Heart Full of Love (4 page)

Eden tried to tamp the rising excitement as she ladled the vegetable soup into bowls. There was no guarantee they would really find her brother and sisters. But this was the first time she’d really had hope in all these years. And she owed that hope to Josh. Her heart thawed toward him like the first glimpse of spring. Katie had a good uncle.

Josh came in carrying the two babies. Samantha’s face brightened when she saw him, and she sidled up to him and gazed at him with adoring eyes. Cory backed away and hid behind Eden.

She touched Cory’s head with a reassuring pat. He was still frightened of men, and no wonder. The bruises from his stepfather’s blows still darkened his legs and buttocks. “It’s okay, Cory,” she said softly.

Josh raised one eyebrow and softened his voice. “You want to help me with these babies, big guy? They’re a little more than I can handle by myself.”

Cory regarded him with sober dark eyes, then hid his face against Eden’s leg.

“He’s had a rough time,” Eden mouthed.

Josh nodded. “You want to take Braden for me, Sam?”

“She doesn’t like to be called Sam,” Eden said hastily. The last time someone had called the little girl “Sam” she’d thrown a vase and sulked in her room for two hours.

“He can call me Sam,” Samantha said. She smiled hesitantly at Josh and took Braden from his arm. “I like it now.”

Eden managed to hide her astonishment. Josh had quite a way with her kids, and she suspected it was innate. Kids just gravitated to him naturally. He’d make a wonderful father and a caring husband. Her face burned with mortification, and she turned away to finish supper. Where had that thought come from? She wasn’t looking for a husband. Change was the last thing her children needed. Familiarity was key, and she’d see they got it. Any thought of romance was ridiculous.

Josh put Katie in her high chair. “Should I put this thing on her?” He held up Katie’s Pooh bib.

“Please. She’s a messy eater.”

Eden managed not to laugh as he coaxed Katie to put her arms through the bib armholes. She hated her bib. He finally succeeded, then tied it in the back and sat in the chair next to Katie.

“I warned you, she’s messy. If you sit beside her, you’ll probably have to wash up afterward.”

Josh’s grin of nonchalance changed as Katie banged her spoon into the bowl of soup, and it splashed everywhere. He sprang to his feet and wiped a streak of soup from his cheek. Then to Eden’s surprise, he sat back in the same chair.

“I’ve already been baptized. I might as well guard you from the onslaught,” he said with a grin. He made a credible job of containing Katie’s mess through supper and kept the other children entertained as well.

“You should have a houseful of kids yourself,” Eden said. As soon as she spoke, she wanted to retrieve the words.

Josh shrugged, and his gaze wandered to Katie’s face splotched with vegetable soup. “I’ve never been in one place long enough to meet the right kind of woman. For the last five years I’ve been in Saudi Arabia, traveling from one city to the next. But I’m almost thirty-five; it’s time I thought of a permanent home.”

Eden’s breath caught in her throat. For just an instant, she imagined what it would be like to have him come home from a hard day’s work to her and Katie, to have Katie running to greet him and calling him “Daddy.” Her face burned with humiliation. If he could read her thoughts, he would be out the door so fast an Olympic runner couldn’t catch him.

She glanced up to find his dark gaze on her. Was that longing on his face? She was likely reading her own silly dreams in his expression. Glancing away, she rose. “I’ll do the dishes. You want Mr. Leland to help with your homework, kids?”

“Yes!” Samantha and Amelia shouted. Cory’s face whitened, and he shook his head without looking up.

Eden sighed. She didn’t know what to do with poor Cory. He couldn’t seem to get over his terror of men. Maybe having Josh around would be good. Cory would learn that all men weren’t like his mother’s new husband.

Before she could reassure Cory, Josh knelt beside the little boy. “I’m not very good at spelling, Cory. Do you suppose you could help me?”

Cory bit his lip and shook his head. Huge tears hung on his lashes, and he cast a desperate glance toward Eden. “I’ll dry the dishes.”

Josh touched Cory’s head, and the little boy flinched back. “I won’t hurt you, Cory.” Josh’s voice was low and soothing. “I’d like us to be friends.”

Cory slid out of his chair and ran to Eden. He buried his face in her lap. “Make him go away, Eden. Make him go away.”

