“Wahhhh!” Faith’s shrill cry interrupted Theresa from a fitful sleep. Or was it Gabriel? Theresa rubbed her eyes, trying to figure out which twin was crying. She was so exhausted these days, she could hardly tell them apart.

It had been five days since Cody’s surprise proposal, and his visit seemed like nothing more than a dream to Theresa. That evening, Cletus and Edna Petunia had given her a stern talk in the living room since the formal parlor was occupied by the twins. Since then, they’d left Theresa alone.

Theresa was so sleep-deprived she wondered if she’d dreamed the whole thing. After all, what kind of man would be willing to marry a woman he didn’t know and become a father to two wailing babies? It made no sense.

As much as Theresa wanted Cody to visit as he’d promised, she had the feeling that she would never see him again. She had made peace with that—or at least, she thought she had. Sometimes, as she rocked Gabriel to sleep or read a children’s book to Faith, she imagined what it would be like to have Cody by her side. As soon as the thoughts came over her, she tried to vanquish them, but it didn’t always work.

Still, Theresa had plenty to do. It seemed that the twins went through clothing and milk faster than anything she’d ever seen before. Even Ruby, who made frequent visits to the Sanders’ home, said the twins ate more than any baby she had ever seen. Ruby had seen a lot of babies—she had seven children of her own, including two sets of twins, plus two stepsons, and she had helped several of her sisters with their babies.

Theresa didn’t care how much they ate or cried or went through clothes, she just wanted to make sure they were healthy. Dr. Harvey had inspected both Faith and Gabriel carefully and declared that they were both in fine condition. Neither Dr. Harvey nor Dr. Bennett had delivered the babies or taken care of a pregnant young woman who could have been their mother.

Theresa sighed. She knew that she would eventually have to say goodbye to the twins, but she hated to think about it. It was finally Sunday, the day they would announce in church that the babies had been found and needed to be returned to their family. She had secretly dreaded this day all week, hoping that some alternative would present itself before Sunday.

But no one had said anything about the babies. A part of Theresa wanted the mother not to be found so she could keep them for herself, but she knew that wasn’t kind. She prayed for the children’s mother to be found and for her to have the support to raise her children well.

Soon, Cletus and Edna Petunia came into the formal parlor. “It’s Sunday!” Cletus said, straightening his tie. “You know what that means. These babies will have to take their screaming elsewhere, and I will be free to sit in my chair again!” He looked longingly at his overstuffed armchair, where Theresa was feeding Gabriel.

“I’m sorry, Cletus,” Theresa said. “It won’t be long now.” She stared down at baby Gabriel’s tiny, perfect button nose. She knew she would have to say goodbye to it eventually. Was it so wrong to hope for a few more days with the babies?

Katie came downstairs and helped Theresa dress both babies for church. In a family with fifteen daughters and constantly growing numbers of grandchildren, there was no shortage of baby clothes. Theresa tied a delicate yellow bonnet around Faith’s chin and stood back, admiring the beautiful child.

“If they were my babies, I would never have left them on a doorstep!” Katie exclaimed.

“Now, now,” Theresa chided. “We don’t know the position their mother was in. I’m sure she did what she thought was right.”

“I hope we find her! That would be so nice, and I’m sure the babies would be so happy!” Katie said cheerily.

Theresa’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you wanted to keep the babies.”

Katie frowned. “They cry an awful lot.”

“So did you when you were younger!” Theresa retorted.

“That’s not very nice,” Katie said with a hurt tone.

“Girls! Stop with your tomfoolery. It’s time for church!” Cletus called from the kitchen.

Theresa sighed. Once again, she had no time for breakfast. Ever since she had brought the twins home, she had barely had a moment to eat, dress, or wash. She finally understood what her sisters had gone through when they’d had their babies, especially Ruby and Opal, who each had a set of twins.

Edna Petunia helped Theresa into the wagon with the twins. She carried them in a beautiful bassinette that her sister Dorothy had given her, adorned with ribbons. It was bigger and easier to carry than the basket she had found the twins in, and it seemed like it was more comfortable for the babies. Edna Petunia cooed as she tucked each twin under a set of blankets. “Aren’t you a sweet little bastard? Yes, you are!”

Katie squealed. “Edna Petunia, I don’t know if you should say that when we get to church!”

Edna Petunia waved her hand. “It’s the truth! They’re little bastards!”

Katie looked at Theresa, and despite her exhaustion, Theresa burst out laughing. Her family was peculiar, but they were all hers. She was glad she had found such a loving home. She only hoped that the babies would have the same chance she had.

When they arrived at church, all of the Sanders sisters crowded around Theresa. Everyone asked questions about the twins. What were they eating? How were they sleeping? How could she tell them apart?

“Enough about the babies!” Cletus cried. “We are here for church!”

As Cletus was talking, Gabriel reached out a tiny hand and brushed the side of Cletus’s face. Cletus’s expression softened.

“See? Isn’t he sweet?” Theresa grinned.

