Love Still Stands Read Free Page A

equipment. It will take a while to get it
     cleaned up. You could stay with us.”
    “I remember the equipment. We thought we’d sell it at the first school auction.” Luke
     realized he was tugging at his beard and stopped. “You have a full house already.
     We’ll make do here.”
    “I have our camping tents on the truck at our place.”
    Luke swallowed his anger. It burned his throat and made his belly hurt. They also
     had tents, purchased with the plan of taking the children camping in the nearby state
     parks later, when they were settled in, the work of creating a district done. Gott, help me to forgive . “They’ll think it’s great fun.”
    “I won’t. It’s clouding up out there. What if it rains? The nights are cool as it
     is.” Leah pressed her lips together as if trying to corral her words. It didn’t help.
     “I’ll not spend the night outdoors when there’s a perfectly good bedroom upstairs.”
    “Give us time to make sure the stairs are sound.” Luke forced himself to soften his
     tone. “You don’t want to put the kinner in danger.”
    “I’ll get the cleaning supplies and trash bags from the semi.” Leah marched from the
     room, Jebediah clinging to her neck. “William and Joseph can start picking up the
     trash on the porch and in the yard.”
    “Give them work gloves. I don’t want them cutting themselves on glass.”
    “I’ll sweep it up.” The words floated behind her as she let the screen door slam.
     “And anything else that might be…unhealthy out there.”
    “I sent Martin to get the others,” Silas called after her. “My fraa and the girls
     will help you. Emma and Thomas will want to help. They’re all on their way.”
    No answer.
    “She’s tired,” Luke offered as he straightened. “We all are.”
    “No need to explain.” Silas stood with legs spread and arms folded over his chest,
     his lined face stern. He reminded Luke of his own daed. “Did you spend any time in
     town when you came out here?”
    “You mean did we talk to people to see how they felt about a load of Plain folks moving
     in next door?”
    “Something like that.”
    Luke reran the memories of his two visits to this area with the other men selected
     by the bishop to lead the venture. The first time he’d been taken by the open tracts
     of farmland for sale and the lack of development nearby. The second time he’d talked
     with a real estate agent, a banker, and the folks who ran the restaurant next to the
     motel where they’d stayed. The first two had been anxious for their business. The
     cost of the farms had been in the price range needed based on what they expected to
     get from selling Thomas’s farm with its oil reserves and the other properties in Bliss
     Creek. The folks at the restaurant had served good food and minded their manners.
     The most he’d garnered from them was that people in New Hope minded their own business
     and liked to keep to themselves. Since that described Plain people as well, he figured
     they’d fit right in. “The folks I talked to didn’t seem to mind.”
    Silas looked like he would say something else, but the entrance of a man in uniform,
     followed by Elijah and Bethel, stemmed the flow of his words.
    “This is Sheriff Virgil McCormack.” Elijah’s hands tugged at his suspenders, his usual
     easy-going smile missing. “He has some…questions…about the farm. And about us.”
    “Questions?” Luke took the hand the man offered. The sheriff had a firm grip and a
     cool hand. “I’m the new owner of this property.”
    “Who exactly are you?” Sheriff McCormack let his gaze wander from Luke to Silas to Bethel in obvious
     appraisal. He removed his hat and let it dangle at his side. “Some kind of cult or
     something? No offense, ma’am.”
    He directed the ma’am at Bethel, who looked exhausted as she leaned on her crutches. Luke took a second
     to school his tone. He wanted to start off on the right foot with their new