Holly And Mistletoe. Susan Mallery

didn’t he ask for help? Joe knows your dat or one of you boys would have done the work.”

      “Perhaps he wanted to do it himself.” Jacob held out his coffee toward her. “Would you like a sip?” After his mother declined, he drank from the cup, grimaced, then walked toward a trash can and dropped the remainder inside. “Good choice,” he told her with a grin.

      “Jed would have come, but he’s working construction today and there was no way to reach him.” Mam glanced briefly toward the Zook siblings. “Sarah stayed at the house with Hannah. And Noah—”

      Jacob nodded. He knew exactly why Noah hadn’t come. He was worried about leaving his wife, Rachel, who had lost their baby a month before her due date. Even now, months later, while she appeared strong to the outside world, Noah continually fretted about her.

      The double doors leading to the surgical area swung open and Dr. Moss, dressed in green medical scrubs, stepped out and approached Annie and Josiah.

      Jacob worried about Annie as she moved to stand next to her brother so Dr. Moss could inform them of the outcome of her father’s surgery. Nancy King stood on Josiah’s other side. He saw Josiah reach out to clasp hands with both women. Dr. Moss spoke at length, but from where he was, Jacob couldn’t hear. He stepped closer.

      “The surgery went well,” the doctor said. “Your father is in recovery now. You’ll be able to go back and see him for a few minutes, but don’t be alarmed if he doesn’t respond. It will take him a while to come out of the anesthesia...”

      Jacob saw Mae King slip an arm around Annie, watched as Annie leaned into the older woman for a moment’s comfort before she straightened. Her eyes narrowed as she looked about. Her glance slid over him without pausing before it moved on.

      They’ll take care of her, he thought as he studied the group who were doing their best to be there for Joe’s children. Annie didn’t need him now. It was time for him to leave, to see what needed to be done at the Zook farm while Annie and Josiah stayed close to their father.

      “I’m going to head back,” he told his parents as his father joined them.

      His mother studied him, gave him a slight smile. “We’ll stay for a while.”

      “You have a ride?” his father asked.

      “Bob Whittier.” Jacob glanced at the clock, noted the time. “He should be here soon.”

      Samuel nodded. “Are you going home?”

      “Nay,” Jacob said. “I thought I’d go to the Zooks’ farm first.”

      * * *

      Rick Martin pulled into the Zook barnyard late that afternoon to drop off Annie and Josiah. He promised to return the next morning to take them back to the hospital. After Rick had left, Josiah sighed and ran a hand along the back of his neck. “I’ll check on the animals.”

      Annie watched him walk away. “Are you hungry?” she called. “I can fix us something.”

      He stopped and turned. “Ja,” he admitted. “Anything will do.”

      As her brother walked to the barn, Annie headed toward the farmhouse. She froze in her tracks. Millie, she thought with alarm. Where was Millie? In all the commotion, she’d forgotten to put her dog back into the house before leaving for the hospital.

      “Josiah!” she called. “Please watch for Millie. She got out of the house earlier.”

      Josiah scowled but agreed. “She’ll come back eventually.”

      Annie opened the screen door and the inside door swung open. It didn’t surprise her that she hadn’t locked it after she’d grabbed her purse. Her one thought had been to get to her father.

      She entered the house and wandered into the gathering room. Annie stiffened at what she saw. All of the laundry was stacked, neatly folded, inside the laundry basket. She experienced a chill. Someone had been here. But a burglar wouldn’t fold laundry, she thought.

      She heard a short bark and was startled when Millie scurried into the room, wagging her tail happily. Annie bent down to rub her beloved pet’s fur. “How did you get in here?”

      “Annie,” a deep voice said.

      She gasped and spun toward the man who’d entered from the direction of the kitchen. “Jacob?” She rose to her feet, stared at him. “What are you doing here?”

      “Sorry.” His golden eyes studied her with concern. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. I stopped by to look for Millie and found her. I suddenly remembered her running about before we left.”

      “You shouldn’t have come.” She peered up at him with caution. “You folded the laundry.” Why would he fold laundry? The men in her Amish community didn’t fold laundry! It was an unheard of thing for any man to help with women’s work. “Why?”

      He shrugged. “You didn’t get the chance, so I thought I’d finish it for you.” He flashed a brief glance at the clothes before refocusing on her.

      Her spine tingled. “I could have done it.”

      His lips curved with amusement. “I don’t doubt it.”

      Millie licked her leg, demanding her attention. “You found Millie.”

      “I found her chasing a cat through the fields.” He traced the edge of his suspenders with his fingers. “The door was open, so I brought her in.”

      Watching, Annie wondered why her heart suddenly began to beat faster. “I forgot to lock the door.”

      “Not to worry. No one disturbed the house.” Jacob was suddenly there beside her.

      Overwhelmed by his nearness, she stepped back. “No one but you,” she accused.

      She heard him sigh. “You look like you’re about to collapse,” he said quietly. “Come. You’ve had a terrible day. Sit and I’ll make you some hot tea.”

      She sat down. “I can make my own tea.”

      “Ja, I’m sure you can.” He narrowed his eyes at her from above. “But I’d like to make you a cup. Is that a problem?”

      Feeling foolish, Annie shook her head. Reaction to Dat’s accident took over and suddenly cold she started to shake. She looked at him, but she couldn’t seem to focus. She felt warmth override the chill and realized that Jacob had grabbed the quilt from her father’s favorite chair and gently placed it around her shoulders. With mixed feelings, she watched him leave the room. He wasn’t gone long.

      “Here you go.” Jacob held her hot tea. The sofa cushion dipped beneath her as he sat beside her. He extended the cup, and when she didn’t immediately respond, gently placed it within her hands, his strong fingers cradling hers until she became overly conscious of his touch.

      She realized what he was doing, and she jerked back. “I’ve got it,” she said, relieved that he’d let go and that she hadn’t spilled any. He stood, and Annie felt the heat from the mug. She raised the rim to her lips.

      “Careful!” he warned. “It’s hot.” He seemed upset as his golden eyes regarded her apologetically. “I shouldn’t have let it boil.”

      “It’s fine, Jacob,” she said irritably. “If the water isn’t hot, it’s not a gut cup of tea.” Annie took a tentative drink. The steaming brew was sweet. She felt revived after several slow, tiny sips. She looked up at him. “Danki,” she said when she felt more like herself again.

      Jacob gave her a slow smile that did odd things to her insides. She fought back those feelings. He studied her a long moment until he was apparently satisfied with what he saw. “Did you see your vadder?” His voice was soft as he moved the laundry basket from the sofa to the floor and sat down.

      Taken