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I was one way ... and now I am different. And the thing

that happened in between ... was Him.

—Mary Magdalene, “The Chosen”

“PLEASE, SAY THAT WE may invite Wickham inside to enjoy our Easter dinner too. It doesn’t seem right to make him sit outside while we enjoy this feast.” Lula waved a hand around the kitchen, gesturing toward the island where a number of casserole dishes and platters waited to be served.

There was a corn casserole, a homemade macaroni and cheese, a sweet potato casserole, green beans, sweet corn, and a dish of almondine asparagus.

The smell of cloves and brown sugar wafted from the juicy ham roasting in the oven.

Brown gravy simmered next to boiling potatoes on the stovetop.

Soon, Jen would mash the potatoes into a cloud of fluffy buttered deliciousness.

Pies Grandmother had baked took up most of the kitchen table in the breakfast nook.

“I don’t see why not, as long as Blake doesn’t object.

” Mother wiped her hands on her apron after spooning whipped cream onto a dozen dessert dishes filled with cherry gelatin.

“But please finish helping Kit and MaryAnne with setting the dining room table first while I top these with a cherry. We’re almost ready to eat. ”

Hensley glanced at Blake. He stood near the dessert table surveying the pies while she balanced a pecan pie in one hand and an apple pie in her other, about to carry them out to the buffet sideboard in the dining room.

She’d return for the cherry and apple pies next.

He seemed to be gazing at the lemon meringue and the New York style cheesecake Caroline Eaton had brought along with some fancy brioche rolls.

Would he mind having an employed member of his staff join them?

She had already told him he could invite Wickham, but his driver had been on a phone call, so he’d followed her and the rest of the family when they’d hurried inside after the church service.

Blake shrugged. “Fine with me. I was going to ask him earlier, but he was on his cell.”

Lula released a squeal. “Thank you, Mother.” She threw her arms around Emma Fitzwilliam and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“And thank you too, Blake.” Smiling and humming a little tune as she opened the silverware drawer and grabbed a handful of forks, she swirled around to face Jen and Hensley and stuck her tongue out at them.

Then she skedaddled away to help their younger sisters.

Hensley rolled her eyes and Jen sighed, looking around for a towel. For the time being, they would ignore Lula’s antics. But they all knew the world would be a boring place without her around to pester everyone.

“I don’t know how you do it with five daughters over the age of eighteen still living at home, Mrs. Fitzwilliam.” Blake crossed his arms over his chest. “I assume they’ve all graduated. Isn’t that right, Hensley?”

“Yep. I think I mentioned that we were all homeschooled. Kit, the youngest, is nineteen. And Lula is twenty-three going on fifteen,” Hensley replied.

Her mom chuckled. “I don’t know how we do it either. I guess we enjoy it as long as our Heavenly Father allows. We are blessed with a full quiver, and mighty is the man who can shoot many arrows into the world for the Kingdom of God. ”

Hensley glanced at Blake before dashing through from the kitchen to the dining room. He was smiling and nodding, his whole face lighting up at her mother’s reply. Did he intend on having a big family with lots of children?

Bing popped an olive in his mouth from the relish tray and appeared amused, based on how his eyes seemed to dance and the grin on his face. “I’ll go check on Caroline. I left her in the living room with your grandmother.”

“I just came from there,” Jen said. “They were discussing where to purchase the best embroidery threads. Grandmother promised to give her a tour of Mother’s sewing room on the second floor after we eat.”

“Does Caroline sew?” Hensley arched her brows as she passed him with her pies, pausing to angle toward Bing, who leaned over the counter with the appetizers, surveying the relish tray and dressed eggs.

He shook his head. “Not a chance of that as far as I know, but she does enjoy embroidery and knitting. Our mom forced her to learn, but now she really seems to enjoy it.”

“She’ll be able to talk about embroidery threads and yarn with Grandmother for hours then.

” Jen found a clean towel and wrapped it around the warm casserole dish of macaroni and cheese topped with a cracker crumb topping.

She followed Hensley to place the dish anywhere she could fit it on the table.

A short while later, with everyone seated around the Easter dinner table after church, including Wickham and their other guests, Father gave the blessing as everyone bowed their heads.

