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She closed her eyes, her fingers tightening around the straps of her purse. Her words were a soft whisper, as if in prayer. “Lord, I don’t know where to begin.”
Unease knotted in Mack’s stomach. Thea had never been one to cry uncle, not even when the burdens her family placed on her fragile shoulders seemed to be too much to carry. What could have happened that would shake her this badly? Lord, give me the wisdom to handle this situation with Thea. Help me treat her fairly no matter what happened in the past. Mack rested a hand against the small of her back and gently pushed her toward a row of empty chairs. “Why don’t we go over here and sit down?”
Faint color gathered in her cheeks as he held out a chair for her then took the place beside her. “The bad guys don’t stand a chance with you, do they, Sheriff?”
A stall tactic, but he remained quiet, ready to listen. Thea would open up about whatever was bothering her when she was ready.
She cleared her throat. “It has to do with what was going on with my sister the last few months of her life.”
“You mean the accident?”
Golden curls shimmered against the pale skin of her neck as she shook her head. “No, I mean...before the accident. When she came back to Marietta last spring.”
Eileen Miller was in Marietta last spring? Not possible. Mack would have noticed. The woman had always been the type to stand out, draw attention—so different from her sister. “The night of the accident was the first time I’d seen her in years.”
She drew in a deep breath as if to snap at him, then must have thought better of it. “But she was here in town last spring. In particular, around May eighth.”
Sarah’s birthday. The best day Mack had had in years, falling head over heels with the abandoned baby who had been placed in his arms—and deciding to adopt her. While everyone else celebrated the end of the conflict in Europe, Mack celebrated the beginning of his new role, that of Sarah’s father. “Eileen had a way of making her presence felt. If she was here, Thea, I would have noticed it.”
“I know she was here, Mack. She wrote in a journal she kept that she was out at the farm with Momma on VE Day.”
Mack blinked. That wasn’t possible. How had Eileen snuck back into town without him being aware of it? Granted, last spring had felt like a roller-coaster ride with President Roosevelt’s unexpected death, then the war ending in Europe, not to mention the Bell Bomber Plant laying off some of the women workers. What else had happened right under his nose that he’d been unaware of?
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Mack. Eileen probably kept out of sight due to her condition.”
Mack turned sharply to stare at her. “She was pregnant?”
The news wasn’t truly a surprise. Eileen had been trouble since the moment she started powdering her nose and wearing high heels. Mrs. Miller had always been very stiff, very proper. She wasn’t a warm person, not even with her daughters, but she’d been tolerably friendly, participating in community events and active in the church until the gossip surrounding her younger daughter’s antics had begun. After that, she’d rarely come to town. Whenever Eileen got into trouble, it was always her big sister who came to bail her out.
But it seemed odd he hadn’t heard about Eileen coming back in the spring or having a baby. Odder still that the few times he’d been called out to tend to Mrs. Miller, who had grown increasingly rattled and confused as age set in, never once had the woman mentioned a child. Mack scrubbed his jaw. “Where’s the baby then?”
“That’s just it, Mack. Momma says the baby has been stolen, and I need to go and bring her home.”
Another mess for Thea to clean up. Hadn’t that always been the way with Mrs. Miller and Eileen? Well, this was one problem he could help her clear up. Mack shoved his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out the small notebook and stubby pencil he kept on him for moments like this. “Do you know the name of the baby’s father? I could check with him, see if he or his family have the child.”
“No, but...” She hesitated, what color she had in her cheeks fading, though her chin still arched at a determined angle. Whatever she was about to say, Mack knew he wouldn’t like it. “Momma knows who has the baby.”
“Who?”
“Ms. Adair.”
“Aurora?”
Thea gave him a certain nod. “Momma said she knew it the first time she saw Ms. Adair in town after the baby was born.”
“That’s why you’ve been spying on Aurora’s place.” The pieces began to fall into place for Mack. “You think Sarah is Eileen’s baby?”
