“Oh, I’m sorry,” Tom caught her in a hug. “It’s not your papa.”

  Kelly looked past Tom to see a tall, dark man with white, curly hair. “Who is it?”

  The man’s eyes twinkled. “Is there a lady here by the name of Nellie Worthy?”

  “John!” Kelly whirled around in time to see Granny slowly sink to the floor.

  Tom and Kelly both grabbed for her, but the stranger beat them both and caught Granny around the waist.

  The stranger kept Granny upright, but his hearty laugh rang out. “Now, my Darling Nellie, is that any way to greet a long-lost husband?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Mama’s Letter

  “BRING HER INSIDE,” URGED KELLY. She held the door open for the stranger.

  The stranger swung Granny into his arms and strode into the house.

  “Put me down, youn’ man,” scolded Granny. “I’m fully capable of walkin’.”

  Kelly exchanged a grin with Tom. Granny sounded like herself again, and the “young man’s” hair was completely white.

  The man chuckled. “Nellie, I don’t believe you have changed a bit.” He lowered her on the sofa and sat down beside her.

  In the silence that followed, Kelly asked, “Does anyone care for tea or coffee?”

  “Not me,” said Tom. “There’s another storm coming, so I need to leave right away. This man was very anxious to come.” Tom winked at Kelly and waved in farewell.

  The two on the sofa seemed not to hear them. Kelly scooped up her school books and said, “I’ll be up at the light.” She was not surprised when no one answered.

  Kelly remained up at the light all afternoon. She wished she had brought up her quilt or her paints. She was tired of doing school work. Then suddenly, she remembered the letter from Mama she had found.

  Kelly hurried down the stairs, anxious to read the letter. Hearing voices at the door to the living room, Kelly stopped, suddenly uneasy about the stranger.

  “Come in, Kelly,” Granny called. “Supper’s ready.”

  “I need to do the chores first,” Kelly remembered.

  “John did them,” Granny answered.

  Kelly shyly glanced at the man sitting at their table.

  He smiled kindly. “I hope I did everything right. Your animals are all so friendly.”

  Kelly felt herself relax. Granny was beaming as she set the bowl of vegetable soup on the table. “Are you really Granny’s husband?” Kelly blurted out.

  “Isn’t God amazin’?” said Granny.

  During supper, John explained about the telegram he received from Homer. “It was what I had been praying for, for many years. And when my answer came, I was almost too shocked to believe it. But I packed my bag and left on the next train.”

  John and Granny’s obvious happiness was contagious. Supper was a merry affair. But as they did the dishes, Kelly kept glancing at the Bible on the mantel. She knew Mama’s letter was tucked inside. She longed to touch it again, and yet she felt afraid to read it. I’ll wait until tomorrow, she decided.

  “Kelly,” said John, after the dishes were finished. “Nellie said you found a letter from your mama. Do you want me to read it to you?”

  Kelly looked at him in surprise. There was such a gentle kindness about this man that Kelly trusted him. She nodded mutely, grabbed Granny’s afghan, and curled up on the sofa.

  Granny retrieved the Bible and handed John the letter. “I’m glad you learned to read,” said Granny, wistfully. “I never did.”

  “Oh, Granny,” said Kelly. “I didn’t know. I’ll teach you.”

  “Nonsense!” protested Granny. “I’m too old to learn.”

  “Too old, are you?” John’s eyes twinkled as he teased. He glanced at Kelly. “Do you think between us two youngsters we can teach an old lady to read?”

  “Hey, you ol’ man!” Granny’s face was flushed, and she couldn’t contain her laughter. “You’re older than me!” She shook her finger at him. “Maybe you better prove you kin read first.”

  Kelly couldn’t keep from laughing either, especially when John winked at her and cleared his throat loudly before picking up the letter.

  John began reading in a deep voice. “To My Most Beloved Daughter Kelly.” John lowered the letter. “You look so much like Caroline, as I remember her.”

  “You knew my mama?” asked Kelly.

  “Only as a child,” said John, his voice heavy with regret.

  “Did you know my father, too?”

  John shook his head. “I never met him.”

  “She has her father’s eyes,” said Granny. “Sometimes when she smiles, I see her Papa Justin.”

