Love's Abundant Harvest Read Online Free PDF Page A

care for; you tend to forget that from time to time.”
He tugged her forward to get a rise out of her. Her playfulness lifted his spirits,
and Gott knew he needed that. With both of his parents gone now, Emma and her family
were just about the only relatives he had left.
    “You are to me. And you’ll be eating your dinner off the dirt road if you don’t stop
pushing me around,” she teased with a stern face.
    “Paybacks for you picking on me as a kid.”
    She couldn’t argue with that, and they both knew it. But for all their teasing, they
had just as many good-hearted conversations. If not for Emma and Caleb, Manny didn’t
know how he would have made it through Glenda’s passing.
    “Well, that goes both ways.” When they reached the door, she stopped and stared him
in the face until he agreed with her. She’d done this for as long as he could remember,
and he’d finally quit squirming when he grew taller than her. Now that she had to
look up, she wasn’t nearly as intimidating. There was still the problem of her flailing
her gums at him, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
    As soon as Emma set foot in the kitchen, a whirlwind of commotion began as she prepared
his dinner. “You’re gonna need more help planting this year. You should ask Daed and the boys to help out.”
    He sat down at the kitchen table, his legs suddenly heavy. He knew she was trying
to help, but he didn’t want to hear how different everything was now that Glenda
was gone, after only one year together.
    He’d been through a harvest without her, and it wouldn’t matter how many others helped;
it would never be the same.
    When he glanced over at Emma, he saw her looking at him. His throat caught, so he
didn’t try to talk. Then his chest started to heave. He took deep breaths to keep
the pain at bay.
    “Don’t get all sentimental about it, Manny, or you’ll get me going.” She turned completely
around to check on him, and he dropped his head.
    The more she saw his emotions spilling out, the worse it would be. There were plenty
of thoughts going through his mind, but one stopped. He wasn’t just upset about Glenda,
he was suddenly worried about living the rest of his days alone. He hadn’t thought
much about finding another wife, but in that moment he wondered what his future held
and stopped thinking about the past. Maybe. Even if it was fleeting, it made him
feel a little more alive.
    Emma was in a chair by his side before he knew it, wrapping her arms around him and
resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re gonna be all right, Manny. I promise you,
you will. It just takes time, like healing a wound. You just can’t keep opening it
up again.” She lifted her head, staring straight at him, but neither spoke.
    She was right. It was time to let go.
    “I don’t know what I’d do without you and Caleb.” He tried to smile but couldn’t.
    She suddenly stood and glanced around the room. “We’re going outside.” She set the
casserole in the oven and went about opening and closing drawers, diverting his attention.
    “What are you looking for?” He was too tired to stand but did it anyway. She wouldn’t
give up until she found what she wanted. “And what about dinner?”
    “It can wait.” She gave him an empty jar and kept one tucked under her arm, opening
the back door with the other. The screen door slammed behind them. Emma took off
running toward the dirt field, but stopped short, standing in the hip-deep prairie
grass.
    “You mind telling me what you’re doing?” As he watched her take off the lid and creep
around slowly through the grass, he knew what she was doing but couldn’t believe
it.
    “Let’s see who can catch the most fireflies.” She didn’t lift her head, just kept
her jar level with the grass and then scooped up a tiny, glowing light. “It’s hard
to believe that’s a living creature in there.” She held it up and watched it go off
and back on a second later.
    Manny watched a glowing,