Free The Hand-Me-Down Family by Winnie Griggs

needlework.
    And surrounding the place were acres and acres of open farmland, God’s handiwork, uncluttered by people or crowded buildings. Callie wanted to hug herself for the pure joy and sense of freedom it gave her.
    The carriage had barely stopped before Annabeth scrambled down. A gray dog, his coat sprinkled with black spots, bounded up to meet them. Tail-waggingly ecstatic to see a familiar face, he nearly knocked Annabeth over in his eagerness to lavish her with dog kisses.
    Annabeth giggled as she knelt down and hugged the dog. “That tickles.”
    Cookie barked at the duo from the safety of the buggy.
    â€œStop that,” Emma chided, scratching the animal’s ears. “You know Pepper is just playing with Annabeth.”
    Annabeth stood up. “Aunt Callie, this is Pepper. Don’t be afraid, he won’t hurt you.”
    â€œMy, but he certainly is an exuberant animal.”
    The girl wrinkled her brow. “Zu-ber-ent?”
    â€œEx-u-ber-ent. It means joyful, active in a playful sort of way.”
    Annabeth grinned proudly as she stood up. “Yes, Pepper is very zuberent. If you come to the barn I’ll show you my pony Cinnamon. He’s not as zuberent as Pepper, but you’ll like him.”
    Callie hid a grin. Annabeth had obviously found a new favorite word. “You go on. I’ll be along in a minute.”
    By this time Simon and Emma had climbed down as well. Pepper and Cookie took a moment to check each other out, then started vying for the youngsters’ attention.
    The children ran off toward the barn, the dogs at theirheels. Callie watched that beautiful sight until they disappeared around the corner. “It’s wonderful to see them acting like the carefree children they’re supposed to be. Bringing them out here was a good idea.”
    Jack merely nodded as he moved to help her down. Despite the tension between them, his touch was solicitous. There was protectiveness and assurance to be found there.
    But as soon as her feet touched the ground he stepped back and gave her a challenging look, dispelling any notion she might have that his feelings had changed. “So, how much do you know about running a farm?”
    His tone dripped skepticism.
    She refused to let it throw her. “Your brother and I agreed that, besides caring for Annabeth, I would be responsible for the house and vegetable garden, and he would take care of the rest.” She lifted her head. “It was always my intention, however, that with Leland’s help I would learn more over time so I could be a proper helpmeet to him.”
    Jack nodded. “If you plan to live out here, there’s definitely a whole lot more you’ll need to learn. For one thing, there’s the care of the animals. This place has two cows that’ll need milking twice a day, a yearling and a young calf, a half dozen laying hens and a rooster, a mule and a horse—not to mention Annabeth’s pony, the dog and at least one barn cat.”
    He tilted his hat back. “Then there’s the haying, the constant maintenance, like fence mending and upkeep of the house and yard. And how do you feel about mucking out the barn and cleaning out the chicken coop?” He raised a brow. “Of course, if you had the means, I guess you could always hire someone to help out.”
    She lifted her chin, quite aware that he was trying to scare her away. Well, she was made of sterner stuff than that, as he’d soon find out. “Or I could just sell the whole place,” she saidgiving him a challenging look of her own, “lock, stock and barrel.” She tapped her chin with one finger. “With the proceeds I’m certain I could buy a nice little house in town for me and the children. Something cozier, with no animals and less upkeep.”
    It had been an idle threat, of course. She had no intention of selling the farm. Quite the contrary. She planned to hold on to this