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after a falling-out with Will Gingerich, why do I suspect Will was responsible for the accident?” he asked in a knowing voice. “And if this man is associated with Will and his deceased wife, in a triangle of sin and deceit, nothing gut can possibly come of getting further involved in this dubious situation.”
    Edith knew better, because she’d watched Will leave town ahead of Asa. But she and her sisters remained silent, eyes upon their father.
    “This is why we’re returning the babies to Will, before you girls get attached to them,” Dat went on firmly. “And this is why you’re all forbidden to have any further contact with Will or the man he apparently stranded on the roadside. I can see his appearance has already affected the three of you.”
    Edith’s cheeks prickled with heat, and she looked down at the floor. She’d never been able to tell even the tiniest fib, and Dat had always been able to anticipate what his three daughters were cooking up before they got away with much. She didn’t protest her father’s ultimatum—but she didn’t agree to it, either.
    “Now that you’re home from the wedding and those babies have stopped howling, maybe we could have some supper,” Dat suggested.
    Loretta’s hand fluttered to her stomach. “I’m still so stuffed with pulled pork and baked beans—”
    “Not to mention those two pieces of pie and the wedding cake you ate,” Rosalyn added with a chuckle.
    Dat’s lips twitched. “Some of us haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
    Edith stifled a sigh. She wasn’t hungry, either, but at least Dat was more interested in eating than returning the twins to Will right away. “I’ll fix us something—maybe slice and fry those leftover baked potatoes and some bacon.”
    “I’ll gather some fresh eggs to go with those,” Loretta chimed in.
    “We’ll be downstairs as soon as we’ve changed out of our church clothes,” Rosalyn said, gazing intently at their father.
    After a moment Dat took the hint and left so the older girls could get dressed. Rosalyn and Loretta carefully hung up their best dresses and grabbed the clothes they’d worn before the wedding, intent on keeping their father pacified.
    “Hoo-boy, he’s wound up about those babies,” Loretta whispered.
    “If Dat thinks Will’s such a bad apple, why does he insist on taking the twins back to him?” Rosalyn asked with a shake of her head. “I know you’ve gotten yourself—and the rest of us—into a bit of a bind here, Edith, but I’d have done the same thing as you. It’s not the babies’ fault that they need care neither one of those men can give them.”
    Edith flashed her eldest sister a grateful smile and went downstairs to start supper. Neither Loretta nor Rosalyn ate much, and Edith was too lost in her swirling thoughts to do more than pick at her meal. Dat, however, took his time over two platefuls of scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, and bread with butter. Then, after offering them some, he polished off the two slices of cherry pie and the large slab of wedding cake her sisters had brought home.
    “I’ve been thinking about a suggestion Nora Hooley made,” he said as he pushed back from the table. “She wants to display some of my clocks in her store. It’s a sure thing that potential buyers would see them better there than in my workshop.”
    Loretta snatched at this thread of conversation like a hen snagging a worm. “Simple Gifts is such a wonderful shop,” she replied. “When I was in there last week, Nora was hoping Edith would take in some of her baskets—”
    “And your rugs would be just the thing to consign there, too, Loretta!” Rosalyn put in. “Nora sells so many pretty linens and household things. I was thinking to buy a few to use here in the kitchen and—”
    “The rugs and curtains your mother made are just fine.” Dat focused intently on Rosalyn. “You know how it goes, Daughter. Once you start shopping at Nora’s, a lot of money will slip