Her Holiday Family. Winnie Griggs

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.”