Committed cutters creek.., p.1
Committed (Cutter's Creek Book 25), page 1
part #25 of Cutter's Creek Series
Committed
Annie Boone
Contents
Copyright
If you enjoy this story
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Epilogue
Also by Annie Boone
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Copyright
Copyright 2018, Annie Boone
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, electronic or mechanical, without written approval by the author, except for short excerpts used in a book review.
All characters, places, events, businesses, or references to historical facts are fictitious and products of the author’s imagination. Any references to actual people, places, or events are purely incidental.
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1
Cutter’s Creek, 1882
She looked outside through the window, peering into the distance. Dark curls framed her face rather prettily, but now they were in her way and she tossed them aside. There was movement out the window, and her eyes kept straying. It was as though she wanted to focus on something in particular, but she couldn’t find it.
The four children playing outside were running about with their hoops and sticks. The two boys and two girls varied slightly in age, but they were all nearly the same height. Although the distance was too far to hear their laughter, their smiles were clear enough to express their joy.
It made her heart sing to know that all was well with the four of them, but they weren’t the movement that her eyes kept pulling toward. Rather, her own children and nieces felt like a distraction as she gazed out into the distance.
Cutter’s Creek was a lovely town and made for a pleasant home. There was a valley, mountains, and the river that ran just beyond the church. The little red chapel was the center of most of the events in town, and weekly services kept Janine Hewitt grounded.
Winters were frigid and the summers were hot. She’d read about milder weather, but this was what she knew. Over the last couple of years, the land had been cleared and cleaned up for all the families and folks that came to settle down. And even then, so much of the wild remained behind.
It was hard to place what had captured her attention, for she could not put a name to the feeling, but it was as though she were being pulled through the whispering leaves and dancing wind. She just couldn’t place it or what it meant. Her thoughts wandered restlessly as she cocked her head, pondering the distance. Ahead was the lane that curved around town and toward the mountain, disappearing from view and surrounded by bright green trees. Summer brought out the rich color of the land, after all.
She sighed and shook her head, trying to refocus on what she’d been doing.
“How is the bread coming along, Janine?”
The moment broke and she started in surprise, tightening her hold on the pliable dough in her hands. Her eyes widened and she turned to see Audrey beside her, head cocked and a bright smile upon her face. Though her brow creased in momentary concern, the young woman was as lovely as ever. “Are you all right?”
Janine’s mouth opened as she considered the two questions. She was all right, wasn’t she? As for the bread… The woman glanced down at the dough in her hands, and it all came back to her. She was supposed to be preparing the loaf of bread. It needed to go into the oven soon, but she was giving it a final punch down before putting it in to bake.
Except her thoughts had distracted her, and the dough sat idle in front of her. Offering a sheepish smile, she looked back up to her sister-in-law. “It’s not ready yet, I’m afraid. I was watching the children,” Janine added quickly, pointing an elbow out toward the window. It wasn’t much of a lie, not when they were in her view the entire time. She glanced at them now, finding her sons laughing with their cousins.
Audrey glanced outside as she stood hip to hip to Janine and chuckled at the view. The two girls were tickling the boys, and they had never looked merrier. “I don’t blame you. They’re such bright little stinkers, aren’t they? I remember when Daisy went through that phase where she wouldn’t stop pulling on everyone’s hair. I’m glad she outgrew that.”
It was a rather painful memory for all of them. Janine laughed and nodded in agreement. “Indeed. No more hair tugging, and no more mud fights. Now that was a difficult phase. Or rather, one I’m still trying to convince the twins to leave behind. They’re quite stubborn, my boys.”
The memories were fresh in their minds as Audrey giggled. “Well, you know it’s not quite a surprise once you get to know where they came from, dear.”
She took the pie she’d made from the windowsill over to the table. Janine’s gaze followed her this time, and she cocked her head. Her eyes flitted toward the other room where the men were. “Yes, I suppose Thad is rather stubborn. He’s quite a stickler for how—”
“I wasn’t talking about him.” Audrey gave her a pointed look.
Janine’s cheeks turned bright red as she waved a hand in the air, trying to brush away the idea. “Oh hardly, I’m not at all stubborn.” Flustered, she cleared her throat and watched her friend slice the pie.
Audrey had a bushel of red hair loosely knotted at the back of her head. She was such a pretty woman, and Janine admired everything about her sister-in-law. Caleb, Janine’s twin brother, had finally taken her advice and found a wife. Caleb and Audrey had been married only a few years, and it was the second marriage for both of them. Even after such a short time, it felt as though she and her daughter, Daisy, had always been part of the family.
It hadn’t been love at first sight for Audrey and Caleb. They’d agreed to marry for their children. After a few stops and starts, their bond grew. Now the two of them were hopeless romantic fools. The thought of her beloved brother being so happy after tragic loss made Janine grin, and she pulled her thoughts together. She shrugged and watched Audrey take the dough from her.
