Breath of Spring by Hubbard Charlotte

Author:Hubbard, Charlotte [Hubbard, Charlotte]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Zebra
Published: 2014-05-06T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Sixteen

When he and his brother opened the barn door early Sunday morning, Adam headed directly to the red blinking light on the wall phone. “Hope this isn’t bad news,” he remarked as Matthias lit a lantern. “Can’t think who might’ve left us a message after we got back from the Hooleys’ last night.”

“I’m not keen on drivin’ clear over to Ruth’s on these snowy roads, but we don’t have squat in the house for dinner, either,” Matthias remarked. He stood in the glow of the lantern, waiting to listen to the message.

Adam pressed the PLAY button. You fellas better stay right where you are today. Their older sister’s voice resounded in the barn. The kids’ve all caught the flu, and I’m sure you don’t want it. Have a blessed Sunday and we’ll catch up to you later.

“Jah, that makes me feel blessed all right,” Matthias said sourly. “One of us should’ve stopped by Zook’s Market yesterday.”

“Well, one of us was delivering the bishop’s boxes and got sidetracked with a passel of Knepp kids,” Adam shot back. “And meanwhile that got us invited to Miriam’s for a gut supper last night.”

Matthias’s eyebrows could’ve swept the cobwebs out of the rafters. “Are ya sayin’ I should’ve laid aside that English fella’s tack I was workin’ on to—”

“Did you even think to get meat out of the freezer?” Even as he asked the question, Adam regretted the way their voices were rising along with their tempers.

“At least it wasn’t me chasin’ around Higher Ground, checkin’ up on Yonnie Stoltzfus’s girlfriend,” his brother countered. “Now there’s a useless pursuit, seein’s how Annie Mae’ll never quit runnin’ around to give you a second look—and seein’s how she’s just askin’ for her dat to come back and slap her around for snatchin’ his kids.”

Adam clenched his jaw against another comeback. He pivoted on his heel and went to fetch hay for the horses. “Somebody got up on the wrong side of the bed,” he muttered to Jerry as he passed behind his gelding’s stall. “Not that there seems to be a right side to it.”

“Jah, well at least I’m not moony-eyed over a gal who looks right over the top of my head!” Matthias retorted.

Adam stopped. Turned around slowly. Consciously let out his breath as he counted to ten. “This is no way for us to be talking, Matthias. The Lord gave it a rest on the Sabbath and so should we.”

“Fine.” Matthias shrugged stiffly. “I’ll not be doin’ any work, so you’re on your own, far as meals are concerned today.”

“Fair enough.”

Adam climbed into the loft and then tossed down three bales of hay to divide among the horses’ stalls. Already it felt like an endless, aimless day and the sun wasn’t even up. Until Matthias had snapped about neither of them buying any groceries, Adam had been in a fairly decent mood, but now resentment hung around him like low-lying winter storm clouds. Why did Matthias talk as though it was such a

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