The Saddle Maker's Son by Kelly Irvin

Author:Kelly Irvin
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Zondervan
Published: 2016-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

Susan forced herself to settle into the last chair. The one farthest from Mordecai. Her brother read too much in her face. He always had. He didn’t need to know how she felt about Levi. She didn’t even know how she felt. Only that the idea that he was badly hurt brought a strange terror that caused her heart to pummel her rib cage and her eyesight to dim. Both were terrifying symptoms of something she couldn’t begin to explain.

“You look like you’re feeling poorly.”

Martha squeezed into the chair next to her and pulled Liam into her lap. The boy curled around her and leaned his head on her shoulder as if he’d been there a million times before and knew exactly where his small head would find the most comfortable spot. Martha was the closest he’d ever had to a mother. It hurt Susan’s heart to think that, but yet, Gott had provided. He’d provided Liam with the closest substitute for a mother. The boy had a loving older sister who thought nothing of giving up her own happiness for that of a little brother.

“I’m fine. You will make a good fraa and mudder one day.” Levi would want her to finish this conversation. No matter how this day turned out. He’d entrusted Susan with this one task. “You have a knack for it.”

“My bruders and schweschders need me.” Martha’s tone said now more than ever. Her voice cracked. “No matter what happens, they’ll need me. One way or another.”

“The day will come when they won’t. They’ll have their own lives.”

“That seems a selfish way of looking at it.” Martha smoothed Liam’s ruffled blond hair. He burrowed closer and closed his eyes. “Until that time comes, it’s my job to take care of them.”

“I just know it to be true. My mudder went first too.” Susan let her gaze travel to Mordecai. He leaned his head against the wall, his eyes closed. Whether he dozed or prayed, she couldn’t say. He had their mother’s dark curls and their father’s blue eyes. “She had cancer. Since I was the oldest girl, I took over the cooking, cleaning, canning, sewing, and gardening. There were only four of us kinner. Eventually my sister, Lilly, married and moved back to Tennessee. Our brother Thomas is up north in Missouri. A few years after he moved, Daed died of a heart attack. Only Mordecai was left. He married and started his own family. I thought I would do the same.”

“But you didn’t.”

“Nee. I had a special friend. For a time.”

“What happened?”

“I kept putting him off because I was busy taking care of my family. I figured he’d wait.”

“But he didn’t?”

“Nee. He married a woman named Sadie. They live in Missouri now.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Gott’s will. Gott’s plan. Besides, it was a long time ago.” She paused, remembering those days when she’d still had certainty and the nights when she’d admitted her fear and dwindling hope in long-winded prayers. “And then Mordecai’s first fraa was killed in an accident and Phineas hurt so badly.

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.