“You need to stay little for as long as possible,” she told Eli. “Enjoy your childhood.”
Dave wove through the group of several families who were either dancing or talking and sat in the chair next to her on the lawn. “I brought you some punch in case you get thirsty.”
“Thank you.” She smiled at him. “I’m fine for the moment.”
“I think this is our children’s favorite time of year. It’s the only time everyone gets together to play.”
“Does it bother you that Adam and Jacob are playing with Luke and Elizabeth?”
“I keep telling you I’m fine with our children playing with Neil’s,” Dave said. “I no longer want to see Neil hung up by his feet and made to stay out in the fields all day like a scarecrow.”
She chuckled. “I’m glad you two worked things out. I know it wasn’t easy for you to put aside what happened in the past, but you did it for Isaac’s sake. I’m proud of you for that.”
“I think any other parent would do the same for their child. When you have children, your life becomes more about them than it does about yourself.” He put his arm around Mary’s shoulders. “I have no regrets.”
“I don’t, either. We’re blessed.”
Her gaze went to twelve-year-old Adam and nine-year-old Jacob. They were playing tag with a few of the other children, and among them were Neil and Sarah’s children, eleven-year-old Luke and ten-year-old Elizabeth. The group was undoubtedly having a good time.
Tom’s girls were too old to play such games anymore. Already, Nelly and Patricia were married, though they had yet to have any children. Children would be coming soon enough, and she knew Tom and Jessica were looking forward to being grandparents. Erin was twenty, and Daisy was seventeen. Soon, they would be married as well, but at the moment, all but Daisy were dancing as Tom played the fiddle.
Daisy had chosen to pick wildflowers with Rachel who was already fifteen. It wouldn’t be long before Rachel got married, and guessing by how romantic Rachel thought it was that Mary had become a mail-order bride, Mary suspected Rachel was going to choose the same path. This would require her to leave Nebraska, but Mary would have to let her make the choice. She wasn’t going to try to hold her back like her own mother had. She was going to let Rachel pursue her dreams, wherever they would take her.
Rachel’s younger twin sisters, Harriett and Rose, were only five, so Mary still had some time to enjoy having them home. She looked for them and saw that they were with Dave’s parents. Rose was holding a kitten. Though Dave’s father held another one to Harriett, she refused to hold it. Instead, she gave it a tentative pat on the head.
“I see your parents are trying to get rid of some of the kittens they had,” Mary told Dave in amusement.
“They are, but I’m not taking any home,” Dave said.
Jessica came over to them and sat on Mary’s other side. “How are you doing?”
“I’m doing good,” Mary replied. “Would you like to hold your newest nephew?”
“I was hoping you’d offer.” Not hiding her excitement, Jessica gently took Eli into her arms. “One of these days, Tom and I are hoping Nelly will tell us she’s expecting a baby. They are so cute.” She rubbed Eli’s cheek and smiled at him.
“You’ll make a good grandma, Jessica,” Mary said.
“I’m going to have fun with it. I used to wonder why Tom and Dave’s mother kept asking to let one of my daughters stay with them. Now I realize it’s because the more we mature, the more adorable these little bundles of joy are.”
“I don’t feel old enough to be a grandpa,” Dave mused.
“Well, you are,” Mary teased. “Soon Isaac will be bringing over a grandson or granddaughter.”
“Being a grandparent doesn’t mean we’ll be old,” Jessica said. “It only means that we know how much we have to appreciate the little ones while they’re still little. You also have the benefit of experience. You’re wiser. You’re only as old as you feel. Look at Tom and Dave’s parents. They still act like newlyweds from time to time.”
Jessica was right. Mary would catch their father giving their mother a kiss when he thought no one was looking, and his mother would giggle like a schoolgirl.
Mary’s gaze went back to Dave’s parents. Rose had decided to sit on the grass and was playing with the kitten in her lap. Harriett decided to stay by her grandparents and was still looking as if she wanted to pet the kitten her grandpa was holding but was still too afraid to do more than tap it on the head.
Stan, Neil and Sarah’s eight-year-old boy, threw a stick for a dog to catch, and the dog, in its excitement, ended up bumping into Harriett and knocking her over. Harriett started to cry. Even from a distance, Mary could tell her daughter was doing that more from shock than from being hurt. The grass, after all, was soft, and the dog hadn’t run into her too hard.
Stan hurried over to Harriett and helped her up. He said something to her, but Mary couldn’t make out what it was. Whatever it was, however, it calmed Harriett right down, and after a moment, Harriett laughed. Stan bent down, picked up the barrette that had fallen out of Harriett’s hair, and gave it back to her. Then he picked up the stick and led the dog further away so they wouldn’t risk getting in her way again.
“Wouldn’t it be cute if they ended up together?” Jessica asked Mary. “He’s
