“I’m relieved,” he added. “For a minute there, I thought I was going to have to resort to blackmail.”
Since he’d moved back from the edge of the davenport and was sitting right next to her, Rusty had to turn in the seat to see his face more fully. He was looking very pleased with himself.
“Blackmail? What would you use?”
“Oh, just a little information about a certain woman whose ears turn red when she’s embarrassed.”
Rusty smiled. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.” He shook his head in mock severity. “I wouldn’t have any choice. A man has to do what he has to do.”
Rusty bit her lip to keep from laughing. “You’re shameful,” she finally accused.
“Not at all. Like I said, I wouldn’t have a choice.”
“In that case, I’ll just have to wear my hair down for the rest of the summer.”
“Now, that would be a shame.”
The warmth and extra softness of his voice made Rusty stop and study him. Chase looked right back. It was the first time Rusty saw it: interest—pure, straightforward interest that Chase McCandles did nothing to hide. Emotions surged through the small redhead, who found she couldn’t speak; neither could she look away. Not knowing if he’d moved too swiftly or not, Chase was just as silent.
It was some minutes before Rusty could find her voice to tell Chase that she had to check on Quintin. If she had looked panicked, he would never have let her go, but the sweet smile she gave him before she left the room did his heart a world of good.
“This is the bed,” Quintin told Rusty’s parents, his little face very serious. “And this is the mirror.” Quintin pointed to the large mirror over the dresser.
“Thank you,” Clayton smiled down at him. “It was nice of you to help us find things. Do you ever come in here and look out the window, Quintin? You can see a long way.”
The little boy joined Clayton at the lacy curtains.
“That’s town. That’s Colorado Springs.”
“It looks nice. Do you go there often?”
He nodded. “With Aunt Rusty and sometimes my father.”
“That must be fun.”
Quintin fell silent then, and Clayton knew he needed rescuing. “Thank you for showing us, Quintin.”
“You’re welcome. I have to find Aunt Rusty now.”
“All right. We’ll see you later.”
Clayton waited for him to walk out the door and then closed it softly.
“Oh, Clayton,” Jackie breathed as soon as they were alone. She had parked herself by the footboard of the bed until Clayton could give her the layout of the room. “If he’s half as darling as he sounds, Rusty must be in love with him.”
“He is very cute,” Clayton told her without hesitation. “And I’m sure you’re right. I’m half in love with him, and I just got here.”
“Tell me, Clay.” There was a catch in Jackie’s voice. “Was I just hearing the voice of my first grandchild?”
Clayton came to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He bent close to her ear and said, “Yes.”
“Oh, Clayton,” she cried as her husband held her.
“Did you hear anything this time?”
“Not yet.” She sniffed and felt for her hankie. Clayton found it for her. “Tell me what you saw.”
“He can’t keep his eyes off of her. It’s more obvious than it was in Boulder, and now she looks back at him. I was open to being wrong until Quintin came in and Rusty held him in her lap. I could see that Chase’s heart had gone into his eyes. He could hardly look away.”
“Do you think Rusty realizes?”
“I’m not certain. Something tells me the relationship between Chase and Quintin is better, and that’s going to go a long way in getting Rusty’s attention.”
Jackie took a deep breath. “I knew when she moved to Manitou that we wouldn’t be around to watch something like this happen, but it’s so hard not to be here, Clayton.”
“Yes, it is, but I can tell you she looks wonderful, and we know from her letters that she’s thinking well and trying to deal with the surprises that come up. What else can we ask for?”
“You’re right. Instead of being thankful that we’re here now, I’m complaining about not having her all the time!”
Clayton pressed a kiss to her forehead, but Jackie lifted her face. Clayton was more than happy to oblige, and several more minutes passed before either one remembered that Jackie still needed to know the layout of the room.
37
“Did you get my letter?” Clayton quietly asked of Chase soon after dinner that night.
“Something this week? No, I didn’t.”
Clayton frowned. “I must have mailed it too late.”
