Bride of Second Chances Read online

  From beside Jeremy, Jane gasped. “His father abandoned him?”

  Addy nodded and set the brake. “Probably because he was blind. Some people don’t want to take care of children with a handicap. I don’t know the details of that one, and it’s none of my business so I don’t ask.” She shook her head and sighed. “I’ll never forget how scared he looked.”

  “That’s awful. How is he doing now?”

  “Much better, thankfully. He and John make furniture over in that work shed.”

  Jeremy noted the building Addy pointed to before he removed the blanket covering their legs. After he hopped down from the buckboard, he helped Jane and Addy down. As Addy led the way to the front door, he looked at Jane. “It’s silly that I should be nervous,” he softly told her.

  With an understanding smile, she slipped her gloved arm around his. “It’d be silly if you weren’t.”

  “I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he whispered, not sure if she heard him or not.

  When they reached the closed door, Addy said, “This is their kitchen door. I know there’s a front door, but they rarely ever use it.” She knocked on the door and clasped her hands again.

  He took a deep breath in an attempt to settle his racing heart. Well, this was it. Soon enough, he’d know if the trip had been worth it or not. Jane squeezed his arm, and he silently thanked her.

  The door opened, and from the way Addy described her, he knew the woman who stood in the doorway was Eliza. Her hair still red, but with a few grays, was pulled back into a braid. Her lips were turned up into a smile, and from the laughter inside the house, the people she was with were having a good conversation. He studied her face, trying to determine if they looked alike, as Addy claimed, but he couldn’t tell if he did or not. He glanced at Jane whose eyes widened, but he had no idea what she was thinking.

  “Afternoon, Addy,” Eliza said before her attention turned from Jane to Jeremy. For a moment, her smile faltered. She blinked and swallowed. “Uh…hello.” Her smile returned, though it seemed forced. “Will you come in?” She held the door open and moved aside.

  Jeremy wasn’t sure if he wanted to go in. Something about him unnerved her, and he wondered if Addy’s claim that Eliza would be happy was wrong. The only reason he followed Addy and Jane into the house was because Jane squeezed his arm again. With uncertain steps, he entered the house and stood close to Jane.

  The little girl with golden wavy hair ran over to the kitchen table where a young blonde woman who was beginning to show in her pregnancy. She put the child in her lap, and when she saw Jeremy, she let out a slight gasp. The blond man sitting next to her seemed to stare through Jeremy and Jane, though his eyebrows furrowed. Across the table from them, a man close to Eliza’s age stood and walked over to Addy and Eliza, his eyes shifting from Eliza to Jeremy.

  Jeremy shifted from one foot to the other, not sure what to say. He should have understood that things would be awkward. He hadn’t given anyone time to prepare for his coming, and by the way they stared at him, he knew he had to be Eliza’s son. They kept looking from her to him, and as he accessed her face, he caught the similarities. The only thing he didn’t have was her forehead, chin or hair, but there was no doubt she was his real mother.

  Eliza pressed her hand over her mouth and let out a startled cry that made Jeremy take a step back. Of all his years being a preacher and having to talk people through difficult situations, he had no idea what to say.

  Addy cleared her throat. “This is Jeremy and Jane Graham. They came all the way from Lincoln, Nebraska. Jeremy and Jane, this is Eliza and her husband John Evans. Over there is Lucy and Brian with their little girl, Charlotte.”

  As if on cue, Lucy and Brian stood. Lucy carried the girl in her arms. Not knowing what else to do, Jeremy shook the men’s hands and nodded a greeting to Lucy. He had a hard time looking at his mother since she couldn’t seem to stop staring at him with tears in her eyes. John put his arms around Eliza and patted her back.

  Beside him, Jane took a deep breath and told Eliza, “We probably should have sent a letter before we came. We didn’t even know Jeremy was adopted until his father joined the Lord a few months ago. On his deathbed, he told Jeremy about you. From there, we went to Omaha and met up with a preacher by the name of Bill Peters who told us he sent you here. We weren’t sure if you were here or still alive, but we thought we’d come anyway and…and…”

  Eliza stepped up to Jeremy and brushed the tears from her eyes, but it did no good since she cried harder. “I never thought I’d see you. Long ago, I gave up on ever running into you by chance, but here you are and the Grahams took such good care of you, just as I knew they would.”

