Her Holiday Family

The children immediately leaned in closer to study the contents intently.

Eileen was amazed. Dovie had managed to capture their attention with very little effort. And with such a simple device.

“It looks like she’s in her element, doesn’t it?”

Eileen turned to find Mr. Tucker at her side, his gaze on Dovie and the children.

“Very much so,” she agreed.

He turned to her. “If you don’t mind, perhaps we can step into the hall to talk for a moment?”

“Of course.” What did he want to discuss? Had she done something he didn’t approve of?

“I want you to know that I meant what I said about taking care of any maintenance or repair work that needs tending to while I’m here.”

Some of her tension eased as she settled back into her lady-of-the-manor role. “As it happens, there are a few things that could use some attention.”

“Good. If you’ll let me know what you think are the most pressing tasks, I’ll start figuring out how to best tackle them.”

Eileen didn’t have to think about it. “The gutters require a good cleaning and there are a few loose rails on the back porch.”

He nodded. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Is there anything else?”

Surprised he hadn’t balked, even a little, she added another item to the list. “Since we’ll need to do more cooking than usual and heat more wash water and more rooms, there’s the matter of firewood.”

“Of course. I’ve split many a cord in my day.”

“You may need to gather the wood as well as split it.”

“Understood. Why don’t you show me the porch rails you’re concerned about now so I have a better idea of what’s needed?”

Relieved that he didn’t seem overly concerned by her requests, she nodded. “Of course. This way.”

As she led the way to the back of the house and out the kitchen door, she was very aware of him walking beside her. What was wrong with her today? She’d never let herself be distracted by such feelings before. Nor even admitted that she had them.

They stepped out onto the back porch, and she immediately put some distance between them. Moving to the far end of the porch, she pointed out the loose railings. “These three spindles and a couple of the ones lining the steps, as well.”

Mr. Tucker followed her and examined the rails in question more closely. “I’ll need to replace at least one of these, maybe more, but it shouldn’t be difficult to do. And I might as well check all the other spindles while I’m at it.”

It would be such a relief to have those things taken care of. Perhaps he could even get a little ahead on the firewood so she wouldn’t have to buy so much when winter set in.

He stepped down onto the lawn and looked up at the roofline, rubbing his chin. “I have my own tools with me, of course. But I’m going to need a ladder for getting up to those gutters.” He glanced her way. “And an ax for chopping firewood.”

She waved a hand toward a structure at the far end of her property. “I believe you’ll find what you need in the carriage house. Feel free to look around in there and make use of whatever you need.” The carriage had been one of the first things she’d sold off. The only thing she used the structure for these days was as a storage shed and a place to keep her gardening implements.

“I’ll check it out first thing in the morning.” He took a long, slow look around her property. “I could get the boys to rake up these leaves for you, too, if you’d like.”

“That would be appreciated.” She was beginning to feel as if she were taking advantage of him. She hadn’t expected him to work for his keep.

“Good. It’ll give them something to focus on besides Miss Fredrick’s situation.”

She wondered what he was really thinking about the state of her home and property. It had to be painfully obvious to him that she hadn’t been able to take care of the place as she ought for some time now.

But his next comment indicated nothing of the sort. “It appears you have quite a garden,” he said.

She felt her cheeks warm in pleasure. “It’s done well this year. There’s not much left to it right now, but I should still be able to harvest a few things from my fall planting until first frost.”

“You take care of it yourself?”

Was that surprise in his expression? She tilted her chin up. “I do. Though Dovie helps.” Truth to tell, she actually enjoyed working her garden. What had been a pleasant hobby in the past had turned into a means of survival. Many was the day the only thing she ate for her meals was what she’d harvested from her garden. And she’d learned to preserve what she didn’t need for her immediate sustenance so that she could stretch her bounty even further. It was surprising, the sense of accomplishment she felt at having vegetables she’d grown and harvested herself in her pantry.

He nodded. “Miss Jacobs seems like a fine person. And I can tell she knows how to deal with children.”

Unlike her—was that what he was thinking? And was he assuming Dovie did most of the gardening, as well?

She turned and moved back toward the door, feeling suddenly rattled by all these unaccustomed thoughts. Time to take control of the conversation again. “Speaking of the children, perhaps we can discuss what sort of routine they are accustomed to. And then determine what routine will work best while they are here.”

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