Doubting Thomas (Tarnished Saints Series) (7 page)

“Stop it you two, or I’m going to have to tell Pa,” warned Daniel.

“You do, and I’ll tell Pa you let her stay on our land,” Sam answered.

“She doesn’t look threatening to me,” said Dan. “Matter of fact, I kind of like having someone new to talk to.”

“You just like talking to girls,” said one of the boys, rushing over with a smaller boy right on his heels. “Tell her to leave, just like Pa said. I don’t like her.”

Angel recognized the boy at once as the one who threw a rock at her the other night. The little one next to him was the one who had been standing in the road.

“I remember you two,” she said guardedly. “You are the boys I met on the road the other night.” She tried to remember what Thomas had called them when she met him yesterday. “Josh and . . . Elijah, was it?”

“You know her?” asked Sam looking at his brothers.

“She told Pa I threw a rock at her. I don’t like her,” Josh replied once again.

“I’m sorry if you don’t like me,” she said. “I didn’t mean to get you in trouble with your father, but I saw you throw that rock.”

Josh’s mouth turned down in a frown and his hands clenched. “I did not.” He ran off toward the house, and Angel wanted to run after him, but didn’t.

“My brother doesn’t lie,” Dan told her. “If he says he didn’t throw a rock, then you must be mistaken.”

“I saw him throw it,” she said, puzzled as to why they would all stick up for each other, but admiring their loyalty to one another.

“She’s wrong,” came yet another voice from over by the barn. “I threw the rock, not Josh.”

Angel looked up to see a boy step out of the shadows. He had the same build as Josh, the same dark eyes and same exact looks. This boy wore a coonskin cap, just like the boy who’d thrown the rock at her. Her heart sank as she realized she’d made a very bad mistake.

“I’m Jacob,” the boy told her, walking up to her with his arms crossed. “I’m Josh’s twin brother, and you’re going to be in deep shit trouble with my Pa when he gets back.”

Chapter 6

Angel stood there with her mouth wide open, not at all sure what to say. She’d just assumed Joshua was Jacob, and in doing so had not only made a false accusation, but made an enemy with more than one of the boys.

“You . . . you’re twins,” she muttered, sounding utterly foolish.

“That’s what I said,” snapped Jacob. “You hurt my brother’s feelings, and you don’t even give a damn.”

“Jake!” Sam interrupted. “Stop swearing. You know what Pa thinks about swearing.”

“Yeah, I do,” the boy said, his face raised in challenge to his older brother. “He thinks he can do it, but yet none of us can. I’m old enough to do what I want.”

“Jake,” Dan said, taking the boy by the collar. “Stop with the tough talk while there’s a lady present. Besides, you may be tough, but I’m bigger than you, not to mention in charge while Pa’s gone. Keep it up and I’ll make you scrub the pots tonight.”

That quieted the boy, but the anger on his face did not subside.

“I’ve made a terrible mistake,” said Angel. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to Josh and apologize.”

“No!” spat Jake.

“It’s not a good idea,” said Sam.

Daniel eyed her curiously, and she knew she had to win him over to not only apologize, but get a look inside the house.

“I really don’t mean any harm. I’ll just go apologize to Josh and then I’ll be on my way.”

She started for the house, with five pairs of feet running after her. Little Elijah kept pace beside her and she couldn’t help but notice the poor child had no shoes. His clothes were thin and torn, and dirt streaked his face. It looked as if he hadn’t combed his hair in a month.

The twins were as thin as rails, and Zeke, she noticed, had bruises on his knees and arms. Sam limped on behind her, and her heart went out to him to have to live with a bad leg.

Suddenly, she was wondering if Thomas was the cause of it. Only Daniel looked to be well fed and properly clothed. But he looked tired and overworked, and she wondered just how many chores his father made him do.

“I don’t think she should go in the house,” said Jake in a hushed whisper to his oldest brother.

“She’s a girl. There’s only one of her and six of us,” Daniel answered, as if saying they could take her down if need be.

“She’s trouble,” retorted Jake loud enough to make sure she heard it.

“I like her,” said Zeke. “She reminds me of Mom.”

She stopped short at the door, wondering what the boy meant by that comment. Had he meant the mom who just got murdered, or the one that died before that? Either way, she wasn’t sure she liked the comparison.

She reached for the knob on the cabin door, but Jake stepped in front of her, stopping her from entering.

“Move aside,” Daniel told him.

“Pa said she was supposed to leave our land. He’s not going to like this,” Jake answered.

“She will leave, as soon as she apologizes to Josh,” Dan reassured him.

“You know what Pa will do to us if he finds out we disobeyed him,” said Sam in a low voice from behind her.

