After dessert had been cleared and the evening had concluded, Jo was standing in the kitchen with Meg and Amy when Nick came in.

"Hope I'm not interruptin' anything?"

"Not at all, Nick," Meg spoke, shaking her head.  

Jo smiled at him.  "We were just discussing when Laurie's to arrive back in town."

"Oh?"  Oddly relieved to find it had not been a discussion about Austin Bracken, he crossed to the counter and poured himself a last cup of warm coffee. "How is that trip ta New York goin' for him, Amy?"

"Fine as far as I know.  He telegraphed once from the hotel.  He said he was anxious to get home again."  Amy smiled, her countenance momentarily softened with thoughts of her husband.  

"Well, I have to break up the conversation, but we should be going.  Marmee and Father can only handle the twins for long, I'm afraid, and it's getting late.  Thank you, Jo, for dinner."  Meg smiled at her dark haired sister. 

Jo squeezed her hand.  "You're welcome, Meg; although it was really Amy's doing." 

"Well, thank you nonetheless."

"Would ya like me ta drive ya back to town?" Nick asked.

"Oh, no.  I'll be fine.  Amy's coming along as well."  Her eyes darted briefly to her blonde haired sister and she caught the other woman's elbow.  "And don't worry, we can show ourselves out."

"But Meg—" she started to protest.

"Alright," he agreed reluctantly.  "If yer sure."

"Positive."  Meg smiled at the kindhearted caretaker.  "But thank you."  

"Goodnight, Meg," Jo said, giving a small wave as they left the kitchen, "Goodnight, Amy."  

"Goodnight."  

When they were safely out of earshot, Nick turned to Jo with a grin.  "Ya still on for that picnic tomorrow?" 

Jo tilted her head to look up at him.  "Of course I am," she said with a soft smile.  "I can't wait."

"Good."  On a whim, he bent forward and placed a gentle kiss on her temple.  "I'll come around for ya 'bout noon, then?"  

"All right, noon."  She nodded.  "I'll look forward to it."

Meg secured her hat and gathered her reticule, pulling on her gloves as she glanced over at Amy.  "Amy Laurence!  You're eavesdropping.  You should be ashamed," she chided, a frown forming between her brows.

"I'm not eavesdropping," she whispered, touching a finger to her lips.  "I'm just… overhearing." 

"Amy—"

"Shh, Meg!  They're talking.  I can't hear with you babbling."  Amy peeked cautiously around the corner of the wall, not able to see them but just barely able to catch bits and pieces of their soft exchange.

Shaking her head, Meg marched over and gently took Amy's ear, just enough to catch her attention.  "You're behaving like a child, Amy.  Now come.  It's time we were getting home now."

"But Meg!  He's just about—"

"No buts.  Now." 

With a noise akin to a whine, Amy relented and moved to the hall tree, gathering her handbag and wraps.  "I don't see how you entertain yourself all day," she said, blonde head moving in a distasteful nod.

"You cajoled Asia into making a special dinner, and you had Mr. Bracken over just as you wanted," Meg started, taking a rather authoritative stand.  "You will not eavesdrop on Jo and Nick's conversations."

Pulling on her last glove, Amy headed towards the door with a triumphant little expression on her face.  "Meg dear, don't forget," she said.

"Forget what?" she asked, relieved to find the youngest March finally headed in the direction of the front porch.  They were making progress at least.

With a mischievous smirk, she practically danced out the front hall. "We're in this together, sister dear."

"Ya got basket all done, Asia?"  Nick grinned as he approached the cook from behind, an innocent expression in his blue eyes at the sigh she exhaled.  

"It will be done with it's done, Nick.  Now hold your horses."  Her words were ones of correction, but a smile twisted along her lips.  "You're getting worse than the children."  

Nick just grinned and placed a kiss on her dark cheek, reaching then for a carrot bit on the counter.  "You know I love ya, Asia," he said with a wink.

"Oh, phoo."  She waved a hand.  "Go make yourself busy and don't hang around here waitin' on it.  I'll call ya when it's ready."

"Alright, if ya insist.  I guess I do got some stuff in the barn I can work on in the meantime." And doing as the housekeeper ordered, he stifled his impatience and left her alone to work.

Dan speared another fluffy mound of hay and pitched it over the edge of the loft, grinning a bit when Tommy, who was standing across from him, suddenly let out an earth-shattering sneeze.  "Get somethin' in yer nose?"