“It makes sense. Sarah looks to be about the right age, and she’s the spitting image of Eileen when she was a baby. Momma said it would be like Ms. Adair to take her.” Sorrow along with another emotion—determination?—stared back at him. “That child you want to adopt is my niece, Mack. And I want to take her home.”
* * *
For a moment Mack’s eyes went wide with shock, and he didn’t seem to be breathing. Then he huffed a laugh and shook his head.
Surprise shot through Thea. He thought her claim was so ridiculous that he was laughing at her? Not very gallant for the boy who’d protected her from the ugly whispers her sister’s behavior had generated around their high school campus, who’d listened as she’d poured out her heart over her mother’s indifference, who’d been more than her friend.
He was the only one who ever seemed to understand her—and he knew how much her family meant to her. Eileen was gone, but her sweet baby was here, and all Thea wanted was to give that darling girl a home with her family. Why was that so difficult to understand? Shouldn’t Mack be happy that someone from Sarah’s birth family wanted to claim her now? Instead, he seemed to find the very idea laughable. “Maggie would have your hide if she heard you laughing at me like that.”
“Maybe,” Mack replied, giving her an unrepentant smile that made her heart trip over itself. “But she’d have to catch me first.”
A smile tugged at the corner of Thea’s mouth, but she caught herself before she made a complete idiot out of herself and smiled back. What on earth was she doing, almost flirting with the man! She had to make him understand the situation. Otherwise, Eileen’s baby would be adopted by him, and the opportunity to raise her sister’s child would be forever lost to her. “I don’t think what I said was that funny.”
“It wasn’t.” A weak grin tugged at his lips. “It’s just that Ms. Aurora has a hard enough time providing the necessaries for the children left in her care without going out and stealing more of them to spread her resources even thinner.”
“Maybe there was a misunderstanding,” Thea argued. “Maybe Eileen was upset, or overwhelmed, and considered giving up her baby. But Momma says she changed her mind. She just didn’t get a chance to take her back before the car accident. This isn’t an abandoned baby anymore—this is a little girl whose family wants her. Momma and I are entitled to have her.”
Thea glanced into blue eyes studying her intensely as if he were staring straight into the very heart of her soul. She swallowed. No wonder the people of Marietta trusted Mack to watch over their town. He could probably drum a confession out of the most hardened criminal, let alone a young girl still haunted by the cries of her sister, years ago, longing for the first child she’d borne—a child she had held only once before the baby was whisked away in the night, never to be returned. Thea had left town to find that baby...and she had failed. This was her chance to make things right, and she wasn’t going to let it go. How could she make Mack at least listen to what she had to say? “Have you ever known me to lie, Mack?”
He glanced down at her, the lines in his face taut. This was killing him. Thea knew it, but wasn’t it better to learn the truth now than after the adoption had gone through? “What kind of proof do you have to back up your allegations that Sarah is Eileen’s child?” Mack asked. “A birth certificate? An entry in the family Bible?”
“I haven’t checked with the courthouse about a birth certificate yet.” She’d never seen a family Bible around the house but that didn’t mean her mother didn’t have one stashed somewhere. “But I do have Eileen’s journal. She wrote about delivering a little girl, just as everyone was celebrating the end of the war.”
“Which will only prove she had a baby around VE Day.” Mack leaned close enough so that only she could hear him. “Until you have some kind of proof that Sarah is that baby, I’d suggest you keep your claims to yourself.”
“Then will you promise to hold off on the adoption until we’ve figured out this situation?” she countered.
A muscle in Mack’s jaw jerked slightly, then he relaxed. “I’m not sure there is anything to figure out, Miss Miller. According to the courts, Sarah has been abandoned and can legally be adopted.”
“Miss Miller,” was she? So, he’d dug in his heels. Well, she could be just as stubborn. Thea crushed her fingers into the leather sides of her purse. She’d need a new one after the punishment this one had taken today. “You can’t think I’m just going to let you adopt my niece without putting up a fight.”
“We still haven’t established Sarah is Eileen’s child.”
“It’s like I told you. Sarah’s the right age, and she has the same sandy-blond hair and blue eyes that Eileen did when she was a baby.”
