Amish Haven by Ruth Hartzler

Author:Ruth Hartzler [Hartzler, Ruth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781925689839
Publisher: Amish Romance Books

Chapter 10

Martha sat across from Miriam at the kitchen table, sipping her hot meadow tea and thinking about what Amos had told her about James. A cold, wet sensation tickled the skin underneath her eye, but she wiped it away before Miriam could notice. She wasn’t sure what to think anymore, and if Amos was telling the truth, why was James still acting like he cared about her? That was the only part that didn’t really make sense. Or was she imagining James’ interest in her?

“Our new guests have just gotten settled in, and so far they truly seem to be enjoying their stay. How wonderful!” Miriam exclaimed.

Martha could tell how happy Miriam was that things were starting to go so well. If only she could say the same for herself. “That’s wonderful news. I’m so happy that they like Eden.” Although her words were sincere, saying them without sounding indifferent was proving difficult.

“How was your day?” Miriam asked.

“Oh, it was gut, denki,” Martha replied. It hadn’t been the worst day of her life, but it was far from good in any way. “I had a productive day out in the garden. I was able to fertilize the plants and got them all watered. Then, I cleaned up a bit and checked in with the guests we have. They do seem content,” she said with a smile.

“Each day seems to bring more prosperity. I just hope it continues, for the sake of this place. And for us,” said Miriam.

Upon hearing those words, Martha couldn’t help but let her defenses fail briefly and Miriam must have been watching as she sipped at her tea.

“Martha, are you sure everything is okay?” A look of concern fell over Miriam’s face.

Caught off guard, Martha looked down at her cup and drifted off into her thoughts. She focused on the steam from the warm tea as it slowly billowed up toward her nose. The smell quickly brought her back to reality. She looked at Miriam and frowned. “Things aren’t as great as they seem to be, unfortunately.”

“What do you mean?”

“I knew you’d be so upset if you walked in to see more vandalism, so when I discovered a huge mess this morning, I cleaned it up and kept it from you.” Martha sighed. “I only wanted to keep the day positive,” she added.

Miriam rubbed her temples. “What happened?” she asked.

“There was no lasting damage as such; it was just a mess. Someone took a few bags of the manure that we had set outside for the garden and threw it all around the living room and lobby. When I walked in this morning, I was horrified. The guests were due to arrive in hours and I didn’t want to see you dealing with more issues.”

Miriam looked up from her tea, but rather than appearing upset, she seemed happy. “I’ve been in and around this place all day and never even had a suspicion that any such thing had happened. You helped me avoid a distressing day, and I thank you for that.

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