His wild head bobbed in a nod.  "I think s—so—!" and then, as if to prove it, he gave another mighty howl.

Nan snickered.  "Many more like that an' you're gonna blow all the hay away," she chortled, "just like The Three Little Pigs.  Right, Dan?"  Her teasing gaze was then directed at the other boy.

"Yeah, ol' Dan would know all about pigs," Emil jeered.  

Nonchalant, Dan shrugged his shoulders.  "Bess an' Nat are the literature geniuses."

"What was that?" Bess's voice floated up from below.  She had overheard her name and the word 'pig' too close together for comfort.  "What about pigs?" she demanded again, moving toward the ladder.  If they had dared compare her to the likes of such a stinky animal . . . !

"Nothin'," Dan responded, in that maddeningly calm way of his that he knew bothered her so much.

Her blonde head peeked over the edge then.  "Don't tell me 'nothin'.' You were talking about something!  And I heard my name.  Now what was it?"

Another unladylike snicker came from Nan.  His remark had been harmless enough, almost complimentary in fact, and yet it was too much fun watching the blonde haired princess of Plumfield get in a tizzy all over nothing to fill her in.

"Oh," Emil started, casual as could be as he pitched another bit of hay.  "Dan just commented on how much he thought you resembled the big bad wolf in The Three Little Pigs."

"WHAT?"  She had climbed up completely and now turned fiery blue eyes on Dan.

"Emil!"  Nat shot an unusually dark glare in the other boy's direction.  "He didn't—"

Dan glared at him as well, jaw clenched.  "I never sai—"

Tommy scratched his head, bewilderment clear on his features.  "Is that what he was sayin'?  I thought he said somethin' about the three pigs…"

"He did, Tommy," Nat tried to clarify for the younger boy, although Bess's next outburst hindered the attempt somewhat.

"Pigs!?" 

"Oh, geez."  Nan rolled her eyes.  "Emil is just bein' Emil, Bess.  Dan didn't say anythin' about you bein' a pig or a wolf so don't go worryin' about your hair or your clothes or whatever else you can find ta worry about."

"He didn't?"  Bess eyed Emil suspiciously.  With his smirk, she assumed the other girl's words to be true and amazingly enough let it go at that.  If he had thought she resembled a pig or wolf in any way, shape, or form, she would have been crushed.

Having heard the very end of the commotion, Nick called up then, catching them all off guard.  "Everythin' alright up there?"

"Yeah, just fine, Nick," Dan called down, all the while delivering a last lingering glare at Emil.

Things settled somewhat after that, and they worked quietly until the sound of a carriage coming up the drive caught Nat's attention.  "Hey, somebody's coming," he relayed the obvious as he glanced out the loft window.  

Tommy dropped his pitchfork and moved closer, an eager look on his face.  "Is it that Austin man again?  I hope he comes back.  I liked him."

Bess grinned a little.  "Aunt Jo seemed to, too."

Dan masked a scowl, not stopping from pitching hay.  "He's nice enough, but they're friends.  Ain't seen each other in a long time is all," he reasoned, thinking suddenly of their caretaker.  

"It's too bad Mrs. Jo couldn't hire him as a music teacher," Nat said on a whim, his passion for music showing on his countenance.  "He said he might be teaching that at Peterskill, too; he's been playing the violin since he was nine."

Nan shrugged this time.  "Who knows. But he sure knows a lot 'bout the medical colleges in Boston!"

Rather dreamy eyed expression in place, Bess added another two cents.  "And he's so handsome."

Emil just rolled his eyes.  "Girls."

Letting up only once he was certain everything was all right, Nick had returned to dumping grain in Marty's feed bin.  The sudden lift in the conversation could not be ignored, though, especially after catching the name of Jo's friend amongst it all.

He felt a pang—a stir of emotion unfamiliar to him as their chattering continued on, a fondness for the unexpected visitor clear in their voices.  Austin Bracken was an educated man, no doubt about that; and he had traveled around the world, too.  The man was Jo's ideal, someone with the experiences she so desired and the ability to experience them again whenever such an urge arose.  

And Amy Laurence had apparently noticed.  Uncertainty nagged at him, though.  Was he doing Jo an injustice by pursuing her?  He loved her and desired nothing more than her happiness.  And while he felt, while he knew she cared for him in return, he still wondered . . . 

Was he keeping her from something better?