Read Online Seek Me With All Your Heart by Beth Wiseman - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Beth Wiseman
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ranges, he found himself struggling not to see the high peaks as borders of entrapment. On the other side of the barn, there were a few boxes that he needed to bring into the house, and in the corner were some rusted tools and empty barrels left by the prior owner. He glanced around the rest of the barn, surprised by how clean it was in comparison to the house. Maybe I’ll just live out here . He grinned to himself as he made his way to the horses stabled on the far side.
Pete, his father’s horse, had been around for as long as David could remember, and his own horse, Buster, was a fine animal that David received for his sixteenth birthday. Jel y Bean— named by Anna, who preferred that food over any other—was their newest horse, but not yet buggy broken.
“Hel o, Jel y Bean.” David stroked the horse on the snout, then checked the water and feed for al three. He glanced around the barn again and decided some of the old debris outside could be stacked in the barn for now.
He made his way back into the yard to start hauling some of the junk inside, things that Anna and Elizabeth might get hurt on. That’s when he saw a girl walking down the street.
Emily?
EMILY KNEW SHE would be reprimanded when her mother returned home from Sister’s Day later this afternoon, and she regretted the way she’d spoken to her, but she was so tired of pretending that she was happy. She’d been raised to believe that everything was God’s wil , even the real y bad things. But she just couldn’t wrap her mind or heart around how God’s wil could include what had happened to her. She prayed at every meal and during their devotion time, but something had changed. Her communion with God was not the same.
She pul ed her black coat tighter around her. It was starting to snow again, so she pul ed the rim of her black bonnet down and tucked her chin to avoid the cold flurries showering her face. She folded her arms across her chest and clutched her elbows, shivering as she walked down the road. She thought of Sister’s Days back home in Middlefield. About once a month the women would gather, visiting and canning, quilting, or perhaps even cleaning house for someone who was unable. It was always fil ed with laughter and fel owship, and she couldn’t remember ever missing the occasion. But that was when she had her entire life ahead of her. Today it would have been too much to listen to Beth Ann recite every detail of her upcoming wedding.
James’s face flashed in her mind, like a scary picture she couldn’t erase. She closed her eyes tight for a moment but couldn’t seem to shake the vision.
She could almost feel his hands on her, the intrusive way he touched her in places that were not appropriate. She’d asked him nicely not to do that fol owing the kiss they’d shared, but James hadn’t listened. She remembered pushing him away from her in his car. Then James had looked at her, and Emily would never forget the way that his eyes had shifted, rounding into bal s of anger as he’d grabbed her by the arm and pul ed her toward him.
If there was anything to be thankful for, it was the fact that she’d blacked out certain details of the next few minutes. Her next memory was of running as fast as she could on shaky legs, gasping for breath as she cut across a field beneath a barely moonlit sky. Then she’d run through dark trees toward home. She cringed as she recal ed the doctor stitching up her head, a permanent reminder of that night. But even more painful was the news he delivered when he was done.
A tear trickled down her cheek as she relived that evening at the hospital. She heard the doctor saying to her parents, “I’m so very sorry. Emily was raped.”
Emily wasn’t familiar with the term. Her father left the room without looking at her, and with tearful eyes, her mother tried to explain what the word meant.
What little detail her mother offered was enough for Emily to understand that she was no longer fit for
Pete, his father’s horse, had been around for as long as David could remember, and his own horse, Buster, was a fine animal that David received for his sixteenth birthday. Jel y Bean— named by Anna, who preferred that food over any other—was their newest horse, but not yet buggy broken.
“Hel o, Jel y Bean.” David stroked the horse on the snout, then checked the water and feed for al three. He glanced around the barn again and decided some of the old debris outside could be stacked in the barn for now.
He made his way back into the yard to start hauling some of the junk inside, things that Anna and Elizabeth might get hurt on. That’s when he saw a girl walking down the street.
Emily?
EMILY KNEW SHE would be reprimanded when her mother returned home from Sister’s Day later this afternoon, and she regretted the way she’d spoken to her, but she was so tired of pretending that she was happy. She’d been raised to believe that everything was God’s wil , even the real y bad things. But she just couldn’t wrap her mind or heart around how God’s wil could include what had happened to her. She prayed at every meal and during their devotion time, but something had changed. Her communion with God was not the same.
She pul ed her black coat tighter around her. It was starting to snow again, so she pul ed the rim of her black bonnet down and tucked her chin to avoid the cold flurries showering her face. She folded her arms across her chest and clutched her elbows, shivering as she walked down the road. She thought of Sister’s Days back home in Middlefield. About once a month the women would gather, visiting and canning, quilting, or perhaps even cleaning house for someone who was unable. It was always fil ed with laughter and fel owship, and she couldn’t remember ever missing the occasion. But that was when she had her entire life ahead of her. Today it would have been too much to listen to Beth Ann recite every detail of her upcoming wedding.
James’s face flashed in her mind, like a scary picture she couldn’t erase. She closed her eyes tight for a moment but couldn’t seem to shake the vision.
She could almost feel his hands on her, the intrusive way he touched her in places that were not appropriate. She’d asked him nicely not to do that fol owing the kiss they’d shared, but James hadn’t listened. She remembered pushing him away from her in his car. Then James had looked at her, and Emily would never forget the way that his eyes had shifted, rounding into bal s of anger as he’d grabbed her by the arm and pul ed her toward him.
If there was anything to be thankful for, it was the fact that she’d blacked out certain details of the next few minutes. Her next memory was of running as fast as she could on shaky legs, gasping for breath as she cut across a field beneath a barely moonlit sky. Then she’d run through dark trees toward home. She cringed as she recal ed the doctor stitching up her head, a permanent reminder of that night. But even more painful was the news he delivered when he was done.
A tear trickled down her cheek as she relived that evening at the hospital. She heard the doctor saying to her parents, “I’m so very sorry. Emily was raped.”
Emily wasn’t familiar with the term. Her father left the room without looking at her, and with tearful eyes, her mother tried to explain what the word meant.
What little detail her mother offered was enough for Emily to understand that she was no longer fit for
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