Theresa slowly rocked Gabriel back and forth. Even though he was too young to be able to do much of anything, she could sense a special connection that they shared. And one thing was certain—both of them missed Faith terribly.

Theresa had washed Gabriel and dressed him in the finest newborn clothes handed down to him from one of his cousins. She couldn’t remember which sister had given it to her, but it was a beautiful linen dressing gown that was only slightly too big for Gabriel. He looked darling in it, but Theresa felt a pang of sorrow in her chest as she looked at him. Faith should be there by his side.

Edna Petunia and Cletus had instructed Theresa to wash and dress Gabriel so he would be ready for the Sibley family to pick him up. Theresa didn’t want to think about handing Gabriel over. Ever since Faith had been taken from her, he was all she had left.

Theresa hoped desperately that Cody’s plan would be successful. He seemed sure that he could convince all the parties involved that the babies belonged to them. Soon, they’d be married, and no one could tell her that she wouldn’t be able to provide for the babies. She didn’t think it was polite to talk about money, but she knew that Cody was comfortable financially. He had assured her that he would easily be able to pay for the living expenses of a family of four.

“Theresa!” Edna Petunia called from below. “They’re here!”

Theresa sighed and squeezed Gabriel a little tighter. “I don’t want to say goodbye,” Theresa whispered. She kissed Gabriel on the forehead.

“Theresa!” Cletus hollered.

Theresa felt like tears would stream down her face at any moment, but she composed herself and carried Gabriel down the steps carefully.

Gerald and Veronica sat politely in the formal parlor, chatting with Edna Petunia and Cletus. When Theresa brought Gabriel into the room, Veronica stood up and rushed to take him from Theresa’s hands.

Theresa didn’t want to let Gabriel go, but she also didn’t want him to get hurt, so she allowed Veronica to pull him into her arms.

Mrs. Sibley immediately began cooing. “Oh, isn’t he just darling, Gerald?”

“She hasn’t been able to stop talking about babies for years. Now that our daughter is out of the house, she wanted to fill it,” Gerald explained to Cletus. Mary Sibley, Gerald and Veronica’s only daughter, had recently married.

Theresa tried not to show her true emotions. She didn’t want to hurt Gerald or Veronica’s feelings, but they were old. She didn’t know how they would possibly take care of a newborn child. And as Gabriel grew older, how would they be able to chase after him?

“Thank you for taking care of this little cherub for us, Tara,” Veronica smiled.

“It’s Theresa,” Theresa corrected her.

Veronica ignored her, distracted by a squirming Gabriel in her arms.

“Well, we’d best be going. We’ll have our hands full tonight.” Gerald shook Cletus’s hand.

Within a minute, Gerald and Veronica had departed the Sanders’ house, taking Gabriel with them. Theresa could not contain her emotions any longer. Tears rolled down her face.

Edna Petunia offered Theresa a peppermint stick. “This will help.”

Theresa shook her head. “Nothing will help.”

Cletus frowned. “I’m sure you’ll be as cheery as usual. You just have to give yourself a little time, Theresa. You’ll miss the babies for a while, but you’ll get over it. You have your whole life ahead of you!”

Theresa sat down, unsure what to do next. Without a baby to feed, change, or hold, she felt useless.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Despite her tearstained face, Theresa walked to the entrance to open it. She was expecting someone.

As she opened the door, Cody took one look at Theresa’s face and knew exactly what had happened. “I’m too late.”

Theresa simply nodded.

“Who’s there?” Edna Petunia shouted. “We don’t have any babies left to give away!

Cody hated to see Theresa so miserable. He pulled her into his arms and rubbed her back reassuringly. “It will be all right. I promise.”

“How do you know that?” Theresa sobbed. Even though it wasn’t Cody’s fault, she felt angry.

“Let’s go talk to Edna Petunia and Cletus. I’m sure they’ll help us get this settled.” Cody wasn’t convinced that what he was saying was true, but he had to hope for the best. He couldn’t let Theresa down. He had to keep trying to make things right.

