He glanced toward where Gloriana was heating a bottle for Sally. She looked so beautiful. Her blond curls were done up in that haphazard way that suggested she’d been working hard and hadn’t had time to worry over her looks. Luke found her lack of concern endearing. She was a beautiful woman, but she didn’t feel the need to flaunt it.

Their eyes met, and he smiled. “I hope I’m welcome this early.”

She laughed. “Of course you are. However, you should know that I have plans for our evening. We’re going to have a very serious conversation.”

Luke was torn. She looked happy and even sounded as though she were teasing, and yet there was something very significant in her eyes.

“All right. I’m all yours,” he said.

“We shall see.” She turned back to the stove and tested the bottle.

“How was school today?” Luke asked JT.

“Well, we talked about the railroad a lot. Mr. Nelson said that the railroad was critical to the civil-zation—”

“Civilization,” Luke corrected.

“Yes. Civil-la-zation of our country. He said that countries don’t get settled until people civilize them. So with the railroad, we can have an easier time moving to those parts of the country where there aren’t very many towns yet.”

“And would you like to move away from the lake?”

JT shrugged. “I don’t know. The lake is hard to live by. It’s hard on the families because people get killed. I don’t know if I want us to stay here.”

Gloriana said nothing, but Luke could tell she’d heard his comments. “Well, I believe God has a place for everyone. If He calls someone to move somewhere special, He’ll make sure they know. Like when He told Abraham to get out of his country. Abraham got his family together and moved far away.”

“Or like when the angel told Joseph to take Mary and baby Jesus and go to Egypt,” JT said, nodding.

“Exactly. Sometimes God calls us to leave a place and go.”

“And sometimes He calls us to stay,” Gloriana finally said. She held up the bottle. “I’m going to feed Sally. She’s been extra crabby today, and I’m hoping to get her to bed early. If you’re too hungry to wait for supper, there are cookies and buttermilk.”

Luke watched her go, wondering what she wanted to speak to him about. JT was already heading for the cookie jar, bouncing Jack in his arms.

“I don’t want any buttermilk, but I always want cookies.” JT put the puppy on the floor, then reached into the cookie jar.

“Just get one for you and one for me,” Luke instructed. “We don’t want to ruin our appetites. Your sister has worked much too hard on our supper, and we don’t want to disappoint her.”

“What about Jack?”