Plain Peace (A Daughters of the Promise Novel) by Beth Wiseman Page B
Authors: Beth Wiseman
Tags: Ebook
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little and started talking about the upcoming Sisters’ Day. But now Cora found herself distracted, drifting back in time to the last Sisters’ Day she’d attended with Leah in Middlefield.
“It’s still very painful, I know.” Marianne’s voice brought Cora back to the present. “I’m sure you miss Leah every second of every day.”
“Ya.” She sighed. “Leah used to love Sisters’ Day, and it’s hard to think of going without her.” Cora sat taller and raised her chin. “But I will go because my dochder would want me to. She’d want me to make new friends here.”
Marianne glanced toward her basement door again, then looked back at Cora, a flush in her cheeks.
“Is everything okay?” Cora finally asked.
Once again she got the sense that Marianne wanted to tell her something but decided against it.
“ Ya, ya . Everything is fine.” Marianne glanced toward the basement door again, and Cora wasn’t so sure.
Anna had wondered if Cora Hostetler’s visit would sway her grandfather into letting her go out with Jacob. She’d stayed quietly at the top of the stairs and listened to the conversation, disappointed that the subject hadn’t come up. She would have to stick to her original plan and say she was going to Emma’s house. Shedidn’t feel good about the lie, but her grandfather had pushed her to this by being so unreasonable.
It was late by the time she crawled under the covers, but she hadn’t dozed off yet when she heard the basement door creak open. She knew Mammi went down there a lot, but usually not this late. She wondered if that’s where the missing strawberries were. Maybe Mammi was planning something special with the fruit and didn’t want Anna or her grandfather to know.
She tiptoed down the stairs, and once she got to the basement door, she pressed her ear against it and listened. She heard the door to Mammi’s broom closet open, then click closed behind her. Other than that, it was so quiet that Anna could hear her grandfather gently snoring in her grandparents’ downstairs bedroom, the light breeze coming through the open windows, the familiar creaking of their old farmhouse. She was just about to ease the door open and find out exactly what her grandmother was doing when she heard a loud sneeze outside. She got to the window in the living room just in time to see a small woman running from the garden.
Glancing back at the basement door, she knew it wasn’t her grandmother, so she bolted out of the house and ran across the yard.
“Hey!” Anna chased after the woman in her bare feet and nightgown but couldn’t catch her before she got lost in the high grass in the adjoining pasture. She stopped, caught her breath, and walked to her garden. In the dim light she walked down each row, then stopped when she got to her tomato plants. She leaned down, examining each one. All the tomatoes were gone, even the green ones.
She stared toward the pasture where the woman had fled. Who is she? And why is she stealing my vegetables? Sighing, she felt a tinge of guilt that she’d assumed her grandmother had snatched the strawberries.
What her grandmother did down in the basement was a mystery, but a stranger coming into the garden at night was even more bewildering. Anna scratched her cheek and thought for a moment. When no answer came to mind, she started back toward the house. She was almost to the white picket fence gate that surrounded the garden when she noticed something twinkling on the ground below her. She squatted down, stared at the item, and picked it up.
It was very pretty . . . and her only clue about the produce thief.
8
J ACOB PULLED UP TO THE L APPS ’ HAUS AT FOUR O ’ CLOCK exactly. Anna and Emma were in the garden, so he tethered Bolt and joined them.
“Look at this.” Emma was pointing at something when he walked up. “I’ve been cleaned out of strawberries and tomatoes.” She thrust her hands on her hips and shook her head.
Jacob’s eyes drifted
“It’s still very painful, I know.” Marianne’s voice brought Cora back to the present. “I’m sure you miss Leah every second of every day.”
“Ya.” She sighed. “Leah used to love Sisters’ Day, and it’s hard to think of going without her.” Cora sat taller and raised her chin. “But I will go because my dochder would want me to. She’d want me to make new friends here.”
Marianne glanced toward her basement door again, then looked back at Cora, a flush in her cheeks.
“Is everything okay?” Cora finally asked.
Once again she got the sense that Marianne wanted to tell her something but decided against it.
“ Ya, ya . Everything is fine.” Marianne glanced toward the basement door again, and Cora wasn’t so sure.
Anna had wondered if Cora Hostetler’s visit would sway her grandfather into letting her go out with Jacob. She’d stayed quietly at the top of the stairs and listened to the conversation, disappointed that the subject hadn’t come up. She would have to stick to her original plan and say she was going to Emma’s house. Shedidn’t feel good about the lie, but her grandfather had pushed her to this by being so unreasonable.
It was late by the time she crawled under the covers, but she hadn’t dozed off yet when she heard the basement door creak open. She knew Mammi went down there a lot, but usually not this late. She wondered if that’s where the missing strawberries were. Maybe Mammi was planning something special with the fruit and didn’t want Anna or her grandfather to know.
She tiptoed down the stairs, and once she got to the basement door, she pressed her ear against it and listened. She heard the door to Mammi’s broom closet open, then click closed behind her. Other than that, it was so quiet that Anna could hear her grandfather gently snoring in her grandparents’ downstairs bedroom, the light breeze coming through the open windows, the familiar creaking of their old farmhouse. She was just about to ease the door open and find out exactly what her grandmother was doing when she heard a loud sneeze outside. She got to the window in the living room just in time to see a small woman running from the garden.
Glancing back at the basement door, she knew it wasn’t her grandmother, so she bolted out of the house and ran across the yard.
“Hey!” Anna chased after the woman in her bare feet and nightgown but couldn’t catch her before she got lost in the high grass in the adjoining pasture. She stopped, caught her breath, and walked to her garden. In the dim light she walked down each row, then stopped when she got to her tomato plants. She leaned down, examining each one. All the tomatoes were gone, even the green ones.
She stared toward the pasture where the woman had fled. Who is she? And why is she stealing my vegetables? Sighing, she felt a tinge of guilt that she’d assumed her grandmother had snatched the strawberries.
What her grandmother did down in the basement was a mystery, but a stranger coming into the garden at night was even more bewildering. Anna scratched her cheek and thought for a moment. When no answer came to mind, she started back toward the house. She was almost to the white picket fence gate that surrounded the garden when she noticed something twinkling on the ground below her. She squatted down, stared at the item, and picked it up.
It was very pretty . . . and her only clue about the produce thief.
8
J ACOB PULLED UP TO THE L APPS ’ HAUS AT FOUR O ’ CLOCK exactly. Anna and Emma were in the garden, so he tethered Bolt and joined them.
“Look at this.” Emma was pointing at something when he walked up. “I’ve been cleaned out of strawberries and tomatoes.” She thrust her hands on her hips and shook her head.
Jacob’s eyes drifted
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