A Wedding for Julia Read Free Page A

for the grocery, he helped unload pallets of food and stock shelves. On delivery days, he drove the back roads. Riding the remote routes of their district alone, the quiet could build up and make you long for a conversation. The ride became lonely, even for an Amish man, who was accustomed to quiet. Too much of a thing could make you restless, which was probably why he was looking forward to seeing Julia.
    Sure would beat trying to talk to Samuel Gingerich. The man constantly spouted Scripture.
    “The Bible says we should devote ourselves to Gotte ’s Word,” the older man had bellowed.
    Caleb had made the mistake of asking if he had tried fishing recently.
    “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable.” Samuel frowned and stared at Caleb as if he had offended him in some way.
    So Caleb had said, “Have a good afternoon, Samuel,” and left.
    But the lecture from the old guy rankled his nerves. It seemed to him that fishing was lovely and admirable. Perhaps it was even honorable as it provided food for people and did so in a peaceful way.
    Besides, he didn’t need a lesson from Samuel Gingerich. He read the Bible and didn’t need it quoted to him.
    All right, he hadn’t read it a lot, but he’d read it some. You’d think Samuel would want to talk about something else—the weather maybe or all the tourists who had been through town—but he hadn’t. Caleb had been happy to drop off the man’s groceries and turn Red back down the lane.
    Funny how some people never wanted to come into town to buy their groceries. Some people, like Samuel, didn’t care to see other folks. They avoided it whenever they had the chance.
    Other folks, like Julia, couldn’t get away even if they wanted to. He’d watched her since he’d started delivering groceries a year ago. She was devoted to her parents and rarely left the house. What would that be like? To be completely tied to a place?
    Had she ever been over to Wildcat Mountain? How often did she go into town to shop for things a woman needed? Her dedication was something he had a hard time understanding, especially given his history with women—correction, one woman.
    Hefting the box of groceries up on his shoulder, he walked up the steps, knocked on the door, and inwardly chided himself. The past was past and he was over it. What he’d been through with Lois had happened years ago, and he didn’t feel any bitterness toward her. She’d been young. He was wrong to use her behavior as a measuring stick for how other women might or might not act.
    He knocked again on the door.
    When Julia’s mother answered, he knew something was wrong.

Chapter 3
    H ello, Caleb.”
    “Ada.”
    “ Danki for bringing the groceries.”
    “Happy to do it.” Caleb stood there, uncertain what his next move should be. He’d been bringing groceries to the Beechys twice a month for a year, and Julia had always answered the door. Was she sick?
    Ada pushed the screen door open a crack, which was difficult for her to manage, what with her arthritis and the fact she was still clutching the cane. Caleb shuffled the box to his other shoulder and opened the door.
    “You can take that into the kitchen.”
    “Oh, ya . Sure thing.” Maybe Julia was in there cooking. Something did smell good. Caleb didn’t realize how much he’d looked forward to seeing Julia and her smile until Ada had answered the door. The thought of not seeing her again for two weeks made his stomach twist, which was ridiculous. He’d see her at the next church meeting, but that was different. On Sundays the women kept to themselves, especially the single women.
    Caleb walked across the small entry hall and through the front room. An Englisch family would have used it for a dining room, but Julia and Ada had filled it with their sewing things. On the far side of the room was a doorway leading to the kitchen.
    Cooking on the back burner of the gas-powered stove was a stew,