Amish Promises by Leslie Gould Page A

to get her shoes on. And I’ll carry Trudy.”
    â€œAll right,” Eve said. It wasn’t as if she planned to spend any time visiting with the neighbors. She just wanted to give them the buns, ask about the Englisch woman’s husband, and see if they had any news about Simon.
    She spread the towel out on the table, put a couple of hot pads down, and then set the pans on top. By the time she had the first pan wrapped for the neighbors, Lila stepped into the kitchen with her cape on and holding the baby.
    Rose sat on the floor, pulling her shoes on.
    â€œHurry,” Eve said to her as she headed to the mud porch for their capes. Rose appeared a minute later.
    â€œWill we see the man from this morning?” she asked, taking her cape.
    â€œMaybe,” Eve responded, but of course she didn’t know if they’d see Charlie.
    â€œHe’s nice,” Rose said.
    Eve didn’t answer. She knew Tim wouldn’t want her encouraging his children to feel fondly toward an Englisch man, but she silently agreed with Rose. He had been kind.
    â€œReady?” Lila waited at the door, bouncing the baby on her hip.
    Eve doubted Lila was looking forward to seeing the man again. More likely, she had her eye on the boy. Tim wouldn’t be happy about that either.
    Rose led the way out the door and ran down the steps and toward the lane. “Let’s go the back way,” Eve called out. “And check on Daniel on the way back.” He’d be herding the cows toward the barn for milking soon.
    For a moment Rose lagged behind, probably a little miffed at not being able to choose their route, but then she ran ahead again toward the gate, her cape flying behind her.
    Eve stopped for a moment. If Charlie was at the neighbors andShani wasn’t, would she appear forward? She wrinkled her nose. Probably not, considering she had the three children with her. That thought made her thankful Lila had suggested tagging along.
    As Rose reached the gate, Charlie appeared on the other side. He wore a baseball cap, the same coat, and leather gloves.
    â€œWell, hello, little lady,” he said, swinging open the gate for Rose. “Where are you off to?”
    â€œYour house.”
    â€œMy house?”
    Rose tilted her head back as she looked up. “With a pan of sticky buns.”
    Charlie looked past Rose, first at Lila and the baby and then at Eve. “Well,” he said. “That’s awfully kind of you. But you’d better hurry.” He pointed toward the lane. “Shani is getting ready to head back to the hospital.” He waved at Eve. “I was headed to your place to tell you how Simon is doing—but Shani can fill you in.”
    â€œCome on, girls,” Eve said. Lila ran ahead, making Trudy laugh, but Rose didn’t move.
    Eve tugged on the girl, pulling her along.
    Lila had reached the lane and was waving. As Eve arrived, Shani stopped her van. She lowered the passenger window and leaned toward it. “Did Charlie tell you how Simon’s doing?”
    Eve shook her head and stepped forward, bracing herself for bad news. That seemed to be all they’d had lately.
    â€œHe’s awake but has a concussion. And a broken jaw. They wired it shut, so he’ll only be able to eat liquids for six weeks, maybe a little longer. There’s no bleeding in his brain, so all and all he’s doing amazingly well.” She smiled. “He should be fine once everything heals up.”
    Eve’s knees felt weak in relief. “And your husband? How is he?”
    The woman shook her head. “He broke his tibia again. And on top of that, he’s out of sorts. He had . . . an unsympathetic X-ray technician this morning. I snuck home while he’s in surgery to get some of his things.”
    Eve didn’t know how to respond. Should she say she was sorry?That hardly seemed appropriate. Instead she said, “How about Tim? Is he coming home