“Was there something you needed?”
“I don’t want to presume upon your hospitality, Chase.”
“I sincerely doubt that will be a problem.”
Clayton nodded. “I wrote to Paddy to let him know that we would be here. I’m hoping he will bring Sammy over to surprise Jackie, but I’m afraid you’ll feel like we’ve invaded.”
“On the contrary, I’ve been trying to get Paddy and Sammy to visit for months. I hope they come and bring all the kids.”
“Great. If they don’t, we’ll go ahead and make time to stop there on Monday before we go north. It means getting home later and spending less time with them, but Jackie hasn’t seen Sammy for months.”
“Well, I hope they come, and I assure you they are welcome. I’ll inform Mrs. Whitley so she can prepare Mrs. Harding’s room.”
“They may not come, Chase. I don’t want your staff to go to a lot of trouble.”
“My housekeeper, Mrs. Whitley, will not feel that way. It’s usually pretty quiet around here, and I know she likes company.”
“All right. I can also let Rusty know. She’s always willing to help out.”
It had not been Clayton’s intention to play games with Chase, to look for some sort of reaction or set him up in any way, but the look that crossed the younger man’s face at the mention of his daughter’s name was unmistakable—something was going on.
“I think Katherine and your wife are settled in the drawing room with coffee, Mr. Taggart,” Chase said in a softer-than-usual voice. “Could I have a private moment with you?”
“Certainly.”
Chase led the way from the dining room. The night was cool but comfortable, and he guided Clayton onto the veranda and out toward the gardens.
“You’re pleased with Rusty’s work, Chase?” Clayton asked almost immediately.
“Yes, I am. Quintin is having the time of his life. Until Katherine came I didn’t realize that I’d been remiss on my son’s behalf.” The knowledge of this was still so new that Chase paused a moment. “Mrs. Harding meant well,” Chase continued slowly, not wanting to sound unkind or cast blame. As Rusty had reminded him, he was Quintin’s father. “However, she never taught Quintin about life. Katherine is seeing to that, and her influence has been invaluable.”
“That’s great.” Clayton felt proud of his daughter. “Rusty must have told me, but I can’t remember—when do you expect Mrs. Harding back?”
Chase paused for a long time. The men were still walking, but Chase hadn’t said a word.
“I don’t want to ignore your question, Mr. Taggart, but could I ask one of you?”
“Of course.”
Chase came to a stop. This was not a question he could ask while casually strolling along. “Would you object to my getting to know your daughter on a personal level?”
“No,” Clayton replied without hesitation, “but I can’t make assumptions where my daughter is concerned. Rusty’s approval must follow my own.”
“Of course. To be honest, I haven’t spoken to her about this. I wanted to take more time—and when I did, I was going to ask her if she wanted me to check with you, but since you’re here, I thought it might be all right to question you in person.”
“
I’m glad you felt free to do so, but I’m going to be direct with you, Chase. I feel there’s no other way. Do you have marriage in mind?”
Chase took a deep breath, wanting to be wholly honest. “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t thought of it, but at the moment I only want to know if Katherine would welcome my suit. I don’t care for the thought that she might believe I’m just trying to secure a mother for Quintin, so I feel I must move carefully. Alongside of that is the complication of her living here. The last thing I want to do is make us an object of gossip.”
Clayton couldn’t have been more pleased with the man’s reasoning. It was good to know that Rusty was in such careful hands.
“I appreciate that, Chase. Rusty’s not been so sheltered that she wouldn’t understand empty gossip, but your testimonies could be at stake. You’ll keep us informed?”
“Yes, you can count on that. Does Rusty know that you’ve invited Paddy and the family?”
“No, but she likes surprises, and in no time she’ll have some fun ideas in mind.”
“That I can imagine. At times I laugh at your daughter’s spontaneous nature, but I must admit there are moments when she scares me to death.”
