Baby Talk

Book 4: The Hartwell Women

by Judith Keim

Genres: General Fiction; Family Life; Siblings; Women's Fiction; Romance; Family lives are complicated

Synopsis

A gift from the heart is the best gift of all…

When Marissa Crawford and her husband Brad decide to start a family, Marissa has serious doubts about her ability to be a good mother—she was raised by one of the worst. Torn between telling Brad the truth and hoping she doesn’t get pregnant, Marissa’s life is completely upended when a baby girl is left in a basket on the front porch of her large home in Maine. Caring for the baby given specifically to Brad and her, Marissa must decide what her role in life is all about. Attempting to overcome her past, she’s faced with agonizing decisions. As she opens her heart to those who need her, she is challenged in unexpected ways and discovers a joy greater than she’s ever known.

A family story with heart!

Release date: October 24, 2015

Publisher: Wild Quail Publishing

Print pages: 331

Sample

Baby Talk

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

On a clear, warm June day, I stood on the front porch of the house I now owned, staring out at the Maine coastline with a sigh of gratitude. I did this as often as I could. For me, taking a moment to appreciate all I’d been given had become a morning ritual I treasured.

In front of me, the blue-gray water met the sandy shore with a moist kiss, reared back like a shy lover then, tempted for more, embraced the shore again. Seagulls cried out, swooped down, and lifted up in the air in unending musical acrobatics. A few large rocks, precursors of the rockier coastline down east, protruded from the water’s surface like sea creatures wanting a peek at the world. 

Almost two years ago, the sandy beach had hosted one of the most important events of my life. Even now, my pulse quickened at the memory of Brad saying “I do” and sweeping me into an embrace that drew applause. The simplicity of the ceremony had touched the hearts of everyone. What a wonderful day that had been! I still felt the thrill of belonging to his family and mine—the family I’d discovered after a lonely childhood. I thought of the group gathered there and knew how lucky I was and smiled up at the sun, letting its warmth wash over me.

The screen door opened and closed behind me. Brad stepped out onto the wide porch that swept the front of the seaside estate and wrapped his arms around me. “Good morning, Marissa Cole Crawford!” The sound of my married name on his lips sent a tingle of delight throughout my body.

I smiled and turned to him, inhaling the spicy aroma of his aftershave lotion. Snuggling into his strong embrace, I stared up at him, taking in the caramel-colored hair and toffee eyes that were his alone. I adored this man who’d given me so much love, so much confidence. I treasured our life together, very different from the background that had once been my life.

“You’re off to Barnham?” I asked, hiding the emptiness I already felt at his upcoming departure.

He nodded. “Thank God this commuting back and forth will end in another year or so. I’m hoping Dad is fully retired by then, and we can finally sell the law practice to someone else.” He gave me the lopsided grin I loved. “By then, we’ll have started our family, and I can stay settled right here.”

I didn’t reply but rested my head against his chest. We’d been trying for a baby since the wedding. Brad was anxious to have children, but the thought scared me to death. I had so many doubts about myself as a mother. I’d been raised by one of the worst.

“Walk me out?” Brad slung his arm around my shoulders.

We headed through the elegant house I was slowly but surely making into a real home—safe and welcoming to us both. Lady, my golden retriever, followed at our heels. Like me, she hated to see Brad leave for his weekly trek to Barnham, New York.

Outside on the lawn, I gave Brad a lingering kiss, telling him in my own special way how much I’d miss him.

He pulled away and sighed. “See you on Friday. Have a good week. Love you, woman.”

I smiled and played along. “Love you, man.”

He laughed and climbed into his Jeep.

Watching him drive away, I wondered if I should confess my reluctance to have a baby. Each time another month went by without my getting pregnant, I was almost pleased about it…until I saw his disappointment. But I was sure he’d be even more disappointed if I turned out to be anything like the cold, heartless mother I’d grown up with.

Moments later, Becky and Henry Cantwell drove their red truck down the driveway toward me, breaking into my disturbing thoughts. I waved and waited for them to park the truck by the garage and cross the lawn. They’d worked for my grandmother for years. I’d inherited them along with the large house I now miraculously owned. I smiled with pleasure. They were so much more than a handyman and a housekeeper; they were the people who’d kept my dysfunctional family spiritually alive with their goodness.

“Brad gone already?” Becky asked.

“Didn’t see his car,” said Henry.

“He’ll be back on Friday.”

 “It’ll be good when he can stay here permanently, don’tcha know,” said Becky.

