shouted. “Get away.”
Pilot trotted back to the shoreline and shook himself again. Aden’s unruly dog was surprisingly obedient.
“Aden, you’re going to catch your death of cold in those wet clothes,” Anna said.
“Mammi, it’s July twenty-fourth, and it can’t be less than ninety degrees out here. I think I’ll be fine.”
Lily didn’t know how Anna managed to be so prepared. She shook her head and pulled a gray knitted scarf from the picnic basket. “Bend over,” she said to Aden.
He obediently leaned toward his mammi, and she wrapped the extra-long scarf around his neck three times. “There,” she said, patting his chest. “Much better.”
Aden grinned and winked at Lily. That boy was completely inappropriate. She turned her face away, sure she didn’t fool anyone. Her ears were probably blushing too.
Lily spread the largest blanket over the grass, taking care not to crush any wildflowers. It would make Aden unhappy if she crushed any wildflowers.
Grunting and groaning, Anna and Felty both lowered themselves to the blanket.
“Are you okay, Mammi?”
“Jah, but you will have to help me when it’s time to go. I couldn’t get up by myself to save my life.”
“Me either,” said Felty. “I hope neither of us has to go to the bathroom.”
Aden set the picnic basket on the blanket. Lily knelt next to the basket and pulled the food from inside. Aden hesitated, glanced at his mammi, and sat down next to Lily, a move that sent a tingle of pleasure down her spine. She immediately sat up straight and banished that tingle straight out of her head.
“I promise not to get you wet,” he said.
She merely nodded and scooted a good three inches away from him. Dat would not approve of Aden sitting so close. And neither did Lily. She did not want to get pulled into one of his schemes, whatever they were.
“This food looks fit for a king,” Felty said.
Lily assembled a plate of food for everybody, and they ate as they watched two Amish boys on the other side of the pond try to launch their canoe into the water.
They had their horse hooked to a wide, low cart with the canoe secured on top. They tried to back the horse with the cart into the water, but the horse didn’t want to cooperate. Walking backward into the water must have spooked him, because he whinnied and snorted and shook his head in protest as the boys tried to guide him.
Aden turned to stone beside her. The muscles of his jaw tightened as he balled his hands into fists.
He caught her staring and seemed to relax in an instant. Smiling reassuringly, he stood up and left his blanket behind. “I think I’ll go help those boys launch their canoe.”
He marched around the edge of the pond in purposeful strides with Pilot loping alongside.
Should she go help, or was this one of those schemes Dat warned her about? Lily took a deep breath because she suddenly couldn’t get enough air. Remaining safely on the blanket seemed a very good option.
Before Aden could reach them, the horse and cart lurched backward. The cart glided into the water, pulling the horse with it. The horse protested as he lost footing and went into the water with the cart.
Lily flinched. She had no idea the pond was so deep at that spot.
The two boys called out in alarm, and Aden exploded into a full sprint.
Felty, looking as spry as a seventy-year-old, leaped from the blanket. “We’ve got to help,” he said. He held out his hand to pull Anna from the ground.
She waved him away. “Go. You two go. I’ll only slow you down.”
Lily’s heart beat so fast, her chest ached. She’d much rather stay comfortably on the blanket with Anna. But as eager as Felty was, she could still get to the other side of the pond ten times faster than he could.
Sure enough, when she stood and took a step toward him, he said, “Don’t wait for me. I’ll be along.”
With the dread rising in her throat, she turned and ran as fast as she could toward Aden and the horse.
Lily
Pilot trotted back to the shoreline and shook himself again. Aden’s unruly dog was surprisingly obedient.
“Aden, you’re going to catch your death of cold in those wet clothes,” Anna said.
“Mammi, it’s July twenty-fourth, and it can’t be less than ninety degrees out here. I think I’ll be fine.”
Lily didn’t know how Anna managed to be so prepared. She shook her head and pulled a gray knitted scarf from the picnic basket. “Bend over,” she said to Aden.
He obediently leaned toward his mammi, and she wrapped the extra-long scarf around his neck three times. “There,” she said, patting his chest. “Much better.”
Aden grinned and winked at Lily. That boy was completely inappropriate. She turned her face away, sure she didn’t fool anyone. Her ears were probably blushing too.
Lily spread the largest blanket over the grass, taking care not to crush any wildflowers. It would make Aden unhappy if she crushed any wildflowers.
Grunting and groaning, Anna and Felty both lowered themselves to the blanket.
“Are you okay, Mammi?”
“Jah, but you will have to help me when it’s time to go. I couldn’t get up by myself to save my life.”
“Me either,” said Felty. “I hope neither of us has to go to the bathroom.”
Aden set the picnic basket on the blanket. Lily knelt next to the basket and pulled the food from inside. Aden hesitated, glanced at his mammi, and sat down next to Lily, a move that sent a tingle of pleasure down her spine. She immediately sat up straight and banished that tingle straight out of her head.
“I promise not to get you wet,” he said.
She merely nodded and scooted a good three inches away from him. Dat would not approve of Aden sitting so close. And neither did Lily. She did not want to get pulled into one of his schemes, whatever they were.
“This food looks fit for a king,” Felty said.
Lily assembled a plate of food for everybody, and they ate as they watched two Amish boys on the other side of the pond try to launch their canoe into the water.
They had their horse hooked to a wide, low cart with the canoe secured on top. They tried to back the horse with the cart into the water, but the horse didn’t want to cooperate. Walking backward into the water must have spooked him, because he whinnied and snorted and shook his head in protest as the boys tried to guide him.
Aden turned to stone beside her. The muscles of his jaw tightened as he balled his hands into fists.
He caught her staring and seemed to relax in an instant. Smiling reassuringly, he stood up and left his blanket behind. “I think I’ll go help those boys launch their canoe.”
He marched around the edge of the pond in purposeful strides with Pilot loping alongside.
Should she go help, or was this one of those schemes Dat warned her about? Lily took a deep breath because she suddenly couldn’t get enough air. Remaining safely on the blanket seemed a very good option.
Before Aden could reach them, the horse and cart lurched backward. The cart glided into the water, pulling the horse with it. The horse protested as he lost footing and went into the water with the cart.
Lily flinched. She had no idea the pond was so deep at that spot.
The two boys called out in alarm, and Aden exploded into a full sprint.
Felty, looking as spry as a seventy-year-old, leaped from the blanket. “We’ve got to help,” he said. He held out his hand to pull Anna from the ground.
She waved him away. “Go. You two go. I’ll only slow you down.”
Lily’s heart beat so fast, her chest ached. She’d much rather stay comfortably on the blanket with Anna. But as eager as Felty was, she could still get to the other side of the pond ten times faster than he could.
Sure enough, when she stood and took a step toward him, he said, “Don’t wait for me. I’ll be along.”
With the dread rising in her throat, she turned and ran as fast as she could toward Aden and the horse.
Lily
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