A/N: Thanks Trinitystargazer3! Much appreciated! I'm glad you like this story. :D Haha, I took almost a year to write the whole story. Anyway, here's the next chapter again. Enjoy!

Chapter 12

"Ruth, I brought us some visitors," the bus driver called out, as soon as he entered the house. He let the two travellers inside, and walked through to the kitchen. There he kissed his wife hello, and she smiled warmly against his beard, her brown eyes twinkling.

"Who've you brought today?" she asked, wiping off her hands on a towel. Her husband nodded towards the hall. "Two people, wantin' to catch the train to New York. I told 'em they could spend the night." The woman nodded, just as the Major and the doctor walked into the kitchen. "Hello there, I'm Ruth. Come on in further, dinner's almost ready."

"Thank you, Ma'am," Major Doss said, shaking her hand. "Major Steven Doss."

"Doctor Oliver Crane."

The old bus driver, who had disappeared into the living room for a moment, returned. "Hav'n't even introduced myself. Name's Jethro Turner."

"Pleased to meet you," doctor Crane returned politely. Ruth nodded, and turned around to stir the potatoes.

"If you two would like to freshen up a little, there's a bathroom first door on the left up the stairs. Jethro, if you can take over the cookin' for a moment, then I'll show our guests where Bob's room is."

"When's Bob comin' anyway? Tomorrow mornin', same time as Dob?" Jethro asked, rising to do as his wife asked him to. Oliver and Steven shared a look at the strange name, but figured it was probably a nickname.

"He decided to come tonight, afraid he wouldn't get here tomorrow with the snow and all. I'm expecting him any moment now. He and Jenny can share Dob's room tonight."

"Where's my lil rascal anyway?" Jethro asked. As if on cue, a young girl of about 5 years old poked her head around the kitchen door, to see who the visitors were. Ruth turned around and saw the girl. Immediately a tender expression took over her face. "Here's Jenny." She held out an arm, and the girl – who Major Doss and doctor Crane took to be their grandchild – immediately ran towards her and hid behind her skirt, from where she shyly looked at the two strangers. Major Doss sat on his heels and smiled at the young girl. "Hey there, Jenny. I'm Steven."

Quickly the girl hid her face again, and Ruth smiled sadly, which led Oliver to believe there was more to the child than appeared at first sight. The Major however did not easily give up, and he continued talking. "You're a beautiful girl. How old are you?"

It took a few seconds, but then a hand appeared from behind the skirt, holding up all five fingers. "Five? Wow, you're a really big girl already."

The small head peered around the skirt to stare at the man for a moment, but other than that, she did not move. Jethro suddenly grumbled. "Jen-Jen, why don't ya show me where Mama Ruth keeps the salt. I keep fergettin'."

Immediately the girl ran towards the bus driver, and grabbed his hand to pull him towards one of the kitchen cabinets.

Ruth smiled another wan smile, and then indicated for the two men to follow her up the stairs.

"Here's the bathroom, and you can use this room. I hope you don't mind sharing a room?"

"No, we don't mind at all, we're very thankful that you're welcoming us into your house," Oliver said, more polite now that he was out of the cold outside. Major Doss nodded his agreement. Ruth opened a closet and pulled out two towels, which she handed to the two men.

"I feel I must explain a little bit about Jenny. She hasn't been with us very long yet. Her mother died very soon after giving birth, and her father tried very hard to provide for her. Three weeks ago though he had a nervous breakdown. Jenny is staying with us till her father is able to take care of himself and her again… but that might be a while still."

"I'm sorry. Are they family of yours?" Major Doss asked.

"No, we didn't know them before it happened." At their questioning looks, Ruth explained, "Jethro and I have been functioning for years as a crisis family of sorts, taking in children who for the moment cannot live with their own family. Sometimes a child stays only for a few days, others stay for months, and some children have stayed with us until adulthood."

"Wow," was all Major Doss managed. "That must be very hard for you."

Ruth shrugged. "It isn't easy, but if we can do anything to help, we will do it. It's what God meant for us to do."

