“Hello.” Angel’s mouth was so dry it was a miracle she got the one word out.
Julia-Rose put her arms out. With shaky hands she took the baby from Matt, and placed her in her lap. What if I drop her? Or break her?
She looked to Nate for help, but he just smiled.
“Looks like you’ve made a friend already.”
Julia-Rose turned her head in her father’s direction when she heard his voice. “Mama.”
A warm, wet spot spread on the front of Angel’s dress.
After the boys ate, Nate gave Angel a tour of the house. Pleasantly roomy for an in-town residence, there were four large rooms downstairs. To the right of the entrance was a parlor, with plenty of windows to let in light. A fireplace took up almost the entire far wall, and across from the window facing the street, sat a comfortable looking, but worn settee. Two unmatched chairs flanked a table with an oil lamp sitting on it. A flowered carpet, badly in need of beating, covered most of the wooden floor. Any female touches had vanished during the months of only males living in the house.
Her eyes narrowed as she imagined brighter curtains and colorful doilies for the back of the chairs and under the lamp. And of course, a good cleaning would improve the look of the room immensely. Oh, dear, another one of my jobs.
Behind the parlor was a room Nate explained he used as a library. She smiled at the numerous shelves of books. Two overstuffed chairs occupied the area in front of the room’s fireplace, and she envisioned them both sitting there peacefully in the evening, reading. If there is such a thing as a peaceful evening in this household.
To the left of the front entrance, a dining room led into a large kitchen, a swinging wooden door separating them. A small washroom piled with dirty clothes sat at the bottom of the back staircase.
The second floor included three bedrooms as cluttered and dirty as the rest of the house. The boys’ bedroom had the typical disarray of rocks, string, toys, clothes and books scattered about. Julia-Rose’s room was not in use since her crib took up the corner in Nate’s room.
“I know things are kinda messy.” Nate turned to her and grimaced. “I’ve tried to keep up, and Mrs. Darby does what she can, but it’s been a while since the house has had a good cleaning.” He turned to her with a smile. “I know once you get it all organized, you’ll feel a lot better.”
She tried to smile, but didn’t quite make it.
Every room he showed her needed a good scrubbing.
“Don’t worry,” he added as he started down the staircase. “I know it will take a couple days to get it all done. There’s no hurry.”
A couple of days! How about a couple of months? Panic gathered in her stomach and raced toward her heart. It beat so fast, she thought he must surely hear it. A fine sheen of sweat broke out all over her body, and she grabbed the banister as black dots danced in front of her eyes.
“You okay?” Nate’s voice drifted over her from a distance.
Someone slapped her hand and called her name. She lay on the settee in the living room. Apparently she’d
fainted again. Ever since this mail order bride debacle had started, she’d fainted more times than she had her whole life.
“Angel?” Nate looked at her with concerned eyes.
She tried to sit up. He pressed his hand onto her shoulder.
“Stay right there for a minute. You’re probably still worn out from your trip. I’m going for a wet cloth.”
Angel laid her forearm across her eyes and moaned. Why did he have to be so nice? She wanted to shout at someone, bang her fists against the wall and rage at life.
He returned and placed a cool cloth on her forehead.
“Mrs. Darby had a few of the neighborhood women send over meals, so you at least won’t have to cook for a few days.”
God bless Mrs. Darby. Angel began to rise. “I’ll see to heating one of them up.”
“No.” He eased her back down again. “It’s too early, and I really think you need more rest. I’ll put one in the oven later and have the boys set the table.” He patted her hand again. “It will be all right. Don’t fret.”
Tears flooded her eyes. It will never be all right again.
Her life was over. She faced years of drudgery with a man too charming to hate. The children all seemed okay—if she could remember who was who—and the baby was adorable, but Angel would never fit in. What in heaven’s name was she to do?
The slanted sun coming through the parlor window felt warm on her face. Angel opened her eyes and realized evening was approaching and she must have fallen asleep. Good heavens. She jerked to get up just as Nate entered the room with Julia-Rose. “Why don’t you two get to know each other better while I finish up a few things?”