Forbidden Falls (Virgin River #9)(66)

“You’re amazing, Ellie. Your grandmother trained you very well.”

“Yeah? Well, baby, it’s such a great thing to have more than two rooms to clean, it’s like you’re doing me a favor.”

The girls talked while they worked on the master bedroom and bath, when Ellie wasn’t running the vacuum, at least. They laughed like girlfriends, told sentimental stories about family members, and Ellie even tried on some old pants and tops that Vanni said she’d never fit into again. Vanni was only an inch shorter than Ellie and wore her pants long to compensate for boots, so the fit was perfect.

“Take them,” Vanni said. “If you like them, that is. My feelings won’t be hurt at all if they’re not your style. I mean, I doubt Dolly would like them. I was going to give them to Goodwill, so they’re yours if you want them.”

“That’s so nice, Vanni. I didn’t expect anything like this!” She tilted her head. “I think I hear something. That was a good long nap. With any luck, they’ll be in good moods tonight. What do you usually do when they wake up, after a change?”

“Snack. Playtime till dinner,” she said with a shrug. “Nothing special.”

“How about a little cuddle time. Just waking up is awful sweet,” Ellie said. “Let’s do it.”

As Ellie was leaving the master bedroom, Vanni touched her arm. “Um, would you take care of Hannah, please?”

“Sure. I’d like that.”

They collected their assigned children, changed them and cuddled them. As Ellie held Hannah close, she said, “So—not really connected to this one yet?”

Vanni took a moment to answer. “That’s terrible, I know…”

“It took me a while to feel like Danielle was really my baby. To believe I could love her more than anything, which was what my gram said would happen. Of course, I was just a kid myself. But if it took me a few days even though I’d carried her inside my body and felt every movement, I guess it’s natural for it to take you a little while when you didn’t have any relationship with her at all before she was suddenly living with you.”

“You don’t think I’m a terrible person?”

Ellie smiled at her and held Hannah tighter. “Vanni, I barely know you, but I can tell already. There’s not one terrible thing about you. Now—what do we have for snacks?”

“Yogurt,” Vanni said with a smile. “They love it.”

At four o’clock, with the beginnings of supper ready, the house clean, laundry done, children bathed and happy and Vanni looking pretty good, Ellie was saying goodbye. She gave each child a loud smack, making them both laugh. She clutched Vanni’s cast-off clothes close, very excited about them since they were a bit more conservative, though it killed her to think she had pleasure from the thought of pleasing Noah. “I’ll see you in the morning about eight-thirty,” she said to Vanni. “Let’s do it the same way—you answer in your bathrobe and I’ll take over. You can have the morning all to yourself. And whatever needs doing, I’ll do. You can have the afternoon, too, if you need it. Maybe you have shopping or errands or something. Whatever you need.”

Vanni’s eyes were round with surprise. “I get more than one day of this special treatment?”

Ellie grinned. “Baby, you get the rest of your life if you need it. I think Paul gave Noah a deal on the redo and Noah’s so happy I’m not around the church to make his life difficult. See you in the a.m.”

Ellie went to the church before going home. She found Noah in his office, and Lucy on the floor behind the desk. She stood in front of the desk, her hands on her hips.

“How’d it go?” he asked.

She frowned at him. “You might’ve mentioned everything had gone to hell out there.”

He stood up and cleared his throat. “A picture’s worth a thousand words? Were you able to help?”

“Of course,” she said. “But, buddy, that woman needs more than household help. She needs a miracle. Inspiration.”

Noah smiled at her. “That’s why I sent you, Ellie.”

“No, you sent me because you can’t clean and you don’t have anyone else.”

“And that, too,” he said. “Going back tomorrow?”

“It’ll be a lot of tomorrows before she’s good to go,” Ellie said. “Do not screw up the painting while I’m busy at the Haggertys’.”

After Ellie was back in her rented room, after a microwaved burrito and diet cola, she turned on the clock radio for a little music. And then she cried for her own children.

Eleven

The rest of the week was a busy one for Ellie as she reported for duty at Vanessa’s house every morning. Given there were two of them to tend the children and keep the house and laundry up to speed, everything went smoothly. Having a full-time babysitter allowed Vanni to run errands, have regular horseback rides for exercise and fresh air and, not least of all, have someone to talk to. It didn’t take Vanni any time at all to start looking more rested.

It wasn’t long before Vanni asked Ellie, “Now, where are your kids?”

Ellie took a deep breath; up until she lost custody of her children and went to work for a church, it had never occurred to her to lie. She felt she had to protect everyone—her kids, her boss, even herself. But lying was complicated. And painful. “Well, I met Arnie when I was all alone with two little kids, two jobs and very little means of holding it all together. My judgment must have sucked, because I married a real strange guy who was obsessed with controlling me. Talk about changing your appearance for a guy? Vanni—that one wanted me to dress like an old woman and never leave the house. It was so bizarre. Of course, I left him almost right away—we were married less than three months. But Arnie wanted me back. The only way he could figure out how to do that was to take a custody case to court.” And she explained the same details she’d given Jo Fitch.