Orphan Train Series Boxed Set: Books 1 - 4 Read online

  Annie regarded her with her serious gaze for another moment before a small, sweet smile peeped out on her face and she threw her arms around Katie’s neck. “All right, Katie, I will try not to worry. But I cannot promise for sure.”

  Katie laughed with a mixture of amusement and relief. “That’s all I can ask from you, sweetheart. Now let’s hurry along. I left some cookie batter ready at home so we could have freshly baked cookies while you tell me a little more about your day.”

  Giggling, Annie stepped out of Katie’s arms and started running toward home. “Come on, Katie, there are cookies waiting for us.”

  With a giggle of her own, Katie grabbed up her satchel with one hand, lifted the hem of her skirt with the other, and raced after the girl. With all their laughter, neither of them were very fast, and they were a giggling, exhausted heap by the time they made it to their small house on the edge of town. Melanie was just arriving home at the same time, but rather than scold them, she merely offered them a long-suffering roll of her eyes and went into her own room, leaving them to catch their breath and bake the cookies.

  ~~~

  “Those were the best cookies I have ever tasted, Katie. Where did you learn to cook so good?”

  Katie grinned at the girl. The back of her mind twitched with the desire to correct her grammar, but she caught herself before it left her mouth. She swallowed it down and decided to leave the girl’s grammar to her teacher for now.

  “My mother was a wonderful cook and baker. I’m not nearly as good as she was, but everything I know, I learned from her.”

  “Did your mama die, too?” the youngster asked quietly, her joy in the afternoon diminishing at the reminder of loss.

  “She did. I’m an orphan, just like you.”

  Annie looked at her with wide eyes. “Did you get adopted from a train, too?”

  “Well, maybe not JUST like you. I was a fair bit older than you when my parents died. But I was all alone in the world before I found you.”

  “Is that why you didn’t have any children already?”

  Katie’s mind shifted to the impossibly small coffin as it was lowered into the ground. Her breath caught for a moment, and she nearly choked on her grief. She couldn’t share that with the six-year-old. Not yet. She hoped her face didn’t reveal her strain as she tried to smile at the girl.

  “I’ve been waiting for you for quite a while.”

  It was the right thing to say. Annie grinned at her, allowing her sorrows to recede into the background once more. Katie wished she had the resilience of a child. She had to shove her feelings aside with force. She didn’t want them to worry the child.

  Blinking rapidly to ensure no tears were gathering in her eyes, Katie turned away for a moment but then quickly turned back to face Annie. “Did the teacher give you any assignments you need to work on at home or would you like to help me make our supper?”

  “Only the big kids get home assignments,” she said with a face Katie couldn’t interpret.

  “Are you jealous that you didn’t get one or relieved? I can’t really tell.”

  “I think it would be way more interesting to be a big kid,” Annie explained slowly. “But I don’t think I would like to do school work at home.”

  Katie smiled. “Don’t worry — you’ll be a big kid soon enough. You’re already six. Before you know it, you’ll be all grown up. You should enjoy each day as it comes.”

  Annie looked at her for a moment as though she thought she had lost her mind, but then she must have seen some reason in Katie’s words. She nodded. “Well, any day that comes with warm cookies is a day to be enjoyed, I’d say.”

  The two shared a smile before Katie started bustling about preparing the supper. Annie set the table for three and chattered away telling Katie all about the friends she had made and what she thought of her new teacher.

  “In New York, I didn’t get to go to school until they made me go to the orphanage. I think this school is better than that one. So I think I’ll go back tomorrow.”

  Katie smiled. She hadn’t realized that was in question. “I’m glad it’s not a drudgery for you.”

  “What’s drudgery?”

  “It’s hard, dull work.”

  Annie scrunched up her nose. “Maybe it is drudgery,” she decided. “But the people are interesting.”

  Katie stifled the desire to laugh at the child’s observations. “Were any of the other students children we met on the train?”