“I didn’t ruin it, did I?”
The women studied the bread carefully. “We’ll let it rise for a bit longer,” Audrey decided finally. “We can start supper without it, I think. Why don’t you get me a damp towel to cover it?”
Nodding uncertainly, Janine obeyed and watched Audrey place the dough back into the bowl. She had been making bread for as long as she could remember, but suddenly she wasn’t certain how this loaf would turn out.
“And let’s see what our men are up to.” Audrey grinned before tugging her friend out of the kitchen.
Just around the next corner, the women found their men fiddling around with a rocking chair. It made Janine grin and not just because Audrey snorted. This was an old project that Caleb had been slowly working on ever since he had remarried, something of a wedding present for Audrey. However, he’d done the pieces all a little crookedly and was never content with how it had come together. Every now and again, he would pull it back out and fit a piece together, only to take another section apart.
“Another puzzle, gentlemen?” Audrey asked them, raising her eyebrow as high as it would go. “Why, it’s not even a special holiday, Caleb. You haven’t pulled this out since Easter.”
He turned and shrugged, offering that crooked smile that they all knew so well. “Thad suggested it.”
“Ah, that explains it.” Audrey nodded and turned back to Janine. “You certainly got yourself a good one, then. I’ll bet Thad doesn’t leave any scraps of furniture lying about your house.” Her words sounded harsh, but she looked at her husband with adoration. He shrugged again and chuckled.
The other man glanced up with a grin of his own, shrugging at Audrey before he looked at Janine. They were big green eyes, brighter behind those wire glasses looped behind his ears. But you could hardly see those now, and she was reminded that he needed a haircut. Perhaps tomorrow, she thought to herself. Janine started sorting out the next week’s schedule for her children and husband when Audrey’s laugh forced her back to the present.
“But you know what?” She was giggling. “Our anniversary is coming up. Two years next week.” Caleb was playing clueless, so she went over to tug him on the shoulder. “Don’t be daft, dear.” It was as though they had been married for years, Janine thought and wondered how they managed to act as though they were still newlyweds. “It helps,” Audrey continued, “if you just think of it as two months before their anniversary, silly fool.”
Caleb patted her hand with a wink. “As if I’d forget. And that’s extremely helpful advice, indeed. Thank you, my darling.”
Standing up, Thad nodded and straightened his glasses. With a sigh, he frowned and shuffled through the jumbled mess. Everyone watched curiously as he moved about. He fitted two pieces of wood together and handed it to Caleb. “I would say so. What do you think? Janine?” He called out her name when she didn’t answer.
It was a lovely Sunday afternoon, and she wa
s surrounded by her loved ones. And yet, for some reason, she simply couldn’t keep her mind from wandering off at the worst moments. With a small shake of her head, Janine pulled herself together. Smiling, she went over to stand beside her husband. He was tall, kind, and usually the quiet one between them. “I agree,” she announced, hoping that would suffice.
2
Dinner was lively and fun as it always was when these two families got together. Though they made it through the meal without freshly baked bread, nobody seemed to notice. Audrey’s roast was delicious, and the pie was the perfect finish. All four children had to be rounded up again to be washed before they went off to play with their toys.
“Your boys have such manners,” Audrey sighed as she joined Janine at the sink. “I don’t know how you do it. They’re so young and such gentlemen. You and Thad are doing a wonderful job with them.”
Janine smiled softly at the thought of her children. “Thank you, Audrey, that’s sweet of you to say. They are good boys at heart, and we just guide them along. I guess we got lucky with them. And the girls are doing so well. They love each other so much. You’d never know they haven’t known each other since birth. I can’t believe how fast they’re growing up.”
Audrey sighed again. “Neither can I. It catches me by surprise every time I look at them. Just you wait, sister, and it’ll be happening to your boys as well.”
“Oh, I bet,” Janine started, but a thought made her chuckle fade, and she looked away. The twins were so special to her, so dear to her heart. And it had taken a long time for them to come into her life. A lump formed in her throat, and a hand absently fell upon her flat stomach. It had been years, she knew, but sometimes it felt like only yesterday that she had lost them.
A hand touched her elbow. “Janine? Is something wrong?”
She looked at her sister-in-law, dearer than any friend. With a sigh, she recalled how there were very few souls who knew of the past. It had hurt too much to tell everyone at the time, and most people in town had never known. “I… I’m sorry, no. But you see, I once—we… I married young, you know. Quite young. I was eighteen and I didn’t know what I was doing or what being an adult meant. Thad was so patient with me.”
She knew she was rambling and bit her lip, trying to collect her thoughts. Audrey was looking at her with those kind eyes, a comforting hand on her shoulder, but it was still hard to say.
“But you were in love?” Audrey smiled sweetly when silence fell between them.
