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into the woods,” Cleon said, nodding toward a path on the right. “I think this leads to the pond near the Wengerds’ place.”
    Grace pushed her bike off the shoulder of the road and onto the wide dirt path, deciding to wait until she was walking by his side before she spoke again. “Uh ... Cleon, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
    His eyebrows drew together. “You look so serious. Is there something wrong? Are you having second thoughts about marrying me?”
    Grace moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and halted her bike. This was going to be harder than she thought. “I’m not having second thoughts, but I think you should know that—”
    “Hey, what are you two doing out here?”
    Grace whirled around at the sound of her sister’s voice. “Ruth, you scared me!”
    Sadie chuckled. “I can tell she did. Your eyes are huge as buggy wheels.”
    “I—I just didn’t expect to see either of you here,” Grace stammered. It was a good thing she hadn’t revealed her secret to Cleon. What if Ruth and Sadie had overheard their conversation? The last thing she needed was Sadie knowing anything about her personal business, because she tended to be a blabbermouth.
    “Sadie and I cut through the woods and spent some time at the pond,” Ruth said. “It’s beautiful there this time of the year.” She nodded at Grace. “Is that where you two are headed?”
    “Jah,” Cleon spoke up. “We were riding on the shoulder of the road but decided to walk our bikes awhile.”
    Ruth glanced at the diminishing sun filtering through the trees. “It’ll be getting dark soon, so I wouldn’t stay too long if I were you.”
    “She’s got a point,” Cleon said. “Maybe we should head back before we lose our daylight.”
    “Okay.” Grace felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. If they headed for home now, and Ruth and Sadie tagged along, she wouldn’t be able to tell Cleon what was on her mind. Still, the girls coming along when they did might have been a good thing, especially if Cleon’s response had been negative. Maybe it would be best to wait and tell Cleon sometime after he got back from Montana. That would give her another whole week to think it through and decide the best way to word things to him.

Chapter 8
    “Sure were a lot of folks missing from church today,” Mom said as she walked toward the house beside Grace, with Ruth, Martha, and Dad following. “Martin Gingerich, Sadie Esh, and Abe Wengerd were sick, I understand.”
    “Luke was out with the flu,” Ruth put in.
    “Leastways that’s what his mamm said.” Dad grunted. “Truth be told, he was probably lazing in bed because I worked him so hard last week after he wrecked that set of cabinets that was supposed to be for Ella Bates’s birthday. Steven was hoppin’ mad about that, and he said from now on he won’t be giving me any more business.”
    “I’m sure tired this afternoon,” Mom said, making no reference to Dad’s problems at work, which he’d already told them about.
    He yawned noisily. “Jah, me, too. Ich bin mied wie en hund. ”
    “If you’re as tired as a dog,” Martha put in, “you’re very tired indeed. I’m going out to the barn to check on Heidi and her pups as soon as I change out of my church clothes.”
    Grace couldn’t help but smile at her sister’s exuberance. It seemed that all Martha talked about anymore were those dogs of hers.
    “You can spend the rest of the day in the barn with your hundlin if you want to,” Dad said, “but I’m gonna take a nap.”
    Mom nodded. “I think I’d better take one, too.”
    As they stepped onto the back porch, Grace noticed that the door hung slightly open. Dad must have noticed it too, for he turned and gave them a curious stare. “Which of you was the last one out the door this morning? And how come you didn’t close it?”
    “It wasn’t me,” Grace was quick to say.
    Ruth shook her head. “Nor me.”
    “I may have been the last