Along Wooded Paths Read Free

their hard work.
    A sigh escaped her lips and she turned back to him. “I came down to just sit and enjoy the place one more time—”
    “Before the snow hit?” He chuckled. “I was doing the same. Even though I know I can meet with God sitting in my warm cabin, it’s just not the same.”
    “ Ja .” Marianna touched her kapp. It still seemed strange to be talking so openly about God. The Amish protected their privacy. She’d lived her whole life amongst a community that loved God, but to them that love was a private matter. Even her parents kept their faith to themselves. In fact, if her father hadn’t left the English Bible sitting out—and if she hadn’t caught him reading it a time or two—she would have never known about his search for truth.
    “You can join me if you’d like.” Ben scooted over on the log, moving closer to the gnarled roots. “I warmed it for you.”
    She shook her head. “Uh, no thanks.” She curled her toes in her boots. “Don’t want to stay out too long. Jest . . .” She tried to think of an excuse, but none seemed to work. She couldn’t confess that the pounding of her heartbeat would increase the nearer she got to him. “I just better head back.”
    Ben nodded and stood, nearing her. An ache filled her chest as she imagined taking up his offer and sitting next to him. It ached even more to see him striding toward her. She’d pushed him away time and time again, but he’d never lost that small smile that played on his lips—or the intense care in his gaze—whenever he saw her.
    “Let me walk you back, then.” He swooped his arm wide, as if directing her to lead the way. Even though she gave no evidence of her returned affection, though it was obvious they couldn’t be anything more than friends, Ben made it clear he’d take what he could get.
    “Have you settled back in?”
    She knew he referred to the return trip to Indiana—the one she’d abandoned. “Oh, yes, weeks ago.”
    “And do you still think coming back here was the right choice?”
    His questions were so direct. She cleared her throat. “I believe so. Dat says he couldn’t imagine what the house would be like without me.”
    “So are you going back in the spring?”
    She paused, and Trapper stopped at her side. Marianna placed a hand on her hip. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
    Ben chuckled. “Just the opposite, Marianna. I just wanted to know how long the sun would be hanging around. My days always seem brighter with you in it. Even on cloudy days like today.”
    She nodded but didn’t respond. She continued her pace, slower than normal. She should be spending as little time with him as possible, but something inside urged her to linger.
    As they walked, the only sounds were the dry brush scraping against their clothes and the crunching of frozen grass. When the roof of her house came into view, Marianna paused.
    “I like to hear you say things like that, Ben, but I tell myself I shouldn’t. Amish folks don’t talk in such a manner. We focus on humility.”
    “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
    She lifted a hand, halting his words. “Do not worry. You jest don’t know these things. Unless you were one of us, you couldn’t know.”
    Ben nodded and fixed his eyes forward. If she wasn’t mistaken, his shoulders slumped.
    Marianna’s heart ached as if she’d slapped him in the face. She could see the sting of rejection in his gaze, but what else could she do? She couldn’t allow him to continue such nonsense. Marianna trudged on. They emerged from the woods behind her parents’ house. From the corner of her eye she saw movement from the back cabin window, but when she looked again, there was only a slight fluttering of the curtain.
    She considered inviting Ben in. If he were any other neighbor—Amish or Englisch—she would have. People were like that around here, friendly, sociable. But Marianna cared for Ben in a different way than she cared for others in the community. Deep,