âAnd so you are stuck with me.â
âNay, I am not stuck, Jedidiah Lapp.â
Her answer delighted him, and he studied her fondly. He would like the memory of the evening to take home to Happiness with him.
He held out his hand, and Sarah looked at it a moment before their fingers touched as she accepted his help onto the wagon seat.
âAll set?â he asked, and she nodded. âAre you cold?â She shook her head. âAre you going to be silent during the entire ride?â
âNay,â she said with what sounded like horror.
He laughed. âI am teasing you, Sarah Mast.â
He saw her lips curve before her laughter joined his.
âShall we take the long way home?â he asked, expecting her to decline.
To his surprise, she said, âYou are the driver.â
He drove at the slowest pace he could manage. He would enjoy this time with her; having her on the seat next to him was enough to keep him happy.
He didnât like the thought of leaving her, of never seeing her again, but what could he do?
Chapter One
Late May, Kent County, Delaware
âSarah! Are all the baked goods in the buggy?â
âJa, Mam. I put them carefully on the backseat.â Sarah returned to the large white farmhouse where Ruth Mast stood inside the front screen door. âEverything is ready to go.â
âGut,â Ruth said. âIva will keep me company today. Mary Alice will help you at the Sale.â
Sarah nodded without argument although she knew that the day would be eventful with two wild boys to mind at the Sale. She worried about her mother, who had been feeling unwell for some time. Her mam hadnât been out of the house except for Sunday services for months. Aunt Iva had taken Mam to the doctorâs last week, but Mamâs refusal to share the results of that visit frightened Sarah.
A black buggy drew up and parked in the barnyard, and Iva Troyer and her daughter Mary Alice stepped out of the vehicle.
Sarah waved a greeting to her aunt and cousin as she searched for signs of her brothers. âTimothy! Thomas! Time to go to Spenceâs!â
âComing!â a young voice cried.
The boys came barreling around the house. Their straw hats flew off as they bolted toward the buggy, revealing twin mops of bright red hair. Her brothers looked disheveled as they halted before Sarah, out of breath.
âBoys! Your hats! Get them and quickly!â Sarah narrowed her gaze as her brothers obeyed and then approached. âYou clean enough for town?â she asked, examining each with a critical eye.
âJa,â Timothy said as he jammed his hat back onto his head.
âOnly our hands are a little dirty,â Thomas added, âbut they donât look it.â
âNay, they are clean,â Timothy insisted. âWe washed them in the pond.â
âLet me see.â The twins stuck out their palms for her inspection. âYouâve been playing with frogs again,â she guessed, and saw Timothy nod. âGo wash your hands with soap.â She kept her smile hidden as they scampered toward the house. âAnd comb your hair!â
The boys werenât gone for long. âBye, Mam!â they cried in unison as they raced by their mother and out of the house.
âIn the buggy, boys!â Sarah instructed. âAnd donât touch the baked goods.â She turned to lock gazes with her mother. âIâll make them behave.â
Her mother managed a slight smile as she opened the screen door and stepped outside. âI know you will, daughter,â Ruth replied as she watched her youngest sons scurry into the buggy.
Sarah hesitated as she eyed her mother with concern. Mam wore a royal-blue dress. The dark color emphasized Ruthâs sickly pallor. The white kapp on her head hid the gray in her dark hair.