  She did love him. She didn’t have to say the words. The tenderness in her tone and care in her eyes spoke for her. She hadn’t forgotten him. When she hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her, swallowing the lump in his throat. He hadn’t been sure if he would be glad he and Jane made the trip, but now he was.

  Eliza pulled away and laughed even as she wiped away more tears. “This is your wife?”

  “Yes,” he replied and turned to Jane. “She’s my better half.” As an afterthought, he added, “She’s expecting.”

  “You are?” Eliza asked her as she hugged her.

  Jane smiled and brushed away her own tears. “Yes. The baby will be here in September.”

  “I can’t believe it.” Eliza looked from Jane to Jeremy and laughed again. “I just can’t believe it.”

  “I thought you’d be happy,” Addy told her.

  “It was a shock to be sure but a good one. Did you have any brothers or sisters while growing up?” Eliza asked Jeremy.

  “No. My parents couldn’t have any children,” he replied.

  “Well, now you have a brother,” Eliza said. “John and I adopted Brian when he was eight. He’s been married to Lucy for almost four years now, and their daughter just turned three and they’re expecting another child in August. Isn’t it wonderful that you’ll be having children so close together?”

  “It is,” Jane replied with a smile in Lucy’s direction.

  Lucy walked over to Jane. “Do you have any names picked out?”

  Jane glanced at Jeremy and smiled. “We haven’t discussed names yet. Part of it doesn’t seem real yet.”

  “I remember that feeling,” Lucy replied. “Would you like to sit in the parlor and talk?”

  Jane looked at Jeremy, and understanding her hesitation, he nodded an encouragement for her to go.

  John motioned to Eliza who said, “Oh, we should take your coats. Then we can get settled and make up for lost time.”

  As Jeremy shrugged out of his coat, his eyes happened to drift to the parlor where three pictures rested on the mantle. Just as Addy said, a picture of him when he was a baby was there. He liked that.

  “Will you stay for supper?” Eliza asked. “I can’t cook well, but Lucy makes a tasty roast.”

  Jeremy glanced at Jane to see what her thoughts were, but instead of looking at him, she was talking to Lucy about their trip. Smiling, he said, “We’d love to.”

  He took Jane’s coat and hat and put them on the coat tree next to his before he followed John, Eliza, and Brian to the kitchen table. Addy joined Lucy and Jane as Jeremy sat across from John and next to Brian.

  Brian smiled and turned his head in Jeremy’s direction. “I have no idea what to say around a bunch of women who fuss over children, so I thought it’d be safer to stay here.”

  Jeremy chuckled. “A group of women together can be intimidating.” He glanced at John, recalling how Addy said he was mute, and wondered how it would be best to communicate with him.

  Eliza set an extra cup of coffee on the table. “Oh come now. There’s nothing intimidating about a group of women. We’re harmless.”

  John put his hand under Brian’s and made gestures that caused Brian to laugh. “Pa says you don’t see women the way a man does.”

  “Women should be intimida
ted by a group of men, but they aren’t,” Eliza said as she set sugar next to Jeremy’s cup and sat next to John.

  Jeremy thought the way a mute man communicated with a blind one was fascinating, so he watched as John rolled his eyes but signed into Brian’s hand.

  “Do you know sign language?” Eliza asked Jeremy.

  Putting a spoonful of sugar into his coffee, Jeremy shook his head. “I haven’t had the opportunity to learn it.”

  “Be sure to tell him what your pa is saying,” she told Brian. “Don’t give each other secret messages.” Glancing at Jeremy, she said, “They’re apt to do that, you know. They act as if no one else exists at times.”

  John shook his head at her.

  “It is true,” she replied. When he waved his hand as if to dismiss her observation, she sighed. “You’ll have to forgive them. Sometimes they’re in a world of their own.”

