Smells of pumpkin cookies Alyssa baked after she and Ben returned from the committee meeting and seeing Zebadiah filled the house. Hope had opted out of baking but had helped with cooking supper. Ben hadn’t given his daughter a choice about stringing popcorn for the fund-raiser’s Christmas trees. With so much to do before Thanksgiving weekend, Alyssa could certainly use the help. She carefully pushed a popcorn kernel along her length of thread. “This is really a dumb idea,” Hope grumped from the other end of the couch. “My popcorn broke again.” “Give it a little patience,” Ben coached from his chair by the fire. “Now that I have the hang of it, I’m making up for lost time.” “I don’t think my garland will be a foot long.” Hope grabbed a handful of popcorn from the big stainless-steel bowl on the hassock and bent her head over her needle and thread again. “Oops.
