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Woody’s brows both rose. Did she really think they were mostly interested in Boston?
    â€œWoody and Jace are joining us for dinner,” Cathy said, telling her it didn’t matter.
    The Shephards began to walk down the green toward their home, but Woody and Jace retrieved their wagon from the meetinghouse stables and moved it to sit behind the store. They stabled their horse with Doyle’s livestock before going to the front door to join the family.
    In a very short time the women had made the table comfortable for five, food laid out in plentiful amounts but without the bother of cooking. Cathy always made plenty on Saturday so Sunday could be a true day of rest. She wasn’t overly religious herself, but she knew she couldn’t get through the week without that day off.
    The five were seated a short time later, and cheese, slices of pork, bread, apples, corn cakes, and honey were passed in liberal amounts. Cathy put coffee on to boil. She would also serve the blueberry cobbler she’d made last evening.
    â€œYou almost done at the mill, Woody?” Doyle asked.
    â€œIt’s wrapping up fast, this week I expect. It’s time to get into the fields.”
    â€œNickleby started his planting. I think we’ll have more frost, but he’s sure not.”
    â€œWhat did he put down in his south field?” Woody asked.
    Sitting quietly and taking all this in, Jace thought he could almost thank his sister. Having her challenge him about his involvement with females had forced him to monitor the way he responded to them. So many days he found women wandering past the mill, women who were a little easier to ignore because of how forward he found them.
    But now he realized he could easily fall into the same category. He wanted to speak with Maddie, hear her voice, and have her eyes meet his, but he did nothing to accomplish this. He sat quietly and ate, speaking only when he was spoken to and not letting his eyes rest on Maddie for more than a moment at a time.
    And he was certain this was wise because she didn’t seem to notice him at all. He knew that some of his interest was over this very fact. The one who didn’t want you was the one you wanted. But Jace knew it was more than that. Had this woman wandered by the sawmill to catch his eye, he would have let it be caught, not worrying in the least if Eden could claim the victory.
    â€œHow much field planting have you done, Jace?”
    â€œA little,” he answered, coming back swiftly. “I used to help on a farm, but that was years past.”
    â€œHe’ll catch on.” Woody spoke with confidence, and Jace had all he could do not to look at Maddie.
    Had he but known it, he could have looked at Maddie. She was smiling in his direction over the compliment, and his looking wouldn’t have made a bit of difference to her. She was not interested in getting married, and no amount of male attention was going to sway her feelings.
    â€œLet me slice that for you, Doyle,” Maddie offered, taking the apple from her uncle’s hand and using her knife.
    â€œAre the little children in Boston missing you, Maddie?” Woody wished to know.
    â€œEveryone is quite grown up these days,” she explained. “I’m really more of a companion to the missus, and I think the family is getting ready to travel, so the timing was very fine.”
    â€œActually, Maddie, I was wondering who was peeling their apples for them,” teased Woody. Maddie laughed and continued her work.
    Jace watched her hands with the apple, finding himself wondering if her skin was soft. The store was rough work, but she’d only just arrived. Had the work in Boston already taken a toll, or would her hands have known an easier life in that place?
    â€œCoffee’s ready,” Cathy announced, rising to find mugs while Maddie went for the cobbler and the cream pitcher.
    As soon as Maddie stood, Jace relaxed a bit. She was gone