Double Take by Melody Carlson Read Free Book Online Page A

irrational. Even though she would be severely reprimanded, she should run out there, confess her bad judgment, and put an end to it. No good would come of this switch.
    Feeling panicked, she hurried out the door and rushed out into the street. But it was too late. The buggy was already a block away and moving quickly.
    She watched as it grew smaller and smaller, then stared down at the wrinkled slip of paper still in her hand. Her bus ticket to New York. She pushed up her sleeve and looked at Madison’s pretty silver watch to see it was already close to five o’clock. It seemed her only option was to go to the bus station and proceed with Madison’s crazy plan. What choice did she have? And what did she have to lose anyway? What if she was able to find Jacob in New York City? Wouldn’t that make all of this worthwhile?
    As Anna sat on the bus station bench, studying Madison’s notes and trying not to feel too guilty, she remembered something her father sometimes said when something strange occurred on the farm or in the community. God works in mysterious ways.
    Was it possible that God could do something with this mysterious mess that she and Madison had created? Anna bowed her head and attempted to pray. Suddenly she became aware that her head was uncovered—not only that, but she was wearing boys’ trousers! How would it be possible for God to listen to her prayers now? Oh, what had she done?

5
    Madison leaned back in the seat of the buggy and sighed. So far so good. Anna’s uncle hadn’t even given her a second glance. As she looked out the window, watching the houses along the street slowly pass by, she felt transported to another time. The rhythmic rumble of the wheels rolling down the uneven street, the gentle swaying of the carriage, the afternoon shadows of trees and sunlight—all made Madison very sleepy. She briefly considered a nap, but unsure of the length of the buggy ride, she decided it made more sense to study her notes.
    She reached for the duffel bag and suddenly remembered something. She had forgotten to get her Blackberry from Anna! That was going to be her lifeline. She had meant to hide it somewhere, just in case. She’d meant to pocket a Visa card too. But in those last minutes in the café, as they tried to exchange information, it happened so fast—the uncle arrived early, and now she was cut off. She smoothed the front of her apron and took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. Wasn’t this exactly what she’d wanted—to disconnect from all the pushing and pulling in her life? Well, here she was.
    She pulled out her notes and booklets and spread them out on the worn leather seat. She decided to practice a phrase that she planned to use to explain her loose grasp of Pennsylvania Dutch language—her everything excuse. I fell and hurt my head . . . I cannot remember some things. Hopefully it would work.
    Madison’s childhood friend Lucinda Tompkins had suffered a head injury while skiing, and it had changed her personality as well as her language skills. If Madison could just convince Anna’s relatives that this had happened to her, perhaps they would overlook some things.
    But the more she thought about this whole mad scheme, the crazier it all seemed. Had she lost her mind? She wondered what Anna would do when the week was up and it was time to change places again. How would Anna explain her sudden ability to communicate clearly again? Would she have to pretend she’d fallen and hit her head again and returned to her senses? Really, this whole thing was nuts. Yet it was fun too. Madison decided she would coach Anna when they met in town—create a reentry plan.
    Of course, this brought up a whole new set of challenges. How would Madison schedule this exchange meeting without the convenience of her cell phone? And without revealing her true identity, which would get Anna into trouble, how would Madison convince Uncle Daniel, who seemed a bit on the grumpy side, to bring her back