A Simple Vow by Charlotte Hubbard Read Free Book Online

table. As he bit into a chicken leg, he didn’t even care that juice dribbled down his chin—
    “Anybody home?”
    Asa stiffened, the chicken leg suspended in front of his mouth. Had someone called to him through the screened front door, or was he hearing voices as a symptom of his concussion? Maybe someone had come looking for Nora or—
    “Asa? Are you in there?”
    He held his breath, desperately trying to match that pleasant feminine voice with a face. He wasn’t really in the mood for a visitor, but curiosity got the best of him. “Yeah? Who wants to know?” he called out as he walked toward the front room. He kicked his clothes out of the way so he wouldn’t trip over them.
    Melodious laughter tickled his ears, and, when he saw a female face, he ached to put a name to it. She’s distorted by the screen , Asa reassured himself, but he hoped she spoke first so he wouldn’t have to admit that he’d forgotten such a lovely young woman’s name . . . if indeed he’d ever met her.
    “It’s Edith—the Edith Riehl who’s taking care of the twins.”
    Twins? “Uh—sure, come on in,” Asa hedged, gesturing with the chicken leg. “Pardon my bad manners. Nora brought me some food from the wedding dinner—”
    “It smells wonderful,” his visitor said as she stepped inside. Her eyes widened as she took in the room filled with benches.
    “—and I’m hungrier than a bear coming out of hibernation, it seems.”
    “ Jah , I bet you are.”
    Oh, honey, you don’t know the half of it. Asa knew he was staring but he couldn’t help himself. This Edith Riehl seemed achingly familiar, just beyond the reach of his recognition as a smile lit her pretty face and her expressive dark brows rose above sparkling brown eyes. When she stopped and nervously pressed her lips together, Asa realized how wolfish he must seem.
    “Sorry. That tumble I took is messing with my head. So . . . how are the twins?” he asked, grasping at her conversational straws.
    “Sleeping like little angels when I left. Lydia Zook opened the market so I could buy some more formula,” she explained, holding up her paper sack. “My two sisters are looking after Leroy and Louisa.”
    Fleeting images of two tiny, wailing babies and the backseat of a rig passed through his mind. Asa smiled, hoping this young lady didn’t think he was as lame-brained as he felt. “Guess they’re not very old then,” he remarked, wishing for a graceful way to get rid of the chicken bone he was holding.
    “Born six months ago, Will told me,” Edith replied with a shake of her head. “I can’t imagine what his family’s going through, what with his wife’s dying so young from cancer.”
    Asa sensed he should feel outraged about something, but he couldn’t put his finger on it—nor did he want to spoil a nice moment with this lovely young woman. “May I offer you some pie or wedding cake?” he asked hopefully. “Nora brought enough to feed—”
    “I really should get home,” Edith said as she glanced at the door. “If I’m gone too long—well, I just wanted to check on you. I’m so glad you’re up and around, Asa. Are—are those your clothes? How about if I take them home and wash them?”
    Before Asa could protest, Edith rushed toward him and grabbed up his shirt and pants. “I promise I won’t mix them in with the dirty diapers,” she teased.
    Asa felt vaguely embarrassed when Edith rolled his pants and shirt together and stuffed them into her grocery sack. “You don’t have to do that.”
    “It’s okay, really,” she insisted. She gazed up at him from just a few feet away, her smile lighting the whole front room. “We’re doing laundry tomorrow anyway.”
    Before he could beg her to stay, Edith hurried toward the door. When she wiggled her fingers at him, something snapped into place in his mind. “Hey, there’s money in my pants pocket. Take whatever you need to cover that baby stuff.”
    Edith’s smile rivaled a sunrise.