But maybe, if Jasper could just get to know Moses, he’d fall in love with him, just as Emma Jane had.
She’d just been praising God for taking care of her even when things looked bleak. Right now, Jasper’s lack of interest in taking care of Moses was perhaps the most difficult thing she faced.
“It’s all right, Jasper, he won’t break.” Emma Jane gave an encouraging smile. “Just pick him up and bring him in here. He might stop crying just because someone is holding him. But if he has other needs, we can help you figure them out.”
“Just be mindful of his head,” Abigail said. “You’ll need to support it with your hand because he’s not strong enough to hold it up himself.”
Emma Jane was tempted to give him a few other cautions. After all, Jasper wouldn’t know how Moses always managed to wiggle out of his blanket but preferred to be wrapped snugly. But too many instructions might be overwhelming for him, and it would give him an excuse not to try.
“Fine.” Jasper turned and stalked out of the room.
Abigail patted Emma Jane’s knee. “It will be all right. Every man needs to learn how to take care of a baby, and since Jasper has had no inclination to learn, this will be a good way for his feet to get wet.”
Olivia entered the room from the kitchen, smiling as she said, “So true. Stephen was terrified of holding our children when they were babies. But a man has to get comfortable taking care of the little ones. There will come a time when you can’t do it all yourself and he’s going to need to help.”
If only Jasper’s hesitation at taking care of Moses was so simple. Were it his own child, Emma Jane had a feeling that Jasper would be much more hands-on and willing to take care of the baby. But Moses?
“What if he doesn’t want the baby in the first place?”
The words slipped out of Emma Jane’s mouth before she could take them back.
Olivia gave her a strange look. “I’m not sure what that has to do with anything. Babies come whether you want them or not.”
Emma Jane sighed. “Not Moses.”
“Who wouldn’t want a sweet boy like Moses?” Abigail picked up her knitting and motioned for Emma Jane to do the same. “Why, if I thought Charles would let me, I’d be tempted to take him myself. He is such a dear boy. But Charles is upset because we already have too many mouths to feed, and he does so hate that we are dependent on my family providing work for him.”
Abigail’s long-suffering sigh made Emma Jane wonder if this wasn’t part of the marital problems Abigail had alluded to earlier.
“Let’s not vex poor Charles further,” Olivia murmured. “We wouldn’t want to give him one more thing to take responsibility for.”
“Mother!” Abigail threw down her knitting. “Why must you make such remarks? You can’t imagine how intimidating it is for a man to marry a woman whose parents can give her far more than he can. And then, to have to work for his father-in-law because there are no other jobs available to him.”
Emma Jane thought she heard Olivia mutter something about him being too lazy, but she couldn’t be certain. Regardless, it wasn’t her fight, but clearly she wasn’t the only one whose marriage made things awkward for the family.
Perhaps she’d expected too much out of her marriage so soon. When they returned to town, Emma Jane would make more of an effort with her mother-in-law.
Abigail looked over at Emma Jane. “You’re never going to get anything accomplished if you don’t pick up your needles. Now, show me what you’re doing, so I can see where you’ve gone wrong.”
Emma Jane complied, staring more at the door than at her work. Moses had stopped crying, but Jasper hadn’t returned.
“Well, that’s where half of your mistake is. You’re paying more attention to the door than you are to your knitting. Jasper and the baby are fine.”
Emma Jane couldn’t manage to find a way to take her eyes off the door to focus on her project. The wool would have ordinarily been a comfort to her, its softness a balm on her fingertips. Even the cheery yellow would have ordinarily brightened her mood, but she found that her thoughts of Jasper seemed to give everything a grayish hue.
“That’s how I knew she was meant to be Moses’s mother,” Olivia said, her smile evident in her words. “She worries about him just as she would her own.”
The words didn’t comfort her, not when Jasper didn’t want to accept that fact. How could others see it when he couldn’t?
Abigail nudged Emma Jane again. “Now, let’s get focused.”
“How?” She looked down at the tangle of yarn and needles, and sighed. “How do you focus on something when the only thing on your mind is wondering if your baby is all right?”
“He’s not crying anymore, is he?”
Acknowledging the silence was almost embarrassing, especially with the knowing look Abigail gave her.
“Oh, now.” Olivia gave her daughter a sharp look. “As I recall, you were just as bad when Molly was born. You would hardly use the outhouse for fear something might happen to her.”
“Mother!” Despite Abigail’s rebuke, Emma Jane could hear the affection in the other girl’s voice.
This was the sort of family life she’d always wished to have for herself. Was it too much to hope that it was still possible?
* * *
Jasper tried telling himself that this all had to be some crazy nightmare. Why would they want him to get the baby? Probably some bizarre test.
He entered the room where they baby lay in a small basket. The infant’s hands were balled up at his red little face as big tears ran down his cheeks. If it weren’t for all the trouble the little thing was causing in
