welvcome back

sorry to hear about your mishaps but glad you had a great holiday

a baby

it is going to be OK isn't it? and Sue?

cath

Rosa, I'm so glad you're back - I missed you!!! Hopefully your mishaps were little ones!!!

The baby is coming!!! Please let everything be okay with the child and Sue!!!

Joy

I love Jack's involvement! And a month early back then is pretty risky, isn't it? I think I'll sit here quietly and join the vigil.

kav

Welcome back, Rosa! Glad you had a great holiday! Great post! Please let Sue and the baby both be okay!

Glad Jack's with her!

I love that Jack is with Sue . I hope the baby is ok. They've lost too many already.

Em

Thanks for replies, the story will be flitting back and forth for a few posts to Myles then Sue and Jack, but you know you can trust me on this. Anyway before I have to go off again, here is another little bit for you all.

Myles sighed the visit was going just as he thought it would, badly. It was clear to him that there was nothing in Boston for him, not any more, this hadn’t been and wasn’t his home and never would be again. He and Anne were polite to each other but nothing more, he secretly thought she might be concerned he was after the business, but he had no interest in that and had made himself plain about that years ago.

It was nice he supposed to meet his three nephews, and as he now had some experience with being round children thanks to Jack and Sue’s brood, at least he felt at ease with them and they in turn could tell that he liked them and responded well.

He had been to his investors and taken stock of his assets, well pleased with how they were progressing and told them of his plans , the plans he had made for his future, which he hadn’t up to that point discussed with anyone, mainly as it didn’t occur to him what he wanted to do until he had been in Boston for three days.

As soon as his business was signed and sealed he would be taking the next train back to Mason’s Ridge, reclaiming his horse from the livery and riding back to Anson’s Creek. It was then that he thought of Lucy, he missed Lucy. She had changed so much since he met her and now he believed that her true personality was breaking through. He marvelled at her courageous spirit and wished he had the same but he knew he didn’t. In fact the more he thought about Anson’s Creek and the people who lived there he realised that he even missed the Hudson’s too. Needing some air he took his coat, hat and gloves and went out into the cold for a brisk walk.

Glad he's had some insight. Now hurry on home so we can find out about the baby!

kav

I guess Myles had to experience again the harshness and coldness of the Leland world to really appreciate the warmth of love and good friends!!!

Joy

Great post, Rosa! I love how much Myles has changed since the beginning of the story!

i love the way you've had him change

cath

Thanks for replies. Back to the Hudson's

They all heard the wail as the newborn baby cried but Jack didn’t appear with the baby as he usually did a short time later and all the children looked at Ruth for some answers.

She shrugged and said “I expect he’ll be down soon, maybe we should eat now”

Everyone pitched in to get the table laid and the food served but still Jack didn’t bring the baby down. Sam said grace and then half heartedly they all began to eat, knowing that it wasn’t good to waste their dinner.

They had cleared up and Lydia was sleeping in Lucy’s arms in the rocking chair, all had heard the baby cry again but not wanting to interfere just waited. Sam and Tom played checkers in the corner and Abby read struggling over some words with pronunciation and meaning from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens that Grandpa and Grandma Thomas had bought the children a year ago on their annual visit.

The door opened quietly and Jack stood there for some moments unnoticed as he watched his family and friends with a quiet unassuming pride. Levi nuzzling round his legs for attention soon caused everyone to look in his direction, concerned that his arms were empty but his face wore a huge grin, so that meant everything was alright didn’t it?

i certainly hope so

i vote the new babies or perhaps babies are feeding

very interesting, I think.

kav

Intrigue.....wanna give us another post Rosa?

twins i vote for twins.....

Oh! I hope so!
Post more soon!

twins perhaps?

cath

Okay, I'll join in -- twins?
Great post, Rosa! Look forward to more!

Ditto to everyone! Yeah, Rosa is it twins????

Interesting to read where you think I'm going with the story, but you will have to wait I'm afraid as we're jumping back to Myles for the next very short installment.


It was cold and snow had been present for several days, it lay on the ground now and the sky threatened to send more before the morning. He sensed the presence rather than saw him and turned to look at the boy standing in the dark alleyway, he looked about ten, but Myles knew enough to know that malnutrition could have stunted his growth and the lack of light in the street made it difficult to really tell. His face was pallid, his clothes threadbare and ragged, his feet bare and Myles was about to offer him a few cent’s from his pocket when they boy just slumped to the floor.

