Orphan Train Romance 1 - 5 (3 page)

BOOK: Orphan Train Romance 1 - 5
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The other men nodded their heads in agreement.   Then the mayor spoke directly to Amanda.  “You have our permission to adopt a girl who is under five years of age, but you must allow the couples to choose first.  If there is a child left, she may be placed with you.”

 

Amanda left the Town hall five minutes later with a paper in her hands with the committee’s agreement that she could adopt a little girl.  She stopped outside of the building and opened up the paper to read it.  She felt relieved that she had been granted permission and even though she would need to wait until all the other couples had chosen, she felt very hopeful there would be a child she could adopt. 

 

“It looks like the committee voted in your favor like they did me,” Craig stood in front of her holding his own copy of an agreement.

 

“Yes, I am so excited!” Amanda told him, briefly forgetting her irritation with him and the continued marriage proposals.  “They will place a little girl with me as long as she is under five years old and also as long as none of the couples have chosen her.”  Her dark eyes sparkled with excitement and Craig thought to himself he had never seen her as beautiful as she was at that moment.

 

Amanda then looked at the paper Craig was holding and some of her excitement died.  “So you are going to try to adopt also?”

 

“Yes, I have been approved to get an older boy eight years of age or older.”

 

“Please don’t use him like a hired hand,” Amanda pleaded to him and Craig stepped away from her with a frown on his face. 

 

“Since you refuse to marry me, I might as well adopt a child.  At least then I will have someone to talk to and share my house with,” Craig retorted, tired of her accusing him of not being able to care for a child properly.  He put his papers in his pocket and walked away, leaving Amanda staring after him with her mouth open.

 

Maybe he is as lonely as I am
, Amanda thought to herself, and for the first time felt like maybe, they did have something in common after all.

Chapter 4

 

 

Friday afternoon finally came.  Never had time traveled so slow for Amanda.  She did her best to keep herself busy.  She finished the child’s dress she was working on and started cutting out the fabric for Mrs. Porter’s dress.  She also found time to make a small dress for her new daughter, hoping that she would be able to really give it to someone and that it would be the right size.  At the last minute Thursday evening, she made a small rag doll with a matching dress for the child.

 

About 10 minutes before 2:00, Amanda left her dress shop and walked quickly to the Town hall down the street.  She walked into the building and into the room where she was interviewed a few days before.  Numerous chairs had been set up in rows and a small stage had been placed in the front of the room with many chairs placed in a row.  They were still empty, so Amanda knew that the children hadn’t arrived yet.

 

She looked around and was amazed at the number of people in the room.  She recognized many people, but there were also a number of people she didn’t know. 
Surely not everyone here wants a child,
she hoped.  She waved to her good friend, Lydia and her husband, Clinton Byron.  They owned a large cattle ranch located south of Maple Grove.  Amanda walked over to where they were sitting.

 

Lydia stood as Amanda approached to give her a hug.  “It is so good to see you,” Lydia said.  “I hope everything is going well.”

 

“Things are fine,” Amanda hugged Lydia back and smiled at Clinton.  “Are you considering adopting a child?”

 

Lydia looked at Clinton as she answered.  “Yes, we hope we can find a baby or a young child under two years of age.”

 

“We have a huge house and the ranch.  We figure we have enough to offer a child who doesn’t have a family,” Clinton explained.

 

“That’s great,” Amanda said, very happy for her friend.  She knew that Lydia had had several miscarriages and had been unable to carry a child to term.  Lydia never looked very happy or at peace whenever Amanda saw her, although she always denied her unhappiness.  Amanda hoped adopting a baby would help fill some of the emptiness Lydia seemed to display.

 

Amanda held up her papers.  “I was accepted to take a little girl under five years if there is one left after all the couples have chosen.”

 

Lydia shrieked with joy and hugged Amanda again.  ”That is great.  I hope it works out for you.”

 

“I’m not sure if I will get a child though,” Amanda looked around the crowded room.  “There are many more people here than I expected.”

 

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Lydia waved her hand.  “I suspect most of these people are just here to watch.”

 

Amanda was shocked at the thought.  “How awful.  Do they think these children are a bunch of animals?  They shouldn’t be allowed here if they aren’t serious about adopting.”

 

“Well, as much as I agree with you, you have to admit this is a rare occasion.  If we weren’t planning on taking a baby, I would have been tempted to watch.”

 

Amanda looked around and saw some of the Town Committee walking to the front of the room.  “I want to sit closer so I can see the children better.”  She pointed to the front row of chairs.  “I think I will go sit over there.” 