Doctor Crane became uneasy with the mention of God. "It must have been very hard for your own children too," he said, trying to move away from the topic of religion.

Ruth shook her head. "No, Jethro and I have never had kids of our own, even though we wanted to. We discovered I couldn't have children at about the same time as two friends of ours died and left behind a three-year-old boy. We were the godparents, so we took Robert as our own child. God opened our eyes for the need, and that was when we decided to open our house for those children who needed a home, temporary or long term."

"That is quite a sacrifice, Ma'am," Major Doss said. He was impressed with this couple, and suddenly he understood the words the bus driver had spoken earlier. ''s long as I'm livin', there's always a place at my house. Always has been, always will.'

"We don't see it as such, dear," Ruth responded, her brown eyes radiating a warmth and joy that could only confirm her words. "We are blessed to be able to take care and love these children, to help them, and sometimes take them as our own. It is amazing to see how God works with them, how He can transform a child that was completely introvert, and turned into the most outgoing, kind person." She was obviously remembering a specific child, and neither man wanted to interrupt her. They were still impressed by what she and her husband had been doing for years apparently.

Suddenly, Ruth shook her head. "Oh, don't listen to my rambling, I could go on and on about our kids. I should probably go down and save dinner." The twinkling in her eyes was clearly visible when she winked at the two men. "Jethro and Jenny may have been able to find the salt, but if it actually made its way onto the food is debatable."

She turned, and went back down the stairs, calling over her shoulder that they would have dinner in ten minutes, providing Jethro had left something for her to save.

Oliver and Steven looked at each other for a moment, then quickly set about freshening up.

On the way back from church, Clint and Paul walked on either side of Nancy, linked together through their arms. Behind them, Nate and Beverly walked with Mattie's stroller, making sure not to be caught in the snowball-fight between Tippy and Raul that the boy had initiated.

Clint was just saying something, when suddenly something hit his hat from behind, causing it to fall towards the ground. Surprised, Clint stopped, and looked around to see who the perpetrator was.

"Oh my," Tippy said, looking wide-eyed, like a deer caught in the head lights. "Oh doctor Cassidy, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you, I… I… I guess, I'm just a really bad shot, and…"

Clint shook his head amused, and Nancy quickly hid a smile.

"It's ok, Tippy, don't worry about it."

"Really?" Tippy asked, clearly relieved.

"Yeah, it's ok." The doctor wiped some of the residual white powder from his hair, and bent to pick up his hat.

The warning both Raul and Nancy shouted came too late for Tippy, as a snowball hit her on the shoulder. She shrieked, then turned around, and saw doctor Cassidy's wide grin.

Her eyes narrowed. "Ok, Mister, you're on!"

Raul cheered, and soon Tippy, Clint, Nate and Raul were all involved in the snowball-fight. Nancy leaned against her father as they slowly resumed their walk; the night had been rather tiring for her.

"That was a good service," Paul said. Nancy nodded. "Yeah." She looked sideways to look at her father's face. "You ok?"

"Yes," he replied, then returned her gaze. "Better than I've been in a while."

For now he kept it at that. He knew he would explain to his daughter what had happened tonight, but now was not the right time. Instead, he pulled her a little tighter against him, and smiled at her. Nancy smiled too. Her father would tell her when he was ready to tell it, and if he never told her, that would be fine too. As long as he was alright. The look on his face was one she had not seen in a long time – a look of peace. Yes, something happened in church tonight, but it was a good something, she was sure of that.

Remembering the other arm that had pulled her close earlier tonight, she looked towards the man whose arms she'd found comfort in more than once, taking joy in just watching him throwing snowballs with Raul. The look of love he sent Raul was so obvious, she had no doubt he loved the boy as if he had been his son. Suddenly, as if sensing her eyes, Clint looked up. The moment their eyes met, her breath was taken away by the love and delight she saw in his expression. A yell of Raul broke the moment though, and Clint's attention was drawn back to the snowball fight.

Nancy knew though, that she and Clint really needed to talk.

TBC