a deep breath and plunged forward, silently praying, Don’t let my hand slip. Please, don’t let him see how nervous I am. The small curling hairs at the nape of her neck grew damp and her knees felt weak, but she kept sliding the razor down the smooth plane of his cheek. The blade was sharp, and Freeman held perfectly still. If he’d moved, even a fraction of an inch, she knew that the blade would break his skin, but he didn’t, and she managed to finish without disgracing herself.
“All done.” Heady with success, she handed him the wet washcloth. “See, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“Thank you.” He wiped his face and opened his eyes.
“I could still do something with your hair,” she offered.
He wiped a last bit of shaving cream from his chin and tossed the washcloth in the sink. “Quit while you’re ahead, woman.”
She laughed. “You do look a lot better.” And he did, more than better. Shaggy hair brushing his shirt collar or not, he had the kind of good looks that cautious mothers warned their daughters against. And with good reason, she thought, as she locked her shaking hands behind her back.
“I’m not a vain man.”
She couldn’t hide a mischievous grin. “Ne?” She thought that he wasn’t telling the exact truth. In her mind, most men were as vain as any woman. They just hid it better. And Freeman had more reason than most to take pride in his looks.
“I’m a Plain man. I have more on my mind than my appearance.”
“I can see that,” she agreed. “But no one said that a clean and tidy man was an offense to the church.”
He fixed her with those lingering brown eyes, eyes that were not as full of disapproval as they had been. “Do you have an answer for everything?” he asked. But she sensed that he was making an effort at humor rather than being sarcastic.
“I try.” She nodded. “Now I’ll leave you to finish washing up. Call when you need me to bring you back out to the kitchen.”
“I think I can push myself,” he grumbled.
Smiling, she left him to go throw the sheets in the wash.
She’d just started mixing a batch of cornbread when Freeman came rolling slowly down the hall. He looked pale, as if he’d run a long distance. She could tell he was in pain, but she didn’t say anything about it. “Do you think you could peel potatoes for me?”
“I suppose I could,” he said. “Isn’t it too early to be starting the midday meal?”
“Too early for cooking. Not too early for starting the preparation. I’ve lots to do this morning, and you have to be organized to get meals on the table on time and still get the rest of your work done.”
“Organization is a good thing,” he agreed. “Not many people understand that. They waste hours that could go to good purpose.”
“Mmm.” She brought him a large stainless steel bowl, a paring knife, and the potatoes. “If you peel these, I’ll cut them up and put them in salted water, ready to cook when it gets closer to mealtime.”
“My mother was a good cook,” he said.
“Mine, too. Better than me.”
“She’s still with you, isn’t she?”
“Ya, thanks be to God. We lost my father a few years ago, but we were fortunate to have him as long as we did. Dat had five heart surgeries, starting when he was a baby. He was never strong, but he lived a full life, and he and my mother were happy together.”
“It’s important, having parents who cared for each other. Mine did, too. They died too soon. An accident.” He shook his head, and she saw the gleam of moisture in his eyes. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
Then why did he bring it up, she wondered. But she was glad that he had, felt that it was a positive step in their relationship. If she was going to work here, for the next two weeks, it would be better if they weren’t always butting heads.
“Do you fish?” he asked.
“What?” She’d been thinking about what he’d said about his parents and hadn’t been giving him her full attention. “Do I like fish? To eat?”
“Ya, to eat. But I meant to catch. I like fishing. It’s what I usually do on summer evenings. We have big bass in the millpond, catfish, perch, as well as sunnies.”
“I do like fishing,” she said. “And crabbing. My dat used to take us to Leipsic. We’d crab off the bridge there. And fish, too, but we never caught many.”
“It takes patience and know-how. Bass, especially, are clever. But very tasty. I use artificial lures for them.”
Jehu strolled in, sniffing the air. “Making corn fritters?”
“Cornbread,” Katie said.
“I love cornbread.” He went to the table and sat down near Freeman. “Laundry going, I hear. You’ve been busy, Katie.” He pulled his cat’s cradle string out of his pocket. “Learned a new one this morning. From Shad, of all people. Shad is Freeman’s apprentice. Good boy, hard worker.”
“I wouldn’t say apprentice,” Freeman corrected. “Shad’s got a long way to go before he can call himself a miller. Thinks too much of himself, that boy. Headstrong.”
“Sounds likes somebody else I know,” Jehu said. He turned his head in Freeman’s direction. “Sounds like you got him up and out of that bed. And shaved, too, if I’m not mistaken. I smell your shaving cream.” He turned toward the sink where Katie was grating a cabbage she’d brought from Sara’s garden. “You’re a good influence on him, Katie. Best thing in the world for him. Get out of bed, cleaned up, and stop feeling sorry for himself.”
The screen door squeaked and Ivy joined them. The terrier ran across the kitchen and leaped up on the newly-made bed. “What are you up to, Katie? Don’t tell me you’re already starting dinner?” She smiled warmly. “Freeman, look at you. Up and shaved. I think I know who to give credit to for this.”
Freeman grimaced, picking up another potato to peel. “Morning, Grossmama. I’m feeling better, thank you.”
“I can see that for myself,” she answered crisply. “And she’s put you to work.”
“I couldn’t find a vegetable peeler,” Katie said. “Just a paring knife.”
“You won’t, not in this house. I’ve got one if you need to borrow it. Help yourself.” She picked up one of the potatoes Freeman had peeled. “Not bad,” she said, “not good, but not bad. Be more careful. Waste not.” She turned back to Katie. “I just made a fresh pot of tea, and I was hoping that you’d come to my house and have some with me.”
“I don’t know,” Katie hemmed. “I’ve got a lot to do.”
“It’ll wait,” Ivy told her, giving a wave. “Come on. We can get to know each other.” She looked up at Katie. “You know you want to.”
“You
