A Family for Luke. Carolyne Aarsen

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СКАЧАТЬ said as the crew settled onto the deck for lunch.

      “Black, two sugars,” Dave said.

      “Cream and one sugar,” Bert said.

      “Okay. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes.” Luke had seen a coffee shop on the main street when he’d scouted the town, and from the looks of the customers filling it, he figured it was one of the better places in town to grab a coffee.

      He headed down the walk to the front of the house where his truck was parked, whistling. As he got in, he glanced over to the neighbor’s house.

      The flowerpots that Cooper had tossed over had been righted, but the plants in them looked broken and bedraggled.

      He said he would replace them, and in spite of Janie’s protests, he knew he had to do something.

      Once he got things going far enough on the house, he’d take care of it.

      

      “Why didn’t you skip church to clean up?” Dodie called out from the back of the shop.

      “I need church.” Janie dipped the mop into the pail. “I need the nourishment I get there. My fellowship with fellow believers.”

      “And the serving coffee after church? Was that fellowship with fellow believers?” Dodie asked.

      “I said I would help Mrs. Dodson.”

      “You could have skipped it, but of course, that wouldn’t look good.” Dodie dropped her pail of water on the table. “Janie Corbett is far too concerned with what other people might think if she possibly shirked even one second of what she perceived was her duty.”

      Janie didn’t bother with a comeback. Dodie had never been one to care what people thought of her, and it showed both in the way she dressed and in the choices she made in her life.

      “There are worse things you could accuse me of,” Janie said, swishing the mop over the floor. She cocked one ear, listening for the kids. She heard Todd’s muffled laughter and Autumn’s singing. She guessed Suzie was with them.

      “I also could accuse you of being too independent. If I hadn’t been so nosy, I wouldn’t have found out you were going to come here and clean all alone.” Dodie’s voice held an accusing note.

      “I would have done this on my own.”

      “You would have been exhausted. Honestly, you don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

      Why not? She’d fallen into that role out of necessity ever since she married Owen. Dependable and Owen were not words that belonged together.

      “And I’m sure right now, you’re hoping Mom doesn’t find out you’re working on a Sunday afternoon instead of having dinner with her.” Dodie tut-tutted as she rinsed out a cloth and started wiping the tables.

      “She won’t if you keep your big yap shut.”

      “And your kids? What did you tell them to make sure they don’t spill?”

      “I told them Grandma wouldn’t like it if she found out. Which, of course, meant I had to have a long conversation with Autumn about what would happen if Grandma did find out.” She frowned at her sister. “Could you put the cinnamon and chocolate sprinkles on either side of the sugar container? And don’t roll your eyes at me. This is my coffee shop and I like things in order.”

      “I’d think you have a lot more to be concerned about than sugar container placement.” Dodie made a show of setting the containers in place, framing the scene with her hands then moving them a fraction to one side. “I can’t believe you’re still thinking of expanding. You have enough going as it is.”

      “I’m like a shark,” Janie said. “I need to keep moving or die, which means I need to expand—” she stopped there. Her own father’s business was successful mainly because he kept expanding, kept moving onward and upward. The only difference was Dan Westerveld didn’t have a spouse who had gambled away all available equity in the house and business.

      But Janie kept that information to herself. Neither her sister nor her parents knew how dire her financial situation was.

      “What do you mean? And you’re kind of struggling as it is.”

      “And that’s why I need to expand. I’m just trying to make sure I can sustain my current lifestyle, which is hardly extravagant.”

      “I’ll say. I can’t believe that beater of a car of yours is still running.”

      “Regular maintenance helps.” And prayer, Janie thought. Something she spent a lot of time on these days. “Although each time I bring it in for an oil change, they find something else wrong with it.”

      “You should marry a mechanic/carpenter. You wouldn’t have to worry ’bout your car, or your house.” Dodie moved to the next table.

      “He should be a gardener, too,” Janie muttered.

      “I heard about your plants and that dog.” Dodie’s chuckle turned serious. “Did Autumn get over her scare?”

      “She seems okay. Though I’m sure Todd will begin his dog campaign in earnest again.”

      “Mom said the dog’s owner seemed a little odd.”

      “No odder than most,” Janie replied, trying to sound disinterested. She was still a bit angry for the momentary tug of attraction she’d felt toward him.

      But she’d set some firm boundaries this morning when she caught Todd talking to him. Start as you mean to go on.

      “So I’m done with the tables. Now what?” Dodie swung the cloth back and forth as she looked around the shop.

      “Maybe you could tidy up the storeroom and make sure my kids are behaving.”

      Dodie saluted and picked up her bucket.

      While Dodie kept the kids entertained, Janie finished up, forcing herself to keep going. She was so incredibly weary, all she wanted to do, after church, was go home and sleep. But she had served squares at the anniversary tea, smiling and chatting and then dragged herself back here and kept going. Sometimes she felt as if she kept pushing her exhaustion into a box and sitting on the lid. One of these days it would all jump out and overwhelm her.

      Dodie had accused her of being independent. But what else could she be? She had three children, and she was their sole caregiver. She had messed up once and was determined it would never happen again.

      When she was finished with the floor, she brought the cleaning supplies back to the supply cupboard. And sighed. Dodie hadn’t put the cloth back where it was supposed to be, nor was the cleaning solution capped.

      If you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself, she thought, cleaning up behind her sister.

      While she wiped out the pails and tidied up the rags, she heard Dodie and Todd talking to someone. She stepped out of the room in time to hear a familiar male voice.

      Luke.

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