She put on Gabe’s old coat—there was nothing of his scent left in it now—and made a trip to the privy, then the chicken house. She was washing her hands in a basin of hot water when Doss came in from doing the chores. “I guess I’ll drive the sleigh down and look in on the widow Jessup again,” he said. “This cold snap might outlast her fire wood.” “You’ll have a good, hot break fast first,” Hannah told him. “While I’m fixing it, why don’t you get some preserves from the pantry and pack them up? Mrs. Jessup especially loves those cinnamon pears and pickled crab apples I put up for Christmas.” Doss nodded, a grin crooking one corner of his mouth in a way that made Hannah feel sweetly flustered. “How’s Tobias today?” “He’s sleeping in,” she said, cracking eggs into a bowl, keeping her gaze averted with some difficulty. “And don’t think for a moment you’re going to take him with you. It’s too cold and he’s worn-out from yesterday.” She’d thought Doss was in the pantry, but all of a sudden his hands closed over her shoulders, startling her so that she stiffened.
