After a few minutes of observing and reassured he wasn’t needed, Torin left the kitchen to make the beds. Still, he stayed within earshot. While he worked, he listened to them going over the poem more slowly, with Ivy pronouncing each word and waiting for Jewel to echo her. They ran through the verse several times, and Jewel chimed in with more words each time. Then, they went on to “Rock-A-Bye-Baby.”
Torin moved down the hall to deal with Brave’s potty box. He figured he could safely dash outside, dump the used wood shavings onto the compost heap, scoop up more from around the chop block near the wood pile, and be back inside within two minutes, all without needing to put on a coat.
When that proved to be the case, and Torin stepped into the house, he could hear the chatter in the kitchen had continuedwithout losing a beat. He took the chance of leaving Jewel again while he collected more firewood, he went back outside.
After filling the wood boxes in the kitchen, dining room, and parlor, he swept the floors throughout the house. Even with the ground frozen, they still tracked in dirt and debris. With a smile of irony, he realized he’d finished in far less time than if Jewel was involved or distracting him with her “hep.”
He washed his hands in preparation of tackling the next meal, thinking it best to take advantage of Cora’s bread and make toasted cheese sandwiches—a favorite of his daughter’s.Well, probably a favorite of everybody’s.
After they’d eaten and finished the dishes, Torin steeled himself to make a friendly offer. He flicked Ivy a quick, sideways glance. “Usually, sometime during the day, Jewel and I go for a walk. We’ll visit Hank or Brian or both. Feed the swans, although they’re not around much in the winter. Go into the forest and look at trees and leaves and birds and bugs and rocks. Depending on the time of year, leaves and flowers.”
Ivy clasped her hands together. This time, her smile seemed genuine. “Oh, I’d love to go outside and get acquainted with nature around here. I’ve been sitting for days.” She glanced at Jewel still carrying around the cat. “I don’t know if you’ll be able to part her from Brave, though.” Her eyes lit up, and she gestured toward her room. “I know. I’ll get a ribbon to make a harness and leash.”
“We can certainly try walking her like a dog.” Torin stared at the cat, pondering what was best to do. “Although, I think we should let Brave get used to her new home before we take her outside. If she decides to bolt, a ribbon might be too flimsy to contain her Later, I’ll fashion a leather harness and leash from some scraps I have in the stable.”
“Good idea.”
He walked over to Jewel and crouched to her eye level. “I think Brave needs a nap. How about we go outside and see if the snowdrops have bloomed? We can show Ivy.” His daughter loved looking for flowers.
Calling Ivy by her first name to Jewel felt strange, ill-mannered. But Torin supposed he’d become used to the informality.
Jewel smiled, the one that made her eyes crinkle.
Until yesterday, he hadn’t seen that wide smile much in the last few months, and his whole body relaxed in relief.
“Nap, Bave.” Jewel crouched to pat the cat’s head. “Go, sno-dra.”
They walked down the hall to the entryway to get ready to go outside.
Ivy went to lift her coat from the rack. “Oh, goodness.” She scrunched her face and held the coat an arm’s length away. “Thisstinksof smoke from the train, and I haven’t unpacked my good one. I was too tired last night to tackle the contents of the second trunk. For that matter, I should wash my traveling clothes. Right now, they’re bundled up in the corner of my room.”
He remembered the horrible journey to Sweetwater Springs with his baby. Probably not as bad as Ivy’s, for he’d rented a traincar and brought along a nurse. The woman returned home with the moving crew. “Go ahead and wear your coat. Maybe the wind will blow some of the smell away. After that, we can hang it from the porch ceiling to air out. Hopefully that will do the trick. You can do a wash anytime. I never stick to a regular wash day.”
Torin helped a wiggly Jewel into her coat, tugged on her knitted cap, and tied the strings under her chin. After wrapping a blue scarf around her neck, he tucked the ends inside her coat and then held her gloves so she could push her hands into them.
“Wait, antsy girl.” He quickly donned his own outerwear, checked to make sure Ivy was ready, and opened the door.
With a crowing sound, Jewel marched outside, across the porch, and down the walkway.
“And off she goes.” Luckily, the ground wasn’t icy, so Torin didn’t need to worry about her slipping. He held the door open while Ivy passed through and then stepped out, closing the door behind him.
She followed Jewel to the road and then waited for him to catch up.
Falling into step with Ivy, Torin watched his daughter with a fond smile. “Jewel isn’t the steadiest on her feet, especially on uneven ground. Our walks amble at a slow pace. But she’s grown independent. When she falls, I’m not allowed to assist unless she asks.” He slid Ivy a sideways glance. “She’s finding the ladies intriguing, though, and holds their hands more than she does with us mere men. She’s always been so affectionate that it’s disconcerting to watch her try so much on her own without me.”
She slanted him a quick glance. “Jewel’s growing up.”
“That she is.” The thought gave Torin a pang, and he briefly considered mentioning the menstruation topic. But he chickened out.Plenty of time for that when I feel more comfortable with her.
He watched the interest on her pretty face when she looked at the sky, her hazel eyes tracking a hawk. In this light, the gold and green flecks stood out.If I feel more comfortable with her.He glanced ahead before she could note him staring.
“I can’t imagine being affectionate with my father,” Ivy said wistfully. “My only uncle died when I was young. How lovely for Jewel to grow up with such masculine security and love.”
Her words untwisted something deep inside Torin. For a moment, he could imagine Ivy at Jewel’s age, lacking the confident warmth stemming from always knowing she was adored. He and his “brothers” loved Jewel and did everything they could to keep her safe and make her happy. But to have anoutsider notice made some of the echoing doubts he lived with seem to subside a bit.
“In the past, when Hank was away visiting his sister, I took care of his livestock.” Torin gestured down the road. “But he’s moved them all to town, so we’ve had little reason to come this way.”
They walked down the road about fifty feet in the direction of Hank’s house until trees crowded out the view of the lake. A path led them into the narrow band of forest, winding lazily around trees and a few boulders, sometimes opening up to provide glimpses of the water.
