A Time to Love Read Online Free Page B

said simply.
    "You say that a lot." Jenny wiped her eyes. "God's will."
    Phoebe squeezed the hand she held. "It's simple but true. Now, eating something warm on this cold day will make you feel better."
    "It's lunch already?" Glancing at her watch, Jenny saw that she'd slept nearly four hours.
    " Ya. Hungry?"
    "Not really."
    She hadn't thought she was, but when Phoebe lifted the lid of the pot simmering on the stove, she discovered the smell of the vegetable soup was enticing.
    "Well, maybe a little."
    "A good bowl of hot soup on a cold day," her grandmother said, serving it up with slices of bread.
    Comfort food, thought Jenny. She needed it.
     

     
    Matthew walked into his house, letting in a blast of cold air. He stamped his feet on the doormat and pulled off his gloves, tucking them into his coat pockets. Shrugging off the coat, he hung it and his hat on the pegs on the wall by the door. He rubbed his hands together. "Cold out there."
    His sister Hannah hurried over to take Annie's hat and coat off. She picked her up and gave her a big kiss on her cheek."Your cheeks are cold, Annie. Go wash your hands, and we'll eat."
    Obediently, Annie ran from the room. Hannah turned to Matthew. "How did her session go?"
    "The therapist feels her speech is coming along fine," Matthew told her, washing his hands at the kitchen sink.
    As he dried his hands, he watched her move about the kitchen, stirring the pot of hearty split-pea soup with chunks of ham, then getting out soup bowls and setting the table. She'd been sixteen when his wife had died three years ago and had moved in to help him take care of his kinner. The two of them were separated by twelve years, but they agreed on most things as a rule, so the arrangement had worked out well.
    "You took longer than usual."
    "I stopped by Phoebe's with some things she needed from town."
    "Ah, I see."
    Matthew settled into a seat at the kitchen table and Hannah put a bowl of soup before him. "You see what?"
    "I heard that Phoebe's grossdochder is visiting."
    Matthew nodded. He smiled when Annie ran back into the room and held out her hands for his approval. Smiling, he patted the seat of the chair beside him. "Your Aenti Hannah has prepared some nice warm soup for us."
    Hannah set a bowl of soup at her own place, then a smaller one at Annie's. "That should warm you right up. Then it's time for a nap before Joshua and Mary come home from school."
    The three of them bent their heads to ask a blessing for the meal before they began eating. Hannah buttered a piece of bread for Annie, took one for herself, and passed the plate to Matthew.
    "The lady had a bad dream," Annie said suddenly.
    "Lady?" Hannah looked curiously at Matthew.
    "Jenny, Phoebe's grossdochder."
    Hannah waited but Matthew didn't say more. Men! she thought. Well, there was more than one way to get information. She smiled at Annie. "What happened?"
    "She was taking a nap, and she had a bad dream." Annie stirred her soup. "And Daedi held her hand."
    Her eyes wide, Hannah turned to her brother. He looked a little embarrassed but said nothing as he reached for a slice of bread and buttered it with unusual care.
    "He told her she was safe," Annie told Hannah.
    "Annie, eat your soup."
    " Ya, Daedi." She put a spoonful into her mouth, then swallowed."She says some words funny, like me."
    "Matthew?"
    He looked up from his soup.
    "Do I have to pull it out of you?" she asked, exasperated.
    "The Amish grapevine isn't working well enough to get information about Jenny?"
    She frowned. "It's not wrong to be curious."
    "If you say so."
    "I remember how you felt about—" she stopped as she caught Matthew's warning look.
    Glancing over, he saw Annie drooping over her empty bowl."Time for a nap, Annie. Sweet dreams."
    Annie slid down from the chair and stood by her father. She stared up at him with big blue eyes. " Daedi, you should have told the lady to have sweet dreams."
    He nodded solemnly. "You're right. Next time I will."
    When she held