ever the good hostess. She turned to Jenny. "So you got out of the house?"
"I decided to take a walk. I ended up here."
Phoebe nodded approvingly. "The exercise did you good. There's some pink in your cheeks."
"I didn't realize you'd be home so soon. Time flies when you're having fun," she said as she looked around the table.
Annie frowned. "Time fwies? Like a biwd?"
"It's something people say," Jenny responded.
"Jenny? More mashed potatoes?" Joshua asked politely, and when she nodded, he handed her the big bowl of potatoes drizzled with browned butter.
"No one makes them as good as these—" Jenny stopped, appalled at what she'd just said. "I mean, no one I know other than you, Grossmudder, and Hannah. They're richer than the way the Englisch make them."
"I knew what you meant," Phoebe told her, not offended.
"I add cream cheese to the potatoes," Hannah told Jenny. "I got the recipe from Phoebe."
Jenny poured rich brown gravy over the meatloaf on her plate and took a bite, smiling in pleasure.
"You should take a walk more often," Phoebe told Jenny as she sipped her coffee. "It's picked up your appetite."
Jenny nodded.
Matthew met Phoebe's eyes and nodded at the silent message. Phoebe had told him that Jenny was too thin and she cooked her favorite foods to tempt her appetite.
After they'd had dessert—pumpkin pie that Mary had helped Hannah bake—Phoebe looked toward the window. "We should help with the dishes and get going. It's going to snow again."
The kinner protested their leaving. He'd been so fortunate to have Phoebe as a friend but the kinner regarded her as a grossmudder in heart as well.
"Jenny and Phoebe can come again," he reminded them.
"Soon?" Mary asked.
" Mariyefrieh," Annie said definitely.
Matthew loved the way Jenny's face lit up. "You can't tomorrow morning, sweetheart. You have schul, remember?"
"You remembered the language?"
"Just a little," she told Matthew. "But I remembered that word." She turned to Annie. "Maybe you can come over for some cookies afterward?"
Then she pressed her fingers against her mouth. "I should have asked your permission first," she told Matthew. "Sorry."
"It's allrecht," he said. "But don't let them become too much for you."
" Daedi!" Mary protested as she got up to clear the table without being asked.
Jenny frowned at him. "Matthew, your children are always good!"
The children beamed at her. Matthew hid his grin. They were wonderful kinner, and there wasn't a day he didn't thank God for His precious gifts. But the three of them had certainly decided they liked Jenny a lot.
"The meal was wonderful, Hannah. Thank you all for inviting me."
Turning to Matthew, she offered him a smile. "And thank you for saving me from the elements."
"We loved having you," Hannah said.
The children chorused their agreement. Then Jenny felt a tug on her hand. She looked down to see Annie looking up at her.
Carefully, she bent as low as possible. "Yes?"
Annie stood on tiptoes and kissed Jenny's cheek—the one with the scar.
Jenny's eyes flew to Matthew. "Why, thank you, Annie. That was very sweet."
Matthew opened the door for the two women and followed them down the walk to Phoebe's buggy to help them in. Jenny murmured thanks but kept her face averted, hoping he wouldn't see the tears Annie's gesture had brought.
"Jenny? What's wrong?" her grandmother asked when they had started home.
"Annie's such a sweet child. They all are. I enjoyed the time I spent with them today."
"But it made you sad, too, didn't it?"
At a loss for words, Jenny lifted her hands, let them fall into her lap. "Yes."
"Try not to dwell on what you think you might not have," Phoebe said quietly. "You don't know the future."
Taking a deep breath, Jenny nodded. She was quiet for a moment, then she turned to Phoebe. "I didn't mean to make you—wonder." She shook her head. "Worry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
"I try not to worry about someone," Phoebe said, signaling the horse to
"I decided to take a walk. I ended up here."
Phoebe nodded approvingly. "The exercise did you good. There's some pink in your cheeks."
"I didn't realize you'd be home so soon. Time flies when you're having fun," she said as she looked around the table.
Annie frowned. "Time fwies? Like a biwd?"
"It's something people say," Jenny responded.
"Jenny? More mashed potatoes?" Joshua asked politely, and when she nodded, he handed her the big bowl of potatoes drizzled with browned butter.
"No one makes them as good as these—" Jenny stopped, appalled at what she'd just said. "I mean, no one I know other than you, Grossmudder, and Hannah. They're richer than the way the Englisch make them."
"I knew what you meant," Phoebe told her, not offended.
"I add cream cheese to the potatoes," Hannah told Jenny. "I got the recipe from Phoebe."
Jenny poured rich brown gravy over the meatloaf on her plate and took a bite, smiling in pleasure.
"You should take a walk more often," Phoebe told Jenny as she sipped her coffee. "It's picked up your appetite."
Jenny nodded.
Matthew met Phoebe's eyes and nodded at the silent message. Phoebe had told him that Jenny was too thin and she cooked her favorite foods to tempt her appetite.
After they'd had dessert—pumpkin pie that Mary had helped Hannah bake—Phoebe looked toward the window. "We should help with the dishes and get going. It's going to snow again."
The kinner protested their leaving. He'd been so fortunate to have Phoebe as a friend but the kinner regarded her as a grossmudder in heart as well.
"Jenny and Phoebe can come again," he reminded them.
"Soon?" Mary asked.
" Mariyefrieh," Annie said definitely.
Matthew loved the way Jenny's face lit up. "You can't tomorrow morning, sweetheart. You have schul, remember?"
"You remembered the language?"
"Just a little," she told Matthew. "But I remembered that word." She turned to Annie. "Maybe you can come over for some cookies afterward?"
Then she pressed her fingers against her mouth. "I should have asked your permission first," she told Matthew. "Sorry."
"It's allrecht," he said. "But don't let them become too much for you."
" Daedi!" Mary protested as she got up to clear the table without being asked.
Jenny frowned at him. "Matthew, your children are always good!"
The children beamed at her. Matthew hid his grin. They were wonderful kinner, and there wasn't a day he didn't thank God for His precious gifts. But the three of them had certainly decided they liked Jenny a lot.
"The meal was wonderful, Hannah. Thank you all for inviting me."
Turning to Matthew, she offered him a smile. "And thank you for saving me from the elements."
"We loved having you," Hannah said.
The children chorused their agreement. Then Jenny felt a tug on her hand. She looked down to see Annie looking up at her.
Carefully, she bent as low as possible. "Yes?"
Annie stood on tiptoes and kissed Jenny's cheek—the one with the scar.
Jenny's eyes flew to Matthew. "Why, thank you, Annie. That was very sweet."
Matthew opened the door for the two women and followed them down the walk to Phoebe's buggy to help them in. Jenny murmured thanks but kept her face averted, hoping he wouldn't see the tears Annie's gesture had brought.
"Jenny? What's wrong?" her grandmother asked when they had started home.
"Annie's such a sweet child. They all are. I enjoyed the time I spent with them today."
"But it made you sad, too, didn't it?"
At a loss for words, Jenny lifted her hands, let them fall into her lap. "Yes."
"Try not to dwell on what you think you might not have," Phoebe said quietly. "You don't know the future."
Taking a deep breath, Jenny nodded. She was quiet for a moment, then she turned to Phoebe. "I didn't mean to make you—wonder." She shook her head. "Worry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
"I try not to worry about someone," Phoebe said, signaling the horse to
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