LITMIR.BIZ

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there. There’s a lovely fenced-in backyard with plenty of grass for running and jumping. You could even set up your work on the covered patio while the boys are playing.”

      Melissa found the idea of living in a place that must be ten times bigger than any place she’d ever had, to be a little frightening. “And we would be alone in the house, except when you’re there?”

      “No, I have a wonderful couple, Inga and Hans Erickson, who take care of the cooking and housekeeping. They’ve been with my family since I was in grade school, and they’ll be delighted to have some youngsters in the house.” Inga was always lamenting the fact that David wasn’t married and raising his own children by now. “You’ll like them. And I’ll bet they’ll like you.”

      Melissa hesitated. The offer was unconventional, to say the least. She had hoped that David would respond to Jolene’s request and see to the boys’ care, but she hadn’t expected to be part of the package.

      Was this the answer she had been praying for? Would it be the best arrangement for Eric and Richie? She had already grown so fond of them. She knew she couldn’t have the boys permanently, but turning them over to strangers pulled at her heartstrings. The possibility of keeping them in her life a little longer was tempting.

      “Well, what do you think?” David asked, surprised at how much he wanted her to say yes.

      “How long do you think it will be before we find the right place for the boys? And will the authorities let us keep them until we do?”

      “I can take care of all the legal matters. That’s no problem. We’ll just have to wait and see what an investigator turns up and then decide our next step.” He smiled. “Maybe I ought to give you time to think about it.”

      “I don’t see any better solution at the moment,” she said honestly. Eric and Richie deserved to live in a nice place for a change. Some of things they said about being hungry and cold when they were homeless made her grateful that they’d have the chance to live in a nice home and play outside in the beautiful Colorado summer weather.

      “All right.” She was taking a leap of faith that she was doing the right thing. “We’ll consider it a nanny job with no pay except board and room for the three of us,” she said firmly. She’d spent one summer as a hired companion to a disabled little girl, and this situation wouldn’t be much different—if David Ardell kept his distance as promised. “I’ll stay at your house with the children until your investigator locates some relatives and we find a proper home for them.”

      “Good. It’s a deal,” he said. “When do you want to move in?”

      “Tomorrow morning. I’ll need the rest of the day to make arrangements for the move.”

      “Fine.” He suddenly realized that having her around would be a definite boost to his lonely life—then he caught himself. He’d promised her that he would make himself scarce if she moved into the house. Now, as he looked into her soft blue eyes and at her appealing smile, he realized that it might be the hardest promise he’d ever had to keep.

      Chapter Two

      Melissa’s heart sank as she viewed the spacious white brick mansion and beautifully landscaped grounds set back from the road. What business did she and two rambunctious youngsters have living in a place like that?

      “Are we lost?” Eric asked with childish anxiety as he sat stiffly beside her in the front seat. The large brown eyes in his thin, pinched face were filled with apprehension. He was a small-boned child and terribly underweight. Wiry sandy hair hung longish over his ears and narrow forehead, and freckles dotted his slender nose.

      “No, we’re not lost,” she quickly assured him as she turned into the curved driveway that led to the front of the house. The upheavals of Eric’s young life had already left its mark. He had just begun to trust Melissa and was opening up a little to her. Guarded and solemn, the young boy was the protector of his little brother, who was sitting in the back seat happily munching a fruit bar.

      “This is Mr. Ardell’s house. It’s pretty, isn’t it?” she said brightly as she braked in front of marble steps leading up to a terraced veranda and double wooden doors with etched glass windows.

      “Are we going to stay here a long time?”

      A long time? She knew what Eric was really asking. Is this home? She hated to think about how many times the small boys had moved around before they ended up at the homeless shelter.

      “We’re going to stay here until we find someone in your mommy’s or daddy’s family who want you two lovely boys to come and live with them,” she said brightly. “Then you won’t have to move anymore.”

      “What if we don’t find anybody?”

      “We will. You wait and see.” Ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find. Never had the scripture seemed more reassuring than it did in this situation. The grandmother who had raised Melissa had lived by that promise, and her faith in God’s guidance had been instilled in Melissa from an early age.

      “But what if they don’t like us?” Eric insisted with childish pugnaciousness. “Some people don’t like kids.”

      “Maybe not, but I know they would love you and Richie.” Impulsively, Melissa gave him a quick hug, and was rewarded with a weak smile. “Now, let’s unload our stuff and see what the inside of this place looks like. I bet you guys won’t have to sleep on the floor anymore. How about that?”

      “Goody,” Richie said with a four-year-old’s enthusiasm. He had a mop of dark brown hair, a bone structure that was heavier than his sandy-haired brother’s and the same large dark eyes. “I want a bed—a big, big bed.” Then he giggled as if a thought tickled him. “And I’m going to jump up and down on it lots.”

      “No, you’re not,” Melissa corrected quickly, trying to blot out a picture of two playful boys turning some elegant bed into a trampoline. “There’ll be a nice backyard for you to play in. Now, let’s get out of the car and take a look at this place.”

      She hoped they couldn’t see her nervousness as they unloaded the trunk and set the luggage on the front step. The pile included only two small suitcases, her laptop computer and a brown sack containing a book and old baseball that Eric wouldn’t let out of his sight.

      The boys had few clothes, and they were wearing the one new outfit of jeans and summer shirts that Melissa had bought them. She’d return to her place to pick up things for herself if their stay lasted more than a week.

      When she’d talked to David last night and arranged to arrive about ten o’clock in the morning, he told her that Inga and Hans Erickson would help them settle in. He also assured her that an excellent investigator in Denver had agreed to conduct a search. The man expected to have something to report within ten days.

      Ten days.

      As they stood at the elegant front door and waited for someone to answer the bell, Melissa had the feeling that ten days could be a lifetime.

      “Maybe nobody’s home,” Eric said with his usual worried expression. Before Melissa could stop Richie, he reached up and pushed the button a half-dozen times.

      “Don’t, Richie.” She pulled his hand away, just as the door swung open. David stood there, a slight frown on his handsome face.

      “The doorbell works,” he said wryly.

      “I’m sorry, Richie got carried away,” she apologized. Great, she thought. Off to a great start. David was obviously on his way out, in a beige business suit that did great things for his dark blond hair and tanned complexion.

      “Usually Inga answers the door, but she’s busy in the kitchen and I was just leaving,” he explained. “Come on in. Hans will bring your luggage.” He opened the door wide and stepped back.

      Melissa motioned the boys to go in ahead of her. Richie bounced through the door with his usual childish eagerness,

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