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E y instructed the kids, but they refused to budge Emma wondered if they feared that the minute they left the rooy sat down on the ottoathered around her like a small herd of lambs

"Tell me about your fruitcake recipe," Emma said when she’d retrieved pen and pad from her briefcase

"There’s notseveral fruitcake recipes I found in one ofthat dated back to the 1960s, which randreith fruitcake?"

Peggy smiled "Mom bakes it every Christy snificant differences My recipe isn’t a typical one, although I use all the saredients most everyone uses in fruitcake"

"I like Mama’s fruitcake," Rosalie whispered, her face averted so she wouldn’t have to look at Eood," Abby added without a hint of shyness "It’s the best, andto win That’s what our daddy says"

"What azine?" This wasn’t a question she’d asked the other Washington State finalists, but Ey’s reasons Both Earleen Williah the years That didn’t see ed me to enter, so I did No one was more surprised than me when I found out I was a finalist" She lifted Dylan onto her lap and the little boy leaned his head against her shoulder and pro have you been using this recipe?"

"How long?" Peggy repeated, and the question seemed to fluster her Her hand went to her hair, as if she was afraid it needed attention "Actually, the first one I baked was last Deceood" If this relatively untried recipe was a finalist, it had to be iy asked Setting Dylan aside despite histh of ti that the dryer had finished its cycle

"Rosalie, take the sheets out of the dryer, would you?"

The oldest girl left the roo children all stared at Eest with his thumb still firmly planted in his mouth

Rosalie returned a e load of fresh laundry "Where should I put the in the chair" Apparently the recliner was the spot for sorting clean laundry

"I can h she didn’t knohere The one other piece of furniture was a sofa, and that appeared to be functioning as a sickbed for the two girls

"Go and put they shouted from the kitchen

"Okay"

"Mao potty"

Eest boy was holding his

"Where’s his blankie?" Peggy asked caly and the three children sprang into action, launching as obviously a fairls hurried out of the roo on all fours Erabbed Dylan and, holding the two-year-old at arth, carried him fro witnessed anything like this, Eest son on the kiddie toilet Dylanbird about to take flight Rosalie leaped into the rooy asked "Has anyone found the duck?"

Trevor was the hero of the hour He slid into the tiny bathroo feet, then thrust the plush duck at his brother

As soon as Dylan had both his yellow blanket and his duck, he let out a treh His shoulders relaxed and a slow sh to concentrate on the job

"Good boy," Peggy cheered and started to clap

So did Dylan’s three siblings, and because it seeet sidetracked fro curious about the minor production she’d just witnessed

"Dylan’s afraid of the potty chair," Abby explained after Eo is if he has his security blanket and his favorite duck"

"He has e and yellow, but he only wants the yellow one" Again it was Abby who explained "It has to be that one"

Dylan smiled and his thuy pulled up his pants and led the youngster to the sink Dylan pushed the step stool over, then by himself turned on the water and washed his hands When he’d finished, he looked to his s for another round of applause

"Sorry for the interruption," Peggy said, lifting the little boy into her ar parade