The Hand-Me-Down Family (14 page)

She swallowed her hurt and gave him a smile. “Thank you.”

Then she quickly turned to the children. “Now, let's see. In a land far away, there was a castle situated next to the ocean. And in this castle lived many people, including a girl named Flora and a boy named Hawk. Flora's favorite pastime was working in her garden where flowers of every color and scent grew, and where butterflies and insects added color and nature's own music.

“Hawk, on the other hand, preferred to roam through the forest, exploring caves and gullies, discovering new trails and fishing in the many streams…”

While Callie wove her tale, she kept a close eye on the watch. As the two-minute mark approached, she deliberately stopped in mid-sentence. “While Flora was busy deciding what to do about the wilting flowers, Hawk had discovered—” She halted. “Uh-oh, looks like my time is up. Who wants to go next?”

Annabeth raised her hand. “I do.”

“So, tell us what happens next.”

“Hawk had discovered…he was lost.” The little girl tossed her head, dismissing the hapless Hawk. “Back at the castle, Flora looked under her pink rosebush and found a puppy…”

Annabeth happily chatted on about Flora and the menagerie of pets she discovered hiding in her garden until Callie signaled that her two minutes were up and tapped Emma to take over.

 

Jack listened to the story unroll from each of his passenger's perspective. Callie even managed to coax shy Emma and surly Simon to participate. How did she do that?

He declined when she asked if he wanted a turn, and without missing a beat, she took her turn again.

Her very lack of reproach over both his refusal to participate in their game and his rejection of the gift she'd given him had him mentally squirming.

Shaking that uncomfortable feeling off, he listened to the story as it was reshaped by each speaker in turn.

Interesting.

Annabeth concentrated on Flora and her interaction with the numerous animals she invented for her to play with.

Emma tied the two characters together as brother and sister. She also set the boundary of the garden right at the edge of the forest so that Flora and Hawk could take time out to visit with each other as they went about their activities.

Simon, of course, focused on Hawk's adventures, setting him off in search of lost treasure.

Whenever it came back to Callie, however, she would deftly weave the threads of the story back together and set it dramatically off on a new course before her two minutes were up.

They were still going strong when the outskirts of town came into view.

As the wagon rolled past the burned out remains of the café, all talk ceased.

Jack cast a quick glance at the three children and saw Simon's clenched jaw, Emma's downcast eyes and Annabeth's quivering lower lip.

He should have come into town by a more roundabout route, he realized with regret. So what if they were a little late?

The kids shouldn't have to face this reminder again.

Another black mark on his parenting record.

J
ack cleared his throat, not quite sure what to say, but knowing the kids needed a distraction.

A quick glance Callie's way confirmed that she shared his concern. She pasted a smile on her face and turned back to the children. “Well, there's the church and it looks like we made it on time. Simon, isn't that your friend Bobby there by the steps?”

As if to reinforce her words, the bells started pealing and the small crowd that had been gathered out front began to make their way inside.

Callie adjusted her bonnet, facing forward again. “Thank you, children. You are amazing storytellers. And thank you,” she said turning back to him, “for the loan of your watch.”

He accepted his timepiece back, mouthing a quick, “Thank you.”

She merely nodded as she smoothed her skirt.

A few other latecomers were still making their way inside when Jack pulled the wagon up to the hitching rail.

“Simon, you help the girls down,” Jack instructed as he secured the horse.

He knew what his role was today and he was determined to play it well. If only to prove that Callie wasn't the only one capable of making the best of an uncomfortable situation.

He helped her down, then offered his arm. He placed his hand solicitously over hers as he escorted his new family into the church. The fourth pew on the right, the one the Tyler family had occupied all during his growing up years, was vacant. Apparently the townsfolk still favored their same seats, Sunday after Sunday.

Jack sat through the opening of the service, fighting the urge to leave. The only thing he actually looked forward to was the singing. With his mother serving as church organist, there had always been music in his home, especially hymns. He remembered many an evening spent with her playing their old upright piano while the family sang along.

