It would probably break Mama’s heart if I left home the way she did when she was my age, Melinda thought. And what would it do to my relationship with Gabe? She shook her head. No, becoming a vet is most likely just an impossible dream. I’ll probably never leave my home here in Webster County.

“I can’t believe Melinda’s not back yet.” Faith placed a sack of flour on the counter and turned to face her mother and youngest sister, who sat at the kitchen table. “She said she was going for a short walk and would be here in plenty of time to help with the baking, but she must have lost track of time.”

Susie, Faith’s sister who had recently turned twenty, sighed. “Knowing Melinda, she’s most likely off taking care of one of her critters or out in the woods sketching pictures of the deer.”

Faith nodded. “You’re probably right. My daughter has been taking in injured and orphaned animals ever since she was a little girl. It’s not gotten any better since she became a young woman, either. Sometimes I wonder if Melinda will ever grow up.”

“Just because she likes helping animals doesn’t mean she’s not mature,” Faith’s mother put in. “She wouldn’t be able to work for Dr. Franklin if she wasn’t grown up enough to make good decisions.”

Faith wrinkled her forehead. She didn’t know why her mother was sticking up for Melinda. She sure hadn’t taken Faith’s side of things when Faith was Melinda’s age. Of course, Faith reasoned, back then I was headstrong and disobedient, running off to do my own thing in the modern world. Mama only saw me as a rebellious teenager, not as a mature woman who made good decisions.

“Be that as it may,” Faith said as she pulled out a rolling pin, “Melinda’s showing her immaturity this morning by not keeping her word and being here to help us with the baking.”

“Would you like me to go look for her?” Susie offered.

Faith pursed her lips and finally nodded. “That’s a good idea, since she’s obviously not planning to come back anytime soon of her own accord.”

Susie stood. “I’ll check the barn first. If she’s not there, I’ll head for the woods.”

As Susie scurried out the door, Faith moved over to the table and took a seat across from her mother. “Since we don’t have the help of either of our daughters at the moment, why don’t the two of us sit and visit over another cup of tea?”

Mama smiled and pushed back her metal-framed glasses, which had slipped to the end of her nose. “Sounds good to me.”

“You know, it’s not just Melinda’s preoccupation with her animal friends that bothers me,” Faith said while pouring her mother a cup of tea.

“What else is bothering you?”