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and ask the blessing.” Jakob folded his hands and bowed his head.
    Phineas said grace. As soon as he said amen, Emmy-Lou drew in a breath and plunged into the prayer she’d been taught. “Komm, Herr Jesu, sei unser Gast, und segne, was Du uns bescheret hast. Amen.”
    “Nice to hear a young’un talkin’ to the Almighty.” Miss Ladley gently tucked one of Emmy-Lou’s pale blond curls behind her ear. “That was the first prayer my mama taught me.”
    “Auf Deutsch?” Phineas looked as surprised as Jakob felt.
    “Nope.” Miss Ladley scooped a tiny serving of cucumber salad onto Emmy-Lou’s plate. “I learnt it in English. It rhymes thataway, too. ‘Come, Lord Jesus, be our guest and may these gifts to us be blest.’ Ain’t it something, how the love of God don’t depend on the words of man? The feelin’s the same, no matter whate’er tongue you use.”
    “I only got one.” Emmy-Lou opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue.
    “And you used it to thank Jesus. God loves a cheerful heart. I’m shore He must be a-sittin’ on His throne in heaven, just a-smilin’ down on you right this very minute.”
    Miss Ladley neither laughed at nor scolded his daughter for her action. Emmy-Lou befriended everyone, but it did Jakob’s heart good to see how Miss Ladley took note of her pure intent. Emmy-Lou beamed back at her.
    Miss Ladley lifted her chin toward Annie. “You got the server o’er by you, ma’am. The menfolk are lookin’ hungry as can be.”
    Annie’s gaze dropped along with her voice. “You prepared the meal.”
    “Nonsense! You peeled the ’tatoes and onion. Cut ’em up, too. The meat we used—I bet you put that up when one of them fine cows of yours got butchered.”
    “Ja, she did.” Jakob picked up his plate, stuck it out, and waggled it a little at his sister. “Smells great. Let’s eat.” Even if Miss Ladley jumped from one chore to another like a mindless grasshopper, she treated his sister and daughter well. That counted for a lot. I’ll get Annie alone for a few minutes and see what she thinks. It’s hard for her to make up her mind about things, so I’ll have to be sure to let her know I can let Hope go anytime if Annie feels things aren’t working out or if she feels too uncomfortable around the housekeeper.
    Assuming Annie says it’s okay, I’ll ask Miss Ladley to stay. But someone with her recommendations—she might charge more than I can afford. Money was tight. Jakob mentally juggled finances and tried to find ways to scrape together an offer she’d accept.
    Emmy-Lou jabbered during the meal. Phineas teased her by saying a few things about Milky, yet he refused to answer her questions. Miss Ladley popped up from the table to grab the coffeepot and refill their mugs, and she subtly scooted Emmy-Lou’s cup so it wouldn’t get knocked over. Suddenly a trill of laughter flowed out of her. “Mr. Phineas, you got me ev’ry bit as curious as Emmy-Lou ’bout that litter.”
    “When your daddy was a boy,” Annie said softly, “he had a gray striped cat that followed him like a dog.”
    Her comment took Jakob by surprise. Timid as she was, she didn’t tend to say more than she had to. Was she talking because she was nervous around Miss Ladley, or because Miss Ladley made her feel . . . safer? More comfortable? Jakob gave his sister a smile and bobbed his head. “That is true. That cat—he got me into big trouble.”
    “He did?” Emmy-Lou’s eyes grew huge.
    “We had a big old cottonwood by our house. In the summer when it was hot, I’d leave my window open. Fleck—I named him that because he was gray with a black smear down his back and Fleck means smudge—Fleck climbed the tree, jumped to the house, and curled up at the foot of my bed. Mama or Dad would find him there.” He shook his head. “They said even if he didn’t know better, I did.”
    Phineas cleared his throat and eyed the shepherds’ pie.
    “I’m sorry. I should have offered you more.