Theresa wiped tears from her cheek. “If you say so.”

Cody strode toward the parlor, and Theresa trailed after him.

“Don’t tell me you want to adopt a baby, too.” Cletus chuckled. He shook Cody’s hand. Cody couldn’t believe how different the man seemed than when Cody had first arrived in Nowhere. That Cletus had been disapproving and stern. The man in front of Cody seemed relaxed and carefree.

“Actually, sir, there’s something we need to discuss, and it does relate to the babies,” Cody explained.

Cletus touched a hand to his head as if he were in pain.

“Peppermint stick?” Edna Petunia offered.

Cletus shook his head, and Edna Petunia stuck the stick in her own mouth, loudly crunching it.

Cody took the pause in conversation to launch into his speech. He had practiced at the boarding house that morning as he’d shaved. He was ready to say what needed to be said. “Sir,” Cody began. “I plan to marry Theresa. I can provide for her, and I can provide for the two babies who have been in her care for the past several weeks.”

“The babies are gone, though,” Edna Petunia pointed out. She was baffled. Cody seemed like a nice enough man, but he didn’t seem very bright at the moment. She wanted to make sure every one of her bastards ended up with a deserving husband.

“We need your help to get the babies back. You said that Theresa couldn’t support them as a single woman. Well, soon she’ll be married to me. We can certainly support two infants better than the families who have them now.” Cody continued.

Theresa stopped sobbing as she listened to Cody’s impassioned plea. Would it work?

Cletus’s face remained neutral. “Now, I don’t know where you come from, but here in Nowhere, fair’s fair. We gave those babies to good homes; we’re not going to take them back.”

Cody’s heart sank. How could Cletus not see what was going on? “With all due respect, sir, I know Theresa and I can give both babies the best possible chance in life.”

Theresa swallowed hard. “And they’d be together. They’re going to be so lonely apart.” A fresh wave of tears overtook her.

Edna Petunia went to her daughter to comfort her. “She has a point, you know. The little bastards seemed awfully fond of one another. Well, as fond of one another as two lumps could be.”

Theresa smiled through her tears. Edna Petunia had such a strange but delightful way with words.

Katie entered the formal parlor. “What’s the matter? I heard crying from upstairs. Theresa, what’s wrong?”

“Both the babies are gone,” Theresa said, tearing up again.

Cody put an arm around Theresa’s shoulder. “But we’re going to get them back.”

“You are?” Katie asked, wide-eyed.

Cletus crossed his arms. “I don’t know about that.”

Cody thought quickly. “What’s the name of the family who took Faith? We know who took Gabriel.”

Cletus frowned and scratched his head. “It was the Thomas family from Bagley. We know them through Penny and Tom.”

Cody nodded. “I’m going to pay them a visit. Theresa, will you join me?”

Theresa looked up, feeling hopeful at the prospect of seeing little Faith. “Absolutely.”

Cletus shook his head. “This isn’t a good idea. You’re only going to upset her further.”

“And you might really upset the Thomases and the Sibleys,” Katie pointed out.

“Whose side are you on, Katie?” Theresa asked, her voice quavering.

Katie looked horrified for a moment and rushed to Theresa’s side. “I’m sorry, Theresa. I didn’t mean to upset you! I was just trying to help.”

“We know you didn’t mean any harm by it, Katie,” Cody reassured her. He knew Katie had Theresa’s best interests at heart, too.

“Let’s go, Cody,” Theresa said. Every minute away from the babies felt like torture. She hoped that they weren’t too upset without one other.

“But you’ll miss dinner,” Edna Petunia protested.

“I’m not hungry.” Theresa smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt. “We should go to Bagley first. Faith’s been away for the longest amount of time; she may be very upset.”

Cody nodded and then held his hand out to Theresa. She accepted it, and they started toward the entrance.

“Wait just a minute.” Cletus held up a hand. “What exactly are your intentions?”