“And how,” I quickly agreed. I looped my arm around Becky’s, and we walked together toward the house as Henry headed back toward the garage. She and Brad’s Aunt Doris were two of the women I loved most in the world, along with my newfound Hartwell cousins—Allison and Samantha.

We entered the house, and I sat at the long, cherry table in the kitchen to have a second cup of coffee with Becky. The comfortable kitchen was the heart of the house. It had been upgraded when the sunroom was added onto the house ten years ago. I’d left it pretty much the way it was when the house was given to me. The cherry cupboards, some with etched glass doors, suited the formality of the gray marble countertops. The Sub-Zero refrigerator, its doors covered with cherry wood veneer to match the cupboards, was unobtrusive among the cabinetry. But it was the six-burner Viking range that brought out the cook in me. It was Becky’s pride and joy.

We finished our coffee, and when she rose to work in the kitchen, I left her. The kitchen was Becky’s domain, which I respected.

I stopped in the front hallway to freshen the flower arrangement. After a sniff at the delicate roses, I decided to go outside, to the front of the house. Henry and I had talked about planting a variety of flowers and I wanted to see which of the ones he’d suggested would look best.

Lady rushed past me and went to the screen door, barking. Seeing no one, I frowned. It wasn’t like her to bark unnecessarily.

I set aside the flower vase and went to take a look. I peered out and gasped, then forced back a scream. A wicker basket sat on the floor of the porch by the screen door—a basket that held a baby. And if the light pink blanket meant anything, the baby was a girl.  

Heart pounding with alarm, I opened the door, stepped onto the porch, and searched for the person who might have left the little girl there. In the distance, a couple of men were jogging on the sand. In the opposite direction, a young woman was running along the shore, long blond hair flying behind her like an angel’s wings.

I hurried out onto the lawn for a better look at her. Too far away to chase down or catch, I stared helplessly at the retreating figure. I turned in frantic circles to survey the plantings around the house and the lawn beyond, but I saw no sign of anyone lurking. 

The baby began to wail. My pulse skipped in nervous beat as I raced back to the porch. Staring down at the baby’s red face and flailing arms, shock continued to roar through me.

Becky appeared in the doorway. “My stars! What’s this?”

“A baby.” Panic sent my voice to a higher register. “Someone left a baby here on my porch!. We have to find the mother! Why would she do this? I don’t know anything about babies!”

“Okay, Marissa, let’s see what this is all about,” Becky said with a calmness I couldn’t resurrect. She stepped out onto the porch and lifted the crying baby out of the basket. As she did, a note fell to the floor below.

I snatched it up, and read it aloud: Dear Mrs. Crawford, I’ve watched you and your husband for a while now. Seeing as you have no kids of your own, I thought this would be a perfect place for Summer Marie to live. Take care of her because I can’t. Please, please don’t put her in the foster care system. I know it too well.”

I rocked back on my heels. My heart beat so fast I felt faint. This had to be a joke. Things like this didn’t really happen, did they? I stared once more at the note, but the words on the page did a dance that blurred my vision. Sick to my stomach, I looked to Becky. “What are we going to do?”

Becky cooed softly to the little girl and checked her over. Thin strands of light brown hair lay atop the baby’s head. Her dark-blue eyes were alert as she tried to focus. Dressed in pale green pajamas, she kicked her feet and howled, turning her fine-featured face a bright red.

“She’s beautiful,” said Becky, “but she’s hungry and wet. I’ll send Henry down to the store for supplies while we figure this out.”

Before I could protest, Becky wrapped the pink blanket around the baby and placed her in my arms. “Here. You take her while I make a list for Henry.”

Summer stopped crying and studied me solemnly as if she was wondering what had happened to land her in an incompetent stranger’s arms. 

Becky nodded with satisfaction at the quietness. “See? That’s a sign.” She walked away, leaving me alone with the infant.

A sign of what? Numb from all that had happened and what it might mean, I paced the front porch holding the baby. She started to cry again. Crazy thoughts circled in my mind like the whirling wind of a summer storm. Surely no one thought I should keep this abandoned child. Or was this some kind of fate thing to test me as a person? Or worse yet, was it someone’s nasty joke?

Summer made a face and it suddenly became quite clear she needed a new diaper. I gagged at the smell. Gasping with dismay at the mess, I called for Becky.

“Oh, my goodness!” Becky said when she saw what had happened. “It just might be time for a little bath for Summer Marie. Come along, Marissa. You can help me get her cleaned up.”

