The Storekeeper's Daughter Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Your fever seems to be gone. That’s a gut sign.”
    Mary Ann’s dark eyes looked hopeful. “Sure hope so.”
    “Jah.” Naomi gently tapped the little girl’s shoulder. “Now, back to bed with you.”
    “Okay.” Mary Ann scampered out of the room.
    Naomi sighed. Maybe in another day or so, things will be back to normal.
    ***
    By Friday, Naomi felt frazzled and wondered if she, too, might be coming down with the flu. Every bone in her body ached, and she had a splitting headache. Of course, the headache might have been caused from listening to her younger sisters whine or from hearing the baby’s incessant howling. Naomi’s achy body could have been the result of doing so many extra chores. She’d had to change her sisters’ sheets every morning since they’d taken sick, as the girls left them drenched in sweat after each night of feverish sleep. Then there were dishes to be done, cooking that included several batches of chicken soup, and the chores Nancy and Mary Ann normally did. When the children took their naps, Naomi longed to do the same, but she had to keep working. If she didn’t, everything would pile up, and she’d have even more of a workload.
    Since Naomi was home all day, her brothers decided they could come to the house whenever they felt like taking a break from their work in the fields. Those breaks always included a snack, which they thought Naomi should furnish.
    Naomi popped two willow-bark capsules into her mouth and swallowed them with a gulp of cold water, hoping they might take care of her headache. “Air is what I need. Fresh, clean air to clear my head and calm my nerves.”
    The girls and baby Zach were sleeping, so if she hurried and cleaned up the kitchen, there might be time to take a walk to the creek, where she could rest and spend a few moments alone. The sound of gurgling water and the pleasure of sitting under the trees growing along the water’s edge had always helped Naomi relax. She hadn’t made a trip to the creek in many weeks, and she’d missed it.
    Ten minutes later, with the kitchen cleaned and straightened, Naomi stepped out the back door. Free at last, if only for a short time.
    ***
    Abraham wiped the sweat from his brow as he finished stocking another shelf with the kerosene lamps that had been delivered on Tuesday. It had been a long week, working at the store by himself. He’d had a steady stream of customers from the time he opened this morning, with barely a break so he could eat the lunch Naomi had fixed for him at dawn.
    “Sure wish the girls hadn’t come down with the flu,” he grumbled. “I really could have used Naomi’s help this week.” Abraham knew his oldest daughter was needed more at home than at the store right now, but that didn’t make his load any lighter. He hadn’t been able to take a single nap these past few days. How could he, when he had to attend to business and there was no one to take over when he became tired? He’d been sleeping a lot since Sarah’s passing. Maybe it was because he felt so down and depressed.
    He glanced at the clock on the wall across the room. It was two in the afternoon, and for the first time all day, he had no customers. This was the only chance he’d had to restock, which was why the lamps had been sitting in the back room for the last two days.
    Abraham reached into the box for another lantern when the bell above the door jangled and in walked Virginia Meyers. She was not one of his favorite customers, as the sassy young woman seemed to have a bad attitude. She had a way of hanging around Naomi, bombarding her with a bunch of silly questions, and insinuating she should explore some of the things found in her English world. Virginia probably thought she was being discreet, but Abraham had overheard her speaking to his oldest daughter on more than one occasion.
    “Is Naomi here?” Virginia asked as she sashayed across the room.
    He shook his head. “She’s been home most of the week, takin’