The Tempted Soul Read Free Page A

Amelia, and the good Gott knew what it cost her to say so. Even a day in her mother-in-law’s company was twelve hours too long—but she would do it if it meant she and Melvin could share the rest of the adventure.
    “I don’t think so, Carrie,” he said gently, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. “If you came, we would have to arrange a motel room just for us, instead of all the men bunking in together to save money. And I would really worry about you, wandering around that place once you got bored at the booth. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on what Brian wants me there for.”
    “I know,” she said softly, poking at the corn now with the tip of the spoon. “But I miss you so much when you’re gone. I was hoping this week we might finish picking the apples together, and there’s the two sheds to be painted before the rain starts, and—”
    “And I have all that taken care of.” He released her. “Joshua Steiner is going to help us out while I’m gone.”
    “He is?” Joshua Steiner had leased one of their fields, and had it planted in beans practically before he’d finished shaking Melvin’s hand. He also had his fingers in several other pies in an effort to make a living, since at the moment he didn’t have a place of his own. “How will he have time to do that when he’s the hired man at that big Englisch place down the highway?”
    “Apparently it’s run pretty well, and he can take time off when he wants to. He came the other day and asked us if we had any work at the shop, of all things. Of course Brian told him no.”
    Of course he had. Carrie seemed to remember a little history involving a female cousin, back before Bishop Daniel had politely asked Joshua to leave town on an extended visit that had wound up lasting ten years. The fact that the cousin was now happily married and living in another settlement obviously didn’t hold any water with Brian Steiner. Cousins or not, he didn’t have much use for Joshua.
    She wondered if Melvin knew. Or if it would make any difference if he did. He hated gossip like poison, and would probably see any attempts to pass on the reasons for Brian’s dislike as just that.
    What some called information or history, he called gossip.
    Melvin went on, “But I caught up to him out in the parking lot before he got into his buggy, and floated the idea that maybe he could look in on you once or twice while I’m gone. To see if you need anything.”
    “I don’t need anyone besides you looking in on me.” Carrie smoothed his hair away from his face. “Someone needs a haircut before he goes to the big city.”
    “Then someone had better get it done tonight.” He kissed her again. “I know you don’t need to be looked in on, Carrie. Goodness knows you’ve been on your own plenty of times before. But like you say, Joshua can do those things you had planned. He can even get started painting the sheds, and I’ll finish up when I get home next week. And I’d like to talk with him about putting a second floor in the barn, too, so I can use the ground floor for a workshop.”
    He wasn’t about to be talked out of a plan he’d obviously given some thought to, and Joshua had already agreed to. It wasn’t her place to argue and insist on having things her way.
    She had to look beyond the inconvenience of having to give someone unfamiliar with their place instructions when it would probably be faster to do some of those things herself. She had to look at Melvin’s good heart. He cared about her, cared that she was looked after.
    So she kept her unwillingness to herself, and instead, handed him the carving knife. “I think the roast has sat long enough. Would you carve it?”
    She could do it herself, and had done it before.
    But that wasn’t the point, was it?
    *  *  *
    Since the train left Lancaster at noon, that meant Melvin had to meet Brian at the shop at seven to catch the eight o’clock bus. It