know a few people around here. Especially familye . Living in Tennessee, I spent a long time being without relatives close by. Got kind of lonely sometimes.”
She’d never known family members to make the flirty gesture Mark did with Emma. “My schwester lives with mei grossmammi . Their haus is about a mile farther down from ours.”
“I see.” He looked at Clara, his expression serious. “Maybe I’ll have to visit sometime soon.” Before she could respond, he ran to Junior and Melvin. “Race you buwe home!” Mark and her sons sprinted, Mark slowing his steps to make it an even competition.
“What were you and Mark talking about?”
Clara hadn’t heard Peter come up beside her. She looked at her husband. “He was asking about Emma.”
“He was?” The corner of Peter’s lip lifted in a half smile. “Now that’s interesting.”
“I don’t see anything interesting about it.”
The expression of amusement vanished. Magdalena shifted restlessly in Peter’s arms.
“Here, let me take her,” Clara said.
“I can carry her the rest of the way home.”
“I’ll take her.”
With a shrug Peter handed his daughter to his wife. Then he lengthened his strides until he was well ahead of her.
Clara barely noticed.
C HAPTER 12
When Emma arrived home, she saw Adam’s truck in his parents’ driveway. Apparently he hadn’t left yet. But it was only a matter of time.
She tried to put him out of her mind and headed toward the barn to check on Dill. She’d given the horse extra oats before church—as if that would make up for her lame leg. Spurred by guilt, Emma hurried. As she neared, she heard a tapping sound coming from inside the building, from Dill’s stall. She looked over the top edge of the door. Adam was inside, pounding nails into Dill’s foot.
“What are you doing?”
He looked up at her, two nails stuck between his teeth. Instead of answering, he took one of the nails and hammered it into the metal shoe. He had Dill’s foot anchored between his thighs, but instead of wearing the leather apron a farrier would use, he had on his baggy blue jeans. Dust from Dill’s feet covered his legs. When he finished putting in the final nail, he gently released her leg. She stepped on it gingerly.
“She needed special shoes.” Adam patted Dill’s back flank. The horse nickered in response.
“Your daed told me he called the vet,” Emma said. “He’s coming tomorrow.”
“I know. I thought I’d save him the trouble and you the bill by picking up the shoes this morning. I also put a pad between the shoe and hoof. It will help even her hoof out a bit. Take a little of the pain away.”
Emma forgot her anger with Adam and went inside the stall. She knelt next to Dill. “Was she in a lot of pain?”
“Hard to tell. Dill’s a tough horse. A gut one too.”
“ Ya,” Emma whispered. “She is.” She rose and looked at Adam. “Why did you do this?”
“Because I could. I wasn’t about to let Dill suffer because of your stubbornness.”
Any gratitude she felt toward him disappeared. “I would never let my horse, or any of my other animals, suffer. You have no right to say that to me.”
It was an instantaneous, defensive response. But she knew that on some level, Adam was right. She had let Dill down. The horse was suffering, just as her mother had suffered while she was sick. And it didn’t matter how many people told her it wasn’t her fault, that she had done the best she could, Emma didn’t feel any better.
As tears threatened, Emma left Dill’s stall. She didn’t want to break down. Not now. Not in front of Adam. She’d humiliated herself in his presence before, and it was not an experience she ever intended to repeat.
Tommy meowed from the back corner of the barn. He did figure eights between her legs, and she poured a few more morsels of food in his dish, even though it had been full before she left for church. She sat down on the square hay bale nearby. Away in the
She’d never known family members to make the flirty gesture Mark did with Emma. “My schwester lives with mei grossmammi . Their haus is about a mile farther down from ours.”
“I see.” He looked at Clara, his expression serious. “Maybe I’ll have to visit sometime soon.” Before she could respond, he ran to Junior and Melvin. “Race you buwe home!” Mark and her sons sprinted, Mark slowing his steps to make it an even competition.
“What were you and Mark talking about?”
Clara hadn’t heard Peter come up beside her. She looked at her husband. “He was asking about Emma.”
“He was?” The corner of Peter’s lip lifted in a half smile. “Now that’s interesting.”
“I don’t see anything interesting about it.”
The expression of amusement vanished. Magdalena shifted restlessly in Peter’s arms.
“Here, let me take her,” Clara said.
“I can carry her the rest of the way home.”
“I’ll take her.”
With a shrug Peter handed his daughter to his wife. Then he lengthened his strides until he was well ahead of her.
Clara barely noticed.
C HAPTER 12
When Emma arrived home, she saw Adam’s truck in his parents’ driveway. Apparently he hadn’t left yet. But it was only a matter of time.
She tried to put him out of her mind and headed toward the barn to check on Dill. She’d given the horse extra oats before church—as if that would make up for her lame leg. Spurred by guilt, Emma hurried. As she neared, she heard a tapping sound coming from inside the building, from Dill’s stall. She looked over the top edge of the door. Adam was inside, pounding nails into Dill’s foot.
“What are you doing?”
He looked up at her, two nails stuck between his teeth. Instead of answering, he took one of the nails and hammered it into the metal shoe. He had Dill’s foot anchored between his thighs, but instead of wearing the leather apron a farrier would use, he had on his baggy blue jeans. Dust from Dill’s feet covered his legs. When he finished putting in the final nail, he gently released her leg. She stepped on it gingerly.
“She needed special shoes.” Adam patted Dill’s back flank. The horse nickered in response.
“Your daed told me he called the vet,” Emma said. “He’s coming tomorrow.”
“I know. I thought I’d save him the trouble and you the bill by picking up the shoes this morning. I also put a pad between the shoe and hoof. It will help even her hoof out a bit. Take a little of the pain away.”
Emma forgot her anger with Adam and went inside the stall. She knelt next to Dill. “Was she in a lot of pain?”
“Hard to tell. Dill’s a tough horse. A gut one too.”
“ Ya,” Emma whispered. “She is.” She rose and looked at Adam. “Why did you do this?”
“Because I could. I wasn’t about to let Dill suffer because of your stubbornness.”
Any gratitude she felt toward him disappeared. “I would never let my horse, or any of my other animals, suffer. You have no right to say that to me.”
It was an instantaneous, defensive response. But she knew that on some level, Adam was right. She had let Dill down. The horse was suffering, just as her mother had suffered while she was sick. And it didn’t matter how many people told her it wasn’t her fault, that she had done the best she could, Emma didn’t feel any better.
As tears threatened, Emma left Dill’s stall. She didn’t want to break down. Not now. Not in front of Adam. She’d humiliated herself in his presence before, and it was not an experience she ever intended to repeat.
Tommy meowed from the back corner of the barn. He did figure eights between her legs, and she poured a few more morsels of food in his dish, even though it had been full before she left for church. She sat down on the square hay bale nearby. Away in the
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