Adoring Addie Read Online Free PDF

early?”
    â€œNah, Mutter wants you home.”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œShe’s worried about the barbecue tomorrow.”
    Her anxiety was definitely getting worse.
    Timothy accelerated on the straight stretch.
    I grabbed the door handle as my heart pounded. He hadn’t had an accident—yet. I couldn’t fathom why not.
    His phone rang, and he fumbled it out of his pocket.
    â€œLet me get it,” I said.
    He ignored me again, answering the call and holding it against his ear.
    I could hear George’s voice, asking where we were.
    â€œFive minutes away,” Timothy answered.
    â€œWe’re not staying long,” I shouted so George could hear.
    Timothy ignored me, said good-bye, and plopped his phone in the console between us.
    I wiped my forehead with the hem of my apron and pointed the car’s vents toward my face, trying to maximize the little bit of air coming out.
    I’d have to tell Aenti Nell about the broken mantel to explain why I didn’t have her money. I’d tell Daed about what Timothy had done, because someone needed to put my brother in his place, and as much as I wanted to, I knew whatever I said wouldn’t make a difference.
    Daed was the only one who could make Timothy stop, butmy brother was right. Daed didn’t seem to care about my Bruders’ wild ways. Although my family was more isolated than my cousin Cate’s, when it came to the Rumschpringe time, my parents were far more lenient than some—when it came to the boys. My Daed ignored my Bruders’ vehicles, late nights, and grumpy mornings. My parents were too tolerant, mostly denying my Bruders’ shenanigans. I guessed Daed had been on the wild side as a Youngie too, and that’s why he put up with it.
    When it came to anything concerning the Mosiers, Daed bristled—like when he thought I was interested in Mervin and forbade me from seeing him. He definitely had a part in the mysterious rift between the two families.
    Hopefully though, learning Timothy had destroyed someone else’s property would get Daed’s attention.
    The Bronco bounced as Timothy turned onto a dirt road. Over a knoll, a trailer house came into view beside a scraggly oak tree. My two other older Bruders were rebellious, but not like Timothy. Samuel, the oldest, was almost twenty-five, unmarried, and still not a member of the church, which I was sure bothered my parents, but they kept quiet about it. He’d always been easygoing—too much so. He wasn’t a leader, and Timothy had him wrapped around his little finger. There were times when I thought of my oldest sibling as Samuel the Simple.
    George was next. At twenty-two, he had an Amish girlfriend, Sadie, and I hoped he would join the church soon and settle down. He was quick to laugh, plus kind and giving. I thought of him as George the Generous.
    Timothy turned into the driveway of the trailer and parked next to George’s old blue truck. He opened his door. “Coming in?”
    â€œNo.” I stared straight ahead, my seat belt still in place.
    â€œGet off your high horse, Addie,” he said, climbing out of the car.
    I didn’t answer, but when George bounded down the wooden steps and flung my door open, I couldn’t help but reconsider. He grabbed my hand, his deep brown eyes twinkling.
    â€œAddie! Come see our place.” He wore his dark hair so cropped no one would guess he’d grown up Amish. At just under six feet, he was the shortest of my Bruders but the most muscular. They were all as strong as teams of oxen, broad like my Daed, although none of them were quite as big as he was. All were built for farming and barn raisings, although currently, Samuel and George were picking up shifts at a shed manufacturing business.
    George was my favorite of my older Bruders, and I missed him—even though I didn’t care to see the dump he now called home. For him, though, I unfastened my seat belt and headed