Kate LeClair gripped her purse as sIhe looked through the shuttle bus windows to get a better glimpse of Bee Tree Hill. It wasn’t the historic mansion or beautiful grounds that held her interest, but the people who were inside—or, more accurately, the eighteen-month-old triplets whom she’d never met but were now her sole responsibility.
The reality of where she was and what she was doing washed over her again and she had to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. Sunlight dappled the windows as the bus drove up the winding drive to the front door of the grand home. She was one of three strangers on the shuttle, and though the other two women had become friendly on the two-hour ride from the Minneapolis airport, Kate had kept to herself. She hadn’t wanted to share details about the turn of events that led her to Timber Falls, Minnesota, because she hadn’t had time to process them herself.
The driver stopped and the other two occupants openly admired the mansion as Kate gathered her purse and small carry-on bag.
“Is this your stop, dear?” asked the woman with a short silver bob.
“Yes.”
“What a lovely home,” said the other. “Is it yours?”
“No.” Kate shook her head and smiled politely, unwilling to share any more details at the moment. She moved past them and stepped out of the van while the driver pulled her large suitcase from the back.
A brilliant blue sky peeked through the yellow-and-red leaves on the trees overhead. The air was cool and crisp and smelled like burning leaves. Friendly pumpkins and gourds sat near the steps in front of a bale of hay, offering a splash of color against the white-clapboard home.
“Have a good day,” the driver said to Kate.
“Thank you.” She handed him a tip and then faced the oversize front door of the mansion. “I’ll try.”
The people inside were grieving the loss of a friend and about to hand over three little boys to a complete stranger. How could the day be good?
As the shuttle pulled away, Kate left her suitcase and carry-on at the bottom of the steps and climbed to the door. She pressed the buzzer and noticed her hands were trembling, so she clasped them together.
It didn’t take long for the door to open. A pretty woman in her midtwenties appeared. Her blond hair was in a high pony and her brown eyes smiled in welcome. “Kate?” she asked.
Kate nodded. “Joy?”
“Yes. I’m Joy Asher.” Joy opened the door wider. “Welcome to Bee Tree Hill. I hope you didn’t have trouble finding us.”
“Not at all.” She motioned to her luggage. “Is it alright if I leave it here?”
“Of course.” Joy moved aside for Kate to come into the house. “It will be fine there for a few minutes and I’m sure you’re anxious to meet the boys.”
Kate entered the front porch and barely had time to admire the leaded glass windows and painted beadboard before Joy motioned her to come into the foyer.
“You must be exhausted,” Joy said to Kate. “So much has happened in the past twenty-four hours.”
Kate tried to focus on the other woman, but she was too busy searching for a glimpse of the toddlers.
“I told the social worker we’d be happy to keep the boys as long as necessary,” Joy continued, “but she said you insisted on coming immediately.”
Kate could only nod. In the past twenty-four hours, she had performed two live shows of Les Misérables, the national play she was currently traveling with, learned her only cousin was dead, inherited an old house with all of Tabby’s belongings and become the legal guardian of three little boys. She’d also taken a six-week leave of absence, found a red-eye flight out of Charleston and been on two shuttle buses.
She hadn’t slept for over thirty hours and she was beyond exhausted.
“...so I hope it’s alright.” Joy stopped talking and watched Kate with an expectant smile.
Kate shook her head, trying to focus. “I’m sorry, what were you saying?”
Joy nodded in understanding. “I said that Tabby’s pastor—our pastor—has volunteered to be here in place of the social worker who was unexpectedly called away. Pastor Jacob lives across the street from Tabby’s house—” She paused, grief lining her eyes. “Your house.”
Her house. It didn’t seem real. She didn’t own a house. She lived in an apartment in New York City—at least she did while she wasn’t on tour.
“So I hope it’s okay that he’s here today,” Joy said with a sweet smile. “I know how difficult this has been for you. We just want to be helpful.”
“You’ve been more than helpful. Thank you.” Kate didn’t want to be rude, but she wanted to meet those boys. “Are the triplets here?”
“Yes,” Joy said quickly. “I’m sorry. Of course you’d like to meet them. They’re in the music room with Pastor Jacob.” She motioned for Kate to follow her out of the foyer, through a sitting room and past a beautiful wall fountain.
The house was amazing and looked as if time had stood still. Every historical detail was in place, including the furnishings.
Joy took a left and Kate followed, facing a stunning room with high ceilings, tall windows and a shiny grand piano.
But none of those things held her interest long. Toddling around the room were three identical little boys—and one handsome pastor.
“Pastor Jacob,” Joy said to the man who was sitting on the floor, playing with the boys. “Kate LeClair is here.”