Angel turned so fast, she plowed into little Eli standing silently right behind her. She reached out and grabbed him to keep him from falling. Her hands rested on his little bony shoulders as she righted him. His face looked up to her, eyes wide in fear and he moved quickly out of her hold. What was it that had these children so scared she couldn’t even touch one without them fearing her?

“What will your father do to you if he finds out you let me into the house?” she asked curiously.

Sam put his head down. Zeke kicked at the dirt with his foot. Jake stood with his arms out, blocking the doorway, and Eli just watched her with those big haunting eyes.

“Pa won’t be happy about it, but I figure you have good reason to apologize to Josh. You are welcome inside the house if you want to go in, Ms. DeMitri.” Daniel smiled at her and she felt it was sincere. The others may hate her or fear her, but she knew she’d won the eldest son over without even trying. He looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, and she wondered if he only did this to win her favor, despite his father’s warning.

“I don’t want to get any of you into trouble,” she said. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll come back tomorrow when your father is home and apologize to Josh then.”

“I’ll be going to Brighton in the pickup to get him tomorrow afternoon,” Dan supplied the information. “If you want, you can ride along with me.”

“Daniel, no!” warned Sam. “Pa won’t like that.”

“I’m in charge while he’s gone,” said Dan. Then looking back toward her, he waited for her answer.

“Well, I don’t know,” she said, looking from the face of one boy to the other.

This was an unofficial visit, she reminded herself. She had no business prying into Thomas Taylor’s life. She should just walk away and leave this all behind before she got too involved. She wanted to walk away, but deep down she knew if Thomas Taylor really wasn’t fit to parent these boys, than she had to do something to see they were well taken care of. Her decision was made when she once again laid eyes on little Eli.

His dirty face, his curly, scraggly hair, and his shoeless little dirty feet made her decision easy. The boy looked so forlorn she wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms and hug him. But she had to be careful not to touch him. Knowing what little she did about Thomas Taylor, she wasn’t sure he wouldn’t start a lawsuit against her already for just trespassing on his property.

Eli’s wide eyes stared at her, while Jake’s angry eyes threatened. Sam still looked at the ground, and little Zeke smiled at her with hope. She felt a connection to these boys already for some odd reason. She also felt in debt to the one behind the door she’d accused so wrongly. God help her, she hoped she was doing the right thing by investigating this family. She prayed she didn’t have to start measures to remove the boys from Thomas’s care. And she prayed she would be safe from the man once he found out what she was about to do.

“All right,” she said, nodding to Daniel. “I’ll come by tomorrow and take a ride with you to Brighton. What time shall we leave?”

“Two o’clock,” Daniel told her with a grin.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said, turning away. It was already too late. She’d gotten involved after all. After tomorrow, her life would never be the same again.

Chapter 7

Angel balanced the plate of cookies Agnes made on one hand, and knocked at the cabin door with the other. She bit her lip nervously, not knowing what she’d find inside the house. Her blood pumped quickly through her veins at the thought that she agreed to ride in a truck with Thomas Taylor.

She’d had a hard time leaving this morning, as Agnes gladly gave her the cookies, but warned her not to go anywhere near the Taylor house. Angel had said she felt like she needed to make amends after almost hitting Thomas’s little boy with the car. She’d left it at that, not bothering to tell her more.

She’d waited til Clarence and that nosey reporter, Nat, left for town to get  supplies before she started through the woods.

Her heart ached to think she had to put off her daughter once more, but it was too dangerous to bring her along. Gabby had pouted and insisted on coming with her, and Angel had to promise to spend the whole next day with her in order to sneak away by herself now.

She knocked once more on the cabin door, not hearing anyone inside. Then she reached her hand forward for the knob, checking first to make sure no one watched. The door was unlocked, and she wasn’t surprised. She opened it wide and stuck her head in the log cabin and called softly.

“Hello? Is anyone home?” She looked into the small room, which was nearly barren of furniture. A couch sat in the middle of the room, with blankets spewed all around the area as well as dirty clothes. Remnants of food and dirty dishes littered the table of the open kitchen. She stepped over a few books and the basket of kittens. They pawed and played with each other, as if they didn’t even notice she was there. Next, she headed for the kitchen.

An old rust-stained sink and a buzzing refrigerator took up one wall, with a wood-burning stove against the other. The table was old. One leg was a bit shorter than the rest, only reminding her of Samuel. There were only four chairs, all scratched and the paint peeling upon them.

“I can’t believe this,” she whispered to herself, wondering how seven people could live in these quarters. She opened the refrigerator to find a jar of peanut butter, some old broccoli, a nearly empty gallon of milk in a home bottle, and some moldy cheese. Remnants of something she couldn’t describe sat mixed in a bowl in the center. There were a few condiments and a couple dozen ivory eggs, but that’s all the food she found.