“That’s all circumstantial evidence, Thea. You’re going to have to do better than that.”
She knew that, but the more she thought about the situation, the more convinced she was that the little girl Mack aimed to adopt was her niece, especially considering what her mother had told her of the baby’s abnormalities. “According to Momma, she was born on May eighth. I’m sure the birth certificate will back that up, once I locate it.”
“She probably wasn’t the only kid born that day,” Mack replied, though his cheeks had gone slightly pale beneath his tanned complexion, as if the news had hit a sore spot. Clearly, that was Sarah’s birthdate, as well. “And finding the official record might not be as easy as you think. It can take months for a birth certificate to be filed, and I happened to know Mrs. Williams left to stay with her sick sister up in Tennessee not two days after Sarah was born.”
“The preacher’s wife delivered Sarah?”
Mack nodded. “Placed that precious girl in my arms no more than an hour after she was born.”
It felt as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. “You were there?”
“Mrs. Williams called me at the station. Said the girl and her family didn’t want anything to do with the baby so could I come by her house and take the baby to the hospital until Dr. Adams could get someone from the state to take over her care.”
Thea’s world tilted slightly, a dark mist settling over her eyes. “Why didn’t you do something? Did you try to talk Eileen out of giving her baby up? Or at least convince her to wait a day or two before she made such a huge decision?”
Thea didn’t realize she was shaking until Mack rested his hands on her shoulders. “First—” he spoke to her in that calm way of his that had always made her feel so safe “—why would I have any reason to believe Eileen was the one giving up Sarah? I didn’t even know she was back in town. I certainly didn’t go back into the delivery room to see the mother—that wouldn’t have been appropriate. And secondly, Mrs. Williams takes her position as midwife very seriously. She wouldn’t turn a child over to the authorities without being absolutely certain the mother understood exactly what she was doing.”
Mack had a very real point. The protocol Mrs. Williams had followed was the same they used in the hospital. Still, she couldn’t help her suspicions, especially after what she’d seen years ago, in her dealings with Miss Tann. Maybe Mack could answer a few questions she still had about the night Sarah was born. “How did the baby end up with Ms. Adair instead of at the hospital with Dr. Adams?”
Mack’s lips flatlined. “I took her there.”
“Why?”
“Because once he heard about her condition, Dr. Adams wanted to send her away.” Mack glanced around. Some of the guests had begun drifting out of the house and back into the yard. Thea wondered what tales about her and the sheriff would be making the rounds about town tomorrow.
Well, if they wanted something to talk about, she’d sure enough give it to them. “He wanted to put her in an institution because she had a cleft palate.”
His stony gaze sent a chill up her spine. Being on the wrong side of the law would be a hazardous business with this man in charge. “What did you say?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.
“Whoever did her first surgery did a good job, but from the sounds she was making, I suspect she’ll need more. Momma’s been so worried about how the baby would survive with...a defect so severe. There are new procedures that could give Sarah a normal life.”
“I know. There will be time for those later.”
Thea blinked. Why was he waiting? Hadn’t the surgeon explained to him that the risk of complications rose as the baby grew and the bones of the head and face fused? Did he not have the authority to arrange for the surgery since the adoption had not yet gone through?
“I think you need to go,” Mack said.
She had hit a tender nerve. “I’m not just going to go away. We need to discuss this.”
“Maybe, but not with all these people around.” Mack thought for a moment. “I’ll look at my calendar back at the office and figure out a good time to sit down together.”
Sounded like a stall tactic to her. Thea would have to stand her ground. “I’m open any day this week. But I’m not giving up. I fully intend to gain custody of my niece and raise her as my own.”
His steely blue-gray gaze bored into her, and Thea’s heart tumbled into the pit of her stomach. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”
Chapter Three (#ulink_9f0b0e44-4b9a-5902-b960-d65fc845222c)
The walk home took longer than Thea remembered, though whether it was the unusual warmth of the late-October day or the heavy weight on her heart that slowed her steps, she wasn’t sure. A ride might have been nice, but there wasn’t money for even bus fare right now, at least, not until she secured a job. Even then she’d have to be careful. Raising a child cost money, and her mother’s income barely covered her own expenses.
