Runaway Amish Bride. Leigh Bale

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СКАЧАТЬ reminder of all he’d lost.

      He looked away, trying to squelch the pain. Setting Abby’s suitcase on the floor with a dull thud, he walked to the armoire and reached inside. It took only a moment to gather up his clothes. He didn’t have much, just what he needed.

      Abby watched him quietly, her delicate forehead crinkled in a frown. Her gaze lifted to a hook on the wall where his black felt hat rested. He scooped it up, feeling out of place in his own home. Having this woman see the room he had shared with his wife seemed much too personal.

      Abby looked at him, her eyes creased with compassion, and he felt as though she could see deep inside his tattered heart.

      “This is your room,” she said.

      It was a statement, not a question.

      “Ja, but it is yours to use now. I will join Dawdi in the dawdy haus. He turned ninety-three last month and is quite frail, but he still lives alone now that his wife is gone.”

      The dawdy haus was a tiny building next to the main house with a bedroom, bathroom, small living area and kitchenette. It included a front porch with two rocking chairs, although Dawdi Zeke didn’t do much idle sitting even though he was so old. The cottage was the Amish version of an old folks’ home, except that they cared for their elderly grandparents instead of turning them over to strangers. Jakob had no doubt the man would be happy to let him live with him for the time being.

      “I’m sorry to chase you out of your room,” Abby said.

      He shrugged. “It’s no problem, although Dawdi Zeke does snore a bit.”

      He showed a half smile, but she just stared at him, totally missing his attempt at humor.

      “We will eat supper soon. Come down when you are ready.” With one last glance around the room, he closed the door.

      Alone for a moment, he stood on the landing, his thoughts full of turmoil. He didn’t want Abby here, but the situation wasn’t her fault. She’d come to Colorado in good faith. No doubt she was hoping for a better life than what she’d had with her own familye. He knew how he would feel if Reuben were beating little Ruby with a stick, and he made a mental note to speak with his son right after supper. He’d feel like a failure if one of his children grew up to be cruel and abusive. He couldn’t marry Abby, but neither could he turn his back on her in her time of need. If nothing else, he could shelter her. The Lord would expect no less.

      Turning, he descended the creaking stairs and entered the wide kitchen. Mamm stood in front of the gas stove, stirring a pot of bubbling soup. Strands of gray hair had escaped her kapp and hung around her flushed cheeks. She looked tired, but he knew she’d never complain. It wasn’t their way.

      The fragrant aroma of freshly baked biscuits wafted through the air. Mamm paused, looking at his armful of clothes. Her gaze lifted to his face, as if assessing his mood.

      “Jakob, I’m so sorry. Your vadder never should have interfered...”

      He held up a hand. She hadn’t been privy to his father’s plans and it wasn’t her fault, but he didn’t want to discuss it any further. “Abby is welcome in our home until she wishes to leave, but I am not marrying her or any woman. Not ever. Now, I’m going to get Dawdi and the children so we can eat. I heard Abby’s stomach rumbling and believe she is hungry. We should feed her before I complete the evening chores.”

      With that final word on the subject, he stepped out onto the back porch and walked past the yellow daffodils Susan had planted the first year they’d been married. He saw her presence everywhere on the farm. In the garden where she’d grown huge beefsteak tomatoes in spite of the short growing season, and in his children’s eyes. They both looked so much like their mother that he could never forget. Nor did he want to.

      No, he definitely would never marry again. It was that simple.

       Chapter Two

      “What’s taking her so long?”

      Abby heard the impatient words as she reached the bottom of the stairs. The voice sounded grouchy, like it came from a young boy. No doubt Reuben was hungry and she was keeping him waiting.

      Smoothing one hand over her apron, she subconsciously patted her white kapp before entering the kitchen. A gas lamp hung from the high ceiling, filling the room with warm light. Through the window above the sink, Abby saw the dusky sky painted with fingers of pink and gold. The warmth from the woodstove embraced her chilled arms and hands along with the delicious aromas of food. She hadn’t eaten since the day before and her stomach grumbled as she took another step.

      “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” She stood in the doorway, gazing at the occupants of the room.

      Two children, a boy and girl with identical chins and eyes, stared back at her. The boy sat on Jakob’s left with the girl next to him. As Naomi turned from the woodstove with a plate of steaming biscuits, Jakob and an elderly man scooted back their chairs and rose from their places at the head of each end of the long table. Their respect was not lost on Abby, and she stared at them in surprise. No one had ever stood up for her in her father’s home.

      “Here she is.” Naomi spoke in a lilting voice as she showed Abby a happy smile.

      “Willkomm to our home.” The elderly man hobbled over and took Abby’s hands in his.

      This must be Dawdi Zeke, Jakob’s grandfather. His long beard was white as snow, his face lined with deep creases. A pair of wire-rimmed spectacles sat on the bridge of his nose, his gray eyes sparkling with humor and the experience of a long life. As Abby looked at him, she found nothing to fear.

      “Danke,” she said, conscious Jakob was watching her.

      “Sit here.” Naomi pointed to a chair on Jakob’s right.

      As Abby rounded the table, the two children stared at her...the girl with open curiosity, the boy with open hostility.

      “But that’s Mamm’s seat,” the boy said.

      Abby hesitated, her hand resting along the high back of the wooden chair.

      Jakob’s mouth tightened and he didn’t say a word, but his dark eyes mirrored his son’s disapproval.

      “I can sit here.” Abby sat across from Ruby instead, not wanting to stir up any more animosity.

      In spite of her effort to please him, Reuben gave a gigantic huff and rested his elbows on the table, his chin cradled in the palms of his hands. He eyed her as though she were a stinky dog that shouldn’t be allowed in the house.

      “Sit up straight and mind your manners,” Naomi told him with slightly raised eyebrows.

      The boy did as asked, but his glare stayed firmly in place. Abby tried not to squirm beneath his unfriendly gaze and decided that ill-mannered children should be ignored. She instead focused on Ruby and was rewarded for her effort. The girl grinned, showing a bottom tooth missing in front.

      “You’re pretty,” Ruby said.

      “Danke. СКАЧАТЬ