him. "Don't say it."
"Say what?"
"You know what you were going to do—the same thing David did the night he brought me—say, 'Pride goeth before a fall.'"
Chuckling, he shook his head. "No, I leave the sermons to others." He looked at her. " David said that?"
"I know. I was surprised, too. He was teasing me. I think all men have the same sense of humor. Englisch or Amish."
He held his arm out to her and tucked her free hand into the crook of it, escorting her into the kitchen as if they were going to dine in a grand ballroom.
Hannah zeroed in on the gesture as they entered the kitchen. She raised her brows in question at Matthew. Their eyes met. Then hers slid away before Jenny could see.
Joshua rushed to hold out a chair for Jenny, and she gave him her warmest smile.
Matthew sat and remembered the first time he'd seen her. She'd been walking along that same road, looking everywhere but where she should, and she'd fallen, just as she had today. It had been summer and there had been no ice, of course. But City Girl Jenny had obviously been so caught up in the sights and scents that she'd tripped over a rock.
He'd been passing in his buggy and stopped to see if she needed assistance. They'd struck up a conversation. He'd never met an Englisch girl before and had to admit that he was intrigued. Jenny looked so different, seemed so different from the girls he knew. She wore her long hair in a ponytail. Instead of a prim dress she was clothed in a T-shirt and jeans.
But it was more than that. She didn't act the same way the young, unmarried Amish women did. There was no shy flirting or getting him to talk about himself as a way of easing him into a relationship. She treated him like a friend, said she had both male and female friends back home. Her gaze was always direct. When she asked him about himself, she listened, and then expected the same when she talked of what she wanted to do with her life.
"Matthew?"
"Hmm?" He looked up and realized Hannah was standing there, holding a serving dish. She gave him a knowing smile, as if she knew where his thoughts had wandered.
Matthew glanced over at Jenny, who was talking with Mary.
"There, everything's on the table," Hannah said, sitting down.
The prayer of thanks for the meal said, she began plying Jenny with what seemed a hundred questions, and she and the children listened, enthralled, as she brought a different world into their kitchen. Matthew already knew most of it. Phoebe liked to talk about her granddaughter when he visited. But if he said anything now it would look like he'd been asking about her.
"Matthew, you're being quiet."
He looked around the table. "Too hard to get in a word," he told them, but he tempered those words with a smile.
" Daedi!" Mary protested, giggling. She looked at Annie and Annie started giggling, too. Joshua didn't giggle like his sisters, but he wore a smile as he gazed at Jenny.
The thought came out of nowhere, not conscious, definitely not wanted. Matthew had loved his wife, had been devastated at her death, and still thought of her every day, especially when he looked at their children.
But as he looked at Jenny sitting at the table, so comfortable with his children in their space, it came to him in a flash that had things not turned out differently, these would have been their children.
She would have been his wife.
A knock at the door startled Matthew from his thoughts. He found Phoebe on the doorstep.
" Gut-n-owed, Matthew. Have you seen Jenny?"
Holding the door open wide, he gestured toward her sitting at the table. "She's right here. Come inside."
Jenny looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."
"I wasn't worried," Phoebe told her, patting Jenny's hand as she took a seat at the table.
" Kaffi, Phoebe?" Hannah asked.
"Ya, that would be gut, danki."
Hannah pushed the cream and sugar closer. "Have you eaten?"
" Ya. Sit, sit. Finish your meal," she told Hannah with a smile as the woman hovered,
"Say what?"
"You know what you were going to do—the same thing David did the night he brought me—say, 'Pride goeth before a fall.'"
Chuckling, he shook his head. "No, I leave the sermons to others." He looked at her. " David said that?"
"I know. I was surprised, too. He was teasing me. I think all men have the same sense of humor. Englisch or Amish."
He held his arm out to her and tucked her free hand into the crook of it, escorting her into the kitchen as if they were going to dine in a grand ballroom.
Hannah zeroed in on the gesture as they entered the kitchen. She raised her brows in question at Matthew. Their eyes met. Then hers slid away before Jenny could see.
Joshua rushed to hold out a chair for Jenny, and she gave him her warmest smile.
Matthew sat and remembered the first time he'd seen her. She'd been walking along that same road, looking everywhere but where she should, and she'd fallen, just as she had today. It had been summer and there had been no ice, of course. But City Girl Jenny had obviously been so caught up in the sights and scents that she'd tripped over a rock.
He'd been passing in his buggy and stopped to see if she needed assistance. They'd struck up a conversation. He'd never met an Englisch girl before and had to admit that he was intrigued. Jenny looked so different, seemed so different from the girls he knew. She wore her long hair in a ponytail. Instead of a prim dress she was clothed in a T-shirt and jeans.
But it was more than that. She didn't act the same way the young, unmarried Amish women did. There was no shy flirting or getting him to talk about himself as a way of easing him into a relationship. She treated him like a friend, said she had both male and female friends back home. Her gaze was always direct. When she asked him about himself, she listened, and then expected the same when she talked of what she wanted to do with her life.
"Matthew?"
"Hmm?" He looked up and realized Hannah was standing there, holding a serving dish. She gave him a knowing smile, as if she knew where his thoughts had wandered.
Matthew glanced over at Jenny, who was talking with Mary.
"There, everything's on the table," Hannah said, sitting down.
The prayer of thanks for the meal said, she began plying Jenny with what seemed a hundred questions, and she and the children listened, enthralled, as she brought a different world into their kitchen. Matthew already knew most of it. Phoebe liked to talk about her granddaughter when he visited. But if he said anything now it would look like he'd been asking about her.
"Matthew, you're being quiet."
He looked around the table. "Too hard to get in a word," he told them, but he tempered those words with a smile.
" Daedi!" Mary protested, giggling. She looked at Annie and Annie started giggling, too. Joshua didn't giggle like his sisters, but he wore a smile as he gazed at Jenny.
The thought came out of nowhere, not conscious, definitely not wanted. Matthew had loved his wife, had been devastated at her death, and still thought of her every day, especially when he looked at their children.
But as he looked at Jenny sitting at the table, so comfortable with his children in their space, it came to him in a flash that had things not turned out differently, these would have been their children.
She would have been his wife.
A knock at the door startled Matthew from his thoughts. He found Phoebe on the doorstep.
" Gut-n-owed, Matthew. Have you seen Jenny?"
Holding the door open wide, he gestured toward her sitting at the table. "She's right here. Come inside."
Jenny looked up. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't mean to worry you."
"I wasn't worried," Phoebe told her, patting Jenny's hand as she took a seat at the table.
" Kaffi, Phoebe?" Hannah asked.
"Ya, that would be gut, danki."
Hannah pushed the cream and sugar closer. "Have you eaten?"
" Ya. Sit, sit. Finish your meal," she told Hannah with a smile as the woman hovered,
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