Page 3 of More Than Meets the Eye

Evie laughed, too, even though she didn’t think biting was particularly funny. A kitten had bitten her finger once, and it hurt for two days afterward. But if biting would keep her and Hamilton together, she’d bite someone, too.

“Get back to your seats, children,” Miss Woodson called from the front of the car. “We’re almost to Bonham. You’ll need to gather your belongings.”

Evie shared a look with Hamilton, then climbed off the seat and headed back to where they’d been sitting. Her tummy twisted and pinched at the thought of what might happen when the train stopped, but she remembered what Mama had always told her to do when she felt afraid.

Once in her seat, she folded her hands in her lap, bowed her head, and closed her eyes.

Don’t let them take Hamilton away from me. Please. I need somebody down here who loves me.

An hour later, Evie stood on a raised platform in the local courthouse with Hamilton, Seth, and Zach, waiting for the families to come in and look them over.

“Stand tall, don’t fidget, and speak only when spoken to.” Miss Woodson gave the same instructions she did at every stop as she walked the line to inspect them one last time. She paused to tug Seth’s coat sleeves down over his wrists, then ran a smoothing hand over Evie’s hair. When she moved toward Zach, he gave her such a mean look that she backed away without touching him. “Smile,” she said as she shot a chiding look at the boy slouching in the corner, “and mind your manners.”

The families started coming in, and Evie’s heart raced. Please let someone want me. And Hamilton. Together. Please.

She did everything Miss Woodson had told her. She didn’t fidget. Stood tall as she could manage. Smiled. All while hiding her eyes. She kept her face downcast, watching feet instead of faces move through the courthouse lobby.

Hamilton stood a few feet away, talking with a man and his wife.

“We really only want a boy, one who can help in the fields,” the man was saying.

“Remember the agreement you signed, Mr. Potter.” Miss Woodson joined the group. “Any child you receive must be treated as a member of your family. And if you expect a farmhand’s labor from him, you must offer a farmhand’s wages.”

“I know. But he’s talkin’ about me takin’ on his sister as well. She’s too young to be much help on the farm, and if I’m payin’ wages, I won’t have the funds to feed and clothe another child.”

“Let’s just look at her, John. Please? She’s got the same reddish-brown hair Nellie did. Maybe if I had another girl around the kitchen, I wouldn’t miss our daughter so.” A gray skirt swished in Evie’s direction.

Evie smiled as wide as she could stretch her lips. Please want me. Please want me.

The lady in gray stopped in front of Evie, then hunkered down. Determined to hide her eyes, Evie kept her gaze focused on the lady’s skirt.

“What’s your name, child?”

Evie swung back and forth, then remembered she wasn’t supposed to fidget and stopped. “Evangeline.”

“That’s a pretty name. You remind me of my daughter, Nellie. She’s grown now. Married a man from two counties over, so I don’t get to see her very often. I miss having a little girl around. I could teach you how to cook and sew. Would you like that?”

Evie nodded, her excitement building. “Yes, ma’am.”

A pair of rough boots plodded up beside the gray skirt. “Look at a person when you speak to them, girl.” The hard, manly voice made Evie jump.

What should she do? If she showed her eyes, they might not want her anymore. But if she didn’t look up, they’d think her defiant.

“Maybe she’s just shy, John,” the gray lady said. Her hand came up to cup Evie’s chin. “My Nellie had such lovely brown eyes. Are your eyes brown?”

Evie nodded. It wasn’t a lie. She did have a brown eye.

“Let me see.” The lady pushed Evie’s chin up.

Maybe she could just show one eye. Evie tried to open her right eye while squeezing her left eye shut, screwing up her mouth in concentration.

“Quit making faces, girl,” the man barked.

The sharp tone startled Evie, and she forgot to keep her left eye shut.

The lady gasped and pulled her hand away. “Her . . . eyes. Miss Woodson, what’s wrong with her eyes?”

Evie immediately shuttered her gaze, blinking back the tears that rose.