Love Still Stands by Kelly Irvin

Author:Kelly Irvin [Irvin, Kelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780736954945
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Elijah had never felt more silly in his life. Why say something stupid like that to Bethel? Why not just show up one night and take her for a ride? He hadn’t meant to bring it up. He’d been fighting the idea since the first time he’d lifted her from the van that brought her to Missouri. Then Shawn McCormack’s invitation in the form of pop and candy had been a wake-up call. Speak up now or forever hold your peace. He snapped the reins, hoping the new horse would show a little more giddy-up and go. No such luck. This horse was no Ned. “Come on, giddy-up!”

“Don’t take it out on the horse.” Bethel’s first words since the question. Accusatory and not a little snippy. “It’s not his fault.”

“I would never…” He started to argue, then drew a breath. She wanted to draw him into a debate. He wouldn’t fall for that. “He’s a nice horse. Silas made a good…Who is that? Is that William? William and Joseph?”

Bethel sat forward and raised her hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun. “It is. What are they doing? And why aren’t they in school?”

Joseph sat on the grassy bank of the ditch that ran alongside the road. His brother William knelt next to him. With their dark pants, blue shirts, and matching brown heads they could have been twins, little miniatures of Luke. They seemed to be examining Joseph’s arm. William’s hat lay at his feet and brilliant red stains covered the front of both boy’s shirts.

“Is that…” Bethel’s horrified voice trailed away. Her face blanched. “Elijah.”

“I know.” He pulled hard on the reins. “Whoa, whoa!”

Bethel tried to climb from the buggy before it came to a complete stop. Elijah slapped his arm out in front of her. “Not yet.”

She drew back and grasped the buggy arm. He tightened the reins some more and the buggy jerked to a halt, dust billowing around them as they hit the shoulder of the road. “Now you can get down. Or you could wait for me to help you.”

To Elijah’s surprise, she managed to lower herself to the ground without falling. The sessions were helping. He hated to think what would happen when Luke found out about the latest encounter with the Englisch man. She might not be able to return. Would that be his fault for not handling it better? So be it. Her spiritual life was more important than her physical well-being. She might not see it that way at first, but she would forgive him. He hoped. He thrust the problem aside the better to deal with the one right in front of him.

Bethel sank to the ground in front of the two boys. “Are you all right? What happened? Why aren’t you in school?” She touched her fingers to the sticky, wet mass on the front of Joseph’s shirt. “Is this blood? Are you hurt? Joseph, are you hurt?”

“Nee. It’s tomato.” Joseph raised a tearstained face to his aunt.

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