Free A Perfect Square by Vannetta Chapman

they’d betrayed him.
    Jacob reached over and pushed his brother’s hands down and out of sight, then stuck his own in his pockets. “We were keeping a box of turtles in the back of the last stall.”
    “Turtles?” Deborah reached for her
kaffi.
    “
Ya.
We were afraid they might not do well in the creek. What with the cold weather and all.” Joseph nudged Jacob.
    “But somehow they escaped from the box, and when I opened the stall, they scampered out of the stall too.”
    “I was feeding the pigs, like
Dat
asked.” Joseph smiled again, freckles spreading.
    “Turtles move faster than you’d think. Don’t know why they’d head to the pigpen.”
    “Seems like the smell would keep them away.”
    Both boys fell silent, either considering the pickle they were in or contemplating the wonders of turtles. Deborah honestly couldn’t have guessed — with those two it was an even chance either way.
    “I’m sure the turtles appreciate your care, but you can’t go to school dirty. Now pick off that hay, head upstairs to change your clothes, and clean up. Tonight you’ll have to soak and hang those dirty clothes yourself.” Deborah turned back to the stove and poured Jonas a mug of
kaffi.
    His fingers brushed hers as he accepted it, reminding her of the moments they’d shared before the day’s work had begun. The memory stirred a warmth deep within her, helped her to keep some perspective regarding the two imps standing in front of her.
    “But we were going to build the turtles a better box tonight.” Joseph shifted from one foot to another.
    “I even had planned a ramp that would allow them to get more exercise.”
    “Don’t argue with your mamm.” Jonas sat down at the table and began heaping food on his plate.
    “What about breakfast?” Joseph asked.
    “I’ll put some muffins in your lunch pail. You can eat them as we walk to school.” Martha turned and began wrapping muffinsin dishcloths. “And if I help with the clothes, maybe you can do both tonight.”
    “Thanks,” Jacob and Joseph said in unison. Their worried looks vanished completely as they turned and hurried from the room, nearly running over Mary who was carrying a clean cloth diaper and leading Joshua.
    “Martha, that was nice of you.” Jonas salted his food and helped Mary into her seat at the same time.
    “They’re just kids,” Martha said in a voice that sounded ten years older than it should have. “I remember going without breakfast once or twice when I had trouble getting up in time for chores.”
    Martha tucked the muffins into the already-full lunch pails, then reached down for her baby brother, who had plopped onto the middle of the kitchen floor. “He’s wet,
Mamm.
Do you want me to change him?”
    “I’ll take care of that. You’re not so grown you don’t need your own breakfast.” Deborah smiled at Jonas and nearly laughed out loud when he winked at her over the kids’ heads. Five children were a handful, but they made for interesting mornings.
    She’d picked up Joshua, taken the clean diaper from Mary, and was heading back into the nursery to change him when a knock sounded at the front door.
    “I’ve got it.” With her left hand, she moved Joshua so she was carrying him in the front — facing out, like a bolt of cloth. She knew from experience not to carry him on her hip when the boy had a wet diaper. Potty training would come in the spring, and though she wasn’t looking forward to it, certain things would be easier, like early mornings.
    Joshua twisted in her arms to look at her and began giggling when she met his gaze.
    “You’re going to be like your
bruders.
Aren’t you? Hmm? That’s why you’re laughing at me.”
    She was so busy talking to her son that she didn’t glance out the glass of the front door as she reached for the handle and pulled it open. It wasn’t unusual to have visitors so early, what with the various farming activities Jonas attended to. It never occurred to her to check to