A Wedding at the Orange Blossom Inn(20)

“Standing by the kitchen table,” she answered just as Frankie got to his feet and padded toward the kitchen. After hearing her mother greet Frankie, Emma grinned.

“Oh, no, Frankie. You stay out of my basket,” another voice chimed in. Rachel, Emma’s mother-in-law.

Rachel and her mother had been friends for years. Their friendship had grown after Emma married Sanford and had cemented in the years since. Now they were true blessings in Emma’s life. No two women could care for Emma and her girls more.

But this addition to her mother’s visit changed things. She loved her mother. She loved Rachel, too. But she found them to be exhausting when they paid a call on her together.

As Frankie trotted back in, circled Emma, then lay down to sleep under the card table, Emma mentally prepared herself to face them both. When they walked into the room, she noticed that they were both wearing gray. “Have you two decided to start wearing matching dresses like your granddaughters?” she teased.

Rachel chuckled. “Nee. We didn’t plan this at all. I was pretty surprised to see Mary Beth wearing gray like me.”

“You both look nice. Rather somber for a Tuesday, but nice.”

Her mother took a seat in one of the wicker chairs. “I’m not somber. Merely busy. Mighty busy.”

Rachel sat down in another chair. “I’ve been mighty busy, too. Joseph is courting!”

Joseph was Sanford’s youngest brother. “That’s wonderful-gut news. Who is he interested in?”

“Katie Byler.”

“I don’t know her.”

“You’d know her if you saw her. She’s a lively thing. She and Joseph are a gut match, I think. I hope he doesn’t mess things up.”

Emma knew better than to touch that comment. Rachel had a definite opinion on how most things should happen, whether it was making a bed, frosting a cake, or properly courting. “Ah. Well, as you can see, I thought I’d spend the day making some new dresses for the girls.”

Both of her visitors exchanged looks. “Any special reason you’re making them something new to wear?” her mother asked.

“Nee. None other than that they need some new dresses. They are growing tall.” Emma waited for the usual comments about how they had inherited Sanford’s height, but when nothing came, she straightened, set down her pencil, and pulled up a chair. “I’m starting to get the feeling that you two didn’t come over simply to say hello.”

“The truth is that we heard that you took Lena, Mandy, and Annie to another man’s home,” Rachel said, in a deceptively offhand way.

Which Emma knew wasn’t offhand at all.

Because she’d known that news traveled around their small community faster than lightning bugs in the woods, Emma had been mentally preparing herself for this since her visit to the Hilty farm. It was time to tread carefully. “Please don’t worry, Rachel. The girls and I delivered a meal to a new neighbor’s house. That’s all.”

“But that wasn’t all, was it?” her mother interjected.

“Pardon?”

Looking at her intently, her mother said, “We heard you ate with them.”

“That is true.” Looking from her mother to Rachel to her mother again, Emma attempted to allay their concerns—and, with any luck, change the topic. “Tricia Overholt from the Orange Blossom Inn was there, too. Tricia is seeing the man’s eldest boy. His name is Ben, and I have to tell you that they are smitten. It’s so sweet to see.”

Mamm leaned forward. “Ah, Emma, I’m sure you didn’t think about this, seeing how your heart still belongs to Sanford and all, but your visit could have been misconstrued by others.”

“I realize that, but I did nothing wrong. It was a simple, neighborly visit. That’s all.”

“That man is a widower, yes?”

“He is.”

“Some people in our community might think you are attempting to form a romantic attachment if you spend too much time with his family.”

“Who is worried?”

“I wouldn’t want to spread any gossip, Emma,” Rachel said. “We merely wanted you to hear what people might start thinking.”

Emma knew the easiest thing to do was nod politely and follow their advice. The women meant well, and people did gossip, but she wasn’t ready to give up her new friends. “I hope I can count on the two of you to set everyone’s doubts to rest,” she countered.

“I’ll do what I can, but you know how it is, dear. We mothers need to hold ourselves to the highest standards.”

“I think you’re both making mountains out of molehills. Nothing untoward is going on. Jay and I simply found that we enjoy each other’s company.”