suppose one of them broke his leg, so that makes you an expert.”
“Two of the boys, actually.” She finished cleaning the oatmeal from the floor and dumped a dustpan full into the trash. “Plus a broken arm or two. And then there was the time Benjy fell from the hayloft and broke both legs.” Jessie shook her head. “He got into more trouble than the rest of them put together.”
He watched as she started over making the oatmeal. Yah, capable was the right word for Jessie. Like Onkel Zeb said, it was surprising no man had snapped her up by now. She was everything an Amish wife and mother should be. Everything Alice hadn’t been.
Caleb shoved that thought away, even as he heard voices. The others had finished the milking.
Jessie darted a quick glance at him. “No reason that anyone else needs to know what happened, ain’t so?”
He had to force his jaw to unclamp so he could produce a smile. “Denke.”
Jessie’s face relaxed in an answering grin.
Onkel Zeb came in at that moment—just in time to see them exchanging a smile. He cast a knowing look at Caleb.
Caleb started to swing the chair away, only to be stymied because the lock was on. Still, he didn’t have to meet his uncle’s gaze. He knew only too well what Zeb was thinking.
All right, so maybe Jessie wasn’t as bad as he’d made out. Maybe she was deft and willing and good with children. But he still didn’t want to have her around all the time, reminding him of Alice.
* * *
Jessie’s heart had been in her mouth when she’d heard the crash in the kitchen, knowing Caleb must have fallen. She’d been halfway along the covered walkway, and she’d dashed as fast as she could for the house door. When she’d entered the kitchen...
Well, it had taken all the control she had to put on a calm exterior. Even so, her heart hadn’t stopped thumping until he was back in the chair and she could see he was all right.
She set a bowl of oatmeal down in front of him with a little more force than necessary. He was fortunate. Didn’t he realize that? He could have ended up back in the hospital again.
A stubborn man like Caleb probably wouldn’t admit it, even to himself. Any more than he’d admit that he could use her help. Apparently it would take more than a broken leg to make him willing to have her near him.
She slipped into her chair as Caleb bent his head for the prayer. Then she started the platter of fried scrapple around the table. Timothy took a couple of pieces eagerly, but she noticed that Becky didn’t serve herself any until she saw her father frown at her. Obviously Jessie wasn’t going to win Becky over easily.
Jessie’s heart twisted at the sight of that downturned little mouth. Becky looked as if she’d been meant by nature to be as sunny a child as Timothy, but life had gotten in the way. If only Jessie could help...but there was no sense thinking that, unless she could change Caleb’s mind.
The men were talking about whether or not it was too early to plant corn, all the while consuming vast quantities of food. Jessie had forgotten how much a teenage boy like Thomas could eat. He seemed a little shy, and he was all long legs and arms and gangly build. Tomorrow morning she’d fix more meat, assuming Caleb didn’t intend to chase her out even before breakfast.
“Sam says he’ll komm on Monday and help get the corn planted,” Zeb said. “Told him he didn’t need to, but there was no arguing with him.”
Jessie noticed Caleb’s hand wrapped around his fork. Wrapped? No, clenched would be a better word. His knuckles were white, and she guessed that the fork would have quite a bend in the handle when he was done.
Caleb wouldn’t believe it, but that was exactly how she felt when he refused to let her help.
Timothy tugged at her sleeve. “Can I have more oatmeal?”
“For sure.” She rose quickly, glad there was something she could do, even if it was only dishing up cereal.
“I love oatmeal.” Timothy watched her, probably to be sure she was giving her enough. “Especially with brown sugar. Lots of brown sugar,” he added hopefully.
“A spoonful of brown sugar,” Caleb said firmly, coming out of his annoyance. Jessie met his eyes, smiling, and nodded, adding a heaping spoonful of brown sugar that she hoped would satisfy both of them.
“Shall I stir it in?” she asked, setting the bowl in front of Timothy.
He shook his head vigorously. “I like it to get melty on top.” He sent a mischievous glance toward his uncle. “Onkel Daniel does, too.”
Daniel laughed. “You caught me. But I’ll need lots of energy at the shop today. New customers coming in to talk to me about a job.” He looked up at the clock. “Guess I should get on my way.”
With Daniel’s departure, everyone seemed ready to finish up. Soon they were all scooting away. Left alone with the dishes, Jessie looked after them. She’d think Becky was old enough to be helping with the dishes. Probably her desire to take over didn’t extend to the dishes. She’d certain sure been doing that at Becky’s age. But she wasn’t going to be here long enough to make any changes.
When she’d finished cleaning up the kitchen, Jessie followed the sound of voices to the living room. Becky stood backed up to the wheelchair, a hair brush in her hand. “It’s easy, Daadi. Just make two braids, that’s all.”
Jessie stood watching, oddly affected by the sight of the vulnerable nape of the child’s neck. Caleb had managed to part Becky’s long, silky hair, and now he clutched one side, looking at it a little helplessly.
Gesturing him to silence, Jessie stepped up beside him and took the clump of hair. For an instant she thought he’d object, but then he grudgingly nodded. Jessie deftly separately the hair into three strands and began to braid.
Caleb watched the movement of her fingers so intently that she imagined them warming from his gaze. If he were going to be doing this he’d have to learn...but of course he wouldn’t. He’d find some other woman to take her place once he’d gotten Jessie out of the way. Maybe he already had someone lined up.
But it couldn’t possibly be anyone who’d love these children more than she did. She’d come here loving them already because they were all that was left of Alice. Now she’d begun to love them for themselves...Timothy with his sparkling eyes and sunny 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,
