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“That’s not something you have to worry about tonight. You’ll be my guests.”
She didn’t have the money for rooms at the bed-and-breakfast. “I hadn’t planned—”
Annie dodged to one side as the movers carried in a chest of drawers. “As my guests. Ethan and I insist. It’s our welcome gift to you and the children.”
“We can’t—”
“Yes, you can. I know the argument. The bed-and-breakfast is a business. But it’s not our only income. Remember, Ethan is a teacher. And we know where our sheets and towels are,” she added with a laugh.
“That does sound like heaven.” The kids would be exhausted by the time the movers left. And the thought of Annie’s inviting beds… “But isn’t this your busy season, with the wildflowers?”
“It’s Thursday. My weekenders don’t start checking in until tomorrow.”
“Well…”
“And you’ll have dinner with us.”
Laura opened her mouth to protest, but Annie waved her off. “What? You’ll take the kids for burgers instead? I don’t think so.”
Laura was so grateful for her kindness, she felt the sting of tears.
Annie gave her a reassuring hug. “You’re home now. And that’s what friends are for.”
It had been so long since Laura had been able to let friends into her life. She hadn’t been able to confide the terrible state of her marriage to anyone other than Donna. She had been too ashamed. Instinctively Jerry hadn’t liked Donna, so she hadn’t been comfortable coming around when he was home. Swallowing, Laura nodded. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. We’ll see you when you’re done here.”
Kirsten stood at the bottom of the stairs as Annie introduced herself on the way out. “I’ll see you and your family for dinner later, Kirsten.”
“Okay.” She looked back at her mother.
“She invited us to spend the night at her bed-and-breakfast. We get to sleep on beds that are already put together.”
Kirsten didn’t look impressed.
It took another hour for the movers to unload the rest of their things. By then Laura was exhausted and ready to round up the kids.
Annie and Ethan were so welcoming that even Kirsten was subdued. They led the family back to the large kitchen rather than the dining room.
“It’s where we eat,” Annie explained. “We think it’s cozier.”
A pot of chicken and dumplings simmered on the stove and the big round table was set for five with dishes that looked as though they had been in the house since it was built.
Ethan, a cheerful, quick-witted man with a noticeable sense of fun, pulled out chairs for Laura and Kirsten. “And, you, young man, how about sitting next to me?”
Pleased to be singled out, Gregg hopped onto the spindle-back chair. “Okay.”
After they were seated, Ethan and Annie bowed their heads. It took Laura a moment to react, then she gestured to her children to follow suit. Her throat tightened as she heard Ethan ask the Lord to watch over her and the children as they settled into their new home.
Then Annie began to dish up the fragrant stew while Ethan questioned the kids about their schools in the city, explaining that he was a teacher.
“You have to make kids do homework and take tests?” Kirsten asked him with a hint of accusation.
“Yes, but I also direct plays, plan the field trips. Most of the kids love drama.”
Kirsten sipped her milk, but didn’t reply.
“Do you teach any other subjects?” Laura asked, sending Kirsten a reproving look.
“English. I try to make that fun for the kids, too. We act out Shakespeare—makes it easier for everyone to understand.” He held out his bowl and Annie filled it with steaming chicken and dumplings. “I know it’s not everybody’s favorite, but I think most of us can get something out of his works.”
“If they understand them?” Laura prompted.
“Exactly.”
She looked down at her full bowl. “This smells delicious.”
“My grandmother’s recipe,” Annie told her. “She and my grandfather raised me here.”
Laura wondered about Annie’s parents as she glanced at the old portraits on the walls. “It’s a great house…better, it’s a great home.”
Annie grinned, meeting her husband’s eyes. “Thank you.”
He clasped her hand and lifted it to his lips. “My Annie has the touch.”
Laura felt a spurt of envy. Maybe it was the exhaustion that was just now setting in, but she felt very close to the edge of tears.
Annie reached over and patted her arm. “It’s a big adjustment moving to a strange town, even one as inviting as Rosewood.”
“Yes,” Laura said, her voice thick. She cleared her throat.
After smoothing the napkin in her lap, Annie picked up her spoon. “The chicken and dumplings are guaranteed to fix whatever ails you.”
“Annie made apple and cherry pie,” Ethan told the children, rubbing his hands together. “Which do you like?”
“Cherry,” Gregg answered immediately.
Kirsten shrugged.
“You’ll have to try both then.” This engaging man seemed the perfect complement to his kind, energetic wife. “Laura, you picked a fine house.”
“We like it.” Kirsten glared at her, but Gregg just kept eating his dumplings. “Have you lived in Rosewood long?”
“Grew up here.” Ethan chuckled. “Thought I might have to leave to find a wife, then I met Annie.”
“Luckily for me,” Annie murmured.
“And we decided we wanted to make her family home ours.” Ethan added a few hefty spoonfuls of sugar to his tea.
