Free Harvest of Blessings by Charlotte Hubbard Page A

years. I’ve been so naive, thinking I could make this work.”
    “Will, um, Millie’s father help you out?”
    “He’s dead.”
    When Luke’s eyes widened, Nora hoped he’d take her unspoken hint and not ask any more about that part of the story. Though her new neighbor piqued her interest, some information just couldn’t be entrusted to a man she’d only known for twenty-four hours—especially considering how the Hooley brothers thought they had dibs because they lived next door.
    “So what will you do now?” Luke asked in a low voice. “Not intending to be nosy, understand. Just . . . interested. There’s a lot more to you than meets the eye, Nora.”
    She let out a humorless chuckle. Allowing Luke’s curiosity to evolve into a romantic entanglement wasn’t in her best interest. “I have no idea. I’m so drained, I might just sit here on the couch for the rest of the day, surrounded by all this stuff , ” she blurted, gesturing at the mess around them.
    When Luke smiled, Nora thought she saw a gentle sadness etched around his eyes—not an emotion she’d expected when he’d first introduced himself. “Well, I’d better get back to the mill,” he said as he stood up. “I wanted to be sure you weren’t in the mood to self-destruct, or to give up on reconciling with Millie. She’s a sweet girl—”
    “And she’s what— half Ira’s age?” The words sounded harsher than Nora had intended, but guys at the Hooleys’ life stage had certain needs.
    Luke looked her straight in the eye. “He’s never taken advantage of her innocence, if that’s what you’re thinking. Maybe having Millie’s mother next door will make him quit sitting on the fence and commit. They’ve been dating for a long while.”
    Nora sensed Luke was the sort of big brother who thought it’d be right for Ira to follow the rules—to remain sexually honorable—even if he himself showed no inclination to settle down. But she wouldn’t raise that issue while she had so many other emotional fires to put out. “Thanks for the wildflowers. That was sweet of you.”
    His lips curved. “I’ll stick them in water and get out of your hair. Take care, Nora.”
    “Yeah, you too.”
    She heard water running in the kitchen and then the closing of the back door. Nora let her head fall back against the couch. She hadn’t felt like chatting with Luke any longer, but the silence of the house closed in on her after a few minutes of being alone. What would she do now? How could she possibly believe anything positive would come of the fiasco she’d caused this morning?
    When you’ve been knocked to the bottom of the pit, the only way is up.
    Nora chuckled glumly. Miriam’s words had rung with the staunch belief that all things worked out to the good for those who loved God, but Nora wasn’t setting her heart on a happy ending. Not anymore. Her original good intentions had gone so wrong she didn’t see any way to reclaim them or to start her reconciliation efforts again.
    Figuring it was better to move than to remain mired in her defeat, Nora went into the kitchen. If she emptied a box of towels and moved a bunch of gadgets from the table into the drawers, she would have the satisfaction of a single room that looked settled. She gazed at Luke’s bouquet of wildflowers, sitting by the sink. If only the beam of light shining through the window, making the water glow in the drinking-glass vase, could be a ray of sunshine for her soul, as well.
    Luke’s not as shallow as I thought , Nora mused. But she knew not to count on him. She’d be better off getting some sort of business established in that huge barn, creating a badly needed income—
    “Nora? The men will be here soon to remove my Bishop’s Ridge sign from your driveway,” an all-too-familiar voice said through the screen door.
    Nora scowled. You forgot to hook the screen door—again!
    This morning’s scene in the Sweet Seasons had rushed past her in some ways, but she