Reckless Heart (Kauffman Amish Bakery 5.5) Read Free

revenge was bad.”
    Lydia stifled a laugh. “I’m Lydia. What’s your name?”
    “My name is Michaela,” the girl said. “When you spell it, it’s Michael with an
A
at the end. I’m named after my grandfather. He died before I was born. My daddy was really sad when he died, so he made sure I was named after him. If I’d been a boy, I would’ve been named Michael. But I’m glad I’m a girl.”
    “Michaela is a very nice name,” Lydia said. “How old are you?”
    “I’m four.” Michaela looked proud as she shared this information. “I’m going to start kindergarten in the fall. I can’t wait to go to school. My mommy says the teachers don’t know what they’re in for.”
    Lydia chuckled at the statement. “I think the teachers will enjoy having you in their classes.” While looking at the pretty little girl, Lydia couldn’t help thinking of Ruthie and wondering if she would ever be well enough to run around the yard and play with a puppy. Lydia leaned over and hefted her bag to her shoulder. “It was very nice meeting you, Michaela.”
    Despite the puppy licking her face, Michaela scrunched her nose, tilted her head, and stared at Lydia quizzically,sizing her up with her blue eyes. “Aren’t you too hot in those heavy clothes?”
    “I’m used to it. I’ve always dressed this way, so it’s normal to me.” Lydia pointed toward Michaela’s denim jeans trimmed in pink. “It’s sort of like how you wear jeans. I wouldn’t feel comfortable in pants or jeans because I’ve never worn them.”
    Michaela’s eyes rounded. “You’ve never worn jeans?”
    Lydia shook her head. “No.”
    The little girl gasped. “Ever?”
    “Never ever,” Lydia said with a smile.
    “How come?” Michaela’s nose scrunched again and her little forehead puckered with curiosity. “I only wear dresses when I go to church on Sundays. I wouldn’t like wearing them every day. I like to play in the mud, and Mommy says that —”
    “Michaela!” a masculine voice called.
    A tall boy who looked approximately Lydia’s age loped down the driveway toward them. His dark brown hair fell below his ears and was styled similarly to the sloppy style she saw on the teenage
English
boys Lydia had seen come into her grandmother’s bakery.
    Approaching them, he smiled. “Hi. Is my little sister harassing you?”
    “Tristan, I’m not bothering her,” Michaela retorted with her free hand on her little hip in defiance. “I was just thanking my new friend for stopping Bitsy from running away. She’d never find her way back if she got lost. Don’t you care about Bitsy?”
    With a shake of his head, Tristan met Lydia’s gaze and held out his hand. “I’m Tristan Anderson, and this is my shy little sister, Michaela.”
    “I’m not shy,” Michaela chimed in. “And I already told her my name.”
    Tristan grinned as he continued to hold out his hand to Lydia. “I’m pretty sure she knows you aren’t shy, Michaela.”
    Lydia took his hand and gave it a quick shake. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lydia Bontrager.” She pointed down the road. “My family’s farm is a few houses down. Welcome to Lancaster County.”
    “Thank you,” Tristan said.
    “You live on this street?” Michaela asked.
    “Yes,” Lydia said. “I also teach at the little one-room schoolhouse up the road.”
    “Wow.” Michaela’s eyes were wide. “I wish I could go to your school. My mommy says my school is a few miles away.”
    Lydia smiled. “I bet you’ll enjoy your school.”
    “I’ve never seen a one-room schoolhouse,” Michaela said. “I thought they only had those in the olden days, like on that TV show Mommy and I watch called
Little House on the Prairie
. My mommy said she loved that show when she was little. She’s old.”
    Trying to hold in her laughter, Lydia nodded. “I bet that’s a nice show. We don’t have a television, but I’ve read the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.”
    Michaela’s eyes looked as if they