Anika smiles out at the congregation, and her smile fades a little when she sees Martha glaring at her. She nudges a friend and whispers in her ear, before grinning. Thankfully, the service is short, and when the boys start to fuss, they make excuses and collect Delaney. Daisy is quick to spread the word about the quilting bee while Anika walks Delaney to the wagon.
“Mama I made new friends!” Delaney is glowing with excitement.
“I’m so proud of you, Delaney.” She smiles as Allen lifts her into the wagon.
“It was fun, Mama and they prayed for Daddy and Rosie.” Anika jerks as if slapped.
“What?” she whispers.
Delaney walks to the edge of the wagon and cups Anika’s face in her hands. “Don’t be mad, Mama. Mrs. B said I can talk to them when I miss them by praying and then they prayed with me.” Tears flood her eyes.
“Of course, I’m not mad at you, Delaney. You pray anytime you want to.”
Delaney throws her arm around her neck. “Thank you, Mama.”
“You’re welcome, now let’s go home.”
Glenn is walking back from the front of the church when he hears his name called. “You lucked out, didn't you Ward.”
George, Albert, and Rhemi are standing together and staring at Anika as Allen helps her climb in the wagon, followed by his sister, Savannah.
“What does that mean?” his glare should be warning enough, but part of him hopes they step out of line.
“Only that your new nanny is luscious,” Albert says leering at her.
Glenn grabs Albert by the front of his pressed shirt before he can finish his lewd statement.
“The question you should ask is how lucky do you feel right now?”
Pastor Donegal interrupts with a frown and steps between them. He pries Glenn’s hand free and pushes the three men back.
“None of that now, Glenn your family is waiting for you. Let's not mar this beautiful day with violence.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it, Glenn,” Albert stammers.
“I think you meant exactly what you said.” Glenn tries to grab him again only to be pushed back by the Pastor. “Having just buried the mother of my children I don’t exactly feel lucky. You should be thankful we are in God’s house. Keep your eyes and your vulgar comments to yourself. Next time, I won’t be so restrained.”
Glenn storms back to the wagon. He doesn’t trust himself to speak.
“What was that about?” Daisy asks.
“Nothing,” he replies shortly.
Chapter 11
“I’ve never canned so much in my life,” Anika says with a satisfied grin.
“Applesauce, apple butter, cherry preserves, peaches and more. We did great. I couldn’t have gotten this done without both of you,” Daisy smiles at them and watches Savannah stack the last of the mason jars into the tray.
“Perfect. We have earned a few days off before we start baking for the bake sale. It’s all everyone is talking about at Church,” Savannah says with a grin.
“I’m really pleased to see how everybody has stepped up to help, and all the proceeds are going to the Orphans Home,” Daisy replies.
“I am excited to see how well the raffle works,” Anika says.
“The finished quilt is stunning, Anika. It will be fun to see how much money it raises,” Daisy yawns.
“Thanks to your sewing machine, it went together much faster than I had hoped,” Anika says. “It will make the smaller quilts easier to make as well.”
“The Quilting Bee is going to be the social event of the year! Just wait, Savannah, so much food, and laughter.”
“Until the men show up,” Daisy teases.
“It will be great fun, and Anika can meet all the church members in a more informal setting.” Savannah glances at her mother, “Mama, you look tired. Why don't you go get cleaned up, Anika and I will put these in the root cellar,” Savannah insists.
“Okay, I am a mess.” She wipes her hands on a stained apron and hurries from the room. Savannah glances out the window behind her mother and smothers a grin of delight when she sees her brother, Glenn walking from the barn towards the back door. These two could use some time together, she thinks. They have avoided each other since the incident at Church.
“I'll get the first tray, while you fill the other one.” Savannah grabs a wooden tray and carefully pushes through the door walking across the yard, through the garden, and towards the cellar door. The fresh autumn wind blows across the yard, and Savannah smiles at Glenn.
“Need help?” Glenn asks when he looks up and notices his sister struggling with a heavy wooden tray.
“What a great brother. Could you take this to the root cellar?”
Glenn pushes his wide-brimmed hat back on his head and takes the tray. “Why do I feel like I’m being duped? Did you plan it this way?”
“Why, whatever do you mean brother? Of course not.” She bats her long lashes and giggles when he glowers and heads to the cellar beside the barn. It is a heavy trap door, leading down into an eight by ten-foot, limestone-lined cellar. It stays a cool fifty-two degrees year-round.
Glenn descends into the darkened space, careful not to hit his head on the low ceiling. The sun is setting, and it's getting dark, so he drops the tray on a shelf and moves to the right side where he knows the lantern is kept. He stoops down to dig around for a match.
Savannah passes Anika on the way towards the cellar door. “I left it open for you. I'm going to grab a bath. Moms got the boys.” She hurries past Anika and ducks behind the wagon to wait for her opportunity.
