The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts by Patricia Davids (best chinese ebook reader TXT) 📗

I convinced him I wasn’t trying to usurp his mamm’s place and I just wanted to be his friend. It took time to convince Jakob as well.”

“Jakob?” Becca had known her cousin was brokenhearted when his first wife died in childbirth but she hadn’t known he’d been resistant to the idea of marrying Abby.

“Ja, he wanted nothing to do with me, at first.”

Becca snorted. “I can hardly believe that. You’re so wundervoll. What man wouldn’t want to marry you? Besides, he’s obviously crazy in love with you now.”

Leaning her hip against the counter, Abby paused in her chore, holding a white egg aloft as she glanced at Becca. “Ach, he didn’t always love me. It was a very uncomfortable situation. Here I was, living in a strange place, thinking he had proposed marriage, only to discover that it had been his vadder’s idea and Jakob knew nothing about it.”

“Hmm. That would be difficult. I doubt uplifting notes will work on Caleb and Enos, though,” Becca said.

“But a stern talk from their vadders might do the job.” Naomi lifted her eyebrows in a severe expression to make her point.

“I’m not so sure. Caleb’s older brother and sister have been getting after him for some of the tricks he pulls and I suspect they’ve already told the bishop what’s going on. Yet, Caleb continues to misbehave. Tomorrow, we’ll start practicing songs and readings for the end-of-year program. Maybe if I ask for their help, Caleb and Enos might become vested in the school’s success. I might even ask Caleb to start reading with Sam King. Maybe if Caleb feels needed, he’ll behave better.”

Abby slid a carton of cleaned eggs into the refrigerator. “Ja, that might help. You are very wise. Is little Sam still not speaking?”

Becca released a pensive sigh. “Ne, and I’m quite worried about him. His vadder doesn’t seem concerned at all. He said he thinks Sam will start speaking on his own when he’s gut and ready.”

“But you don’t agree?” Naomi sat at the table and folded clean laundry from a basket resting on the floor.

“Ne, I don’t.” Becca spoke rather harshly, trying not to feel angry at Jesse’s neglect of his son. But it still rankled her that he seemed a bit insensitive to Sam’s needs. “Jesse King is an odious, contrary man. I realize he’s lost a lot and been hurt but he should set aside his own pain and put his sohn’s needs first. I think Sam is suffering badly from the trauma of his mudder and schweschdere’s deaths.”

A thud and then the sound of the front door opening came from the living room. Becca figured the men must have finished their evening chores.

“Ach, the poor dear,” Abby cooed in a sympathetic tone. “And his poor vadder too. What a horrible thing for both of them to go through. I know how hard it was for Reuben and Ruby to lose their mamm. I don’t think they’ll ever get over the shock. And neither will Jakob. Sam is blessed to have you to comfort him.”

Becca didn’t agree. She didn’t know what to do for the little boy. How she wished she were more experienced and knew more about special needs like Sam’s. But her eighth-grade education didn’t provide much insight on such things. The boy was obviously traumatized. Perhaps Jesse was too. And right now, she felt as though she were the blind leading the blind.

“Ach, what that little boy needs is a mudder. And Jesse needs a frau. It would do them both a world of gut if Jesse were to remarry,” Naomi said.

Maybe so but Becca wasn’t in the running for either role. Not after the way Vernon had broken her heart. She couldn’t even think about marriage now. Not without feeling nauseous and trembly all over.

“I’ve heard Jesse has already made a huge difference at that run-down farm he purchased. Jakob drives by there almost every day and said he can see improvements already. And you must have noticed he’s quite a handsome mann,” Abby said.

Of course Becca had noticed. She’d have to be dead or blind not to. But that didn’t matter. Not to her. Vernon had been good-looking too, but he’d turned out to be disingenuous. She’d rather marry an earnest, hardworking man who loved the Lord as much as he loved her than be shackled to a handsome, shallow man who didn’t really cherish her.

“I’m not interested. I’m simply his sohn’s teacher and nothing more,” she insisted.

She slid into a chair and reached to help fold the socks. As she did so, she felt Naomi’s gaze resting on her like a ten-ton sledge. She didn’t look up, hoping the older woman didn’t notice her flaming cheeks.

“Becca?”

All three women looked up in unison. Jakob stood in the doorway, still wearing his heavy winter coat and black felt hat. He’d obviously just come in from the barn.

“There’s someone here to see you,” he said.

She tilted her head, thinking it quite late for an evening caller. “Who is it?”

Jakob lowered his head, but kept his gaze pinned on her. “Jesse King.”

Becca went very still. Her heart skipped a beat, then sped into triple time. What on earth was Jesse doing here at this late hour?

Jesse waited patiently for Becca to appear. Standing just inside the closed front door, he held his hat between his hands and gazed at the clock on the wall. He was grateful to get his son out of the cold night air. Sam fidgeted nervously beside him, his eyes wide and filled with apprehension.

This was a nice, spacious living room, with a huge rag rug covering the wooden floor, a plain but comfy-looking sofa, two soft chairs, a simple but serviceable coffee table, and a rocking chair. A set of brown curtains covered the dark, cold windows. The walls were painted white, clean but simple. A black woodburning stove sat near the central wall, emanating enough heat to warm the entire house. It felt nice and cozy in