Patchwork Dreams by Laura Hilton

tell a four-year-old. How much had she heard, anyway? He seemed to remember her being in the kitchen during the initial conversation, but she might not remember any of it. And even if she remembered, she probably had not understood.
    “My daed said I had to kum.” He filled the two little cups with milk and then returned the milk jug to the refrigerator.
    “Are you sad?” Mary asked.
    Jacob smiled. “I miss my home. But your home is nice.” He moved over to the stove and poured some coffee into a mug. When he heard a swish of a skirt, he turned to see Becky step into the room without Emma. His heart rate increased.
    “We’re having cookies, Becky.” Mary bounced on the chair. “And Jacob poured me and my dolly some milk.”
    “Jah. I see that.” Becky nodded, and her gaze briefly landed on Jacob. “Make yourself at home.”
    Was that a bit of sarcasm he sensed in her voice? He quirked an eyebrow. “Want to join us, Bex? I’ll pour you some coffee.” He didn’t know whether to hope she would accept or decline. Honestly, this woman seemed to tie his brain up in knots. It’d be good to get back to Susie and their comfortable romance, where the only knots were caused by Daed’s refusal to accept Jacob’s decision.
    A look of discomfort flitted across her face, and she glanced toward the door she’d just come through, as if she was trying to think of a reason to leave. Maybe a chore she had to do. Or maybe she listened for Emma.
    He poured another mug of coffee and set it down on the other side of the table, deciding he’d rather she stayed. “There you go.” He dared to wink when she looked back at him.
    She blushed, hot red flooding her checks. Twisting her skirt with her hands, she lowered herself into the chair. “Danki.”
    “No problem. Care for a cookie?” He pushed the plate toward her.
    “Nein.”
    “I want one. And so does my dolly.” Mary reached out and snagged two. Jacob grinned at her.
    “So, you must miss your sweetie, jah?” Becky asked in a tight voice. “Tell me about her.” Her face turned an even brighter shade of red, and she dropped her gaze to the table.
    His sweetie? It took him a moment to realize she meant Susie.
    ***
    Becky didn’t want to hear a word about Jacob’s girl, not a single word. But if she had to be in the same room with him, with no family but Mary between them, then it seemed better to bring up the person he loved, helping herself to remember that someone else had a prior claim on him.
    Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jacob reach out and take a cookie. He remained silent for a time that seemed to stretch by endlessly but might have been only a minute. Finally, he sucked in a deep breath. “Look at me, Bex.”
    She looked up, and he grinned. “I don’t like talking to the top of a head. I want to see your beautiful face when I talk to you.”
    Ach! A smooth talker, for sure. He’d probably upset all the girls back home when he’d picked one to settle down with. The type of guy who would leave a chain of broken hearts here in Missouri when he boarded the bus to return to Pennsylvania.
    Hers would not be one of them.
    She had to get away from him. But, incredibly, she couldn’t think of a single reason to call her away.
    What chores had she done already? She tried to reverse the list to see what she’d have to undo. The laundry could be checked, since it was hanging out on the line. It would probably be frozen solid by now, cold as it was. Or maybe, she could…um….
    She glanced around frantically.
    “Am I so terrible to look at, Bex?”
    “What?” She jerked her attention back to him.
    “That’s better.” His grin deepened, causing a dimple to appear on his left cheek. Ach, he was so cute.
    “Your girlfriend?” She prompted him when he seemed to be content sitting there gazing into her eyes.
    “My girlfriend? Ach, Susie Chupp.” He reached for another cookie. “She’s pretty, with strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. Lives down