who I am because of where I came from.”
“ In spite of where you came from,” she said. “You’ll never completely move on until you let go.”
“Is that what you’ve done?”
“Yes.”
“But you haven’t forgotten.”
“I can’t erase the past, but I don’t have to punish myself with it.”
“Is that what you think I do? Punish myself?”
“Sometimes.”
There was a light tap on the open door and Lorabeth carried a tray into the room. “I brought your lunch.”
Ben straightened in his chair.
“I’m positively spoiled,” Ellie said, smoothing the covers in an attempt to find a spot on her nearly obliterated lap.
“You deserve it,” Ben told her.
Lorabeth stepped forward to settle the legs of the wooden tray in an easy-to-reach position. She straightened and rubbed a palm against her apron. Her hair hung in a thick braid that draped over her shoulder. “If you haven’t had lunch, I can bring you a sandwich and a glass of milk,” she said to Ben. “You can eat with your sister.”
“Much obliged, Miss Lorrie,” he said, adopting the name the children called her.
At that Ellie observed the becoming color in her helper’s cheeks with growing interest.
Lorabeth flashed an easy smile and hurried out.
Ben noticed a bunch of violets arranged in a tiny milk-glass jar on Ellie’s tray. “She brought you flowers.”
His sister smiled and raised the delicate blooms to her nose. “She’s a godsend.”
He gestured to the food on her tray. “Don’t wait for me.”
A few minutes later Lorabeth arrived with another tray and held it toward him. “Dr. Chaney had two pies delivered with the bread this morning. Would you care for a slice of peach or raisin, Mr. Chaney?”
Her eyes were the warm color of clear honey, and he liked the direct way she looked into his. “Ben,” he replied.
Lorabeth held his gaze, and a flush crept up her cheeks.
“I’ll get a slice later,” he told her. “Thanks.”
He noticed the way her hair shone in the sunlight from the window, then snared his thoughts.
“I’ll take peach,” Ellie said with a smile in her voice.
Lorabeth glanced toward Ellie with an embarrassed nod, then hurried from the room.
He picked up half a sliced beef sandwich, took a bite and caught Ellie looking at him. He chewed before asking, “What?”
She bit into a small shiny red apple with a satisfying crunch. “Nothing.”
Half an hour later, Ellie was ready for a nap. Ben took both trays and carried them down to the kitchen where he found Lorabeth at the table scraping carrots. She laid down the knife and started to rise, but he waved her back down.
“Don’t stop what you’re doin’. I’m going to help myself to a slice of that raisin pie.”
He poured milk from the ice chest on the back porch, then sat down with the full glass and a huge slice of pie.
“Ellie’s going to nap,” he said.
She nodded and continued to scrape carrots.
“I don’t suppose it’s a good week to make headway on those accomplishments of yours,” he said.
She glanced up. “What do you mean?”
“You know, taking the long walks, reading all the books in the library…your train trip.”
She dipped her head and raised one shoulder. “All that sounds foolish when you say it.”
“It’s not foolish,” he disagreed. “I was just thinking that you’re spendin’ all your time looking after Ellie and the children.”
She looked up, her hands falling still. “That’s my job.”
“But your free time,” he mentioned. “Your free time is monopolized this week, as well.”
“Mrs. Chaney needs me, and I’m pleased to be here for her.”
“Maybe I could pick up a few books for you. At the library.”
Her eyes widened in apparent interest.
“It’s probably not as much fun as picking out your own. Caleb has a huge library, too. You could find a number of interesting subjects in there. I read through his books when I lived with them.”
“I don’t know,” she said
“ In spite of where you came from,” she said. “You’ll never completely move on until you let go.”
“Is that what you’ve done?”
“Yes.”
“But you haven’t forgotten.”
“I can’t erase the past, but I don’t have to punish myself with it.”
“Is that what you think I do? Punish myself?”
“Sometimes.”
There was a light tap on the open door and Lorabeth carried a tray into the room. “I brought your lunch.”
Ben straightened in his chair.
“I’m positively spoiled,” Ellie said, smoothing the covers in an attempt to find a spot on her nearly obliterated lap.
“You deserve it,” Ben told her.
Lorabeth stepped forward to settle the legs of the wooden tray in an easy-to-reach position. She straightened and rubbed a palm against her apron. Her hair hung in a thick braid that draped over her shoulder. “If you haven’t had lunch, I can bring you a sandwich and a glass of milk,” she said to Ben. “You can eat with your sister.”
“Much obliged, Miss Lorrie,” he said, adopting the name the children called her.
At that Ellie observed the becoming color in her helper’s cheeks with growing interest.
Lorabeth flashed an easy smile and hurried out.
Ben noticed a bunch of violets arranged in a tiny milk-glass jar on Ellie’s tray. “She brought you flowers.”
His sister smiled and raised the delicate blooms to her nose. “She’s a godsend.”
He gestured to the food on her tray. “Don’t wait for me.”
A few minutes later Lorabeth arrived with another tray and held it toward him. “Dr. Chaney had two pies delivered with the bread this morning. Would you care for a slice of peach or raisin, Mr. Chaney?”
Her eyes were the warm color of clear honey, and he liked the direct way she looked into his. “Ben,” he replied.
Lorabeth held his gaze, and a flush crept up her cheeks.
“I’ll get a slice later,” he told her. “Thanks.”
He noticed the way her hair shone in the sunlight from the window, then snared his thoughts.
“I’ll take peach,” Ellie said with a smile in her voice.
Lorabeth glanced toward Ellie with an embarrassed nod, then hurried from the room.
He picked up half a sliced beef sandwich, took a bite and caught Ellie looking at him. He chewed before asking, “What?”
She bit into a small shiny red apple with a satisfying crunch. “Nothing.”
Half an hour later, Ellie was ready for a nap. Ben took both trays and carried them down to the kitchen where he found Lorabeth at the table scraping carrots. She laid down the knife and started to rise, but he waved her back down.
“Don’t stop what you’re doin’. I’m going to help myself to a slice of that raisin pie.”
He poured milk from the ice chest on the back porch, then sat down with the full glass and a huge slice of pie.
“Ellie’s going to nap,” he said.
She nodded and continued to scrape carrots.
“I don’t suppose it’s a good week to make headway on those accomplishments of yours,” he said.
She glanced up. “What do you mean?”
“You know, taking the long walks, reading all the books in the library…your train trip.”
She dipped her head and raised one shoulder. “All that sounds foolish when you say it.”
“It’s not foolish,” he disagreed. “I was just thinking that you’re spendin’ all your time looking after Ellie and the children.”
She looked up, her hands falling still. “That’s my job.”
“But your free time,” he mentioned. “Your free time is monopolized this week, as well.”
“Mrs. Chaney needs me, and I’m pleased to be here for her.”
“Maybe I could pick up a few books for you. At the library.”
Her eyes widened in apparent interest.
“It’s probably not as much fun as picking out your own. Caleb has a huge library, too. You could find a number of interesting subjects in there. I read through his books when I lived with them.”
“I don’t know,” she said
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