Pennsylvania Patchwork Read Online Free

last couple days. He’d made himself scarce every time he saw her. Did he not approve of her marriage to Nathaniel? “Our table seems too empty with my Bruder Isaac’s family gone. We’d love to have you.”
    â€œAre we going to stand out here all day?” Holly asked.
    Esther could tell her daughter was irritated, but doubted their conversation was the source of her agitation.
    She glanced up to the brewing sky, clouds crowding in from the west, and asked the Lord who was the right man for her one and only Holly. Mamm was dreaming if she thought Holly would dive into the Amish church and be content driving a horse and buggy. Nor would Holly pitch her cell phone and laptop. Yet this Armin chap didn’t look so bad, though Nathaniel said he wasn’t even baptized.

CHAPTER THREE
    The four of us stood in the barnyard waiting for someone else to make the first move.
    My mother, all moony-eyed, gazed up at Nathaniel, but his attention was riveted on Armin, who turned his head to watch an undulating flock of starlings. Mom patted her hair; her hands paused at her nape, her fingers searching for loose strands at her bun. Her cheeks wore a flushed girlish hue. She bore little resemblance to the independent woman who owned and operated the Amish Shoppe and had stated she’d never marry again.
    Against all logic, nausea snaked through my stomach as I envisioned Nathaniel King caressing her. My molars clamped together. Their courting, as the Amish called it, bothered me. I needed to change my immature attitude, but the child in me clung to my dream that Dad would return—talk about fairy tales. I should be thrilled Mom had found an upright and kind man who adored her. I’d have to get over it: Mom was infatuated with Nathaniel, like my father never existed. Until recently, she’d referred to my dad as the love of her life, a man no other could replace.
    â€œYou coming in to join us?” Mom asked Armin.
    â€œYah, I’ll stay. Ich bedank mich .” Thank you.
    â€œUnless Lizzie’s waiting for you both,” Mom said, which struck me as odd.
    A smile fanned across Armin’s face. “I’m not the man Lizzie’s hopin’ for, am I, Bruder?” Armin wore a goofy grin and Nathaniel scoffed.
    â€œWe’ll both eat here, thank you,” Nathaniel said.
    â€œGut.” Mom rubbed her fingers against the palm of her other hand. “We’ve got plenty.”
    Hey, wait a minute, why hadn’t Zach called to say he’d miss lunch? How rude. An insult to my mother, who’d prepared the meal, not to mention me.
    Anger and frustration coiled through my mind.
    Mom, Nathaniel, and Armin moved toward the back steps. I followed in their wake like a shriveled-up leaf on the creek behind the pasture. I didn’t want Zach finding me standing alone out here looking desperate when and if he arrived. I increased my pace until I’d caught up with them. In the kitchen I stepped into my suede moccasins I’d brought from Seattle. Armin and Nathaniel left their boots in the utility room, washed their hands at the small sink just outside the kitchen, and entered sock-footed. They removed their hats and hung them on wooden pegs by the door.
    â€œYou should bring over a pair of slippers,” Mommy Anna told Nathaniel, as he planted himself at the head of the table. “You own this house now.”
    â€œIt’s on loan to you, Anna.” He scooted in his chair. “For as long as ya want.”
    â€œYou’re a generous man, Nathaniel,” she said. “I’ll find you a pair of slippers myself, the next time I’m out shopping.”
    I pulled out a chair for Mommy Anna at the middle of the table, and Armin sat across from her as if avoiding Nathaniel.
    In a flurry of seamless motion, my mother set the casserole and muffins on the table, and brought three-bean salad, sliced tomatoes, broccoli salad, and chow-chow from the