Free The Restoration by Wanda E Brunstetter Page B

smiled inwardly, remembering the days when she’d had no interest in Adam. For a time, he’d actually gotten on her nerves. But that was before Amy, Linda, and Carrie came to live with him. After the girls had been in his charge for a while, a change had come over Adam. Leah loved him more than she’d ever thought possible.
    “Those girls are sure focused on the window in there.” Mom gestured to the other room.
    “They love watching the birds eat from the suet cake.” Leah opened the oven door to check on the meat loaf one more time.
    Just then, Adam and Dad walked into the house. Before they could say anything, Linda started crying. “What’s going on?” Adam asked.
    Leah shrugged. “I don’t know.”
    All three girls dashed into the kitchen. Still crying, Linda raced out the back door.
    “What happened?” Leah looked at Amy.
    “A bird flew into the window.” Carrie sniffed.
    Amy’s sober expression let Leah know she, too, was on the verge of tears.
    Leah turned down the stove and oven and followed Adam and her folks out the door. She found Linda on the porch, tears streaming down her face. “Is… is it dead?” She gulped on a sob, lifting her cupped hands out to reveal the still form of a black-and-white bird.
    Time hung suspended as everyone stared at the bird. Adam pointed to Linda’s feathered friend. “Look, its eyes are blinking.”
    “Its little head is moving now, too.” Amy moved in closer to Linda.
    Linda’s eyes widened when the bird hopped to her finger, clutching with its tiny feet. It sat, looking around, as though quite comfortable at being the center of attention.
    Leah’s voice lowered so she wouldn’t startle the bird. “I believe, looking at the markings and color, it’s a male downy woodpecker.”
    “You’re right,” Adam agreed. “You can tell by the little red area on top of its head. The females are black and white.”
    Before anyone spoke again, the little bird flew off and landed in the nearest tree. Everyone clapped, watching it fluff its feathers. Leah was thankful the woodpecker’s adventures hadn’t spoiled Linda’s birthday.
    “Maybe you should hang the suet feeder a little farther from the house,” Leah’s mother suggested.
    Leah nodded. “Good idea. We can hang it from the tree over there, where we can still see from the window.”
    “I’ll bet the bird saw its reflection in the window and thought it was another bird,” Leah’s father interjected.
    “You might be right, Dad,” Leah agreed.
    Adam moved toward the door. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m ready to eat and help someone celebrate her birthday.” He winked at Linda.
    “Me, too!” Giggling, she clapped her hands.
    “Okay, girls, after you’ve washed your hands, you may take your seats.” While the girls went to wash up, Leah took the meat loaf from the oven, and Mom put the mashed potatoes and broccoli in serving bowls. Adam set the corn on a plate, and Dad took each item to the table.
    Soon Linda and her sisters joined them at the table. The look on Linda’s face was priceless as she pointed to the steaming corn on the cob. “Yum! Everything looks
appeditlich
!”
    “It’s time to give thanks for this delicious food.” Adam bowed his head, and everyone else did the same.

    “This is the last dinner I’ll be hosting this month.” Elaine removed a pumpkin pie from the oven and smiled at Priscilla. “I could never have done all these dinners so close to Christmas without your help.”
    Priscilla took the second pie from the oven. “I’d have been happy to do it even if you weren’t paying me. It’s given us a chance to visit more than usual, and I’ve certainly met a lot of new, fascinating people.”
    Elaine laughed. “Some of them have been rather unusual—like the man with the musical tie who came to the dinner last night.”
    Priscilla snickered. “Don’t forget the woman with little silver bells. Every time she moved, they