Free The Homesteader's Sweetheart by Lacy Williams

the horses. Jonas also noticed his older sons couldn’t tear their eyes from Penny. He began to brace himself for the onslaught of questions they would inevitably ask as soon as Walt and the Castlerocks left. What was Walt’s granddaughter doing here? Was she attached to anyone?
    “Your grandmamma, God rest her soul, burned up a pair of curtains once when we were first married…”
    Walt lapsed into silence, obviously remembering his late wife. His statement didn’t change Penny’s expression. She looked dejected, disappointed. But then, as he watched her expressive face, she visibly brightened and looked around at the faces surrounding her.
    “I don’t suppose anyone would care to introduce me to this bunch of…um…cowhands?”
    The boys all spoke at once, giving their names and greeting her in a cacophony of sound. Jonas whistled again and the boys quieted. “One at a time,” he suggested, pointing to the closest boy.
    “Ricky.”
    “Matty.”
    “I’m Seb, miss. Nice ta meetcha.” His youngest son, just three years older than Breanna, actually stepped forward to shake Penny’s hand.
    “D-D-Davy.”
    “Hullo. Name’s Oscar, ma’am.”
    “Maxwell.”
    “Edgar.” Jonas glanced over and noted the tense set of his usually easygoing son’s mouth.
    Both Penny and Sam scanned the faces surrounding them—Walt was long used to Jonas’s makeshift family—and Jonas wondered for a moment what they would think.
    He put a hand on the two closest boys’ shoulders to show his pride in them. “My sons.”

Chapter Six
    P enny heard the words but with all the chaos from the morning and the teens surrounding her, they didn’t register until she’d been ushered inside and smooshed into the center of one of the two long benches on either side of the food-laden table.
    His sons?
    She had no opportunity to ask about it as the boisterous group began dishing out delicious-smelling food. She’d never seen anything like the confusion of reaching arms, and boys half standing out of their seats to get to the food. Sam stared at her with wide eyes, sitting back in his seat across the table. This chaos was completely different from their meals taken with their parents where Ethel served each course. Mrs. Trimble’s training had never discussed what to do in a situation like this!
    She looked up to find Jonas’s eyes on her, narrowed as if waiting for her reaction. She kept a placid smile on her face as a biscuit, then eggs and a slice of ham appeared on her plate from both sides. Their manners might be lacking, but at least they’d served their guests.
    Penny kept waiting for a woman to appear to take credit for the meal, but none did. Who kept all the children in line?
    Finally, when every plate was filled, the table fell silent. From his corner of the overcrowded table, Jonas said, “Let’s pray.”
    Penny bowed her head, her eyes flickering over the mismatched plates and cups. They were all completely different, and several of them were chipped.
    As Jonas offered a sincere blessing for the meal and thanks for safe travels home, Penny fingered the worn, plain cloth that covered the table. It was far different from the fine embroidered tablecloths she was accustomed to at home.
    During the prayer, none of the boys fidgeted, not even the youngest. But after the last “amen” echoed around the table, the noise level rose right back to what it had been before. Penny sat for a moment, just absorbing it. Once again, Jonas caught her eye, his face inscrutable. Was he upset she and her family had barged in on their meal?
    “Do ya want some jelly, Miss Penny?” Breanna asked from close to Penny’s side, breaking the connection between Penny and Jonas.
    “Oh. All right.” She accepted the somewhat sticky jar from the little girl’s hands and spooned some of what appeared to be blackberry jelly across the fluffy biscuit on her plate.
    “Butter?” The boy—she thought it was Ricky—asked from her other side,