Janine swallowed. “Oh yes, very much. Shortly after our wedding, I became pregnant. I remember feeling so happy about it the moment I realized what was happening. When I knew I was going to be a mother, I felt like I was flying. I couldn’t wait to tell Thad, and he was so excited. Then we were preparing for the baby…”
A small intake of breath as Audrey made the connection. The marriage, the early pregnancy, but there was no child to complete the story. “Oh, Janine…”
“I thought I could feel her moving around, but it might have been too early. I don’t know for sure.” She cleared her throat in an effort to continue speaking. But the lump in there only seemed to grow, and Janine struggled for air. “Every day I prayed she would be healthy and that we’d be a happy family. But just a few weeks later, she was gone.”
Audrey pulled her into a hug. “I had no idea. You poor thing, I cannot imagine how terrible that must have been.”
“I still think about it even though it was years ago,” Janine confessed, closing her eyes against the wave of tears. “And there was another one, though that one only made it for a couple of weeks. I thought I was being so careful; I tried so hard. But in the end, it didn’t matter.”
Audrey squeezed her tight. “But you have the twins now. You have your boys. And Nathaniel and Jacob are practically perfect.”
Sniffing, Janine nodded as she clung to her friend for strength. “I do have them, and I love them dearly. I was so afraid for years that we’d never have that family we prayed so hard to have. Thad always wanted children, and so did I. We tried so hard for so long, and I couldn’t believe it when our boys were born. They were both so small.”
“Oh, Janine. I know it’s hard to think about it, but your life is good. You and Thad have made a happy home for those boys.”
Janine smiled weakly. “I know that God is in control. Always. But I really wanted a little girl. I wanted more children. I could have had all those children in my arms, and nothing in this world lets me forget that. It’s been years, but I can’t help thinking of what might have been.”
The dishes clearly weren’t being done at that point, so Audrey tugged her over to the table to sit and pulled out a handkerchief. There were tears trickling down Janine’s cheeks, and she dropped her gaze in embarrassment. “God has his ways, and someday we’ll have the answers to all the questions we have for Him,” Audrey offered. “I know it. And more than that, He heals our pain. It may be in His own time, but it will happen. And you’re more than young enough—if you wanted…”
Her words trailed off in what was meant to be a light and hopeful suggestion, but Janine shook her head hurriedly. She couldn’t go through that again, not with her heart forever cracked from those first losses. It couldn’t happen again. “No, I won’t. I’m very careful. I’m not going to get with child again. Not again.” The idea terrified her, feeling that loss all over again. There were still moments where the memory grabbed her and the sadness would return in full force, as if it had just happened again.
Audrey opened her mouth. “Oh, Janine…”
“I mean it,” Janine stated emphatically and inhaled deeply. “It’s not a joke, either. I’ve been careful because I couldn’t make it through another one. I couldn’t. It still hurts me so deeply, and I have a family I need to care for. No, Audrey. My twins are enough for me. They’re lovely, you said so yourself, and they’re more than enough for me.”
Silence enveloped them as Audrey nodded in acceptance. Brushing back the red wisps of hair that had escaped her bun, she offered a smile. “All right, then. I’m glad for you, Janine. I’m not judging you, I promise, and please don’t think that I ever would. It’s important to me that you’re happy. Don’t let your pain drown out the joy, though. You have such a lovely family. Your little boys are so precocious! I don’t know how you handle them,” she finished with a chuckle, bringing a much-needed lighter note to the conversation.
Janine laughed, her cheeks pink as she cleared up her misty eyes. It was just what she needed, a good and solid chuckle. Those boys truly were wonderful, and she loved them more than anything in the world. “Oh, Thad puts them to work,” she offered, standing up. Sniffing, she tucked the handkerchief away into a pocket and took a deep breath. “They love helping out with the chickens and the cows. And they’ve been promised that if they’re good this year, we’ll even get a second horse. I don’t know why Thad said such a thing, but we’ll see how this turns out.”
“Yes, our husbands do have a way of convincing the children to obey, but it usually comes at a cost. In fact, Caleb promised our girls if they made supper on their own for a week, he’d buy them any ribbon they wanted. Can you believe that?” Audrey rolled her eyes. “They actually got quite close last week, but they ended up running off to play. Caleb thinks he’s helping me out by enlisting them, but he doesn’t realize I have to supervise. It’s much easier to do it myself.”
The women chuckled. They had supper together most Sundays and knew how to work in each other’s kitchen. In no time at all, Janine had rolled up her sleeves to wash the dishes, and Audrey had a towel on each shoulder to dry and put them away. “So they still keep you busy, then?”
A sigh. “Indeed. Even though they go to school, there’s always work to be done in here. Why? Don’t your boys keep you busy?” Audrey bumped hips with her, raising an eyebrow.
