Twin Wishes. Kathryn Alexander

on. Julianne hoped Luke would leave soon, before the twins decided they didn’t want him to go. She had a sinking feeling they could burst into teary-eyed protests at any moment.

      “I need to go to Minneapolis this morning to look over a job site for a landscaping project I’ve accepted. I probably can’t be back here until around four-thirty.” Luke glanced from his sister back to Julianne Quinn. He hadn’t really looked at her when he had first entered the room. He’d been too concerned about the children’s reaction to their new surroundings, but now he noticed she was tall, blond and had friendly brown eyes. And he had a business to run. “Is four-thirty too late to pick them up?” he asked.

      “No, that would be fine,” Julianne responded. “We’ll be open until six.” She smiled at him, but he didn’t return the gesture.

      Luke turned and quickly exited the room. That seemed the wisest thing to do since the kids were momentarily distracted by the toys and other children. He felt guilty for leaving them like that. No hugs, no goodbyes. But he knew it was the better choice. Anytime they said goodbye to him now, they cried. It was almost as if each time he left, they thought they might never see him again. And Luke sympathized with them, knowing they had reason to be afraid. That’s what had happened with their mother. Luke had taken her to the hospital, and she had not returned home. But that had been months ago. Fourteen to be exact. Luke exhaled a long sigh as he climbed into the dark blue pickup with O’Hara’s Landscaping printed in white lettering on both doors. Today, a hot summer day in July, marked a pivotal point in their lives, although the twins were too young to understand its significance. This was a new day in a new community and, maybe, just maybe, a new beginning for Luke and his children. If only he could loosen his grip on the past.

      Julianne’s first day with the children was a rather uneventful one compared to what she’d expected. The twins stayed close to each other most of the time. She’d had to break up a squabble or two between them before lunchtime, but that wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for four-year-olds, she knew too well. Aunt Maggie stopped in several times during the day to check on her niece and nephew, but they waved at her and went on with their play. The only problem Julianne encountered was nap time which followed the lunch hour. Nora cried when Julianne switched off the lights although the room still had plenty of light from the sun sifting through the polka-dot curtains. Julianne sat down on one of the blue mats next to Nora and put her arm around the little girl. Within two seconds, Todd scooted over by her on the other side and nestled snugly into her other arm. The other children in the room all rested on their mats as was their normal routine during this time of the day. But neither Nora nor Todd slept a wink. They remained cuddled up by Julianne for the entire hour, fighting a gallant and victorious battle against the sandman. The two were quiet most of the time, only occasionally saying something to Julianne, who had asked them not to disturb the other children. When the rest period ended, Nora returned to coloring the picture of kittens she’d been working on earlier, saying to Todd, “I told you she wasn’t going away.”

      Julianne went on with story time, having all the children gather around in a circle on the worn braided rug to listen to her read. She couldn’t help but wonder how helpless Nora and Todd must have felt when their mother slipped away from them. Maggie had told Julianne about Kimberly O’Hara and how leukemia had taken her life last year. The Lord had helped Luke and the kids through the tragedy Maggie had explained, although Luke hadn’t seen it that way. He’d given up on his faith entirely after his wife’s death. The only remaining connection between himself and the church was his attempt to get the kids there when he could. Kimberly had asked him to promise to raise the children as Christians. That was one of the reasons he had moved to Fairweather, Minnesota this summer—to be near his sister Maggie and her husband Frank, both dedicated Christians who would help him try to keep his promise to Kimberly. As for himself, Luke didn’t believe in much of anything anymore except hard work and honesty. Admirable qualities, his sister had acknowledged, but hardly sufficient for raising a family. Maggie was quick to point out that Luke needed more. He needed the Lord, he needed to stop letting his work turn him into an “absentee” parent and, Maggie believed, he needed a wife who could help point him in the right direction. And Julianne Quinn would know which direction was right.

      When four-thirty finally arrived that first day, Luke returned to the center to pick up his children, and he wasn’t surprised when Nora and Todd came running, shrieking with delight into his arms after a long day apart. Luke wore new blue jeans and a short-sleeved work shirt of light gray, neither of which were dirty since he had done little manual labor in the past eight hours. He had inspected a job site and purchased necessary supplies to begin the project in Minneapolis tomorrow. Then he had discussed his plans with the three college kids his brother-in-law, Frank Wren, had lined up for him as temporary help. They’d each been in the Book-Stop Frank owned and mentioned they were looking for summer work. Frank told them about Luke’s landscaping business and the need for a couple of extra pairs of hands in the coming weeks. The boys were exactly the help Luke was looking for, and they agreed to work for a reasonable sum. With most of his mental to-do list for the day accomplished, he was glad to get back to the twins and find out how Maggie’s day-care center was working out for them. If he couldn’t get the kids settled into some kind of an acceptable routine, Fairweather might not turn out to be much of an improvement over the suburbs of Chicago. Luke had higher hopes than that.

      “Well, it looks like they’re glad to see their father,” Julianne remarked as she watched Luke gather both children into his arms for a hearty hug. “They’ve been watching for you from the side window for the past two hours.”

      “Did they do okay today?” Luke asked, glancing from his kids into Julianne’s gentle brown eyes. He suddenly thought that she looked like she was meant for this job—spending her days caring for children.

      “They did very well,” she answered and reached for the red-striped backpack Maggie had left for them. “We did need Fluffy and Dunkum, from time to time for some comforting. I’m glad you packed their stuffed animals in this bag.” Julianne thought of the crying spell Nora and Todd had both experienced in midafternoon. Too much newness for their four-year-old spirits to absorb. “New home, new place, new teacher. It’s a lot for them to adjust to.”

      Luke’s frown was an immediate overreaction. He needed this arrangement to work and any hint that it might not, didn’t sit well with him. “Didn’t Maggie check on them?”

      Just then, Maggie entered the door behind her brother and placed her hand on his shoulder. “Yes, I checked on these little characters several times, Luke, and they were absolutely fine. Nothing to worry about at all. Just ask their teacher.”

      Julianne nodded in agreement. “They really were okay, Mr. O’Hara. I think they had some fun today. I hope you’ll bring them back tomorrow.”

      “He will,” Maggie answered for her brother, which turned his frown into something close to a smile. “He has to because this is where I’ll be.”

      “You’re hard to argue with, Maggie.” Luke released the children from a hug, and they immediately began complaining. Their favorite place lately seemed to be in their father’s embrace. “C’mon, kids. Let’s go have supper.” He extended an arm to accept the backpack from Julianne. “Nora and Todd will be here around seven-thirty in the morning. Thanks for taking care of them today.”

      “You’re welcome. I’ll look forward to seeing them tomorrow. Bye, Nora. Bye, Todd. See you in the morning.” She looked at Luke with questioning eyes. “And, Fluffy and Dunkum…don’t forget to bring them, too.”

      Luke nodded and guided the children and their stuffed animals toward the doorway. “Thank you, Miss Quinn…and Maggie, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

      “Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?” Maggie offered before the trio disappeared through the door.

      “Some other time, thanks. I have some figures to go over tonight while the kids are having their meat loaf and mashed potatoes,” Luke responded, and then they were off, into the truck and on their way to the two-story, older home Luke had purchased not far from Frank and Maggie’s place.

      “He