Never Far From Home (The Miller Family 2) Read Online Free PDF

sixteen.
    James Davis was not Amish.
    And there was something else Hannah needed to get off her chest with her beloved niece. “Emma, have you been in contact with young Mr. Davis? Other than speaking to him the day he stopped at your uncle’s farm?”
    Silence—except for the clopping of horse hooves and the scrape of metal wagon wheels on the road. This wasn’t like Emma, a girl who usually had plenty to say on every topic. Hannah waited a full minute while keeping her focus on the road ahead. Then, “I’m waiting for your answer.”
    Emma spoke in an almost childlike voice. “ Jah . I left directions for him on how to find your farm. I gave them to Mrs. Dunn at your wedding.”
    “Why would you do such a thing?”
    “He said he was interested in how our operation differed from his, especially how we manage without electricity. He invited us to stop at his folks’ place, remember?” Emma turned toward Hannah on the seat, looking utterly earnest.
    “I remember, jah . Why didn’t you tell me you had left directions for him?”
    She shrugged her thin shoulders. “Because I really didn’t think he would stop, or that he would even remember meeting two Plain women.”
    Hannah inhaled a slow breath, trying to ponder the perspective of a fifteen-year-old. She had no wish to overreact to something not necessarily wrong, and so she opted to ask another question. “Was that your sole correspondence?”
    “No. I sent Mrs. Dunn a note saying my wreaths were finished and that I would deliver them with our next wool order. That way she wouldn’t take crafts on consignment from another supplier. And I asked her to tell the Davis family about our delivery date in case she wanted her whole supply to arrive the same day. She had mentioned she fills big orders for a rug and carpet manufacturer.”
    “I see,” Hannah said. On the surface nothing was wrong with Emma’s logic. In fact, Hannah was impressed with her newfound business acumen. So why do I still have a bad feeling in my bones? “I get the idea, Emma, that you had an additional reason for sending the note to James. I believe you like the young man.” Hannah exhaled her pent-up air with a whoosh .
    “Well, I guess I do like him, Aunt Hannah. He seems nice, don’t you think?”
    “ Jah , I suppose so.”
    “And isn’t it important to have friends in your chosen line of work? Business contacts, like Mrs. Dunn and the friends Uncle Seth knows at the grain elevator…both Amish and English?”
    Hannah felt she was about to be outmaneuvered, and she didn’t like it. “True enough, but you’re only fifteen years old.” Nothing more reasonable than that came to mind.
    “I’ll be sixteen in two weeks, and I’ve been out of school for almost two years. Surely I’m not too young to have English friends.”
    “Let me ask you a question, young lady. Have you told your mamm and daed about James stopping by for a tour last week?”
    Emma met Hannah’s eye before gazing off at the countryside. Spring was exploding with each passing hour of glorious sunshine. “No, I didn’t. Pa usually judges a book by its cover, and he wouldn’t see anything beyond James’ Englishness.”
    True enough , Hannah thought. What she said was, “But he is your father and knows what’s best for you.”
    Emma crossed her arms over her apron, turning slightly away on the bench seat.
    “I’ll say nothing to Simon or Julia right now,” Hannah said softly. “I don’t want to interfere with a family matter between you and your parents.”
    Emma pivoted around on the bench, her face bright and eager. “ Danki , Aunt Hannah—”
    “Let me finish,” Hannah interrupted. “But I also won’t be part of any subterfuge in the future, niece. I won’t assist you in deceiving your folks, no matter how much I love you.” She reached out to cup the girl’s chin with three fingers. “And I do love you, Emma.”
    The girl slid over until she was practically sitting on Hannah’s lap.