Daybreak: The Days of Redemption Series, Book One by Shelley Shepard Gray Page B

especially his brother Jacob who lived all the way out in Shipshewana, Indiana. It had taken a lot of strength for the eldest son to not do what was expected and move into the main house when he married.
    But Jacob had never been shy about his desire to live away from his parents.
    Peter had always taken the role of the peacemaker in the family. Now he was wondering if perhaps he’d just been too weak to follow his own dreams. Ignoring the lump in his throat, he did his best to concentrate on the topic at hand. “Sam would come over, but I doubt Lorene would.”
    “Lorene would come if you asked her,” Marie countered.
    Peter sighed. Everything inside him wanted to back away and continue to pretend that everything was fine. But he didn’t know how to do that. “I’ll call Sam now. Your idea is a good one, Marie.” And he knew it was, even though his stomach was tied up in knots.
    “And Lorene?”
    “Of course, I will go visit with Lorene and ask her to join us.” Anxious to get away from her piercing gaze, he turned and walked to the cloak room. With methodical motions, he put on his wool muffler and his wool coat. His hat and gloves. “I’ll be back in a few hours, Marie.”
    “Are you sure you’re feeling well enough to drive the buggy? The roads will be busy.”
    “Why wouldn’t I be all right?”
    Her anxious gaze turned steady. “Because we both know your mother isn’t the only one hiding things.”
    She walked away before he had a chance to reply. Which was a very good thing, of course.
    Because he had no earthly idea what he was going to tell her. No woman wanted to hear that her husband had a drinking problem, and that it had been going on for more than a year.
    Especially not an Amish woman.
    And especially not Marie.
    It didn’t take long to get to Lorene’s place of work by buggy. His thirty-two-year-old sister was still unmarried, and a few years ago, she seemed to have had more than enough of living at home. She’d announced one day that she had found herself a duplex on East Miller, just a few houses down from Sam and Mary Beth, and taken a job at Himler’s Cheese Shop. Located in the center of Berlin, it was within walking distance to her new home.
    Their parents had been sure that Lorene’s bout with independence was going to last no longer than a week. Perhaps a month at the longest. But it had been more than three years now, and if anything, Lorene seemed far more willing to speak her mind than ever before.
    She was honest to a fault. But there was still a wistfulness about her that he’d always appreciated. Peter hoped one day that she would find the man she’d been looking for.
    Lorene usually worked the cash register. She was especially good with numbers and working with the English, too. She was able to fill orders with ease for people who wanted to ship large quantities of the Amish-made cheese home.
    His sister smiled broadly at him when he approached the front desk. “Hello, Peter. I have to say, seeing you is certainly a surprise!”
    “It shouldn’t be that much of a shock.”
    “Of course not.” Looking him over, she said, “I’m glad to see you, but if you had needed something from the store, you should have told me. I would’ve picked something up for you and saved you the trip.”
    “I didn’t come for food, I came to see if you could stop by the haus this evening.”
    “And you didn’t care to simply call the store from the phone shanty?”
    “No. It’s pretty important, Lorene.”
    A line formed between her brows. “Now you’ve got me curious. See, I’d already planned to stop by. I’m going to make macaroni salad with the girls. Did no one tell you?”
    “It must have slipped Marie’s mind.” Frankly, he was surprised any of them could concentrate on their regular schedules given what was going on. He glanced behind him to make sure he wasn’t holding up a line. Since no one was waiting, he was tempted to spill everything to Lorene then and