The Nanny's Little Matchmakers (Love Inspired Historical) (15 page)

Uncle Frank coughed. “No, I just thought, you know...it’s always good to have a chance to talk without the children around.”

“I’m fairly certain we’ve covered everything we need to,” Polly said, settling into her chair with her cup of tea. A quick glance at the clock told her that she only had a few more minutes of peace before she’d need to gather the children again. She’d promised them they could help Maddie bake cookies, and Maddie would be home from helping at the mission soon.

She settled back and closed her eyes, enjoying the sweet silence, knowing it wouldn’t last long. The squeak of the floorboards told her that Uncle Frank had gone to his office to catch up on his sermon preparation. Though she could feel Mitch’s presence, he remained silent, seemingly content to enjoy the stillness as she did.

Polly could have fallen asleep but for the soft ticking of the clock reminding her that there wasn’t much time left in her short break. She opened her eyes to see Mitch staring at her.

“Sorry. Is something amiss?”

“Not at all.” He smiled easily, almost rakishly, sending a tiny jolt to Polly’s heart. “You just looked so peaceful sitting there, and I realized that the children have kept you incredibly busy. You haven’t had any time off since you took the post.”

Naturally. Polly blinked several times to clear the sleep out of her eyes and the fog out of her brain. The notes she’d been finding were clearly addling her mind. Mitch was thinking of her merely as an employee, of caring for her, of doing the right thing. As a human being, not a suitor.

But if he’d been leaving the notes...

She searched his face for any sign of his feeling something more. Of wanting there to be more between them. She found none.

“I haven’t minded. Extenuating circumstances and all that. I’m sure when your situation has calmed down, we can make up for it.” She adopted as pleasant of an expression as she could muster, ignoring the odd pang in her heart over his focus on his duty.

“Still, it’s not right. You may not mind, but I’ve taken advantage of you dreadfully. Tomorrow you’ll have a day off.”

She stared at him. “But what about the children? Who will mind them?”

Mitch shrugged. “I will. It will do us some good to spend time together as a family.”

How could she argue with his logic? And yet, being parted from the children, even for one day, didn’t feel right.

“Are you sure you can manage?”

He gave a small chuckle. “Yes, I think I can manage. I’ve learned a lot in a few days, and even if I don’t get everything exactly right, everything will be all right.”

And then he stopped. Looked as though he were in deep thought. Then smiled, a long satisfied expression spreading across his face.

“Yes. I do believe everything will be all right.”

Turning his gaze to Polly, he said, “Thanks to you and Frank, I’m confident that no matter what happens, everything really will be all right. You have no idea how much this means to me.”

His sincerity made Polly feel guilty for even suspecting him of having ulterior motives. Mitch was just trying to deal with a bad situation and was appreciative of all the help he’d received from Polly. Nothing more.

All the more reason for her to keep focused on the children, not the way the light from the window shone against his blond hair. Handsome is as handsome does, her mother used to tell her, and right about now, she had to keep that advice in mind. The trouble was, Mitch was just as handsome on the inside as he was on the outside.

The back door banged open.

“Papa! You’re still here!” Clara ran into the room and jumped onto her father’s lap.

Rory and Thomas soon followed, and Polly’s heart delighted in seeing the children with their father.

“Why haven’t you gone to work at Uncle Andrew’s store?” Rory asked, his question not trying to get rid of his father so much as it was finding out why he was home.

In an earlier conversation, Mitch had told Polly that he often worked long hours. He’d left his own store in the care of trusted employees in Denver, but even upon coming to Leadville, he’d found solace in working in his brother’s store.

At least until crowds had gathered, wanting information on the accused murderer in their midst.

“As it turns out, Uncle Andrew doesn’t need my help. And I’d much rather spend the time with you.”

Polly caught the wistful expression in Mitch’s eyes. He’d wanted to do something to help his brother out, but his presence had only made for bad business. She’d overheard Uncle Frank telling him that he’d see what he could do to encourage parishioners to visit Taylor’s Mercantile and shop as they normally would to help detract from the unwanted attention.

