Read Online When Grace Sings by Kim Vogel Sawyer - Free Book Online

toward his future, a lovely girl who would soon be his wife, a family legacy he could pass to his children and beyond. She and Mom, all on their own without a family support system, had to work for everything, and she didn’t even know who her birth parents were. She tried to summon envy, or even disgust at his shortsightedness, but it refused to rise. He seemed so forlorn, she could only feel sorry for him.
    Understanding dawned. She released a little gasp that caught his attention. “You want to go to college, don’t you?”
    He frowned, zinging a look toward the barn. But his father and her uncle were inside. They couldn’t overhear. He almost seemed to deflate, his tense frame collapsing and his head dropping low. “Yes.” He swallowed. “Yes, I really do.”
    “What do you want to do?”
    “I want to be a teacher.” The longing in his voice proved how much he wanted it.
    “Then why don’t you?”
    He sent a sideways glance that communicated frustration. “Because I can’t.”
    “Why not?”
    His face twisted with a snide grimace. “Because in my fellowship, teachers are women. Men are farmers, or furniture makers, or business owners. They aren’t teachers.”
    A chilly blast of wind slapped the house, rattling the windows and releasing a low howl. Alexa pushed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and crossed the flaps. “Just because it’s never been done before doesn’t mean it
can’t
be done, right? My mom grew up right here in Arborville as part of the Old Order fellowship. She went to college and became a nurse. That was new to her fellowship. But her family was proud of her for doing it.” Of course, they hadn’trealized what else Mom was doing—raising a baby on her own and keeping it secret. But that information wouldn’t benefit the confused young man standing on the porch with her.
    Steven sighed. His breath formed a little cloud. The temperature had dropped more than Alexa had realized. “My family wouldn’t be proud if I asked to go away to school. They’d be—”
    “Steven?” Mr. Brungardt waved from the open doorway of the barn. “Clete says a storm is brewing. We need to leave soon, but come look at this barn first. You’ll have to do some patching on the roof and on the north side, but the loft is still usable. Come see.”
    Steven bent his elbows and did a push-up off the railing. The old wood complained as it released his weight. Looking toward the barn, he finished softly, “They’d be disappointed. They want me to marry Anna—Grace and farm my grandfather’s land. So that’s what I’ll do.” His expression resigned, he moved slowly toward the rotting steps.
    Alexa watched him go, disjointed thoughts tumbling through her mind. He planned to bring Anna—Grace here, but he didn’t really want to do it. He wanted to go away somewhere and become a teacher. If he pursued his desire, she wouldn’t have to live next door to the girl her mother had given up for adoption. Was it selfish to hope his dream came true so she didn’t have to face what would certainly be her worst nightmare?

Arborville
    Alexa
    Alexa always looked forward to Sunday. Traditionally the Zimmermans gathered for a meal and a time of fellowship after Sunday service. When Grandmother Zimmerman’s son and daughters brought their families together, there were fourteen of them in all—a dozen more than had sat at Alexa’s kitchen table during her growing-up years. She loved the noise, the happy chaos, even the messes. When she sat at the table with her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins, it didn’t matter that they weren’t her blood relations. They were her
family
, and she savored every moment with them.
    Today they gathered at Shelley’s house, and for the first time since giving birth two months ago, the youngest Zimmerman sibling, Sandra, joined them rather than going home to rest. Although Alexa tried hard not to play favorites, she couldn’t help feeling drawn to Sandra. Only six