Sisters of the Heart - 03 - Forgiven by Shelley Shepard Gray Page A

for being sensible. In the past, most men she’d been interested in had preferred a more dreamy type of woman. They’d viewed her blunt way of seeing things as unfeminine. Of course, the only schooling she’d had was in the one-room Amish schoolhouse that he had been in, too. Like most other Amish, her formal schooling had ended at fourteen. After that, she’d focused on other important lessons, such as how to keep a good home.
    “Sam, what are you doing?” Eli called out.
    “Talking to Winnie.”
    “Well, come on over here, wouldja? Jonathan was just going to tell us about his plans for the new barn.”
    “You better go, the plans are exciting, to be sure,” she said quickly when he hesitated.
    “Okay.” Standing up, he grasped the handles of her chair. “I’ll push you into the kitchen. That way you won’t have to be here by yourself.”
    “It’s okay. I can move myself, and well, I’ve heard plenty about the barn plans. Go on.”
    As soon as he was out of sight, Winnie rested her head against the padded fabric of the wheelchair. Oh, but he made her heart race, he was so terribly good-looking. She liked the way he was interested and seemed to care about so many things. There always seemed to be a hint of mischief lying beneath his eyes, like he was thinking of so much more than he ever spoke aloud.
    No, there was nothing plodding and quiet about Sam.
    Once, at the hospital, she’d noticed a pair of women looking at him with interest. One had whispered to the other. After a moment, they’d both giggled. Winnie could only imagine the interest he inspired among the women at his college.
    That new Kathleen was probably smitten with Samuel, too. Valiantly, Winnie decided that was good. After all, he would be a fine husband for some woman.
    The door opened again. Moments later, the welcome voices of Anna and Henry joined the throng. To her pleasure, both Katie and Anna soon left the kitchen and joined her.
    “We couldn’t take that conversation a moment longer,” Katie said as soon as she sat down. “Plans and more plans. Those men are excited about every nail!”
    “Henry’s acting as if it is his dream barn they’re fixin’ to construct! These men are planning for it to be double the size and twice as sturdy.”
    “It’s too bad Sam and Eli’s parents aren’t here,” Winnie said. “They’d help settle everyone down. Mr. Miller always has been the voice of reason.”
    “I don’t think even Mr. Miller could settle this talk down,” Katie murmured. “Eli can’t seem to stop talkin’ about a bigger tack room, a work shed, and even a storage area for the house.” She paused. “ ’Course, a storage area might come in handy. There’s never enough space in the kitchen.”
    “Don’t get roped in,” Winnie advised. “If you give those men any encouragement, they’ll never stop the plans.”
    “Like they would even think about listening to us.”
    Anna rolled her eyes. “What do we know anyway?”
    Katie puffed up her chest. “Nothing about barn building, only about keeping a home.”
    “And we all know that is nothing like organizing a fine barn.”
    Unable to stop herself, Winnie erupted into giggles, and her friends joined in. “Soon enough, the men will be having to help us with wedding plans. I’m so glad you aren’t going to delay the wedding, Anna.”
    “I am, too, though I’ve been concerned about doing the right thing.” With a worried look at Katie, Anna murmured, “Are you sure you don’t mind a celebration in the middle of so much chaos? I feel awfully selfish.”
    “No one would accuse you of being selfish, Anna,” Katie said. “You’ve put a lot of your own needs to the side time and again. It’s time to put yourself first.”
    Anna’s gaze softened before murmuring, “Henry’s worried about the timing of the wedding, too.”
    “He shouldn’t worry, and neither should you,” Winnie said. “Whether you get married or not, it won’t changewhat already