Pastor Jacob stood and Kate was amazed at how tall he was. His kind blue eyes made her feel just as welcome as Joy, and when he smiled, deep dimples lined his cheeks. “Hello, Kate. I’m Jacob Dawson.”
She shook his outstretched hand, amazed at the size as it engulfed her own. “Hello.”
But even the attractive pastor couldn’t keep her attention from wandering to the boys.
Three identical pairs of blue eyes stared up at her. Kate could hardly remember what Tabby looked like, but she remembered her cousin’s brilliant blue eyes, and saw them staring back at her now.
“And these are Tabby and Adam’s boys,” Joy said with a sad smile. She picked up the one closest to her. He giggled and pulled at the necklace around Joy’s neck. “This is Aiken,” she said. “He’s the oldest, though by only eight minutes I’ve been told. He’s the most curious and easiest to entertain.”
“Aiken.” Kate repeated his name, trying to appear calm when her heart was racing and her palms sweating. What if Joy handed the baby over to her? She hadn’t held a child in years—not since she’d held her own baby girl moments after she was born. But Kate refused to let herself think of that heart-wrenching day when she’d given her only child up for adoption.
She had this day to think about instead.
“And this one is Bryce,” Pastor Jacob said, lifting up the next baby. Bryce’s eyes shined and he burrowed his face into the pastor’s shirt. His thumb found his mouth and he sucked on it, peeking out at Kate in embarrassment. “He’s a little bashful and quiet, but once he warms up, he’s very affectionate.”
“Bryce,” Kate repeated, almost to herself. Aiken and Bryce.
“Carter is the one trying to escape.” Joy laughed as she went after the little boy climbing the stairs to get out of the room. She reached down and scooped the second toddler up like it was no big deal and walked back to Kate with both boys in her arms.
“You look like you’ve done that before,” Kate said in amazement.
“I have four-year-old twin daughters,” Joy said with a shrug. “It’s remarkable what you can do when you have no other choice.”
For the first time, Kate noticed Joy’s stomach under her loose blouse and realized she was expecting again. She didn’t look like she was far along, but enough to notice. Kate couldn’t stand around and let a pregnant woman hold two squirming babies.
It took all her willpower and a dose of prayer for Kate to step forward and offer to take one of the babies. “Would you like me to hold one?” she asked.
Joy handed over the runaway—Carter, if Kate remembered correctly. The little boy didn’t want to be in Kate’s arms and made his opinion known quickly.
“Dow,” he said, as he reached toward the floor and threw all his weight into his departure plan.
Kate’s heart fell as she latched onto the slippery little guy a moment before he almost tumbled out of her arms.
“He’s the one that will keep you on guard at all times,” Pastor Jacob said, as he approached Joy and Kate. “He reminds me of my little girl, Maggie.”
It took a few seconds for Kate’s pulse to slow again. “I hate to admit this,” she said to the other two, who looked completely at ease holding Aiken and Bryce, “but I have no idea what I’m doing.” And it wouldn’t pay to pretend—someone would be blind not to realize she was an inept caregiver. “I don’t know what Tabby was thinking when she named me their guardian.” If either of them actually knew Kate, they’d probably be laughing right about now. She had no business raising children. Hadn’t her mom and ex-boyfriend made that clear when they told her to give up her daughter?
“Unfortunately, as you know, you’re Tabby’s only living relative and—” Joy looked to Pastor Jacob “—Adam’s family has shown no interest in taking the babies, nor do I think Tabby and Adam would have wanted them to raise the boys.” Joy bounced as she held Aiken on her hip. The movement was so natural that Kate doubted the other woman even noticed that she was doing it. “Besides, you’ll catch on quickly. Just go easy on yourself.” She smiled. “You’ll see.”
Kate didn’t think she would—and didn’t even know how long she’d be in Timber Falls to find out. Triplets were not part of her five-year plan. Her life wasn’t conducive to raising children. Her apartment wasn’t big enough—and she still had thirteen months on tour.
There were so many things to consider and it had all happened so quickly. All she could think at the time was she needed get to these motherless babies. She’d have to make the big decisions later—after she had more sleep.
“You’ve had a long twenty-four hours,” Pastor Jacob said to Kate, as if reading her mind. “All of this has to be very overwhelming. If it’s okay with you, I volunteered to take you and the boys back to Tabby’s house.”
“And I’ll be over bright and early tomorrow morning to help you get settled,” Joy promised. “I’d come tonight, but—”
“We’re home!” At that moment, five noisy children ran into the room, all talking at once. They were followed by an older woman who didn’t seem to mind the chaos and smiled sweetly at Kate.
