father made you more sensitive to the children you film. Many of them are orphans, are they not?" He withdrew his hand and signaled Pilot, his horse, to pull out onto the road.
He's so perceptive, she thought. So thoughtful. And never tries to get something from her, the way Englisch men might.
Funny, she thought. She hadn't been here very long, but already she was thinking of men from her world as Englisch.
"Are you hungry?"
"Are you sure you have time? I don't want to take you away from your work."
He spared her a glance. "I would like to share a meal with you, Jenny."
They went to the same restaurant they'd visited with Annie. Although it had been fun to eat with Annie, it was nicer still to sit with Matthew and talk, just the two of them.
"You're awfully quiet," Matthew said as they drove home.
"Just enjoying the ride. You're so lucky to live here. I loved it from the minute I saw it." She watched the passing countryside, wrapped in a mantle of snow. "I don't know which I like better, summer or winter." She sighed. "And I love being with Grandmother again."
The clip-clop of the horse's hooves was hypnotic. Tired from therapy, she found her eyelids drooping.
"Jenny? Jenny, we're home."
She smiled. What a lovely word, said by the man she loved.
"Jenny? You need to wake up. I think you have company."
Groaning, unwilling to let go of the pleasant feeling of resting her head against his shoulder, she opened her eyes. What she saw had her straightening so quickly her back protested the movement.
A car bearing a New York tag was parked in front of her grandmother's house.
The driver's side door opened and David stepped out.
"Hey, stranger," he said.
Matthew watched as Jenny dropped her cane and threw her arms around the man. It seemed they held each other for a very long time.
He heard Jenny tell David how she'd missed him and felt a moment of envy. She hadn't been able to remember him when she'd come here.
"Matthew!" David held out his hand. "Good to see you. So were the two of you out for a drive?"
"He took me to a therapy appointment." Jenny shivered. "It's cold out here. Let's get inside and have some coffee."
"And maybe your grandmother baked a pie?" asked David as he reached inside his car for a package.
"Did you come to see me or to have a piece of her pie?" Jenny demanded, hands on her hips.
David grinned. "You know I love you. But that pie I had last time—"
Love. The Englisch toss that word around so casually, thought Matthew.
Laughing, Jenny elbowed him and turned to Matthew."You're coming in, aren't you?"
He hesitated. Surely the two wanted to talk privately.
"Matthew?" Jenny gestured at him. "Come in and have some pie and coffee. We didn't have dessert, remember?"
He heard a buggy approach and lifted his hand in greeting as he saw Josiah passing. But Josiah was staring at David's car, then at him standing with Jenny in the doorway of Phoebe's house. Matthew watched as the older man frowned and then stared directly ahead at the road, ignoring him.
That was the second time in as many days that the man had seemed so dour, so disapproving, thought Matthew. Not that anyone would accuse him of having a sunny personality. But it did seem that Josiah didn't like the presence of Jenny here. Josiah was one of the older, stricter Old Amish members who often complained about the influences of the outside world on their community.
Feeling a little uneasy, Matthew went inside.
"So this time we don't have to carry Ms. Lazy inside, eh?" David asked Matthew.
"Hey, Matthew carried me in last time," she told him tartly.
"She did fall asleep on the way home," Matthew acknowledged."But I think she can manage to walk this time."
Jenny glanced over her shoulder as she stood at the stove."You'd be tired if you'd had a session with the therapy tyrant, too!"
She poured coffee for the three of them and then lifted the checkered cloth from a plate on the table. "Dessert, gentlemen?"
"Looks
He's so perceptive, she thought. So thoughtful. And never tries to get something from her, the way Englisch men might.
Funny, she thought. She hadn't been here very long, but already she was thinking of men from her world as Englisch.
"Are you hungry?"
"Are you sure you have time? I don't want to take you away from your work."
He spared her a glance. "I would like to share a meal with you, Jenny."
They went to the same restaurant they'd visited with Annie. Although it had been fun to eat with Annie, it was nicer still to sit with Matthew and talk, just the two of them.
"You're awfully quiet," Matthew said as they drove home.
"Just enjoying the ride. You're so lucky to live here. I loved it from the minute I saw it." She watched the passing countryside, wrapped in a mantle of snow. "I don't know which I like better, summer or winter." She sighed. "And I love being with Grandmother again."
The clip-clop of the horse's hooves was hypnotic. Tired from therapy, she found her eyelids drooping.
"Jenny? Jenny, we're home."
She smiled. What a lovely word, said by the man she loved.
"Jenny? You need to wake up. I think you have company."
Groaning, unwilling to let go of the pleasant feeling of resting her head against his shoulder, she opened her eyes. What she saw had her straightening so quickly her back protested the movement.
A car bearing a New York tag was parked in front of her grandmother's house.
The driver's side door opened and David stepped out.
"Hey, stranger," he said.
Matthew watched as Jenny dropped her cane and threw her arms around the man. It seemed they held each other for a very long time.
He heard Jenny tell David how she'd missed him and felt a moment of envy. She hadn't been able to remember him when she'd come here.
"Matthew!" David held out his hand. "Good to see you. So were the two of you out for a drive?"
"He took me to a therapy appointment." Jenny shivered. "It's cold out here. Let's get inside and have some coffee."
"And maybe your grandmother baked a pie?" asked David as he reached inside his car for a package.
"Did you come to see me or to have a piece of her pie?" Jenny demanded, hands on her hips.
David grinned. "You know I love you. But that pie I had last time—"
Love. The Englisch toss that word around so casually, thought Matthew.
Laughing, Jenny elbowed him and turned to Matthew."You're coming in, aren't you?"
He hesitated. Surely the two wanted to talk privately.
"Matthew?" Jenny gestured at him. "Come in and have some pie and coffee. We didn't have dessert, remember?"
He heard a buggy approach and lifted his hand in greeting as he saw Josiah passing. But Josiah was staring at David's car, then at him standing with Jenny in the doorway of Phoebe's house. Matthew watched as the older man frowned and then stared directly ahead at the road, ignoring him.
That was the second time in as many days that the man had seemed so dour, so disapproving, thought Matthew. Not that anyone would accuse him of having a sunny personality. But it did seem that Josiah didn't like the presence of Jenny here. Josiah was one of the older, stricter Old Amish members who often complained about the influences of the outside world on their community.
Feeling a little uneasy, Matthew went inside.
"So this time we don't have to carry Ms. Lazy inside, eh?" David asked Matthew.
"Hey, Matthew carried me in last time," she told him tartly.
"She did fall asleep on the way home," Matthew acknowledged."But I think she can manage to walk this time."
Jenny glanced over her shoulder as she stood at the stove."You'd be tired if you'd had a session with the therapy tyrant, too!"
She poured coffee for the three of them and then lifted the checkered cloth from a plate on the table. "Dessert, gentlemen?"
"Looks
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