The Rescued by Marta Perry

“And what about the dairy farm? It’s intended for Joseph. Isaac has worked so hard—” She stopped, knowing she didn’t want to share her family’s issues with Fred.
    â€œWell, I guess that’s for you to work out.” Fred’s gaze slid away from hers, as if he was embarrassed. “I think he’s in here, working with Zeb Esch.”
    He led the way through another door to a noisy room filled with machinery and workers. They seemed to be focused on different tasks, none of which made much sense to her.
    She saw Joseph at once. He was bending over a machine, wearing protective goggles, and he had an expression of such total absorption that she almost didn’t recognize him.
    â€œJoseph.”
    He jerked upright at the sound of her voice, spinning to stare at her, his blue eyes wide and distorted by the goggles.
    â€œJ . . . Judith.” He stammered her name. “What are you doing here?”
    She’d never thought to see the boy look frightened at the sight of her. She had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could speak, giving her an instant to think. The only thing that could make this even worse would be to embarrass him in front of the other men.
    â€œI’m here to give you a ride home.” Judith fought to sound normal, struggled to smile. “Are you ready?”
    Obviously Joseph knew the question for the command it was. He stripped off the goggles, nodded to the men, and followed her without speaking back through the building.
    Wait,
she told herself.
Don’t say anything where the others might hear.
But her mind was running on ahead of her, her thoughts tumbling like pebbles in a stream.
    It wasn’t until they’d started down the road toward home that she collected herself enough to speak. “I am disappointed in you, Joseph. Running off to the machine shop without telling me where you were going—”
    â€œI couldn’t.” The words burst out of him. “Judith, how could I tell you? You know what Isaac would say about mygoing there. He doesn’t want me to be thinking about anything but the dairy farm.”
    Please, Lord, give me the words.
“The dairy farm is your inheritance. Isaac just wants to help you get ready to run it.”
    â€œI don’t want to run it!” The statement seemed to explode, rocking Joseph nearly as much as it did her. “I know Isaac thinks I should, but I don’t want to. I never did.”
    Her thoughts reeled wildly. What on earth was the boy saying? He couldn’t mean it. “But your father planned—”
    Joseph seemed to shake that off before she could even get the words out. “The dairy farm was his dream. And it’s Isaac’s dream, and maybe Levi’s, too. But not mine! Don’t you see?”
    She stared at the familiar road ahead, trying to make sense of it all.
Careful.
She had to be careful in what she said, or Joseph might stop talking to her altogether.
    â€œI know you’ve always been fascinated by how things work. You like machinery. That’s a good thing. That’s what I was telling Isaac just this morning. I tried to show him that it would be a fine idea for you to take that class. Every dairy farmer has to use machinery. Maybe he’ll say yes, if he doesn’t find out . . .”
    She stopped. Was she really thinking of keeping Joseph’s visits to the machine shop a secret from Isaac? She couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right not to be honest with her husband. But how could she tell on the boy and see his relationship with Isaac fall apart?
    â€œI don’t want the dairy farm,” Joseph repeated. “What sense does it make for Isaac to give up what he loves for me when I don’t want it?”
    Judith wanted to have an answer for that question. But she didn’t.
    After a long moment, she shook her head. “I don’t know,Joseph. You and Isaac are brothers. You