“Mrs. Thompson let us get ice-cream cones,” one of the boys said.
“Kate, this is Mrs. Thompson, our dear family friend,” Joy said to Kate. “More like a mother and grandmother, really.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Kate held tight to Carter, afraid the boy would try to plunge out of her grasp again, but she didn’t want to be rude and not shake the lady’s hand. She tried to maneuver her arm to hold the toddler and shake at the same time.
“No worries,” Mrs. Thompson said with a laugh. “You’ve got your hands full.”
The little girls, identical copies of each other, one in pink and one in purple, went to their mom. Aiken, Bryce and Carter all squealed with delight at seeing the kids. It was evident they were comfortable and familiar with them.
“We have parent–teacher conferences as soon as my husband comes home,” Joy explained to Kate. “Or I’d be the one taking you home this afternoon. I’m sorry.”
Kate’s head began to pound and her eyes felt gritty. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up to her, and she sensed she had a long night ahead. “It’s okay,” she said. “We’ll be fine. What time do you think you’ll stop by tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is Saturday, so the children will sleep in. I’ll come after breakfast, so about eight?”
“In the morning?” Kate’s eyes grew wide. After an evening performance, it wasn’t unusual for her to get to sleep at one or two in the morning and then to rise about ten or eleven o’clock. Sleeping in for her was noon.
Joy just smiled. “The boys will probably wake you up a lot earlier than eight.” She paused and then started again. “Oh, I forgot to mention that the social worker will also be coming tomorrow morning to meet with you and fill out some paperwork.”
Kate could only nod. At this point, she probably wouldn’t remember any of the details Joy had shared with her.
“If you’re ready,” Pastor Jacob said to Kate, “we could head over to the house now.”
Kate continued to nod, though she hardly knew what she was doing anymore.
There were so many children that her head was spinning.
“I’ll bring Aiken out to the minivan,” Joy offered.
“Minivan?” Kate asked.
“Tabby and Adam had a minivan,” Pastor Jacob explained. “I suppose it’s yours now.”
Kate would be expected to drive a minivan? She had her driver’s license, only because she’d needed one when she was in high school, but she hadn’t driven once since moving to New York.
“I’ll drive the minivan over to the house,” the pastor said as he led the way out of the mansion, all the children following them, talking and laughing. Pastor Jacob had to raise his voice to be heard over the noise. “I walked here earlier.”
“Ryan,” Joy called out, “can you grab the big suitcase, and, Jordan, can you get the smaller one?”
“What can I carry, Mama?” the youngest boy asked.
“You may carry the diaper bag, Kodi. It’s that one by the door.”
The little boy grabbed a backpack, a grin on his face.
A silver minivan sat beside the house and Pastor Jacob pulled a key fob from his pocket. He pressed a button and both of the side doors opened.
After all the babies were settled, and Carter made his opinion known about being tied into the car seat, Kate turned to Joy. “Thank you.”
Joy leaned over and hugged Kate. “You have my cell number. Do not hesitate to call, no matter the hour.” She pulled back and leveled a no-nonsense mom-look at Kate. “I’m serious. You call me if you need me.”
Kate couldn’t help but smile, the first since she’d arrived. “I will.”
“Good.” She clasped her hands and put them up to her lips. “I’ll be praying for you—and I’ll bring some breakfast tomorrow morning when I come.”
Pastor Jacob held the passenger door open and Kate got into the van.
“Everyone back inside!” Joy called to her brood, as she ushered them into the house and turned to wave one final time at Kate.
Pastor Jacob closed Kate’s door and went around to the driver’s side. He got into the minivan, and then paused as he looked at Kate. “Are you ready?”
“No.”
He laughed, his kind eyes softening at the edges. “I don’t blame you.”
With the boys babbling in the back, and a stranger at the wheel, Kate gripped her purse on her lap once again. She wasn’t ready—but life had taught her that it didn’t matter.
Jacob turned out of Bee Tree Hill estate and onto Main Street, very aware of the young woman beside him. It took a lot for him to get nervous or feel self-conscious, but from the moment Kate LeClair had stepped into the music room at Bee Tree Hill, he’d felt like a bumbling idiot.
She couldn’t be more than twenty-three or twenty-four, and despite the sleepless circles under her eyes, she was stunning. Her hair was thick and wavy and a dark shade of blond, but it was her eyes, which were large and expressive, that he had noticed first. He couldn’t place the color, since they were almost the same shade as her hair.