But knowing that Mitch was an honorable man, it had to be hard to sit back and do nothing, which is exactly what both Uncle Frank and Will had told him. The fact that he listened to them, well, Polly had to admit that it raised her estimation of him. Wisdom and the ability to take advice was a rare thing in folks these days, so she admired Mitch having both.

Isabella had crawled into Polly’s lap, her favorite place to be when she wasn’t running around with the others. Absently, Polly rubbed the little girl’s back, enjoying the rhythm. Isabella snuggled closer to her.

“She’s really taken to you, hasn’t she?” Mitch’s voice rumbled over her, warm like the cup of tea she’d just finished, only it heated her to a depth that made everything feel right with the world.

“She has.” Polly stroked the dark curls, untangling the mess that never seemed to behave. Isabella had already fallen asleep.

“It’s a wonder—that girl can sleep anywhere.”

Polly smiled as she looked down on the dark lashes resting against velvety skin. Her mother used to say that she loved her babies so much that she thought her heart would burst. So what did it mean when you felt that way about a little girl who wasn’t even your own?

“She’s had to learn.” Polly looked up and smiled at Louisa. “Louisa told me that none of the children have ever had regular nap times. To them, nap time was what the nannies gave them when they were fed up with the children’s antics. To even suggest a nap to any of the children means that they’ve done something wrong.”

Weaving her fingers through Isabella’s hair to get out a few more tangles, Polly continued. “But the little ones need the sleep, and so with Isabella, she’s learned to sleep whenever and wherever she feels tired. If you suggest a nap to her, she’ll scream and throw a fit. But if you give her a safe and loving place to sleep, she’ll drift off easily.”

Polly had learned that one the hard way the first day she cared for the children. She’d tried to get Isabella to take a nap, and the little girl had screamed and thrown things every time Polly closed her in the room. She’d finally given up and let Isabella sit quietly with her. Isabella had fallen asleep within minutes.

“Mrs. Abernathy used to lock her in the closet to get her to nap,” Louisa said, coming to stand behind Polly. “So I would find Isabella little places to hide. If Mrs. Abernathy found her, and she was asleep, she’d let Isabella stay there, and she wouldn’t have to go to the closet.”

Though Louisa had already apprised Polly of that fact, it didn’t make the ache in her heart any less than the first time she’d heard it. Not just for poor little Isabella, who was the sweetest child imaginable, but also for Louisa, who’d had to search for creative ways to protect her siblings.

“I’m sorry,” Mitch said quietly. “I didn’t know. I wish you’d told me sooner.”

He looked at Polly, then at Louisa, his face long and drawn. “I understand why you were afraid to tell me about the things your previous nannies did, but from now on, when something bad happens, you have to tell me right away. I won’t tolerate any of you suffering further mistreatment.”

Clearing his throat, he brought his attention to Polly. “No offense to you, of course. I’m sure you’d never mistreat my children, but I want them to feel safe in coming to me.”

Before Polly could answer, Clara piped up. “Of course Polly wouldn’t do anything to hurt us. That’s why we want her to be our mother. Papa, you’d better marry her before someone else figures out what a great catch she is and snatches her away from us.”

Polly clamped her free hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. A muffled sound escaped through her nose, but fortunately, the children were more focused on their father’s response than hers.

“Yeah, Papa, you hafta marry Polly. Why, if you don’t marry her, when I grow up, I will.” Rory turned and gave Polly a huge grin and a wink.

After a refreshing deep breath, Polly smiled at her charges. “That’s very sweet, and I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t want to get married.”

“But Papa needs a wife, and we need a mother,” Clara stated, squaring off with her hands on her hips.

Oh, dear. Clara, Rory and Thomas looked indignant that they were offering Polly the opportunity of a lifetime and she wasn’t interested. Louisa remained silent, but she stared at Polly with those intense, dark eyes, enough that she knew the girl was very interested in Polly’s response to the question.

“Your father isn’t even out of mourning yet,” Polly said carefully. “And as I’ve told you before, I’ll always be here for you. I don’t need to be your mother to love and care for you.”

Clara’s eyes flashed. “What happens when you do get married and have your own children? Then you won’t love us anymore, now will you?”

