Read Online The Amish Bride by Mindy Starns Clark, Leslie Gould - Free Book Online

up the next glass, filling it slowly, trying not to look flustered.
    Christy was directly across the table from me, placing a napkin under a fork.
    “How’s your new cousin?” I asked.
    “He cries all the time,” she said. “Alice Elizabeth was such a good baby, but he’s a little pain in the neck.”
    “Christy,” I scolded, chuckling. “You might end up with one of those at your house, you know.”
    She rolled her eyes. Then her expression changed as she smirked at someone over my shoulder. Ezra was behind me. I knew without her little antics. I could feel his presence.
    “Hi, Ezra,” I said without turning around.
    “Fancy seeing you here.” He stepped to my side.
    Christy put the last napkin down and then made a funny face at her uncle. “I thought you were hanging out with Ruth today.”
    “Ruth?” The word slipped from my mouth before I could stop it.
    “You know, Sally’s little sister from Ohio.” Christy was clearly enjoying herself. “The one who’s just crazy about Ezra. The one who went to the singing last night, just because he would be there. She’s back again because Aunt Sally is—”
    “Christy, that’s enough.” It was Ada, stepping toward the kitchen. “Please go tell the little girls to wash up.”
    “I need to as well.” Ezra held out his dirty hands, giving a valid reason for his escape.
    I filled the last of the glasses. So Ezra’s sister-in-law Sally was pregnant again. I wasn’t surprised Ruth had come to help out. She’d come the last time Sally was pregnant too—and stayed for at least six months that time, during which she’d made no secret of the fact that she had a major crush on Ezra. Maybe there was one advantage of him being sent away to learn the dairy trade now. He wouldn’t be anywhere near Ruth, who, it seemed, was planning to stick around Lancaster for a good long stretch to come.
    I refilled the water pitcher, put it on the table, and noticed that both Nancy and Mom were standing idle, which meant Aunt Klara had fewer jobs than people. I decided I was no longer needed in the kitchen and went in search of Ezra. Moving into the living room, I saw Alice at the card table helping Mat with a puzzle and, across the room, Mammi sitting by herself on the couch. As soon as Mammi spotted me, she waved me over, and I could tell by the conspiratorial glint in her eye that she wanted to seize the opportunity to speak privately about Sarah’s journal and my attempts at code breaking.
    Though I would have preferred to share a few quiet minutes with Ezra before the meal instead, I didn’t really mind talking with Mammi .
    After all, I had some questions for her too.
    “Well?” she whispered eagerly as I settled onto the couch beside her. “Have you made any progress with the code and the symbols?”
    “No. I’ve been trying really hard, but so far I haven’t figured out either one.”
    I knew she would be disappointed to hear that, but I wasn’t prepared for the absolute devastation that came over her features.
    “Hey, don’t give up hope yet,” I said, sounding more optimistic than I felt.
    She squeezed my hand, sighing heavily. “Oh, Ella. Thank you for trying at least.”
    She looked so sad that I wished I could cheer her up somehow. “Even without knowing the code, the book is awesome. I love it. The recipes are great. And Sarah’s artwork is amazing.”
    Mammi smiled in spite of herself. “She definitely had a gift. I remember sitting out in the garden with her and watching her sketch the chickens.” She shifted toward me and lowered her voice even more. “I don’t know why anyone would draw those crazy birds.”
    “Did she ever draw people?”
    Mammi shook her head. “I don’t think so. That would have been in violation of their Ordnung , I feel sure.”
    “That’s too bad.” Lowering my own voice, I added, “I don’t know if you ever noticed, but there’s something really strange about the eyes on those chickens. They look more like