A Place of His Own Read Online Free Page B

placed a soft, wrinkled hand on each side of his face. “Josiah.” Tears filled her brown eyes. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, kind .”
    He smiled, and the knot that had formed in his stomach as he drove to his aunt and uncle’s house loosened a tiny bit. After finishing up in town and making a stop at his mother’s gravesite, he’d decided at the last minute to stop by Vera and John Yoder’s home on his way back from town. He had spent a lot of his childhood here.
    â€œYou look like your mamm ,” Aunt Vera said, swiping a thick finger underneath her lower lashes. “Heavens, I miss my sister. It’s gut to have you back, Josiah.” She drew him to her and enveloped him in her fleshy arms, then released him. “John’s in the shop. I’m sure he’ll be just as excited to see you. Geh , and I’ll bring you some fresh iced tea.”
    â€œ Danki ,” Josiah said, then left the expansive front porch and walked around the back of the house to his uncle’s buggy and harness shop. Glancing around at the well-kept property with its large white house, barn, huge storage shed, and attached shop, he realized not much had changed here. The Yoders’ property remained in its usual pristine condition. Not a single leaf or twig could be found on the black asphalt driveway that connected all three buildings, which were surrounded by perfectly manicured grass. A stab of envy went through him. Even when things hadn’t been so bad at home, his family’s property had never looked like this.
    The knot in his stomach re-formed as he approached the door to the shop. He hoped his uncle would react with the same welcoming attitude as his aunt, but he couldn’t be sure.
    As he pulled open the door, the familiar tinkle of the bell above the door frame rang out. He scanned the room, which, like everything else he’d seen since his return, seemed to stand still in time. The shop had two sections. He stood in the front “office” where his uncle and cousin dealt with customers and showed them pictures of buggies and samples of paint, leather, and upholstery fabric. In the larger back room, secluded from the public, the buggies and harnesses were made.
    The office was empty, and Josiah assumed they were all working in the back. He walked over to a small counter and ran his hand over the binder that held the pictures of his uncle’s handiwork. Flipping it over, he glanced at the photos of a variety of Amish buggies, memories once again flooding over him. He recalled the times he had been allowed to help his uncle in the shop.
    â€œCan I help you?”
    Josiah looked up to see a tall, broad-shouldered young man walk into the office, wiping black grease off his hands with an old rag. The man’s blue eyes narrowed. Josiah stood face-to-face with his cousin Peter, the one person in Paradise he knew for sure wouldn’t welcome him back.
    Peter’s expression reflected the wariness Josiah felt. “What are you doing here?” Peter asked, tossing the rag on the counter. “We all thought you were gone for gut .”
    â€œNice to see you too.” Josiah held his temper, not an easy thing to do since there was no love lost between the two cousins. As far back as he could remember, Peter had seemed to resent him. Apparently time hadn’t softened those feelings.
    â€œPeter, do you need some—”
    Josiah focused his attention on the man who entered the room. The short, stocky Amish man held his gaze for a moment before his face broke into a wide grin. “Josiah!” He crossed the room and wrapped his nephew in a big hug.
    The knot of tension completely released as he embraced his uncle.
    Uncle John stepped away, his gaze taking in Josiah from head to toe. His smile remained in place, causing deep crinkles to form around his light blue eyes, eyes that were identical to Peter’s. “I’ve