The Romancing of Evangeline Ipswich (12 page)

Taking Evangeline’s elbow, Mrs. Swayze led her and the baby into the bedroom with Jennie, closing the door behind them.

Day after day and night after night, Evangeline stayed at Jennie’s bedside. When she wasn’t taking care of the baby while Jennie vacillated between consciousness and deep sleep, she was taking care of Jennie—feeding her broth or soup, sponging the perspiration from her face, or reading to her to keep her calm and soothed.

Calvin and Hutchner helped as much as they could when they weren’t working, rocking or walking the floors with the baby when she was fussing or reading to Jennie in turn. But Calvin needed to keep his position and resulting salary at the lumber mill, and Hutch had the livery to run. Therefore, Evangeline was left to tend to mother and child all day and through the night.

Calvin had taken up residence in Evangeline’s small bed in the spare bedroom so that he might be able to sleep comfortably and be able to work the next day. It helped Evangeline as well to have Calvin in the spare room—for that way, when fatigue overtook her, she could just cradle the baby in her arms, curl up on the warm, thick rug before the hearth fire or next to Jennie on the bed, and capture a few restful moments here and there.

Still, fatigue was fast overtaking her. Furthermore, though Jennie was improving, Doctor Swayze had explained to Calvin, Evangeline, and Hutch that she “wasn’t out of the woods yet” and that they needed to be very watchful of her, even yet.

The truth was that Evangeline had never experienced such thoroughgoing fatigue. And even though she loved Jennie and her baby girl with all her heart and soul, she felt a great wave of relief wash over her when, a week after the baby was born, Calvin arrived home from the lumber mill one evening with a telegram from his mother.

“Mother is on her way!” Calvin exclaimed as he entered the house that night. “Her train left Boston today, and she should arrive in two more days’ time. She’s going to take the train straight through to Red Peak.” Going to Evangeline, he said, “I know you’re worn to the bone, Evie, and I so want you to have some rest from all this—but I truly do not know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t come to us.”

“Me neither,” Jennie said quietly.

Evangeline had been sitting at the foot of the bed, sharing slow and tranquil conversation with Jennie while the baby slept in her arms. And though the thought of reprieve caused her to want to burst into tears of joy and hope, she forced a smile and said, “I’m not sure I can leave you to someone else’s care, Jen…even Calvin’s mother. I’ve grown so accustomed to being with you both all the time.” She gazed at the little bundle from heaven that Jennie weakly held in her arms. “And I’m not sure I can give up my little angel, ever!”

“You’ve done more than I ever had any right to ask, Evie,” Jennie said.

“Yes,” Calvin agreed, sitting on the bed beside his wife and nodding to Evangeline. “And it’s why Jennie and I have decided to name the baby, Evie…after you. Evie Glorietta McKee,” he finished.

It was then that tears did fill Evangeline’s eyes and escape to moisten her cheeks. “I-I don’t know what to say,” she whispered, overwhelmed with humble emotion. “I certainly do not deserve such an honor.”

“Yes, you do,” Hutch said.

Evangeline turned to look at Hutch—couldn’t help but sigh at the handsome, alluring sight of him leaning against the doorframe.

“You’ve been essential, Evie,” he said. “None of us could’ve endured this without you. Especially Jennie and little Evie.”

Evangeline watched Hutch stride into the room and take little Evie in his arms when Jennie offered her to him. She watched him kiss the baby’s soft brow, smile at her, and begin gently bouncing her in the cradle of his powerful arms.

Evangeline’s heart fluttered, as it always did when she looked at Hutch. Her stomach flip-flopped, as it always did when he was near. For a moment, she thought of the fact that she and Hutch were married. No one had mentioned the fact again—not in the whole week since little Evie was born—and as she always did when she set eyes on him, Evangeline wondered what would happen when Jennie and the baby didn’t need her constant care anymore. And with Calvin’s mother on her way to Red Peak, it seemed she would soon find out.

Would she really live as Hutch LaMontagne’s wife? Would she really never go home to live again in Meadowlark Lake with her father, Kizzy, and Shay? What would she do? Would she simply begin keeping house and cooking meals for Hutch instead of Calvin and Jennie?

