Winnie Griggs - The Hand-Me-Down Family

Was she feeling faint?

Or praying?

As if she felt his gaze, she looked up and drew in a deep breath, then let it go on a sigh. Jack joined her and stared silently at his brother’s grave.

Lanny, the big brother who was good at just about everything he attempted, who could be bossier than the day was long, but who bent over backwards to lend a hand where it was needed.

Regret threaded itself through Jack’s feeling of loss. Why hadn’t he come here sooner, made peace with Lanny, offered him the apology he deserved?

Now he would never have that chance….

Movement drew his gaze to Julia’s grave. He watched as a butterfly, its wings the same deep blue that Julia’s eyes had been, landed briefly on her marker, then fluttered toward them. It rested momentarily on Callie’s bonnet before drifting away on the breeze.

When he looked back, he found her watching him. He straightened and shoved his hat back on his head. “Ready?”

She nodded and took the arm he offered. Their silence was companionable this time, all of the tension that had been there when they marched through town earlier having evaporated.

He was surprised to realize how glad he was that she’d been here these past few minutes. Somehow it felt right to have her share this graveside visit, to mourn alongside him for a few moments over their mutual loss.

“Those poor little ones,” she said softly. “They must be so confused and frightened by what’s happened.”

The mention of the children brought back his earlier worries. Was he up to the job of playing nursemaid to three confused and frightened young’uns?

“Who’s been looking out for them since the accident?” she asked.

“Mrs. Mayweather.” At her questioning look, he elaborated. “Sweetgum’s schoolteacher. She offered to take them in until I could get here.”

“How kind of her. Does she have children of her own?”

Jack smiled at the thought of the major general of a woman that was Alberta Mayweather having a husband to “take care of her.” “The ‘Mrs.’ is more of a courtesy title,” he explained. “She never married. But Mrs. Mayweather’s been schoolteacher here since before I was born, and she knows what she’s doing when it comes to watching over young’uns.”

Unlike me.

Jack’s gut tightened. He had quite a tangle to deal with, and it kept growing. He still hadn’t figured out what he was going to do about the three kids, and now he had to add Lanny’s widow to the mix.

Of course, he probably wouldn’t have that added worry for long. Now that Lanny was gone, she’d likely head back to Ohio where she’d be amongst people she knew.

“Then they’re lucky to have someone like her looking out for them.” Her steps quickened slightly. “But the sooner they can settle into a permanent home again with family around them, the better it’ll be.”

Hah! Easy enough for her to say. She didn’t have the responsibility of making it happen.

Her sigh interrupted his thoughts. “I just pray that, with God’s help, I can be a good mother to Annabeth.”

Mother? Jack stopped in his tracks.

“Wait just a minute. You can’t honestly believe you’re going to take charge of my niece.”

He might not know how to be a father, but he’d just made a solemn promise to Nell and Lanny to give it his best shot. And there was no way he’d break a promise like that. No sir, he wasn’t about to hand any of those kids over to a stranger.

No matter who she’d been married to.

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t back down. “In case you’ve forgotten, helping to raise Annabeth was the reason Leland asked me to come here. I’m still Annabeth’s stepmother. Of course I’m going to take care of her,” she said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

“Stepmother!” He rubbed the back of his neck, more to keep himself from reaching out to shake some sense into the woman than anything else. “You were married to my brother for less than half a day. Why, I’ll wager you’ve never even laid eyes on Annabeth, have you?”

She crossed her arms and he saw a flash of temper in her eyes. “Have you?”

He didn’t much care for the ring of challenge in her tone. “I’m her blood kin,” he argued, sidestepping the question. “It’s my responsibility to—”

She yanked the marriage papers from her handbag and held them in front of his face. “Not according to these documents.”

The woman was downright maddening. If she thought for one minute he was going to let her lay claim to Annabeth, she was going to be mighty disappointed.

He was maddening! Why couldn’t he see that this was something she needed to do, was meant to do? It had to be why God had led her here.

That reminder drew Callie up short.

There she went, making assumptions again.

“I’m sorry.” She offered a conciliatory smile. “I don’t believe either of us is thinking clearly right now. I’m certain we both have Annabeth’s best interests at heart, and that’s what counts. We just need to make certain we understand what those are.”

His expression didn’t soften a bit. “The best thing for her right now is to be with her family. And that’s me and her cousins.”

Callie took a deep breath and tried again. “Mr. Tyler, why don’t we call a truce for the moment. At least long enough to pray about it. I’m sure God will help us resolve this if we just look to Him for guidance.”

Her oh-so-stubborn brother-in-law didn’t answer right away. Instead, he gave her a peculiar look.

A prickly unease stole over her, engulfing her like a scratchy woolen cloak.

No. She must have misinterpreted his expression.

Leland and Julia had been such steadfast Christians. Surely Leland’s brother…

She forced her lips to form the question.

“You do believe in God, Mr. Tyler, don’t you?”

Callie watched as Jack paused, rubbing the back of his neck. Then he gestured back the way they’d come. “My dad helped build that church and my mother was the organist there for years.”

She frowned. What his parents did or didn’t do had nothing to do with—

“It’s just, well, I’m not really the praying sort.”

The words shocked her. “I don’t understand.”

He shifted his weight. “Look, I don’t have anything against folks praying if they’ve a mind to. It’s just that I don’t believe in asking for handouts myself. I cotton more to the ‘God helps those who help themselves’ way of thinking.”

Callie blinked. Surely she’d misunderstood. “Mr. Tyler, asking for guidance and direction from our Heavenly Father is not the same as asking for a handout.” She saw the skepticism in his eyes and tried again. “Besides which, there is absolutely nothing wrong with humbling ourselves before the Almighty.”

He waved his hand as if to brush her words aside. “Ma’am, you just go right ahead and pray for guidance if that makes you feel better.” Then he folded his arms across his chest and his eyes turned flinty. “But I’m telling you right now, there’s nothing on earth—or in heaven, for that matter—that’s going to convince me to turn any member of my family over to a stranger, no matter how strong that stranger might think her claim is.”

Callie pursed her lips, not trusting herself to respond immediately. It wasn’t about just Annabeth now. All three youngsters deserved to have a proper Christian influence in their lives. It was what their parents would have wanted for them, and it was the right thing to do. Actually, it was the most important thing.

She might not be the best person to fill that role, but God could use even the most flawed vessel to do His work. She was more determined than ever to have a hand in raising these children.