Laura dipped her spoon into the gravylike broth. “Are your furnishings original?”
“Most of them. Annie can tell you which ones belonged to her grandparents.”
Annie passed a small dish of pickles that appeared to be homemade. “I had to add more beds, a few other things—but most everything was here. I did some rearranging, too.”
“It seems more like a family home than a bed-and-breakfast.” It was something that had struck Laura immediately.
Annie beamed. “Super! That’s exactly what I’ve tried to achieve.”
Ethan winked at his wife. “And we hope to fill it with children in time.”
Annie blushed, a pretty pinkening of her pale skin. Ethan put his hand over hers. Yes, they were a lovely couple. Laura swallowed her longing, her sense of regret. Why couldn’t she have met a man like Ethan? But then, on the surface, Jerry had seemed perfect, too.
Ethan had a way with kids that even Kirsten had a hard time deflecting. After dinner, he herded them both into the parlor by the kitchen to play games while Annie took Laura upstairs to show her their accommodations. Their generosity was overwhelming.
And in the morning Annie insisted on feeding them a hot breakfast before they took off to their own house. The kids dawdled but Laura was anxious to get started unpacking.
When she finally unlocked the door of her new home, it was daunting to see the mound of boxes. But she and the kids had been there less than an hour when she heard the doorbell.
“Mom!” Gregg hollered.
She set down the bed frame, still clueless how to put it together. “Coming.” Walking down the stairs she could hear the buzz of voices. Had her son allowed strangers into the house?
She was relieved to recognize Annie among some other women. “Hi.”
“Laura, I’ve rounded up recruits. Cindy, Leah, Katherine, Grace and Emma.”
Laura’s hand flew to her chest. “I don’t know what to say.”
Redheaded Cindy grinned. “Hello will do just fine. Then divvy us up however you want.”
Overwhelmed, Laura wasn’t at all certain how to ask them to help.
“I’m especially helpful in the kitchen,” Katherine suggested. “If that would all right. I could start sorting dishes, pots and pans.”
“Oh, yes,” Laura replied, relieved.
“And I’m good at toting boxes,” Grace added.
“They’re labeled,” Laura said. “With the rooms they belong in. I’m afraid they’re all in a huge pile right now, no rhyme or reason.”
“I can help with the boxes,” Emma pointed out. “Rhyme’s my specialty.”
“And I can help Katherine in the kitchen,” Leah offered.
“So, I can be your helper,” Cindy said. “What were you doing when we got here?”
“Trying to put together a bed,” Laura confessed, holding up a tiny screwdriver, the only one she’d been able to find.
“Ah.” Cindy fished in her pocket for her cell phone. “When all else fails…”
Annie took Laura by the elbow and guided her out to the front porch. “You okay?”
Laura shoved her hands in her pockets. “Yes. Why?”
“I want to help, but I don’t want to pressure you.”
“It’s not that…it’s…” Laura looked out at the quiet street, the old houses that spoke of generations of families living and loving in the same place. “I haven’t been accustomed to anything like this…it will take some getting used to. But I like it.”
“Whew.” Annie let out her breath.
“Didn’t you tell me this was going to be your busy day?”
“Yes, but not for a while. I have time to help.” Together they headed into the house.
Even though Laura wasn’t accustomed to the sound of women’s voices around her, the occasional laughter, she found she liked it immensely. Like a piece that had been missing, the chatter and occasional laughter fit perfectly.
After about a half hour of progress, she heard the low rumble of a man’s voice, accompanied by the tread of boots going up the stairs, then the distinct thud of tools.
Cindy popped her head into the kitchen where Laura was consulting on the placement of dishes. “We’ll have the beds put together in a few minutes if you want to come up and tell us where to position them.”
“What? How?”
“I called my husband, Flynn. I knew he’d make sure the beds were put together right. I’m pretty handy, but I’d hate to try assembling them and have somebody crash in the middle of the night.”
Laura pushed the hair off her forehead. “That would have been an initiation to the new house.”
“I like your spirit!”
That wasn’t something Laura had heard very often. Encouraged, she headed upstairs with Cindy. In Gregg’s room, Flynn, a lean, handsome man, had assembled the bed and was helping Gregg with his computer.
He grinned at her, and she immediately liked the tall man with the ready smile.
“Mom, Flynn makes software programs,” Gregg announced.
“That’s great, sweetie. Hello, and thank you for coming and doing this.”
“Always glad to help new friends.”
Together they quickly figured out where the beds in her bedroom and Gregg’s should go. Kirsten’s took longer.
“I don’t like it there.” Kirsten frowned as they pushed the bed beneath the wide window.
Laura sighed. They’d already moved the bed three times. “We’re running out of places to put it. We can always rearrange later.”
Kirsten’s room had a dormer ceiling, resulting in angled walls. Although architecturally interesting, it made arranging furniture difficult.
Kirsten’s face drooped. “It’s a pokey room.”
