The Way to a Man's Heart by Mary Ellis

Author:Mary Ellis [Ellis, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0736927344
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Published: 2010-07-01T06:00:00+00:00

The next morning Simon was waiting for his daughter in the kitchen when she arrived downstairs. “Guder mariye,” Leah said, slipping on one of her work aprons. “You already started the coffee?”

“I’m not helpless in the kitchen. I know how to make a pot of coffee,” he said, sipping the strong brew.

“Do you want me to cook your breakfast before I leave for work?” She glanced around the room with a puzzled expression.

“No, I’ll eat with your mamm after my morning chores, same as always. Get your coffee, Leah, and sit down.”

Leah filled her travel mug and added milk right to the rim. “Can this wait till after work, daed? Saturday is our busiest day at the diner. I don’t want to be late.”

“It cannot. Sit down,” he ordered. Apparently, he was down to one child who did his bidding without challenge—Henry.

Leah’s complexion paled considerably. “What’s wrong?”

“Your mamm said there was some fuss over you at that ballgame and a reoccurrence of trouble at the barn raising. Is this true?”

A blush replaced her paleness but her voice remained calm. “I suppose one could say that.” She sipped her coffee as though they were discussing someone else.

“I’m asking how you would describe it. And if you’d like to get to work before lunchtime, I suggest you start talking.”

She snapped on the travel lid and then met his gaze. “Two boys started a fight at the ballgame because one wanted me to eat nachos and the other one didn’t. I had no taste for greasy nachos since I’d already eaten too much junk food, but nobody seemed to listen to me. They got themselves in trouble with the chaperones because they punched each other. One ended up with a bloodied nose and the other got the wind knocked out of him.” She didn’t break eye contact as she recounted the story as though reading aloud from the newspaper.

“And what happened yesterday?” he asked. “Did it involve the same two boys?”

“Jah and one more. All three come to the diner quite often for breakfast. While they were working on the roof, they started calling to me and waving. One lost his balance and slipped down the plywood because he wasn’t being careful. Luckily for him, members of his crew pulled him back before he fell to the ground.” She offered a tentative smile. “I didn’t do anything wrong, daed. I was taking a cold drink to Matthew like mamm said I should.”

Why in the world doesn’t Julia talk to her about this? I have no expertise in these matters. “You didn’t stick around to distract them from their work?”

“No, I walked to the shade trees for a while and then stayed in the food tent until it was time to go home.”

“Have any of these boys asked if they might court you?”

Leah’s placid demeanor turned stormy. “No, and I hope none of them ever do!”

“Why not?” Simon couldn’t believe he was asking such a question, but her vehemence intrigued him. “Have they acted

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