Runaway Amish Bride by Leigh Bale

Author:Leigh Bale
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2018-06-04T19:03:34+00:00

Chapter Ten

Abby slipped silently out of the bathroom. Dark shadows clogged the hallway, the moon gleaming through the window at the top of the stairs. The floorboards creaked beneath her bare feet and she paused, not wanting to disturb the sleeping children. It was late, but she’d been so grimy after planting the corn that she’d desperately needed to clean up.

Wearing a heavy bathrobe, she longed to crawl into bed and sleep for a zillion years. She couldn’t remember being so tired. Even Martin Hostetler’s incessant chatter at supper hadn’t bothered her. He’d stayed rather late, sitting with her on the front porch and sipping a glass of lemonade as they listened to the chirp of crickets. She’d been too exhausted to participate much in the conversation, but she couldn’t begrudge his presence. Not when he’d been such a huge help with the evening chores. He’d unhitched the draft horses and tossed them some hay while Abby ensured they had plenty of fresh water. Then he’d unloaded the unused bags of seed corn and stacked them in a tidy corner of the barn.

Jakob had hobbled out to the barn, intending to assist. His leg was so swollen that Naomi had been forced to slit the trouser leg up to the knee. All he could do was sit on a bench and gaze helplessly while she and Martin milked the cows. As she had worked, she’d felt Jakob watching her. A couple of times, she’d looked over at him, to assess his discomfort. The last thing she wanted was for him to collapse and have Martin help her get him back to the house.

He’d glanced away, seeming embarrassed to be caught staring. From the tense lines on his face, she could tell his injury was still hurting. No doubt he was relieved to have the work done. And she was so glad to be a part of that accomplishment. To make him pleased and reassured.

She hoped Martin wasn’t too disappointed in her. She’d been exhausted. When he’d finally been ready to leave, she’d walked him to his buggy. Beneath the moonlit sky, he’d asked if he could court her. Feeling no attraction for him, she’d turned away and told him the truth. That they could never be more than friends.

“Someday, you’ll find someone special,” she’d said.

“I hope so.” He’d shown a half smile but no malice as he turned and got into the buggy and drove away.

Now, Abby lit a bright lamp and set it on the tall chest beside her bed. She jerked the blankets back, not even caring if Reuben might have put cracker crumbs between her sheets. At this point, she was drained enough to sleep through a nuclear explosion. Just a few more minutes and she could close her eyes and rest.

Her body trembled like gelatin. Several times throughout the day, she’d feared the Belgians might pull her arms out of their sockets. For the most part, the horses were gentle beasts, but they were so strong.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.