Read Online Hope Rekindled by Tracie Peterson - Free Book Online

“There never was any mention of it. Her ma seldom writes—especially now that she’s gone to England to help the women with their cause. When she heard about the twins, she sent a short note and two silver rattles. She said nothin’ more—certainly nothin’ about the past.”
    “Leave it to Harriet to send something useless and hide the truth,” Mr. Decker said.
    Deborah could hardly believe the news. It shouldn’t have been so startling. Everything she’d read about twins said that being one increased the chances of reproducing them. Even just having twins in the family seemed to strengthen the appearance of other sets. She frowned. There were twins in Christopher’s family, too—his sisters Mary and Martha. She knew how busy the twins kept Lizzie. Had it not been for the help of Deborah, her mother, and Sissy, Lizzie would never have been able to manage.
    What if I have twins?
    The thought of just one baby was startling, but two babies? How would Deborah ever find time to further her medical studies and help her husband?
    Deborah forced her mind to focus on the people at the dinner table. It was foolish to let such wild thinking discourage her. She and Christopher hadn’t even wed yet.
    “If you can talk him into such a thing, then could we act right away?” Arjan was asking.
    “I don’t know that we should even bother to approach Albright on the matter,” Mr. Decker replied. “We can ask his intentions, talk about the possibility of a lawsuit for breach of contract, but as for the other, I don’t believe I would even mention it. In fact, you would do well to hide it from him all together.”
    G.W. frowned. “That won’t be easy.”
    Deborah realized she’d missed most of the conversation. “What are you saying?” she blurted out.
    Everyone looked at her rather oddly at her outburst. “He’s talking about trading logs for other things,” her mother replied.
    “You sure we wouldn’t be in any kind of legal trouble if we decided to go that route?” Uncle Arjan asked.
    Brian Decker leaned back in the chair and smiled. “Mr. Albright seems to be a man who twists the law to suit his needs. I’m not suggesting that we do anything that breaches the agreement. Your contract states that you will sell logs exclusively to the Perkinsville Sawmill. It says nothing about you giving logs to other mill owners. Nor does it prohibit them from gifting you in some manner.”
    Arjan considered this a moment and nodded. “I suppose you make a good point.”
    Deborah felt as if her head were in a cloud. “How would this work?”
    “As I stated earlier, you could give a shipment of logs to another mill and the owner could in turn give something to you. He could give you goods such as food, material for clothing, lamp oil, equipment; he could even make a payment on your mortgage. No money need ever change hands directly. It wouldn’t even be a formal barter. You would simply gift the mill owner. He in turn would give you a gift.” Mr. Decker shrugged slightly. “There’s nothing in the contract that even hints that gift-giving would be unacceptable.”
    G.W. exchanged a grin with his father-in-law. “It would be just the kind of thing Albright would do to us if the shoe were on the other foot.”
    “But that’s not the attitude I want us to have in this,” his mother chided. “We are Christian folk, and as such, we do not want to lie or cheat.”
    “I do not recommend either of those options,” Mr. Decker agreed. “As I said, the contract has nothing in it to suggest this would be a breach. You agreed to provide Perkins and his mill with logs. There is no mill at this time, and Perkins’s associates have not decided whether they will rebuild. To be certain, they have made it clear that they will not pay for log deliveries. Therefore, I see no reason that you cannot do as you like with your own timber. So long as you aren’t selling, you should be fine. I’ve run this by the best legal