Cletus shook his head vigorously. “I’m not saying he’s not adorable. But he needs to get out of my house—soon!”

Theresa sighed. She silently hoped Cletus would change his mind.

The family filed into the church and took their seats. The Sanders family, including the daughters, their husbands, and their children, filled several rows of seats.

At the front of the church, Pastor Micah Barton began to preach. Micah was married to Sarah Jane, one of Theresa’s older sisters. Theresa scanned the church to find Chrissy, Sarah Jane and Micah’s oldest child. After Chrissy was orphaned, she had captured Sarah Jane’s and Micah’s hearts before they were even married. They’d quickly wed in order to officially adopt her.

As Micah spoke, Theresa daydreamed about marrying Cody. She knew it was an impossible situation, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it. If she closed her eyes, she could still feel his warm breath on her face and the electric way he made her body feel.

At the end of the service, Micah held up a hand. “I have one more announcement. We have twin babies who were left on the steps of the schoolhouse.” He gestured toward Theresa, who was holding both babies, rocking them back and forth.

A hush fell over the churchgoers. People turned and stared at Theresa and the babies, then started to whisper.

Micah cleared his throat. “If anyone has any information about the babies, especially who their parents are, please come forward. We would like to return the twins to their family. In the meantime, the Sanders family has provided them a safe and loving home.”

Theresa’s heart beat faster as she looked around the church. One of these families could claim the babies, and she may never hold them again. She clutched them a little tighter. Even though they weren’t her own flesh and blood, she felt a sense of ownership for the babies. She knew she would do anything to protect them.

“If anyone knows anything at all, please let us know so we can seek out the family and make sure the twins have a good home to go to. If we can’t locate the parents, they may need to be adopted by good families. Thank you,” Micah concluded his speech.

Theresa’s head spun. She wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or the stress she felt from being the center of attention, but she was confused by Micah’s words. “Good families?” Theresa whispered to Edna Petunia as the congregation began to leave the church.

Edna Petunia nodded. “Just like when you arrived in Nowhere. They thought they’d have to split all of you bastards up.”

“Sh, Edna Petunia!” Katie giggled.

“It's the truth!” Edna Petunia said indignantly.

Theresa’s face fell. “They can’t split the twins up. They just can’t.”

“There, there, Theresa.” Edna Petunia pulled a peppermint stick out of her bosom. “Have a candy. It will cheer you up.”

Theresa shook her head. “No, thank you.” She was sad, but she wasn’t so inconsolable that she would consider eating something that had been in Edna Petunia’s cleavage.

“I’m sure it will all work out,” Edna Petunia assured Theresa.

Theresa sighed. She hoped her adoptive mother was right.

Outside, the other churchgoers gathered around Theresa and peppered her with questions about the babies. She tried to answer the questions as best she could.

As she smiled and talked to the townspeople, Theresa felt a prickle of anticipation on her skin.

Cody Witherspoon walked up to Theresa and lifted his hand to hold onto Faith’s tiny fingers. “Hello, little darling. And you, too, Faith,” Cody said.

Theresa blushed and stared at the ground. Cody was being so forward—there were so many people around! A few feet away, an older woman who was watching Theresa closely looked away. Theresa wondered if she had heard what Cody had whispered into her ear.

Cody sensed Theresa’s anxiety and stepped backward. “Don’t worry, Theresa. I’ll respect your parents’ wishes,” Cody said softly. In an instant, he slipped backward and away from the crowd.

Theresa felt her anticipation turn to disappointment. Edna Petunia watched sternly, shaking her head. “That young man had better watch himself.”

Theresa turned her attention back to her fellow churchgoers. She patiently waited and politely answered their questions, but she thought of Cody the entire time and wondered if she’d ever get to see him again. She was surprised that he had been at church—she would have expected he would have moved onto the next town by now.

Once the crowd had disappeared, Cletus helped Theresa into the wagon. Although Cletus and Edna Petunia looked disappointed, Theresa was secretly happy. They had learned no new information about the babies. No one knew any young woman who had recently been pregnant, much less anyone who had given birth to twins. One of the older men suggested that maybe it had been someone passing through town on a journey to a different city.

Cletus shrugged as he prepared the wagon to return to the Sanders’ home. “I guess we’ll need to look into adoption if no one comes forward to claim those little squealers.”

“Cletus!” Katie scolded.

Theresa nodded sadly. “Yes, I understand. But haven’t you thought about what might happen if . . .”

“What might happen if what?” Edna Petunia turned to face Theresa sharply.

“Nothing,” Theresa sighed. She wasn’t ready to explain her plan to Edna Petunia and Cletus. She was sure they wouldn’t agree to letting her adopt the babies and continue to stay in their house. And they definitely wouldn’t allow her to marry Cody and move in with him.

Theresa held the babies’ bassinet close as the wagon barreled along the road back to the Sanders’ home. A tear trickled down her cheek as she imagined having to say goodbye to the babies. Edna Petunia said that everything would work out. But was she right?