Yet, most of the time, Evangeline found her mind and body too tired to think on the situation very long or very deeply. She was in a constant state of secretly wishing she could just lie down and sleep until her body awoke on its own, and not because the baby was crying or Jennie calling for her. What she wanted most, however, was to fall asleep in Hutch’s strong arms, to sleep there until her body and mind were rested, and then to wake up and have him kiss her again—kiss her with the power and emotion he’d kissed her with when Reverend Lloyd had stammered, “You m-may kiss the bride,” an entire week past.

“My mother is a good woman, Evangeline,” Calvin offered, drawing Evangeline back to the conversation at hand. “She’ll take good care of Jennie and the baby. I promise you won’t have to worry about them. Still, I’m hoping you’ll stay, being that Mother may need her rest here and there too.”

“But…but won’t your mother need to stay in the spare room?” Evangeline asked, dizzy from fatigue. “I can’t stay in there, for she’ll need the space.”

“Well, you’ll be sleeping with me,” Hutch explained. “I’ll finally get to take my wife home with me.”

And there it was: the answer to so many questions that had been popping around in Evangeline’s tired mind, another affirmation that Hutch did truly plan to keep her as his wife, just as he’d said the night little Evie was born. Still, one thing worried her near to nausea: the fact that Hutch had not chosen to marry of his own free will, that he hadn’t wanted to marry her. He’d done it only for Jennie’s sake.

*

“She’s worn right through,” Hutch told Calvin as he studied Evangeline resting on the bed next to Jennie. “I’m worried that your mother might not get here in time…that Evangeline will take ill before deliverance arrives.”

“Me too,” Calvin agreed. “But Jennie and the baby are asleep for now. Maybe they’ll both sleep through the night so Evangeline can rest.”

“I hope so,” Hutch mumbled as he watched Evangeline sleep. He was extremely concerned for the raven-haired beauty. As far as he could tell from what she’d said, she hadn’t had a full hour of uninterrupted sleep since little Evie was born, and he could see lack of good sleep was taking its toll. Evangeline was pale with dark circles under her eyes. The usual emerald brilliance of her deep green eyes had dulled, and her eyelids were constantly drooping, begging for sleep. Having Calvin’s mother come to care for Jennie and the baby would indeed save Evangeline from further duress, but she was days away from arriving.

“The livery will just have to do without me tomorrow,” Hutch said to Calvin.

Calvin looked to Hutch, frowned, and asked, “How can it do without you?”

“I’ll see if I can hire one of the boys in town to tend it for me,” Hutch explained. “He can always run and fetch me if something needs my attention specifically. But Evangeline needs some real rest. So I’ll stay with up with Jennie and the baby tonight, and…” He looked to Calvin, straightened his posture, and said, “Hell! I don’t need to hire anyone for the livery. I can stay up tonight and work tomorrow. It won’t matter if I’m a little drowsy at the livery, but you need to be at your best working with those saws and things you do at the lumberyard. What we don’t need is you losing a finger or an arm because you’re not at your best.” Hutch frowned as realization and guilt began to overwhelm him. “I should’ve been helping more at night all along.”

Calvin slapped a hand on Hutch’s shoulder. “You have been helping at night, Hutch. Don’t belittle what you’ve done. You’ve gone without a good night’s sleep yourself since the baby came.”

“Not enough,” Hutch mumbled, disgusted with himself for allowing Evangeline to carry most of the burden. Then again, there were things that only a woman could attend to, or should attend to, where Jennie’s care was concerned.

There was a soft knock on the door.

“Hello, Mr. McKee,” Mrs. Swayze greeted as Calvin opened the door. “I’ve come to stay with Jennie and the baby tonight, if that’s all right with you. Patrick and I saw Mrs. LaMontagne in the general store today when she came in for supper fixings, and she looked as limp as a dishcloth. So Patrick and I agreed I should come.”

Calvin smiled. “Oh, we couldn’t impose like that, Mrs. Swayze,” Calvin began, though Hutch could see the relief on his face.

“Oh, nonsense!” Mrs. Swayze said, stepping into the house. “I usually do help new mothers the first few nights anyway. It was just, since Mrs. LaMontagne was here, I wasn’t needed. At least not until today.”

Bustling into Jennie’s bedroom, Mrs. Swayze set down the small carpetbag she’d brought with her and said, “I’ll just stay the night in here with Jennie and the baby, and there’ll be no worries for you gentlemen, all right?”