The silence had gone on for too long as Jacob tried to pull himself together. He was a pastor—a professional—not a schoolboy who didn’t know how to act in front of a pretty girl. He was helping her because it was his job and nothing more. “So, you’re a Broadway performer.” He’d been amazed when he’d learned about Kate’s profession from Tabby a while ago. He never thought he’d actually meet her. “I’ve never known a professional actress.”
Kate nodded as she took in the quaint downtown street. Row after row of brick buildings, large plate glass storefronts and flower baskets with mums filled Main Street.
“Is that something you’ve done for a while?” he asked, trying to keep her mind on something that was safe and familiar—and not the three toddlers in the back seat. They’d consume her attention soon enough.
“I started acting in grade school,” she said, finally looking at him. “I knew I wanted to be on Broadway when I was in high school, so I moved to New York after—” She paused and looked down at her purse. “It took me a long time to finally get a small role on Broadway. But it wasn’t until last year that I started touring with Les Misérables as the character Fantine. We’ve been on tour for eleven months now.”
“Wow. That’s a long time to be away from home.”
“The road becomes home, in a way,” she said wistfully. “I travel with almost a hundred people, from actors to directors and stage crew. Many of them are as close as family.”
Jacob shook his head at the thought. “It must be an amazing life.”
She looked back at the downtown. “It can be.”
What would she think of small, unassuming Timber Falls after she’d seen some of the biggest cities in America?
He came to a stop at the downtown intersection and flipped his blinker to turn right. “This is our Broadway,” he said with a self-conscious smile. “Not quite the same as yours. This one runs across the Mississippi River and connects the west side of town to the east side.” He turned east. “And there are no theaters on this street—but it is home to Timber Falls Community Church, which is pretty special to me.”
“Tabby’s house is near a church, if I remember correctly,” she said.
“Yes, right behind it, actually.” Jacob tried to sound nonchalant, though his pulse started to speed up. “We had been trying to get Tabby to sell the house to the church so we could expand.”
Kate turned and studied Jacob. “But she wouldn’t?”
Jacob shook his head. “It’s been in your family since it was built, apparently, and Tabby had no plans on selling.” Her refusal to sell hadn’t sat well with the church elders, though they had offered more money than the house was worth. The whole ordeal had almost caused Tabby and Adam to leave Timber Falls Community Church, but Jacob had been the one to finally convince the elders to think of other options, though they hadn’t agreed on one yet. There really weren’t any to choose from.
“Why do they want to buy the house?” Kate asked.
“To expand the church. There is a need for a Christian school in Timber Falls and our church, with its central location, is the ideal spot.”
“So why not buy one of the other houses around the church?”
“There are no other houses,” Jacob explained. “The church faces Broadway and sits on two city lots, wedged between Third and Fourth Street. Behind it are two more city lots. The historic Carnegie Library occupies one and your family home occupies the other.”
“I think I remember now,” Kate said. “I visited Timber Falls one summer when I was ten. I went to the library with Tabby almost every day.” She rubbed her temples and squinted against the sun. “It was so long ago, some of my memory is fuzzy.”
“I didn’t know you were here before.”
“It was only for a week.” She glanced over her shoulder at the boys who had quieted for the car ride. They were now old enough for forward-facing car seats and Jacob could see each of them in the rearview mirror. “That was the only time I ever spent with Tabby,” Kate continued. “We wrote letters back and forth through high school, but then—” She stopped again, just like she had before and seemed to reroute her conversation. “After high school we lost touch. Recently, I tried finding her on social media, but I don’t think she was there.”
“No.” Jacob shook his head. “We had several conversations about social media.” He smiled. “Tabby was not a fan.”
“I do remember she was a private person.” Kate chuckled to herself. “Far different than my life.” She paused for a moment. “I’m surprised the social worker was able to locate me. It’s been years since Tabby and I spoke.”
Jacob smiled. “Tabby knew exactly where you were all this time. She was very proud of who you became. She spoke of you often.”
Kate bit her bottom lip, but did not respond.
“She had you listed as her next of kin in her will, so it wasn’t hard for the social worker to find you.”
He turned onto Third Street, a little pride swelling his chest. “There’s the church,” he said, pointing to the large Gothic-and-Tudor-style building. “It was built by the Asher family over a hundred years ago.”
“Joy Asher’s family?” she asked in amazement.
“Her husband’s family, but yes, the same Ashers.”
Jacob pulled the minivan to a stop next to the curb in front of the house. “And here’s your family home. According to Tabby, it’s been here just as long.”
Kate looked out the window, shaking her head. “It’s as lovely as I recall.” She let out a sigh. “So picturesque. I remember how much I wanted to live in Timber Falls when I came to visit. I was so jealous that Tabby and her mom lived here when I was in a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago with my mom at the time.”
