David climbed out of the truck, his eyes glued to the house. "The place is lovely," he said. "But it looks like it needs more attention than I realized."

Angela walked over to David and followed his line of sight. Some of the decorative dentil work had fallen from the cornice. "I'm not worried," she said. "That's why I married someone who is handy around the house."

David laughed. "I can see it'll take some effort to make a believer out of you."

"I'll try to keep an open mind," she teased.

With a key they had been sent in the mail, they opened the front door and stepped inside. It looked very different without furniture. When they'd seen it before it had been filled with the Hodgeses' belongings.

"It has a dance hail feel," David said.

"There's even an echo," Nikki said. She yelled "Hello" and the word reverberated.

"That's when you know you've arrived at your proper station in life," David said, affecting an English accent. "When your house has an echo."

The Wilsons slowly passed through the foyer. Now that there were no rugs, their heels clicked on the wide wooden flooring. They had forgotten their new home's enormity, especially in contrast to their Boston apartment. Aside from a few pieces of furniture they'd agreed Clara would leave behind-a stool, a kitchen table-the place was bare.

In the center hall just before the grand staircase an imposing chandelier hung. There was a library and dining room to the left and a huge living room to the right. A central hall led to a spacious country kitchen which stretched across the back of the house. Beyond the kitchen was the two-story clapboard addition that connected the house to the barn. It had a mud room, several storerooms, and a back staircase leading up to the second level.

Returning to the grand staircase, the Wilsons climbed up to the second story. There were two bedrooms with connecting baths on each side and a master suite over the kitchen area.

Opening a door off the central hallway next to the master suite, they climbed a narrow staircase up to the third level where there were four unheated rooms.

"Plenty of storage," David quipped.

"Which room will be my bedroom?" Nikki asked.

"Whatever room you want," Angela said.

"I want the room facing the frog pond," she said.

They went down to the second level and walked into the room Nikki wanted. They discussed where her furniture would go, including the desk she did not yet own.

"Okay, you guys," Angela commanded. "Enough procrastination. Time to unload."

David gave her a military salute.

Returning to the vehicles, they began to bring their belongings into the house and put them into the appropriate rooms. The couch, the bedding, and the heavy boxes of books made it quite a struggle. When they were finished David and Angela stood beneath the archway leading into the living room.

"It would be funny if it wasn't so pathetic," Angela said. The rug that had been almost wall to wall in their apartment seemed little better than a doormat in the middle of the expansive room. Their threadbare couch, two armchairs, and coffee table looked like they had been rescued from a garage sale.

"Understated elegance," David said. "Minimalist decor. If it were in Architectural Digest, everyone would be trying to imitate it."

"What about Rusty?" Nikki asked.

"Let's go get him," David said. "You've been a good sport and a big help. You want to come, Angela?"

"No thanks," Angela said. "I'll stay and get more organized, especially in the kitchen."

"I assumed we'd eat down at the inn tonight," David said.

"No, I want to eat here in our new home," Angela answered.

While David and Nikki went to town, Angela unpacked a few of the boxes in the kitchen including their pots, pans, dishes, and flatware. She also figured out how to work the stove and got the refrigerator running.

Nikki returned carrying the adorable puppy with its wrinkled face and floppy ears. She had the dog pressed against her chest. He'd grown considerably since they'd seen him last. His feet were the size of Nikki's fists.

"He's going to be a big dog," David said.

While Nikki and David fashioned a pen for Rusty in the mud room, Angela made dinner for Nikki. Nikki wasn't happy about eating before her parents, but she was too tired to complain. After she'd eaten and done some postural drainage, she and Rusty, both exhausted, were put to bed.

"Now I have a little surprise for you," Angela said as she and David descended from Nikki's room. She took him by the hand and led him into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, she pulled out a bottle of Chardonnay.

"Wow," David exclaimed, inspecting the label. "This isn't our usual cheap stuff."

"Hardly," Angela said. Reaching back into the refrigerator, she took out a dish covered with a paper towel. Lifting the towel she exposed two thick veal chops.

"I have the feeling we're in for a feast," David said.

"You'd better believe it," Angela said. "Salad, artichokes, wild rice, and veal chops. Plus the best Chardonnay I could buy."

David cooked the meat on an outdoor barbecue built into the side of the terrace off the library. By the time he came in Angela had the rest of the food on the table in the dining room.

Night had descended softly, filling the house with shadow. In the darkness the glow from the two candles that formed the centerpiece on the table only illuminated the immediate area. The disarray of the rest of the house was hidden.

They sat at opposite ends of the table. They didn't speak. Instead they merely gazed at each other as they ate. Both of them were moved by the romantic atmosphere, realizing that romance had been missing from their lives over the last years; the demands of their respective residencies and Nikki's ongoing health problems had taken precedence.

Long after they'd finished eating they continued to sit and stare at each other while a symphony of sounds of a Vermont summer night drifted in through the open windows. The candle flames flickered sensuously as the clean, cool air wafted across the room and caressed their faces. It was a magical moment they both wanted to savor.

Mutual desire drove them from the dining room into the dark living room. They fell onto the couch, their lips meeting as they enveloped each other in a warm embrace. They removed their clothing, each eagerly aiding the other. With a chorus of crickets in the background, they made love in their new home.

Morning brought mass confusion. With the dog barking to be fed and Nikki whining that she couldn't find her favorite jeans, Angela felt her patience was at an end. David was no help. He couldn't find the list he'd made of what was in each of the dozens of boxes left to be unpacked.

"All right, that's enough," Angela shouted. "I don't want to hear any more whining or barking."

For the moment, even Rusty quieted down.

"Calm down, dear," David said. "Getting upset isn't going to solve anything."

"And don't you tell me not to get upset," Angela cried.

"All right," David said calmly. "I'll go get the babysitter."

"I'm not a baby," Nikki whined.

"Oh, save me," Angela said with her face raised to the ceiling.

While David was off fetching Alice Doherty, Dorothy Weymouth's older sister, Angela was able to regain control of herself. She realized that it had been a mistake to tell their respective employers that they would be willing to start on July first. They should have given themselves a few days to get settled.

Alice turned out to be a godsend. She looked quite grandmotherly with her warm caring face, a twinkle in her eye, and snow-white hair. She had an engaging manner and surprising energy for a woman of seventy-nine. She also had the compassion and patience a chronically ill, willful child like Nikki required. Best of all, she loved Rusty which immediately endeared her to Nikki.