“Thank you for this day to celebrate our risen Savior who made a way for us when we were yet lost sinners. Thank you, Lord, for the many blessings you have bestowed upon us. May we keep our eyes on you and not our circumstances. Help us to be good servants and soldiers. May we always count our blessings, even in the hard times. We bless our time together and this bountiful feast. Amen. ”

Everyone said amen in unison and began passing various dishes and platters around the table while plenty of chatting ensued.

Soon their plates were heaped with all of the good things laid out on the table.

But why did Hensley have the impression that Caroline’s presence would change the way things had been going for her and Jen with regard to Blake and her brother?

She’d been on two dates with Blake since their first, one evening date on Tuesday to paint canvas portraits at an art supply shop at her suggestion, and a short hike and picnic on Saturday at his suggestion, the day before.

The painting class had been low cost and fun, not that cost seemed like a great concern for her Manhattan cowboy.

They’d left with paintings of Easter crosses in the foreground of a sunrise, their crosses cresting over a meadow of flowers.

Their picnic had included fried chicken, potato salad, and green beans from The Gathering Place.

They’d taken nature photos on the hike. Reaching a pleasant spot along the creek, she’d spent an hour sketching the scene spread out around them in her sketchbook.

Blake had admired her sketch and peeked at some of the other sketches in her book.

Jen had enjoyed three dates with Bing in the past week.

Hensley was especially happy for them. Jen was the oldest after all, and she deserved to find happiness more than anyone else she knew.

Though joy stirred in Hensley’s soul from the morning’s worship service and a whisper told her to be gracious, tension nagged at her.

For one thing, Caroline refused to call her brother Bing.

She called him Charles. Not even Charlie.

So formal. For another, she stuck close to Charles, and Blake too, mainly only speaking to them unless someone addressed her directly.

Being a guest, and not knowing anyone else, Hensley supposed that could not be a fault.

But she seemed to laude her longtime friendship with Blake, cracking whispered private jokes in his ear and exchanging glances with him as she passed dishes around that she mainly declined .

Miss Eaton also slid into the seat between Blake and Charles before anyone could bat an eyelash.

Grandmother remedied that by giving up her seat and silently motioning Hensley over to sit on Blake’s other side.

Grandmother moved to sit on the other side of the table, squeezing in with her three younger sisters and Lewis Wickham.

Of course, Lula made sure to sit beside him.

Jen sat on Bing’s other side. Her parents took the seats at opposite ends of the table, as they usually did.

For another matter, Caroline dressed to the nines.

Tall and slender with a pretty face and blond hair like Bing, she had the proportions and appearance of a supermodel.

Hensley guessed her silk pantsuit with its belted long jacket and sleek pants, designer shoes, and leather purse cost as much as some of the custom wedding gowns she sold in her shop.

Maybe even as much as some seriously expensive ones she ordered from popular designers to supplement their boutique’s selection.

Lastly, Miss Eaton’s tone came across as fake polite instead of genuine.

The rest of the time, she seemed aloof, as aloof as Blake had seemed at first. Her facial expressions revealed much whenever she wrinkled her nose or let a smirk appear.

And she did those things frequently while listening to the conversation around the table.

Yep, Caroline Eaton, was a Manhattan socialite after all, and behaving a bit like a snob.

She might even become a force to reckon with if given too much attention, or rather, not enough .

Time would tell. And when Mother asked how long she would be visiting her brother, Caroline had said, “Until Charles is weary of me.”

Charles let the remark go over his head without any reaction, but both of Grandmother’s brows rose.

Poor Jen! But so far, Jen didn’t seem concerned.

Perhaps she wasn’t picking up on any of it yet.

And if Jen did, she was generally too polite, sweet, and easygoing to create a fuss.

But even Jen had limits to what she would tolerate.

Would Caroline become a third wheel and disrupt her newfound dating relationship with Bing ?

Would Blake’s sister prove to be similar when Hensley finally had a chance to meet some of his family? Her brows furrowed.

“And how do you like Dogwood Creek so far?” Grandmother arched her brows as she addressed Caroline.