CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
Autumn arrived in the mountain valley with a slow, golden hush. The leaves on the young orchard trees turned to fiery shades of crimson, orange, and amber, mirroring the seven different hues of hair that now felt like a living palette of the sisters themselves.
The garden yielded its first true harvest…ripe tomatoes bursting with sweetness, fragrant herbs that scented the air, and bright squash that Sienna roasted over the evening fire with simple joy.
One crisp morning, the seven sisters gathered at the orchard slope to collect the small, early apples and cherries that had managed to ripen on their young trees.
They worked side by side with baskets and laughter, the air filled with the scent of fallen leaves and woodsmoke from the cabin chimney.
Elena reached up t