Clayton laughed. “She’s been like that from the time she was a child. Her sister Clare was different. If Clare had seen that a pot was going to boil over on the stove, she’d have come for her mother or me. Rusty would simply remove the pot. It’s so clear in Rusty’s mind: If you see something that needs doing, you do it. At the same time you wonder why you never got the job done before.”
“That just about describes her,” Chase said with a shake of his head.
“Come now, Chase,” Clayton teased him. “You wouldn’t want to be bored.”
The younger man smiled wryly. “I don’t know. Every once in a while, I’d welcome a little boredom.”
Clayton could only laugh.
“Your father told me you look well.”
“Did he?” Rusty said with a smile. “I’m glad.”
“You must be enjoying the work.”
“Oh, Mother, Quintin is such a sweet little guy. He stares at your face when you read to him. He’s more interested in the person holding him than in the book. The eyes he turned on his father tonight were enough to melt my heart.”
“I can tell. I wish you could have heard him show us the room. He took the job so seriously. Am I right that things seem to be better between Mr. McCandles and his son?”
“Yes. Mr. McCandles is trying so hard.” Rusty paused. “We had a huge fight. I was out of line, but he was very forgiving.”
“But you think it helped.”
“Yes, I do. Wrong as I was to attack him, he wasn’t aware of what he’d been doing. As I said, he’s forgiven me for the way I spoke to him, but he’s also taken things to heart and is trying.”
“You must be so pleased.”
“Yes, I am,” Rusty said softly as snatches from the day came back to her. Quintin was special, but then so was Mr. McCandles. Rusty was more drawn to him all the time. Even when she was angry with him, she somehow wanted to protect and help him. Anyone meeting him would not see him as a man in need of help, but Rusty wouldn’t have agreed.
“You’ve fallen quiet.”
“Just thinking.”
“About Mr. McCandles?”
“Yes.”
“Is your heart being affected in all of this, Rusty?”
“I think it is, Mother. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
“Shall I tell you how I feel?”
“Oh, please do.”
“I don’t think you should fight this, Rusty, even if it means letting yourself fall in love.”
“Oh, Mother.”
“Come here, dear.” Jackie needed her oldest child closer. “Come so I can see you.”
They had been side by side on the davenport, but Rusty moved until Jackie could put an arm around her. Jackie spoke again once she’d pulled Rusty close and cradled her cheek with her free hand.
“Did I frighten you?”
“No, but it’s a little shocking when someone so perfectly speaks my thoughts.”
“What did I say?”
“That I’m afraid to let myself fall in love with him. It’s the truth, Mother.”
“Why does it frighten you?”
“Because I’m afraid he won’t love me in return. But worse than that, I’m still afraid he might not be a good father. I couldn’t stand that.”
Jackie pulled Rusty’s head down close and rested her cheek on the top of her head. What do I say, Father? I can’t promise her that Mr. McCandles will love her, although I suspect he already does. I can’t tell her just to throw caution to the wind; she must think clearly on this. They haven’t known each other very long. Help me to be wise and careful with my words. I fell for Clayton so swiftly, but it was years before we had each other. Help me, Lord, and help Rusty to know her heart but never to forget Yours.
“We are never to worry, Rusty,” Jackie said softly. “That’s a much easier thing to say than to practice, but God is firm on this subject: Worry is a sin. If you are fretting about your feelings or whether he’ll be a good father, you must confess your lack of trust. God has so much better for us than we ever do for ourselves, and His yoke and burden are light. Did that make sense?”
“Perfect sense. Thank you.” Rusty paused again. “How would you feel about Mr. McCandles in the family, Mother?”
“If you love him, and you both want to build your relationship and family in Christ, I think it would be wonderful.”
Rusty sighed, a huge load lifting from her heart. For some reason she needed her mother’s permission; and not just her permission, but her approval with God’s standard behind it. She knew if she kept this in mind she could not go wrong.
“You’re feeling better already, aren’t you?”
“Yes. I needed to hear those words.”
Jackie pressed a kiss to her brow. “I’m glad, but I must be honest with you and tell you that your hairpins are putting a hole in my cheek.”