 

She said her goodbyes and good lucks to her friends and walked over to the row of chairs that was closest to the stage as possible.  Most of the chairs were taken, but then she saw that one was not, and it happened to be right next to Craig Parker. 

 

Amanda hesitated, not wanting to sit next to Craig but wanting to sit as close as possible.  He then spotted her and waved his hand for her to come over to him.

 

“I saved you a seat since I knew you would want to sit next to me,” he explained when she reached his side. 

 

Amanda started to make a sharp retort, but then saw the usual twinkle in his blue eyes and knew he was teasing her again, so she just smiled and sat down.   “Thank you, Mr. Parker.”  Craig smiled at the use of his formal name.

 

The minute she sat down, the hall quieted as the doors opened and a tall, thin man and heavy-set woman walked into the room leading a group of children.  Amanda noticed that the man was holding a little girl who was big enough to walk.  The plump woman was holding the hands of two other young girls.  They all walked to the front of the room and the woman started to direct the children to sit in the chairs on the stage.  Amanda watched as three older girls that looked to be the same age sat next to each other.  They were each holding a baby or toddler.  The man sat the little girl he was holding on a chair and an older boy immediately sat next to her, grabbing her hand with his own. 

 

They must be brother and sister
, Amanda thought. 
I hope they won’t be separated. 
She then noticed that the little girl’s left leg was twisted. 

 

After all the children had sat down, Amanda quickly counted that there were only four girls that looked to be under the age of five, counting the little girl with the twisted leg.  There were two babies, but she had decided she wanted a child older than two years old.  Five girls to choose from didn’t seem very many and Amanda’s heart sunk, knowing she probably would not be able to take a child home with her.

 

“Don’t give up hope yet,” Craig whispered to her, letting her know he knew what her thoughts were.  She smiled her appreciation.  When she looked at him, she couldn’t help notice his broad shoulders that filled out under his blue shirt.  He had gotten his hair cut and there was a lock of hair sticking straight up that made Amanda want to reach up and smooth it into place.  Realizing her thoughts, her heart fluttered again.  Amanda quickly looked away, silently telling herself to not get caught up in his good looks and charm. 

 

The mayor stood and introduced the man and woman as Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Carver.  He explained that this couple had been with the children on the train ever since they left New York 10 days ago.  The mayor then announced that Mr.  Carver had some instructions to give, allowed the man to take his place, and sat down in the front row next to his wife.

 

Mr. Carver stood and began to speak.  “I welcome you all and I am thrilled with the interest and turnout we have this afternoon.  This is truly a wondrous event for the children and for the town of Maple Grove.  I want to thank the Town Committee for their part in helping these beautiful children find new homes.

 

“I know that everyone is anxious to begin so those that have been approved can be matched with a child, but I must go over some ground rules and procedures.  There are two key points.

 

“These girls and boys are hoping to find a new home.  We have 18 children available between the ages of 6 months and 14 years of age.  We are hopeful that all 18 will be placed right here in Maple Grove, but if that doesn’t happen, we will continue onto the next town until they are all placed. 

 

“We are allowing the children eight and older to make the decision whether they want to go with a family.  If they feel uncomfortable in any way, we will not force them to go.  The final decision is theirs.  There will be a one-year waiting period between child placement and legal adoption.  We will be sending out a representative a few times in the next year to check on the children.  If at any time we feel dissatisfied with the child’s care, we will remove the child from the home.  Please be aware that even though this is rare, it has happened.”

 

Mr. Carver paused in his speaking to pull a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe perspiration from his neck and brow. 

 

“In order to avoid mass confusion, we will call each name who has a letter of recommendation in random order.  Once a choice has been made, please move over to where my wife is sitting, and she will help you complete the paperwork.” He pointed to a table that had been set up to one side of the room with Mrs. Carver sitting behind it.

 

Mr. Carver then called a name, which happened to be the reverend and his wife.  With them was their teenage son.  Amanda watched as their son walked right up to a young girl who looked to be about six years old.  He squatted in front of her and started to talk to her. 

Chapter 5

 

 

Amanda sat quietly in her chair, watching as one by one each child was paired up with a family.  She noticed that no one tried talking to the little girl with the twisted leg. 

 

At one point, the blacksmith and his wife tried to talk to the boy sitting next to the little girl with the twisted leg, and Amanda heard the boy yell, ”I don’t want to go with anyone!  I don’t want a new family!”  Mr. Carver walked over to try to calm the boy, but it was obvious he would not agree, so the blacksmith and his wife walked over to another boy.

 

Craig leaned over to Amanda and whispered, ”I am going to adopt that boy.”

