for Sunday dinner, and he’ll be more than happy to bring the girls with him. By the way, have you seen him lately? I’ve been so busy helping Susie with the baby that I’ve missed seeing him when he comes out to the farm.”
Sudden heat filled Livy’s face. The last time she’d seen Jake, he’d kissed her. And to her shame, she’d kissed him back. Then told him she only wanted to be friends. Had he taken her at her word and given up so easily? Did she want him to honor her wishes or see through her fear and listen to her heart?
She mumbled something about having seen him on Tuesday.
Mrs. Russell sighed. “Since his father died, he’s taken on a huge load of responsibility for all of us. I keep telling him we can manage fine without the extra income from his job as deputy, but we suffered a terrible crop this past year. He’s afraid if we have another bad year, we might lose the farm.”
Mrs. Brooks reached out and clasped her hand. “Surely it’s not that bad, is it?”
Tears filled Mrs. Russell’s eyes, and she blinked them away. “We can only pray that it won’t be.”
Chapter Seventeen
Jake handed Livy up into the wagon and placed a quilt over her knees. Her gaze met his. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He winked, and her breath caught in her throat.
His mother was standing right behind him. To cover her embarrassment, she smiled at Mrs. Russell. “Thank you for inviting us to Sunday dinner again. I enjoyed every minute of it. And thank you for the recipe for potato dumplings. A new way to cook potatoes is always a good thing with all the children at the orphanage.”
“Think nothing of it, dear.” Jake’s mother placed a basket in the wagon bed. “Now, girls, don’t turn this over. You don’t want potato dumplings and fried chicken all over the place.”
Jake hurried around to the other side while Tommy clambered into the back with the girls. “Are you sure you don’t want to go with us, Ma?”
“I’ve been over at Susie’s most of the week, Jake. A nice quiet afternoon—” she glanced pointedly at the girls, now squabbling with Tommy—“sounds heavenly.”
Jake laughed. “All right, then. We’ll be home in a little while.”
“Take care.”
Livy glanced into the back of the wagon and smiled. Jake’s two sisters sat with Mary sandwiched between them, the three of them giggling. Whatever they laughed about didn’t even have to be funny. They were just being girls. She and Katie had had precious little to laugh about, but sometimes they’d get tickled about the silliest things, like how the German butcher down the street got mad at the stray dogs that hung around his shop every day. He’d yell at them to not come back as if the dogs understood him.
At night, Katie mimicked his thick accent until Livy cried from laughing so hard. She sighed. They’d had nothing, but in some ways they’d had everything. They’d had each other.
Tears pricked her eyes. She missed Katie so.
They pulled out of the yard, the wagon creaking and the harness jingling. Tommy hung over the seat. “Can I take the reins, Jake? I’ve been practicing, just like you told me.”
Jake threw Livy a grin and scooted toward her. “All right, squirt. Hop up here.”
Tommy scrambled forward and plopped down. Jake handed him the reins. “Don’t drop them.”
Livy peeked around Jake. Could Tommy keep still long enough to guide the horses and keep the wagon on the road? The boy tucked his bottom lip between his teeth, a ferocious look of concentration on his freckled face. She covered her mouth with her hand.
Jake leaned over and whispered, his breath tickling the hair at her temple. “What?”
She glanced at him, his green eyes inches from hers. A warm feeling engulfed her. “Nothing. He’s just so cute like that.”
He shook his head. “Too bad it won’t last very long.”
She giggled. She probably sounded as silly as the girls in the back of the wagon. Jake sobered, his gaze turning serious as it dipped to her lips, then returned to her eyes. The half wink and lopsided smile told her that he would’ve kissed her again had they been alone. Just knowing he wanted to turned her insides to jelly.
But what would she do this time if he tried?
The quilt slid off her knees into a puddle at her feet. Jake grabbed it and spread it over her lap and across his knees. In the