LITMIR.BIZ

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smile, Becky with her heart closed off so tightly that she couldn’t let go and be a child.

      Feeling Becky’s silky hair sliding through her fingers took her right back to doing the same for Alice, laughing together as she tried to get her wiggly young cousin to hold still. From the time Alice’s mother died, she’d been a part of Jessie’s family—the little sister Jessie had always longed for. To help raise Alice’s kinder, to have a second chance to do it right this time...that was all she wanted. But with Caleb in opposition, apparently it was too much to ask.

      The braiding was done too quickly. She showed Caleb how to do the fastening and then stepped back out of the way while he took his daughter by the shoulders and turned her around. “There you are. All finished.”

      “Denke, Daadi.” Becky threw her arms around his neck in a throttling hug. “I’m wonderful happy you’re home.”

      “Me, too, daughter.” He patted her.

      The thump of footsteps on the stairs announced Timothy. He jumped down the last two steps and ran into the living room. “I brushed my teeth and made my bed,” he announced. “Can I show Cousin Jessie the chickens now?”

      “She’ll like that,” Caleb said solemnly. Then he gave her a slight smile. He turned to Becky. “You go along, too.”

      For an instant Becky looked rebellious, but then her desire to please her daadi won, and she nodded. Timothy was already tugging at Jessie’s hand. Together they went through the kitchen and out the back door.

      “The chickens are this way.” Timothy pulled her toward the coop. “Reddy is my very own hen. I want to see if she has an egg for me.”

      “In a minute.” She tried to slow him down. “Look. Is that someone coming to see us?”

      Jessie pointed across the pasture toward the neighboring farm. A woman and a little boy walked toward them, the boy carrying a basket by the handle. He couldn’t have been much more than four or five, and he held it carefully as if mindful of his responsibility.

      “It’s Jacob and his mammi.” Timothy dropped her hand to plunge toward the new arrivals. “Look, Becky.” His sister nodded and joined him at a trot.

      Jessie stood where she was and waited, unsure. This was obviously the wife of the man who’d been helping so much. It was in their barn that Caleb had been injured, and Jessie had formed the opinion that Leah and Sam were close friends of his. That being the case, she wasn’t sure what kind of reception she was likely to get.

      Leah and Jacob drew nearer. Caleb’s kinder had reached them, and Timothy was chattering away a mile a minute to Jacob, who just kept nodding. Taking a deep breath, Jessie went to meet them.

      “You’ll be Jessie. Alice’s cousin.” The woman’s smile was cautious. She was thirty-ish, probably about Jessie’s age, with a wealth of dark brown hair pulled back under her kapp and a pair of warm brown eyes. “Wilkom.”

      “Denke.” It was nice to be welcomed, even if Leah sounded as though she were reserving judgment. Jessie smiled at the boy. “And this must be Jacob.”

      The boy nodded, holding out the basket to her. “Shoofly pie,” he announced. “For you.”

      “I wasn’t sure what you needed,” Leah explained. “But I thought a couple of shoofly pies were always of use.”

      “They surely are,” she replied. “Denke.”

      A lively controversy had already broken out between Timothy, who wanted Jacob to look for eggs with him, and Becky, who thought he’d rather play ball.

      “You should do what your visitor wants,” she informed her brother loftily.

      “Chickens first,” Jacob said. “Then ball.”

      Jessie couldn’t help smiling as the three of them ran off toward the chicken coop. “Jacob is a man of few words, I see.”

      Leah’s face took on a lively, amused look that Jessie suspected was more normal to her than her cautious greeting. “Especially when he’s around Timothy. Does that boy ever stop talking to you?”

      “Only when he’s asleep.” She looked after them. “I wish Becky...”

      “I know.” Leah’s voice warmed. “If only Becky would loosen up and talk about things, she’d be better off.”

      “You see it, too, then. It’s not just me.”

      Leah shook her head, and that quickly, the barriers between them collapsed under the weight of their common concern for the child. “No, it’s not just you. She may be worse with you, though, because...” She stopped, flushing.

      “Because of my relationship with her mother. I know. I don’t blame her.”

      “Still, she must learn to forgive her mother, or she’ll be carrying the burden around with her for the rest of her life.”

      Leah’s insight touched Jessie to the core. “That’s what I think, too.” Unfortunately, Caleb didn’t see it that way.

      Leah seemed to measure her with a serious gaze. Finally Leah gave a brisk nod. “Maybe you’ll be able to reach her while you’re here.”

      “I won’t be here long enough, I’m afraid. Caleb...well, I am leaving tomorrow.”

      “You mean Caleb is insisting you leave tomorrow, ain’t so?” Leah frowned. “I’ve known Caleb King all my life, so I guess I understand. Everyone knows the King men have always been unfortunate with women. It’s turned him sour, I fear.”

      Jessie stared at her. “I heard something like that from the driver who brought me out from town, but I wasn’t sure whether to believe it.”

      “They’ve had a string of unhappy situations with women, that’s certain sure,” Leah said. “Zeb losing his young wife, and then Caleb’s mammi running off and leaving the three young ones. And after what happened with Alice...well, it’s not surprising folks think so. Or that it’s made Caleb bitter.”

      She hadn’t realized just how deep that belief ran from the way Leah spoke of it. Poor Caleb. She knew full well that his attitude wasn’t surprising. She just wished she could make a difference.

      Leah was watching her, and Jessie had to say something.

      “You are wonderful kind to care so much about your neighbors. I just wish we could get to know each other better.”

      “Yah, I wish it, too.” Leah clasped her hand, smiling. “Maybe you could dig in your heels and refuse to leave. Then what would Caleb do? He couldn’t carry you out.”

      They were still laughing at the image when the kinder came running up to them. “Can we help with the barn raising on Saturday, Leah?” Becky looked more enthusiastic than Jessie had ever seen her. “Please?”

      “You’ll have to ask your daadi. If he says so, we’d certain sure like to have your help. There’s lots you can do.” Leah held out her hand to her son. “Now we must be getting home to fix lunch. We’ll komm again when we can stay longer.” She gave Jessie a warm glance. “I hope you’ll be here.”

      “It was wonderful gut to meet you, anyway. And we appreciate the shoofly pies.”

      Timothy grabbed the basket handle as they walked away. “Can we have some shoofly pie, Cousin Jessie?”

      “I’ll help carry it,” Becky said. “Let’s ask Daadi about the barn raising.”

      They headed for the house, the basket swinging between them, and Jessie followed, smiling a little. For a moment there, in her enthusiasm for the barn raising, Becky had looked like any happy little girl. Somehow the glance gave Jessie hope. That child existed in Becky, if only she could bring her out.

      Caleb sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, looking a little startled at the excitement of the children. They

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