"Ain't much to look at, but Ivy shore cooked up a mess of good food in it." Ishmael grinned. "Better the gal be purdy and the pot ugly than t'other way round."

Galen gritted his teeth. No use antagonizing the man. Making the best of this situation was going to test his mettle. "Stick him in the far stall."

"Yessir."

Galen stomped into the house, and his mouth started watering right away. The tempting aromas of Hilda's cooking filled the cabin.

Colin sat on the edge of Ma's bed. Dale and Sean both cuddled her from either side. "Where is she?" Galen demanded.

"Ivy went to the necessary." Ma's head dipped, and she rested her chin on Sean's head.

Galen nodded curtly and turned so he could see out the window. If Ivy dared to go toward the stable ...

"We waited for you."

Colin brought Da's Bible to Galen. Just last night, Galen had read the Christmas story to them. He'd stopped immediately after the shepherds paid homage to the Christ child. Galen refused to take it. "You read tonight."

"Okay." Colin went back to sit by the lamp beside Ma's bed.

Ivy came into the house. Everyone stared at her. She let out a nervous laugh. "Chilly out thar. Sore chilly."

"We read from God's Word each night, Ivy," Ma said, motioning to her. "Sit quietly and listen."

Colin read the passage, and Sean wrinkled his freckled nose. "It doesn't say there were three kings. Our song said, *We three kings."'

"And a grand song 'twas." Ma smiled. "I suppose we think there were three wise men since they brought three gifts."

"Galen wasn't 'round when Mr. Josh brought us home. He hasn't seen his gifts yet." Dale wiggled next to Ma. "Do we get to stay up and watch him?"

No. He opened his mouth to refuse the request, but something about his baby brother's innocent enthusiasm struck Galen. At the church, his brothers and mother had been terrified. This would allow them to end the day with a scrap of fun and a good memory. "Sure."

"They're in the crate under the table." Ma said the words so quickly, Galen suspected she feared he'd change his mind.

"I'll fetch 'em for you." Ivy popped up.

Galen's glower kept her pinned to her cot. He turned back to his brothers and made a point of rubbing his hands together. He'd keep Ivy on the fringes and try to shield his brothers from her influence and presence. "Oh, so you boys were hiding the crate from the McCains from me, were you?"

"We weren't hiding it." Sean peered at him. "I know better hiding places than under the table."

"Do you now?" Galen quirked a brow.

Sean straightened up. "Yes, and Dale, don't you dare tell them where."

"'Course I won't. I'm good at keeping secrets. No one would ever think to look-"

"Galen-mine," Ma interrupted Dale, "I didn't want the lads to stay up so late. Best you fetch that crate."

"'Twill be fun to see what's in it!" Ivy said.

Galen fought the urge to react to her at all. He dragged a bench out of the way and hunkered down to pull out the crate.

"Our Galen, don't peek at it under there!" Dale called out. "We want to see, too!"

"Of course you do." Galen tugged the crate and rose in one fluid move. Setting the crate on the bench so they could see, he mused, "Either there's something heavy in here or I'm turning into a weakling."

"We all got books."

"Shh, Dale." Sean reached over Ma and poked his little brother. "Don't ruin his surprise."

"This doesn't look like a book to me." Galen drew a pair of britches from the crate.

Ma nodded. "And they're brown. They won't be showing the dirt much."

Colin set aside the Bible. "Mr. Josh bought them when we all got so grubby at the fair. I told him brown's your favorite."

"And we helped him pick out the shirts, too!"

"Dale ..." Sean huffed.

"It's not ruining the surprise. He can see them, can't you, Galen?"

He draped the britches across the table. "Sure and enough, I can see a fine white shirt here." He started lifting the first storebought shirt he'd ever received. "And there's another beneath it!"

"You needed a new Sunday-best shirt. Whilst I ironed the one you have, I saw the elbow's about gone on it."

Galen nodded and drew out the other shirt.

"It's blue, just like Dale's."

"Aye, Colin. It surely is."

"Miss Laney picked it out. She said it matches our eyes." Dale opened his eyes wide. "Our handsome eyes."

Colin cracked his knuckles. "So what book did you get?"

Bless him, Colin is trying to help me through this. He's striving so hard to grow and stretch into manhood.

"Indeed, son. What book did Ruth choose for you?"

Galen solemnly laid aside the blue shirt and lifted not one, but two books. "My, my. The new Farmer's Almanac and my own copy of The Animal Husbandry Guide."

"You won't have to be riding over to the Broken P to read their guide anymore." Ma's voice held an undertone.

Galen put the books down on the table with exaggerated care. Ma was underscoring how things would change. Anger flashed through him again-at Ma, for not having faith that he'd conducted himself above reproach; at Ishmael, for forcing him into a sham of a marriage; but most of all at Ivy, for telling the lie that broke dear Laney's heart and ruined his life.

A bit of white caught his attention. Galen peered at the bottom of the crate. Lying in the bottom were three handkerchiefs. All were white, but each had been painstakingly monogrammed in a different color. A green one, a brown one, and a blue one-all evidence of Laney's heartfelt sentiments toward him. He dared to run his rough finger over the delicate, impossibly tiny stitches. She must have spent hours on them, designing a different style for each of the three monograms.