Just another mess Eileen had left for her to clean up.
Thea shook the thought away. She shouldn’t feel that way, but she did. It was one of the reasons she’d stayed away for eight long years. There had been a degree of peace in knowing she could go back to her quarters without some kind of family catastrophe waiting for her when she got home. But then, there had been no one to come home to, no one to call family, no one to reminisce with over the old days.
Mack’s image flashed through her mind. Her childhood friend had grown up to be every bit the man she’d expected him to be while they were in high school. Eyes and ears peeled for any trouble, he’d always carried the responsibility of protecting those around him. She was a little surprised that he’d ended up as sheriff—going to law school had always been his dream, and he’d been full of grand plans as to how he could help people with his law degree. But it was clear to see how well his current job suited him. It was as if he had been born to the job of being sheriff, an ease about him generated confidence from the community he served, the same trust he’d earned from his classmates in high school. It was one of the qualities that had attracted Thea to him in the first place.
If only he wasn’t so closed-minded where Sarah was concerned. Thea sighed. At least he’d been willing to talk to her. Most folks wouldn’t have given her the time of day, not when the topic was her wayward sister. If only folks could have known Eileen as she had, confused and scared, questioning why the father she’d adored had been taken away, why her mother was never warm or affectionate the way other people’s mothers were. Seeking that affection from others, especially from boys, had led to a worsening reputation and more heartache—the misery, the anger her sister had felt toward herself each time she’d fallen for another man’s lies when all she’d ever wanted was to be loved.
Had she found love, at last, with Sarah’s father? Thea couldn’t know for sure. All she could do now was love and care for her sister’s baby—the only piece she had left of Eileen.
Thea drew in a deep breath and sighed. This was not what she’d expected when she’d decided to come back to Marietta. Though what she had expected, she couldn’t say. Her sister to be alive, for certain. Momma, the same as she’d always been, maybe more mellowed with age. Not butting heads with Mack Worthington. He’d had always been reasonable, even if it meant being proved wrong. But he was a man now, with a man’s pride and the law on his side. Would he accept the truth if it meant giving up a child he obviously loved?
Thea’s heart tumbled over in her chest. No matter what happened, someone was going to get hurt. Lord, haven’t I lost enough without giving up what little family I have left?
Just ahead in the bend in the path, the familiar gables of Momma’s house came into view. Thea left the dirt road and climbed the steep embankment. Dandelions whispered softly against her ankles, their cottony seeds sticking to the hem of her skirt. If only she had a wish for each one she’d sent floating across the yard over the years. Then Eileen would be dancing alongside her as she use to do as a girl, her baby in her arms, cooing at the spectacle her mother and aunt were making. Momma would be happy and loving, and Thea would have the family she’d always wanted.
A screen door slammed shut in the distance, and her stomach sank as the reality of the situation set in again. Eileen’s death, Momma’s sorrow and the way the years seemed to weigh on her these days. This was what her life consisted of now, her family. And that included Sarah. She’d prove that the baby Ms. Adair was caring for was her niece. It was the least she owed Eileen after failing her so miserably all those years ago.
The wooden planks squawked beneath her feet as she climbed the three steps to the porch and pulled open the screen door. “Momma?”
The sound of hurried footsteps from the back of the house clipped through the paper-thin walls until finally Mildred Miller burst out of the kitchen into the hallway, wiping her hands on her blue-and-white checkered apron. “Where have you been? You were supposed to be home hours ago.”
Thea tugged at the worn fingertips of her gloves and folded them over the top of her purse. No hello or how have you been. Then, Momma had never been one for social pleasantries at home. No, those were reserved for Sunday-morning church service or a meeting of one of her ladies’ clubs in town. But wouldn’t it be nice if Momma greeted her with a welcoming hello, as if she were truly glad to see her? “I went to see Ms. Adair about Eileen’s baby. Remember?”
