Summer of Secrets by Charlotte Hubbard

house had been designed for a large family, yet now there weren’t but the three of them. And if Rachel moved out when she and Micah married ...
    Gut thing Mamma and I enjoy each other’s company. Our two voices won’t nearly fill the spaces left empty . But there was plenty of time to think about that: nearly half the summer left, and autumn yet. And who could tell what might happen by the time Rachel and Micah published? Why, she might’ve found a steady beau herself by then!
    “What would it have been like, to have three girls while we were growin’ up, instead of just us two?” Rhoda mused aloud. “It’s for sure and for certain Mamma and Dat figured on havin’ a raft of kids—”
    “She said Rebecca was the feisty one. I’m thinkin’ we’d’ve had a lot more cat fights, with her stirrin’ things up amongst us.” Rachel rolled the wringer washer out of the pantry closet and fitted the hose end to the faucet. She started the air motor to make it agitate. “And it would’ve been two against one, most likely, when it came to choosin’ fabric for new dresses or what kind of pie to make.”
    Rachel reached under the sink for the laundry detergent, still considering this question. “Wouldn’t take as long for three to redd up the house. But when we were little, if one weren’t holdin’ up her end of the chorin’, we’d’ve all caught Mamma’s switch across the backs of our legs!”
    Rhoda chuckled as she separated their dark dresses from the underthings. “ Jah , all things considered, you and I have never fussed much. Thick as thieves when it comes to keepin’ our secrets and keepin’ track of each other. Probably would’ve been some hurt feelin’s if one of us would’ve become the snitch... .”
    “Well, it wouldn’t’ve been me or you!” Rachel added borax powder to the water, her mouth set in a tight line. “Maybe Dat would’ve taken Rebecca out to the shop, since he had no boys to help him. Seems she likes metal and leather—”
    “Rachel! You need a saucer of milk for makin’ such a catty—sourpuss—remark!”
    “ Jah , well, somebody needs to see things the way they are! That girl showed up and wrapped Mamma around her little finger—even while she insulted her!” Rachel stuffed one dress and then another into the washing machine, as agitated as the sudsy water. “And Micah took one look at her—”
    “Micah and everyone else. Even the other Englishers.”
    “—and off his mind raced, like a spooked horse!” her sister ranted. “Only took two minutes for the pot to boil over, and now, two days later, we’re still cleanin’ up the mess she made of us!”
    Rhoda sighed, sorry she’d speculated about growing up as triplets. “Listen to yourself, Rachel!” She jerked away her hand as her sister clapped the lid on the whirring washer. “You’re the one who’s so—I think you’re jealous of Tiffany!”
    Her sister’s eyes flashed icy-hot. “Why would I want to be like her? Why would anybody?”
    “Because Micah took his eyes off you for two seconds to gawk at her, that’s why!” Rhoda struggled to restore their harmony—that seamless state in which no one knew where one of them ended and the other began. “This isn’t at all your way, Sister! I’m as ferhoodled about your reaction to Tiffany as I am about her showin’ up in those nasty black clothes.”
    “You think you’re upset? This is my future we’re talkin’ about, so—”
    “Stop it! Just stop .” Rhoda placed her hands on either side of her sister’s hot, flushed face, startled by the emotions she saw there—yet again. Rachel was wound up so tight her kapp quivered like a pale leaf. “Look at us, Sis! We just said how we’ve never fought, and ya nearly cut off my hand with that washer lid just now! What’s goin’ on here, really?”
    The kitchen rang with stunned silence.
    Rachel’s gaze locked into hers. Then, with a little sob, she squeezed Rhoda’s wrists and shook her head