his feelings for her, had added up to this.
“You do not look happy, Claire.”
Esther’s quiet words snapped Claire back to the moment and the basic realities that could not be changed.
Mose Fisher was a likely suspect in Harley’s murder. Sixteen years of anger had hit a breaking point the moment the victim offered a job to Isaac. Everyone knew it, including Mose’s only family. Of course she hoped he wasn’t responsible, but considering the possibility didn’t make her a bad person.
And as for a future with Benjamin, it simply couldn’t happen. Not if she didn’t want to see such a wonderful person face the pain and rejection Jakob lived with on a daily basis.
To Esther, she said only, “I’m okay. Just tired, I guess. I’ve got a lot on my mind these days.”
“I am a good listener.” Esther paused her pen above her latest sales tag and waited.
“Yes, you are, Esther. Yes, you are.”
“I am listening now . . .”
Claire laughed. “Point taken.”
At Esther’s expectant stare, Claire relented with the only worry she could share aloud. “I’m worried about your uncle. This crime is going to stir up a lot of hurt for him. And while I understand the Amish are different, I will never understand how the decision Jakob made should have him missing out on the lives of the people he loves more than anything else in this world.”
At Esther’s stunned silence, Claire worked to soften her tone while still being true to her feelings. “Do you know how much he misses having a relationship with your mother? How much he’d like to get to know you and your siblings? Do you know how much his heart aches not to be able to hug his own mother?
I
know. It eats away at him every single day. It’s why he walks by this store every afternoon in the hopes you might look outside the window at the exact moment he passes. It’s why I see him driving in the opposite direction of his home when he gets off work. He yearns to be close to all of you, to be a part of your lives, to witness the important milestones like your upcoming wedding to Eli.”
Esther’s gaze dropped back down to the blank sales tags and the pen poised tightly between her long, slender fingers. Slowly she began to write, the prices they’d agreed on being recorded with careful precision. “You must bring a guest when you come to the wedding. Mamm would like that.”
Chapter 11
T here was something about the lazy, rhythmic creak of the porch swing beneath her body that called to her at the end of a long day. It was as if the staccato-like sound slowly sucked away the busyness while the panoramic view of the Amish countryside ushered in the sense of peace and tranquility that was Heavenly, Pennsylvania.
The trees that only a week earlier had exploded in a final brilliant bouquet of crimson, orange, and gold were beginning to show their yearly bow to a season that demanded a different, starker beauty. Even the lush green of the crops was gone, the land turned over in preparation for spring.
Yet despite the duller colors synonymous with the start of November, there was still something magical, almost awe-inspiring about the sight of so much uncompromised land. Suddenly it made sense why the Amish were so quiet and calm, why they were able to resist the often too-fast pace of the English world.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Startled, Claire stopped the foot-powered sway of the swing and turned toward the familiar voice coming from the bottom step of the front porch. “Jakob, hi . . . I . . . I didn’t hear you drive up.”
“That’s because I walked.” The broad-shouldered detective made short work of the steps and the distance between them. When he reached the swing, he pointed toward the empty space beside Claire. “May I?”
Nodding, she scooted to the left, the warmth of his shoulder as it grazed hers quickly changing the tempo of her heartbeat. “It’s nice to see you,” she said in the best matter-of-fact voice she could
“You do not look happy, Claire.”
Esther’s quiet words snapped Claire back to the moment and the basic realities that could not be changed.
Mose Fisher was a likely suspect in Harley’s murder. Sixteen years of anger had hit a breaking point the moment the victim offered a job to Isaac. Everyone knew it, including Mose’s only family. Of course she hoped he wasn’t responsible, but considering the possibility didn’t make her a bad person.
And as for a future with Benjamin, it simply couldn’t happen. Not if she didn’t want to see such a wonderful person face the pain and rejection Jakob lived with on a daily basis.
To Esther, she said only, “I’m okay. Just tired, I guess. I’ve got a lot on my mind these days.”
“I am a good listener.” Esther paused her pen above her latest sales tag and waited.
“Yes, you are, Esther. Yes, you are.”
“I am listening now . . .”
Claire laughed. “Point taken.”
At Esther’s expectant stare, Claire relented with the only worry she could share aloud. “I’m worried about your uncle. This crime is going to stir up a lot of hurt for him. And while I understand the Amish are different, I will never understand how the decision Jakob made should have him missing out on the lives of the people he loves more than anything else in this world.”
At Esther’s stunned silence, Claire worked to soften her tone while still being true to her feelings. “Do you know how much he misses having a relationship with your mother? How much he’d like to get to know you and your siblings? Do you know how much his heart aches not to be able to hug his own mother?
I
know. It eats away at him every single day. It’s why he walks by this store every afternoon in the hopes you might look outside the window at the exact moment he passes. It’s why I see him driving in the opposite direction of his home when he gets off work. He yearns to be close to all of you, to be a part of your lives, to witness the important milestones like your upcoming wedding to Eli.”
Esther’s gaze dropped back down to the blank sales tags and the pen poised tightly between her long, slender fingers. Slowly she began to write, the prices they’d agreed on being recorded with careful precision. “You must bring a guest when you come to the wedding. Mamm would like that.”
Chapter 11
T here was something about the lazy, rhythmic creak of the porch swing beneath her body that called to her at the end of a long day. It was as if the staccato-like sound slowly sucked away the busyness while the panoramic view of the Amish countryside ushered in the sense of peace and tranquility that was Heavenly, Pennsylvania.
The trees that only a week earlier had exploded in a final brilliant bouquet of crimson, orange, and gold were beginning to show their yearly bow to a season that demanded a different, starker beauty. Even the lush green of the crops was gone, the land turned over in preparation for spring.
Yet despite the duller colors synonymous with the start of November, there was still something magical, almost awe-inspiring about the sight of so much uncompromised land. Suddenly it made sense why the Amish were so quiet and calm, why they were able to resist the often too-fast pace of the English world.
“Penny for your thoughts?”
Startled, Claire stopped the foot-powered sway of the swing and turned toward the familiar voice coming from the bottom step of the front porch. “Jakob, hi . . . I . . . I didn’t hear you drive up.”
“That’s because I walked.” The broad-shouldered detective made short work of the steps and the distance between them. When he reached the swing, he pointed toward the empty space beside Claire. “May I?”
Nodding, she scooted to the left, the warmth of his shoulder as it grazed hers quickly changing the tempo of her heartbeat. “It’s nice to see you,” she said in the best matter-of-fact voice she could
Similar Books