She was a bossy thing, Hutch noted. At least when her husband wasn’t present.

“Well, I…I guess that’s that then,” Calvin stammered, uncertain of how else to respond.

Turning to address Hutch then, Mrs. Swayze said, “You best go ahead and take Mrs. LaMontagne home, Mr. LaMontagne. She looks plum worn out to me.”

Going to the side of the bed where Evangeline was sleeping, Hutch placed a hand on her shoulder and quietly said, “Evie? Wake up.”

“Me?” Evangeline asked groggily as her eyes opened.

“Mrs. Swayze has come to care for Jennie and the baby for the night, so let’s get home, all right?”

“What?” Evangeline asked as sudden realization snapped her to complete and aware consciousness. She looked from Mrs. Swayze to Hutch and back. “But…but I can’t leave Jennie,” she explained. “I can’t leave the baby. They’ll both need to be fed and kept warm and—”

“That’s why I’m here now, Mrs. LaMontagne,” Mrs. Swayze said.

Evangeline looked to where Calvin sat in the rocking chair next to Jennie’s bed. He was cradling the new baby in his arms, rocking her, and humming as he studied her tiny face and hands.

“I’ll see to everything tonight,” Mrs. Swayze assured Evangeline. “You’ve got to be completely wrung out, dear.” She looked to Hutch, adding, “You too, Hutch.” Patting the back of Evangeline’s hand, she continued, “Now you take this handsome husband of yours on home so you both can get some sleep. You can come over and see to Jennie and the baby tomorrow. All right?”

Evangeline nodded. The truth was that she was suddenly overwhelmed with fatigue once more—both physical and emotional.

“Are you sure Jennie and the baby will be all right?” she asked.

“The baby is thriving wonderfully,” Mrs. Swayze answered. “And rest and recuperation will see Jennie through, Mrs. LaMontagne. I’m sure of it.” She smiled and repeated, “You go on home with your husband and get some rest.”

“My husband?” Evangeline breathed. All at once, she felt dizzy. Turning to look at Hutch, she asked, “We’re really married?”

Hutch’s dark brows puckered with concern. “Of course, Evangeline. Are you all right?”

“Oh, the color has drained from her face completely!” she heard Mrs. Swayze exclaim.

“Hutch?” Evangeline whispered as the room seemed to begin to spin. “I think…I think I might…”

“Come on, sugar,” Hutch said, swooping Evangeline up in the cradle of his arms. “Let’s get you home.”

Even for her dizzy, overpoweringly fatigued state, Evangeline noticed how incredibly strong Hutch was—how muscular his chest and shoulders felt as he carried her. She tried to keep her head up but couldn’t help allowing it to rest on his shoulder. She could smell the skin of his neck—the warm scent of leather and linen that clung to him—and it comforted her instantly.

“Here,” Mrs. Swayze said, and Evangeline felt a warm shawl being draped over her. “Get her home and warmed up, Hutch,” the woman instructed. “She needs a tall glass of water and a long rest. That goes for you too.”

“I-I can walk,” Evangeline stammered. But when she told her body to try to escape Hutch’s arms and stand, not one muscle or nerve in her would obey.

“Get that door for me, would you please, Mrs. Swayze?” Hutch asked.

“Of course,” Mrs. Swayze agreed. She hurried to the front door and opened it. Hutch carried Evangeline out of Calvin and Jennie’s house and onto the boardwalk.

“Thank you, Mrs. Swayze,” Hutch called over one shoulder.

“Of course, Mr. LaMontagne. I’m more than happy to help,” Mrs. Swayze called after them.

“I-I can’t possibly stay with you at your house, Hutch,” Evangeline mumbled. She was still dizzy. In fact, she felt as if unconsciousness were just a wink away. “It’s not proper.”

“Oh, hell, Evangeline. It’s entirely proper,” Hutch grumbled.

By the time they’d reached Hutch’s house, the cold evening air had drawn Evangeline from her dizzy, confused state.

“Y-you can put me down now, Hutch,” she stammered as Hutch stepped up onto the front porch of his home. Naturally, she loved being cradled in his strong, capable arms, and in truth, she never wanted him to put her down. Still, she didn’t want to be any more a burden than she already was. After all, Hutch now had a wife he hadn’t chosen for himself.