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washed. Then, after the singing and games this afternoon, several of the guests would remain for supper and the cutting of the wedding cake.
    Emma picked up a dish bin and started down the table wherefolks had first been seated and were starting to leave. She chatted with some of them, but remained focused on piling the dishes carefully in the bin so they wouldn’t break. Lost in thought, she looked up to find Matt Lambright smiling at her from his seat at the table. Rosemary’s toddler, Katie, had settled into his lap, looking ready to snooze, and the sweetness of this father-daughter scene took Emma’s breath away.
    â€œAnother happy day in Cedar Creek,” Matt remarked. “We’ve been waiting for James and Abby to tie the knot for a long time now.”
    Emma got so choked up, she couldn’t answer him. She grabbed the dish bin to go empty it so she didn’t have to behold Matt’s satisfied smile as he hugged Katie close.

Chapter Four
    W yman Brubaker rose from the table feeling very full—he’d eaten a heaped plate of the wedding roast, mashed potatoes with creamed celery, and his favorite green bean casserole with the crunchy onions on top, along with some salads. But even after completing the meal with a slice of cherry pie, he felt . . . anxious. In the past few days, he and his partner had talked on the phone several times and had decided not to give in to Reece Weaver’s demand for more money, but still he’d lain awake at night, wondering how he’d support his family through the winter. Now it was time to seek advice.
    â€œSee you boys around,” he said to Eddie and Pete, who were devouring second platefuls from the buffet line. Wyman rested his hand on Simon’s head, amazed at how much food his five-year-old had tucked away. “And you, Son, will be making everyone remark about how well-behaved you are today, jah? No more stunts like you pulled when Amanda and I got married.”
    Simon feigned wide-eyed innocence as he reached for his pie. “But, Dat, I didn’t pull the tablecloth off that table on purpose! I was just excited.”
    â€œRowdy and out of control is more like it,” Wyman insisted. He’d never forget the ominous crash of plates, glasses of water, and potted plants that had brought his wedding dinner to a halt last month while the servers scurried for brooms. “I’ll be visiting with the men, but don’t think I’m not watching you.”
    â€œJah, Dat’s got eyes in the back of his head,” Pete warned his little brother.
    â€œAnd Amanda’s already got you so figured out, she knows when you’re going to do something ornery even before
you
do.” Eddie widened his eyes ominously, gazing at Simon.
    â€œJah, like you guys never pester Lizzie, or smart off, or break stuff.” Simon forked up a big chunk of pumpkin pie and jammed it into his mouth.
    â€œAnd those are just a few of the things I expect
not
to see this afternoon, got it?” Wyman said in a purposeful voice.
    As he made his way between the tables, Wyman greeted several folks he knew—even some from as far away as Clearwater, where he’d spent his entire life until he’d moved to Amanda’s farm in Bloomingdale a few weeks ago. When he spotted Vernon Gingerich leaving the greenhouse, however, he walked faster to catch up with him. The white-haired bishop from Cedar Creek had offered to talk with him about adjusting to life with his large, blended family, and he valued Vernon’s practicality about financial matters as well.
    Once outside, he was pleased to see that Sam Lambright was also stepping over to speak with Vernon. Surely these two stable, established businessmen—one ran the Cedar Creek Mercantile and the other owned a herd of fine black Angus cattle—would offer some words of much-needed wisdom.
    â€œSay, can I bend you fellows’ ears for a moment?” Wyman