  “Walter and Ross are in my class. They were on the train with us. I think they are very smart. Do you think it’s because they’re boys?”

  Katie almost choked. “Are you asking me if I think they are smart because they’re boys?”

  Annie nodded, her eyes wide and serious.

  “Most definitely not.” Katie could hear the indignation in her voice and tried to quell her instinctive reactions. “I think they are a bit older than you, aren’t they? That would account for them seeming smart to you. They have had more opportunity to learn things. I have every expectation that you will be as smart as or even smarter than them.”

  Now Annie’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Now you’re telling tales, Katie. I can’t be smarter than them.”

  “Why ever not?”

  “’Cuz I’m dense.”

  Katie blinked at the child. “I beg your pardon.”

  “I’m dense. That’s what the ladies at the orphanage told me. It means I’m not very smart, right?”

  “I am certain that you must have mistook their meaning,” Katie said while gritting her teeth to prevent herself from telling the child what she thought of any adult who would even consider saying such a thing to a child. “Never mind about them anyway. You are making a fresh start here with me, and there is every reason to believe you are going to grow up to be as successful and intelligent as you could possibly wish.” She took a deep breath and switched the subject. “Now, tell me a little bit more about the game you played at recess.”

  The rest of the supper preparations continued without incident, and before long they were cleaning up from the meal and Katie was tucking the child into her bed.

  Her heart swelled with the feeling of the small little arms around her neck as Annie told her good night.

  “Sweet dreams, my dear,” Katie whispered around the lump in her throat before closing the door.

  She turned around to encounter Melanie’s shrewd gaze upon her.

  “All sorts of perils for you to navigate around as you get to know that child, aren’t there?”

  Katie offered a wry grin and a shuddering breath. “So many,” she agreed wholeheartedly.

  “Are you going to tell her about Lacey and Jason?”

  “Eventually, I will. But I need her to feel secure first. If I tell her about my own losses, it will make her feel as though I do not have any power to keep her safe. She needs to see me as an authority and a source of strength for her. If she knows about my past, that will be harder for her.”

  Melanie’s eyes filled with sympathy, but Katie tried to ignore it. Sympathy would only make her heartache swell. She needed it to be squashed down and ignored. She needed to be strong, fierce even. Nothing was going to stand in her way of making a success here, on her own, far from New York and the shadows she had left behind. She looked around her tidy little kitchen and the friend sitting at the table with her wise eyes trained upon her and grinned. She wasn’t actually alone. And she was already succeeding.

  “I got Mrs. Jenkins’ measurements and fabric choices today. We can get started right away.”

  “That’s wonderful. Thank you for doing that. Let’s get started in the morning, though. I don’t know what it is about all this clean air out here. One would think it would be invigorating, but I find that I am so sleepy.”

  Katie laughed. “Perhaps it is so invigorating that you wore yourself out.”

  “Or perhaps it was listening to your little one’s prattle of her long day that wore me out,” Mel countered. “I
am delighted for her that she is adjusting so well to all the changes in her little life.”

  Katie nodded. “It’s amazing how resilient a child can be.” She surprised herself with a wide yawn, and they both had to smother their laughter so as not to disturb Annie.

  “All right, you had the right of it. Tomorrow is soon enough to start on Mrs. Jenkins’ order.”

  Chapter Seven

  K atie and Mel made short work of Mrs. Jenkins’ dresses and delivered them when Katie had predicted to the amazed delight of the older woman. She was so pleased with their work that she promised to tell everyone she encountered about their abilities. True to her word, they soon had almost as much work as they could handle. They were relieved and delighted. Their life soon settled into a comfortable routine.

  Annie was chattering away as usual as Katie walked with her to school. It crossed Katie’s mind that she seemed to be the only mother walking her child to school. But she so enjoyed those moments with her new daughter that she had no desire to curtail them. Besides, she hadn’t been gone from New York long enough to be over the fear of all the things that could happen to a small girl on her own. Katie was certain it would be several years before she would allow the girl to go anywhere on her own. She was grateful for the circumstances that allowed her to make the short journey.