Jealousy and possessiveness were good signs. They meant that the children were bonding to Polly and cared for her. Having not learned how to properly deal with emotions, it was understandable that they’d feel insecure. But that wasn’t an explanation they’d understand.

“I will always love you,” Polly said, pressing a kiss to the top of a still-sleeping Isabella’s head. “As for my getting married and having children, I don’t want to get married—ever. I promise you’ll always have me here.”

The back door opened, and Maddie entered, Polly’s mother in tow.

“Is it time to bake cookies?” Rory asked, his stomach taking precedence over his heart.

“It certainly is,” Maddie told him. “Now go wash up. All of you.”

Then she looked at Polly. “Except you, of course. Seems to me you have a little one to put down for her nap. You take care of your business, and I’ll deal with the children.”

“Thank you.” Polly stood, carefully balancing Isabella so she wouldn’t wake. She cast a look over at Mitch to see how he was handling the children’s desire for them to marry, but Thomas was already tugging at his hand to take him out back to the pump so they could wash.

It was just as well. They had the children to take care of, not their relationship to sort out. Even though the children had a marked interest in how things went, they would have to figure out together how to handle it, to put on a united front. Perhaps tonight, after the children went to bed.

Polly left the kitchen and started up the stairs.

“Polly?”

She turned to see that her mother had followed her.

“Yes?”

Ma wore a concerned expression. “I’m worried that you keep saying you’re never going to get married. Your heartbreak—”

“Has nothing to do with my decision.” Polly shifted the sleeping child in her arms. “I know you all mean well, but the truth is, I’d decided not to marry long ago. For a moment, I found a beau who turned my head, yes, but he merely served to prove all the reasons why I didn’t want to get married in the first place.”

“What are you talking about? There are plenty of reasons for you to marry.”

Polly sighed. “I’ve seen too many things go wrong in marriage for me to ever want that for myself.”

Ma’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Like what?”

Like all the things Polly didn’t want to say to her mother and hurt her feelings.

“It doesn’t matter.” She shifted Isabella’s weight again. “I need to put her down.”

But Ma followed her up the stairs, waiting outside her bedroom door until Polly had put Isabella down. Polly’s stomach twisted. She didn’t want to have this conversation with her mother.

“It does matter,” Ma said quietly. “I’ve let you rant about how you think men are worthless, and I’ve heard your comments about not respecting men and I’ve let them go, thinking you were speaking out of a broken heart. I’d hoped that you only needed some time to heal your wounds. So if that’s not what’s going on, then I’d like some answers. Because I did not raise you this way.”

“Yes you did.” Polly kept her voice low. “I’ve seen how Pa treated you. The whiskey on his breath, the perfume from cavorting with other women. And the women in camp, as well as the ones we’ve helped over the years. What tales do they have to tell? The same woe over and over. Men who drink, cheat and do all sorts of horrible things. I learned that men can’t be trusted, and while there may be a few honorable men out there, it’s a sin to gamble. I won’t be risking my heart only to find several years later that he’s just like all the rest.”

Tears ran down her mother’s cheeks. “Is that what you think of me, then?”

Polly shook her head. “Not you. You have been honorable and faithful and loving, even when he didn’t deserve it. I respect that. But I will not find myself saddled with a man who is not honorable, faithful and loving to me.”

“You don’t understand... I never said a word against your father. Why would you think...”

“The walls are thin at camp. You don’t think you and Pa woke us up at night with your arguing? And even when you didn’t argue, I could smell him just as well as you. You didn’t have to say a word to me. I already knew.”

The ache in her heart deepened as she realized that her mother and Mitch probably had a lot in common. Both had remained silent about their suffering for years because they hadn’t wanted to hurt their children.

“Oh, Polly...” More tears ran down her mother’s face. “I wish you had told me. There’s so much you don’t understand.”

“I understand plenty.”

“No, you don’t.” Her mother shook her head, then dabbed at her face with her handkerchief.

“Yes, your father did have a drinking problem. But over the past few years, Frank has guided him in overcoming it with the Lord’s help.” Ma let out a long sigh. “And yes, your father strayed. It was the most difficult thing I’d ever experienced. I’m sorry you heard us fighting about it.”