skills. His hands had been callused and even had a couple of rough-looking scars.
Not at all the kind of man she should be attracted to.
So what was it about him that drew her? There was the confidence in his bearing and his earnestness. And then there was his warm smile that reached all the way to his cornflower eyes that just drew a person in.
“That Mr. Tucker seems like a nice young man.”
Eileen started, as if she’d been caught mooning over some imaginary beau. She turned and stepped through the gate, ignoring Dovie’s knowing smile. “I suppose.”
She returned to a businesslike manner, dismissing her wayward and totally inappropriate thoughts. Better to focus on the trouble that was about to descend on her. Ten children—what had she been thinking? She had no idea how to deal with children of any age, much less a horde of them.
But she could handle this. After all, she had been trained to be ready to rise to any sort of social emergency with grace and confidence. How much worse could this be than handling household servants or an unruly party guest or even a last-minute menu disaster? As for the matter of her financial straits being discovered, she’d have to put a good face on that as best she could. Surely it was only a matter of remaining unruffled and not allowing her guests to get overly familiar.
She turned to Dovie with returning confidence. “As the person in town with the biggest home, I felt it was my duty to offer shelter to these poor stranded children.” Not entirely true—she hadn’t volunteered so much as been cornered, but in the end she had agreed to help.
Dovie eyed her approvingly. “Opening your home to them was a generous, Christian gesture, especially being as you’re such a private kind of person. And don’t you worry, like I told that young man, I’ll pitch in and help where I can.”
Thank goodness Dovie liked to keep busy. This new situation would certainly afford her boarder plenty of opportunities for that. “I appreciate your offer.” She unbent slightly. “I’ll admit, I don’t have experience dealing with children.” No, that was one lady-of-the-manor skill she had never been taught.
“Don’t you worry about that none. The only thing you have to know is that what children need most is love, patience and discipline. And of course a grounding in the Good Book. Give them that and the rest will work itself out.”
Eileen didn’t have a response for that, so she moved on to something else. “The members of the Ladies Auxiliary have agreed to help with the meals.”
Dovie fell into step with her as they moved to the house. “It’s always good when a whole community comes together to help those in need.” She gave Eileen a sideways look. “So when are the children supposed to get here?”
“In about two hours.”
“Then we’d best get to work.”
Eileen took a deep breath. Since her husband’s death, she’d found herself overwhelmed by the debt he’d left behind. She’d been reduced to selling many of her prized furnishings, as furtively as possible, of course, and had had to do some creative rearranging of the remaining pieces to try to cover it up.
The result was that many of the unused rooms were stripped to the bare essentials and had been closed off from view, even from her boarder. Not that she had many visitors these days.
But now she was going to be forced to open those rooms up for her guests’ use and there would be no hiding anything. It would be best to prepare Dovie for the reality she would soon see. “You should know that the furnishings are rather sparse in most of the extra rooms.”
Dovie seemed to see nothing wrong with that. “As long as your guests have a bed to rest in, I don’t imagine they’ll be doing any complaining.”
“There are six girls and four boys to accommodate besides Mr. Tucker.” It was just hitting her that the man who’d thrown her so off balance today would be residing here, as well. She would really have to keep her guard up for the next few days. But, strangely, she was more energized than irritated by the challenge.
Not that Mr. Tucker was of any more import than the children. “There are five extra bedchambers on the second floor and four on the third.” She frowned. “But I don’t think it necessary to give each child his or her own room.”
“Oh, my, no. In fact, they’ll probably be happier if they have someone to share with. Why don’t we put the girls in three of the second-floor rooms and Mr. Tucker and the boys in three of the rooms on the third?”
Eileen nodded, relieved that Dovie agreed. That would mean fewer rooms to prepare and fewer bed linens to deal with. “That sounds like an acceptable approach.”
The two women had barely started when the doorbell sounded. Eileen left Dovie to finish opening the windows and stripping the beds while she went to see who was at the door. Surely Mr. Tucker hadn’t returned already?
When she opened the door, however, it was Ivy Parker, and right behind her was her husband, Mitch, and a couple of young boys. All four of them were loaded down with armfuls of linens.
“Hello,” Ivy said cheerily. “Where would you like us to set these?”
Eileen stepped aside. “Please come in.” She waved to the open doorway on the left. “You can set it all on the table in the dining room.”
As they trooped into her home, Ivy chattered away. “The members of the Ladies Auxiliary all contributed something. You’ll find sheets and coverlets enough for eight beds. If you need more, let us know. We also figured you’d need some extra towels so we brought a stack of those, as well.”
Extra towels—of course. She should have thought of that. What else hadn’t she taken into consideration? And the thought of ten children needing baths was enough to send a shiver up her spine.
But it would never do to show a lack of confidence—she was the lady of the house. It was her duty to make all of her guests feel at home. “Thank you. I’m sure we will be able to put all of this to good use.”
Once everything was safely deposited on the table, Ivy shooed her husband and the youths away, then turned to Eileen. “Now, what can I do to help you get ready for the invasion?”
“That’s really not necessary. Dovie is assisting and between the two of us—”
Ivy interrupted with a wave of her hand. “Fiddlesticks. I don’t mind a bit, and it’ll give me a chance to visit with Nana Dovie.”
Ivy had been orphaned as an infant and Dovie had been the one to raise her. They were very much like mother and daughter even though there was no blood tie between them. Eileen supposed, more than anyone else in town, these two women could truly relate to these children and their situation.
Without waiting for a response, Ivy headed for the stairs. “By the way, Reggie volunteered to take care of the evening meal for you all today so there’s no need to worry about that.”
Regina Barr was Eileen’s nearest neighbor and the current head of the Ladies Auxiliary.
Ivy looked back over her shoulder without slowing. “And there’s a list forming of volunteers to handle the meals for the next several days.”
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