Mail Order Mix-Up. Christine Johnson

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      Her heart sank. Amanda would not bear up under a gruff man. One scowl and she’d start edging for the door.

      “Thanks for the warning,” she murmured before stepping through the door.

      The interior was dimly lit, and one could hear a pin drop. The three ladies all stared to Pearl’s right. She followed their gaze, and her jaw dropped. The advertisement had omitted one key detail. Garrett Decker had children.

Chapter Five

      That was not the only discrepancy in the advertisement. It took Pearl mere seconds to ascertain that Garrett Decker was not wealthy. The rooms were furnished with the barest necessities. Two rather faded stuffed chairs faced the woodstove. A rude bench sat just inside the door, and pegs held jackets and coats and hats. The only fine piece of furniture was a walnut sideboard, but it needed a good polishing. Across the room an unvarnished table was surrounded by six mismatched chairs. That left them two short by her calculations. No curtains or paintings or the slightest hint of a woman’s touch.

      Yet before them stood a boy and a girl, both quite young, six or seven she would guess. When had they lost their mother? Her heart tugged her nearer.

      “What sweet children.”

      They eyed her solemnly and silently. Their father pulled them close.

      Gruff was not the word she would use to describe Garrett Decker. Stony. Unyielding. Clearly not pleased to find four women invading his home. He seemed even less pleased that she had approached his children, almost as if he feared she would take them away.

      Roland swooped between Pearl and the children. “Miss Lawson is going to be your new teacher this year.” He then shot his brother a glare.

      Pearl wondered what that was about, but she was more curious about the children. Their expressions did not change, though they assessed her from head to toe. Not one word or even a sound. They must be shy.

      Roland motioned to the boy. “This is Isaac.” He pushed the boy forward a step. “And this is Sadie.”

      Pearl dropped to one knee so she would be at eye level. “Isaac, I’m pleased to meet you. What grade will you be in?”

      The boy didn’t answer.

      “He finished one year,” Garrett said with a defensive snarl.

      She turned to the girl, who looked younger. “Have you begun school yet, Sadie?”

      She stuck her thumb in her mouth.

      Pearl smiled. “I like your doll.”

      The rag doll had seen better days. A button eye was missing, half the yarn hair was gone and it hadn’t seen the wash in a long time.

      “I had one like that when I—” Pearl halted. They did not need to know she grew up in an orphanage or that she, too, had refused to let anyone touch her Dollie. That rag doll had been her last connection to her parents. She’d clung to it as if that would bring her mama and papa back. Sadie must have suffered similar loss. “I loved my Dollie. Does yours have a name?”

      Sadie just looked back with solemn eyes.

      Pearl rose, having made no progress. School would be difficult for Isaac and Sadie if they refused to talk.

      “She calls it Baby,” Garrett mumbled, his color high.

      “Pearl—Miss Lawson—is not here in response to the advertisement,” Roland needlessly pointed out.

      Garrett’s gaze drifted to the other three women, and Roland once again swooped into action.

      “Where are my manners?” Roland introduced each of the ladies in turn.

      Fiona no longer bubbled over with witty comments. Her gaze circled the room repeatedly, and she looked ready to accuse the men of what Pearl had already noticed. The advertisement had misled them. Louise didn’t even look up at Garrett. She hung back and said little more than the children. Pearl walked her trembling friend closer to the prospective groom once Roland introduced her.

      “Amanda and I have been friends since we were Sadie’s age.”

      Amanda instinctively looked at the little girl and smiled softly. “Would you like me to make you a pretty new dress?”

      Sadie’s eyes widened, and she nodded her head while holding out her rag doll.

      “Oh, a matching one for your doll, too?”

      Amanda had always had a gift with children. Where Pearl loved to see a child learn and grow, Amanda took them into her confidence. As a consequence, children adored her. Already she had made progress with little Sadie.

      Her father’s expression had soured, however. “I’m not wasting money on frivolous things.”

      That startled Amanda, who stared at Garrett as if he’d just confessed to murder. “A new dress for school is hardly frivolous.”

      Pearl could have cheered. While adults might make her friend nervous, Amanda would rise to defend any child. Clearly, Sadie needed some encouragement, which she wasn’t getting from her father. Unless, of course, he couldn’t afford a new dress.

      Pearl looked Garrett Decker in the eye. “We will work something out. Amanda can create beautiful things with the needle.”

      His set jaw told her she’d meddled where she didn’t belong. Oh, dear, this wasn’t going well for Amanda. Not at all.

      “Come to think of it,” Roland interjected, “we’ve got some odds and ends of fabric at the store that I was going to throw away. If you and Miss Porter would like to look through them, I’d give you any that you think you can use.”

      Amanda gushed her thanks, but Roland wasn’t looking at her. He sought Pearl’s approval. She had to swallow the lump in her throat. Even though the scraps were probably too small to make a dress, the gesture meant a lot, for it smoothed over the differences that had sprung up between his brother and Amanda.

      Pearl couldn’t help but smile. “We are most grateful.”

      His trace of sheepish concern vanished in a brilliant smile. “Then we accept, don’t we, Garrett?”

      Roland’s brother had not unlocked his jaw, even though his little girl looked up at him with the most hopeful, tremulous expression that Pearl had ever seen. Her heart just about broke. She would do anything to bring a smile to that little girl’s lips. Anything.

      Garrett puffed out his breath. “I don’t want to owe anyone.”

      “I’ll pay any costs,” Amanda offered.

      Pearl stared at her friend. Between them, they had only enough for room and board until school began. Where was she going to get money to pay for thread and ribbon and whatever else she needed?

      Roland laughed and clapped his brother on the shoulder. “Isn’t that like you, always counting your pennies?”

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