He wanted to remind her he didn’t want to own the place, but what was the point? She already knew. “If you sit at the end, you can tend Eddie.”
“Very well.” She pulled out the chair, and he chose the one across from the boy.
When they were all seated, she looked at him. He knew what she expected but hesitated. Saying grace established him as the head of the household, but he had no intention of taking that role. The growl of his stomach reminded him he was wasting time he could be using to eat, so he bowed his head and repeated the words Ma taught him when he was about Eddie’s age. “Our heavenly Father, kind and good, we thank Thee for our daily food. We thank Thee for Thy love and care. Be with us, Lord. Amen.”
Dianne scooped thick potato soup into Eddie’s bowl, then reached for Jace’s to fill it. “I like that prayer. It reminds me God is interested in every portion of our lives, and He takes care of us.” His bowl full, she turned to her own. “Help yourself to a biscuit.” She handed one to Eddie.
She didn’t require a response. But Jace couldn’t stop the words from rushing out. “You mean like He took care of Chet?” And my parents and sisters and even Bub. Bub wasn’t a great example.
Her spoon clicked to the table, and her gaze rose to him. “Jace, I can’t begin to understand why bad things happen, but at times, I’m surprised they don’t happen more often.”
“What does that mean?”
“Have you ever paused to consider how many times and ways God protects us, and we likely don’t know a fraction of it? For instance, me rescuing Eddie from the river.”
The boy stopped eating long enough to look at his mother. “I was cold.”
She patted her son’s hand. “I know you were. Thank God He kept you safe.”
Eddie returned to his food, and Dianne brought her attention back to Jace. “God provided a place for us to shelter. And then there was that moose. It could have turned out differently.” The eagerness in her eyes faded. “Or the wagon might have gone over the edge of the trail taking us all with it.” A smile filled her face and eyes. “I choose to believe God has us in His care.”
He couldn’t let it go. “Except when He doesn’t.”
“I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again. I choose to trust Him through the good and the bad.”
Such conviction was impossible to refute, and he didn’t try. “Chet was like that.”
“You mean he trusted God?”
Jace recognized the challenge in her gentle words. “I guess so.”
“That’s great to hear. Have another biscuit.” She held the platter toward him.
“They’re good. Mine are always tough.” His voice hardened. “I’ll have plenty of practice making my own in the coming days.”
Only a flicker of her eyelids acknowledged his comment. “I like to cook. There are lots of supplies here.” A troubled note crept into her voice. “Jace, what do I do when I run low?”
“You can purchase whatever you need in town.”
She scraped her spoon around the empty bowl. “I was counting on Chet’s generosity.”
His generosity? She meant she had no funds. “Chet had an account with the storekeeper. You can charge everything to him.”
Troubled brown eyes lifted. “Will they charge to someone who is no longer here?”
“I’ll need to purchase supplies for the cabin. I’ll make arrangements for the ranch at the same time.” It wasn’t going to be as easy to be done with the place as he thought.
She nodded.
“Mama, I’s done. Can I go play?”
“You may be excused.”
The boy clattered out the door and began talking to the dog.
Dianne turned her spoon round and round.
Jace waited for her to say what was on her mind. She seemed disinclined to tell him. “Something bothering you?”
