Free Wanted: A Family by Janet Dean

then raised her lace-trimmed parasol and took her husband’s arm. As the couple ambled toward them, Callie knew the moment they spied Elise by the hitch in their stride.
    Elise’s steps slowed. “Turn around.”
    “We’ll do no such thing. You’re neither a criminal nor contagious.” As the couple approached, Callie smiled. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Burch, Mr. Burch.”
    “Hello, Mrs. Mitchell,” Mr. Burch said. “Fine day.”
    Mrs. Burch gave a nod. “Hello, Callie.”
    The couple passed by, not uttering a word to Elise. Behind her, Callie could hear Mrs. Burch whispering. The word disgrace and shameful reached her ears. No doubt Elise’s, too.
    Did these people believe they’d never done anything wrong? Mrs. Burch was known to gossip. Mr. Burch had an affair with his secretary a few years back. The woman left town and the marriage survived. Still, what right did they have to treat Elise like an outcast?
    Elise clenched a shaking hand over her shawl. “If I keep my baby, it’ll never be accepted in this town.” She turned sorrowful eyes on Callie. “I want to talk to Sally and Albert Thompson.”
    As much as seeing Elise snubbed hurt, Callie knew sin had consequences. But those consequences shouldn’t spill over onto an innocent baby.
    A lump rose in her throat. For all intents and purposes, Callie was an unwed mother herself. Not with the social stigma Elise faced, but with the same realities. “Talk to Doc Wellman. Talk to Pastor Steele. If you still want togive up your baby after that, I’ll arrange a meeting with the Thompsons.”
    But inside Callie wanted to scream—don’t let anyone force you into that decision. She remembered the loving arms of her mother. Arms she still missed. If Elise wanted her child in her arms, then that’s where her baby should be, but Callie had no right to interfere.
    She hoped Elise understood that once she gave up her baby to the Thompsons, she couldn’t change her mind, no matter how much that decision broke her heart.
    Lord, give Elise wisdom to make the right choice.
    Here she’d been advising Elise and praying for the girl’s wisdom, but what about her own decisions? Could she be both mother and father to her baby? Could she provide for her baby’s needs? How long could she take care of her child and still provide support for the unwed mothers’ shelter? The money she made writing the town history wouldn’t last forever. Callie swallowed against the lump in her throat.
    What would she do then?
    What she would not do is worry. The tightness in her chest eased. If God gave an assignment, he enabled its success. She’d find a way to care for these girls and her precious child.
    Unbidden, the image of Jacob Smith popped into her mind. She forced it away. Nothing good would come from her attraction to that man.
     
    After securing the last board on the porch, Jake stowed the tools, his work done for the day. The idea of examining those newspapers and scrapbooks for information about his birth crept into his thoughts. If he asked to see them, Mrs. Mitchell would want an explanation. An explanation he couldn’t give.
    The temptation to enter her house uninvited lurchedin his stomach. Unlocked or not, such an action would be deceitful. Time in jail didn’t mean he’d lost his standards. Perhaps she’d give him an opportunity. But for now he’d visit the café, talk to that chatty waitress and see what he could learn. Nothing to stop him now that he’d finished the porch.
    Not so long ago he’d lived behind bars, confined to a space the size of the lean-to. Now he could move about the Mitchell property, the town of Peaceful, why, the State of Indiana, even the whole country if he got the itch to roam. Grinning, he gave a whoop, then headed out.
    On Liberty, he entered the Corner Café, a nondescript colorless place, but spotless as a shiny penny. All eyes turned to him, the stranger in town. Some filled with curiosity. Most appeared welcoming. Not the reaction