been enough to properly water the plants. He went over to take a closer look at the plantings to see if they could be saved.

Harry and Minnie joined him. Will put his hands in his pockets while he decided if they could be salvaged. Out of the corner of his eye he caught Harry mimicking his moves. The boy stood right next to the fence post, his hands stuck in his front pockets, peering down at the cuttings.

“What do you think?”

All in all they didn’t look too weakened. “I think we should find a proper spot in the side yard to plant a garden.”

Harry lit up like a nighttime lightning bug. Jumping up and down, he chanted, “We’re going to grow a garden! We’re going to grow a garden!”

Will laughed. Minnie stood quietly by his side with that lopsided grin on her face. “Minnie, would you like to help us plant the vegetable garden?”

She nodded.

“I think between the three of us we can get these to the side yard in one trip. What do you think, Harry?”

“Yep!”

Because she wouldn’t set her doll down, Will gave Minnie the smallest tomato plant. She cradled it in her arms right next to Hazel, following him and Harry out to the yard.

“Let’s put these on the back step while I find the best place for the garden.” Will walked around the yard with Harry and Minnie at his heels every step of the way. Finally, he settled on a patch of soil right outside the kitchen-sink window. This would be perfect. By his calculations the summer sun would come around here in the midafternoon, giving the plants ample sunlight. Elsie would be able to see the garden growing from the kitchen.

Going to the small shed in the backyard, he found an old shovel and a hoe with a half-broken handle. These would have to do. When he returned, he found Minnie sitting on the step by the back door, playing with her doll, and Harry poking at a tiny hole in the ground.

“You all ready to get to work?”

“Yup! Can I use the shovel?”

“No. I’ll dig up a few rows and then you can help put the plants in.” He and the boy worked side by side, with him digging and Harry picking up the large stones they unearthed.

“How’s school going?” Will asked. “You been behaving for Miss Mitchell?” He asked the question even though he knew Harry to be a good student.

Picking up one of the rocks Will had cleared from the soil, Harry tossed it onto the growing pile. “I’m always good, Uncle Will. Though the boy whose father runs the post office, Avery Scott Jr., he’s been having a hard time with his arithmetic. Miss Mitchell has been giving him extra help after school.”

“That’s good of her.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged. “I like it better when we can come straight home when school lets out.”

“She has a job to do.”

“I know. How’s your job been going?”

Will rested his hands on top of the shovel handle. “I’ve been busy working up at the lumber camp.” He despised himself for having to tell the half-truth to this innocent child.

“That’s good. You’ve been gone a lot.”

“Working long hours is part of what I have to do, Harry.”

“I know. It’s just . . .”

“Just what?”

“We miss you when you’re gone. Miss Mitchell, she does a lot of work at school, and then when she comes home, there’s work for her to do here.”

“I see.” Will wasn’t sure how he could explain his absence to Harry in a way that would make the boy feel any better. So he said, “Let’s get this garden planted, and then that will be one less thing Miss Mitchell has to worry about.”

For the next hour they worked the soil, turning the rich dirt and making rows. Then, while Harry handed him the plants, Will dug holes, and together they put the plants in the ground, covering their roots with the dark soil. Straightening up, they stepped back and took a look at the results of their labor.

“Not too bad for a few hours’ work.” Will planted his hands on his hips, observing their little garden.

“Soon we’ll have tomatoes for our dinner!” Harry grinned up at him.

“It takes a few months for them to grow and mature. But I’d say if the weather cooperates, we’ll be enjoying ripe tomatoes by the end of summertime.” He put the gardening tools back in the shed and then rejoined the children at the back stoop.

Hugging her doll close, Minnie pointed at Will. He wished she would speak to him.
What would it take to get her to do so?
He might not know a whole hill of beans about raising children, but his instinct told him to be patient a bit longer.

“Something bothering you, Miss Minnie?”

He waited as Harry went over to her and she whispered in his ear, pointing again at Will.

“She thinks you need to wash up before Miss Mitchell gets home.”

“Does she now?”

Harry nodded.

“Well then, I guess I’d best get a move on.” They followed him into the kitchen. He said, “Harry, your hands are covered in dirt. I’ll help you get washed up first.”

Lifting the pump handle up and down, Will waited for the fresh water to flow into the sink. Then he helped Harry wash his face and hands. Minnie held out her hands, and he took a cloth from the edge of the sink, wet it, and then gently rubbed it over her hands.

Afterward, he put a stopper in the drain and filled the sink partway. Then he took his straight-edged razor from the windowsill, soaped up his face, shaved off the past week’s beard, and then cleaned up the sink. When he finished, he went upstairs and changed into fresh clothing.

