Read Online A Place of Peace by Amy Clipston - Free Book Online Page A

stumble backward.
    “Whoa!” Zach exclaimed, righting himself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see—”
    “Excuse me,” Miriam mumbled, slipping past him and moving toward the path leading to the road.
    “Miriam Lapp?” Zach ran after her.
    Miriam groaned and kept walking. She was in no mood for another tedious and pointless conversation about where she’d been, how long she planned to stay in Pennsylvania, and how sorry he was about her mother.
    “Wait up!” He trotted over and took her arm. “I haven’t seen you in four years, and you can’t stop to say
Wie geht’s?”
    “Miriam!” Abby loped toward her.
    Miriam bit her lip to keep from screaming in frustration.
Would you just leave me alone?
    Forcing a smile, Miriam turned toward Zach. “Just give me one second, okay?” She then faced Abby and they moved out of earshot of Zach. “I’m fine. I just needed some air.”
    Abby’s eyes were full of concern. “Are you sure you’re okay? You look a little green. I think maybe you need to get something substantial to eat.” She rubbed Miriam’s arm. “I’m really worried about you. How about I take you back to
Aenti’s
so you can put up your feet for a while? It’s been a long and emotional day.”
    Miriam closed her eyes for a moment, willing her body to stop trembling. The image of Timothy’s gorgeous eyes trained on hers was burned into her brain, causing her body to continue to shake. “I think I need to go to
Aenti’s
and unwind in some peace and quiet. But you don’t need to go with me. I know you want to try to talk to your sister and brother.” Opening her eyes, Miriam found Abby still studying her.
    “I really don’t mind taking you,” Abby said. Her expression became grim. “I need to tell you something. I checked my voicemail messages on my phone earlier. My boss really needs me back at the office right away. Would you be okay if I went back tomorrow?”
    Miriam nodded. “I understand. I think I need to stay and spend some more time with Hannah and
Aenti.
I also want to try to work things out with my
daed.”
She touched Abby’s arm. “You go talk to your sister and brother. I’ll head back to
Aenti’s.
I saw Lilly and Gerald helping Edna home earlier. I want to be sure she’s okay.”
    “All right,” Abby said. “You take it easy. I’m going to go see if my sister will actually talk to me. I’ll see you at
Aenti’s
later. I’ll book my flight so I can get back to my
wunderbaar
job.” She nodded toward Zach. “That cute guy is waiting for you. Seems like you may have more here than just Hannah and
Aenti.
You definitely should stay a while.”
    “Please. He’s just an old friend.”
    “And he’s handsome.” Abby elbowed Miriam in the arm. “Seems like you’ve got your pick between Timothy and Zach.”
    “Not quite. Timothy seems to have found someone already.” She shook her head. “Go talk to your sister. I’m going to see what Zach wants and then head back to
Aenti’s
for some sanity time.”
    Miriam walked back to Zach, finding the same attractive face and caring eyes she remembered. She was surprised to see he was clean-shaven too. Miriam had always assumed he’d married since a few young women in the district had hoped to court and marry him.
    “I’m sorry, Zach,” she said when she stepped over to him. “I didn’t mean to take so long with Abby. It’s just been a rough day.
Wie geht’s?”
    “No, no, no.” He gave her a sly grin. “That was forced. I want a real greeting from my old
freind.”
    She couldn’t stop the genuine smile forming on her lips. Zach had been a friend to her when no one else had cared —after Jeremy Henderson had died. He was the only person who’d asked her what had happened and had listened without judgment to her explanation. He didn’t blame her for the child’s death as her family and many others in the district had.
    “Zach, it’s so good to see you,” she began with overdone politeness. “Wie
geht’s,
my