Read Online Miriam's Quilt by Jennifer Beckstrand - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jennifer Beckstrand
Ads: Link
you?”
“I never should have said any of it.”
“But isn’t it how you feel?”
He fixed his gaze beyond her left shoulder. “I want to take it back.”
A short burst of laughter escaped her lips.
“What?”
“I like watching you try to dance around this,” Miriam said. “You meant every word.”
Seth laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on his knees. “But I still shouldn’t have said it.”
“I am sorry for behaving in a way that upset you. I have thought about what you said, but I am at a loss to know what I can do differently. I sincerely want to be better.”
He stared into her eyes for an eternity, as if he really were trying to read her mind. “You really do?”
“Of course. The last thing I want to do is turn a blind eye to my own weaknesses.”
He stood up and put some distance between them. “Most people do a good job of pretending they don’t have weaknesses. I am a good example of that. I should never have criticized you.”
She nodded in satisfaction. “At least you admit you are partly to blame for the fact that we hate each other.”
“Hate each other?” He looked troubled. “I hope not.”
Miriam gave him a teasing grin. “Oh, so you do care what I think about you?”
He relaxed his stiff posture—as much as she could expect from someone as somber as Seth Lambright. “You will never know. You cannot read minds.”
Miriam wished she could read Seth’s mind. She was dying to know what Seth had told the clerk the other day at the drugstore to persuade her to take Miriam’s money. But that question would take them too close to Susie’s difficulty. She could not bring herself to ask, even to express her gratitude for what he had done.
She stood up. “Can I come back next week to look at my horse?”
“Jah, but you have not told me yet which one you want.”
“When they are a little older, I want to come play with them. Then I will decide.”
“Play with them? Like puppies?”
“Jah, like puppies.”
Seth walked with her around the stable to Daisy. “I will take gute care of both of them until you return.”
Miriam turned to see two girls walking up the lane. Seth’s sisters. Laura, the older one, was about Yost’s age, and Priscilla was probably six. Priscilla’s feet were bare, and she cuddled a plastic doll in her arms.
Miriam’s face warmed when she remembered that her last heated exchange with Seth was when Laura’s name had been mentioned.
“Seth!” Still grasping her doll, Priscilla ran into her brother’s arms.
Miriam’s heart swelled when Seth gathered Priscilla into a hug, swung her around, and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
He brought her back to earth and turned his face to Miriam. “You know my sisters, jah?”
Laura didn’t smile but nodded in Miriam’s direction. Miriam tried to swallow her guilt and nodded back. She barely knew either of Seth’s sisters even though they were in her district. Laura attended gmay, but Miriam realized in dismay that she usually avoided the Lambright family at church. And Laura never came to gatherings. She had her own Englisch friends from the high school.
“I lost a tooth in school today,” Priscilla said as she transferred her doll to one hand and fished inside her apron pocket. She produced the tooth then smiled wide to display the small gap in front.
“Very nice,” Seth said. “Lose a few more, and you won’t be able to chew.”
“Tomorrow is the last day of school,” Priscilla said. “I am supposed to bring twenty cookies, and Laura said she would help me make them tonight. And you are coming to my program, okay?”
“I would not dream of missing your program. Let me hear what you are going to recite,” Seth said.
“Nae, it is a surprise.”
Miriam felt a bit ashamed at how little she knew about Seth’s sisters. Had she disregarded them as easily as Seth said she had? The thought would not quit nagging at her. She could start remedying that situation right now.
“I never should have said any of it.”
“But isn’t it how you feel?”
He fixed his gaze beyond her left shoulder. “I want to take it back.”
A short burst of laughter escaped her lips.
“What?”
“I like watching you try to dance around this,” Miriam said. “You meant every word.”
Seth laced his fingers together and rested his elbows on his knees. “But I still shouldn’t have said it.”
“I am sorry for behaving in a way that upset you. I have thought about what you said, but I am at a loss to know what I can do differently. I sincerely want to be better.”
He stared into her eyes for an eternity, as if he really were trying to read her mind. “You really do?”
“Of course. The last thing I want to do is turn a blind eye to my own weaknesses.”
He stood up and put some distance between them. “Most people do a good job of pretending they don’t have weaknesses. I am a good example of that. I should never have criticized you.”
She nodded in satisfaction. “At least you admit you are partly to blame for the fact that we hate each other.”
“Hate each other?” He looked troubled. “I hope not.”
Miriam gave him a teasing grin. “Oh, so you do care what I think about you?”
He relaxed his stiff posture—as much as she could expect from someone as somber as Seth Lambright. “You will never know. You cannot read minds.”
Miriam wished she could read Seth’s mind. She was dying to know what Seth had told the clerk the other day at the drugstore to persuade her to take Miriam’s money. But that question would take them too close to Susie’s difficulty. She could not bring herself to ask, even to express her gratitude for what he had done.
She stood up. “Can I come back next week to look at my horse?”
“Jah, but you have not told me yet which one you want.”
“When they are a little older, I want to come play with them. Then I will decide.”
“Play with them? Like puppies?”
“Jah, like puppies.”
Seth walked with her around the stable to Daisy. “I will take gute care of both of them until you return.”
Miriam turned to see two girls walking up the lane. Seth’s sisters. Laura, the older one, was about Yost’s age, and Priscilla was probably six. Priscilla’s feet were bare, and she cuddled a plastic doll in her arms.
Miriam’s face warmed when she remembered that her last heated exchange with Seth was when Laura’s name had been mentioned.
“Seth!” Still grasping her doll, Priscilla ran into her brother’s arms.
Miriam’s heart swelled when Seth gathered Priscilla into a hug, swung her around, and planted a big kiss on her cheek.
He brought her back to earth and turned his face to Miriam. “You know my sisters, jah?”
Laura didn’t smile but nodded in Miriam’s direction. Miriam tried to swallow her guilt and nodded back. She barely knew either of Seth’s sisters even though they were in her district. Laura attended gmay, but Miriam realized in dismay that she usually avoided the Lambright family at church. And Laura never came to gatherings. She had her own Englisch friends from the high school.
“I lost a tooth in school today,” Priscilla said as she transferred her doll to one hand and fished inside her apron pocket. She produced the tooth then smiled wide to display the small gap in front.
“Very nice,” Seth said. “Lose a few more, and you won’t be able to chew.”
“Tomorrow is the last day of school,” Priscilla said. “I am supposed to bring twenty cookies, and Laura said she would help me make them tonight. And you are coming to my program, okay?”
“I would not dream of missing your program. Let me hear what you are going to recite,” Seth said.
“Nae, it is a surprise.”
Miriam felt a bit ashamed at how little she knew about Seth’s sisters. Had she disregarded them as easily as Seth said she had? The thought would not quit nagging at her. She could start remedying that situation right now.
Similar Books