It looked like one of Mrs. Friarson's daughters played the organ now. Was it Cora or Ruby? They were both several years younger than Jack and he hadn't ever been able to keep them straight, even when he lived here. He reached for one of the hymnals and held it so that he and Callie could share it. But when the Friarson girl struck the first few chords and the congregation launched into song, Jack forgot all about identifying the musician.

Callie's voice was amazing. Strong and clear, it had an almost haunting purity to it. There was beauty there, beauty that went beyond any surface definition. He found himself using the shared hymnal as an excuse to lean closer, brushing shoulders with her as he let that wonderful voice wash over him.

It was only when the music had stopped and he saw the faint blush on her face that he realized how transparent he'd been. Jack adjusted his jacket as he faced forward.

No real harm done. If anyone in the congregation had noticed, they would put it down to the fact that he and Callie were newlyweds. And hopefully Callie would assume that he was just playing his part.

But he'd have to watch himself. That little twitch of attraction had been a mite too real for comfort.

Later, as they exited the church, Reverend Hollingsford shook Jack's hand. “It was good to look out over the congregation this morning and see you seated in your brother's place with your family all around you.”

Jack nodded, trying to keep his smile friendly. So, even the pew had become Lanny's rather than the Tyler family's.

As soon as they made it past the reverend, the kids ran off with some of their friends, and Virgil called Jack over to join a discussion with several of the other menfolk.

While he talked, Jack kept a close eye on Callie. Just to make sure she didn't feel abandoned or lost in the crowd, he told himself.

But Mrs. Mayweather and Ida Lee had drawn her into discussion with a circle of friends, and as long as they stayed close, he knew Callie would be all right.

“By the way,” Mr. Dobson said, claiming his attention, “Lanny had talked to me about placing an order for a new strain of corn he was thinking about planting next year. We were all pretty interested in watching how it went. You planning to follow through with that?”

“I don't know. Hadn't really given it any thought.” Jack wasn't ready to tell these folks he wouldn't be sticking around that long. It somehow didn't feel fair to Callie to announce the day after their wedding that he was planning to leave in a few weeks.

Then again, it was probably better to start dropping a few hints so folks could get used to the idea and not think anything
objectionable had happened between the two of them when the time came. “Besides,” he said, choosing his words carefully, “I may end up going back to my old job once I get Callie and the kids settled in. I have a family to support now, after all.”

Mr. Dobson shrugged. “Well, farming was always more Lanny's strong suit, I suppose.”

“That brother of yours was both smart and good with his hands,” another of the men added. “Always finding ways to improve his crop yield or make life easier for him and his family.”

“I'll bet you've seen some exciting things in your travels,” Virgil interjected.

Jack could always count on his friend to try to snuff out any “Ain't Lanny wonderful?” conversations before they got too thick. “I don't know about exciting,” Jack drawled, “but yes, I've happened on some sights. I've seen the Rocky Mountains and the Grand Canyon. I've seen the Pacific Ocean and I've seen a tree so big it would take twenty men to circle it.”

One of the men let out an appreciative whistle. “That must be some tree.” Then he turned to someone else in the group. “That reminds me. Didn't Lanny say he'd planned to put in a peach orchard next spring?”

And as quick as that, the conversation turned to Lanny once again.

Jack let the conversation flow around him. He was well-traveled and experienced. Still, to these folks, he was Lanny's shadow of a brother. Nothing had changed for him here.

Nothing ever would.

A few minutes later, the womenfolk began to signal that it was time to go. As the groups reformed into family clusters and headed toward their wagons or moved to the sidewalk that
led into town, Jack saw Annabeth run up and take hold of one of Callie's hands.

Simon left his friends grudgingly to join them, and Jack noticed that the boy's surliness had returned.

“Where's Emma?” Callie looked around the dwindling crowd, a frown on her face.

“I saw her picking flowers back behind the church,” Annabeth said. “You want me to go fetch her?”

Jack waved them forward. “Y'all go ahead and get settled in the buggy. I'll fetch her.”

He headed toward the side of the church, nodding to friends as he did so. But before he'd covered more than a couple of yards, he spotted his niece leaving the cemetery, traces of tears on her cheeks.

Wishing he'd asked Callie to search Emma out, he stood there as the girl caught sight of him and hurried over.