Eden ran her fingers through the little boy’s rough curls. “Mr. Leland is Katie’s uncle, Cory. He likes little boys, too.”

“That’s what Tom said.” Cory’s words were muffled in her lap. “But he didn’t. He didn’t.”

The last words were a wail of despair, and Eden gathered Cory up into her arms. She looked to Josh and bit her lip. “Why don’t you take the rest of the children in by the fire. Cory and I will do the dishes and join you later.”

A muscle twitched in Josh’s jaw. “Some man hurt him, right? What kind of person could hurt a little boy like that?” He stood and thrust his fists in his pocket.

“You’d be surprised what horrors adults inflict on children,” Eden whispered. Cory was literally shaking with terror, and she hugged him closer.

“I’d better never meet the man who hurt Cory,” Josh said. He took the washcloth and wiped Katie’s hands and face, then lifted her out of the high chair. He set her on the floor, then cleaned Braden’s face and picked him out of his chair and carried him toward the door to the living room. Samantha took Katie’s hand, and they all paraded after Josh.

Eden sank onto her chair and rocked Cory for a few moments. This was not a new occurrence. Sometimes she despaired of repairing the damage Cory’s stepfather had done. But with God’s help and her love, she thought the tide might be turning. A few weeks ago, he wouldn’t have even managed to stay in the same room with a man.

Josh was unusual, though; she had to give him that. She’d never met a man as good with children as he was. There was a loneliness in him that answered the yearning in her own heart. She was afraid to hope he found her as fascinating as she found him. Katie was the real draw. In her heart, Eden knew this. But it didn’t stop her from being drawn to the man whose heart seemed to be as big as his physique.

By the time she and Cory finished the dishes, the girls were done with their homework and had coaxed Josh into a game of Fish. They all lay spread out on the rug in front of the fireplace, the lamps casting a glow over the picture that made Eden think of Norman Rockwell prints. She swallowed the lump in her throat and sank into the rocker by the fire.

“Go fish,” Josh said with a cheeky grin to Samantha. She groaned and snatched a card from the pile. “These girls are smoking me,” he told Eden. “They should be sent to bed right now so I can claim victory. It’s the only way I can win.”

Samantha’s face clouded, and with the next hand she played recklessly. Josh gained some of the ground he had lost, and he cast an amused glance to Eden. It was obvious Samantha was throwing the game to him.

By the time the game was over and the kids had been bathed, prayers heard, stories read, and tucked in bed, it was eight-thirty. Josh’s hair stood on end where he had swiped a wet hand through it after bathing Braden. A warm glow enveloped Eden as she and Josh went back to the parlor. She could get used to evenings like this.

Josh sat on the sofa and patted the place beside him. “Let’s fire up the computer and see if there happens to be an answer.”

“So quickly?” She sank beside him and watched as he went to his E-mail.

“Probably not, but it couldn’t hurt to check,” he said.

A box appeared that said it was downloading five messages. Eden caught her breath. Maybe there was a response already.

Josh frowned as he scanned the list of downloaded messages. “Most of it is junk mail,” he said. “But this looks promising.” He clicked on the message with the subject R
ICHMOND
F
AMILY
.

Eden’s heart sped up, and she clenched her fists in her lap. Maybe this was the news she’d waited twenty-five years to hear.

Josh heard Eden catch her breath. Should he even have started her down this path? What if the search became fruitless? He would hate to be the cause of more pain in her life. She’d already had a lifetime’s worth. But it was too late to turn back now. He’d opened this particular Pandora’s box, and they would both have to live with the consequences.

He moved the cursor so they could read the message on the computer screen.

Pastor Markus Brittan once cared for a Richmond family after the mother died and the father disappeared. Could this be the family you mention? If so, I can give you Pastor Brittan’s address and phone number.

Eden’s hand clamped on Josh’s arm, and he nearly winced at the fierce grip. “I remember a preacher,” she whispered. “I couldn’t remember his name, but we went to church all the time. He had a cat named Spooky. It was all black with a white spot at its throat and used to leap on my legs when I went down the stairs.”

Josh clicked Reply To Message and typed in a request for more information. “Let’s see what the man has to say.”

Eden groaned softly.

“What’s wrong, Eden?”

