Looking for a Miracle by Wanda E. Brunstetter Read Free Book Online

wrinkled her nose at him. “I always pay close attention during preaching.”
    “I think he’s only kidding with you,” Rebekah said. “I sure don’t remember you ever falling asleep in church.”
    “Me neither,” Daniel put in.
    “Jah, well, maybe she wasn’t sleepin’,” Johnny admitted. “She might’ve been prayin’ for a really long time.” He leaned his head back and hooted until his face turned red and tears trickled down his cheeks. Then he jumped up and grabbed Mary Ellen’s hand. “Say, why don’t you take a little walk with me? We’ll head on down to the creek, and maybe that’ll help you cool off. A girl with a fiery temper needs a bit of coolin’ down, don’t ya think?”
    Mary Ellen pulled away from him and folded her arms, although there was a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “What makes you think I would be willing to go anywhere with you, Johnny Yoder?”
    He blinked a couple of times and gave her a jab in the ribs with his elbow. “Because I’m irresistible, and if you don’t agree to go with me, then I’ll have to get down on my knees and beg like a
hund.
You wouldn’t want me to do something that embarrassing, now would you?”
    “Oh, all right,” Mary Ellen conceded with a shrug. “I couldn’t stand to see you beg like a dog.” Her gaze fell on Rebekah; then it swung over to Daniel. “You’re both welcome to come along.”
    “No, thanks,” Rebekah declined. “I’d rather stay right here under this shady old tree.” She glanced at Daniel, who now lay on his back, using his straw hat as a pillow. “You go ahead, if you want to, Daniel.”
    He crinkled his nose and waved a hand. “Naw, they don’t need me taggin’ along.”
    There’s that look again,
Rebekah noted.
Poor Daniel. He’s so smitten with Mary Ellen that he doesn’t know what to do. What with Johnny being around all the time, he has about as much of a chance at winning her over as a snowball does of staying frozen until the Fourth of July.
    Mary Ellen and Johnny said their good-byes, then walked away, giggling like a couple of kinner.
    ***
    “Why didn’t you go with them?” Rebekah asked, as she looked down at Daniel. “I’m sure Mary Ellen would—”
    “I’d rather not be a fifth wheel on the buggy.” He pulled himself to a sitting position. “I’d have gone if you’d been willing, but no, not alone.”
    Rebekah shook her head. “If I had agreed to go along on the walk, I would have only slowed the rest of you down.”
    “I could have pushed you in your wheelchair. I’ve had lots of practice with the plow and my daed’s mules, so we’d move along pretty fast, and we wouldn’t have slowed anyone down.”
    Rebekah grunted. “I’ve never been compared to a team of mules before.”
    His face heated up, and he gave his earlobe a quick tug. “Sorry. Didn’t mean it the way it sounded.”
Why do I always seem to say the wrong thing?
    “That’s all right. It’s not important,” she murmured.
    “Have you written anything interesting for
The Budget
lately?” Daniel asked, taking their conversation in another direction and hoping to draw Rebekah out of her melancholy mood.
    “Not really.” She stared down at her hands, clenched tightly in her lap. “I–I’m not so sure I want to continue doing it now that Grandma is gone.”
    “How come?”
    She shrugged.
    “Do you think your mammi would want you to give up doing things just because she died?”
    “I—I guess not. Knowing Grandma, she’d probably want me to keep writing for
The Budget,
the way she used to do before she turned her column over to me.”
    He nodded and smiled. “I think you’re right about that.”
    “Well, I suppose I’d better go see if Mom needs me for anything.” Rebekah motioned to the plates on the ground. “Would you please hand me those so I can take them inside?”
    “Want me to take ’em there for you?”
    She shook her head with a determined expression. “I can manage