Accidental Dad. Lois Richer

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СКАЧАТЬ sorry I didn’t get back earlier, Mom.” Kelly touched Arabella’s cheek in the merest graze of her fingertips. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss there then pulled back to glance at the child wiggling in her mother’s arms. “Who’s this fellow?”

      “That’s Jacob Samuel Denver. He doesn’t talk yet.” A little girl with bright blond pigtails and cornflower blue eyes stood in front of Kelly. “I’m Sadie and this is my sister, Emma,” she said, indicating her twin. “You’re our mommy’s sister, aren’t you? But our mommy’s not here anymore. She’s gone.” Big fat tears trickled down her cheeks.

      “She’s with God,” Emma said in the whisper-soft voice she’d used ever since Sam had told the twins of their parents’ deaths. She slipped her hand into Sadie’s. “You’re s’posed to be happy, Sadie. Mommy tol’ us that’s a happy place, ’member?”

      “I don’t want Mommy and Daddy to be gone,” Sadie snapped. “I want them here.”

      Sam stepped forward to console her, but Kelly beat him to it.

      “They are here, darling.” Sam’s heart blocked his throat as Kelly crouched down to the twins’ level. “Your mom and dad are right here in your heart.” She tapped Sadie’s little chest. “They’ll always be there because they loved you so much and because you loved them.”

      Sadie frowned. “Are you sure?”

      “Yep. Positive,” Kelly said with no hesitation. Sam could have hugged her for that when Sadie’s sad tears immediately stopped.

      “Oh.” Sadie leaned forward until her lips were next to Kelly’s ear. “I like talkin’ ’bout my Mommy an’ Daddy but it makes Grannybell cry.” The not-quite-whispered words pierced the room’s sudden silence.

      Sam winced at Arabella’s indrawn breath and tensed. Now Kelly’s mother would take offense. She’d done a lot of that lately. To save everyone’s nerves he prepared to intervene, but once again Kelly spoke first.

      “Your mommy was Grannybell’s daughter, Sadie. That means she was Grannybell’s little girl, just like you and Emma are Mommy’s very special little girls.” Kelly’s voice lost its composure for an instant, but she swallowed and quickly regained her poise. “You loved your mommy very much, right?” Two blond heads nodded. “Well, so did Grannybell.”

      “She doesn’t like it that our mommy’s with God?” Emma asked in the soft, hesitant voice Sam had begun to hate, because he hadn’t been able to figure out how to cure it. Eyes wide, Emma risked a sideways glance at Arabella. “Why?”

      “She likes Mommy to be with God,” Kelly assured her. “But she misses Mommy very much, and sometimes that makes her cry. But it’s okay for Grannybell to cry, and it’s okay for you guys to talk about your mom and dad.” Kelly nodded at their wide-eyed stares. “Talking about Mommy is how we remember her.”

      “Are you gonna talk ’bout her?” Sadie, the chatterbox, asked. “Uncle Sam tol’ us you and Mommy were twins like me an’ Emma.”

      “We were, only we didn’t look like each other, like you two do.” Kelly’s voice wobbled. She cleared her throat then held out one hand. “I’m Auntie Kelly. Pleased to meet you, Miss Sadie. And you, Miss Emma.”

      Sam’s lips twitched as the girls, bemused at being called Miss, each shook hands with their aunt.

      “What about Jacob Samuel?” Emma asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “Don’t you gotta shake hands with him, too?”

      “He’s just a baby. He doesn’t shake hands,” Sadie scolded.

      “How do you do, Master Jacob Samuel Denver?” Kelly performed a bow in front of the little boy then took his tiny hand and shook it. “I’m very pleased to make your—ooh.” She glanced at her hand, made a face then wiped her fingers on her pant leg amid the twins’ giggles.

      “Jacob Samuel drools,” Sadie informed her.

      “A lot,” Emma added.

      “Thank you. I’ll remember that.” Kelly looked around, taking in Marina’s kitchen, her home. She suddenly looked so lost, Sam felt a rush of pity.

      “Do you two want to see what I brought for you?” he asked the twins.

      Sadie yelled “yes” and both girls jumped up and down with excitement. No doubt he’d hear about their unseemly behavior from Arabella later, but for now their happy excitement sounded like music to Sam’s ears. He handed them each a box, received a hug and then watched as the girls opened their gifts, dolls he’d bought in the airport store, oohing and ahhing over them as they lifted them free of the tissue paper while Kelly stood watching with a smile on her face.

      “Arabella, this is for you and Neil. A small token to say thanks for helping my parents with the kids.” He took the baby from her in trade for a huge box of the brand of candy he knew she favored. “Where are my parents, by the way?”

      “At your father’s medical appointment. Your mother thought it best to keep to his schedule,” Arabella said in quiet tones, her gaze on Kelly.

      “I think so, too,” Sam agreed, relieved to see that nothing had happened while he was away. “So what’s been happening?”

      “Oscar said we got two new babies in the barn, Uncle Sam.” Emma was entranced by the ranch animals.

      “Where did you see Oscar?” he asked sharply. Hadn’t Arabella been watching? Surely the twins hadn’t gone out to the barn—fear crept up his spine.

      “I seed him when me an’ Sadie builded our snowmen,” Emma murmured. “We got carrots for the noses an’ I used one of your hats. Grannybell said it was ’propri—” She frowned and turned to her twin. “What was that word?”

      “I dunno.” Sadie was too busy removing the clothes from her doll to even look up.

      “Appropriate?” Kelly asked with an amused wink at Sam.

      “Yeah.” After Sam told her he had indeed noticed their snowman’s hat, Emma crouched down beside her sister, and the two immediately launched into playtime.

      “What do they call your mother?” Kelly asked curiously.

      “Gran,” he said and winked. “As opposed to Grannybell for your mom.”

      “Cute.” As Kelly glanced around, he noticed her backpack still lay at her feet.

      “Come on. I’ll show you where you can stow your stuff.” He picked up the pack and led the way to the back bedroom, next to the twins’. “Is this okay?” he asked, wishing he’d thought of dusting the spare room. “Your parents have the master bedroom. Marina thought it was easier for them with the attached bath.”

      “This is fine.” She glanced around once, then her gaze returned to him. “You said your parents are staying here, too?”

      “No, they’re at my place.” He walked to the window, drew back the curtain and pointed. “Over there. See?” he said with a burst of pride swelling inside at the log structure he’d built mostly by himself from felling СКАЧАТЬ