Free A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard Page B

chocolate-chip cookie and then took another one, smiling up at Asa. “Dat went to Kansas City early this morning to buy replacement parts for the clocks he makes and repairs.” Smiling demurely, she held a cookie an inch away from Asa’s mouth, silently coaxing him to bite into it. “He won’t be back until this evening.”
    Why did her father’s absence make Asa feel like a fox come to visit the henhouse? The aromas of warm sugar and chocolate chips were more than he could resist. As he closed his mouth over the cookie, his eyelids lowered and his lips brushed Edith’s fingertips. With everyone looking on, he couldn’t give in to the urge to lick the melted chocolate off her fingers, but every nerve in his body was vibrating—every inch of his skin warmed as he met her gaze.
    Get a grip. Her sisters are watching—and so is Leitner.
    Even so, Edith held his gaze for another long moment before turning the cookie so Asa could take the rest of it into his mouth. He couldn’t help noticing how her green dress complemented her complexion and her brown eyes, and how crisp and white her kapp appeared against her dark, parted hair.
    “ Denki ,” he murmured, turning to smile at the sister with the cookie plate. “Fabulous cookies, Rosalyn,” he remarked. “In my opinion, homemade cookies are the perfect remedy for whatever ails you. I feel so much better now!”
    Everyone on the porch laughed as they ate their own cookies, but Asa had a feeling they were taking mental notes—honing in on the sparks he and Edith had just created as they stood so close together. Rosalyn sniffed the air and then hurried toward the door. “Better get the next pan of cookies out of the oven! Nothing smells worse than something that’s been burnt.”
    Loretta let out a short laugh. “Well, there’s the dis- stink -tive aroma of dirty diapers,” she countered. “I need to soak several of those before the fumes get too noticeable.”
    “ Jah , Dat’s not crazy about that part of having babies around,” Edith said as the door closed behind her sister. She looked up at Asa again. “Even though I truly love caring for the twins, I hope you and Will figure out who fathered them—but you’ve got to take care of your own injuries, of course.”
    For a moment, Asa couldn’t remember what those injuries were. “I promised you I’d do that, and it’s my top priority when I get home,” he murmured. “You seem very comfortable with the twins. They couldn’t possibly have a better mother.”
    “What a lovely thing to say,” Edith murmured.
    “I agree,” Andy said as he handed Leroy to Edith so he could look at Louisa. “But it’s the right thing to do, finding out who these wee ones belong to. Or do you think Will Gingerich will eventually raise them as his own?”
    Asa bit back a retort, not wanting to sound judgmental. A pickup truck with a magnetic real estate sign on its door was pulling to a stop across the road, so he feigned interest in it as he listened closely to Edith’s reply.
    “I don’t know,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “We all loved Will while we were growing up with him, and it seemed the natural order of things for him and Loretta to get engaged—until Dat called off their relationship without much explanation. I suspect Will married Molly too soon after that, and now the big issues of love, marriage, and raising babies have him befuddled.”
    Asa felt her assessment of Gingerich’s situation was more than generous, but he kept his remarks to himself. “That fellow’s posting a big For Sale sign,” he remarked as the sound of hammering filled the air.
    “That place belongs to an English family, and I’ve heard the parents can’t stay in their home any longer.” Andy held out Louisa so Asa would take her again. “I’ve got appointments at the clinic, so I should be going. I recommend you keep the twins on goat milk. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
    “ Denki so much,