about the disapproval of those around them. Sheâd think about Joey and the goot times theyâd shared. It was likely this would be their last night together, which was an awful thought. When their orders were ready, Henry tugged on her arm. âSusanna! Hereâs your order. Come with me. Now!â
When Susanna hesitated, Henry tugged again.
âBut heâs coming too.â Susanna sent a quick glance toward Joey.
âThat I am,â Joey responded.
âNot in the buggy,â Henry snapped, his voice a bit too loud. âNow come.â He pulled hard on Susannaâs arm this time, and she gave in. Joey could follow them in his car. That was best anyway.
âYouâre making a scene,â Susanna muttered on their way out. Her sandwich bag caught on the door frame, but Henry didnât stop. The bag ripped, and a piece of brown paper stayed behind. At least her sandwich was still in her hand.
âIâm not making a scene. You are,â Henry grumbled. âIâm not the one who made plans to meet their Englisha loved one in the middle of Heuvelton.â
âI didnât plan this, Henry. And besides, Iâm on my rumspringa ,â Susanna retorted.
Henry untied Ranger and climbed in the buggy before he answered. âYour rumspringa needs to end. Youâre marrying Ernest. Letâs keep that truth in front of our eyes.â
âWhy are you making such a big deal about this? Itâs not as if I want to marry Joey. Weâre just friends,â Susanna protested. Henry didnât answer but drove Ranger out onto the street at breakneck speed.
âSlow down,â she ordered.
âWeâre going home,â he said, his face set.
âNo, weâre not,â Susanna shot back.
Henry said nothing as the waters from the townâs river appearedin front of them and the road toward home became visible across the bridge.
âJoey will follow us home,â Susanna said. âIs that what you want?â
Henry pulled back on the reins and looked at her. âAre you telling the truth, Susanna? Would he follow us?â
âI donât know for sure,â Susanna admitted. âBut he might. He will want to know whatâs going on. I told him we were headed to the water.â
Henry pondered the point for a moment. At the last second he pulled left on the reins. The open buggy tilted to the side as they made the turn. Two blocks later Henry pulled off the street and onto the riverbank. Ranger came to a halt, and Henry let the reins hang loose. There was no place to tie up, but Ranger had been here before. The routine was established.
âYou behave yourself now,â Henry said out of the corner of his mouth. âAnd Mamm and Daett need not know about this.â
âThank you,â Susanna told him. âI appreciate what youâre doing for me.â
Henry didnât answer, but he climbed down from the buggy with his bagged sandwich in one hand. Susanna tried to breathe evenly. That Henry should offer to keep this evening a secret warmed her heart, but his offer would only go so far. The word would get around the community from the others that she had asked Joey to join their gathering. She would deal with that later.
With trembling hands Susanna climbed down from the buggy. She almost tripped when her foot hit the ground, but she caught herself with one hand on the wheel. Thankfully Joey hadnât pulled in yet. He didnât need to see this display of clumsiness. The rest of the evening must be perfect, since it could be her last with Joey. She forced a smile as Joey parked across the street and with quick steps crossed over and came to a stop beside her.
âIs everything okay?â he asked.
â Yah , Iâve got things straightened out with my brotherâ¦for now. Thanks for following us down here,â Susanna said.
Joey smiled and took her hand. âCome,â he said. âLetâs walk