  “Do you think I could?” Annie concluded.

  Katie blinked. “I’m sorry, honey, I think my mind got clouded there for a moment. I didn’t catch everything you said.”

  Annie turned her puzzled gaze up to Katie’s. “But you always listen, don’t you?”

  “I thought so,” Katie smiled. “But could you please repeat yourself?”

  Annie frowned but did as she was bade. “I was telling you that Suzie wants me to play at her house on Saturday.”

  Katie smiled. “That sounds like it would be fun. Do you want to go?”

  “I think I do.”

  Katie heard the uncertainty in the child’s voice and wondered why this hadn’t come up the evening before. “Is there a reason why you might not want to go?”

  “Suzie’s grandmother died. What if there’s a sickness in their house?”

  Katie’s heart lurched for the poor child’s fears. “Oh, my dear, it is sad that Suzie’s grandmother died, but from what I understand, she was a really old woman. It’s not unusual for people to die when they are very old. And that isn’t something you can catch.” She paused, allowing the child to absorb that logic. “Does Suzie seem sick to you?”

  Annie shook her head. “No, I’ve never heard her cough, and her skin is quite pink, really.”

  It hurt Katie’s heart that the child knew what signs to look for to sense someone’s health. She offered the girl a soft smile and squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to go if you don’t feel comfortable, but if you would like to go, I’d be happy to take you there on Saturday. Since you don’t have any brothers or sisters, it would be good for you to play with other children from time to time.”

  The little girl gazed at her with serious eyes. She nodded slightly. “I will think about it a little longer. But I think I’ll go. It would probably be fun.”

  She still sounded uncertain. Katie just squeezed her hand again but decided to turn the subject. She had no intention of forcing the child.

  “I have a new client to visit today. I do hope my sense of direction is improving.” She laughed. “That is one of the few things I miss about New York. Since addresses were so clearly marked, it was easy to find where you were going.”

  The small child agreed with a sage nod before finding something new to worry about. “But you wouldn’t want to move back there, would you?”

  “I don’t think so. I am fairly certain you and I will be quite happy here. But if I ever do find myself hankering to return, I will be sure to discuss it with you — have no fear. You and I are a team now. Where I go, you will go, so I wouldn’t make a decision like that without you agreeing to it.”

  “Really?”

  “Truly,” Katie replied with a firm nod. “Now promise me that you will try to have a marvelous day.”

  Annie grinned. “I promise!”

  Katie watched the little girl scamper off to join a cluster of children entering the school. Her heart felt like it turned over in her chest. Having a child to love was the deepest joy, and she was eternally grateful for Annie’s presence in her life. She only wished she could bear the child’s concerns on her behalf. It wasn’t right for a six-year-old to have so many worries. Katie hoped she would be able to restore the child’s sense of security with time.

  As Katie walked to her new client’s home, she encountered various townspeople. It was very different than in New York. There, you would barely acknowledge other people’s existence on the sidewalk, merely attempting to stay out of other people’s way. Here, one must return nods and greetings, stopping to meet and exchange a few words with anyone she hadn’t met before. It was the expected thing to do here, and Katie was coming to learn it was also good for business. Whenever people found out she and Melanie were seamstresses for hire other women’s eyes would light up and whichever gown she was wearing would be scrutinized. Katie had taken to wearing her best examples of their workmanship whenever she left her house.

  It was not in her nature to be an extrovert. Not to say that she minded the sociability of the other townspeople, but she had to struggle with her instinctive reaction to distrust those she met. She wondered if the lessons learned from her husband’s hand would ever leave her.

  “Good day,” she nodded to another new face.