Myles looked around no one else was out in such dire conditions, where once he would have walked on by and let the weather determine the fate of the boy, he knew now that he could no longer do that. Stooping he scooped the boy up, it felt as if he carried a bundle of bones in his arms back to his sister’s house and he prayed that it wasn‘t too late.

i am a patient person i can wait

and nice work myles

Well, I'm not patient and I can't! But I'm glad Myles is humanizing...and who is the boy?

kav

i'm glad he's become a good samaritan rather than remaining a priest or levite

cath

Yup! Myles is now a changed man if he's going about and doing the right thing by trying to save this child!

Thanks. Okay back to the Hudson's I know you all want to know what's happening with them


“Jack?” asked Ruth nervously

He sighed a took a deep breath as Sam said “Where’s the baby Dad?”

“They’re upstairs, want to go see?”

“Me?” asked Sam

“Well all of you, but not all at once” said Jack scratching his neck “I’m starving is there any dinner left?”

“In the stove” said Eleanor

“Good” he replied going to help himself

“Doesn’t Sue want anything or Donna?” asked Ruth

“Donna will be down in shortly, Sue said no she didn’t want to eat just now” he answered taking his full plate to the table and nudging Isaac off his stool and into Alice’s arms. “Sam take your Grandma upstairs” he added with a wink as everyone else looked at him expectantly for an explanation, of which he gave none except a smile.

^^^

As the children saw their mother they then headed off to bed, Howie and Wayne left the house as Jack began his meal and Eleanor flitted about as she prepared her room so that Lucy and Alice could stay the night.

^^^

Lucy and Alice walked into the room as Donna left, Lucy took in the scene before her and uttered “Wow, wow” and she perched on the edge of the bed. The lamps shone and lit the room to a warm glow, supported by the fire in the hearth as Lucy looked at Sue and the infants in her arms. “Two, you had twins?”

“Obviously” said Alice behind Lucy’s back “And beautiful they are too and also why she was early with delivering them”

“Twins?” repeated Lucy unbelievingly “Have you named them?”

Sue nodded and said “This one on the right is the eldest and we’ve named him Ethan and this on my left is Joshua”

“Wow” said Lucy again “Wow”

“Wow sums it up well” said Sue with a smile “Would you like to hold one?”

“Me?” asked Lucy

“Both of you, one each” she said and Alice and Ruth nodded clearly pleased with this suggestion, each taking a tiny but pink healthy looking baby in their arms.

^^^^

As they left they passed Jack in the doorway and he wished them a good night, he shut the door behind him, creating a safe haven for the babies and Sue and went to join her, in marvelling at their beauty and health, despite being early and small they seemed to be suckling well and he watched fascinated as always when he watched Sue give nourishment to their children.

He sat alongside her on the bed when the infants were finally sleeping he cradled her in his arms for a couple hours of sleep, well hopefully anyway.

it was a beautiful post and i loved the way jack kept quiet about the twins till everyone saw them, he's so sweet

cath

I love the names, especially Joshua!

Thanks, another post as I realise time is running out and there are still a lot of posts to get through

Myles laid the boy on the bed, having managed to sneak in without Anne knowing and with the assistance of Betty one of the maid’s they made him comfortable while the boot boy went out in the bad weather for the doctor.

^^^

After the boy was resting, the doctor had told him that he was suffering from malnutrition, effects of the cold, frostbite and a touch of pneumonia. He left careful instructions on how the boy was to be treated and what medications, in his opinion worked best in such cases he left.

Myles had never nursed anyone in his life, in fact the thought of people who weren’t well made him quiver at the thought, he couldn’t even handle watching Sue Hudson cope with the sickness than accompanied her pregnancy. So this, caring for the very ill boy on the bed was a shock and a learning curve for him.

It was the next morning before Anne found out that the boy was in one of her fine bedrooms and wasn’t best pleased.

“He’s a waif off the street Myles” she scolded

"Yes he is and you have many fine rooms that you never use including the one he is in”

“They are for my guests. Guests Myles, that I choose, not a ragamuffin that you picked out of the gutter, he might steal from us as a payment for your generosity, I’d rather he was not here”

“If he leaves so do I. I’ll find a hotel” replied Myles adamant and Anne couldn’t help notice the change in her brother.