She closed the door, shaking her head. This did not look good at all. These were the first signs of neglect to the children. Not to mention, he left the boys alone and unsupervised while he went out gallivanting.

She made her way to the one bedroom, and stopped in the doorway, not able to believe her eyes. One large bed sat in the middle of the room. A dresser hugged the far wall, and a coat-tree loaded down with clothes was next to the closet. A half dozen trunks lined the floor. There were two very old, torn, sleeping bags at the foot of the bed, and a closet too full to close. She wandered over and looked inside to see what looked like a pile of laundry and a small pillow making up someone’s bed on the floor within.

“This is unacceptable,” she said aloud, knowing now that Thomas Taylor was everything the townspeople had gossiped about.

“What’s unacceptable?” came a low voice from behind her.

She jumped in surprise, and turned around so quickly, the plate of cookies fell from her hand and hit the ground. Thank goodness Agnes had thought to use a paper plate.

“Mr. Taylor!”

Standing in the doorway, one arm against the doorframe and the other on his hip, was Thomas Taylor, blocking the entrance and trapping her inside. His tall body and rugged build was more pronounced in such small quarters. His shoulder-length hair was windblown, and his shirt was unbuttoned to the waist. Sweat glistened on his chest, and her eyes followed a droplet as it ran in a rivulet down to his slim waist and disappeared into the top of his worn jeans.

“I thought you were in Brighton,” she said, feeling the heat of her face consuming her for getting caught  - no less in the man’s bedroom.

“Obviously,” he said, lowering his arm and stepping into the room.

She took a step backward as he took one forward, wishing now she’d never been so bold to enter.

“I brought over some cookies as a peace offering.” She knelt quickly, scooping the cookies back onto the plate and trying to recover them with the foil. “I wrongly accused Josh of throwing a rock at me when it was Jake who did it. I wanted to apologize and I . . .”

His feet were right in front of her nose and she looked up his long legs to his face staring down at her. One small gold hoop earring glistened in the sun from the window. His eyes were dark with anger, his face badly in need of a shave.

“Tell me, Ms. DeMitri, why are you in my bedroom?”

“I told you.” She collected up the cookies and stood to face him. “I came to make amends.”

The anger in his eyes changed as he took a step closer. She moved back, meaning to get away from him, backing into the bed and falling upon it instead.

“I can’t remember the last time a woman came to my bedroom to make amends.”

He leaned forward, a hand on each side of her as his face came so close she could feel his breath on her lips.

“Usually it only means one thing. Am I to assume you mean to make amends between my sheets?”

Angel looked into his eyes seeing danger as well as lust. She wondered how long it had been since he had a woman. Then, she wondered if he meant to have her right there upon his bed as a punishment for entering his home uninvited. The thought warmed her with a strange excitement from deep within, and she quickly pushed away the illicit thought.

A small noise from the doorway caught their attention, and Thomas’s eyes roamed over but he did nothing about moving away from her.

“What is it, Eli?” he grumbled, then stood slowly to face the boy.

Angel shot up off the bed, not wanting his boys to get the wrong impression of her. She was a church-going woman with decent morals and no one was going to think anything less of her because of Thomas Taylor.

“How long have you been there, sweetie?” she asked, straightening her hair. The boy didn’t answer, just stared at her with those big sorrowful eyes.

“Don’t worry,” said Thomas, rubbing a hand over his face. “Eli won’t say anything about us on the bed. He doesn’t talk.”

“Doesn’t talk?” She looked at Thomas and then over to little Eli. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t realize he was mute.”

“He’s not.” Thomas plopped down on the bed, removing his work boots, almost smashing the cookies in the process. “He hasn’t talked since he found his mother dead one night, not that it’s any of your business.”

“Oh my, I’m so sorry.” She walked over to Eli and reached out a hand to smooth down his hair, but he backed away, fear in his eyes. Instead, he headed for the cookies on the bed.

“Eli doesn’t like to be touched,” Thomas said, putting his boots aside and standing, pulling his shirt from his waistband. She found herself transfixed as she watched him removed his shirt and toss it on the bed. He now stood before her half naked. Too shocked to move, too enthralled by his muscular body to look away, she just stood there with her mouth gaping open. His chest was wide and sturdy, his biceps large and strong. He had crisp dark hair upon his chest that led down in a straight line and disappeared under the waistband of his pants.

A grin pursed the corners of his mouth as he slowly reached for his belt buckle.

“I am going to take a shower, Ms. DeMitri. So unless you plan on staying and watching, I’d suggest you go out to the barn and apologize to Josh then head on back to where you came from. And if I ever find you snooping around my house again, I’ll greet you with my shotgun in my hand next time.”

That’s all she needed to hear. She bolted from the room so fast she just about tripped on the kittens. She made it to the open door and was just leaving when she heard Thomas talking to Eli.

