LITMIR.BIZ

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coffee table, the three O’Malley brothers sat side by side on the sofa. Their collective focus shifted to him.

      He gripped the mug’s handle tighter. “Congratulations.”

      Nathan considered him. “Thank you.”

      Caleb leaned over and set his empty bowl on the walnut table with a clatter. “What about you, Parker? You remember having any children?”

      Jessica gasped. The silence that followed could’ve suffocated him. Or was that the panic that refused to leave him entirely, crouching in the shadows and waiting for a chance to pounce?

      To cover his anxiety, he lifted his mug and sipped the aromatic brew.

      “Caleb, I don’t believe that’s appropriate.” Dabbing her mouth with a napkin, Alice frowned at her nephew.

      “I’m simply curious.”

      “No, you’re trying to evoke a reaction,” Jessica retorted, her eyes full of fire. “It’s rude.” Shooting to her feet, she started collecting the discarded dishes. “Now that you’ve all met Grant, it’s time for you to go. Ma and I have ten bushels of apples to turn into apple butter by day’s end.”

      To his surprise, Alice didn’t refute her daughter. “Yes, we do have a busy day ahead of us.”

      Grant nestled the mug against his thigh. “I don’t mind answering the question.”

      Everyone in the room stared at him.

      “I don’t know if I have children. Or a wife. For all I know, I could have a family out there waiting for me to come home.” The words sounded like a foreign language to his ears. He rubbed his thumb over his left ring finger. It was bare. There wasn’t an indentation or sun line indicating he’d ever worn a ring. He couldn’t fathom having a wife, let alone children. “I may not have my memories, but I have a sound mind and enough good sense to know that these ladies are well-loved in this community and by your family. I wouldn’t dare repay their generosity with ill-treatment.”

      Josh slapped on his hat and stood. “Let’s hope you’re telling the truth, because we won’t tolerate anything less than gentlemanly behavior. Not only do we know every square mile of these mountains, we’ve had plenty of practice hunting down criminals. It’d be in your best interest not to cross us.”

      His brothers stood as well, their expressions no less cautionary.

      “Understood.”

      Alice ushered them to the door like a mother hen with her chicks. The affection the older widow harbored for them was written in her lined countenance. Made him lonely for something he wasn’t sure he’d ever had.

      Drawing on all his strength, Grant leveraged himself out of the comfy chair and relieved Jessica of the bowls. She didn’t protest. In the warm, sunlit kitchen, she emptied the mugs’ leftover contents into a scrap pail one by one. He leaned his hip against the wooden counter. The tangy scent of ripe apples teased his nose. Baskets brimming with the bright red and green fruit lined three walls.

      “I’m sorry about that.”

      “They’re your family,” he said. “They care about you.”

      “I care about them, too,” she said drily. “Doesn’t mean they aren’t annoying sometimes.”

      “Be thankful you have someone to annoy you.”

      Her luminous gaze sought his as she lowered the last cup into the dry sink. “You may not have been married, but you do have a mother and father. Possibly even siblings.”

      He studied the cheery yellow curtains, the pie safe shelves crowded with baked goods, the burlap rug at the door boasting a rooster pattern. He hadn’t been hatched in a coop. He’d been born to parents and raised in a home. What sort of parents he’d had and what sort of home life he’d experienced were questions he could add to the growing list of unknowns.

      “The family tree page in the Bible was left blank. I could be an orphan.”

      She toyed with one of her ear bobs. “Or...your folks couldn’t read or write.”

      Impatience dogged him. Edging around her, he went to the basket beneath the window and, choosing an apple, brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply. He wasn’t sure which foods he favored and which he avoided.

      “What variety are these?”

      “Macintosh.”

      “How does one go about making apple butter?”

      Jessica explained the process. Once all the apples were quartered, they’d start three fires out in the yard. One to boil down cider, another to heat the quartered apples and a third to turn cider into a sugar-like substance. Once that first batch of cider was half its original amount, they’d add the apples and sugar, along with cinnamon and nutmeg. This process would take the entire day.

      He glanced at the dirty dishes piled in the dry sink, the bowl of bread dough rising on the stove. His presence was adding to their already considerable load of chores.

      “I’ll help you.”

      “You look as if one flick of my finger could knock you over.” Her expression was dubious. “You should be in bed resting.”

      Pointing to the table, he said, “I can sit there and peel apples while I rest.”

      “You’ll regret pushing yourself too hard.”

      Her concern appeared to center around his health this time and not on how his arrival had disrupted her life.

      “Before I leave, I’m going to find a way to repay my debt. I don’t have any money.” The tips of his ears burned. “What I can offer you is physical labor. I can do chores. Tend the animals. Fix whatever needs fixing around the farm.”

      A wave of light-headedness washed over him, and his hand shot to the window ledge. Jessica’s washcloth slipped to the floor unheeded. Striding over, she dipped beneath his arm and sidled close against his side.

      “Let’s get you to your room before you fall flat on your face.” Her palm was warm on his lower back.

      “I’ll go crazy staring at those four walls.” He switched course and headed for the table. “I just need to sit down for a few minutes.”

      She accommodated him without a word. When he was seated, she perched on the table corner and crossed her arms. “I can’t help but wonder what sort of skills you have.”

      Taken aback, he raised his brows in question.

      One delicate shoulder lifted. “You offered to tend the animals, but how do we know you have experience with them? You might’ve grown up in a crowded city.”

      Grant searched hard for a silver lining. “I might’ve been a newspaperman. Or a wealthy shipping magnate.”

      The tiniest of smiles played about her mouth. “You were so wealthy you resided in a seaside mansion with dozens of servants and indoor plumbing.”

      “I like the sound of that.” Stroking his light beard, he said, “On the other hand, I could’ve been a poor but happy traveling circus performer.”

      Her eyes widened. Her lips curved into a full-on smile that dazzled him. When a husky chuckle bubbled up her throat, Grant couldn’t help but share in her amusement.

      “Perhaps you’d like to juggle a few of those apples to test that theory.”

      Smiling, he shook his head. “Maybe when I’m in top form.”

      They continued the silly game for several minutes, each of them proposing more and more outlandish professions. By the time Alice joined them, Jessica had been transformed. Her eyes sparkled with good humor. Her teeth flashed white with each spurt of laughter. The glimpse of tiny dimples charmed him.

      Splaying a hand against her middle, she panted, “My stomach hurts from

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