A Hope for Hannah by Jerry S. Eicher Page B

at once.
    “Well, what have we here?” he asked, obviously pleased to see them.
    “Hannah’s parents,” Jake said. “Roy and Kathy Miller, this is Mr. Brunson.”
    “Glad to meet you,” Mr. Brunson said, extending his hand.
    Roy stepped right up and shook Mr. Brunson’s hand readily, but Kathy stepped forward a little more cautiously, smiling and politely nodding her greeting.
    “The women have us out walking,” Roy said in a teasing voice. “They just won’t let a man on vacation take it easy!”
    “Now, that’s not true,” Kathy retorted. “You slept real late. You can’t spend your whole vacation in bed.”
    “And they wouldn’t feed us either,” Roy continued. “Why, they turned us right out on our own.”
    “Sounds like you have some tough women there,” Mr. Brunson said.
    Jake laughed. “He likes to stretch things a little.”
    “Well, you want to come on inside?” Mr. Brunson said as he held the door open.
    “Oh, we were just out walking,” Kathy told him quickly. “Thanks anyway. Hannah says you’re coming for supper tonight.”
    “She was kind enough to invite me,” Mr. Brunson said. “I hope I’m not a bother.”
    “Certainly not,” Kathy assured him. “We’re just guests too.”
    “I’ll look forward to it, then. Sure you folks don’t want to come in? Don’t have much, but it works for me.”
    “I’m sure it does,” Kathy said. “We have a walk ahead of us, though. We’ll be anxious to see you again this evening for supper.”
    “If your cooking tastes as good as your daughter’s, supper will really be something,” Mr. Brunson told her.
    “We train them that way,” Roy said with a chuckle. “That is—until they quit like this morning.”
    “Don’t pay attention to him,” Kathy said. “Does he look underfed to you?”
    “Not in the least,” Mr. Brunson assured her with a straight face.
    “We’d like to walk farther up if that’s okay with you,” Jake said. “You have a good view of the mountains up there.”
    “Most certainly,” Mr. Brunson said. “It’s not that far. Of course there are better places, but those would be quite a climb.”
    “Thanks,” Roy and Kathy said almost together.
    Jake led the way higher up the slope. Hannah looked back and noticed that Mr. Brunson waited until they were on their way before he shut his door. Apparently he was in no hurry to be rid of their company, which bode well for supper that evening.
    When Jake found the spot he wanted, he stopped and motioned toward the Cabinet Mountains. From here they could see the full range and even farther to the north and south. The majestic view took Hannah’s breath away.
    “I can see why someone would want to live here,” Kathy said, her voice full of awe.
    Roy nodded momentarily and then muttered, “There’s always the thing of a job.”
    “Oh, Jake can hunt and fish in the winter,” Hannah said. “That’s the good part—even if you don’t have work.” Hannah hoped Jake appreciated that she stuck up for him even if she wanted to move back to Indiana.
    “Well, I’ve seen enough of it,” Roy pronounced. “Let’s get ourselves back to the house. It’s time for an old man’s nap.”
    “And eating?” Kathy added.
    “Of course,” Roy replied, laughing. “That skimpy breakfast is long gone after this walk.”
    “Uh-huh,” Kathy said sarcastically.
    “Well then, we’d better get back before they die of hunger,” Hannah said, matching her mother’s tone. “It’s been such a long journey—such heat, famine, and thirst.”
    Jake led the way back past Mr. Brunson’s and down the slope toward the log cabin. Once they arrived, Roy ate plenty for lunch and then excused himself to the spare room for a nap. Jake too was tempted to take a nap but resisted the urge. He read the Family Life instead.
    With her mother’s help, Hannah made the full dinner she had planned—meat, potatoes, gravy, salad with the last of the fresh vegetables, and two cherry pies.