LITMIR.BIZ

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a feeling of self-pity loomed. The extensive china collection, inherited from her sister, had been reduced to a few chipped plates, a couple of cups and four bowls she and Alyssa salvaged from her broken house under the watchful eyes of a crew who was sent to remove debris.

      The plastic chairs hunched around the rickety table had been donated, scrounged from various households whose possessions were still intact and who had extra to spare.

      Her dining room had once boasted an antique dining room set, also inherited from her sister, a hutch that her parents used to own and a living room set that Josie had saved up for dollar by precious dollar.

      All gone, she thought with a pang of remorse as she straightened the faded tablecloth she had bought at a rummage sale put on by the town for the tornado victims. Sure she had the insurance money, but dollars could never replace what she had lost.

      She pushed her emotions aside, struggling to count her blessings. She had Alyssa. She had her health. She had the enduring presence of God in her life.

      And Gramma? a tiny voice questioned.

      Well that was another ongoing story.

      “We’re here,” Alyssa said, leading the mini procession into the kitchen with a grin of pride.

      “Smells good,” Silas said, pushing Betty’s wheelchair into the kitchen. “Where do you want us to sit?”

      Alyssa directed traffic and a few moments later, they were all settled around the table.

      “Shall we pray?” As Josie glanced around the full table, a curious sense of well-being sprung up inside.

      It felt good to see new faces around the table. And as Josie’s eyes met Silas’s, she felt the faintest hint of possibilities.

      Which she immediately quashed as she bowed her head. She had her plans. They had only been put on hold until her grandmother was settled.

      “Thank You, Lord, for food. For a roof over our heads. For the blessing of Your love,” Josie prayed, “and thank You for the company that could join us this evening. May we be a blessing to each other. Amen.”

      Josie waited a moment, then looked up.

      Directly across from her, Silas was looking past her, his mouth set in grim lines. As if he was disapproving of something.

      Chapter Four

      “What made you move here if you didn’t know anyone?” Betty was asking, sounding unusually animated as she ate.

      Maybe she should have supper company more often, Josie thought. Then she caught Alyssa pulling a face at Lily and she shot her niece a warning frown. Alyssa was getting positively giddy.

      “I liked the size of the town. I liked the people I met,” Silas said, seemingly unaware of his daughter’s silly antics.

      “And then you met Kelly, of course,” Betty said with a coy smile. “Your wife was in the same Bible study I went to. She was a lovely, lovely person.”

      Silas gave Betty a tight smile but didn’t answer.

      “I remember the first time she came,” Betty continued. “She wore a white dress. And the way she could quote Scripture. I’m sure her parents and grandparents were very, very proud of her, as were you,” Betty said with a faint sniff.

      The admiration in her grandmother’s voice and the sidelong glance Betty shot her resurrected an unwelcome surge of self-pity. The underlying tone seemed to be that there were other children, grandchildren even, who could not create this pride. Who were unworthy.

      Like Josie, for instance.

      “Your wife was a treasure, Mr. Marstow,” Betty continued. “A blessing from God.”

      “She was a treasure,” Silas said.

      Josie glanced at him as she caught the pain in his voice. But his attention was on the few pieces of rice he had left on his plate.

      “Daddy said that God took our mommy away from us, so we don’t talk about my mom or God,” Lily put in. “But I miss her.”

      “I’m sure you do,” Betty said, but her eyes were on Silas. She opened her mouth as if to say more when Josie interjected.

      “Lily, why don’t you get the cupcakes.” Josie raised her voice just in case her grandmother decided to voice the words hovering on the edge of her usually sharp tongue. “I think most of us are ready for dessert.”

      “I’m not done,” Betty said with a peevish voice as Lily and Alyssa jumped off their chairs and Josie cleared a space for the plate.

      “I made strawberry ones.” Lily set the plate with the assorted cupcakes on the table in front of her father. “But I didn’t put pink icing on them, because I know you don’t like pink.”

      Silas gave her a rueful little smile. “What color did you use?”

      “Purple. With yellow flowers. Ms. Josie helped me make the leaves. She makes really, really nice leaves.”

      “We all have our talents,” Josie said, with a light laugh. “Can I take your plate?”

      “How long have you been doing this program?” Silas asked, glancing up at her as he handed her his dinner plate. Josie felt the faintest flutter as their gazes met.

      She pulled her attention back to his question. “For the past six years. I took some childhood-development courses through a community college in Manhattan.”

      “And what made you decide to move back to High Plains?”

      “Ms. Josie is a really good teacher,” Lily said, not giving Josie a chance to answer, “I learned a lot today.”

      “That’s good,” Silas murmured.

      Lily leaned forward, her hands folded in front of her on the table. “Can I please go again tomorrow? And tomorrow and all the time?”

      Josie wanted to interrupt. Lily was really putting her father on the spot and she was sure he didn’t appreciate it. But before she could say anything Alyssa cut in.

      “My aunt Josie is very careful. All the time, she’s very, very careful. And she would never let Lily run away like I made her do that day of the tornado.” Alyssa’s expression was so earnest it made Josie smile.

      She glanced at the recipient of all this eagerness and caught a flicker of humor feathering across Silas’s lips, as well.

      And then his smile transformed his face. Laugh lines fanned around his eyes and a certain tension around his mouth faded away.

      And Josie felt a tingle of awareness slip up her spine.

      “I’ll have to think about it.”

      “I would be really good,” Lily put in. “And you wouldn’t have to stop your work to pick me up.”

      Still smiling, Silas glanced at Josie. “It seems I’m getting ambushed.”

      “I would love to have her. It would be no trouble to add her to the roster.”

      “Okay. She can go.”

      “I’m done,” Betty said, wiping her mouth with her paper napkin. “I can’t swallow this dry rice.”

      “Would you like some more water?” Josie asked, reaching for the pitcher.

      “No. I want to get out. I’ve been cooped up in here all day while you’ve been gallivanting around.”

      “We’re having dessert right now,” Josie said, struggling to keep a patient tone in her voice as she cleared away her grandmother’s plate.

      “I don’t want any. When you’re done with supper, you can take me out.”

      “Can Lily and I take you for a walk, Gramma?” Alyssa put in, her face smeared with icing

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