While Noah was at work, she painted inside two more cabins. As she helped Rosetta prepare the evening meal, she began a list of baking staples to buy at the mercantile in Forest Grove. “I’ve been thinking I could sell breads and goodies at the produce stand,” she explained. “I can put the money toward things for the house—and that way, I could also work at the stand when Laura and Phoebe need to be in the gardens. Is that a gut idea?” “I’ve never known you to have a bad idea, Deborah,” Rosetta replied. “When word of your goodies gets around, folks will come to the produce stand as much to buy those as to latch on to home-grown veggies and fresh eggs.” “I sure hope Ruby and Beulah come back. Their honey and cheese would be a big draw to the stand, too.” Rosetta’s smile dimmed. “I’m waiting for the phone to ring, and for Beulah to say Delbert will let them live here,” she admitted. “Something tells me he’ll have the last word about that even though his sisters have paid ahead on their rent.”
