but I saw the goats…and some pigs and lots and lots and lots of cows. Oh, they were big, Annie. Great big cows with…” She looked at Jake. “Antlers?”
“Horns. They’re called horns.”
“Horns.” Kate beamed. “And some of the cows mooed at me. Really loud.” Her eyes grew wide and she shivered. “I ran across the pasture and stepped in something stinky, so Jake made me wash my feet before coming in the house.”
“Is that what I smell?” Anne laughed and glanced down at her sister’s bare feet. “I thought for a minute there I was imagining something.”
“No, it’s not your imagination.” Jake chuckled. “But that reminds me—we left her shoes to air out on the fence. I’ll go see if they’re dry.”
“Gracious. Have I really been sleeping long enough for her shoes to dry?” Anne shook her head.
“You have.” His beautiful eyes locked onto hers. “We were starting to think you were going to sleep clean through the night. Glad you didn’t.” He gave her a little wink and her heart fluttered again.
“Me—me too.”
Jake flashed one last glance her way before heading to the door. Anne settled on the sofa next to Kate. “So, you had a good afternoon?”
“Mm-hmm. It’s so fun here, Annie. I ran and ran and ran. And Emily got a thousand ideas for her story. You should have heard her talking about it. She’s so funny.”
“No doubt.” Anne leaned back against the sofa. “Tell me all about it.”
Kate proceeded to do just that, but in the middle of her humorous tale a knock sounded at the door.
“Would someone get that, please?” Maggie’s voice sounded from the kitchen. “I’m up to my eyeballs chopping onions and can’t touch anything.”
“I will,” Anne quickly responded, rising and making her way to the door. As she pulled it open, her gaze fell on an unfamiliar couple around Maggie’s age. The woman stood a bit taller than the man, though not in a stately way. She did have an air of superiority about her, though. The sour expression on the woman’s face made Anne wonder if perhaps she’d been eating pickles. The man gave her a curt nod, introduced himself as Leo, and eased his way past her into the house, muttering something about needing a cup of coffee.
“So you’re the interloper, then.” The woman stared at Anne for a moment and then sighed. “I told Maggie that taking in vagabonds was a risk, but would she listen to me? No. Then again, she never listens to me.”
Anne did her best not to respond to the woman’s brusque words. Instead, she plastered on a smile and said, “Ah. you must be Maggie’s sister. Nice to meet you.”
“Humph. Wish I could say the same. I’ll let you know right off the bat that I don’t believe you should be here, and I plan to tell Maggie so, just as soon as I can grab her by the ear.”
“Oh, well, I…” How did one go about responding to something so awful? Anne felt the sting of tears in her eyes but willed herself not to let this awful woman see that she’d been hurt by her words.
“That sister of mine rarely takes my advice. But then again, she was always this way, even as a child.” Bets pursed her lips.
Maggie entered the room, wiping her hands on her apron. “I was always what way, Betsy Ann? Happy-go-lucky and carefree?”
“You know what I mean.” The woman crossed her arms at her chest. “Stubborn and headstrong. And you’ve never changed. Not one iota.”
“What’s the point in changing when you’re so near to perfect as you already are?” Maggie popped the woman on the bottom, causing her to gasp.
“Maggie, how dare you…”
“Stop being such a sour old thing, Bets.” Maggie laughed, and then her expression grew more serious. “It doesn’t sit well on you.”
Thankfully Jake entered the room then, distracting them all. Even more distracting was the smell of the shoes in his hand.
“What is that offensive odor?” Bets pinched her nose and began to fan herself with her hand.
“Horns. They’re called horns.”
“Horns.” Kate beamed. “And some of the cows mooed at me. Really loud.” Her eyes grew wide and she shivered. “I ran across the pasture and stepped in something stinky, so Jake made me wash my feet before coming in the house.”
“Is that what I smell?” Anne laughed and glanced down at her sister’s bare feet. “I thought for a minute there I was imagining something.”
“No, it’s not your imagination.” Jake chuckled. “But that reminds me—we left her shoes to air out on the fence. I’ll go see if they’re dry.”
“Gracious. Have I really been sleeping long enough for her shoes to dry?” Anne shook her head.
“You have.” His beautiful eyes locked onto hers. “We were starting to think you were going to sleep clean through the night. Glad you didn’t.” He gave her a little wink and her heart fluttered again.
“Me—me too.”
Jake flashed one last glance her way before heading to the door. Anne settled on the sofa next to Kate. “So, you had a good afternoon?”
“Mm-hmm. It’s so fun here, Annie. I ran and ran and ran. And Emily got a thousand ideas for her story. You should have heard her talking about it. She’s so funny.”
“No doubt.” Anne leaned back against the sofa. “Tell me all about it.”
Kate proceeded to do just that, but in the middle of her humorous tale a knock sounded at the door.
“Would someone get that, please?” Maggie’s voice sounded from the kitchen. “I’m up to my eyeballs chopping onions and can’t touch anything.”
“I will,” Anne quickly responded, rising and making her way to the door. As she pulled it open, her gaze fell on an unfamiliar couple around Maggie’s age. The woman stood a bit taller than the man, though not in a stately way. She did have an air of superiority about her, though. The sour expression on the woman’s face made Anne wonder if perhaps she’d been eating pickles. The man gave her a curt nod, introduced himself as Leo, and eased his way past her into the house, muttering something about needing a cup of coffee.
“So you’re the interloper, then.” The woman stared at Anne for a moment and then sighed. “I told Maggie that taking in vagabonds was a risk, but would she listen to me? No. Then again, she never listens to me.”
Anne did her best not to respond to the woman’s brusque words. Instead, she plastered on a smile and said, “Ah. you must be Maggie’s sister. Nice to meet you.”
“Humph. Wish I could say the same. I’ll let you know right off the bat that I don’t believe you should be here, and I plan to tell Maggie so, just as soon as I can grab her by the ear.”
“Oh, well, I…” How did one go about responding to something so awful? Anne felt the sting of tears in her eyes but willed herself not to let this awful woman see that she’d been hurt by her words.
“That sister of mine rarely takes my advice. But then again, she was always this way, even as a child.” Bets pursed her lips.
Maggie entered the room, wiping her hands on her apron. “I was always what way, Betsy Ann? Happy-go-lucky and carefree?”
“You know what I mean.” The woman crossed her arms at her chest. “Stubborn and headstrong. And you’ve never changed. Not one iota.”
“What’s the point in changing when you’re so near to perfect as you already are?” Maggie popped the woman on the bottom, causing her to gasp.
“Maggie, how dare you…”
“Stop being such a sour old thing, Bets.” Maggie laughed, and then her expression grew more serious. “It doesn’t sit well on you.”
Thankfully Jake entered the room then, distracting them all. Even more distracting was the smell of the shoes in his hand.
“What is that offensive odor?” Bets pinched her nose and began to fan herself with her hand.
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