Maggie brightened. "Wouldn"t that be great-"
"h.e.l.lo," called Leah tentatively as she entered the room
carrying a tray of cheese and crackers. "Am I interrupting?"
Jed rose to his feet and took the tray from her. "Of course
not. Come on in and join us."
"Audrey says the roast is going to take another half hour.
I guess I set the oven too low."
"That"s okay," said Maggie. "That just gives us more
time to visit."
Leah turned eagerly to Jed. "Oh, I forgot to tell you that
this guy came into the shop this afternoon, and he went
absolutely gaw-gaw over that twig-a nd-birch hutch that"s sit-
ting right next to the front door. He wanted to know if he
could special order several pieces in that same design."
"Did you get his name?"
Looking for You All My Life31
Leah smiled. "He gave me his card, and I gave him yours.
I a.s.sured him that I thought you could make more pieces,
and I even asked him to write down what he had in mind."
"Good girl."
Now Leah was beaming. She continued to chat with Jed,
sharing various ideas about the business while Maggie
leaned back into the couch and relaxed, allowing their words
to flow over her like a fountain. Content to sit quietly next
to Jed, she enjoyed the warmth of the fire and the sounds of
father and daughter happily conversing.
Finally Jed turned to her and put his hand on her
shoulder. "Hey, I hope you don"t think we"re ignoring you as
we talk shop here."
Maggie sighed contentedly. "Not at all. I was just taking
your father"s advice and relaxing a little."
Jed"s arm slipped around her shoulder as he gave her a
little squeeze. "Good for you."
Leah leaned over and picked up the empty tray. "I better
get back to the kitchen. That roast is probably almost done
now." She sounded cheerful, but as she left Maggie thought
she saw a slight frown crease her young forehead.
Jed"s eyes remained warmly on Maggie. "You know, I still
can"t believe it."
"Believe what?"
"How my life has changed in the past several months. For
years and years I"ve never felt completely at home." His
brow grew thoughtful. "I mean, I feel at home up on the
mountain and in the woods and everything. But I"ve never
felt completely connected somehow-not since I was a small
boy anyway...
"And do you now?"
He nodded. "Just sitting in here with you and Leah is the
closest thing I"ve felt to being at home since both my parents
were alive."
She sighed. "That"s a beautiful thing to say, Jed."