Daisy is quick to motion for Savannah and Anika to join her in greeting the families and welcoming their guests. Delaney plays with new friends and chases the dogs, causing everyone to laugh. Mrs. Henriette brings the twins to Anika with Savannah's help, and the women gather to play with them. They are passed around until Quinton decides he's had enough. His cry calls to Anika and she hands Allen over to his grandmother, and he quickly settles against her throat and hides his face in her hair.
“I don’t know how you’re managing two of them at the same time. I’m worn out with just the one,” Natalie, a young mother says.
“They are good, as long as their bellies are full,” she smiles when his hand pulls a fistful of her hair.
“Just like any man,” Mrs. Flannagan calls out with a laugh.
“I should help Mrs. Henrietta get them to sleep, excuse me.”
Anika returns forty-five minutes later and joins Clara at the sewing table. The women laugh and welcome her back.
“I’d forgotten how it feels to be part of a community,” Anika murmurs as she listens to the women laughing, teasing and talking about their lives.
Martha watches with narrowed eyes as Anika smiles and greets people like a lady of the manor. Gritting her teeth, she slips away into the kitchen. “Shoo, filthy beast,” Martha kicks at the cat, who continues to ignore her and clean its paw. With a glance around the galley kitchen in the barn, Martha rushes to the counter where the large pot of apple cider is cooling.
“Yes,” she uncorks a bottle with a pop and prepares to drop two caps full into the pot as the nasty old man had instructed earlier.
‘This is potent, only a few capfuls for an entire pot. Do you ken what I’m saying? The longer it sits, the stronger it will become, and this has been sitting for two weeks.' Old man Sutton grins at her and spits his chew into a pot while Martha struggles not to gag.
‘Yes, I understand, now give it to me.’ She presses the coins into his hand, surprised when he grasps her hand tightly.
‘Listen closely, girlie, this shine is potent, like poison if used in the wrong way?’ Martha jerks her hand away in revulsion and snaps at him.
‘I won't, and you speak of this to no one, or my Father will be persuaded not to look the other way regarding your… establishment.”
Moonshine is a serious business. The liquor business is full of bootleggers and criminals, just the sort she shouldn’t have dealings with. His eyes darken, and he grins, revealing his blackened and missing teeth. ‘You shouldn’t threaten a man’s livelihood, Miss Martha.’
‘True, and you shouldn’t threaten a woman in love.’ She tosses him another coin and grabs an extra bottle to hide in Anika’s room. Dark, greedy eyes stare at the coin and at her as she storms back to her fancy carriage and wonders what poor sob got stuck with her. He follows and steps out onto his porch in the mountains and glares at the young man who helps her back into the carriage.
‘Get me out of here, Rhemi.’
‘My pleasure, cousin.’ He gives a quick salute and jumps inside the carriage.
‘Did you get it?’ he asks staring at the bottle in her hand.
‘Of course,” she laughs, ‘now we will both get what we want. Glenn will never look at her the same way again.’
‘I will be glad to look at her,’ she will pay for embarrassing him. ‘I will get my carriage ride, one way or another. It took days to get the smell of old ladies out of it. I’m only sorry I have to leave on business, but she should be good and desperate when I return.’
The cat rubs against her leg jerking her from her reverie and reminding her why she’s here. Quickly, she pours splashes of pure moonshine into one of her special jars followed by cider. “One extra splash, for good luck.” When this hits her, they will never trust Anika again, she thinks with a grin. She covers the jar with a cloth and sets it up on the top shelf, pushing it back so no one will see it. “I’ll give this one to her myself.”
Voices and boots are her only warning. Martha shoves the cork haphazardly on the bottle before pushing it up on the wooden shelf above the pot. She rushes from the kitchen, just missing Spot, the family dog.
He runs into the kitchen with a large bark, causing the cat to screech and leap away. Seeking higher ground, she jumps onto the wooden shelves above the pot and knocks the bottle over, pouring the full contents of the container into the cooling liquid below. The dog grabs the cork and runs from the room, chewing on his prize as the cat leaps down.
Two hours into sewing Daisy signals it’s time for a break and drinks. “Ladies, I shall return with cider, but this year’s brew is made by Ms. Coltrane and if your nice enough she may give you the recipe.” The ladies laugh.
Martha jumps up, “Let me help.” Anika watches with a frown but is distracted with Delaney as she asks if they can go play at the house.
Martha is quick to make it to the kitchen before Daisy and begins to ladle to cider into each jar being sure to place Anika’s