Finding the children on the front porch, he said, “Let’s set the table for dinner.”

As he gathered the plates and silverware, Harry asked, “Do you know how to cook, Uncle Will?”

“I can manage some eggs and campfire grub.”

“Maybe one day you and me, we could go camping, and you could show me how to cook like that.”

Will couldn’t make a promise. He didn’t want to think beyond what tomorrow might bring. He still had to find the bond thief, and once the job finished up, he didn’t know where the next assignment would take him. Looking from Harry to Minnie, he knew leaving them wasn’t going to be easy.

It was nigh on time he set about coming up with a plan.

There was a possibility that his sister Mary Beth and her husband would return from their European trip and want the children back. Considering the way she’d left them, Will didn’t think it the best solution, but it would keep them out of an orphanage. His heart ached at the thought of placing them there or with his sister. After what had happened earlier with Minnie, Will knew he would fight to give them a good home.

“Uncle Will?” Harry’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“Are you going to cook our supper? We had eggs for breakfast. Is there something else you can cook?”

“Let’s see what’s in the pantry.” He went to the small anteroom off the kitchen. Minnie and Harry trailed after him.

Minnie picked up a can and handed it to Will. Beans. He could handle opening a can and heating the contents. Harry found a loaf of bread. Will spotted a platter covered with a cloth. Lifting the cloth, he found a portion of a leftover roast. This would definitely do. He picked up the platter. On the way out of the pantry he spotted a jar of applesauce.

“Harry, grab that jar for me.”

The boy stood on tiptoes and gathered the jar between his hands. “Miss Mitchell is going to be happy when she sees what we’re cooking up.”

Will hoped so. After he set everything to heating on the stove, he followed the children back outside.

There, Minnie led them to a patch of spring violets. He let her do the picking, and when she handed him the small bouquet, smiling up at him like a cherub, he knew his life was changing. The light- and dark-purple hues of the flowers reminded him of the color in Elsie’s eyes.

Back in the house he found an empty canning jar, filled it partway with water, and stuck the flowers inside. He put the arrangement in the center of the table. The floorboard creaked, and he turned around to find Elsie standing in the doorway, looking as lovely as those spring violets.

“The table and
you
look wonderful.”

Rubbing his hand over his clean-shaven chin, he grinned. “Harry and Minnie made me clean up and they helped with the table.”

Wandering over to the stove, Elsie lifted the lid on the pot and peered in at the simmering beans. Will had left the roast on the counter, figuring they could eat it at room temperature. He’d found a bowl to dump the applesauce in.

Elsie spun around. “You all did a fine job.”

Harry and Minnie came to stand on either side of her. “Wait till you see the surprise we have for you!” Harry beamed up at her.

“You’re preparing our dinner is surprise enough.”

Tugging at her hand, he said, “Come on outside!”

They went out the back door and around to the side of the house. “Uncle Will and I planted a vegetable garden.”

“Oh my!” Tears sprang to her eyes. “This is quite the surprise. Thank you!” Pulling Harry close to her side, she hugged him and then dropped a kiss on Minnie’s head. Finally, her gaze settled on Will. “You didn’t have to do all of this for me.”

“Harry said you’ve been too busy to get the plants in. We had the time.” He didn’t want her to make too much out of the project. He’d been happy to finally be able to help out around the house.

“It’s lovely.”

“Uncle Will says we’ll have vegetables to eat by summertime.”

“Indeed.”

They went inside for their dinner. An hour later, with the meal finished and the dishes washed, dried, and put away, Elsie found herself sitting on the top porch step next to Will. He had gone to a lot of trouble to plant the garden and set the table. This past week had been a long one for her, and she hadn’t realized how tired she was. Will’s thoughtful gesture had revitalized her. What pleased her even more was that he had come home and spent time with the twins. Harry and Minnie were chasing a butterfly around the front yard.

She looked up at the sky. The sun had begun dipping low on the far horizon. The warmth of the day lingered in the air. She said to Will, “It is a beautiful evening. The best one yet.” Deep inside, she knew it was the best one yet because he was here with her.

“Elsie, I’m sorry I haven’t been home more.”

“I knew what I’d be getting into when I agreed to take the job, Will. I understand you have work to do and you can’t always be here.”

“Still, Harry tells me you’ve been staying after your class lets out to help the postmaster’s son with his schoolwork. And then you come back here and you tend to the children. It can’t be easy.”

“Nothing worth doing in life comes easy, Will.”

“True enough. What made you decide to become a teacher?”