West For Love (A Mail Order Romance Novel) by Karolyn James, Claire Charlins Page A

Anna
hugged the baby and began to rock left to right.
    It did nothing to comfort Thomas
Jr.
    An idea came to Anna.
    She’d whistle to the baby. She
thought about how Henry had complimented her whistling back in Lowemills. That
almost felt like a lifetime ago.
    Anna licked her lips and blew one
note before Thomas Jr. jumped and let out a wailing cry.
    She had scared the baby.
    There was no helping Thomas Jr.
now.
    “Oh, that’s fine,” Jo said. “He’s
just very hungry.”
    Anna tried to bounce the baby but
Jo reached for him. Part of Anna already felt like she had failed. Not even ten
minutes in the house and poor Thomas Jr. cried his beautiful eyes out.
    Jo saw the concern in Anna’s face.
“You can’t do that to yourself every time something little goes wrong. This is
going to be a process.”
    Jo slid the left strap of her dress
off her shoulder. She moved casually, even as she pulled her breast out in the
open. Anna found herself silently gasping and feeling uncomfortable looking at
another woman’s breast. Jo then brought the still crying Thomas Jr. to her
chest and in a matter of seconds, Thomas Jr. found Jo’s giving nipple and he
was latched on, suckling and silent.
    “See?” Jo said. “Nothing to be
worried about. He’s just hungry.”
    Anna nodded and touched her
stomach. She thought about things she swore she wouldn’t think about. About
being pregnant. About having a baby. About feeding the baby. But none of that
happened. And now she stood in the bedroom of a wet nurse that lived with Thomas.
To feed Thomas’s son.
    Thomas Jr. looked content and
relaxed as he fed. His lips had been moving at a fast pace, but now continually
slowed until his eyes started to grow heavy and began to close. Finally, Jo
took Thomas Jr. away from her breast and put him on her shoulder. She clothed
herself and nodded to Anna and then Thomas Jr.
    “Burp him,” Jo said.
    “No, I can’t.”
    “Yes you can. Do it.”
    Anna took the baby for a second
time. She placed him on her shoulder and began to tap his back. Thomas Jr. was
very quiet and still relaxed.
    “Hit him a little harder,” Jo said.
    Anna couldn’t do it. She feared
hurting him.
    Jo stood from the bed and came to
Anna. She took her hand and began to really pat the baby on the back.
    “You won’t hurt him,” Jo said.
“Trust me. He’s tough, like his father.”
    Anna continued to use the same
force and then Thomas Jr. finally let out a long belch. Both Anna and Jo
laughed out loud and Thomas Jr. began to cry again. Anna held Thomas Jr. and
rocked him again, but just as before, the gentle consoling wasn’t going to work
from Anna. She reluctantly handed the infant to Jo again. Jo hurried to swaddle
Thomas Jr. and in seconds, his eyes were shut.
    “You have a gift,” Anna said. “A gift,
given by God.”
    “Are you talking about my chest or
my heart?” Jo asked.
    She had such a smile and conviction
about her that Anna laughed and touched her own face in amazement. Jo’s eyes
were so big and full of life. They matched the unbridled innocence of Thomas
Jr.
    “I just don’t understand,” Anna
said.
    “Understand what?” Jo asked.
    Anna wasn’t sure if she should say
what she had to say. Sure, in the sense of reality, Anna was to marry Thomas.
Jo worked for Thomas, thus working for Anna. Jo understood her position in the
house and even with Anna. It should have all been clear and organized.
    But it wasn’t.
    “Why aren’t you and Thomas
together?” Anna asked. “It would just make such perfect sense...”
    “Oh, now now,” Jo said and started
to wave a finger at her. “I have a job here.”
    “But look at you, Jo,” Anna said.
“You’re so bright, so happy, so beautiful. Thomas Jr. takes to you so well.”
    “I’m all he’s known,” Jo said.
“I’ve had my share of tragedy too, dear Anna. This is my job right now, nothing
more. I’ve stared deep into Thomas’s eyes and seen the way he looks back at me.
I assure you, you’re