  “Ma’am,” the rough looking man lifted his hat and offered her a smile that appeared genuine despite the lack of a few teeth. The middle-aged woman at his side appeared delighted to encounter Katie.

  “Are you the new sewing lady I’ve heard tell of?”

  Katie contained her amusement and nodded. “Most likely,” she smiled kindly. “My name is Katie Carter. My friend, Miss Melanie, and I work together on most of the sewing projects we are hired to do.”

  The woman clasped her hands to her chest with barely contained rapture. “Mr. Smith, this is the lady I was telling you about. Do say I can hire her. My stitches aren’t nearly so fine as hers. It would be beyond wonderful to have a new going-to-church dress.”

  The gentleman looked slightly less pleased to meet Katie than he had originally, most likely at the thought of having to part with some of his coins, but he patted his wife’s hand anyway. “Sure, sure, we’ll see what we can do.”

  Katie didn’t press the matter. “It would be a pleasure, ma’am. I am certain we will meet again. Whenever you’re ready, we can make arrangements.”

  Much to Katie’s surprise, she encountered Cassandra just coming out of the mercantile. They had arrived together on the train accompanying the orphans but had each been swept up in their own activities since soon after arriving in Bucklin.

  “Katie, what a pleasure to see you!” Cassie exclaimed as she swept her into a tight hug.

  Katie was amazed at the display of affection from the previously reserved young woman. She was unused to such actions from anyone but returned the woman’s squeeze.

  “You must accompany me to the hotel dining room for a cup of tea and fill me in on what has become of you and Mel of late. I have been so tied up with my own affairs that I haven’t been much of a friend to either of you.”

  “Well,” Katie answered reasonably, “you have certainly had many things going on.”

  Cassie waved her hand. “That is insufficient excuse. Do say you’ll come.”

  After glancing at the small time piece in her reticule, Katie grinned and nodded. “I have a few moments. You are right, it would be lovely to share some tea and catch up.”

  Cassandra made short work of ordering for them after they had been shown to a table by the window in the starkly furnished, but still inviting, dining room.

  “It is surprising how nice this room is despite the décor,” Cassie comment
ed.

  “I think it’s all the windows. And the smell of baking bread,” Katie added with a smile. “Any room that smells like freshly baked bread is one that makes you want to linger.”

  Cassie nodded and grinned. She quickly brought Katie up to date on her news in a few sentences before demanding, “Now you share. Mrs. Parker told me you have taken the last child. I was so caught up with my boys on the train that I didn’t get to know little Annie very much at all. Tell me everything.”

  Katie smiled again at the younger woman’s enthusiasm. As far as she knew, there weren’t too many years between them in age, but life had beaten a little of the zest out of her. Being with Cassandra reminded her of how she used to be.

  “I’m not sure if I can tell you EVERYTHING. I probably don’t even know all there is to know about the little darling. But she is a dear. I find it difficult to believe she was the last child remaining.”

  Cassie nodded and shrugged. “Most of the families wanted boys or older girls so they’d be more able to work.”

  Katie wrinkled her nose. “Doesn’t that feel a little bit more like exploitation than adoption?”

  “Don’t think too hard about it or you’ll break your heart. Just know that I did visit every single one of the children from our shipment, and they are all being reasonably well cared for.”

  “Thank you for that. You’re right. I went to work at the orphanage to try to heal from my own heartbreak, but all those abandoned children just made it ache a little bit more. But I’m grateful that you checked on them. I wouldn’t have had the courage.”

  Cassie shrugged again. “I didn’t trust that the agent was going to do much. But we got lucky. This town seems to be overflowing with decent people. I don’t think every single one of the children has ended up in utopian circumstances, but none of them are being mistreated.”

  Katie sighed. “That’s better than what they had on the streets of New York, so I will try to be satisfied with that.” She paused and smiled at the waiter who brought their tea and biscuits. After he left, she continued, “As for my little Annie, she is just turned six. Her entire family died from the flu that took so many last year.”