“Give me those cookies, son. We don’t accept charity.”

He emerged from the room with the snap on his jeans undone, and the plate of cookies in his hand.

“Take these with you, Ms. DeMitri. I don’t need help feeding my family. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t insult me like this again.”

“But I wasn’t . . . ”

He walked forward and shoved the plate into her hand. His mouth quivered as he spoke again.

“Don’t think I don’t know the pack of lies the Ainsleys are feeding you. I’m capable of raising my sons on my own, and I don’t need anyone’s help.”

“I never said you needed help.”

“You didn’t need to. Now go. And don’t come around here again.”

She stepped out onto the porch and he slammed the door behind her.

Angel stood there for a moment, too shaken by what just happened to think of moving. Once again, Thomas Taylor threatened her and told her to never return. She didn’t know why he was home so early, and only regretted entering his house uninvited.

She was sure he had intentions of kissing her or doing more as he leaned over her on his bed. Just thinking of how close his rugged face was to her, how close his lips were to touching hers, had her heating up all over again. This didn’t make sense. The man was obviously neglecting his children, and she wasn’t even sure he hadn’t been harming them. Yet what she’d seen in his eyes, after the anger, was something that would haunt her the rest of her life.

She saw need, and desperation. A man crying to get out, longing for something he would never have. His pride was ruining him, and his children suffering in the process. Their refrigerator was near empty and the children slept on the floor. He needed help desperately but would rather die before he accepted it. She had to find a way to help these poor children. To help him. If not, she would have no choice but to file a report that would place the six boys in foster homes.

“Please, dear God, help me to know what to do,” she whispered, and headed down the steps. She’d just reached the ground when the door to the cabin squeaked open behind her. She turned, expecting to see Thomas with blazing eyes of fire, but instead she saw little Eli with his lonely stare watching her, eyes focused on the plate in her hand.

“Do you want a cookie?” she asked him, holding the plate up.

Eli’s gaze shot back into the house and then rested once again on the plate.

“Come on,” she said with a smile, waving for him to join her. “Show me where Josh is so I can apologize to him.”

The little boy slipped through the opening, not bothering to close the door, and followed her toward the barn. Angel’s heart went out to him and she gently laid a hand on his shoulder as she continued to talk softly.

“I come from the city, but I would like to learn about living out in the woods.” She let her hand slip down his shoulder, and took him gently by the hand. “This is a nice place out here. I like nature, don’t you, Eli?”

He looked at her hand and she half-expected him to pull away, but he didn’t. His eyes turned upward and settled on the plate again.

“Are you hungry?” she asked, not expecting an answer. She held out her hand, and nodded her head. “Go ahead and take one. Mrs. Ainsley made them especially for you. She said you like chocolate chip cookies.”

Cautiously, carefully, Eli’s free hand reached forward, fingers snaking under the foil as he grabbed a cookie and eagerly shoved it into his mouth. Angel’s heart soared. She’d broken through the wall and gained the child’s trust. She’d fallen in love with this little boy and she had no idea why.

“Have another one,” she said with a smile, almost glad the little boy didn’t speak, knowing their secret would be safe from his ogre of a father.

Thomas headed for the shower, noticing once again Eli left the door wide open. How many times did he have to tell the boy to close the door? He wandered over and reached out to close it, stopping when he saw Angeline DeMitri feeding a cookie to his son after he’d instructed her to take them away. He was about to shout out at her when he saw something that just about stopped his heart.

Her hand was interlocked with Eli’s. She was touching him, and he wasn’t backing away. Ever since Fawn’s death, Eli hadn’t let any grown-up touch him. Thomas had tried to bathe the boy and comb his hair, but Eli kicked and fought and had even bit him.

Eventually, Thomas had stopped trying, as Sam seemed to have better results with the boy on occasion. Instead, he decided it better to let the boy be, even if he did wander around with knotted hair and covered from head to toe in dirt.

He watched as Angel bent down to Eli’s level and handed him a third cookie. The boy would never eat his dinner now, but Thomas didn’t really care. None of his boys liked his cooking, and it was not unusual to throw more leftovers to the animals than had been consumed. He couldn’t blame them. His heart wasn’t in it, and he, himself, had learned to live on fruit from the nearby orchards and dried jerky he stored in the cellar next to the beets, carrots and other roots.

If it wasn’t for the eggs, milk and butter, he could have probably gotten rid of his refrigerator. Most his food was stored in the cellar, eaten fresh from the garden, or picked right off the trees. At least for the summer. When winter came, things would change. He had canning to do before the weather turned. And he’d have to hunt, though he hated to do it. But they would need sustenance to last them through the cold weather, and since he was nearly broke, he had no other choice.