Read Online The Amish Bride by Mindy Starns Clark, Leslie Gould - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mindy Starns Clark, Leslie Gould
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her feet, but I wasn’t finished just yet. “It’ll take a few minutes for everyone to get settled at the table,” I told her softly, a hand on her arm to keep her there. “Just real quick, explain this to me again. You and your husband owned a dairy farm right next door to the Home Place, where you grew up?”
She nodded, glancing toward the dining room. “Yes, well, ‘next door’ being relative, of course. As the crow flies, the houses weren’t too far apart, I suppose, but these were big farms, bigger than what we have here in Lancaster County. To drive a buggy from my house to my mother’s, we had to go way around a big loop on the road, nearly a mile, if not more. Most of the time, we just walked over so we could use the shortcut instead. But even that was probably a quarter of a mile.”
Next door. Short cut. Dairy farm. I could hardly breathe, I was so excited.
“And the people who own that dairy farm now,” I said. “Do you know them?”
“If they are still the same owners, I do. I sold it to the Neffs, a nice family in our church. Last I heard, their daughter Cora and her husband were running the place.”
It was hard to keep everything straight. “Okay, and how are they related to us?”
“They’re not.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, listening to the shuffle of chairs being pulled out around the table. “But you said they were Neffs, like your niece Rosalee, who is also a Neff.”
“Oh, right, I see what you’re asking. Well, we are related by marriage, I suppose. Rosalee is a Neff because she was married to Cora’s uncle. Now that I think about it, though, Cora’s maiden name was Neff but now she’s a Kline. So actually, it’s the Klines you would contact if you want to track down Rosalee.”
Mammi looked toward the dining room and again tried to stand. This time, I had no choice but to stand as well and take her arm, gently helping her up.
“So, Kline is the name of the people who own the dairy farm?” I whispered urgently. “What’s the husband’s first name? Do you know?”
Steady on her feet at last, Mammi took a moment to brush her hands across the wrinkles of her skirt.
“Darryl. Cora married Darryl Kline. He was a fine fellow, maybe twenty when we left. I used to think he’d make a good husband for one of my girls. But that was not God’s will for their lives. And I’m sure he and Cora have been very happy.”
She began walking to the dining room, which had grown nearly still. As we rounded the corner, we got a glare from Aunt Klara, who was seated at one end of the table.
“Hurry up, you two,” she chided. “The food’s getting cold.”
“Like a pair of whispering hens in there,” Alice teased with a wink.
I was blushing furiously, trying to think of some explanation when Mammi simply grinned and said, “‘The last shall be first, and the first last.’ That means Ella and I have dibs on the biscuits.”
Everyone chuckled as we took the two remaining seats, both on the same side of the table. Mammi was on the end, next to Mom, who was next to Zed. I was in the middle between him and Christy. Nancy and Ben rounded out our side. On the other side sat Will, Mat, Ada, Alice, Ezra, Mel, and Izzy. The twins did better at mealtimes when separated from each other and seated between attentive adults.
Uncle Alexander and Aunt Klara were at the head and foot of the table,and as I looked around at the group gathered there, I suddenly found myself getting kind of choked up. Except for Izzy, whom I didn’t really know, I realized almost all of the people I loved most in this world were around this table. If only Lexie and James were here too, my joy would be complete. I put my hands to my face, willing my tears to stop.
Zed poked me with his elbow. “What’s with you?”
“I have a speck in my eye.” I pretended to be fishing for one with my index finger.
Uncle Alexander asked us all to bow our heads, and we prayed silently. I wanted to ask God for a
She nodded, glancing toward the dining room. “Yes, well, ‘next door’ being relative, of course. As the crow flies, the houses weren’t too far apart, I suppose, but these were big farms, bigger than what we have here in Lancaster County. To drive a buggy from my house to my mother’s, we had to go way around a big loop on the road, nearly a mile, if not more. Most of the time, we just walked over so we could use the shortcut instead. But even that was probably a quarter of a mile.”
Next door. Short cut. Dairy farm. I could hardly breathe, I was so excited.
“And the people who own that dairy farm now,” I said. “Do you know them?”
“If they are still the same owners, I do. I sold it to the Neffs, a nice family in our church. Last I heard, their daughter Cora and her husband were running the place.”
It was hard to keep everything straight. “Okay, and how are they related to us?”
“They’re not.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose, listening to the shuffle of chairs being pulled out around the table. “But you said they were Neffs, like your niece Rosalee, who is also a Neff.”
“Oh, right, I see what you’re asking. Well, we are related by marriage, I suppose. Rosalee is a Neff because she was married to Cora’s uncle. Now that I think about it, though, Cora’s maiden name was Neff but now she’s a Kline. So actually, it’s the Klines you would contact if you want to track down Rosalee.”
Mammi looked toward the dining room and again tried to stand. This time, I had no choice but to stand as well and take her arm, gently helping her up.
“So, Kline is the name of the people who own the dairy farm?” I whispered urgently. “What’s the husband’s first name? Do you know?”
Steady on her feet at last, Mammi took a moment to brush her hands across the wrinkles of her skirt.
“Darryl. Cora married Darryl Kline. He was a fine fellow, maybe twenty when we left. I used to think he’d make a good husband for one of my girls. But that was not God’s will for their lives. And I’m sure he and Cora have been very happy.”
She began walking to the dining room, which had grown nearly still. As we rounded the corner, we got a glare from Aunt Klara, who was seated at one end of the table.
“Hurry up, you two,” she chided. “The food’s getting cold.”
“Like a pair of whispering hens in there,” Alice teased with a wink.
I was blushing furiously, trying to think of some explanation when Mammi simply grinned and said, “‘The last shall be first, and the first last.’ That means Ella and I have dibs on the biscuits.”
Everyone chuckled as we took the two remaining seats, both on the same side of the table. Mammi was on the end, next to Mom, who was next to Zed. I was in the middle between him and Christy. Nancy and Ben rounded out our side. On the other side sat Will, Mat, Ada, Alice, Ezra, Mel, and Izzy. The twins did better at mealtimes when separated from each other and seated between attentive adults.
Uncle Alexander and Aunt Klara were at the head and foot of the table,and as I looked around at the group gathered there, I suddenly found myself getting kind of choked up. Except for Izzy, whom I didn’t really know, I realized almost all of the people I loved most in this world were around this table. If only Lexie and James were here too, my joy would be complete. I put my hands to my face, willing my tears to stop.
Zed poked me with his elbow. “What’s with you?”
“I have a speck in my eye.” I pretended to be fishing for one with my index finger.
Uncle Alexander asked us all to bow our heads, and we prayed silently. I wanted to ask God for a
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