“Eileen’s baby?” Dull gray eyes met Thea’s in the oval hall mirror, faded blond eyebrows bunched together in confusion, a common expression on her mother’s face these days. Long moments passed before Momma’s face finally relaxed a bit. “Oh, yes. Your sister. She had a baby.”
Thea swallowed down the slight unease she felt at her mother’s behavior. True, Momma hadn’t been at her best since Thea had returned to town, but that was hardly surprising. How could she expect her mother to go on unaffected after all the losses she’d suffered, first Daddy then Eileen? Did losing her daughter bring on this forgetfulness that seemed to have settled like a thick fog over her memories? Or maybe forgetting the past had made it easier for Momma to live in the present. “I’m meeting with Sheriff Worthington sometime this week to discuss it more.”
“Mack Worthington?”
Her mother’s response surprised her. Momma had never had much time for Thea or Eileen’s friends. “You remember Mack?”
“Of course, I do, silly child. The two of you have gone to school together since you were just a little bit of a girl.” Momma studied her over the rim of her glasses, a slight smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “He’s that nice boy you have a little crush on.”
What in the world had caused her mother to remember that particular piece of the past? And why did she talk as if Thea was still in saddle shoes and knee socks? A cold chill skated up Thea’s spine. “That was a long time ago, Momma. Back before I left home to go off to nursing school, remember?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.” She buried her hands in her apron pockets, her eyes fixed on a point just over Thea’s shoulder, as if she’d found something more interesting to look at than her daughter. “So what did you find out about the baby?”
“Ms. Adair does have a baby girl who is the same age Eileen’s baby would be.”
“Then you’ll be bringing her home soon?”
If only it were that easy. “There are some complications, Momma.”
“What kind of complications?” Her mother pressed her lips together in that annoyed way Thea remembered well.
She’d never please her mother, would she? The muscles in Thea’s shoulders bunched together, a heavy weight pressing her down into the scarred oak floors. “Well, Mack would like to see the baby’s birth certificate to prove that Sarah is Eileen’s child before he drags Ms. Adair into the matter.”
“But that baby is ours!” Momma stepped closer to Thea. “You told him that, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Momma, but a birth certificate would go a long way to proving that the baby belongs with us.” Thea rested her hands on her mother’s shoulders and stared into her eyes. “Do you know if Eileen filed the baby’s birth certificate with the county?”
“Your sister was too busy to spend a day down at the courthouse.” Momma fidgeted with the long strings of her apron. “She was always too busy for anything useful or important.”
Thea ignored the implication. “What about Mrs. Williams? She delivered the baby, right? Would she have filed the paperwork?”
“I doubt it, but then again, I didn’t ask her to. I figured we’d eventually get around to taking care of it ourselves.”
Which meant the baby’s birth certificate likely hadn’t been filed. Thea turned and leaned back against the table, gripping the edges in her hands. How could she prove that Sarah was her niece if the only witness of her birth had left town for who knew how long? Where else would Eileen record the birth of her child? “Did Eileen have a Bible? Something she might have made a note in about the baby’s birth?”
Momma shook her head. “Not that I know of, but you know how sneaky your sister was. Always hiding things away in her room. Secrets, she said.” Her mother’s thin lips flattened. “All she’s ever brought home is trouble. Maybe if your father had lived...”
Thea nodded. If only Daddy had lived, Eileen wouldn’t have turned wild. Thea wouldn’t have been put in the middle of the violent arguments between her mother and sister. Maybe if Daddy had lived, Eileen wouldn’t have had that child all those years ago, and there would have been no reason for Thea to leave home at age seventeen. Maybe she would have married some local boy, had a baby or two of her own. Thea shut her eyes on those thoughts. Daddy was gone, and wondering what might have been was just a waste of time.
This was her life. Mother, herself. Sarah. She’d best get busy living it. “I have an appointment at the hospital first thing in the morning to check on my job application but if you’d like to go, I thought maybe we could stop by the courthouse and look through some of their records just on the off chance Eileen filed a birth certificate.”
