Finding Her Amish Love. Rebecca Kertz

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СКАЧАТЬ “I’ve had iced tea a couple of times.” Emma managed a smile. “I liked it sweet.”

      Leah grinned. “Then you’ll want sugar in your hot tea.”

      She watched silently as her friend filled the teakettle with water and set it on the stove. Emma felt like she should do something to help. She was never allowed to simply sit for a moment and be idle in the Turner household. “Can I help you?”

      “Nay, I’ve got this.”

      “I’m sorry to barge in on you.”

      “I’m happy to see you, Jess. ’Tis been a long time.” Leah paused. “I was worried about you.”

      Warmth rushed through Emma, overriding the guilt that had crept in hearing her false name on Leah’s lips. “You were?”

      The woman nodded. “I knew something was wrong when we met. I wanted to help.”

      “You did,” Emma whispered. “More than you’ll ever know.”

      “Tell me what you’ve been doing since I last saw you.”

      “When you found me, I’d run from my foster family.” Her throat tightened as Emma thought of her deceased parents. “I lost my parents when they were killed in a car accident.” She blinked against the tears that always came whenever she recalled that horrible time. “I was eleven. There was no family to care for me, so I was put into foster care. The Turners are the second family I’ve been placed with.” She shuddered and hugged herself. “They’re not nice people, so I’ve run away from them again.” She paused as Leah placed a cup of steaming tea before her.

      “Be careful,” Leah warned. “’Tis very hot.”

      Emma nodded. She added sugar and stirred it into her cup. She stared at the swirling liquid for a long time.

      “Jess?”

      “Yes, sorry.” She swallowed hard. “I don’t want to go back, but if they find me, I’ll have no choice.” She stopped. “A few days after I left the safety of your barn, I was picked up by the police in downtown Lancaster.” Embarrassment made her blush. “I was searching for food.”

      “For food?”

      “Yes, near a dumpster,” she murmured, ashamed. But she’d been hungry, and hunger had made her do things that she normally wouldn’t do. “The Turners filed a missing persons report.” Emma laughed harshly. “Once I was returned to them, my situation there got worse.” She didn’t want to confess about the abuse, and Leah didn’t need to know what she’d endured before she’d escaped. Leah’s ignorance would keep her friend safe from harm should Bryce Turner find Emma again. She gingerly took a sip of the hot tea. The warmth felt good in her throat. The taste was delicious, just sweet enough to make the brew go down easily. She felt stronger with that one sip.

      “You ran away again,” Leah said. “Tell me about them.”

      She looked up from her tea mug. “If it’s okay, I’d rather not.” She took another fortifying sip. “All I can tell you is that they don’t care about me. They are only interested in the money the state of Maryland pays them for my care.” She gestured at her clothes. “I was unhappy there. I had to leave, and I need to find a place to work and live until I turn eighteen, when I’ll be free from the foster care system.”

      Leah frowned. “Jess—”

      “Please, Leah,” Emma said. “I think it’s best if you don’t know.” Without thought, she rubbed her arms.

      Frowning, Leah rose and skirted the table. “What’s wrong with your arms?”

      Emma blushed and looked away. “Nothing.”

      “I want to see your arms, Jess. If there is nothing wrong with them, you won’t mind if I take a look. There is something you’re not telling me.” Leah paused. “Please?”

      She sighed. “If I show you, will you promise you won’t tell anyone?” Emma regarded Leah solemnly. “Not even Henry or Daniel?”

      “I promise,” Leah said, although she looked extremely uncomfortable.

      She stood and took off her jacket. Her long-sleeved T-shirt was thin, and Emma resisted the urge to put her jacket back on. Instead, she hesitated, then pulled up her right sleeve as high as the inside bend of her elbow. Her arm was covered with bruises, but the worst of them remained hidden near her shoulders. When she saw Leah’s changing expression, she knew she’d already shown her Amish friend too much.

      Leah gasped. “Ach, nay, Jess. Who did this to you?”

      “It doesn’t matter now. I’m not going back.”

      “Your foster father did this?”

      Emma nodded.

      “I’m sorry.”

      “For what?” Emma gazed at her, confused.

      “For what was done to you.”

      She smiled. “You’ve been very kind, and you’ve made a difference in my life from the first moment I met you.” Emma held her gaze. “You gave me food and the twenty dollars you left for me when I came back the next night.”

      Leah arched an eyebrow. “What twenty dollars?” But there was warmth in her pretty blue eyes and a smile on her lips. Leah Yoder was genuinely beautiful inside and out.

      Emma was relieved to be here with the young Amish woman. She’d never felt so safe since she’d been sent to live with the Turners. It was as if Leah was a true friend, and she definitely needed one. She thought of Daniel Lapp and the way he’d looked at her, as if she’d come to cause trouble for his cousin. But then his expression had changed as he’d watched her a little while later. As if he worried about her, despite his concern for his family. She was wrong. She shouldn’t have come back, bringing her problems to Leah. She just hoped for some advice, then she’d leave Leah in peace...and safety.

      “How long is it before you turn eighteen?” Leah asked.

      “Five weeks.”

      “And you need a job,” the Amish woman said.

      Emma nodded. “Yes.”

      “And a place to live.” Leah looked thoughtful. “You also need a place where you can hide until you’re free of the foster care system.”

      Looking away, Emma stood. “Yes. I’m not here to cause you trouble. You can imagine what my foster family is like. But you know the area well, so if you could point me in the right direction, I’ll get out of your hair.” Dread and sadness filled her as she stood. “I shouldn’t have come. You have your family to worry about.”

      “Please sit down, Jessica.”

      She blinked and obeyed.

      “I have a solution to your problem.”

      Hope flickered in her heart. “You do?”

      “Henry СКАЧАТЬ