Rusty sat up with a surprised laugh. Jackie joined her. By the time the men gained the drawing room, the women were both flushed with giggles that were aided by fatigue. They knew it was time to head to bed when neither of them could explain why they were laughing. Clayton and Chase let them go. Rusty walked with her mother upstairs where they talked a little more, but both women were sound asleep when the men finally called it a day and came upstairs themselves.
Saturday morning started with the O’Briens’ arrival. All the McCandles and Taggarts were gathered in the breakfast room when Mrs. Whitley told Chase privately that he had visitors. Just seconds later he was hugging Sammy and putting his finger up to silence the children. With a sparkle of delight in his eyes, Chase led the way under the arch, into the hallway, and finally into the breakfast room.
Jackie’s head turned at the sound. She could tell that several people had entered the breakfast room, but for a moment no one spoke. There was a small giggle, but Jackie didn’t think it was Quintin. This only added to her curiosity.
“Hello, Jackie.”
Jackie’s face split with a huge smile. “Hello, Sammy. I’ve had a feeling Clayton’s been up to something. Are you all here?”
“Yes, we are,” Paddy answered as they surged en masse to hug and greet one another. What followed was a scene of complete confusion punctuated with laughter and giggles. Quintin met everyone, a smile on his face, but then sought Rusty’s lap as a refuge. It wasn’t often that he saw this many people in Briarly, let alone in the breakfast room.
“Renny.” From her corner of the table, Jackie was almost through “seeing” everyone. She spoke with her hands on the little boy’s shoulders. “You’re so tall. I wouldn’t have known you.”
“Aunt Jackie,” he said seriously, “we studied about Louis Braille in school. Do you know who he is?”
“I certainly do. I’ve shown you my Bible and some of my books, haven’t I?”
/>
He nodded before remembering. “Yes, I’ve seen them. He made those, didn’t he?”
“Well, he made the method of the raised dots so I could read them.”
“He was blind too,” Renny informed her.
Jackie smiled and hugged him again. “Thank you for telling me, Renny. I’m so glad you studied him, and I’m so thankful for the method he developed.” She sat back in her seat a little and just listened to the words around her.
“I’m so pleased that you got my letter,” Clayton was saying. “How long can you stay?”
“Until tomorrow night.”
“Good!” Chase declared, echoing everyone’s thoughts.
It was just the start of a full day of laughter and fun. The group had a complete tour of the house, stable, and grounds, and then loaded into every carriage that Chase owned and went for a long drive and outing. They missed lunch, but came back in the late afternoon and had an early dinner. Then they played games until it was time to turn in.
More laughter ensued at bedtime as everyone found a place to sleep. Rusty gave her bed up for Paddy and Sammy and bunked in with Quintin. Her cousins took Mrs. Harding’s room.
In the morning there was a line for the bathroom, but at last they were all ready and even arrived for church on time. It was not a huge congregation or church building, so it wasn’t hard to take up an entire pew. Pastor Radke was relaxed and fun, and Rusty felt her heart swell with pleasure when he asked Chase to introduce his guests.
“This is Clayton and Jackie Taggart, Katherine’s parents. They live in Boulder. And Mrs. Taggart’s sister and family. It’s been awhile since they’ve been here, so I’ll refresh your memory. This is Padriac, Samantha, Eileen, Nolan, and Renny O’Brien from Manitou.”
“You’re with the orphanage that Chase supports, is that right, Mr. O’Brien?”
“That’s right.”
“We pray for you often. Would you mind giving us a rundown on the work there?”
“I’d be happy to,” Paddy agreed and took the next few minutes to do so. He gave the present number of children at the orphanage, as well as the present number of staff, and then closed with these words. “Please know that God is honoring your prayers on our behalf. Some children Rusty placed just this spring, a boy and a girl, visited us with their new parents last week. They’re doing so well with their new family that the parents are interested in two more children. God is doing great and mighty things, and we thank you for remembering us.”