All Things Considered by Debbie Macomber

Author:Debbie Macomber
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2020-04-27T16:00:00+00:00

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Humming softly as she worked, Lanni ran water into the kitchen sink. She was grateful Judd had left. He would have been furious, had he seen her working so hard in the kitchen. Fine. She’d do it when he wasn’t around to stop her. He didn’t honestly expect her to sit down and thumb through a magazine when so much needed to be done? The house was a disaster and an unhealthy environment for a man in ill health.

A large roast was cooking in the oven and the smell of simmering meat, potatoes, and onions permeated the large kitchen.

Jenny was in the living room, sitting on her grandfather’s lap while he read to her from a children’s book. The sight of the two of them warmed Lanni’s heart. Stuart was so loving and patient with the child. The last time she’d checked on them, she’d discovered Jenny asleep, cuddled in his arms, and Stuart snoring softly.

Washing the last of the lunch dishes, Lanni paused to look around. Like everything else in the house, the kitchen was grossly outdated. The linoleum was cracked and peeling up at the corners, as was the dull red countertop. The stove had a cantankerous streak and the oven was another matter entirely. Lanni had viewed the kitchen as a challenge, and after working only one afternoon in it, she was ready to surrender. What she wouldn’t have given for a microwave! She could deal with escrow loans, mortgage companies, and feisty appraisers, but not this nineteenth-century kitchen.

The back door swung open as Judd stepped inside, giving her a knowing look. For a moment it seemed as though he wanted to argue with her, but he changed his mind. He knew her well enough to realize she couldn’t leave the place in such a mess.

“Hi.” She smiled at him and pressed her finger to her lips, indicating that he should be quiet. She pointed in the direction of Jenny and Stuart in the other room. “They’re asleep.” She hoped that the need for quiet would quell his objection to her streak of domestic integrity.

If the clean kitchen hadn’t been a surprise, then viewing his daughter in Stuart’s arms was. His father’s gaunt face was relaxed in sleep. Peaceful. Serene. Judd couldn’t ever recall seeing his father so tranquil—he’d run on nervous energy most of his life, demanding more of himself than he did from others.

Judd pulled out a kitchen chair and Lanni brought him a bowl of hot tomato soup and a thick turkey sandwich she’d made earlier.

He was a little amazed at her thoughtfulness, although he realized that he shouldn’t be. “I saw the Petermans.”

“Good.”

“They’re moving back tomorrow.”

“Won’t your father be upset?”

“I don’t see why. I’m paying their wages.”

Lanni nodded and hid a grin. Over the years, Judd must have learned how to get around his father, sometimes to his own detriment. “What did the doctor have to say?”

Judd’s expression changed to a dark scowl as he slowly shook his head. He lowered the sandwich to the plate.

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