Treasuring Emma Read Online Free PDF Page A

few scratches but was still sturdy and beautiful. Her fingers caressed the smooth, glossy wood.
    “Emma.”
    After a pause, she looked at her grandmother.
    “Is something else bothering you?” Grossmammi’s gray eyes blinked behind plain silver-rimmed glasses.
    Emma didn’t know where to start, so she said nothing. She would keep her worries about money and her thoughts about Adam to herself. “ Nee . I’m fine. Just worn out from today.”
    Her grandmother pursed her lips together. Emma couldn’t blame Grossmammi for doubting her. She didn’t exactly sound convincing.
    “All right then. I’m going back to bed.” Her grandmother pushed back from the table and picked up the wooden cane leaning against the edge. As she shuffled past Emma, she paused and put her hand on her shoulder. “Remember, kinn . Whatever is bothering you, take it to the Lord. He’ll bring you the comfort you need.”
    Emma heard her grandmother’s slippers slide against the wood floor as she made her way up the stairs. How easy her grandmother made it sound. As if all Emma had to do was say a few prayers and everything would be all right again.
    But she could pray for hours and her mother would still be dead. So would her father. And Adam would still be hundreds of miles away, if not thousands by now.
    He had made his decision clear. She hadn’t heard a word from him since he left. And she didn’t care anymore.
    Only that wasn’t true. She cared.
    Far too much, she cared.

C HAPTER 4
    The next morning Emma was already dressed and outside before the sun rose. Her body ached with weariness. But chores didn’t disappear because she couldn’t sleep. There were animals to feed. Eggs to collect. Breakfast to make.
    She held a kerosene lantern in one hand and a basket in the other. Her feet traveled the worn path through the grass to the barn. Tommy dashed in front of her, followed by Shelby. They both disappeared into the barn, awaiting their morning meal.
    The scent of manure in the barn nearly overpowered her. Peter had cleaned it two weeks ago, but it was long past time to remove the manure again and replenish the straw. She didn’t want to ask him for help again. Or appeal to Norman. She’d do it herself.
    She heard her horse, Dill, whinny in her stall. The chestnut mare snorted as Emma hung the lantern on a hook on the wall. Hazy light filled the barn, enough to see that Dill was limping when she made her way over to the feed trough.
    A knot formed in Emma’s stomach. Was it the leg or the foot? She knelt down beside the mare and lifted the horse’s hoof, but couldn’t see anything lodged there. She’d have to call for a vet. She couldn’t allow Dill to become lame. She rose and patted the horse’s flank. “We’ll get your leg taken care of.” Another bill.
    The words echoed in her head: God will provide . Well, maybe if she just prayed harder, God would rain money from the sky. She felt a twist of guilt at the sarcastic thought.
    Emma moved from the stall to the laying boxes on the other side of the barn. When she thrust her hand beneath one of the brown birds, all six chickens panicked and flew away. Emma filled the egg basket and tossed a couple of handfuls of chicken feed on the barn floor.
    A few grains landed on Tommy’s back; he didn’t seem to notice. He crouched by his dish, meowing. Shelby sat by her bowl on the other side. Emma filled their food bowls with kibble.
    Both cats pounced on the crunchy bits of food. Their purrs filled the barn as faint, rose-hued sunlight sifted through the slats.
    The mutts, Rodney and Archie, must have crept out of the barn in the night. They often went out exploring the woods behind the house. Molly was probably still under the porch, where she stayed most of the time. She filled all their food bowls, extinguished the lantern, and left the barn.
    Dawn cast an ethereal light over the familiar landscape. As she turned to go to the house, Emma stopped to look at the large, dilapidated