LITMIR.BIZ

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who’d had her back turned during the entire incident, paused and looked from one to the other. “She normally doesn’t talk to strangers.”

      “She knows me,” he said, signing with his words.

      Rachel’s jaw dropped. “You know sign language?”

      “Yes, Rachel, I do. We were talking while you were digging for the coasters. I asked her if she liked her juice, and she shared it with me. I take that to mean either she likes me and decided to be my friend or she hates her juice.”

      Rachel studied him again before her gaze went to her daughter, who was sipping her juice. Then she laughed. “I guess she decided you’re a friend.”

      Betty chose that moment to come in with bread and vegetables. “Rachel, honey, will you get the salad and pitcher for me?”

      “I can do that, Betty,” Morgan said, but Rachel shook her head.

      “I’ll get it. I have to get her bib anyway.”

      She left and Morgan took the dishes from Betty and set them on the table.

      “There we go, my baby. I made corn for you tonight. And carrots. Your favorite,” Betty said to her granddaughter.

      Lindsay smiled beatifically at her grandmother and then yelled loudly. He had to give Betty credit. For not being around the child much, she did well not to flinch when Lindsay shouted her pleasure.

      Rachel returned and set the salad and pitcher on the table before slipping the bib on. When she sat down, Betty turned to Morgan. “Will you say the prayer, dear?”

      Morgan didn’t miss the uncomfortable shift Rachel made. He bowed his head. “Heavenly Father, thank You for the food You’ve blessed us with and thank You for the company and the special precious gift You gave us in Lindsay. Bless this food, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

      When he opened his eyes, Rachel was staring at him blankly. He returned the stare with one of warmth. Her gaze wobbled with tenderness and surprise before she glanced away. “Lindsay is certainly my precious gift,” she said, then proceeded to dish up a plate of food for her child.

      After handing Lindsay her silverware, Rachel cut her daughter’s chicken and broke up the bread, then started filling her own plate.

      Morgan filled his quietly. “I found a new fishing hole, Betty.”

      “Oh? Where this time?”

      Morgan passed Betty the platter of meat as he said, “Outside of town. The mile road. You go down it and it’s off west about a mile.”

      “The old Henderson place. They had a creek running back there.”

      “I’m planning to go soon. Joe Pierceson told me about it.”

      “He’d know. That man loves to fish.”

      “Have you ever fished, Rachel?” Morgan asked politely before taking a bite of chicken.

      Startled, she glanced from her daughter, her mouth filled with food. She swallowed, took a sip of tea then replied, “I haven’t been in four, maybe five years.” Her gaze unfocused briefly. “I used to go with Dad all the time before I went off….”

      She glowed with good memories. Morgan was enchanted as he watched her.

      “I remember some of the things you brought home, young lady, and it wasn’t just fish. Turtles, frogs, tadpoles and even a snake. Land sakes, I’m glad that thing wasn’t poisonous,” Betty said.

      Rachel grinned at her mother. “Daddy was, too.”

      Both burst out laughing, and Betty turned to Morgan to explain. “She was upset because she hadn’t caught anything and her brother had. So she was walking back to the car and found this snake. A king snake, mind you, and she stuffed it into her plastic wading pants, planning to sneak it into the room and put it in her brother’s bed.”

      “And? Did you do it?” He grinned at Rachel, whose cheeks turned pink in response.

      “Go on, tell him what happened, Rachel.”

      “Mother.” Rachel drawled the word in exasperation. “The snake got out of the trousers. Just as Daddy was pulling into the driveway, he felt something inching up the leg of his pants and panicked.”

      “Oh, no.” Morgan couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped. “Did the poor man have a heart attack?”

      “Almost,” Betty said. “He went right through the garage door trying to shake the thing off of his leg.”

      “And I got grounded for a week.”

      “That’s pretty mild,” Morgan replied, still laughing.

      “Yeah. Well, I think Dad and Mom were so happy that the snake wasn’t poisonous that I got off lightly.”

      Betty shook her head and took another bite.

      Rachel grinned at her mother. “Well, Mom? You gonna tell me the truth why?”

      “I have no idea why you got off so easily, dear. You’re probably right. It was simply shock and relief.”

      Rachel chuckled again before turning to her meal. That set the tone for supper. Silly stories about her childhood. Dinner ended much too soon, as far as Morgan was concerned, but Betty wasn’t about to let him leave yet. “You two go into the living room with Lindsay. I’ll clear this and then bring in hot tea.”

      Rachel, who was cleaning Lindsay, glanced at him, then at her mom. “Okay.”

      Morgan nevertheless gathered his and Rachel’s plates and carried them into the kitchen. When he returned, Lindsay was clean and getting out of her chair.

      “So, Rachel, where do you work?” he asked, heading into the living room.

      “Temporarily at City Hall. I’m reworking their records. And—watch out!”

      Thump. Two little arms were wrapped around his legs. Morgan struggled to keep from landing face first on the floor. “Aha! I’ve been attacked,” he said, peeling her arms away and lifting her. “Was it you?”

      Lindsay patted his cheek and bounced in his arm. “Paaee,” she said, her hand on his cheek.

      “Paaee?”

      “That means play. Here, I’ll take her. I’m really sorry—”

      “We’re fine,” he said to Rachel and moved to the sofa to sit down. He didn’t miss how Rachel nervously followed him.

      “What do you like to play, little one?” he asked.

      Lindsay grinned and moved her hand to his lips.

      He repeated the question.

      She giggled and then stroked his cheek again.

      Poor Rachel was turning all shades of red. He ignored her and continued to concentrate on Lindsay, thinking it best if he didn’t pay attention to her embarrassment over her daughter. The only way Rachel would see Lindsay wasn’t irritating him was to watch them together.

      He reached up and put Lindsay’s hand close to his mouth. “Morgan. Morgan,” he said. Lifting his hand from hers, he signed, “My name. Morgan.”

      “Oh gan.”

      Morgan grinned. “Yes. Now what do you like to play? Oh, I bet I know….”

      And Morgan proceeded to drop onto the floor next to the blocks and build an entire city with her for the next fifteen minutes.

      Betty came in and grinned. “You’re so good with kids. Lindsay has taken a liking to you. Now, Rachel, why don’t you pour the tea.”

      “Okay, Mom.” Rachel poured three cups, silently frustrated with her mother that she insisted on keeping this man around. She didn’t know him, and he was playing with her daughter.

      “I

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