Assignment to Sin Read Free Page B

wasn’t going to be as easy as I had first thought. “Okay, we
won’t plan on that then. But, do you think it would be possible for me to get
to meet Jacob?” There had to be more than one way to get around the elders
strict rules.
    Leah
thought for a moment. “Now that I think about it, Mama did want me to deliver
some jams to their farm later today. Jacob will probably be working on getting
their new barn raised. We might be able to see him then.” She still wasn’t
certain about our little plan, but she was more relaxed with things this way,
than with actually trying to arrange a meeting.
    After
Leah finished her chores, and we had a quick lunch, she gathered the jams to
carry over to Jacob’s farm. Since she wasn’t allowed to ride in my car, we had
to take the horse and buggy. I could tell that Leah was nervous. I wasn’t sure
if she was afraid that I would say or do something to embarrass her, or if it
was just that being around Jacob always made her nervous.
    Sure
enough, as we drove up the drive to Jacob’s farm, we could see the men working
outside on the barn raising. Leah pointed to a handsome blonde carrying lumber
towards the barn. “That is Jacob,” she reported, pointing to her fiancé.
    Jacob
was quite handsome, with a stocky frame, and I could tell that he was very
muscular. “Nice. He’s quite handsome,” I replied.
    We
drove around behind the farmhouse and went to the kitchen door to deliver the
goods. Jacob’s mother, Sarah, was a nice lady and much friendlier than Prudence.
She invited us in to sit at the table with her and have a glass of lemonade.
While we were sitting there, someone knocked on the kitchen door and our
hostess went to answer the door.
    “Leah,
Jacob is requesting your presence on the porch,” Sarah said. “Lorin, would you
care to accompany her so that you may act as chaperone?”
    Startled
by this request and new appointment I nodded and rose from my seat. Leah
stepped outside onto the porch and I followed. There on the swing was Jacob
grinning from ear to ear.
    “Hello
Leah,” Jacob began, “this is a nice surprise.”
    His
gorgeous blue eyes studied her face for a moment and then traveled to greet
mine. Jacob’s eyes quickly traveled up and down my body, taking in my attire.
    “Who
is your friend and to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Jacob asked.
    “Hello
Jacob. This is Lorin and she is the summer intern working on the University
outreach project. I had to come to deliver some jams and thought it would be
nice if she could meet you.” I could tell that Leah was tense and realized that
it was largely due to the fact that this little impromptu meeting would
probably be frowned upon by the elders.
    I
stepped towards Jacob with my hand outstretched. He accepted my hand, pumped it
up and down one time, and quickly retracted. “It’s nice to meet you Jacob. As
Leah stated, I’m here in your community carrying on the research that was
started in previous summers. I hope to be able to interview you at some point,
if that’s possible.” I waited, checking his face for any signs of agreement. “I
understand that any interaction between you and I would need to be approved by
Leah’s father. Hopefully, I will be able to arrange this with him in the near
future and then you will be notified as well,” I said.
    Jacob
rose quickly from his seat. “That would be fine, as long as you seek approval
from the elders for us to speak,” he replied. Nodding quickly in Leah’s
direction and then back in mine, Jacob turned and headed down the porch steps.
    Confused,
I turn to Leah. “Did I say or do something wrong?” I asked.
    “No,
it’s not that,” Leah replied. “Like most of the men here in the community,
Jacob is not used to spending any time with a woman, other than his sisters or
mother.”
    “Well,
I hope that he didn’t take my offer to interview him as anything inappropriate.
We can even be accompanied by you or another adult if that would