Cody fought off a groan. Cletus clearly didn’t understand how he and Theresa felt about the babies. In Cody’s mind, they were already a family. Why did he have to spell it all out for Cletus? “We’re going to bring the babies back and raise them as our own.”

“I don’t see a ring on my daughter’s finger,” Cletus challenged.

Katie gasped.

Cody sighed. “There will be soon, sir.”

“Oh, my goodness!” Edna Petunia shouted. She took a sip from her hip flask.

“And where will you live? I thought you’re supposed to be some traveling salesman,” Cletus said grumpily.

“Well—we’ll live—” Cody wasn’t sure exactly how to answer Cletus’s question.

“We’ll find a place,” Theresa said confidently, slipping her hand into Cody’s.

Cody looked at her admiringly. He was so in love with the strong, confident young woman beside him. Even though she was hurting, she knew how to stand up for what she felt was right.

“You two can do whatever you want,” Cletus said, waving his hands. “But if I were Gerald Sibley, there’s no way I’d give a newborn baby to a traveling salesman and his unmarried female companion.”

Theresa felt stung, but she had to admit, Cletus had a point. She looked up at Cody, whose face had frozen. “Are you all right?” Theresa whispered.

“I need to go now,” Cody said suddenly, turning around and sprinting for the door.

“Cody?” Theresa rushed after him, but he opened and slammed the door shut behind him before she got to the entrance. She returned to the formal parlor with a dejected, bewildered expression.

“Hmph,” Cletus said. “Guess you won’t be going to Bagley after all. Looks like that boy came to his senses finally.”

“Why did he run off like that? Did he say where he was going?” Katie asked.

Theresa shook her head sadly.

“We’ve had enough excitement for one day. Let’s go eat dinner. I made pie for dessert,” Edna Petunia said proudly.

Theresa stared at the floor. “I’m not hungry,” she mumbled.

“What’s that, dear? My hearing isn’t what it used to be,” Edna Petunia explained.

“I’m going to bed,” Theresa said flatly.

“You hurt your head?” Edna Petunia asked.

“I’m going to bed early,” Theresa said in a louder tone.

“Your hair is curly? It looks straight, actually,” Edna Petunia commented.

“I’m going to bed!” Theresa shouted.

Edna Petunia seemed taken aback. “I know you’re upset about the little bastards and all, but you don’t need to shout, dear! It’s not polite.”

Theresa shrugged and trudged toward the door.

“I’ll put away a piece of pie for you for later,” Edna Petunia called after her.

“Thanks,” Theresa called listlessly as she walked up the staircase.

Edna Petunia turned to look at Katie and Cletus. “We have to make that girl smile again.”

Cletus put his arm around Edna Petunia’s shoulders. “We will, dear. We will.” He bent Edna Petunia over and gave her a long, slow kiss.

Katie scurried into the kitchen to prepare for dinner. She was happy that her adoptive parents loved each other, but sometimes they could be too affectionate. She wasn’t sure if they had even remembered she was in the room with them!

Meanwhile, Cody’s mind raced almost as quickly as the horse he was riding. He had so much to do and such little time to do it. Cletus was right. The families would never just give a baby away to an unmarried couple without a home. And the longer the babies stayed with their new families, the harder it would be for them to let Cody and Theresa have them.

No, there wasn’t much time at all, Cody realized as he pulled up in front of the boardinghouse.

“How are you?” Lucille asked as Cody ran up the stairs of her home. Cody barely heard her.

A few minutes later, Cody came downstairs carrying his steamer trunk and briefcase.

“I need to go. I’m sorry. I appreciate your hospitality,” Cody told Lucille, handing her a sealed envelope.

Before she could say anything, Cody rushed out the door. Confused, Lucille walked over to her desk and picked up her letter opener. She slid the tool across the envelope and peered inside. Two weeks’ worth of rent in shiny coins. Lucille was impressed. She had had boarders leave abruptly before, but they never left her extra money for the weeks they wouldn’t be staying with her.

