Katie was playing with Roman, enjoying the rare afternoon sun when Henry approached, his expression as serious as if he was going to a burial.
“Someone left this for you at McClusky General Store,” Henry said as he handed her a white business-sized envelope.
As she turned it over in her hands, worry gripped her. “Did Daed see it?”
“No.” He looked at her curiously. “The person said it was for an Amish girl named Katie. Ron said he didna know of anyone else by that name. Is it yours?”
“Maybe. Probably.” As she looked at the writing on the envelope, Katie fought to keep her expression innocent.
It was mighty hard to do, because from the moment she’d spied the writing on the envelope, she’d known immediately that the letter was for her and her alone. More important, she also knew who the author was. Holly’s handwriting had had those distinctive curves. No one else had ever written her name so fancy.
It seemed a strange coincidence that Holly had written her so soon after she’d just been thinking about her.
Unfortunately, Henry was not as easy to fool as she might have hoped. “Katie, who would be writing you in care of the general store? What is the note about?”
“Nothing. I…made some friends among the English. You know that. This must be from one of them.”
“But you aren’t looking at the note like it’s from a dear friend. You are looking at it like it might bite you.”
She gripped it harder. Wished she could just wish it away. Wish that neither Henry nor she had ever seen it. With even greater effort, Katie fought to keep her voice calm and neutral. “Don’t be silly.”
Still playing detective, Henry said, “If this person is such a good friend, why didn’t she have your address? Why all the secrecy?”
“I don’t know the answer. I haven’t opened the letter yet, have I?”
“Well, then, open it up.” He crossed his arms over his chest and waited, just like he’d used to do when they’d walk to school and she hadn’t been able to keep up with his long stride.
There was no way she wanted him to spy the contents. She slipped it in the pocket of her apron. “I will, later.”
“But—”
“It’s private, Henry.”
“Private?” A pair of lines formed between his brows.
In her pocket, the letter’s weight burned. “I’m allowed privacy too, aren’t I?” Remembering how she’d interrupted him and Anna kissing just two days ago, she said, “Or is privacy only for courting couples?”
Henry bowed his head in embarrassment. “Of course you may have your privacy. You are as prickly as a cactus lately. I don’t know what’s wrong with you.”
“Nothing is wrong, Henry.”
“You canna fool me, Sister. I’ve known you too long for that.”
After securing Roman in one of the stalls in the barn, Katie scrambled to her room, letter safely hidden in her apron, Henry’s words echoing in her heart.
Yes, she had changed. And it didn’t matter how sweet and kind she tried to be now. Inside, where it counted, she’d always be the girl who made a very big mistake…and had run from it.
As she stared at the letter she only knew one thing for certain: she was wanted again.
Chapter 4
Winnie was in good spirits. “Malcolm’s letter was a full three pages. He gave me news about his family and their neighbors. He sends his good wishes to you, Jonathan.”
“I appreciate that,” Jonathan mumbled. When Winnie looked up, he turned back to his task of loading the wagon so she wouldn’t see his expression. It was getting harder and harder to keep his personal feelings about Winnie’s pen pal to himself. It was even more difficult to refrain from sharing his thoughts about her infatuation.
“Do you appreciate his wishes? You don’t sound like you do.” She walked by his side as he continued to load the wagon. Halfheartedly, she shoved in a pail of nails next to a pile of wood. “You don’t sound interested in my letter at all.”
The moment she turned, Jonathan rearranged things so the nails wouldn’t fall over.
“This letter, it is your business, not mine.” When he noticed her shoulders slump, he wished he could take back his words. But really, at the moment, he begrudged his sister’s interest in Malcolm Troyer. He was an interloper in their life.
“Well, he extended an invitation again.”
“Uh-huh.” Jah, this Malcolm was an inconvenience, that’s what he was. He needed Winnie’s attention here in Ohio. Jonathan needed her help with the girls.
Plus, he had no desire to stand around and discuss every written word in Winnie’s letters yet again. His sister could wrestle with each sentence’s meaning for an hour at a time.