All her parents’ belongings had been hauled to the new house except the kitchen table and chairs and some of the extra bedroom furniture—including Evan’s. Mamm and Ellie had agreed on that. “It’s for the best,” Ellie had said, rather choked up at the thought of Evan’s room remaining empty of his presence for the foreseeable future. Even so, she forced her greatest fear away and worked to set up the kitchen with items from her hope chest and numerous wedding gifts of silverware, glassware, essential cooking utensils, and the like.

Ellie worked tirelessly to make each room neat and orderly once Sol had placed their own furniture, most given to them by various relatives. Sol joked about all the bedrooms and how many children it would take to fill them.

That evening, after their first Bible reading and prayer on their own, Ellie sat with a cup of hot tea near the kitchen’s cookstove, its embers warming the room. She couldn’t help recalling her father’s initial reaction when she confessed she’d written to George Stewart. But his startled expression had faded within a moment when she added that the man had replied and wanted to meet with Dat when he returned from Florida.

“What could he have in mind?” Dat had asked, then said, “I’ll write to him.”

Ellie could see how pleased he was at her efforts.

The day before Easter, Sol and Ellie walked up to the Bontrager farm to meet Leah and her fiancé, Reuben Miller. Ellie felt nervous, wanting to be welcoming for Leah’s sake, and Sol seemed to be on edge, too. Together, they sat at the kitchen table with Sol’s parents—his father, Benjamin, sitting at the head of the table and nibbling on one of Nan’s delicious crispy squares.

They were all waiting on what was surely a landmark day for Ellie’s dearest friend. But Nan seemed less cheerful than her usual bubbly self, and Ellie assumed that she, too, felt a little disappointed that Leah would be permanently living so far away.

Soon, a taxi pulled up to the front of the house, bringing Leah and her beau home. Nan ran to the front room and peered out, but Ellie refrained from doing so, though she couldn’t wait to size up the man who had captured Leah’s heart. Sol fidgeted while Ellie rose and swept up the crumbs from her and Nan’s side of the table.

“This is the moment we’ve been waitin’ for,” Benjamin declared, scooting his chair back to go welcome them.

Sol gave Ellie a curious glance before following his Dat.

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