  Warmth flooded Kelly’s heart at Granny’s words.

  “Justin?” John sat up straighter. “This wasn’t by any chance Justin McDaniels, was it? He did say his wife’s name was Caroline.”

  “Why yes, it was,” responded Granny. “Did you meet him?”

  “Did he have a brother Louis?”

  “He did! Did you know him?” asked Kelly, excitedly.

  John carefully laid the letter on the coffee table. He went to his bag and retrieved two more letters. “I was with them in the war. I didn’t carry a weapon. I just helped the medics. They were good, honorable men, Kelly. I was with them when they died. They died trying to save their comrades.”

  Kelly felt overwhelmed. Granny patted her shoulder. “Do you want John to finish reading the letter, or would you rather wait?”

  “I want him to finish the letter,” Kelly answered. She felt closer to her parents than ever before.

  “Before I continue,” said John. “I need to tell you, I have a letter here your father asked me to give to his wife, should I ever locate her, which I never did.”

  “Oh, my!” Kelly fingered the letter in awe.

  “And this letter,” continued John, “is from Justin’s brother, Louis. He asked me to give it to Caroline’s sister, Shelby, or something like that?”

  “Aunt Shelly?” asked Kelly.

  “Yes, that sounds right. He was sweet on her.”

  “Oh, my! I didn’t know that!” Granny cried.

  “Do you know where she is?” asked John.

  Granny shook her head. “I don’t even know if she is still alive. Oh, John!”

  “I think I will give both of these letters to Kelly. She can read them when she is ready. Or if you want me to, I’ll read them to you,” offered John.

  Kelly held the letters close for a minute, and then handed them to Granny. “Can you put them in the Bible for another day? I want to hear Mama’s letter to me now.”

  “To My Most Beloved Daughter Kelly,” John began again. He lowered the letter. Love shone from his eyes as he told her, “Your mama loved you, Kelly. And your father did, too. He bragged about you to anyone who would listen.”

  Kelly nodded through her tears.

  “If you are reading this or someone is reading this to you,” John continued, “then I have probably gone home to be with Jesus. Oh, my Darling Kelly . . . ”

  Kelly closed her eyes and listened to her mama’s words of love. For the first time, Mama seemed real to her. Kelly felt close to her and closer to Jesus. Mama spoke lovingly of Jesus, the same Jesus Papa and Granny had taught her about for as long as she could remember.

  “With all my love, Mama,” finished John. He handed Kelly the letter.

  Kelly held the letter close and whispered, “I’m going up to the light.”

  “I’ll come—”

  “No, Granny,” said Kelly. “Tulip and I will be fine.” She scooped up the cat and her basket of kittens. Right now, Kelly didn’t want anyone to know how she ached for her papa.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  More Letters

  KELLY GAZED OUT ACROSS THE white-capped water. Another winter storm was fast approaching. Another storm to make it unsafe for travelers. The light shone bright across the rolling waves. Soon Kelly would need to start the fog horn, unless Grandpa John beat her to it. Kelly smiled. Grandpa John, as he asked her to call him, had taken over a number of her chores. It didn’t take Kelly long to like the godly man that had joined their household. Grandpa John’s love for Jesus and others was very obvious.

  Only this morning, Grandpa John had read the letter to Kelly that her father had written to her mama before he died. The letter Grandpa John had carried with him for thirteen years while he searched for Kelly’s mama, not knowing she had died shortly after Kelly’s father had.

  Having Grandpa John read the letters out loud first made it easier for Kelly to pick them up and read them again on her own. Father’s last words to Mama were filled with love for her and their daughter, Kelly. Kelly felt tears filling her eyes as she thought of the man that had loved her, the papa that she never knew. Like Mama’s letter to her, her father’s letter also spoke of his love for Jesus and their reunion in heaven someday.

  Kelly had read Mama’s letter so many times she was afraid it would soon fall apart. Granny finally suggested Kelly rewrite the letter, so she could read the words whenever she wanted to, but keep the original in the Bible. Kelly did that. Tomorrow, she would do the same with her father’s letter to Mama.

