A quiet moment or two fell over the four of them while they got more serious about eating their melting ice cream. When her bowl was empty, Sadie asked, “Do either of yous remember where Eliza Hertzler stayed when she came here back in the late ’40s?”

“Goodness, where’d that come from?” Mamm asked, her thin brown eyebrows knitting together.

“Anna asked me ’bout it . . . says she only knows that she stayed with a great-aunt Joanna. Seems her Mammi mentioned it recently, but with her Alzheimer’s, she couldn’t supply any details.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I was still fairly young then,” Sadie’s Mamm said. “And it was a long time ago.”

Sadie’s Dat brightened. “That would’ve been ol’ Widow Joanna Beiler—she passed away not many years after.”

“Where was her house located?” Sadie asked with a glance at Glen, who was scraping his bowl clean like he was ready for seconds.

Sadie’s father frowned, his face scrunched up in thought. “She lived in an old farmhouse a few miles from here, not far from the smithy’s. Of course, that was a very long time ago, so a lot has changed. S’posin’ I’d have to think ’bout it.”

“That might be helpful,” Sadie replied. “I’ll let Anna know.”

Glen raised his empty bowl and gave her a wink.

Sadie grinned at him. “Dat . . . Mamm, do you want seconds with Glen?”

Her parents shook their heads, but her Dat asked for some cold water.

“I’ll second that,” Glen said, yawning.

“Mamm?” she asked.

“Nothin’ more for me . . . this has been a real gut treat, Sadie.”

She made her way into the house, thinking ahead to telling Anna what she’d learned, though it wasn’t much.

Chapter 18

The last day of June was a peaceful one at this early hour, and a lone robin’s song filled the air. When the robin paused, Anna could hear every other slight sound around her, including the distant creak of the windmill and the turkeys just waking up. Yawning, she moved to the window and raised the shade. The grass was thick with dew, and the sky’s golden glow was a sanctuary of anticipation.

At last, it was Saturday! The day Anna had been contemplating since filling out the volunteer application in Gabe Allgyer’s rustic office. Had it only been a week?

She glanced at the dresser and saw Gabe’s business card, then went to pick it up, recalling how wary he had seemed when they’d first met. However, once she’d mentioned that her father raised ponies, Gabe had quickly warmed up. To think that such a kindhearted man had lost his wife. He’s already suffered such loss. . . .