Healing Their Amish Hearts. Leigh Bale

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      Jesse flicked the leather lead lines at his horse’s rump and settled into his seat. After leaving the library, he’d taken Sam over to the grocery store and stocked up on numerous cases of canned and boxed goods. Soup, chili, corn, string beans, peaches, pears and oatmeal. Now, even if he did burn their supper, he’d have something in the house to feed his son. It wasn’t that he didn’t have money to buy food but rather he had too many chores to carry alone. He needed his wife and daughters back. He needed Alice more than ever.

      The buggy-wagon swayed gently as he turned the horse off Main Street and headed along the county road. The clop of the horse’s hooves hitting the black asphalt soothed his jangled nerves. He didn’t know why he’d gone to the library in town. Sam had been delighted. Though the boy didn’t speak, Jesse could see his pleasure written across his face and in the little skip in his stride. It had been a lapse in judgment and Jesse had been mortified to be caught there by Becca Graber. Having been raised by a strong, domineering father, Jesse didn’t like feeling out of control. And that’s how Sam’s problem made him feel. Out of control.

      Sam sat silently beside him on the front seat. Jesse knew his son wasn’t happy to leave his books behind. Maybe he should have checked them out for the boy. Even if he didn’t read to Sam, there was no reason to keep the child from reading on his own. They both already lived such a lonely, isolated life. The books might open up the world to Sam. They might help him speak again.

      Maybe on Monday, Jesse could make another quick trip into town and check out the books for Sam. Wouldn’t the boy be excited when he came home from school and found a pile of texts waiting for him?

      The thought made Jesse go very still. He’d been so angry at Sam for so long now that it was a novelty for him to want to make the boy happy. But he did. In fact, Jesse longed to hear his son’s laughter again. How he wished his son would speak.

      At that moment, Sam lifted an arm and pointed. Jesse could just make out a lone figure, walking ahead of them on the side of the road. From her plain dress, black tights, heavy shawl and bonnet, he could tell she was Amish. She carried a heavy bag in each hand. Probably walking home after shopping in town. But then he saw a flash of purple skirts and knew exactly who she was.

      Becca Graber.

      His shoulders tensed and he thought of driving on by without acknowledging her. But that would be too rude, even for him.

      As his buggy-wagon neared, she glanced over her shoulder and moved a safe distance off the road so she wouldn’t be trampled. He instantly regretted making her move as he watched her sidestep the muddy ground.

      When he pulled up beside her, she stopped and nodded, her hands too encumbered by the heavy bags to wave.

      “Hallo! Fancy meeting you out here on the road,” she said.

      Her voice held a happy lilt and he wondered vaguely if anything ever got her down.

      “Ja, fancy that. You look as though your arms are quite full. Can we offer you a ride home?” Though his voice held little enthusiasm, Jesse forced himself to say the words, knowing it was the right thing to do.

      She hesitated, glancing at the long road ahead. “Are you sure it’s no trouble?”

      He’d heard that she lived with the Fishers, who were her relatives. Dawdi Zeke, the eldest member of the Gmay at ninety-six years, was her grandfather. They lived nine miles outside of town and Jesse would pass right by their farm on his way home. Ironically, the Fishers were his neighbors. A fact that made it much too easy for Becca to drive over to their place whenever she wanted. He just hoped she didn’t make a habit of popping in during the supper hour.

      “Ne, of course not. We pass by your place on our way home. Climb in.” The moment he made the invitation, he regretted it. He didn’t want to give Sam’s schoolteacher a ride home. He wanted to be left alone.

      “Ach, danke so much. I didn’t realize how heavy these books would be when I was sitting in the library.” She handed the bags to him and he set them on the floor of the back seat.

      As she climbed up to sit with Sam in between them, Jesse saw her glance back at the wagon. It was filled with boxes and bags of groceries, shingles and other roofing supplies, as well as a large crate of СКАЧАТЬ