LITMIR.BIZ

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envisioned her with her hair neat under a freshly laundered kapp. He imagined her wearing a purple dress with a clean black work apron. He smiled as he pulled the stopper on the sink and the water drained while he hung the towel to dry.

      He rejoined Noah in the front room. “Better?”

      “Better than what?” Noah joked. “The pants are a little short, but they’ll do. No one will notice but me.”

      “Then I’m presentable enough for deliveries.”

      “As gut as you can be,” his brother teased.

      Eli snarled at him playfully. “Then let’s get to work. Do you have a list?”

      “Ja.” Noah gave him a sheet of paper. As Noah explained about the pieces for delivery, Eli found his mind wandering...back to the King farm and the woman whose laughter had delighted him while lighting up her features.

      “Eli! Pay attention!” his brother said sharply. “Did you hit your head while you were chasing animals?”

      Eli thought of the impact of Martha’s smile. “Something like that,” he murmured before he made an effort to focus on work.

      * * *

      “I’d have loved to join the chase,” Annie admitted as she followed Martha into the farmhouse.

      Martha picked up EJ to carry him inside. “It was fun, but I’m glad it’s over and they’re penned up again.” She smiled at the child’s resemblance to Eli. “It was exhausting—I was at it for a while before you and Eli came. Thank the Lord you did, or I’d still be chasing them.”

      “I wish I had your energy,” Annie said with a sigh. “Lately I’ve been too tired to do much of anything. This little one here—” She gestured toward her son. “He keeps me busy. I’m glad it’s late April and the weather is finally warming again. I’ll have to take EJ outside to play often. Maybe he’ll tire himself out in the fresh air. Then I can have a long lie-down while he takes his nap.”

      “’Tis wonderful to get out of the house, ja?”

      Annie eased herself down onto a kitchen chair and gestured for Martha to set EJ on the floor beside her. She regarded her son with tender warmth. “Ja. It was a long winter. Especially for you.” She watched her son as he sat quietly and stared up at his mother. “He’s being a gut boy. Do ya have a pan or pot he can play with?”

      “Ja, in the cupboard.” Martha opened a door and took out two pans along with a big metal stockpot. Then she dug into a drawer for wooden and metal spoons.

      “You may regret giving those to him,” Annie warned as Martha placed the spoons inside the biggest pot and gently pushed it in the boy’s direction.

      The toddler immediately reached for the spoon and began to bang on the sides of the pot. “I see what you mean,” Martha said with a laugh. Before EJ had a chance to protest, she switched the spoon for a plastic spatula. The child grinned at her happily, stuck the spatula in a pan and stirred it about.

      “Have you started on your vegetable garden?” Annie asked conversationally when her son was settled.

      “I worked up the soil, but I haven’t decided what to plant. You?”

      Annie’s smile held regret. “No garden this year, I’m afraid.” She patted her pregnant belly. “I can’t bend to garden.”

      “I’ll put it in for you,” Martha offered.

      “You’re a gut friend, but I can’t let you do that.”

      “Then I’ll bring you vegetables from mine,” Martha insisted and was pleased when Annie didn’t argue.

      The women chatted and enjoyed tea while EJ played contently on the floor. Martha enjoyed the delightful morning spent in good company.

      “What was all that whispering about?” Martha asked her friend as she had a surge of memory of Annie murmuring gibberish into her ear before instructing her to laugh, then encourage Eli to go to Noah’s.

      Annie grinned. “Do you know what it’s like to be married to a twin? Eli is a consummate tease. I was just attempting to get one up on him.”

      Martha chuckled. “I see.” She unwrapped Annie’s brownies and poured EJ a glass of milk while the boy’s mother encouraged him to climb onto her lap. Annie rewarded him with a cookie before she reached for a brownie.

      Martha rejoined her friend at the table. A heavy knock resounded on her back door. “Who on earth...?” Answering it, she was startled to see her brother-in-law with three Lapp men—Samuel and his sons Jacob and Eli.

      “Amos!” she exclaimed with surprise. “Is everything oll recht?”

      “Ja, Martha, all is fine,” her brother-in-law assured her. “We’ve come to discuss your farm.”

      An older version of her late husband, Amos wore wire-rimmed spectacles.

      She allowed her gaze to stray briefly to the twins, especially Eli, who’d entered the house behind Amos and Samuel. Like the other men in the room, Eli had taken off his hat and held it. “I planned to seek your advice on who to hire to plant my fields.”

      With a smile for his wife, Jacob went to Annie’s side and gathered EJ from her lap. The boy was happy to go to his father. Jacob smiled as he held his son close. “Martha, there’s no need to hire workers. We’d like to do the planting for you.” He hesitated before continuing. “We’ll need seed. We can order it for you.”

      “’Tis already been bought.” She felt uncomfortable being the focus of so much male attention. “After Ike purchased the new equipment, he ordered and paid for seed in advance. He mentioned that delivery would be this spring, but I have no idea when.”

      “Do you know where he bought it?” Eli asked, drawing her gaze.

      “I have the receipt. I think he bought it from the same place as you, Amos.” She’d found the receipt on the floor near her clothes chest recently. After its discovery, she’d been thankful that Ike had prepaid for the seed. She didn’t know why he had, except that it might have had to do with his excitement over his new farm equipment.

      “If you’ll get it, I’ll check on the delivery date for you. Will Wednesday of next week be gut for you?”

      “But what of your own properties?” Martha was grateful for their help, but not at the risk of taking them from their own farmwork.

      “We’ll be done before then,” Samuel assured her.

      “Your help means a lot to me.” She felt the onset of emotional tears and blinked to clear them.

      Eli smiled. “Friends and family help each other.”

      The memory of his grimy face and dirty clothing as Eli had chased after her animals flashed into her mind. The pleasure from the image startled her. “I’ll get the receipt,” she said before she hurried upstairs to her old room. The bill of sale was right where she’d put it, inside the trunk near the foot of the bed she’d once shared with her husband. Then she returned quickly to the waiting men and handed Amos the receipt.

      Her brother-in-law nodded with satisfaction as he studied it. “Ja, same place.” He stuck the receipt into the crown of his hat. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”

      Martha inclined her head. “Danki.”

      “Are you ready to go home?” Jacob asked his wife.

      “Ja.” Annie smiled at her handsome husband, who lovingly cradled their young sleepy son. She turned to Martha. “It’s been a lovely day, Martha. Will you stop by our haus soon? We can visit while EJ naps,” she said.

      “I’d enjoy that,” Martha agreed. “After the planting, if you’re feeling up to it.”

      “I’ll make dessert for Wednesday,” Annie offered.

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