He'd known she couldn't read until last year. Josh had subtly orchestrated things so Laney never had to reveal her secret. Following Josh's lead, Galen had never let on that he knew. But Laney had learned-and the letters she'd embroidered on the handkerchiefs were more than mere pictures. They were proof of her triumph.

But they're saying something even more. Here's absolute proof right before me that she more than returns the feelings I hold for her-'tisn't a mere fancy on her part, but an abiding love. She waited these years for me to see we were meant for each other, but I took too long. Now we'll never be together. She's a lass whose heart and soul are finer than the stitching she did, yet a vile lie now keeps us apart. My poor little Laney.

"Thar's sommat else in that crate," Ivy said as she craned her neck. "I can see a scrap of white."

Galen dumped everything in atop the handkerchiefs. He refused to reveal the sentimental gift Laney had made for him. "I'm done, Ma. The lads ought to be going to bed now."

Someone yawned and Ma said, "You boys have stayed up late enough."

The sound of Ma giving them good-night kisses pulled Galen back to the bitter reality of how life went on. "Off to bed with you now."

"We didn't have our prayer." Colin didn't budge.

"It's my turn." Dale folded his hands and waited for the others to do the same. "Dear Jesus, thank you for being the Christmas baby. Thank you for all of the presents today. Please keep us safe and warm and well. God bless Ma. God bless Galen. God bless Colin. God bless Sean. God bless me, too."

And Lord, please bless and be with Laney.

"And God bless Ivy. Amen."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR.

Tap-tap-tap-tap. "Laney?"

Even before Ruth called her name, Laney knew it was her sister-in-law. Dear, exuberant Ruth-only she could knock like a frenzied woodpecker.

Ruth didn't wait for an invitation; she came on in. "I saw the light on under your door." Relief sketched across her features.

"Oh good. You're reading the Bible."

Laney nodded.

Josh sauntered in. He acted as if he was casually following his wife, but Laney knew better. They were worried and had this all planned out. "What passage were you reading?" he asked.

"Genesis." Laney pressed her hand to the open pages. "Where Laban tricks Jacob, and Jacob ends up married to Leah instead of Rachel."

Josh's features went taut. "Nonetheless Leah was his wife, Laney. She bore him several sons."

"But he still loved Rachel, and it wasn't his fault that Leah was his wife."

Ruth came over and sat on the bed. She laid her hand atop Laney's. "But this isn't Bible times. Men can't have more than one wife."

"Whatever feelings you and Galen had for one another have to end." Josh's hand curled tightly around the bedpost. "He's a married man with a child on the way."

"But it's not his child," Laney asserted. "I'm ashamed of myself for thinking even for one minute that it might be. It's not his. I'm sure of it."

Josh and Ruth exchanged a look.

Laney gasped. "You can't think it is! Josh, you're his best friend. You-of all people-should know he wouldn't have ... have ..." Her voice died out.

Josh's face remained grim. "In the end, it doesn't matter whether he fathered the child. It's still his baby, and Ivy is his wife."

"What if Ivy and Ishmael lied and there's no baby at all?"

Josh shook his head. "It's rare you see anyone that livid. Ishmael is normally mild-mannered."

"Ivy's still lying."

"She might be." Ruth wouldn't meet Laney's eyes.

"Might?!" Laney felt a second flash of surprise, then indignation. Ruth started brushing her thumb back and forth on the back of Laney's hand. "Laney, you know I've struggled with all of the silly rules of society. Being proper isn't easy for me, but even I know a man shouldn't ever be alone with a woman. Galen admitted he's been alone with Ivy on more than one occasion." Ruth winced. "And he even gave her a blanket."

"He was showing Christian charity."

"He showed poor judgment." Josh shook his head sorrowfully.

"Galen acknowledged seeing her alone, and that's compromised her. She's in a fix now, and almost no one else knew she existed."

Laney stared at her brother. "You can think whatever you want. You can believe whatever you please. I know the man I love.

Galen wouldn't ever ... indulge. He's an upright man."

"Even upright men sin on occasion." Josh's voice ached with sadness.

"Laney, you must listen to us." Ruth stopped rubbing Laney's hand and squeezed her arm. "You just called Galen the man you love. That cannot continue. He's married to Ivy. Regardless of the tenderness you hold in your heart for him, he's her husband. It's wrong for you to nurture any feelings. It's ..."

"Adulterous," Josh finished.

Their words hit Laney with devastating impact. She could scarcely breathe.

"As for Ivy-even if we assume she's told a lie ..." Ruth still held on to Laney. "She's not a Christian, Laney. She doesn't have the same sense of morality we do."

"Which is why it's so very wrong to condemn Galen!"

"Laney," Josh heaved with a gigantic sigh. "They're married.

Deciding who's to blame isn't going to change that fact. It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't matter? Oh, Josh. I'm so disappointed in you. You know Galen's character. You're supposed to be his friend."

Josh's gaze held steady. "I am his friend. The length and quality of that friendship is the only thing that's keeping me from tearing him limb from limb for hurting you."

"You're more important to us," Ruth declared.