“Yes, thank you.” Glenn hurries from the room, and a sigh of relief escapes her. Thirty minutes later she returns Quinton to his cradle after changing him. Full, and content he sleeps soundly.
“Better get on with it then,” she whispers to herself as she crosses the hall as quietly as she can. Thankfully, the other family members are on the other side of the house. A quick rap on the door and he whispers for her to enter.
Opening the door, she sees Glenn in a wingback chair holding a content baby. He is awake and staring up at his Daddy.
“I can take him now, so you can sleep.” She crosses to him and stops when she realizes that she is alone with him in his bedroom in the middle of the night.
“I don’t sleep much these days.” He yawns and looks at her standing in the middle of his room with her large wide eyes. “We will be spending a great deal of time together, Mrs. Coltrane. To damn with propriety, you can’t possibly care for two infants in the middle of the night alone,” he holds up a hand when she begins to protest.
“I only wish to help, and I’ve hardly spent any time with them since they were born. Most of my time was spent caring for my sick wife and working the orchard.” Glancing down at his son, he touches his cheek gently, “I almost lost them, so forgive me if I seem too forward.” He stands up and walks towards her, and she forces herself not to back away. Glenn watches the fear flicker across her face for an instant before she tamps it down.
“You and Delaney will never have to fear for your safety under my roof. That is a promise.” Her eyes study his face, a scruffy beard, with red stress streaked eyes and behind the exhaustion, anger for her. Anika is speechless as she reaches for Allen. Holding him close to her body she turns to walk to the door and pauses to look back at Glen. At that moment she doesn't see an employer, but a friend.
“Thank you, I, … I don’t know what to say to that. My husband promised to love, honor and protect me, none of which he did. So, you’ll forgive me if I seem jaded.” Anika stares at him with a challenge in her eyes and turns to leave.
“Sue was right, you know,” Glenn says and runs a hand through his hair, stopping her in her tracks.
“Right about what, Mr. Ward,” Anika asks as she pivots to look at him.
“About you not being weak. I don’t think I’ve ever met a woman with the strength I see in you. Delaney is lucky to have you and so are my boys.”
Touched beyond words, Anika smiles. “Thank you for saying so, though I don’t feel very strong these days. I’m hoping to change that.”
“Perhaps we could both use a friend. Call me, Glenn.”
Anika doesn't hesitate to reply. “I could use a friend, and since we've blown all sense of respectability out the window, you may call me, Anika.”
Glenn smiles for the first time in months and watches her leave. He returns to his chair and picks up his Bible, intending to read, but finds he can't quite bring himself to open the book. It is almost impossible to understand how that gentle woman could have been put through so much. Confusion wins for one more night, and anger finds a foothold.
Chapter 7
They came when the call went out that Sue had passed away. For the next three weeks, neighbors brought food, offered services and did whatever they could to ease her passing. Anika saw some familiar faces from church and some new. She was treated with trepidation by the younger female members of the church and invited to attend when the children were healthy enough by the older families.
Anika glances at the mirror in the house, all of them are covered with black mourning cloths, every surface of the home seemed to be in mourning. It is a shocking difference when compared to Saul’s funeral. Anika glances at Delaney playing with a doll and smiles as she nurses Quinton. They share a large bedroom connected to the nursery, which makes caring for the twins easier. Her favorite feature is the window seat, with its beautiful view of the land facing the front of the house. Often, she sits and quilts at night when Delaney is sleeping.
The Ward family have been spoiling Delaney, and she is blossoming now that the fear is diminished. Children rebound quickly, and her nightmares are not as frequent.
Beneath the sadness of losing Sue, is an undercurrent of joy at having two new grandsons who are thriving. Daisy offered to help with the boys in the middle of the night, but Anika insisted that she catch up on her sleep. The boys are putting on weight quickly, now that regular meals are available. Daisy spoils Anika, feeding her often and insisting she rest and recuperate. Anika smiles down at Quinton and grins when she realizes healing is a family affair in this house.
Glenn's nightly visits have become routine. Anika doesn't complain, he merely takes one of the boys and lets her have her privacy until they switch. They whisper in the dark of simple subjects, the farm, the orchards, and the children. The bags under Glenn's eyes grow deeper. His clean-shaven face is covered in a weeks' worth of growth, and he is angry all the time. Often his knuckles are bandaged, and he has bruises on his face that he doesn't bother explaining.
