Her Brother's Keeper by Beth Wiseman

Author:Beth Wiseman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2015-05-01T04:00:00+00:00

Hannah had just finishing mending some of Jacob’s trousers when she heard her mother throwing up in the bathroom. It was the second time this week. She set the pants aside and went to the downstairs bathroom that her parents used and knocked on the door.

“Mamm, are you okay?”

“Ya, ya.” Her mother opened the door holding a towel to her mouth, but quickly pulled it away. “Something I ate must not have settled well with me.”

“Maybe you just have a bug. Is there anything I can get for you?”

Mamm shook her head. “Nee. But I think I will lie down for a while. I’ll feel better after a nap.” She brushed past Hannah, then turned around. “Ach, I haven’t milked the goats yet this afternoon. Can you do that for me?”

“Ya, of course.”

Hannah filled a bucket with warm water and had just gotten to the barn when she heard horse hooves. They weren’t expecting anyone, and the buggy was too far away to see who was driving, so she got the first goat settled in the stanchion and began washing down the teats and udder. Lucy was her mother’s oldest goat that was still giving milk, so Hannah always started with her since she knew the routine.

She listened to the sound of the buggy getting closer. She didn’t want to interrupt Lucy’s flow, but she also didn’t want anyone knocking on the door and disturbing her mother. She kept her hands on the teats, alternating back and forth, occasionally breaking to blot her face with a towel. When she heard the visitor’s buggy come to a stop, she strained her neck until she could see out the barn window.

“Isaac.” She stopped milking when he walked into the barn. “You’re not here to drop off more money already, surely. What are you doing here?” She noticed he was carrying a paper bag with handles.

“Mamm said your mother left some serving pieces and a dish at Sisters’ Day, so I’m just returning them.” He lifted the bag and smiled. “I saw you walk into the barn, so I wondered if this might be milking time.”

Hannah pushed back sweaty strands of hair that had fallen forward and eased her legs closer together since she’d been straddling the milking bucket. “Danki. Mamm is napping, but Mary should be inside.” Although, she naps a lot too. “Do, um . . . do you want me to go get Mary?”

Isaac shook his head. “Nee, nee. I just came to drop these off.” He set the bag on the workbench, then pointed at the second opening in the stanchion. “Do you want me to help you?”

Hannah kept alternating her hands on the teats. “I’m sure you have plenty to do at your haus.” It went so much faster with two people, though. Hannah always offered to help her mother, but Mamm loved her babies and enjoyed milking each one of them. Her mother must be feeling really bad to ask Hannah to do this.

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