Sol smiled. “Well, I know you’re busy, Ellie.”

“Need any more aspirin before I go?”

“I think I’ll be okay.” He thanked her again.

“Try an’ get some rest now.” She opened the screen door and headed back to the main house.

The rest of the morning, Ellie caught herself brooding several times about Sol’s condition, hoping he’d fully recover.

As Lyle poured hot coffee into his thermos, Elisabeth told him Daed had asked if Sol might join them for meals.

“Okay with me,” he said.

“He’s gotta eat somewhere,” Elisabeth said while cleaning and scraping the skin of a whole chicken. “Too bad Sol’s parents are gone when he’s hurt.”

“I’ll say.” Lyle headed for the back door. “But mighty glad Dawdi and Ellie were here to help him—and us when we returned.”

“Even though you didn’t get much sleep last night?” she asked.

“Well, I’d do the same for Evan . . . if he were here.”

“I know you would, dear.”

Lyle would give almost anything to have Evan back, and he couldn’t imagine what he was experiencing in war-torn Vietnam. Some days, he had to give his youngest son over to the care of almighty God not only once but multiple times.

At noon, the table was filled with plenty of food, including cooked green beans with pieces of fatty ham, buttered cut corn, and the chicken Elisabeth had stuffed with breadcrumbs, onion, and celery. She’d also cooked a generous number of new potatoes.

Lyle couldn’t help noticing Sol at the foot of the table near Titus. Ellie was seated between Daed and Elisabeth, across from the younger men, and she seemed more subdued, if not distracted. Sol frequently glanced at Ellie, although he hadn’t spoken to her so far. It was curious, since earlier Daed had mentioned how chatty the two of them had been yesterday afternoon, after Sol had settled in next door.

Is Sol sweet on Ellie? wondered Lyle, continuing to observe him as discreetly as he could.

26

Ellie appreciated the cloud cover shielding her and the other workers from the sun that afternoon. She missed seeing Sol out there among the trees, but it was essential for him to rest in order to recover.

Earlier, after the noon meal and on the way back to the Dawdi Haus, Sol had asked her to help him by writing a letter to Leah on his behalf. He’d held up his injured hand and added, “I’ll tell ya what to write.”

Ellie had agreed but didn’t know when he wanted to dictate the letter. The more she thought about it, the more she looked forward to helping with that, but she wondered why he hadn’t asked Dawdi instead.

Jonah said something to her, and she realized she’d been daydreaming as she tamped down the freshly fertilized soil around a new tree. “Sorry?”