  Kelly thought of the unopened letter in the Bible to Aunt Shelly from Uncle Louis. Granny and Grandpa John both told her she had the right to read the letter, since no one had heard from her Aunt Shelly for many years. But Kelly decided to wait awhile yet.

  Kelly picked up Papa’s field glass and surveyed the ocean. She made a circle around the light, ending with the glass pointing at the small village of Stone Haven. Fishermen were pulling their smaller boats from the water to protect them from the coming storm. Others were covering and securing the larger sloops.

  Wait! What is that? It looks like—yes! It is! Kelly held the glass steady. A large sloop was pulling away from the dock and heading out to the ocean. “Oh, no!” Kelly whispered. “Go back! Go back! It’s too dangerous! Why doesn’t somebody stop them? They won’t even make it to the lighthouse before the storm hits. The waves are too high already.”

  But the sloop was in full sail and heading out to the ocean! Kelly put down the glass and tore down the stairs as fast as she could. She started the fog horn full blast, and then she hurried into the house. “Oh Granny!” she cried. “A sloop just took to the ocean. The waves are too high. It will never make it!”

  Grandpa John came in from the barn in time to hear Kelly’s outburst. He joined Granny at the window where the snow was already coming down, fast and furious. “We need to pray,” he said. Immediately, he reached for Granny’s hand and put his other arm around Kelly’s waist.

  “Lord Jesus, we ask You to keep Your protecting hand over the boat that set out from Stone Haven in this storm. We ask that You keep them from danger. Please, guide them to a safe harbor. Show us what we can do to help them. Dear God, we ask this in the name of Your Beloved Son Jesus Christ. Thank you! Amen.”

  Kelly dashed back up the seventy-eight steps of the lighthouse. Through the storm, she could make out the sloop. It was larger than she first thought and was coming straight to the island. She rushed back down the steps. “It’s coming here,” she called, as she grabbed her heavy coat and scarf.

  “Wait,” called Grandpa John. “Do you recognize the boat?”

  Kelly shrugged into her coat and fastened it securely. “No, I don’t. But it’s larger than I thought.”

  “It might be danger,” Granny said. “Maybe we should lock the door.”

  “Whoever it is needs shelter from the storm,” said Grandpa John. “We need to let them in. But wait, Kelly. I want to go with you. Also, we should take a light.”

  Kelly rushed to light one of the lanterns they always kept ready for an emergency. “Should we take two?” she asked.

  Grandpa John answered as Granny tied the scarf around his head. “One should be plenty. Do you have cleats for your boots? It’s liable to be icy.”

  Kelly hurried to get hers and brought Papa’s for Grandpa John.

  Granny started reaching for her coat, but Grandpa John stopped her. “Why don’t you stay here and keep supper hot for us. We’re going to be cold and hungry when we get back.”

  Granny nodded. “I’ll make sure there’s plenty of coffee and hot chocolate, too. Please, be careful!”

  Grandpa John reached for the lantern with one hand; with the other hand, he reached for Kelly’s. Kelly gladly grabbed his as they made their way to the dock.

  The wind almost took her breath away, and the snow stung like ice. Kelly scanned the ocean looking for the sloop. She couldn’t make it out, but hoped the captain knew where the dock was. If they tried to dock on the wrong side of the island, they would be in trouble.

  The lantern’s light did not shine far in the swirling storm, but the light from the lighthouse still shone through. Kelly was worried that Grandpa John would not be able to make it to the dock. Why had she let him come along? Several times, he had almost lost his footing. Yet she felt safer with him beside her.

  Suddenly, Kelly’s foot went out from under her. She tried to let go of Grandpa John’s hand so she wouldn’t pull him down with her as she fought to regain her balance. But Grandpa John held on. The swinging light from the lantern showed him struggling to stay upright.

  Finally, Kelly gained control about the same time Grandpa John did. He laughed and pulled her close. “Together, we’ll make it.”

  Kelly nodded as they continued on their way. There! The sloop was big and coming fast, heading straight for the dock. At least the captain seemed to know his business.

  They had to hurry to be at the dock before the sloop. Finally, Kelly let go of Grandpa John’s hand and ran the rest of the way. She reached the dock just as the sloop pulled smoothly along the side of the dock and gently bumped into the piling.

