Read Online A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Charlotte Hubbard
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brain’s recovering from that jostling it took. Follow my finger with your eyes while you keep your head still.”
Asa’s sigh sounded impatient. “That’s a long time to be away from my shop. And I promised Edith Riehl I’d get to the bottom of this situation with that Gingerich fellow who says I fathered those babies. I can’t do that if I’m stuck here.”
“An honorable excuse, but it won’t fly,” Andy said firmly. “Edith impresses me as a young woman who would want the best for those babies and for you, so work with me, all right? Too many folks who’ve suffered head trauma get into trouble when they don’t rest long enough for their internal injuries to heal.”
Asa closed his eyes, quelling the urge to protest further.
“You know, I’m on my way over there to check on those twins,” Andy said as he put his tools back in his bag. “How about if you walk along with me, and we can see how your horse is doing at Ben’s? The fresh air and exercise will do you gut .”
“And while I appreciate your help, I’m sure you’d rather be out doing something other than my busywork,” Nora chimed in.
Asa’s smile confirmed her assumption. As she watched the two men head for the road at a leisurely pace, Nora wondered if her doubts about Asa were off base. Any fellow his age would champ at the bit if he were being detained—and in pain—after an unidentified buggy driver had gotten him into this fix. She certainly wouldn’t like it if the same sort of accident had happened to her—and she would probably be a lot crankier than Asa.
Nora sat down at her table and wrote out the labels for her new merchandise. Better to be focused on her own business rather than poking her nose into someone else’s.
* * *
“The vet says Midnight will be feisty and fine again in a day or so,” Ben Hooley was saying as Asa stroked his gelding’s broad black neck. “He threw a shoe, so I’ve replaced both of the back ones. Noticed a little tenderness as I worked on him, but that’s to be expected. Mighty fine mount you’ve got here, Asa.”
Asa reveled in the presence of his Percheron, in the horse’s glossy ebony coat and the bunching of his muscles as he shifted his feet. Midnight was glad to see him, too, and had displayed only a slight limp when Asa had walked the gelding around Ben’s corral a couple of times. Innate understanding shone in those intelligent brown eyes as he nuzzled Asa’s palm.
“ Jah , he’s got a steady head and disposition—which tells me the buggy that spooked him had to have passed us awfully close and fast,” Asa said. He felt worse about his horse’s being hurt than he did about his own injuries.
Ben considered this, and asked the obvious question. “Ya didn’t hear it comin’ up behind ya, then?”
Asa let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t actually recall the accident—”
“And that’s normal, right after a bad bump to your head,” Andy put in.
“—but I must’ve been thinking about something else, not paying attention,” Asa continued with a shake of his head. “I’ve wondered about it a lot, but nothing comes back to me. It’s not like a horse-drawn buggy sneaks up on anyone.”
“For me, the bothersome part is that the driver didn’t stop to help ya,” Ben said. “We might never know who was responsible.”
Asa shrugged, because he’d considered that possibility. “Without anybody to pin the blame on, I’m better off just moving forward. Once Andy says my head’s on straight again, I’ll go home and get back to work.”
As Ben and Andy chuckled, Asa realized he owed the farrier some money . . . and that all his cash had gone home with Edith. He didn’t care to let on about how pleased he was to have an excuse to see her this morning—or about how she’d snatched up his clothes when they’d been alone together. As a preacher, Ben might find that detail inappropriate, and Asa didn’t want him or anyone else getting the wrong idea.
Asa’s sigh sounded impatient. “That’s a long time to be away from my shop. And I promised Edith Riehl I’d get to the bottom of this situation with that Gingerich fellow who says I fathered those babies. I can’t do that if I’m stuck here.”
“An honorable excuse, but it won’t fly,” Andy said firmly. “Edith impresses me as a young woman who would want the best for those babies and for you, so work with me, all right? Too many folks who’ve suffered head trauma get into trouble when they don’t rest long enough for their internal injuries to heal.”
Asa closed his eyes, quelling the urge to protest further.
“You know, I’m on my way over there to check on those twins,” Andy said as he put his tools back in his bag. “How about if you walk along with me, and we can see how your horse is doing at Ben’s? The fresh air and exercise will do you gut .”
“And while I appreciate your help, I’m sure you’d rather be out doing something other than my busywork,” Nora chimed in.
Asa’s smile confirmed her assumption. As she watched the two men head for the road at a leisurely pace, Nora wondered if her doubts about Asa were off base. Any fellow his age would champ at the bit if he were being detained—and in pain—after an unidentified buggy driver had gotten him into this fix. She certainly wouldn’t like it if the same sort of accident had happened to her—and she would probably be a lot crankier than Asa.
Nora sat down at her table and wrote out the labels for her new merchandise. Better to be focused on her own business rather than poking her nose into someone else’s.
* * *
“The vet says Midnight will be feisty and fine again in a day or so,” Ben Hooley was saying as Asa stroked his gelding’s broad black neck. “He threw a shoe, so I’ve replaced both of the back ones. Noticed a little tenderness as I worked on him, but that’s to be expected. Mighty fine mount you’ve got here, Asa.”
Asa reveled in the presence of his Percheron, in the horse’s glossy ebony coat and the bunching of his muscles as he shifted his feet. Midnight was glad to see him, too, and had displayed only a slight limp when Asa had walked the gelding around Ben’s corral a couple of times. Innate understanding shone in those intelligent brown eyes as he nuzzled Asa’s palm.
“ Jah , he’s got a steady head and disposition—which tells me the buggy that spooked him had to have passed us awfully close and fast,” Asa said. He felt worse about his horse’s being hurt than he did about his own injuries.
Ben considered this, and asked the obvious question. “Ya didn’t hear it comin’ up behind ya, then?”
Asa let out an exasperated sigh. “I don’t actually recall the accident—”
“And that’s normal, right after a bad bump to your head,” Andy put in.
“—but I must’ve been thinking about something else, not paying attention,” Asa continued with a shake of his head. “I’ve wondered about it a lot, but nothing comes back to me. It’s not like a horse-drawn buggy sneaks up on anyone.”
“For me, the bothersome part is that the driver didn’t stop to help ya,” Ben said. “We might never know who was responsible.”
Asa shrugged, because he’d considered that possibility. “Without anybody to pin the blame on, I’m better off just moving forward. Once Andy says my head’s on straight again, I’ll go home and get back to work.”
As Ben and Andy chuckled, Asa realized he owed the farrier some money . . . and that all his cash had gone home with Edith. He didn’t care to let on about how pleased he was to have an excuse to see her this morning—or about how she’d snatched up his clothes when they’d been alone together. As a preacher, Ben might find that detail inappropriate, and Asa didn’t want him or anyone else getting the wrong idea.
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