“I'm sorry,” she said as she drew close. “I didn't mean to keep y'all waiting.”

“That's okay. We're not in any big hurry.” Feeling awkward, Jack put a hand on her shoulder. “Any time you want to come out here and visit, you let me know. Okay?”

Emma nodded and offered him a grateful smile.

Jack felt a flash of relief. Apparently he wasn't completely without the skills needed to handle this parent thing.

 

Callie sat in the parlor, pen poised over a sheet of paper.

Lunch was over and the kitchen cleaned up. The sound of the children playing with the dogs drifted in through the open window. Jack was upstairs doing heaven only knew what. The man was certainly not one to voluntarily share any personal information.

There was absolutely nothing to keep her from finally writing that letter she'd promised her father.

Yet she'd sat here for ten minutes now, just staring at the blank sheet of paper. How could she possibly explain all that had transpired in the few short days since she'd arrived?

The sound of footsteps descending the stairs provided a welcome distraction. But when Jack came into view, he looked dressed for work.

“Where are you going?”

He paused with his hand on the screen door. “There's a section of fence out behind the barn that needs attention,” he said as if she had no business asking. He pushed open the door. “I thought I'd—”

She set her pen down. “It's Sunday.”

They stared at each other for a long minute. Finally Jack shrugged and let the door close. “All right.” He headed toward the parlor and leaned against the doorjamb, crossing his arms. “So what do you suggest we do with this perfectly good afternoon? I'm not much good at just sitting on my hands.”

“Well, we could have a talk.” She'd like to learn more about this man she was married to.

“Talk about what?”

He made it sound as if she'd asked him to eat a dung beetle.

She'd better start with something safe. “It's not as if we know each other well,” she said. “I'm certain there's lots of information we could share to help us get to know each other better.”

“Actually, I figure we know all we need to about each other.” He crossed one booted foot over the other. “The less personal we make this whole arrangement, the better it'll be.”

The words were like salt on a cut. Why was he so determined to keep that wall up? “Very well, then, we should do something with the children, something to help them feel like we're coming together as a family.”

“What do you suggest?”

The man was determined not to make this easy.

Remembering the items still packed in her small trunk, Callie stood, a grin spreading across her face. “Actually, I have just the thing.” Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? “You gather the children. I'll meet you out on the porch.”

 

Callie was thrilled. She'd found something they could all enjoy together, something that brought them one step closer to being a true family. Now if she could just do the same for her marriage.

When she stepped outside, four pairs of eyes looked at her with varying degrees of wariness and expectation.

She held up the item she'd retrieved from her room. “This book is called
The Swiss Family Robinson
. I thought I might read a part of it to you this afternoon.”

Annabeth's eyes lit up. “Is it like our story about Flora and Hawk?”

“It's a different kind of story.” Callie sat on the porch swing, where she was immediately joined by the two girls. “But I think you're going to like it every bit as much.”

Simon held back, wrinkling his nose. “I'll bet it's just some sappy fairy tale about princesses and such.”

“Actually, it's an adventure story. My father read it to me when I was about Emma's age. And I enjoyed it so much I read it on my own when I got older.”

Simon looked far from convinced. “What kind of adventure?”

“It's about a family who's shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island. They have to find ways to survive all on their own.” She turned to Annabeth, tweaking one of her curls. “And along the way, they encounter lots of strange and exotic animals.”

Annabeth bounced up and down on her seat. “Ooh, that sounds exciting.”

“It is.” Callie opened the book. “I tell you what. I'll start reading. If any of you get bored, feel free to return to whatever it was you were doing before.”

Turning to the first page, she began reading. “Already the tempest had continued six days; on the seventh its fury…”

Thirty minutes later, she closed the book. “Well, that's enough for one sitting.”

She smiled at the clamor of protest. Even Simon had edged closer while she read.

Her glance snagged on Jack's and she felt her grin widen at the look on his face.

He'd enjoyed the story, too, had he?

As soon as he realized she'd noticed, Jack stood and stretched as if bored by the whole thing.

“I'm glad you enjoyed it so much,” she said, turning back to the children. “But the book is much too long to finish in one sitting. If you like, we'll plan to read a little every day.”