Smiling, Anna nodded as she enjoyed the yummy meal. The same names did have a tendency to keep popping up among even Mennonite Plain communities. She didn’t mention how surprisingly easy it had been to talk with Mart about nearly everything—they’d even joked a bit. “I’ll need to charge my phone in the car in case I get a call from the director later today,” she told them, forking up some noodles. “Such a delicious dinner, Cousin Sadie.”

“Aw, chust call me Sadie.” She raised her eyebrows. “Okay?”

“Sure, if that’s all right,” Anna said.

Glen suggested that Anna get reacquainted with Luke and Marianna next door when she was ready. “It’s been some time since you visited, so ya haven’t seen their two youngest—Sally is all of two, and Baby Jimmy, three months.”

“That’d be nice.” Anna thought of her own nieces and nephews back in Mifflinburg. If the job panned out, she would miss seeing them so often.

“The older young’uns have the run of the place, as you might’ve guessed,” Glen said as he reached for his lemonade. “More than eighty acres.”

“Which reminds me . . .” Anna thought of the paths that crisscrossed the land between the woods and the Dawdi Haus. “I noticed some paths on this side of the house. Are they walking trails of some kind?”

“Oh, those.” Glen grinned. “I helped Luke’s school-age Kinner make those: Easy, medium, and hard they like to call them, though in Pennsylvania Dutch, of course. Often they stop by here to get snacks from Sadie to take out to their big tree house.”

“Sometimes the boys even sleep out there on a warm night,” Sadie added, eyes twinkling.

“You’ll have to have yourself a look-see,” Glen said, offering to show Anna. “It’s really somethin’.”

“So, all of the paths lead to the same place?” She found this surprising.

“Jah.” Sadie turned her fork in circles to pick up the noodles on her plate.

“How far away is the tree house?”

“Oh, several hundred yards into the woods.” Glen motioned in the general direction.

Sadie added, “The children always take along their big watchdog, Brownie, even durin’ the daytime.”

Anna frowned. “Why?”

“Oh, in case there’s a bear or . . .” Glen couldn’t keep a straight face.

“Ach now, Glen!” Sadie laughed.

Smiling with relief, Anna enjoyed their friendly teasing. It reminded her a little of her pleasant time with Mart that morning.

Later, during a dessert of cookies and homemade vanilla ice cream, she wondered why she couldn’t seem to get Mart out of her mind. After all, she had no idea if she’d even see him again, and she had convinced herself she would be more cautious before letting herself fall for another fellow. Anyway, it’s quite possible he’s seeing someone.