Grace: A Christmas Sisters of the Heart Novel Read Free Page A

her how rude she’d been. Frantic now, she raised her voice. “Miss? Miss? Please answer!”
    “Katie?” Anna called out from the door. “What’s going on?”
    In spite of the gravity of the situation, Katie took a moment to smile. No matter how “Amish” her friend Anna had become over the last two years, in many ways, she would always be English Anna. Some of her phrases and gestures were too imbedded to remove. “This girl—she fainted,” Katie replied. “At least I think that is what has happened. I can’t seem to rouse her.”
    “Is she injured?” Anna stepped forward, taking care to watch her footing on the slippery walkway. “Henry said he was going to salt this well, but maybe it’s still icy? Perhaps she slipped and fell?”
    “No, I don’t think so. I … I was staring at her. Actually, Anna, I was
glaring
at her and asked what business she had here.”
    “And then?”
    “And then she told me her name and then fainted.”
    “She’s got to be cold. I’ll go get a blanket.”
    “Hurry, Anna.”
    Before she turned away, Anna reached out and wrapped an arm around Katie, giving her comfort like she always did. For a moment Katie leaned close. “It will be okay,” said Anna.
    “I hope so.”
    As Anna turned and scampered back inside, Katie anxiously looked at the girl—and counted her blessings. Oh, she was so grateful to have a friend like Anna.
    Moments later, Anna tucked a thick blanket around the girl. “I told Mamm to find Henry. We need to bring her inside. Do you happen to know what her name is?”
    “Melody. I’ve already forgotten her last name, though.” Shame burned her cheeks as she once again remembered how she’d greeted the girl. Now each rude gesture seemed to be magnified and terribly embarrassing. “Anna, I think maybe this is my fault. I wasn’t very welcoming.”
    “No one faints from a poor welcome, Katie.”
    “I hope not. But I could have been nicer. No, that’s not right. I
should
have been much nicer.”
    “Don’t worry so. Regrets will only make you lose sleep, not solve the problem.”
    “That sounds Amish.”
    Anna smiled. “That’s because I am, of course.”
    As they both looked at the girl—at Melody—with concern, Katie couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that Anna hadn’t attempted to soothe Katie’s worries about her dicourteousness. Was it because she’d noticed that Katie had been bad-mannered before?
    “What are you two doing in the snow? Don’tcha think it’s a bit cold out here for that?” Henry called out, striding forward from the barn. Before they could correct him, his eyes widened. “Ah.”
    “The girl is ill,” Anna said. “And she’s with child, too.”
    “We better take her inside,” Henry said. “It’s far too coldto rest on the ground. I’ll pick her up and carry her to the hearth room.”
    But just as Henry was about to slide an arm under the girl’s back, Melody blinked, then peered at them.
    At Henry. Immediately, her look of confusion slid into pure fright. “No!” she cried.
    Henry immediately stepped backward. With both hands up as though he was at the mercy of a bank robber, he spoke slowly. “I’m sorry. I … I was just going to pick you up. Don’t be afraid …”
    The girl shook her head.
    Katie could see her tremble. “Melody? You’re at our inn. At the Brennemans’. A van dropped you off,” she said as quietly and as clearly as she could. “Do you remember coming here?”
    Slowly, their guest’s eyes focused. She continued to stare at Henry. Finally, she nodded once.
    Oh, thank goodness! “Do you remember seeing me?” she murmured.
    When the girl still stared at them all confused, Anna took a turn. “It’s okay,” she soothed. “Don’t try to get up. You fell. Do you remember that?”
    She shook her head, darted a look Katie’s way, then moaned again. “I’m sorry.” Looking beyond Katie to Henry, awkwardly standing a few feet away, the girl swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,”