Free Noble Pursuits by Chautona Havig

smile on her face. “You have everything but a man, and with all that flab and stuck at home, you’ll never find one of those either.”

Chapter Eight
    Grace awoke with renewed vigor. The last week had been physically exhausting, but Grace attributed it to the many quarts of fruit that she’d canned. Her friends paid handsomely for the jelly and fruit that Grace worked so hard to process. The proceeds would feed her through December and then some. Grace often wondered if her customers didn’t pay more for her cooking than it was worth. People always assured her that hand canned fruit and jelly were nearly impossible to buy and very expensive if you were so fortunate as to find a source.
    “Well, Missy, you have a full plate today. Mel and the baby are coming to stay while Craig is in Cleveland for that silly conference, and you need to get their room ready, get dinner started, and then pull out those catalogs to plan Gracie-Anna’s spring wardrobe.”
    Grace continued with her running dialog as she brushed her hair, made the bed, dressed, and moved from room to room readying the home for the day.
    Craig often insisted that Martha Stewart could take lessons from her. Grace always blushed as he talked but appreciated that her brother valued her contribution to the family. His most memorable assertion was, “Martha may love doing everything at home and being involved in the home, but Grace makes an art of it without a large expense account.”
    “Mom taught me well, didn’t she, Lord? I miss her. I miss Dad too. Life can be hard and lonely at times, but I love the work that You’ve given me to do and I thank you.” Grace’s prayer continued while she began mixing a triple batch of muffins.
    As she looked across the street, the loneliness of Nolan’s house prompted a new line of ramblings. “Nolan is home today, Grace. He’d probably appreciate some hot muffins. If you hurry, you can fix him a basket and get back before Melanie arrives.”
    Grace enjoyed the easy friendship that had grown between herself and her new neighbor. One of the things she appreciated most was not being perceived as less than a ‘real’ person for not having a traditional career. They discussed politics, the Word, and music over endless games of checkers on his porch or hers. As the evenings grew cooler, they held fewer matches outdoors, but with Melanie coming to stay for a few days, they had been looking forward to a three-way championship.
    ~*~*~*~
    “Howdy, neighbor! I made muffins for Melanie and thought you might like to have a few while they are hot.”
    Nolan smiled at the sight of the basket in Grace’s hand. This wasn’t the first time that Grace had shared her larder with him. Her generous nature was evident at every turn, but Nolan was quite aware of her lack of financial resources. Eventually, he would devise a way to contribute without it being obvious or insulting.
    “Morning, Grace. Thank you, I haven’t had breakfast yet. You know, I was thinking about inviting myself to dinner tonight, if you didn’t mind.”
    After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded. “We’d love to have you. Anytime you want to come on over, feel free. Mel and Graci-Anna will be here through Friday evening.”
    Nolan stopped Grace as she turned to leave. Tugging on her sleeve, he said, “Well, I can’t invite myself to dinner without bringing something. I have these steaks in the freezer. Do you like steak?”
    “That’d be great. I—”
    Grace stopped mid-sentence as she noticed Melanie getting out of her van. Grace called a greeting to her sister-in-law, and with a quick wave at Nolan, jogged across the street. “Come when you can, Nolan!”
    He watched as Grace helped Melanie bring in her things, cooing to and casually holding the infant all the while. He felt a twinge of awe. Though he loved children, babies made him nervous. His fear of infants was so acute; he’d managed to avoid ever holding one. However, he also knew that