  Kelly raced up to the icy dock, hoping the cleats would keep her from slipping into the icy water. She stopped and looked to the dark form at the wheel. He rushed to the side and tossed her the rope.

  Kelly caught it and quickly tied the knot that would hold the sloop securely in place. She raced to the end of the dock in time to catch the second rope, glad Papa had taught her how.

  By the time she turned around, the captain stood between her and land. Before Kelly could move, the captain grabbed her up in his strong arms. “Kelly-girl!” said a familiar voice in her ears.

  “Papa! Papa!” screamed Kelly. “Oh, Papa! It’s really you!”

  Papa hugged her again. “How I’ve missed you, Kelly-girl.”

  Kelly stared into the familiar blue eyes in amazement. Papa had come home.

  “Let’s get out of this storm,” said Papa, as he set her down. “Can you take the little boys inside?” He turned and lifted out two little, tightly-bundled boys and set them beside Kelly. “Now boys,” he continued, “you hold on to Kelly’s hand, and don’t let go.”

  Kelly could see there was another person on board, but decided not to ask questions now. She grabbed a mitten-covered hand from each of them. They both looked frightened. Questions raced through Kelly’s mind as she tried to coax the boys into coming with her.

  They both pulled back, and Kelly had to grab one to keep him from sliding off the icy dock into the churning water.

  The other one dashed back to Papa and clung to his pants. “Papa!” he cried.

  The boy Kelly still hung onto joined in. “Papa,” he cried, too. “Benji!”

  Papa’s voice was firm. “Benji is safe in my pocket. Go with Kelly now.”

  Kelly turned to stare at Papa in amazement. But Papa was busy helping someone else from the sloop. Was it a woman? Who was Benji in Papa’s pocket? And why were the boys calling him Papa?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Family

  “COME, BOYS,” KELLY COAXED. AT least they were off of the icy dock and away from the churning ocean.

  “Mama,” cried the boy on her right.

  “Mama,” repeated the boy on her left. He promptly plopped down in the snow. The first boy did the same.

  Kelly knew she couldn’t possibly carry both of them to the house. She knelt beside them. “Do you want hot chocolate?” she asked. The boys nodded and willingly went with her to the house.

  “Oh my!” exclaimed Granny when they came inside. “Little children!”

  They helped the two boys out of their outer garments. Kelly’s heart melted at the two pairs of dark brown eyes that regarded her, and then swung to look at Granny. Of one accord, they turned and clung to Kelly, throwing fearful looks at Granny.

  Granny chuckled. “A little hot chocolate will warm you up in more ways than one.”

  “May I have hot shoc’late?” asked one of the boys. He left Kelly’s side to follow Granny. The other boy cuddled closer to Kelly.

  The door opened, and Papa stepped into the room with his hands full of bags. Kelly hurried to help him.

  “I’m gonna have hot shoc’late, Papa,” called a little voice from the kitchen doorway.

  “Me, too,” piped up the second one. But he ran to the person behind Papa. “Mama!” he said.

  Kelly looked up to see a beautiful woman unwrapping a scarf from her head. The lady smiled at her. “You must be Kelly,” she said. “I’m your mama’s sister, Shelly.” Kelly watched in fascination as Aunt Shelly opened her shawl to reveal a wiggling bundle. “And this,” continued Aunt Shelly, “is Lori Ann.”

  Papa lifted the little blonde-haired girl from the sling. Lori Ann turned in his arms and squealed, “Papa!”

  Papa smiled at Kelly. “Aunt Shelly is also your new mama. And this is your new sister. Lori Ann is two years old. I think you already met Richard and Robert, your two new brothers. They are twins and four years old.” He set Lori Ann on the floor and reached into his coat pocket. “And this,” he continued, as he placed a wiggling bundle of black and brown fur on the floor, “is Benji.”

  “Benji!” squealed all three children at once.

  Lori Ann was closest and picked up the little puppy. Both boys tried to take it away from her.

  “Robbie. Richie,” scolded Papa. “Let Lori Ann hold him a little.”

  Kelly’s mind was swirling faster than the snow outside. Papa was married? To Aunt Shelly? I have two brothers and a sister?

 

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