Colton jerked his attention to the frame of the building beyond her shoulder. The only thing he could offer was his help. “I came here this morning to pitch in on the construction.” An idea took root and blossomed. “If you take care of the baby at the ranch, I could do more work on the orphanage.”
The doubt that clouded her eyes did not clear.
He had to convince her. It was the only way he could think to get her to give up or at least share the care of the baby. “I’ll take over supervision of the construction work. Personally see that this building gets completed in a timely fashion.” Surely a few words in the right ear and an occasional trip to town would be sufficient. The task wouldn’t require much time away from the ranch. It was the ideal solution.
But she shook her head. “I am not prepared to abdicate my task to someone else.”
He got the clear feeling that that was her final word on the subject. Was there anything that could be said to change her mind?
Chapter Three
“Miss Sterling.”
Rebecca barely managed to bury a sigh at the imperious tone of the woman approaching her. She’d avoided her at the hotel dining room, but it didn’t look as if she could escape her now. Miss Beatrice Ward was not a woman to be ignored. From the beginning, she’d opposed the presence of the orphan children in Evans Grove. Every time Rebecca encountered Miss Ward, with her helmet of silver hair and steely-gray eyes, she had to endure yet another lecture about the folly of keeping the orphans in the community.
“Riffraff,” she’d said in a public meeting. “Mark my words, we’ll suffer a rise in crime rate with these hooligans around.” And every time something went awry, she blamed the orphaned children. The idea of constructing an orphanage to provide for even more orphaned children had sent her into a frenzy. But this time, she’d changed her strategy. Instead of speaking out against the children directly, she sought to block the building instead, saying there needed to be ordinances and building codes in place first. She insisted that Evans Grove should aim higher than basic wooden structures. Delay after delay ensued, thanks to Miss Ward.
Now her plan of attack had shifted to questioning God’s approval. Honestly, if Rebecca once again heard the woman warning, “The lack of success is surely a sign from God that the plan should be abandoned,” she would forget her polite upbringing and tell the woman exactly what she thought of her constant interference.
As Miss Ward neared, Heidi clutched the baby to her chest, bolted to her feet and pressed herself to Rebecca’s side, as if hoping she could disappear into the folds of Rebecca’s skirt.
The poor little girl was certain everyone stared at her scarred face. Over and over again, Rebecca had assured her that people would love her despite the burn scars. But they’d seen plenty of evidence to the contrary on this trip. At each train stop, the children had been examined and several chosen. Heidi had started the journey with her brother, Jakob. The sturdy fourteen-year-old boy had been an ideal candidate for placement, but he had stuck stubbornly to his sister’s side, wanting them to be placed together. Each time couples would approach the pair, the sight of Heidi’s disfigurement drove them away. It had reached the point where Heidi tricked her brother into getting placed on his own so that she wouldn’t hold him back from finding a family. Now she was all alone and still without a family willing to give her a chance.
Rebecca shot a glance toward Colton. What did he think of Heidi’s scars? She couldn’t bear to see this child rejected time and again because of something she had no control over.
Colton watched Heidi as she shivered at Rebecca’s side. Was it her imagination or did his expression reveal tenderness? Tenderness that made her heart tug at its moorings.
“She’s frightened of Miss Ward,” he whispered.
Rebecca nodded. She wanted to pull Heidi into her arms and reassure her, but she’d learned not to offer Heidi too much in the way of comfort. The child simply withdrew. It had grown worse since her brother, Jakob, had been placed with a family in Iowa. Heidi herself had arranged for the other children to keep Jakob and her apart until someone chose to take him. It wasn’t until the train pulled away that Jakob realized his little sister wasn’t staying with him.
Rebecca would never forget the silent tears that streamed down Heidi’s cheeks as she watched her brother standing alone on the platform calling for her as the train with the remaining orphans pulled away. Rebecca had hugged her and tried to console her, but since that day Heidi—shy and self-conscious even with her brother at her side—had pulled back even further into herself.
“Miss Sterling.” Beatrice Ward steamed closer. “We need to talk.”
Rebecca glanced toward the store. Perhaps she could hurry away to find out why the materials hadn’t been delivered.
The older woman stepped directly in Rebecca’s path, making escape impossible.
Little Gabriel whimpered.
Miss Ward’s eyes narrowed. “What is that I hear?”
Colton took the baby from Heidi. Rebecca felt the little girl trembling at the man’s nearness.
Colton moved to Rebecca’s side, the baby ensconced in his arms. “Miss Ward, meet little Gabriel.”
“Gabriel?” She squinted at the bundle and sniffed. “I don’t recall anyone around here having a new baby by that name.” She shifted her gaze, stared at the basket nearby and swallowed hard enough to be audible. Slowly, as if it hurt, she brought her gaze back to Colton and the baby. “He’s a foundling, isn’t he? Another one. Soon this town will be overrun with the likes of these.” She swept her hand to indicate the baby and Heidi, who pressed into Rebecca’s back. “It has to stop.”
Rebecca smiled gently, hoping it would disarm the woman, even though what she really wanted was to unleash the onslaught that burned at her throat and scalded her tongue. “Evans Grove is fortunate to have these children in their midst. Each of them has proven to be an asset.”
“They are street urchins.”
“All with good hearts.”
Miss Ward sniffed. The older woman fixed Rebecca with a scowl. “They don’t belong here, and neither do any other ruffians. You must cease construction on that...that poorhouse.”
Rebecca gasped. “It’s not a poorhouse. It’s an orphanage.”
“It’s the same thing, isn’t it?”
“Not at all. And I will not order the construction stopped on your say-so.” Not that it required an order from her. The construction had ground to a halt of its own accord. Or as a result of someone else’s efforts. She suspected that Miss Ward might be behind it, but she had no proof.
Miss Ward looked ready to eat Rebecca for a midmorning snack. “I suspect they do things differently in New York. I don’t suppose they give consideration to what others in the community want. Nor do they consult God in their plans. That’s the only reason I can think that you haven’t considered all the warning signs God has sent your way. This is not His will. Shouldn’t you heed such things?”
No matter how many times she heard this warning repeated, it never made any sense. “I don’t think I should blame God for vandalism, mischief and the failure on the part of man to deliver supplies as agreed upon.”
“Mark