Read Online Courting Emily (A Wells Landing Book 2) by Amy Lillard - Free Book Online
Authors: Amy Lillard
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and the application of the primer, Emily made gallons of lemonade. Beautiful day or not, lingering summer warmed the air and the men were hot and thirsty.
As she stirred yet another batch of lemonade in the big cooler, her sister Mary sidled up and slipped her arm through Emily’s.
“Have you seen him?”
Emily started. “Luke’s here?” Her gaze darted around the men trying to spot him in the crowd of workers.
“ Nay, ” she said. “Aaron.” She pointed to where he stood, high on a ladder as he painted the trim on the house.
Aaron Miller was as tall and lanky as his brother Jonah. Both boys had dark blond hair and tawny eyes the color of rich maple syrup. Aaron Miller was a handsome bu —not as handsome as her Luke, of course. But he’d make Mary a gut husband.
“Mary Miller,” her sister breathed, trying the name on for sound and size.
“Are you going to marry him?” Emily asked.
Mary dimpled and dropped her gaze, a sure sign she was hiding something. “That’s supposed to be a secret.”
“Which means he hasn’t asked you,” Emily said, hating the dryness of her tone.
Mary’s gaze jerked back to Emily’s. “You know as well as I do that he won’t announce his intentions until after the wedding season.”
“Which hasn’t even started yet.” Plus Mary still had to join the church. Baptism classes hadn’t been held this year, delaying her ability to attend classes until next year. Perfect timing as far as Emily was concerned. Mary and Luke could attend classes together and maybe the following year, Emily and Luke could have a double wedding with Mary and Aaron. It would be so perfect.
“Why are you being difficult?” Mary asked, hurt flashing in her eyes.
Emily wrapped an arm around her sister. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be—”
“Mean?” Mary supplied.
“ Jah . Forgive me?”
Mary returned her hug and patted her hand. “Of course.”
“I just . . .” Emily trailed off, not able to adequately put into words all her worry and fears about Luke. For all her thoughts of a wedding, she worried because she hadn’t heard from him. Worried that he was forgetting all about her.
She pushed the thoughts aside. Nay, he was the one for her, and she had to be patient and strong until God returned him to her.
“Maybe you should go talk to Aaron about it,” Mary said as if she could read Emily’s thoughts.
“I don’t know what good it would do. I already talked to Jonah.”
“You could go ask his onkle .”
Now that she could do. Maybe next week. As the plan took shape in her mind, Emily poured the cups of lemonade and took them over to the men.
“Would anyone like a drink?” she asked.
A chorus of jah s went up all around.
She laughed at their enthusiasm and handed out cups.
“ Danki .”
She looked up from her task to see that Elam Riehl had taken the last drink from her tray. “ Gern gschehne .”
He swallowed deep and nodded toward the barn. “It’s coming along, jah? ”
“It looks wunderbaar .”
“Not yet, but it will.” He swept his hat from his head and ran a sleeve across his sweaty brow. “And I have you to thank.”
“Me?” She shook her head. “ Nay . I only made the lemonade.”
“You told your father that we needed help.”
“That is nothing.”
He took a deep breath and propped his hands on his hips. “It was something to me,” he said. Then he turned and went back to painting, leaving Emily to wonder where his agreeable mood had come from.
“Emily!” Becky Riehl raced across the yard, the strings on her kapp trailing behind her. “ Dat wants you,” she said when she got close enough that she didn’t have to shout.
“My dat? ”
“No, silly. My dat .”
What would James Riehl want with her?
Becky slipped her arm through Emily’s and led her back to the house.
They went in the front door, but James was not sitting at the kitchen table.
“Back here.” Becky led the way down the hall to James’s
As she stirred yet another batch of lemonade in the big cooler, her sister Mary sidled up and slipped her arm through Emily’s.
“Have you seen him?”
Emily started. “Luke’s here?” Her gaze darted around the men trying to spot him in the crowd of workers.
“ Nay, ” she said. “Aaron.” She pointed to where he stood, high on a ladder as he painted the trim on the house.
Aaron Miller was as tall and lanky as his brother Jonah. Both boys had dark blond hair and tawny eyes the color of rich maple syrup. Aaron Miller was a handsome bu —not as handsome as her Luke, of course. But he’d make Mary a gut husband.
“Mary Miller,” her sister breathed, trying the name on for sound and size.
“Are you going to marry him?” Emily asked.
Mary dimpled and dropped her gaze, a sure sign she was hiding something. “That’s supposed to be a secret.”
“Which means he hasn’t asked you,” Emily said, hating the dryness of her tone.
Mary’s gaze jerked back to Emily’s. “You know as well as I do that he won’t announce his intentions until after the wedding season.”
“Which hasn’t even started yet.” Plus Mary still had to join the church. Baptism classes hadn’t been held this year, delaying her ability to attend classes until next year. Perfect timing as far as Emily was concerned. Mary and Luke could attend classes together and maybe the following year, Emily and Luke could have a double wedding with Mary and Aaron. It would be so perfect.
“Why are you being difficult?” Mary asked, hurt flashing in her eyes.
Emily wrapped an arm around her sister. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be—”
“Mean?” Mary supplied.
“ Jah . Forgive me?”
Mary returned her hug and patted her hand. “Of course.”
“I just . . .” Emily trailed off, not able to adequately put into words all her worry and fears about Luke. For all her thoughts of a wedding, she worried because she hadn’t heard from him. Worried that he was forgetting all about her.
She pushed the thoughts aside. Nay, he was the one for her, and she had to be patient and strong until God returned him to her.
“Maybe you should go talk to Aaron about it,” Mary said as if she could read Emily’s thoughts.
“I don’t know what good it would do. I already talked to Jonah.”
“You could go ask his onkle .”
Now that she could do. Maybe next week. As the plan took shape in her mind, Emily poured the cups of lemonade and took them over to the men.
“Would anyone like a drink?” she asked.
A chorus of jah s went up all around.
She laughed at their enthusiasm and handed out cups.
“ Danki .”
She looked up from her task to see that Elam Riehl had taken the last drink from her tray. “ Gern gschehne .”
He swallowed deep and nodded toward the barn. “It’s coming along, jah? ”
“It looks wunderbaar .”
“Not yet, but it will.” He swept his hat from his head and ran a sleeve across his sweaty brow. “And I have you to thank.”
“Me?” She shook her head. “ Nay . I only made the lemonade.”
“You told your father that we needed help.”
“That is nothing.”
He took a deep breath and propped his hands on his hips. “It was something to me,” he said. Then he turned and went back to painting, leaving Emily to wonder where his agreeable mood had come from.
“Emily!” Becky Riehl raced across the yard, the strings on her kapp trailing behind her. “ Dat wants you,” she said when she got close enough that she didn’t have to shout.
“My dat? ”
“No, silly. My dat .”
What would James Riehl want with her?
Becky slipped her arm through Emily’s and led her back to the house.
They went in the front door, but James was not sitting at the kitchen table.
“Back here.” Becky led the way down the hall to James’s
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