The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts by Patricia Davids (all ebook reader .txt) 📕

you did today, Eva. Maddie and the boys have learned their lesson and so have I. I won’t need your help or anyone else’s to look after them. We’ll take care of each other. It’s been a long day. I’m taking the children home.”

He half expected her to continue the argument, but she rose from the swing. “I’ll go in with you to tell Maddie good-night,” she said quietly. He glanced her way. The clouds parted, allowing the moonlight to bathe her in a soft glow. She was studying him with a curious expression on her face.

He wished he could read her mind. Which was a good joke. Even if she wrote out what she was thinking he wouldn’t be able to understand it.

The following day was the off Sunday, and Eva was glad to stay in. She was too tired and sore from dozens of scratches on her arms and legs to visit with the Lapp family. She didn’t see Willis except at a distance for the next three days. The children she saw playing together outside the smithy but they didn’t come over to the school. Maddie waved once, but Otto pulled her hand down and shook his head. Maddie stuck her tongue out at him and ran into the house. Later Eva heard Harley shouting, “It’s your turn to watch her, Otto. I’m leaving.”

It seemed things weren’t running smoothly at the Gingrich house.

Eva was only mildly surprised to find Willis on her front porch late Wednesday morning. She opened the screen door, unable to believe how happy she was to see him. She tried not to show it. “Hello, Willis. What brings you here today?”

“I have to pick up some iron bars in town. I thought you might like to ride along with the children and me and see some different parts of the North Country.”

She sensed there was more to his sudden invitation than he was letting on. Her curiosity got the better of her. “I would like that.”

“Goot. I’ll bring up the wagon.” His look of relief almost made her laugh.

Maddie was sitting on the wagon seat when he pulled up in front of Eva’s house. The boys were sitting on the floor of the wagon behind the bench seat. Maddie grinned from ear to ear. “Hi, Teacher. We’re going to town. I’m so glad you can come with us. Bubble has been asking to see you for days.”

“That’s no lie,” Otto said drily from his place behind her.

Maddie nodded. “Yep, Bubble has been asking day and night if we could visit you. Willis is tired of her talking about it.”

Willis leaned across Maddie and held out his hand to help Eva up. She cocked an eyebrow as she gazed at his embarrassed expression. “Is that so?”

“Yep, it’s so,” Maddie continued as she scooted over to make room for Eva. “He’s going to buy some material so I can have a new dress and a new kapp, too.”

“Has your brother learned to sew?” Eva had trouble keeping a straight face.

“I don’t know.” Maddie turned to look at Willis. “Can you?”

“Nee, but I thought I might be able to bribe someone I know into doing it with a nice lunch in town.”

“That’s rather presumptuous of you, isn’t it?” Eva wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily.

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he muttered.

Maddie lifted the front of her apron. “Harley sewed this patch on my dress.” The stitches were uneven, and the fabric was puckered.

“I told you not to tell anyone.” Harley’s annoyed voice caused Eva to look back at him.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Harley,” she said softly. “Your sister is blessed to have such a caring brother.”

“Willis made me do it.” Clearly, Harley hadn’t enjoyed the task.

“Otto fixed supper last night,” Maddie said with a wide smile. “He made grilled cheese sandwiches. Bubble doesn’t like burnt cheese and bread.”

“Bubble can cook her own supper from now on,” Otto shouted.

“You made her cry.” Maddie’s lower lip trembled as she cuddled her imaginary friend.

“She’s not real,” Harley snapped.

“Enough!” Willis’s commanding tone silenced everyone.

Eva cleared her throat. “It sounds like you have had a trying few days, Mr. Gingrich.”

Maddie leaned closer to Eva. “He broke his best hammer, too,” she whispered. “Did you matchmake him a wife yet?”

“Nee,” Eva whispered back. “Willis doesn’t want a wife.”

“He needs one,” Harley muttered.

“I can turn this wagon around and take you all home,” Willis threatened, proving he had heard Harley.

Maddie looked appalled. “But then Bubble won’t get to eat ice cream.”

Willis fixed his gaze on Eva. “Is the offer to watch these darling children during the day still open?”

Maddie pressed her hands together as she looked at Eva. “Please, please, please.”

“Ja, my offer is still open.”

“Does that include lunches?” Otto asked hopefully.

“I think I can manage to feed you, as well.”

“Wunderbar!” The relief in Otto’s tone made Eva laugh.

Willis gave her a wry smile. “I think I may owe you my life. Their joy at finding their lost sister has worn off.”

“Because she is back to being an annoying pest,” Otto said.

Maddie rounded on him. “I’m not a pest. You just don’t like playing with Bubble. You wanted her to stay lost.”

Eva slipped her arms around Maddie. “We are all glad you didn’t stay lost. Right, boys? They cried when they couldn’t find you.”

“They did?” Maddie wasn’t sure she believed that.

“They did,” Willis assured her. “Your brothers love you. You should try being nicer to them. They don’t have to play with you all day. They have things they like to do.”

Maddie pressed her head against Eva’s side. “But I don’t like being alone. What if the bear comes to get me?” Her voice broke on a sob.

Eva met Willis’s astonished gaze. She could see this was the first time he had heard about Maddie’s new fear.

Harley stood up and tugged on the ribbon of Maddie’s kapp. “No bear will come within a mile of our place.”

“That’s right,” Willis said. “They don’t like fire, and