  With a smile, Jeremy stirred the sugar and set the spoon aside so he could take a sip of the hot drink.

  “Pa said that it’s nice that Jeremy and Jane came here,” Brian said.

  “It is nice,” she replied and smiled at Jeremy. “Looking at you, I see the Grahams took good care of you. I don’t remember the husband’s name, but I remember the wife’s name was Agatha.”

  “My father’s name was Thomas,” Jeremy said.

  “They were such wonderful people, but Thomas isn’t alive anymore? What about Agatha?”

  “She passed away five years ago.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I imagined that they were still alive and enjoying their grandchildren.” After a moment, she continued, “You had a happy childhood, didn’t you?”

  “Yes. I can’t complain about my upbringing. They didn’t always give into what I wanted, but they were fair and taught me right from wrong.”

  She nodded. “That’s exactly what a boy needs. And you grew up in Grand Island? I haven’t been there. Is it nice?”

  “It is. I didn’t leave until I got sent to pastor a church in Lincoln.”

  “You’re a preacher?”

  “I spent some time working at the general store in Grand Island before I figured out God called me to be a preacher. I received the education I needed and got sent to Lincoln. That’s where I met Jane. She grew up there.”

  Eliza pressed her hand to her heart and looked at John. “A preacher? Can you imagine that?”

  John signed to her.

  She laughed. “Oh, you did not.” She turned to Jeremy. “He says he knew it when you walked through the door. Seriously, John, you can’t tell someone’s profession just by looking at them. Why, no one can tell you and Brian make furniture, especially since Brian can’t see. So no, you didn’t know Jeremy was a preacher when he walked through the door.”

  John signed again.

  “Preachers do not have a certain way of entering a room. You are impossible.” She sighed. “Don’t mind him, Jeremy. He can’t tell these things.”

  Brian chuckled. “This is normal for Ma and Pa, Jeremy. After a while, you learn to ignore the banter.”

  “Well, it’s absurd someone would claim to know another person’s profession just by looking at them,” Eliza said before turning her attention back to Jeremy. “You’re happy then? Life’s treated you well?”

  Jeremy glanced at Jane who laughed along with Lucy at something Addy said. “Yes, life has treated me well. I’ve been blessed more than I deserve.” The last of his uncertainty departing, he continued to tell them about his life.

  Chapter Twenty

  The next day, Jane sat with Lucy and Eliza in the parlor of Eliza’s house while Charlotte took a nap in the other room. She pulled the needle through the cloth square she was sewing into the quilt. “I notice you like yellow,” she told Eliza as she scanned the various shades of yellow Eliza wanted for her blanket.

  “I do,” Eliza admitted across from Jane and Lucy as she sewed in a square on the other side. “It’s such a beautiful color, one of hope and joy. When I was a girl, my parents took me to a meadow where we’d have a picnic, and I’d play among the yellow flowers. Yellow brings back good memories.”

  Jane smiled. “That’s a lovely story. My best memories while growing up were Christmases. My father would read the Gospel of Luke, we’d sing songs, and open gifts. We didn’t have much money while growing up, so we had to make each other gifts. My brother would make me and Rebecca the same thing every year. He would take the leftover popcorn we didn’t put on the tree and make necklaces of them. Then he’d have our mother help him draw angels to put in the middle. We collected those necklaces for years. One year, Rebecca and I made dolls for each other, and we spent the year making clothes for them. We usually chipped in and made our father and mother a scarf or socks.”

  “It sounds like you had wonderful Christmases,” Lucy commented as she selected a square to add to the quilt. “My favorite childhood memory was going to the lake by my house to read a book.”

  Jane smiled. “Sounds lovely.”

  “It was. Brian and I like to go to the creek down that way.” Lucy indicated where she meant before she pulled the thread through the fabric. “Charlotte’s finally getting to the age where she will sit for a bit so I can read. Sometimes Eliza watches her so I can go alone if I want to rest. It brings back good memories.”

  Eliza winked at Jane. “And it gives me a good excuse to spend time with my granddaughter. I can’t say I don’t have an ulterior motive when I suggest Lucy take a break so she can go to the creek.”

