was plenty of time for more blood today.
He complained in his head, but he didn’t really mean it. He supposed sarcasm was his natural defense against caring for these kids. Allowing his heart to be soft and tender toward their plight and commiserating with them would only lead to more pain.
It was so easy to relate to them. At least he’d been older when he lost his parents.
The doorbell rang again.
He shut the water off and grabbed a towel, having gotten good at using one arm to wrap it around Garrett’s body and lift him out of the tub while not setting Trevor down, who seemed to have forgotten completely how to use his feet and cried every time they touched the floor.
“You’d think that confounded woman would figure out that I’m not coming to the door and just open it herself.”
Poppy wasn’t shy; surely she could let herself in. “Actually, I hate to even say this, but I’m really looking forward to seeing her smile today. I think we could all use it.”
He held Garrett against his body and rubbed a little with the towel while looking in his eyes and nodding.
“Poppy?” Garrett said. “Sunday school.”
West nodded. “Yep. Your Sunday school teacher. She’s going to be here soon, with her smile and eternal optimism. Maybe she’ll have a bag of pull-ups. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“I want truck pull-ups.”
“Even if they have Barbie dolls on them, you’re going to wear them.”
“No. Dolls is for girls. Me want trucks.”
He shouldn’t have said that. Would it damage the kid if the pull-ups were pink and he made him wear them anyway? He supposed there was a school of thought that shouted an outraged no to that question.
Just because that school of thought was loud didn’t make it right. Honestly, he wasn’t really sure.
“If I wear Barbie doll pull-ups, will you wear them?”
Garrett’s thunder brows eased, and the pouty look came off his face while his lips twitched. “No.”
Figures. West got the impression from the look on Garrett’s face that even though he wouldn’t wear the Barbie doll pull-ups, he’d enjoy watching West wear them.
“I don’t think I’m going to either. They might damage me.”
Felt like he was already damaged. Barbie doll pull-ups probably weren’t going to do anything to him that he hadn’t already done to himself.
“We don’t even know if she has pull-ups. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it, how about it?” He gave a decisive nod, which Garrett returned.
“Play in river?” he asked.
West almost laughed. It was cute the way his mind worked, but he needed to make sure that the kid understood. “The river’s dangerous unless I’m with you. I don’t want you anywhere near it unless you have a big person with you, okay?”
Garrett nodded solemnly, but West kinda figured he probably didn’t understand. Still, didn’t hurt to start teaching him now. If they were going to spend any amount of time here, he didn’t want one of them accidentally falling down the bank and drowning in the river.
His body chilled at the thought, and he checked around to make sure all the kids were accounted for.
He counted three, and Gabriella was in her crib. All good.
The doorbell rang once more, and West was tempted to leave her outside.
“Because that crazy woman is going to make me walk to the door, isn’t she?”
“Ray ray woman?”
His lip pulled back and down as he looked at Garrett. “I shouldn’t have said that. I’ll try to do better. Please don’t you say it.” Especially not in front of her.
His eyes crinkled at the thought of Poppy’s outrage at hearing the boys call her that crazy woman.
It wouldn’t make her mad. She’d just know exactly where the words came from, since the kids wouldn’t have come up with that on their own.
He liked the idea and gave serious thought to encouraging Garrett to say it.
No, he couldn’t do that to Garrett; it wasn’t right. To encourage him to do something unkind just so he could get a charge out of Poppy’s reaction.
Maybe he could get Garrett to call her Pollyanna though. That really wasn’t mean.
With both boys in his arms, he strode down the hall, glancing into the bedroom where Minnie lay on his bed, in the same position she’d been when he’d walked back with Garrett and his pooped diaper underwear.
He slowed, listening for any sound from Gabriella. She’d already been up, eaten, and gone back to bed.
Or maybe that was just the fourth time she’d gotten up