neck, past her cheeks, to the very roots of her hair. “I appreciate the invitation. It’s very, um, sweet. I haven’t really thought about… that is to say, I don’t know yet when I’ll be able to—”
“It’s all right, Annie. You needn’t be deciding now.” David handed her the rope with one hand, touched her shoulder with the other. “Take the rope. I’ll keep my eyes open for other projects I could use his help on. Your father’s a skilled farmer. I’m sure lying up in the bed is taking its toll on him.”
“And on me,” she mumbled as she turned and headed back toward the house.
Rebekah arrived home from her work at the store to find her bedroom filled with several projects from the barn. When she stood in the doorway, hands on hips, and cleared her throat, both Annie and Jacob began explaining at once.
“Now, Rebekah. Don’t be thinking I spilled any of this tool grease on your lovely quilt.”
“Indeed he didn’t. I took your lone star quilt off and stored it on the chest by the window.” Annie jumped up from the chair and set her needlework down in the basket. How had she not heard her mother’s buggy pull up? “I covered Dat with an old blanket we found in the closet.”
Stepping past her mother, she whispered, “I’ll explain more when you take your tea.”
Rebekah removed her coat and sailed into the room. “Looks to me as if someone couldn’t go to the barn, so they managed to bring the barn into my bedroom.”
Annie couldn’t hear the rest as she fled to the kitchen, set the kettle on the stove, and began pulling out bread and fruit.
“What’s going on in there?” Charity asked, leaning back against the counter.
“Nothing. David brought in a few things for Dat to work on is all.”
“What do you two talk about?” Charity asked dreamily, playing with the strings of her kapp and stepping closer to Annie.
“Me and Dat ?”
“No, gegisch . You and David. It’s obvious he’s sweet on you.”
“Charity Weaver. David is in the barn all day working. We don’t talk about anything.”
“Then why are you blushing?”
“I am not blushing.”
“Who isn’t blushing?” Rebekah asked, walking into the room.
“Annie. All I did was ask her about David, and she started blushing as if she’d been standing over the stove for an hour. Look at her cheeks and tell me they aren’t red.”
Annie raised her eyes to the ceiling and prayed for patience.
“Stop teasing your schweschder , and take some of this fresh bread and fruit to your dat .”
“Sorry, Mamm .”
Drawing a deep breath, Annie turned and smiled at her mamm , offered her the hot cup of tea.
“ Danki ,” she said.
“Does David make you blush?” Rebekah asked.
“David confuses me. He seems like the same boy I went to school with, except taller…” she hesitated, suddenly realizedthat her thoughts had careened toward Samuel whenever she was around David.
“And?” Rebekah studied her over her steaming tea.
“And today he asked me to go on a buggy ride with him.”
Rebekah grinned, reached out, and squeezed her hand. “What gut news. Did you say yes?”
“I don’t know if it’s gut or not, and I didn’t say anything. It was like being asked by your bruder . I’ve never thought of David in that way—in any way other than as a friend.”
“Things change, but sometimes our perception of them stays the same.”
Annie selected an apple from the bowl of fruit, rolled it back and forth in front of her.
Rebekah cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Care to tell me why your father’s looking so froh in there, working as if he were in the barn?”
“He was driving me crazy this morning, so I went outside and asked David if he could find a few projects.”
“Looks as if he did.”
“ Ya. ” Darting a look at her mother, Annie was relieved to see her smiling. “You don’t mind?”
“I’ve been married to your dat for twenty-five years. I’ve never seen him stop
“It’s all right, Annie. You needn’t be deciding now.” David handed her the rope with one hand, touched her shoulder with the other. “Take the rope. I’ll keep my eyes open for other projects I could use his help on. Your father’s a skilled farmer. I’m sure lying up in the bed is taking its toll on him.”
“And on me,” she mumbled as she turned and headed back toward the house.
Rebekah arrived home from her work at the store to find her bedroom filled with several projects from the barn. When she stood in the doorway, hands on hips, and cleared her throat, both Annie and Jacob began explaining at once.
“Now, Rebekah. Don’t be thinking I spilled any of this tool grease on your lovely quilt.”
“Indeed he didn’t. I took your lone star quilt off and stored it on the chest by the window.” Annie jumped up from the chair and set her needlework down in the basket. How had she not heard her mother’s buggy pull up? “I covered Dat with an old blanket we found in the closet.”
Stepping past her mother, she whispered, “I’ll explain more when you take your tea.”
Rebekah removed her coat and sailed into the room. “Looks to me as if someone couldn’t go to the barn, so they managed to bring the barn into my bedroom.”
Annie couldn’t hear the rest as she fled to the kitchen, set the kettle on the stove, and began pulling out bread and fruit.
“What’s going on in there?” Charity asked, leaning back against the counter.
“Nothing. David brought in a few things for Dat to work on is all.”
“What do you two talk about?” Charity asked dreamily, playing with the strings of her kapp and stepping closer to Annie.
“Me and Dat ?”
“No, gegisch . You and David. It’s obvious he’s sweet on you.”
“Charity Weaver. David is in the barn all day working. We don’t talk about anything.”
“Then why are you blushing?”
“I am not blushing.”
“Who isn’t blushing?” Rebekah asked, walking into the room.
“Annie. All I did was ask her about David, and she started blushing as if she’d been standing over the stove for an hour. Look at her cheeks and tell me they aren’t red.”
Annie raised her eyes to the ceiling and prayed for patience.
“Stop teasing your schweschder , and take some of this fresh bread and fruit to your dat .”
“Sorry, Mamm .”
Drawing a deep breath, Annie turned and smiled at her mamm , offered her the hot cup of tea.
“ Danki ,” she said.
“Does David make you blush?” Rebekah asked.
“David confuses me. He seems like the same boy I went to school with, except taller…” she hesitated, suddenly realizedthat her thoughts had careened toward Samuel whenever she was around David.
“And?” Rebekah studied her over her steaming tea.
“And today he asked me to go on a buggy ride with him.”
Rebekah grinned, reached out, and squeezed her hand. “What gut news. Did you say yes?”
“I don’t know if it’s gut or not, and I didn’t say anything. It was like being asked by your bruder . I’ve never thought of David in that way—in any way other than as a friend.”
“Things change, but sometimes our perception of them stays the same.”
Annie selected an apple from the bowl of fruit, rolled it back and forth in front of her.
Rebekah cleared her throat and changed the subject. “Care to tell me why your father’s looking so froh in there, working as if he were in the barn?”
“He was driving me crazy this morning, so I went outside and asked David if he could find a few projects.”
“Looks as if he did.”
“ Ya. ” Darting a look at her mother, Annie was relieved to see her smiling. “You don’t mind?”
“I’ve been married to your dat for twenty-five years. I’ve never seen him stop
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