I held Summer away from me while Becky ran a shallow amount of warm water in the kitchen sink and laid a soft towel on the bottom. She took the baby and removed the soiled clothes from her little body. “Ahhh, she’s a beautiful little girl, just perfect,” she murmured, setting her down carefully into the water. “Who would give up a darling like this?”

“Her mother wrote that she couldn’t take care of her.” I gazed at the baby I was now supposed to take care of and clasped my hands together feeling powerless. “How old do you think she is?”

The little girl cooed, and kicked her feet in the water. Drops of water splashed around her like sparkling diamonds.

Becky gently washed the baby with the mild soap she kept at the sink for herself. “Can’t be absolutely sure, but I’m guessing she’s just a few months old. She’s a young one all right.”

After rinsing her, Becky drained the water, patted the clean baby dry, and wrapped her up in a soft towel in a competent way I could never achieve.

“That’ll hold her until Henry returns,” Becky said, rocking the baby in her arms. She chuckled softly. “When I told him what was up, he flew out of here like a rabbit on the run.”

I smiled. Henry was one big softie wrapped in a brusque, Maine manner. My smile evaporated when I thought of the mess I was in. “I’d better call Brad. I’m sure there are some legal issues here.”

Becky nodded. “I think we should take the baby to Dr. Storey and have him check her out before any authorities are called. The mother didn’t want the baby in the system. I don’t much care for that idea myself.”

I picked up the phone and punched in the number for Brad’s cell. I couldn’t help the tears that stung my eyes as I explained to him what had just happened. My emotions were on a merry-go-round of self-doubt and concern for the baby.

Brad listened to me and then spoke calmly. “The authorities will have to be notified, but my understanding of the law indicates Becky is right. You can place her with Dr. Storey, who would be considered a safe haven provider. He would then have to make the proper notification to the Office of Child and Family Services. He might even be willing to press upon the authorities the need for an immediate placement and ask for you to be made the temporary custodian of the child.”

At his cold, professional words, my heart sank. The mother, whoever she was, didn’t want the baby placed in the system, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to take on the responsibility of this child myself, even for a short time.

“Keep me informed. I’m sure you and Becky are doing a good job with her. Let me see what I can do for you from this end,” said Brad.

As I hung up with Brad, Henry returned from the store loaded down with diapers, all the fixings for bottle-feeding, clothes, blankets, lotions, and even a small, pink, stuffed lamb. When he saw the baby, his features softened. He approached Summer on tiptoes.

Becky pulled the towel away from Summer’s face so Henry could see.

“Sure is a little mite,” he said. “A pretty one at that.” He turned to me. “You gonna keep her?”

My mouth turned dry. “I’m hoping to find the baby’s mother. She must have loved her. The note said she’d been watching Brad and me for some time before choosing us to take her.” The thought of being spied upon sent a shiver dancing across my shoulders.   

“We’ll do what we need to do,” Becky said briskly. “We’ll get her dressed and fed and then we’re taking her to see Dr. Storey. From there, who knows? But I, for one, don’t want to see the authorities take her away.” There was a maternal warning in Becky’s voice that I envied.

I left Becky and Henry in the kitchen and walked out onto the porch. Placing the basket on the white wooden railing, I lifted out the small mattress, searching for clues. But the plain, white, mattress cover told me nothing, and the empty basket was generic. My thoughts flew to the girl running down the beach. Was she the mother? If so, finding her would be like finding a needle in a haystack. There were a lot of young girls with long blond-streaked hair in New Hope alone.  During the summer, even more.

###

Dr. Storey was a short, stocky man who, with his shaggy brown hair, dark button eyes, and wide smile, reminded me of a friendly teddy bear. Watching him gently examine Summer, I was glad we’d brought her to him first.

“She’s a fine, healthy, baby girl,” he said, handing the baby to me.

I took her in unsteady hands. “Have you seen her before? We’re trying to find the mother.”

He shook his head. “I’m not familiar with this patient.” He studied me a moment. “Your husband called me. In light of the note the mother left you, he’s thinking the baby should be placed with you until her situation is settled. How do you feel about that?”

I gulped, wondering if I should be honest and tell him the baby might be better off with someone else.

“That’s a very good idea, Dr. Storey,” Becky said before I could respond. “We’ll see to it that she has the best of care. Won’t we, Marissa?”

Still searching for words, I could only nod. With Becky’s help, maybe I could do it. But that didn’t mean I’d stop looking for Summer’s mother. Something must be terribly wrong for a mother to give up a beautiful child like this or any child, especially when she cared enough to make sure her baby was placed in a nice home. Perhaps, finding her mother would be the best way to help this baby.