Читать книгу Courting Her Secret Heart - Mary Davis - Страница 15

Chapter Four

When Deborah rolled out of bed Monday morning, she was actually kind of pleased to be able to stay home and not have a photo shoot demanding her attention. Last week had worn her out. Between the sneaking off, traipsing through the lumpy field and posing just so over and over, every muscle in her body had tensed up. Even muscles she hadn’t used for any of those tasks. Just the stress made everything taut.

But there was no stress today. She could help out her sisters and Mutter, or slip away and relax at the pond. Maybe she would do a little of both.

After breakfast, Vater sat in the living room with his leg propped up, and Amos had gone outside to work in the barn. The lumber he’d ordered with Vater’s permission and gratitude had arrived late on Saturday. Today, he would start his repairs on the hayloft.

Mutter scurried into the kitchen with her coat on. She scanned her daughters. “I’m going to Sister Bethany’s Fabric Shoppe. Your vater needs a new shirt, and I want to start a new quilt.” Her gaze settled solidly on Deborah. “Would you like to come with me?”

Deborah couldn’t believe it. As she stood a little taller to speak, she opened her mouth, but before any words could come out, Naomi stepped in front of her.

“I want to go. Can I go with you, Mutter?”

“Of course. You can all go. Get your coats.”

Hannah and Lydia exchanged glances and identical tilts of their heads.

Sarah clapped her hands. “Yeah. I want to go.”

“I’ll stay here and start preparations for lunch,” Joanna said.

“I’ll stay, as well,” Lydia said. “Sarah, do you want to help me make a cake? I’ll let you lick the bowl.”

Sarah clapped her hands again. “Oh, ja. I want to lick the bowl.”

Mutter had invited Deborah, and now half of her sisters were going.

Hannah, Miriam and Naomi quickly bundled into their coats. Hannah would drive and Mutter would sit up front with her. That would leave Deborah to sit in the back with Miriam and Naomi. Miriam was always a pleasure to be with. But Naomi?

Mutter looked directly at Deborah. “You don’t have your coat on. Aren’t you coming?”

Naomi made a face at Deborah from behind Mutter’s shoulder.

Lydia put a hand on Deborah’s shoulder. “I could use your help with the cake.”

Deborah knew her sister didn’t, but said, “Ja, I’ll stay and help.”

Mutter smiled at her middlemost daughter. “You are such a gut girl.”

Deborah smiled back. Her mutter’s brief attention was somehow worth not going.

Naomi’s expression turned smug before she stepped out the kitchen door ahead of everyone. Why her next-to-the-youngest sister insisted on being spiteful didn’t make sense to Deborah.

“Mutter?” Deborah asked. “Could you get me some fabric for a quilt, as well?”

“Of course, dear.” With that, the foursome left.

Lydia didn’t move from Deborah’s side but stared out the window at the top of the door. She looked a little troubled, then spoke softly. “Danki for not making a fuss about staying. I figured Hannah would have her hands full with Naomi along. Why our sister has chosen you to clash with, I don’t know.”

It was nice to know that at least one other person in the family noticed Naomi’s ill temper toward her. “I do my best to stay out of her way.”