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managed fine without Jake Russell until now, and she’d carry on without him. Maybe Mrs. Brooks knew how to make corn-husk dolls. She’d ask her after supper tonight. She’d worry about finding enough husks later.
    Livy helped the children with their lessons, keeping them occupied while Mrs. Brooks prepared the evening meal.
    Mrs. Brooks stuck her head in the door. “Livy, I’ll take over now. You’ve got a visitor.”
    Livy’s face grew warm. “Thank you, ma’am.”
    Mrs. Brooks leaned close as Livy passed, her eyes twinkling. “Jake told me what you two are up to, so I’ll keep the children out of your way.”
    Livy paused before the mirror in the hall, straightened her collar, and smoothed her hair. She jerked her hands down. How silly. Jake wasn’t interested in her. He’d only offered to teach her how to make dolls because he cared about the girls. And she wasn’t interested in him, either. She wasn’t looking to fall in love, get married, and have children. Ever.
    She trudged down the hall and found him in the kitchen with a sack of corn husks at his feet.
    “Afternoon, Livy.”
    Her heart fluttered at the crooked smile he gave her, making it awfully hard to remember why she wasn’t supposed to be interested. “Afternoon.”
    “Sorry I’m so late getting here, but we had another robbery last night.”
    “Oh no. Was anyone hurt?”
    He piled dry, crackling shucks on the table. A cloud of dust hovered in the air, and Livy sneezed.
    “No, but those kids are getting brave. This is the second time this week. When I get my hands on them, they’re going to wish they’d never landed in Chestnut, Illinois.”
    “Jake, they’re innocent until proven guilty.”
    His gaze snapped to hers. “Sorry. I know how you feel about those kids. Did you find some string?” he asked, effectively changing the subject.
    Livy sighed. The discussion of the street kids might be on the back burner for now, but she’d bring it up again. Soon. She pulled a ball of bright-red yarn out of her pocket. “Will this work?”
    “Yeah, that’ll do.” He rubbed his hands together, looking a little out of his element. “Okay, we need a pot of warm water. We’ve got to soak the husks to make them easier to work with. We’ll need some scissors too.”
    Livy stepped outside and filled a black pot with snow while Jake sorted through the shucks.
    When she returned, Jake glanced at her, his green eyes bright. “Did the Hays children sleep better last night?”
    “Yes, they did. I think they were exhausted.”
    Livy put the pot on the stove and concentrated on the melting snow, her back to him. How could he feel such compassion for the Hays children but not for the street kids he wanted to run out of town? She didn’t like the direction of her thoughts, but she couldn’t help but compare his different reactions. Of course she wanted him to care about the orphans, but she wanted him to understand the plight of the street kids as well.
    When steam rose from the water, Jake threw a handful of husks into the pot. Livy poked at them with a wooden ladle as the husks became soft and pliable.
    Unlike Jake’s feelings about the street kids.
    There wasn’t any difference between the three children who’d lost their father two days ago and the kids who made their beds in the alleyways at night. How could she make Jake see that?
    He caught her studying him, and his eyes narrowed. “Is something wrong?”
    Heat rushed to her face, and she shook her head. The man was giving of his time to help her, and all she could do was find fault. “No.”
    He watched her for a moment longer before lifting the pot from the stove and carrying it to the table. He fished the shucks out and placed them on a towel.
    Livy poked the soggy-looking mess with her spoon. “How on earth do you intend to make a doll out of that?
    He laughed, more a grunt of amusement than anything. “You’ll see. Just watch.” He picked up a husk. “First, you shape the