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Authors: Jennifer Beckstrand
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milk.”
Lily grinned and tentatively stepped off the porch. She’d probably stub her toe or jam her finger, but they looked like they were having so much fun.
She stood at the opposite end of the yard from Aden, and he floated the Frisbee to her with a gentle toss. She caught it with ease, and Aden and the children cheered.
“I knew you’d be a natural,” Aden called.
Aden’s dog trotted toward her, no doubt in an attempt to kidnap her Frisbee. She held up her hand as she had done before. “No, Pie Dog. Stay.” The dog obediently halted a few inches from her and sat down. “Good dog,” she said as she scratched behind his ears, but she quickly pulled back her hand as he stuck out his tongue and tried to lick her fingers.
The dog stationed himself next to her as she threw the Frisbee to Aden. It sliced through the air and veered several feet to Aden’s left. He sprinted and dove and made an amazing catch. Lily laughed and clapped her hands. “You are truly an expert.”
He chuckled and threw the Frisbee back to her. This time it sailed over her head and landed in a tree at the edge of the yard. The children groaned and cheered and giggled all at the same time.
“I can get a broom, if you need it,” Junior said.
Lily assessed the height of the tree. She was entirely too puny to retrieve the Frisbee, but Aden could reach it. He probably wouldn’t even have to stand on his tippy-toes. Grinning widely, he jogged to Lily. His smile, coupled with his bright green eyes, prompted more heart gallops. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t know my own strength.”
They stared at each other for a moment before Lily gathered her wits about her. She trained her eyes on the dog and cleared her throat. “Don’t apologize. You’re the one who has to get it.”
As she predicted, Aden didn’t have to stand on his tippy-toes to retrieve the Frisbee. He pulled the Frisbee from the tree and tossed it to the dog, who caught it in his mouth and ran full speed around the yard while the children chased him.
Lily and Aden stood together and laughed as the Frisbee fell out of Pie Dog’s mouth when he barked at Junior. Their eyes met, and then Aden took four steps away from her. “Four feet,” he said with a tease in his voice.
Lily felt her face get warm. “I’m sorry about what I said. Only he who is without sin should cast the first stone.”
“Please don’t let it trouble you. I would think less of your fater if he weren’t concerned about you spending time with me. He has no idea what kind of person I am. He only knows I’ve spent some time in jail—not a boy good enough to associate with his daughter. It’s okay to be careful.”
“I do want to understand. You seem like a godly man. What did you do that got you into so much trouble?”
Aden laughed as the dog snatched the hat off Uriah’s head and ran away with it. “My mamm calls me a busybody. I stick my nose into other people’s business when I shouldn’t.” The smile faded from his lips. “But I can’t stand by and watch an animal suffer.”
“What happened?”
“I used to ride my bike by my Englisch neighbor’s house every day after work. He kept this old horse in a tiny little fenced area, with no room to run, and didn’t feed the poor animal a thing.”
“Oh,” Lily said, “That’s too bad.”
“That horse got thinner and thinner. I know it isn’t the Amish way, but I called the Animal Control people to report him. I thought they would at least make the man feed his horse. Three weeks went by with no sign of Animal Control, so I started sneaking onto the Englischer’s property every night to feed the horse. I brought a little hay and sometimes a bucket of oats when I could afford it. My neighbor caught me one night and had me arrested for trespassing. But with my arrest, the police got onto the man’s property and found three starving horses. He got fined for animal cruelty, and the horses were taken away from him.”
“Were
Lily grinned and tentatively stepped off the porch. She’d probably stub her toe or jam her finger, but they looked like they were having so much fun.
She stood at the opposite end of the yard from Aden, and he floated the Frisbee to her with a gentle toss. She caught it with ease, and Aden and the children cheered.
“I knew you’d be a natural,” Aden called.
Aden’s dog trotted toward her, no doubt in an attempt to kidnap her Frisbee. She held up her hand as she had done before. “No, Pie Dog. Stay.” The dog obediently halted a few inches from her and sat down. “Good dog,” she said as she scratched behind his ears, but she quickly pulled back her hand as he stuck out his tongue and tried to lick her fingers.
The dog stationed himself next to her as she threw the Frisbee to Aden. It sliced through the air and veered several feet to Aden’s left. He sprinted and dove and made an amazing catch. Lily laughed and clapped her hands. “You are truly an expert.”
He chuckled and threw the Frisbee back to her. This time it sailed over her head and landed in a tree at the edge of the yard. The children groaned and cheered and giggled all at the same time.
“I can get a broom, if you need it,” Junior said.
Lily assessed the height of the tree. She was entirely too puny to retrieve the Frisbee, but Aden could reach it. He probably wouldn’t even have to stand on his tippy-toes. Grinning widely, he jogged to Lily. His smile, coupled with his bright green eyes, prompted more heart gallops. “Sorry,” he said. “I don’t know my own strength.”
They stared at each other for a moment before Lily gathered her wits about her. She trained her eyes on the dog and cleared her throat. “Don’t apologize. You’re the one who has to get it.”
As she predicted, Aden didn’t have to stand on his tippy-toes to retrieve the Frisbee. He pulled the Frisbee from the tree and tossed it to the dog, who caught it in his mouth and ran full speed around the yard while the children chased him.
Lily and Aden stood together and laughed as the Frisbee fell out of Pie Dog’s mouth when he barked at Junior. Their eyes met, and then Aden took four steps away from her. “Four feet,” he said with a tease in his voice.
Lily felt her face get warm. “I’m sorry about what I said. Only he who is without sin should cast the first stone.”
“Please don’t let it trouble you. I would think less of your fater if he weren’t concerned about you spending time with me. He has no idea what kind of person I am. He only knows I’ve spent some time in jail—not a boy good enough to associate with his daughter. It’s okay to be careful.”
“I do want to understand. You seem like a godly man. What did you do that got you into so much trouble?”
Aden laughed as the dog snatched the hat off Uriah’s head and ran away with it. “My mamm calls me a busybody. I stick my nose into other people’s business when I shouldn’t.” The smile faded from his lips. “But I can’t stand by and watch an animal suffer.”
“What happened?”
“I used to ride my bike by my Englisch neighbor’s house every day after work. He kept this old horse in a tiny little fenced area, with no room to run, and didn’t feed the poor animal a thing.”
“Oh,” Lily said, “That’s too bad.”
“That horse got thinner and thinner. I know it isn’t the Amish way, but I called the Animal Control people to report him. I thought they would at least make the man feed his horse. Three weeks went by with no sign of Animal Control, so I started sneaking onto the Englischer’s property every night to feed the horse. I brought a little hay and sometimes a bucket of oats when I could afford it. My neighbor caught me one night and had me arrested for trespassing. But with my arrest, the police got onto the man’s property and found three starving horses. He got fined for animal cruelty, and the horses were taken away from him.”
“Were
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