“A hotel won’t take you and a sick boy” she said “And moving him would probably kill him, against my better judgement he can stay until he’s conscious, then he goes and fends for himself like he probably always has done”

“No” said Myles more sharply than he intended “Then he’ll leave with me I’ll take him back to Wisconsin”

She looked at him with utter disbelief on her face and added “You would have never have done something as foolish and extreme as this before”

“That was before”

“You’re different, not the man you used to be, not the man I thought I knew, even though we have our differences”

“This is the real me Anne, and perhaps it took me the experience of being a soldier and then as an agricultural labourer to find that out. The boy will stay here until he is well enough to travel and if he wants, if he chooses I will take him back with me to the quiet little backwater of Anson’s Creek, to a new life, a better life than he has had or will ever have here”

i love new improved myles,

cath

Oh! I love Myles!

Em

Me, too!
Great post, Rosa!

Well that was very satisfactory in both households.
kav

Good for you Myles! Standing up to Anne and make her see that the boy isn't ready to be back on the streets!

Thanks for replies a little bit more

The boy woke on the fifth day and thought he had died and gone to heaven, especially with the nurse who was dressed in white hovering over the bed. Myles had employed her when Anne had refused the help by any of her maid’s, telling them that they would be dismissed on the spot should they assist Mr Leland with the orphan boy.

“Am I in heaven?” he croaked looking up into the nurse’s face, she just smiled and then a man came into view.

“I’m glad you’re awake” the man told him “I’m Myles Leland the third, but you can call me Mr Leland”

“I’m Danny” said the boy “Just Danny, don’t know my last name and I don’t know if I’m the third of anything, don’t have no folks neither”

“You might not have had anyone in the past but that’s going to change” said Myles with what he hoped was a reassuring smile and the boy closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

ok how sweet is myles, i just love the transformation he has gone under

Aw, he must've felt safe with Myles and the nurse.

can i come over and punch anne for being so cold and unfeeling?

or can we transport her to jack & sues so she can change like myles did?

cath

I love how sweet Myles is being but through it all he's still being "Myles Leland III and you can call me Mr. Leland."
kav

I enjoyed reading your comments and cath you had some good ideas. Kav I know he's changed but you had to realise the old Myles was still in there somewhere



Danny thought he was about twelve years old but he wasn’t sure, he had been born in Boston and lived in one room with his parents and about three other families. His mother had died first when he was about seven or so and then his father about three years later and he had been forced out to the street. He found shelter where he could, usually stole food from trash cans and often begged on street corners for a cent or two. No one wanted to employ him, not the state he was in and so his quality of life had just worsened.

^^^^^


“What’s the letter from Myles say?” asked Sue looking up at Jack as he sat at the table beside her reading whilst she fed Ethan and Josh simultaneously.

“It says” said Jack looking up “That he’s taken a boy on, found him in the street, sick and he’s bringing him back here, wants me to see if I know of any land for sale nearby, wants to build a farm”

“Jack?” said Sue

“What sweetheart?” he asked tenderly, placing a hand on her arm and caressing it softly, and the other occupants of the room pretended to busy themselves in non existent tasks.

“Did you say, he had taken a child under his wing and wanted to come back here and build up a farm after buying land?”

“Yes, that’s what I said” he replied with a smile and shrugged, wondering if the words he had just read were real, so he opened the letter and read it again, just to make sure.

I knew he'd come back! Now he can be a gentleman farmer!
kav

Rosa, I just caught up again!! This is a wonderful story!!!

Twins!! I love the names, and the way Jack let everyone find out that there were two babies!!!

Myles has definitely changed!! I think he has found his nitch in Wisconsin!! I think Danny will be good for him - I know he will be good for Danny!!!

Joy

Great posts, Rosa! Look forward to more!

Sorry about the date on yesterday's post that was to remind me what date to post it on and I wasn't supposed to post it as part of the post! I had to do that to make sure I had enough time to post the remainder of the story before the deadline. Sorry, especially as it is supposed to be winter in the story.

Thanks for replying

Whilst I'm here I might as well post I guess

Danny was not fit to travel for some time and so it was late February when they rode into Anson’s Creek stopping before riding on to the Hudson farm where Jack had promised that they both could stay.

^^^^^^

Myles couldn’t wait to stop off and see Lucy, he hated to admit how much he had actually missed her. When she clapped eyes on him she ran round the desk and threw her arms round him, enveloping him in a warm hug. Then standing back she looked at him closely.

“You look thin, don’t they feed you in Boston?”

He shrugged, secretly pleased with her concern “I’ve had a lot on my mind, you look….great…wonderful even”

“This” she said waving her hand at the thriving business “Is the best thing I’ve ever done. And what’s your name?” she asked the young lad beside Myles, he was dressed like any other boy in town, but by know she knew them all, and she certainly didn’t know this young man.

