John had just taken a bite of the sausage biscuit. His eyes widened and he looked to Cara. He chewed with pleasure.
Cara laughed. “Nope, not my biscuits. Those are from this one.” She pointed at Bella.
John swallowed. “You can borrow whatever you want as long as this little lady will give my wife the recipe for this bread.” He held out the half-eaten biscuit, as if there was any question to which bread he meant.
“What do you say, Bella? Want to give away your recipe?” Philip grinned at her. Was that pride she saw in his eyes?
Bella turned her attention to Cara. “I’ll be happy to give you the recipe.” She whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “The secret ingredient is lard.”
John roared with laughter. “Best tastin’ lard I ever had the pleasure of eating.”
The little boys laughed along with the adults. Bella loved seeing them so happy. God had known what He was doing when He’d prompted her to answer the mail-order-bride ad. For that, she was thankful.
Still, she couldn’t help but wonder what her new life would be like. Would the boys still be happy when the newness of their situation grew old? How were they going to feel the first time Philip reprimanded them? How was she going to react to that? So much was unsure in their lives.
* * *
Philip tried to focus on what John was saying, but his ears seemed only interested in what Bella and Cara were talking about. Her soft laughter and bright eyes continued to distract him.
“So, why don’t you two at least stay tonight and that way you’ll get an early start and not have to drive too long in the dark?” John asked.
He turned his attention back to John. “I think that’s a good idea, if Bella is agreeable.”
She turned her head and smiled at the two men. “That would give me time to write out a couple of recipes for Cara and in the morning she can make the biscuits.”
John hit the table with the flat of his hand. His voice boomed. “It’s settled, then.” He pushed his chair back. “Philip, would you mind helping me fix one of the back stalls? I’ve been needing an extra pair of hands and yours look available.”
Philip laughed. “Be glad to.” From the corner of his eye he saw both of the boys scramble to their feet.
Bella must have noticed, too, because she said, “Boys, I need you to stay inside and help me mix up a batch of oatmeal cookies. I’m sure I’ll need a couple of tasters.”
They immediately ran to where Bella stood. “I’m good at stirring, Aunt Bella,” Caleb offered, looking up at her.
“Me, too,” Mark agreed.
John laughed. “Well, if I had known there would be cookies to sample, I wouldn’t have mentioned the broken stall door.” He started to sit back down. “That stall can wait another day or two.”
Cara shook her head. “Oh, no, you don’t. You go to work. I don’t want to have to help you later. You know how I hate being in that barn. Philip’s here, so go.” She pointed at the door with a stern look.
Philip saw Bella try to hide her grin. He pushed away from the table. “Come on, John. The sooner we get the stall fixed, the sooner we get to eat cookies.”
John grumbled, “At times like these, I wish I was six again.” He pulled his coat back on and headed out the door.
Philip pulled the door shut behind them, but not before he heard the women burst out into laughter. He buttoned his coat as he stepped off the porch, glad that the wind had died down.
His thoughts turned to the trip to his adoptive parents’ farm. It would take between twelve and fifteen hours. Thankfully the road wasn’t too bad. The wagon was light and, since they weren’t taking much of anything with them, should be easy for a horse to pull.
Philip walked to the barn and could hear John singing a hymn inside. Since his real father’s death, he never entered a barn when he knew someone was inside, until he heard them moving about or making some type of noise. The silence of the barn on the morning he’d found his father had taught him to be cautious before entering. The singing inside stopped and Philip pulled the barn door open and stepped inside.
“What were you doing out there? Woolgathering?” John asked, motioning for him to come farther into the barn.
“I suppose I was.” Philip walked to where John waited.
John handed him a piece of wood. “Here, hold this.”
Philip took it and held it in place while John hammered a nail.
“Were you thinking about that pretty lady inside? I imagine you were surprised when you saw her.” He chuckled and continued working.
“No, I wasn’t thinking about her, and yes, I was very surprised. You could have warned me.” Philip picked up another board and handed it to John.
John nailed it into place. “Where would the fun be in that?” He swung the stall door back and forth.
Philip shook his head. He sat down on a barrel and looked at John, not bothering to answer him. Instead he said, “You didn’t need my help with that. Why did you want to come out here?”
A grin split the other man’s lips. “Well, for a couple of reasons. One, I wanted to thank you for taking care of the place while I was gone, and two, I was wondering what you are going to do about those boys.”
“I didn’t do anything special around here. As for the boys, I’m going to adopt them.”
“That’s what I figured.” John rubbed his chin. “Why would you want to adopt two little boys that don’t belong to ya?”
Philip frowned. What was the older man getting at? Why wouldn’t he want to adopt Caleb and Mark? “I don’t want them to go into an orphanage like I did.”
“And there’s no other reason?”
“Just say what it is you want to know, John.” Philip locked eyes with his friend, not knowing what John would say next.
John shook his head. “Are you sure you’re not taking the boys in so that their aunt will get feelings for you?”
Philip chuckled. “I’m sure. I don’t intend to fall in love with Bella. The boys need a father, and since my brother Thomas is responsible for bringing them into my life by placing that mail-order-bride ad, I’m going to be the one to take care of them.” He stood. “Now that the door is fixed, we can mosey back inside and have a cookie or two.”
“I vote for two.” John slapped him on the back. “While we’re at it, maybe you should take a good long look at the cook. She’s a fine-looking woman.”
Philip shook his head in mock defeat. How could he explain to John that he didn’t want to fall in love? He didn’t want to grieve for a woman, should something happen to her. And at the same time, Philip didn’t want a woman grieving for him, either. Would he be able to maintain a friendship with Bella and not fall in love with her and the boys? Philip planned on guarding his heart and prayed Bella would do the same with hers.
Philip rubbed at his shoulder as he drove the wagon. An ache had begun about midmorning and just hadn’t stopped hurting. Probably from sleeping on the rough boards in the barn last night, he thought.
With John home, he and his wife had taken the bedroom, and Bella and the boys had slept in the sitting room, leaving Philip the barn as a sleeping place. He looked behind him at the boys huddled under the piles of blankets that Cara