 

Amanda looked at him in amazement.  “He seems so angry.  Why would you want to have a boy that is displaying behavioral problems?”

 

“He just needs someone who will care about him.  He’ll settle down.  I believe I can help that boy.”  While Craig was talking, he kept his eyes on the events on the stage, but then he turned to look directly at Amanda.  For the first time, she saw that he felt very deeply about the proceedings and it was very important to him. 

 

“I’m not the heartless man you seem to think I am.  A little hard work has never hurt anyone, but I don’t plan on working the boy too hard.  He needs acceptance and a place to belong.  He will have that with me.”

 

Amanda felt confusion as she turned her head back towards the stage and pondered Craig’s words. 
Maybe
, she thought,
he really could provide a good home for an orphan boy.  Maybe I have been too harsh, too critical of him as a man because of the many times he has proposed to me.  It all seemed like a big joke to him.  Maybe he really does want to marry me.

 

Soon there were only three children left.  Of course, the boy who yelled at the blacksmith was still there, still clutching the hand of the little girl beside him.  There was also another boy sitting on a chair a few seats down the row, looking sad as he stared at the floor. 

 

Mr. Carver called her name and Craig’s.  They both jumped up and walked onto the stage.

 

“It seems there is a little girl left,” Mr.  Carver said to Amanda.  “I need to warn you though, she can barely walk without pain.  Her leg was injured in a wagon accident that took her parents lives when she was two years old.  It hasn’t healed properly.”  Mr. Carver pointed to the boy sitting next to the little girl.  “That boy is her big brother.”

 

“What are their names?” Amanda asked.

 

“Jeremy and Grace.”

 

“Would you like to come live with me on my farm?” Craig walked up and asked the boy.

 

“I keep telling everyone, I don’t want a new family!” The boy hollered again. 

 

Mr. Carver put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and started to reprimand him, but Craig held his hand out to silence the agent.

 

“Tell us why.  You have to have a reason for not wanting a new family.”

 

The boy looked at Craig suspiciously, as if he didn’t believe Craig cared about his reasons.  Craig stood patiently waiting for his answer.

 

“I don’t want to be separated from Grace.  She and I are all we have left of our family.”  He finally responded with defiance in his voice.

 

Mr. Carver leaned close to Craig.  “We have explained to him that being able to stay together will likely not happen.  The best he can hope for is if they both go to families who live close by and they can visit.”

 

“How old is Grace?” Amanda asked the agent.

 

“She is four years old,” he replied. 

 

“Tell us why it is so important you stay together,” Craig requested of Jeremy.  “Why is it so important that you might be giving up a chance for a new family for yourself and for your little sister who could be cared for?”

 

“After Grace was born, Ma was always sickly.  Pa told me my sister was my responsibility and that I was to take care of her if anything happened to him or my ma.”  The boy looked bravely at Craig, blinking back tears from his eyes.  “I promised him I would.  I can’t break my promise to my pa.”  The boy’s eyes pleaded with Craig to understand.

 

Amanda turned to Mr. Carver.  “If I wanted to, will I be able to adopt Grace?” She asked, needing to make sure.

 

Mr. Carver nodded.  “You can adopt her, but remember that Grace will need a lot of care and there could be more expenses you will need to pay for because of her leg.”

 

“That won’t be a problem.  I have the means to do so,” Amanda answered.  She missed seeing a surprised look from Craig when he heard her admit that money would not be a problem.  She stood and quietly looked at the little girl.  She had long blond curly hair that desperately needed a brush.  The dress was a dull brown and it was too large for her.  But Grace glanced up at her with such a sweet shy smile which made Amanda immediately fall in love with her.

 

Craig and Mr. Carver was still trying to convince Jeremy to change his mind.  While Amanda was thinking, she noticed another couple who already had a passel of children walk off the stage with the last boy who had been sitting by himself.

 

“We always have room for one more,” the woman boomed out with her arm around his shoulders.  “You’ll have more brothers and sisters than you will know what to do with, and you can have a place with us for as long as you want it.”

 

Amanda then knew what she had to do.  “Mr. Parker, may I talk to you for a minute?”

 

Craig looked confused, but nodded.  “If you would excuse us.”

 

Mr. Carver nodded his head as Amanda and Craig returned to the seats they had been sitting in.

 

“It looks like I will be able to adopt Grace,” Amanda said to Craig as soon as they were seated.  “And you want to adopt Jeremy.”

 

Craig nodded.  “I will if I can get Jeremy to agree.  We would need to make sure they visit each other often.”

BOOK: Orphan Train Romance 1 - 5
3.68Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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