Mr. Paxton removed his fedora. “We wanted to surprise you. We’re here to meet that baby girl and get the two of you settled in at your house.”

Leah set aside her stationery. “You came all the way from Texas. My goodness.”

Mr. Paxton handed Leah a heavy package wrapped in pink paper. “For the baby.”

“Oh my.” Leah eased off the tape and folded back the paper to reveal a red wooden truck with “Paxton Trucking” painted on the side in white.

“I made it thinking she’d be a boy.” Mr. Paxton shrugged and grinned.

“She’s the first Paxton girl in ages.” Mrs. Paxton’s shoulders and smile lifted as one. “What a breath of fresh air the two of you are.”

Leah spun little wooden wheels. “It’s wonderful, and it’s all hers. Thank you so much.”

Already her daughter had a Raggedy Ann doll from the Bellamy family and a fuzzy white bunny rabbit from sweet Mrs. Whipple, who seemed to have forgiven Leah for her blunder at the orphanage board meeting.

“Would you like to see Helen?” Leah asked.

Mrs. Paxton gazed to the door. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Leah led them to the nursery with its large window facing the hall. “There she is.” She pointed to the baby on the right, fast asleep and covered with a pink blanket.

A nurse spotted Leah, scooped up Helen, and brought her to the window, tilting her so her grandparents could see her face.

Mrs. Paxton pressed close. “Abuelita’s here, little one. Oh, look at her, Will. Isn’t she the prettiest little thing?”

“Sure is.” He grinned. “My, she’s tiny. Can’t believe our boys were that small.”

“You and I get a whole month together, peanut,” Mrs. Paxton cooed.

Leah blinked a few times. “A month?”

Mrs. Paxton made kissing noises toward the baby. “A new mama needs help with the baby and the household chores. You have a six-week lying-in period, and you need to rest. Clay said you’d turn me down, so I wrote your friend Mrs. Bellamy. She’s letting me stay in her spare room, since you don’t have space in your house.”

Leah kept blinking as all her needs and concerns evaporated. “What about Timmy?”

“My sister will watch him when Will is at work.”

“I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

Mr. Paxton chuckled. “Don’t say nothin’. When Lupe makes up her mind—”

“Oh, you’re no better.” She wrinkled her nose at her husband. “I’ll stay for a month, but your father-in-law will go home this weekend.”

“The business, you know.” He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. “By the way, we brought a trunk of Clay’s things.”

“Clay wanted them here with you,” Mrs. Paxton said.

“Oh my goodness.” Leah’s breath hitched on her swollen throat. Was there no end to this family’s generosity?