A Home for Lydia (The Pebble Creek Amish Series) Read Online Free

should be able to see what he saw. “This…is all unexpected.”
    “ Ya . I suppose it is. Good night, then.”
    They had barely begun moving when Grace opened up her bag of supplies and began sketching in the backseat of the buggy. Gabe glanced back at the cabins and saw Aaron once again shoulder his duffel bag.

    Once they were home, Grace had no time to spend with her new drawing supplies. They had a quick dinner, and then she took care of her chores—which included caring for her mouse, Stanley, who now had a small family of his own. That being the case, he’d been moved to the barn.
    She couldn’t blame Miriam. Most people wouldn’t want a family of mice living in the mudroom.
    While she was in the barn she spent a little time with their new puppy, Hunter, brushing him and being sure he had fresh water and food in his bowl. He was a German shorthaired pointer. Hunter was the prettiest thing Grace had ever seen, next to her sister, Rachel. His floppy ears and snout were a warm chocolate brown. His tummy was chocolate too, but his body was sprinkled with black, brown, and white.
    He was born from a litter that Pepper had fathered. Pepper was Miriam’s dog, and he had saved Grace’s life once, back when her voice was broken. She’d gone outside and managed to get lost in the worst snowstorm of the year, maybe of the century. Stanley hadescaped from his box, and somehow she’d caught the little mouse, which was a real miracle, but she couldn’t find her way back home. All she could do was hide under a tree in what became a snow cave. Petting Hunter, Grace thought about that snow cave and goose bumps popped out on her arms. She might have died in there, frozen with Stanley in her pocket, but she hadn’t. God had watched over her and sent Pepper. The hunting dog had found her, buried under the trees in the snow cave and barked and barked until the men he was guiding had dug her out and carried her home. It seemed to her that Pepper was pure angel, so probably Hunter was part angel.
    Part angel and part puppy.
    The part of Hunter that was angel was precious.
    The part of him that was puppy was a mess. He would pounce on something and fall over. He’d try to eat from his bowl and step in it. He’d chase his tail until he was dizzy before falling into a heap on the ground. Puppies didn’t make much sense, but they were adorable.
    She also had a kitten named Stormy. He wasn’t much of a kitten anymore. He had grown into a big tomcat who liked to chase things, especially Stanley if he had the chance.
    Grace thought she was all done with her chores in the barn when she heard Gus knocking around in his stall. Gus loved Belle, Miriam’s horse, and Chance, her dad’s horse, but what Gus didn’t love was being alone in his stall. He was dark brown with a white muzzle and stood about as tall as Grace. She couldn’t help loving the little guy. He would be perfect for pulling a cart, and she was almost old enough to drive one. She ran her hand down his mane and scratched behind the tips of his ears, hoping that would settle him down.
    Her dad had been right about Gus. Gabe hadn’t wanted the donkey at all. He’d warned her that donkeys were a lot of trouble, but their little donkey was still as cute as the day she’d first seen him at the benefit auction—the day she had begged her dad to enter the woodchopping contest. He’d won too, which still surprised her. After all, he was somewhat old, but he’d chopped wood faster than the younger men. He had been determined that day.
    All for a donkey he didn’t want. She would probably never understand grown-ups.
    By the time she was finished in the barn, she was more than ready to crawl into bed, but then she heard her little sister making baby noises in the sitting room. How could she ignore that?
    “It seems as if she’s growing every day,” Grace whispered as she leaned over the cradle and kissed Rachel good night.
    The baby stretched, tiny arms reaching over her