He and Eden turned at Samantha’s frightened voice.

Eden squeezed the little girl’s hand and gave her a reassuring smile. “What are you doing up, Sweetie? Mr. Leland and I are just trying to find out some information about my family.”

“Were you—adopted?” Samantha’s face grew whiter at the dreaded word.

“Yes, Sweetie, but don’t be frightened. Your daddy is working hard to get you back. You just saw him last week, remember?”

The terrified expression in Samantha’s eyes faded, and she nodded. “He got a new job.”

“That’s right. You’ll be with your daddy again soon. Now scoot back to bed.”

What was the full story behind Samantha’s removal from her home? He would have to ask Eden when the little girl wasn’t around. Had her mother abandoned her or had she died? He glanced at Eden. There was one mother who would never leave her family. He’d never met anyone with a more nurturing soul. Her heart was so full of love for the children, he felt a little jealous. He watched her escort Samantha to the staircase.

Josh pulled his straying thoughts up short. Where had that come from? He’d best keep his mind on business. Eden had her life, and he had his. But she was so very appealing with her baby-fine blond hair curling around her face and those remarkable green eyes. If he were to hold her, that soft hair would barely reach his shoulder.

He dragged his gaze from her and turned back to the computer. The sooner he found her family and succeeded in retrieving Katie, the better. A new daughter would be enough of a change to his life; he wasn’t ready for more than that.

Clicking the Send And Receive button, he leaned forward. “I’m bushed. I think I’ll shove off.”

“But what about the answer to the message you just sent? That lady might reply right away. It’s only nine.”

“And what is there to do tonight if she does? You can’t go to Kentucky tonight.”

“No, but you could call.”

He caught the fact that she’d said
he
could call. She must be terrified. “I can stay awhile, I guess. But only if you fix some popcorn.”

Relief lightened her face. “You’ve got a deal.”

She hurried from the room, and Josh leaned back against the sofa. He was getting more and more entangled in the lives of this turbulent family on Hill Street. But he didn’t remember any time he’d had more fun than he had tonight. Sitting around a family table with spills mixed with laughter, romping on the floor with a passel of children, watching the firelight spill red-gold over Eden’s face had awakened a strange hunger in his heart. The feeling wasn’t entirely pleasant, it was too new and filled with the trepidation of the unknown.

The aroma of popped corn wafted from the open kitchen door. The tinkle of ice in glasses followed, then Eden walked back to the living room. She clutched a bowl of popcorn to her chest as she balanced two glasses of soda.

He leapt to his feet. “Let me help you.”

“I’ve got it.” She handed him the 101 Dalmatians glass and set her own Cinderella glass on the coffee table. She sat down, put the bowl of popcorn between them, and dug out a handful.

Josh scooped a handful of popcorn. For some reason, the fact that they ate from the same bowl touched him. He hadn’t done that since he was a kid, and he and his sister shared popcorn with their parents.

Eden must have caught the nostalgia in his expression for she smiled. “We’ve talked about my past, but what about yours? What kind of upbringing did you and Mandy have?”

The pain that had subsided to a dull ache flared again at the mention of Mandy.
His fault
. “I don’t want to talk about Mandy,” he said.

“I think you need to. Katie is not your sister, you know. She may look like her, but she’s her own little person. If you hope to find your sister again through her, you’re making a big mistake. One that could hurt you and her terribly.”

“I thought you were just a poorly paid foster mother. Since when did you get a psychology degree?”

Eden’s face clouded, and he felt a shaft of shame. “I’m sorry, I had no right to say that,” he said. He took a deep breath. “I suppose you’re right. I should talk about it, but it just hurts.”

Eden’s green eyes softened. “You need a friend. I’m a pretty good listener.”

She’d certainly been a good friend to his niece, a friend and a mother. Maybe he needed to talk about it. It couldn’t be any worse than turning it over and over in his mind.

“I couldn’t protect her,” he said. “I tried when we were kids, but I was too little to stop him.”

The color faded from Eden’s cheeks. She looked older, filled with care and weariness. Josh knew she’d heard this same story many times in her profession. Shame tied his tongue, but he pressed on. “To the outside world, we looked the perfect family. Mom, Dad, nice house in the suburbs. Then
he
came to live with us.”