“I’m Danny”

“He’s with me” said Myles somewhat awkwardly wishing he had written and told her and wondered why Sue and Jack hadn't mentioned him to Lucy.

“Oh” said Lucy more than mildly surprised “Pleased to meet you Danny”

“I found him” said Myles as further explanation "and he was in dire need of assistance”

“Oh well that’s nice, where you heading?”

“Jack’s”

“Send them my love and tell Sue I promise I will catch up with her very soon”

^^^^^^

Myles was pleased as Jack and Sue welcomed him back and Danny into the fold with open arms and amazed to discover they were now the proud parents of twins, he just couldn’t get his head round that at all, despite Jack telling him by letter. Later that night he sat round the table with Jack and Sue and they went through the decisions that Jack had made on his behalf, missing the look that Jack shared with Sue, a look which said ‘Myles has got it after all’.

Another great post, Rosa! Glad Lucy's business is thriving and that Myles is back with Danny!

i just love myles and lucy like this together. so full of promisses, at least i hope

What a great homecoming for Myles and Danny!! It looks like Lucy really missed him!!!

Jack and Sue are very proud of who Myles has become!!! I see nothing but good things for him!!!

Joy

love the way myles has missed luce, i see a fuzzy future for them

cath

feeling generous today

Jack, Danny and Myles rode out the next day to the land that Jack had purchased for Myles. It, when up and running would be a substantial farm, midway between Anson’s Creek and the Hudson farm. The land was good and although Myles had brought back books on farming he knew that without the expertise advise of men like Jack, Bobby, Charlie, D and Jonathan his new plans would fail.

^^^^^^

In the spring Myles brought a team of builders in from Mason’s Ridge to construct the farm and by the summer it was ready to live in however they would be no return of crop until the following harvest. Despite the numerous young apple trees that Myles, Danny and Jack, alongside Bobby and his two elder sons planted.

^^^^^

One late summer’s day Myles took Danny to see the Hudson’s secretly pleased when he saw Lucy’s wagon in the yard.

^^^^

Ruth ushered him into the sitting room where Sue and Lucy sat, immersed in girl talk, they politely broke off on seeing him.

“Lucy” he said with a smile that even if went unnoticed by Lucy, it didn’t go unnoticed by Sue, who bit her lip and made some excuse saying she had to pop out for a minute.

“Myles, Haven’t seen you for ages, weeks” she said blushing as he kissed the back of her hand, waited for her to sit before he seated himself and she poured him some refreshment seeing as their host was elsewhere.

“The farm getting everything ready” he muttered

“I heard what you were going to do and I think it’s a wonderful idea Myles” she said with a smile “There are so many young people and children out there who will benefit from such an revolutionary idea”

“Your vocabulary is expanding each time we talk”

“It’s all the reading I do, broadens the horizons and the mind” explained Lucy who was as eager to learn now as she had been 18 months ago. “The scheme is very generous using all your funds like that”

“Well” he said fidgeting with his tie “I hope that in a year or two the farm will begin to pay for itself and make a profit”

“Sue said the children are going to have schooling too” said Lucy thinking his idea was still marvellous.

“Yes at first they will attend the school in Anson’s creek, but if I get more children then I might have to consider employing a teacher myself”

“How many children will you be able to accommodate at the farm?”

“Eight, to begin with, boys Lucy. I have found someone from town who is willing to clean and a couple of young men whose parents are unable to keep them at home unless they can bring in a wage, to help on the farm. I am taking a trip into Madison, to the orphanage see if I can take any boys out who might prefer to have a new life”

“I hope it succeeds” she said with a genuine smile with held warmth and friendship and he wished it was so much more.

He took his leave then saying that he had to speak with Jack about business and took her hand once more, neither missed the sensations it gave them fluttering to their hearts and as Myles walked out the house Lucy watched him from the window.

^^^^^


Myles walked into the barn and then stopped, being away from the farm he had forgotten about Sue and Jack being so close and intimate all the time, he was surprised in fact that the twins would be one in a few months time there had been no annoucement of another baby to add to to the fold as of yet, not that he thought she was in the family way, maybe she wasn’t, he wasn't very in tune with those kinds of things.

It was although they both were oblivious to the world around them as he uncomfortably watched as they kissed locked tight in each others embrace and he didn’t know whether to retreat or say something, finally he chose the former and struck up a conversation with Howie in the yard instead, until Jack and Sue exited the barn together, hand in hand. Myles couldn’t help but have a pang of pain in his heart for although he felt his life was better,he was still lonely, the loneliness that only a woman, a woman who loved him and he loved in return could fill.