Outside, Cody loaded up his wagon with his possessions. He wasn’t sure if he had enough time, but he had to try. It was the only chance he had to make Theresa happy.

Back at the Sanders’ house, Theresa sat glumly on her bed, feeling sad and lonesome. She had trusted Cody. He had promised that he’d marry her and get the babies back. Instead, at the first hint of trouble, he had panicked and bolted. At least, that’s what she assumed because he hadn’t said anything at all.

Theresa berated herself. How could she have trusted him? After all, even though they had spent some time together over the past few weeks, he was still a stranger. Cletus’s gut instincts not to trust the man had been right. He was a salesman. He had painted a pretty picture of a life that Theresa wanted, and just as she had been ready to commit to it, he left to go to the next town.

Theresa’s eyes no longer shone with tears. She still missed the babies, but now, it was more than that. She was angry. She had placed her hope and trust in Cody, and now he was gone. Her plan was impossible without his support.

If Theresa tried to visit the Thomas or Sibley families, she’d be laughed out of the house for trying to get the babies back. She was an unmarried woman who didn’t even have a steady job anymore.

Theresa tried to think of a way that she could convince the families to let her care for the babies. At first, she couldn’t think of any solutions. But then, as she settled down onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, she realized that both families might need a nanny. Maybe she could convince them to hire her to care for the children.

Theresa got excited as she envisioned the possibilities, but then she realized she’d only be able to work with one child at a time. That made her remember how traumatic it had been when Faith had left. Deep down, Theresa knew that separating the babies was a mistake. She needed to do everything in her power to correct it.

The following morning, Theresa woke up early and went into Katie’s room. Theresa nudged Katie’s arm to wake her.

Katie rubbed her eyes, blinking. “Theresa? What are you doing in here?”

“I can start working at the school again,” Theresa said.

“Why?” Katie asked, still waking up.

“I don’t have the babies to take care of anymore. I should get back to work,” Theresa explained.

Katie sat up in bed and sighed. “All right, that’s fine if that’s what you want. But I liked working at the schoolhouse!”

“We can talk to Miss Carroll. Maybe there will be enough work for both of us,” Theresa suggested. “We could take turns, even.”

“Really?” Katie asked, excitement in her voice. “That would be wonderful!”

It made Theresa smile to see Katie so giddy. “Yes, that’s fine.”

Theresa left Katie’s room to allow her sister to wash and dress for the day. Although working at the schoolhouse wasn’t what she truly wanted, she knew it was a good, stable job, and she enjoyed the work. Still, she would much rather be at home tending to the twins than assisting a teacher in the schoolhouse.

Theresa imagined the twins growing up and going to school one day. It stung to think about them growing older. They would never even know she had existed.

Theresa’s thoughts turned to Cody. She wondered what he was doing at that very moment. Could he be with another woman? Theresa had considered him good-looking and intelligent, but now she thought those characteristics were suspicious. He probably had a woman in every town.

Theresa dressed and went downstairs. Edna Petunia was frying an egg in the kitchen. “Good morning, dear.”

“Good morning, Edna Petunia,” Theresa said politely. “I’m going to work at the school today.”

Edna Petunia nodded in approval. “That’s good. It’s about time you spent some time outside of the house!”

Theresa ignored Edna Petunia’s comment and set the table. When the eggs were finished, Theresa helped Edna Petunia serve them onto plates.

As Cletus sat down, he looked at Theresa sternly. “I hope you’re not still thinking of taking those babies from their new homes. Are you?”

Theresa hesitated. She didn’t want to lie to her adoptive parents, but she also couldn’t tell them the entire truth. “I just want to get back to work and focus on that for a while.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear that,” Cletus said with a big grin. “Now, what’s for breakfast?”

Edna Petunia scooped eggs and bacon onto each family member’s plate as Theresa stared into the distance. She pictured the babies cooing and crying as they drank their infant food. She wondered what Cody was doing at that moment. Did he miss her at all?