try to duck away from the washrag.
“It is. I’m going to take you in to meet my mother.”
“Is she an angel too?”
“She’s a lot closer to one than I am. That’s for sure.” Kate laughed as she dried off Lorena’s face and then kissed her nose.
Lorena put her arms around Kate’s neck. “Can this be my house too? Just till Mommy comes back.”
“I don’t know. I hope so.” Kate started to comb Lorena’s hair, but the little girl jerked away.
“Ouch! That hurt.” Lorena wrapped her arms over her head to keep her hair away from the comb.
“I’m sorry, but you’ve got rats’ nests in there.”
“I’m afraid of rats.” Lorena’s bottom lip trembled and she held her arms tighter against her head. “They eat your toes if you don’t keep wiggling them. Kenton told me.”
“Your toes are safe here.” Kate put down the comb. “We’ll comb that hair later. I’ll get you a mirror you can look into and you can help comb, okay?”
Lorena slowly dropped her arms away from her hair. “Do you promise? About the toes?”
“I promise.” Kate squatted in front of the little girl and looked her right in the eyes. “No rats in this house. Your toes are safe.” She smiled before she reached down and tickled Lorena’s toes.
Lorena giggled and backed up. Then her eyes got very round again as she stared at Kate. “Please promise I can stay here.”
Kate hesitated. She wanted more than anything to promise, but she couldn’t be sure what her mother and father would say. Finally she hugged Lorena and said, “I want to promise that, but I can’t. I can promise that somebody will take care of you.”
“I don’t want to go to an orphans’ home. Kenton says those places have lots of rats.”
“No orphans’ homes.” Kate wouldn’t let them send her to an orphans’ home. She didn’t know how, but she wouldn’t. “Come on. Let’s go show you to Mama and get you something to eat. Do you like bacon and biscuits and raspberry jam?”
“You have all that food?”
“And honey too.”
“I knew you were an angel,” Lorena murmured against Kate’s neck.
12
______
On Sunday afternoon, they gathered at the Rosey Corner Baptist Church to decide what to do with the child. Most everybody seemed to think that since the little girl had been left on the Baptist Church steps, that gave the church not only the right but also the duty to determine what became of her. A bad feeling had been growing inside Nadine ever since her father started talking about having a meeting to decide the child’s fate. She had no confidence a decision by committee would be best for Lorena. Or for Kate.
Nadine looked over at Kate, who was sitting on the other side of Lorena. The two of them had the child safely sandwiched between them on the front pew, but how much longer was Nadine going to keep that true? She wanted to. From the moment she had seen Kate guiding the child through the back door into the kitchen, she had wanted to. There had been something so wounded and lost about the child, and yet at the same time the little girl had looked up at Kate and then at Nadine with total trust as Kate began talking about this new little sister she had found.
Kate’s eyes had beseeched Nadine over the top of the little girl’s head as she pushed out her words so fast they were almost tripping over her tongue. “This is Lorena, Mama. I found her on the church steps. She’s really sweet, and she needs somebody to take care of her. Do you think maybe the Lord planned on you sending me over there to the church this morning with the raspberry jam for Grandfather Reece?” She rushed on before Nadine could answer. “You know, so I’d find her. He plans out ways to take care of us, doesn’t he? I mean, he loves all his children and he tells us to take care of our brothers and sisters, right? And according to the way the Bible talks about brothers and sisters, Lorena is our little sister.”
Nadine had looked at the little
“It is. I’m going to take you in to meet my mother.”
“Is she an angel too?”
“She’s a lot closer to one than I am. That’s for sure.” Kate laughed as she dried off Lorena’s face and then kissed her nose.
Lorena put her arms around Kate’s neck. “Can this be my house too? Just till Mommy comes back.”
“I don’t know. I hope so.” Kate started to comb Lorena’s hair, but the little girl jerked away.
“Ouch! That hurt.” Lorena wrapped her arms over her head to keep her hair away from the comb.
“I’m sorry, but you’ve got rats’ nests in there.”
“I’m afraid of rats.” Lorena’s bottom lip trembled and she held her arms tighter against her head. “They eat your toes if you don’t keep wiggling them. Kenton told me.”
“Your toes are safe here.” Kate put down the comb. “We’ll comb that hair later. I’ll get you a mirror you can look into and you can help comb, okay?”
Lorena slowly dropped her arms away from her hair. “Do you promise? About the toes?”
“I promise.” Kate squatted in front of the little girl and looked her right in the eyes. “No rats in this house. Your toes are safe.” She smiled before she reached down and tickled Lorena’s toes.
Lorena giggled and backed up. Then her eyes got very round again as she stared at Kate. “Please promise I can stay here.”
Kate hesitated. She wanted more than anything to promise, but she couldn’t be sure what her mother and father would say. Finally she hugged Lorena and said, “I want to promise that, but I can’t. I can promise that somebody will take care of you.”
“I don’t want to go to an orphans’ home. Kenton says those places have lots of rats.”
“No orphans’ homes.” Kate wouldn’t let them send her to an orphans’ home. She didn’t know how, but she wouldn’t. “Come on. Let’s go show you to Mama and get you something to eat. Do you like bacon and biscuits and raspberry jam?”
“You have all that food?”
“And honey too.”
“I knew you were an angel,” Lorena murmured against Kate’s neck.
12
______
On Sunday afternoon, they gathered at the Rosey Corner Baptist Church to decide what to do with the child. Most everybody seemed to think that since the little girl had been left on the Baptist Church steps, that gave the church not only the right but also the duty to determine what became of her. A bad feeling had been growing inside Nadine ever since her father started talking about having a meeting to decide the child’s fate. She had no confidence a decision by committee would be best for Lorena. Or for Kate.
Nadine looked over at Kate, who was sitting on the other side of Lorena. The two of them had the child safely sandwiched between them on the front pew, but how much longer was Nadine going to keep that true? She wanted to. From the moment she had seen Kate guiding the child through the back door into the kitchen, she had wanted to. There had been something so wounded and lost about the child, and yet at the same time the little girl had looked up at Kate and then at Nadine with total trust as Kate began talking about this new little sister she had found.
Kate’s eyes had beseeched Nadine over the top of the little girl’s head as she pushed out her words so fast they were almost tripping over her tongue. “This is Lorena, Mama. I found her on the church steps. She’s really sweet, and she needs somebody to take care of her. Do you think maybe the Lord planned on you sending me over there to the church this morning with the raspberry jam for Grandfather Reece?” She rushed on before Nadine could answer. “You know, so I’d find her. He plans out ways to take care of us, doesn’t he? I mean, he loves all his children and he tells us to take care of our brothers and sisters, right? And according to the way the Bible talks about brothers and sisters, Lorena is our little sister.”
Nadine had looked at the little
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