  Jane chuckled. “There’s nothing wrong with that. I used to enjoy watching my niece and nephew so my sister-in-law could get a break. She might have taken advantage on some occasions, but I still enjoyed the time I spent with them. After the falling-out I had with my brother, I didn’t get to see them except when I ran into them in a store.”

  “May I ask what caused the falling-out?” Eliza asked.

  “My brother sold me to a man who wanted to marry me.”

  Lucy and Eliza stopped sewing and stared at her in disbelief.

  With a sigh, Jane shrugged. “It’s true. My brother and I worked things out to a point, but it’ll never be the same.”

  “This person your brother sold you to wasn’t Jeremy, was it?” Lucy asked.

  “Oh, no. Jeremy married me so I wouldn’t have to marry Micah. Micah was disgusting. He behaved inappropriately in public. I’d rather not go into the sounds and smells that came from his body.” Thinking back on the potluck her brother made her go to with Micah made Jane laugh. “I didn’t think it was funny at the time, but looking back, I suppose it was. I was forced to go with Micah to a potluck and ran off to hide during it.”

  A grin appeared on Eliza and Lucy’s lips. “You really hid?” Lucy asked.

  “I did. I ran to the back of the house and waited until it was time to clean up before I returned,” Jane replied.

  Eliza giggled. “I’m sure you didn’t bolt as fast as you could to the back of the house, but that’s the way I imagine it.”

  “Well, it was close to it, to be honest,” Jane said.

  “So how did you end up marrying Jeremy?” Lucy asked.

  Jane’s face grew warm. “When he found out what my brother did, he told my brother that Micah wasn’t going to marry me and to make sure Micah didn’t, he married me.”

  “That’s romantic.”

  “At the time, it wasn’t. You see, he was married to my sister, and after she died, he had a hard time of it. I could tell the difference in his sermons when she was alive and after she wasn’t. My sister was a lovely person,” Jane softly said. “It doesn’t seem fair that someone like her had to go before her time. Sometimes I miss her. She was my dearest friend.”

  “What was her name?” Eliza asked.

  “Rebecca. She died a few months after marrying Jeremy. It was a hard time for all of us.”

  “It must have been nice to have a good relationship with her,” Lucy said, “even if she died young. At least you were friends.”
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  Jane sensed a tone of regret in Lucy’s voice but decided she didn’t know Lucy well enough—not yet at least—to pry into Lucy’s life. Since Lucy didn’t volunteer the information, Jane decided to let the matter go. “Anyway, I married Jeremy so I wouldn’t have to marry Micah, and it’s turned out to be the best thing that happened to me, though I’m sorry I had to lose my sister for it to happen.”

  “Jeremy loves you,” Eliza told her. “I know the look a man gives a woman when he loves her, and he has that look when he turns his attention to you. I’m glad you gave him a second chance to be happy.”

  Jane’s face flushed with pleasure. “He’s made me happy, too.”

  Smiling, Eliza set her side of the quilt down. “I’m glad you two came. I hoped and prayed for good things for him, and it’s wonderful to see him doing better than I dreamt possible.”

  Jane finished her square and noticed the others weren’t sewing. “Are we done for now?”

  “I thought the men might like something hot to drink.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Lucy agreed. “It’s been awhile since they had anything.”

  Eager to see the men at work on the furniture in the work shed, Jane stood with the others and put on her coat. She carried a plate of cookies while Eliza and Lucy carried the coffee and cups from the house.

  “It’s lovely here in South Dakota,” Jane commented. “It’s colder than what I’m used to, but it’s lovely all the same.”

  “It’s been so long since I’ve been in Nebraska so I hardly remember what the winters were like,” Eliza said as their boots crunched on the snow. “I admit that I enjoy being here most because of the good people here. Where you live isn’t so important as who you live with.”

  “That’s true,” Jane replied. Rebecca and Edith’s absences from Lincoln left a hole in her heart. If it weren’t for Jeremy, she didn’t know what she’d do. “What do you think of South Dakota?” she asked Lucy.