Carrie Lighte - Courting The Amish Nanny

“Is this thing in the middle of the pond a duck?”

Levi chuckled. “That’s a caution flag, so the customers know to keep their kinner from wandering off to the other side of the barn. The printer duplicated my original sketch. I guess I should have asked David or Elizabeth to help with the drawing.”

Sadie giggled and stood straight again. Collecting the dirty plates from the table, she asked, “Now that I have the map, does that mean you’re not giving me a personal tour?”

Is she relieved...or disappointed? Levi couldn’t tell from the levity of her tone. Before he could say it was her choice, David spoke up.

“Aw, Daed, you promised we could show Sadie our farm and help you point out hazards she might not have in Pennsylvania.”

“David!” Elizabeth admonished. “You were supposed to be secret about that so Sadie doesn’t think Daed is too bossy.”

Levi cringed, but Sadie calmly replied, “That’s okay, Elizabeth, I won’t think your daed is being too bossy. I’ll think he just wants us to be safe.”

“We can’t be safe if we don’t help point out the hazards,” David reasoned.

Levi caught Sadie’s eye and shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

“Then jah , let’s take a tour of the hazards,” Sadie replied with a wink that caused Levi to grin from ear to ear. “You three go put on your coats while I finish rinsing the dishes.”

When Levi and the children had donned their outerwear and Sadie still didn’t come to the mudroom, Levi brought her jacket to her in the kitchen. Holding it up so she could slip her arms into it, he asked, “Are you going to be cold? This coat seems kind of thin.”

“I’ll be fine. Tomboys are tough,” she said as Elizabeth came into the room.

“Daed, you tied my scarf too tight. My neck is choking,” she complained, so Sadie loosened it for her before they finally set out on their trek.

Sadie was so inquisitive about the farm and so appreciative of the beauty of the landscape it seemed time stood still as the foursome made their way around the property. Since Levi’s break was already half-over, they didn’t get to cover the entire farm, but he showed Sadie a sizable section of the acreage—including the “hazardous” pond, “treacherous” rocks and the “precarious” run-down shack on his neighbor’s property—before she began to shiver. I knew that coat wasn’t warm enough for her. It’s too bad I donated my mamm ’s clothing or I could have given Sadie her wool coat.

“Does anyone want a mug of hot chocolate?” she asked when they returned. The children said yes, so she directed them into the living room to warm up by the woodstove while she heated the milk. “Would you like some, too, Levi?”

He’d already taken twice as long as he usually took for a lunch break, but the afternoon had been so pleasant he wanted to draw it out. “ Jah , please. While you’re making it, I’ll bring in more wood. I can hear your teeth chattering from here. I’ll get the fire roaring and then we can drink our cocoa in the living room.”

When he returned, there were two mugs and two plates holding thin slices of shoofly pie on the kitchen table. Sadie raised a finger to her lips and pointed to the living room with her other hand. “The twins couldn’t hold out until nap time. I’ll stoke the fire later. I don’t want to wake them—I brought the leftover pie from church and there’s really enough for two people. I was going to give it to the kinner , but...”

“Their loss is our gain,” Levi jested. When he pulled his chair away from the table, it loudly scraped against the floor. He and Sadie simultaneously stopped moving and cocked their ears toward the living room, but they didn’t hear the children stirring, so they took their seats.

With his fork suspended above the plate, Levi whispered, “I feel like we’re doing something we shouldn’t be doing.”

“ Jah , this reminds me of when my brieder and I used to sneak cookies from the cookie jar when my mother’s back was turned.”

“I hope the kinner don’t catch us—we’ll get sent to our rooms without any dinner.”

“I could be the lookout while you eat your piece and then we can trade places,” Sadie joked and her muted laugh tickled her throat, which made her face go red and her eyes water.

“You okay?” Levi asked nervously. “Are you choking? Do you need water?”

“I’m fine,” she croaked, waving her hand. It took another moment for her to catch her breath, and when she did, she said, “Oh, neh . Look, my sleeve is all wet. I must have spilled hot chocolate. I hope my manners are better at Grace’s hochzich .”

“Ah, the hochzich

Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, на ЛитРес.

Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.