Patchwork Dreams by Laura Hilton Read Free Book Online Page B

flickered across Daed’s lips. “Helping Grossdaedi. I needed a break.”
    “Ach. Hinnersich, jah?”
    “Nein. He’s smart. Wonderful-gut help.”
    Ach, if only she could sit down at the table with Daed, have a cup of coffee and some cobbler, and listen to him recite Jacob’s virtues.
    But Emma needed attention.
    Feeding this foolish fascination with their guest would only cause her more heartache. After all, he’d be leaving in the not-so-distant future, maybe sooner rather than later, and then where would she be?
    Best to think about him as little as possible.
    With a sigh, Becky draped the pink blanket over the back of the cradle and hurried upstairs to tend to Emma.
    And to put all thoughts of one Jacob Miller out of her head.

Chapter 8
    With the stables mucked, Grossdaedi declared he needed a nap, and since Daniel had disappeared from the blacksmith shop, Jacob hurried up to the house. He walked into the empty kitchen. Bread cooled on the counter, a plate of iced heart-shaped cookies sat on the table, and a full cup of coffee had been abandoned near a half-eaten cookie. The cradle in the corner was empty, except for a pink blanket carelessly tossed over the edge, the only evidence that Becky had returned.
    Silence filled the house. Jacob went into the room next to the kitchen, where some chairs were arranged and the big family Bible rested on an end table. Macintosh apple-scented candles were the only decoration in the room, aside from a cabinet full of quilts that stood in one corner. Its doors were open, and colorful material spilled out from the overstuffed shelves. A couple of books and The Budget , the Amish newspaper, lay on another end table under a gas lamp.
    A seed catalog was open on one of the chairs, with notepaper and a pen beside it. Some notations were visible on the paper.
    A creaking sound came from the stairs, and Jacob turned to see the youngest girl coming toward him, clutching a faceless doll. “Katie?” He made a guess at the name. “Where’s your daed?”
    “Daed wanted to talk to Mamm, and I’m Mary. M-A-R-Y. I’m four. My birthday is in two days.” She held up five fingers.
    “Danki, Mary. Um, where is….” Jacob hesitated, not sure whom to ask for next.
    “Abbie won’t play with me.” The child gave a small huff. “She’s making a quilt for her doll.”
    “I’m sorry. Perhaps she’ll play with you later. What about your other sisters?”
    “Ruthie is reading, Katie went to visit a friend, and Becky is feeding Emma.”
    Jacob nodded. “Danki.” His family always took a brief quiet time during the afternoon, too, and again in the evening when the work was done, so they could relax before bed. Daed always claimed he could work better if he took several breaks throughout the day. “I guess I’ll, uh….”
    “Have a cookie? That’s what Mamm told me to do. She said that Becky brought them home from Annie’s.”
    “A cookie sounds ser gut.” With a cup of coffee, especially.
    Mary nodded, her braids bouncing against her shoulders. “My dolly is going to have one, too. Her name is Rachel, the same as my friend. And my friend named her dolly Mary, like me.”
    Jacob smiled. “That’s nice.” He glanced up the stairs again, willing someone else to come, but no one made an appearance. “Let’s go get that cookie, then. Would you like a glass of milk with it?”
    “Jah, and one for my dolly, too.”
    Jacob blinked, not quite sure how to handle that one. But maybe by the time he was ready to pour the milk, someone else would have come downstairs. He followed Mary into the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator. He took out the milk, then turned and saw Mary place two little cups on the table. Little toy dishes, really, like his sister had played with when she was little. “Does your dolly want her milk in this?” he asked.
    Mary nodded. “Jah. And me, too.” She plopped herself down in a chair. “Why’d you kum here?”
    Jacob shrugged, not sure what to