“Were your mom and Tabby’s mom sisters?”
“First cousins. If I remember correctly, it was their grandparents who built the house.”
The Craftsman bungalow had been meticulously cared for by Tabby and Adam over the years. It was painted a dark gray and had a large dormer window facing the front. A covered porch, thick white trim around the doors and windows, and charming flower boxes filled with red mums were only some of the delightful characteristics of the big house. A white picket fence encircled the landscaped yard, and a two-story brick carriage house, used as the garage, sat near the alley, directly between the home and the library.
“And you live nearby?” she asked, turning to look at Jacob.
He pointed across the street at the blue Queen Anne Victorian-era home with its bay windows, tall gables and wraparound porch. “I live there with my seven-year-old daughter, Maggie. It’s way too big for us, but it’s the parsonage, so that’s where we live.” He loved the home, but it only reminded him that he and Maggie were alone in the world.
Instead of focusing on what he didn’t have, though, he decided to change his course of thought. “Maggie’s really excited to meet you. She wants to be an actress one day.”
Kate offered a pretty smile. “I’d like to meet her, too.”
Jacob was blindsided by the smile and struggled to find his voice.
One of the boys started to cry and wiggle to get out of his car seat.
“Should we get the boys inside?” he asked.
Taking a deep breath, Kate nodded. “It sounds like they’re ready, even if I’m not.”
Jacob pressed the buttons overhead to open the side doors and then he and Kate stepped out of the minivan.
“Just pinch those two buttons,” Jacob said when he noticed she was struggling to get Carter out of his car seat. The little boy was straining against the harness holding him in place, causing Kate to clench her jaw.
“Here?” she asked.
Jacob nodded as he stepped into the minivan, which wasn’t an easy feat, given his height, and unbuckled Bryce from the back seat. He moved backward to exit the vehicle, knowing he probably looked like a giant getting out of a clown car, and then worked with one hand to free Aiken while still holding Bryce.
“How in the world did Tabby and Adam manage?” Kate asked, as she yanked on the harness to no avail.
“She didn’t go out much,” Jacob said matter-of-factly. “Though she was getting out more in the past couple of months since the boys were a little more manageable.”
“This is manageable?” Kate shook her head, her eyes wide.
Carter was now throwing a fit, wanting out of his car seat.
Jacob rushed around the minivan and handed Aiken over to Kate. “Here, let me help.”
Kate took the little boy, tears rimming her eyes. “I can’t do this.”
He pushed the button and the boy was free. Jacob scooped him up in his arms and Carter immediately settled.
“See?” Kate said. “I can’t even get him out of his car seat. How am I supposed to take care of them when I can’t do a simple thing like unhook a seat belt?”
“Remember, I’ve had years of experience.” He tried to give her a reassuring smile. “You’ll feel better when you get some rest. And I’m just across the street at any time.”
She took another deep breath and nodded.
He admired her determination.
“I’ll come out and get your luggage later.” Jacob managed to press the sliding-door button on the key fob, thankful for the modern technology that made it possible to hold two squirming eighteen-month-old boys and close the minivan doors at the same time.
Kate unlatched the front gate and the five of them walked up the path to the enclosed porch.
“The key should be under the welcome mat,” Jacob said to Kate.
“Seriously?”
He nodded.
“I thought people only did that on television.” She shook her head. “Why lock the door if people know there’s a key under the mat?”
“Since moving to Timber Falls, I’ve realized that locks are merely a formality.” He grinned. “But the town is safe and most people don’t have a need for them.”
She leaned over, pulled aside the welcome mat and lifted up the key. “I’m starting to remember why I wanted to live here when I was a child.”
“And now?” he asked. “Do you still feel that way?”
“I worked really hard for my life in New York.” She let her gaze wander down Third Street where most of the homes were either Craftsman or Victorian. The mature trees reached across the street and touched, their branches intertwined like clasped hands. Children played in a nearby park, parents pushed strollers toward the library and the church bell chimed five times, letting the kids know supper would be on the table soon.
Kate sighed. “I have so many decisions to make.”
“Once you live here,” Jacob said, “it’s hard to leave.” He knew that firsthand. He hated to think that he and Maggie would have to leave if he didn’t fulfill his promise to start a school at Timber Falls Community Church within the year. It had been one of the stipulations the elders had given him when he’d been hired two years ago. They had given him a three-year plan, and in it they’d included the school. If it weren’t built and ready to go by next September, he would be replaced. He needed to have a location ready by the first of the year, or they’d never have enough time.
That didn’t give him long to convince Kate LeClair to sell—but now was not the time to ask.