Free A Love Undone by Cindy Woodsmall

licked his finger. “My Mamm’s gone too.”
    Jolene’s heart quickened its pace. Her interest in Andy, however fragile, wasn’t at all like her, and it seemed really inappropriate. His heart could be broken, and here she was mentally eyeing the man and thinking of only herself. She hated when widowers did that to her—disregarded her heart as if she were no more than a workhorse or milk cow on an auctioning block.
    Lester came to the kitchen door with a mug of coffee in hand. “It looks as if we’re ready to eat, right?”
    “Oh.” Jolene would prefer a few more answers from Tobias first, but she knew Lester well. His polite question was actually a gentle command, and he gave only one gentle command before he started barking orders. “Ya.” She squirted the custard into the pastry and gave it to Tobias. “Take that to your plate.” She hurriedly filled a few more pastries.
    Lester strode over and grabbed one. He popped the whole thing in his mouth and mumbled something—perhaps “that’s amazing.”
    She dumped the skillet of scrambled eggs into a huge bowl. “Lester, is Andy a widower?”
    He nodded and mumbled a couple of words that ended with
widower
—maybe
trace widower
. Her Mamm had used that term, but Jolene hadn’t heard it since then. It meant Andy had a deep mark from the loss. Lester licked his fingers and took a few drinks of his coffee. “A very sad and difficult situation for Andy, but Tobias was a toddler, so he has no recollection of her at all. Kumm. Let’s eat.”
    Jolene entered the dining room, carrying a platter of pastries and a bowl of eggs, but she hadn’t felt this self-conscious since the day she had to attend Van’s wedding. With everything on the table—breads, meats, eggs, cheese, and fruit—she and Hope took a seat, and all of them bowed their heads during the silent prayer.
    While heads were bowed, Jolene did something she hadn’t done in a decade. She opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of the man across from her. There was something compelling about him—something she’d noticed since they met. It wasn’t just his looks. He seemed to have a gentle, strong demeanor.
    She closed her eyes, embarrassed by her thoughts. He could be seeing someone. Or maybe he would never be interested in her. Or perhaps he didn’t intend to marry again.
    Actually, she knew almost nothing about him, but for the first time in her life, she liked the idea of getting to know a widower.

7

    Andy took the last bite of cantaloupe and perched his fork and knife on the edge of his plate. The food was great, but what he really wanted was to know if Jolene had reached the traveling blacksmith. He’d hoped she would volunteer the information since it was clear she hadn’t wanted to call him. He’d rather not have to ask if she’d followed through. Seems as if she had, she would’ve said so.
    Still, he had to admit that this meal was like a Thanksgiving feast, only for breakfast. He’d eaten his eggs, meat, and fruit, so he picked up a cream-filled pastry and alternated between it and his coffee. Delicious. Too much so. Surely the Keim girls wouldn’t cook all summer the way they had yesterday and today. If so, he’d have to ration himself. Sadie was a good cook, and she fixed a lot better meals than he or Levi. But her goals were more like his and Levi’s: make it healthy, get it done, and move on with the day.
    Uncle Lester pushed his plate back. “So what’s the first thing to do today?”
    Andy wiped powdered sugar off his lips. “Calm a few of the horses enough that they’ll let us bathe them. Most are matted with mud and manure. No matter what task we undertake, I’d prefer that you and Tobias stay away from the barn and corral at least until the horses settle.”
    Lester nodded. “I broke my hip messing with a high-strunghorse a few years back, and I can’t afford to do that again. But Jo will be here to help.”
    Andy nodded. That was good news. When he’d called to ask