had any cookies. Mama didn’t make any ‘cause I was bad, so I’m running away.”
Jane responded as casually as she could, “This is the third time, isn’t it?”
Suzy pinched her eyes closed and scratched the end of her tiny nose. She raised the fingers of her other hand to keep count. “There was the jelly on the curtains, the torn dress, the broken egg. and this time.” She opened her eyes to look at her fingers. “Four.”
Jane tried to keep her voice stern. “And this time was…?”
Suzy’s brow furrowed. “This time was nothin’!”
“Suzy?”
Suzy stomped one little leather-clad foot. “Do you got any cookies or not?”
“Not until you tell me.”
She seemed to think it over for a minute. “Mama says I sassed but I was just sayin’ what’s what.”
Adam came forward and knelt down at Suzy’s level. “What does your mama do when you break the rules?”
Jane wanted to push him aside and tell him to let her handle Suzy. How was she supposed to fall out of love with him when he displayed so much concern for a little girl?
However, his charm seemed to be lost on Suzy. She scowled at him. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Hart. I’m a friend of Aunt Jane’s.” He tossed a questioning look over his shoulder, but Janeonly gazed at him. She knew what he was getting at. She didn’t think there was anything wrong at the Gibbons’s house, but Adam might get different answers than she had.
Suzy pointed at Adam. “If you’re her friend, you ask her for cookies.”
“I think I can talk her into cookies,” Adam said. “But I want to know what your mama does.”
“Grown-ups always want somethin’,” the little girl grumbled. “She sends me to my room and forgets I’m there.”
“How long does she keep you in your room?”
Suzy’s eyes got big. “For weeks!”
“Suzy,” Jane said in a warning tone.
“Well, sometimes clear ‘til supper.”
“And that’s all she does?”
Suzy leaned toward him, her cheeks turning pink. “She plays with the dumb ol’ baby. She makes the baby laugh while I’m stuck in my room. They’re glad I’m gone.”
Suzy’s lower lip trembled. She brushed past Adam and ran into Jane’s arms. Jane gathered her up and let the little girl bury her face in her neck. “I know it’s hard to be a big sister.”
Suzy mumbled something that was too muffled to understand.
“She started running away when her sister was born,” Jane explained to Adam as she carried the little girl toward the kitchen. “I give her a cookie and send her home.”
“This time I’m not going back!”
Jane set Suzy on a kitchen chair. “I can’t make you, I guess,” she said as she got the tin of cookies. “But that seems kind of mean.”
“They’re the ones who’s mean.”
“Maybe,” Jane said. “But remember your first day of school? If it hadn’t been for Mandy next door, you couldn’t have done it. Who’s Becky going to go with her first day? Mandy will be done.”
“I don’t care.” Suzy reached for the tin, but Jane hadn’t opened it yet, and Suzy had never been able to make the lid cooperate with her little fingers.
“And who’s going to teach Becky how to climb a tree? Your mother?”
Suzy actually laughed. “She can’t climb a tree.”
“Becky’ll have to find some boy to teach her.”
Suzy made a face. “Yuck!”
“What’s wrong with boys?” Adam asked.
Jane bit her lip. “So, are you going back?”
Suzy let out a long, low groan. “I guess so. But I still think she’s stupid.”
Jane popped the lid off the tin and held it out for Suzy to choose a cookie. “She’ll get smarter. Just give her some time.”
Suzy grabbed a cookie and slid off the chair. She left a little trail of crumbs all the way to the back door.
“Doesn’t giving her cookies encourage her to run away?” Adam asked once the little girl was gone.
“I don’t know,” Jane said. “As long as she comes to me when she runs away, her mother knows
Jane responded as casually as she could, “This is the third time, isn’t it?”
Suzy pinched her eyes closed and scratched the end of her tiny nose. She raised the fingers of her other hand to keep count. “There was the jelly on the curtains, the torn dress, the broken egg. and this time.” She opened her eyes to look at her fingers. “Four.”
Jane tried to keep her voice stern. “And this time was…?”
Suzy’s brow furrowed. “This time was nothin’!”
“Suzy?”
Suzy stomped one little leather-clad foot. “Do you got any cookies or not?”
“Not until you tell me.”
She seemed to think it over for a minute. “Mama says I sassed but I was just sayin’ what’s what.”
Adam came forward and knelt down at Suzy’s level. “What does your mama do when you break the rules?”
Jane wanted to push him aside and tell him to let her handle Suzy. How was she supposed to fall out of love with him when he displayed so much concern for a little girl?
However, his charm seemed to be lost on Suzy. She scowled at him. “Who are you?”
“I’m Dr. Hart. I’m a friend of Aunt Jane’s.” He tossed a questioning look over his shoulder, but Janeonly gazed at him. She knew what he was getting at. She didn’t think there was anything wrong at the Gibbons’s house, but Adam might get different answers than she had.
Suzy pointed at Adam. “If you’re her friend, you ask her for cookies.”
“I think I can talk her into cookies,” Adam said. “But I want to know what your mama does.”
“Grown-ups always want somethin’,” the little girl grumbled. “She sends me to my room and forgets I’m there.”
“How long does she keep you in your room?”
Suzy’s eyes got big. “For weeks!”
“Suzy,” Jane said in a warning tone.
“Well, sometimes clear ‘til supper.”
“And that’s all she does?”
Suzy leaned toward him, her cheeks turning pink. “She plays with the dumb ol’ baby. She makes the baby laugh while I’m stuck in my room. They’re glad I’m gone.”
Suzy’s lower lip trembled. She brushed past Adam and ran into Jane’s arms. Jane gathered her up and let the little girl bury her face in her neck. “I know it’s hard to be a big sister.”
Suzy mumbled something that was too muffled to understand.
“She started running away when her sister was born,” Jane explained to Adam as she carried the little girl toward the kitchen. “I give her a cookie and send her home.”
“This time I’m not going back!”
Jane set Suzy on a kitchen chair. “I can’t make you, I guess,” she said as she got the tin of cookies. “But that seems kind of mean.”
“They’re the ones who’s mean.”
“Maybe,” Jane said. “But remember your first day of school? If it hadn’t been for Mandy next door, you couldn’t have done it. Who’s Becky going to go with her first day? Mandy will be done.”
“I don’t care.” Suzy reached for the tin, but Jane hadn’t opened it yet, and Suzy had never been able to make the lid cooperate with her little fingers.
“And who’s going to teach Becky how to climb a tree? Your mother?”
Suzy actually laughed. “She can’t climb a tree.”
“Becky’ll have to find some boy to teach her.”
Suzy made a face. “Yuck!”
“What’s wrong with boys?” Adam asked.
Jane bit her lip. “So, are you going back?”
Suzy let out a long, low groan. “I guess so. But I still think she’s stupid.”
Jane popped the lid off the tin and held it out for Suzy to choose a cookie. “She’ll get smarter. Just give her some time.”
Suzy grabbed a cookie and slid off the chair. She left a little trail of crumbs all the way to the back door.
“Doesn’t giving her cookies encourage her to run away?” Adam asked once the little girl was gone.
“I don’t know,” Jane said. “As long as she comes to me when she runs away, her mother knows
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