the stove with his coffee mug in hand, a frown tucked between his brows. “Why’d you knock?”
Ben grinned at his friends, who were more like family. “I thought it the civilized thing to do.”
Charlotte’s brown eyes filled with mirth as she tried taking his coat with her free hand.
“I’ve got it.” Ben slipped it off and hung it on the peg near the door.
“I remember the first time we met,” Charlotte said with a shake of her head. “You came right on in—”
“And scared you half to death,” Ben finished, thinking of that long-ago day when he’d walked into the cabin and learned that Abram’s first wife, Susanne, had died and Charlotte had come to help raise Abram and Susanne’s three boys. Back then, he’d dressed more like his mother’s people and Charlotte had feared that he was there to do her harm.
“I thought Charlotte would be so frightened from the incident, she’d be on her way back to Iowa when I got home.” Abram laughed as he took another mug off the cupboard and didn’t even ask Ben before filling it for him.
“Come in.” Charlotte gently nudged Ben out of the lean-to and into the warmth of her kitchen—but she paused. “Where are Levi and Zeb?”
“Mrs. Carver is with them.”
Charlotte placed her free hand over her heart. “Oh, good. I’m happy that worked out for you.”
“I actually came to talk to you about the twins.” Ben took the steaming mug of coffee from Abram. “I need some help.”
“Let’s go into the front room,” Abram suggested. “It’s almost bedtime for the children, but they’ll be happy to see you first.”
Ben loved Abram and Charlotte’s children. In all the ways that mattered, they were like his nieces and nephews.
The adults pushed through the door and entered the front room. The oldest boy, Robert, was eight and had been deaf for almost four years. He sat with his half-sister Patricia, who was only two years old, pointing to pictures in a book and making the signs for them. Martin, at the age of six, was playing jacks on the floor with George, who would soon be four. Miss Louise had been a welcome addition to the growing family, and Ben marveled that Charlotte and Abram made parenting look so effortless.
In just two days, with two little boys who barely made a sound, Ben felt overwhelmed at the idea of parenting. Having Mrs. Carver to rely on had already made a big difference, but she couldn’t stay with him forever. He needed to find the boys’ father before Christmas. If he didn’t, he would be raising them by himself.
Ben played with the children for a few minutes, and then Charlotte handed the baby to Abram before taking the children up to bed.
“Good night,” the children called out to Ben.
Ben said good-night and signed to Robert.
“It’s amazing how quiet it gets when they all go to bed,” Abram commented as he looked down at his sleeping daughter. He glanced up at Ben. “Don’t tell the children, but it’s my favorite time of day, when I get Charlotte all to myself.” He chuckled and began to rock as he looked back at Louise. “Well, almost all to myself. This one stays close to her mama most of the day.”
Ben tried not to envy the happiness of his friends. There had been a time when Ben had been in love with Charlotte and he’d proposed, but the whole time he knew in his heart that she was in love with Abram. He’d stepped back when he knew he should, and he’d been truly happy to perform their marriage ceremony.
Two years later, he’d fallen for a young lady named Elizabeth, but she was in love with Ben’s friend, Jude. Ben had performed their marriage ceremony, as well, leaving Ben to wonder if his time would ever come. With so few prospects, and so many competitors, it didn’t seem likely.
On its own accord, his mind turned back to Emmy—but he pushed thoughts of her aside as best he could, knowing she had no interest in marriage. Even if she did, there would probably be someone else she’d take a liking to.
“What’d you have in mind to discuss?” Abram asked as he studied Ben.
“I’d like help locating Levi and Zeb’s next of kin. I thought if I spread the word, maybe someone would have heard of them. Their father’s name is Malachi Trask.”
“Trask.” Abram continued to rock as he looked toward the floor, deep in thought. “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t place it.” He glanced up at Ben. “Would you like me to ask around?”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. At least it’s a start. I’m hoping to go to St. Paul soon and see if I can find any leads there. The boys’ aunt said their father was in St. Paul last she heard.”
“Are you sure that finding their pa is the right thing to do?” Abram asked.
Ben had been thinking hard about the wisdom in finding Mr. Trask. The boys’ aunt didn’t speak highly of him, but Ben believed he needed to know where his children were. In Ben’s opinion, everyone needed a second chance.
They spoke for some time about the boys and then Charlotte reappeared. She took a seat in her rocker and closed her eyes with a weary sigh—but when she opened them, and looked at Abram, they shared a contented smile.
“I don’t want to take up more of your time,” Ben said as he stood to leave.
“Nonsense.” Charlotte put her hand on his arm. “I just sat down to visit.”
Ben nodded and sat once again. “I really shouldn’t stay much longer. I left Mrs. Carver with the boys quite a while ago to check on Emmy—Miss Wilkes.”
Charlotte looked at Abram again, this time a knowing smile in her eyes before turning her attention back to Ben. “How is the new schoolteacher getting along? Robert and Martin said Mr. Samuelson’s girls were giving her a hard time today, but it sounds like my boys like her.”
“I stopped by the Hubbards’ and found her in quite a predicament.” Ben laughed just thinking about the scene he’d come across. “The boarders were trying to get her to dance, and Aaron Chambers had her cornered behind a table, ready to pounce.”
Charlotte’s mouth parted. “That’s horrible. Those men should be ashamed of themselves.”
“Things haven’t changed much around here,” Abram said. “I remember that first winter, when Charlotte was the only female for miles. It was a full-time job just keeping the men at bay. The only way to stop them was to marry her myself.”
Charlotte chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.”
“Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me,” Ben said.
“And why not?” Abram asked. “It’s about time you find a nice young lady and settle down.”
“Miss Wilkes wouldn’t be interested. The school board hired her to teach—and that’s exactly what she needs to do.” Not to mention that she already expressed her desire to stay single. Ben had been rejected more than he cared to admit, and the idea of pursuing someone again, just to be turned down, wasn’t something he cared to do. He had come to terms with the idea of staying single while he served God, and that’s how he intended to stay. Any time he had strayed from that plan, he had been heartbroken. “Miss Wilkes is struggling for other reasons at the boardinghouse. She needs a quiet place to work and study, and she’d like to have her books with her, but there’s no room. She said she’d stay late at the school, but I said that would be foolish, so I invited her to study at my home in the evenings.”
“Why can’t she board with you?” Charlotte asked.
Ben frowned. “That would hardly be—”
“And why not?” Charlotte leaned forward, her eyes animated. “With Mrs. Carver there, it would be completely respectable. And, in my opinion, a better option. Living