Landchester Amish Love: Ruth (Amish Romance) (Landchester Amish Love Series Book 2) Read Online Free
Book: Landchester Amish Love: Ruth (Amish Romance) (Landchester Amish Love Series Book 2) Read Online Free
Author: Esther Weaver
laid out well before Ruth got here, but she had been so nervous she hadn’t had any of it. Truth be told, she wasn’t really hungry now. But it gave her something to do, and she knew she ought to eat, so she went in search of food.
While she was on her way, she felt someone take her arm and lead her away. Her mind was scattered, so for one bright moment she thought it might be Joseph, although his taking her arm this way would be quite a liberty. Then she thought it might be Katie, ready to make up for the fight they had had.
It turned out to be neither. Instead, it was Rebecca.
“Is it true?” she was asking, in a low, conspiratorial whisper.
Ruth was confused. She knew Rebecca, although not very well. She was a decent girl, not prone to making things up.
“What do you mean?” Ruth asked, and Rebecca nodded her head sadly.
“ Jah, I thought so,” she said.
Ruth asked again what she meant, but Rebecca wouldn’t talk until they were off alone together, with enough privacy that they could speak and not be overheard.
“I’m afraid there’s a rumor that has been going around has been saying someone saw you and Joseph together in the field.”
“What?” Ruth asked, confused. “What does that mean?”
Rebecca looked at her sadly, and that was answer enough.
“But it isn’t true!” she insisted, and Rebecca nodded. “But then who would say such a thing?”
Rebecca looked around them, and then lowered her voice even further.
“I thought you should know. The rumor doesn’t say who it was. But from what I’ve heard, it sounds like no one had heard of it until Katie started talking about it.”
“She wouldn’t,” Ruth said, but even as she said the words, she knew it wasn’t true. She couldn’t understand why Katie would do such a thing, but she knew her best friend well enough to understand that to do such a thing wasn’t beyond her. She sometimes did rash things without thinking through the consequences it might have for others.
Rebecca left Ruth with her thoughts, and wandered off to go find food for herself.
Ruth felt trapped. Going back out into the crowd of people was impossible. If she knew such things were being said and heard, then she wouldn’t be able to have a single conversation without fearing what they were thinking of her, and trying to guess what they believed or didn’t believe. She had to get away from the Barn Raising, and quickly.
It was a far, far walk home, so Ruth took it at a jog so that she would be able to reach home before dark. She wanted to run anyway. It gave her a sense that if she ran fast enough, maybe she would be able to get away from the terrible thing that Katie had done to her.
Now that she was away from the immediate situation, the true consequences of the rumor began to fall on her. It wasn’t only Joseph’s respect, or the possibility that there may be anything between them that she was losing. If Katie was believed, then there were much greater problems. In the past, people had lost so much more. They could be shunned, or expelled. They could lose their haus . And because Katie was so much friendlier than Ruth, and had a tendency to make quick friends of others, Ruth couldn’t help feeling doomed, and that Katie would be believed and she herself would be lost entirely.
In her distress, she wished more than anything that she could speak to Joseph. She already felt that he was someone who could be counted on with her problems. And when she realized this, and saw how much she really liked him, it made the entire situation so much worse.
Chapter 6
Joseph was furious. He couldn’t show it, he knew. He had to try and keep a straight face. But under the surface, his emotions were boiling.
He’d been so excited about this event. He was going to see Ruth again, and he’d only grown more intrigued by her the more his memories of her had been left to steep in his imagination. She’d made an impression, certainly, and he was looking forward to
While she was on her way, she felt someone take her arm and lead her away. Her mind was scattered, so for one bright moment she thought it might be Joseph, although his taking her arm this way would be quite a liberty. Then she thought it might be Katie, ready to make up for the fight they had had.
It turned out to be neither. Instead, it was Rebecca.
“Is it true?” she was asking, in a low, conspiratorial whisper.
Ruth was confused. She knew Rebecca, although not very well. She was a decent girl, not prone to making things up.
“What do you mean?” Ruth asked, and Rebecca nodded her head sadly.
“ Jah, I thought so,” she said.
Ruth asked again what she meant, but Rebecca wouldn’t talk until they were off alone together, with enough privacy that they could speak and not be overheard.
“I’m afraid there’s a rumor that has been going around has been saying someone saw you and Joseph together in the field.”
“What?” Ruth asked, confused. “What does that mean?”
Rebecca looked at her sadly, and that was answer enough.
“But it isn’t true!” she insisted, and Rebecca nodded. “But then who would say such a thing?”
Rebecca looked around them, and then lowered her voice even further.
“I thought you should know. The rumor doesn’t say who it was. But from what I’ve heard, it sounds like no one had heard of it until Katie started talking about it.”
“She wouldn’t,” Ruth said, but even as she said the words, she knew it wasn’t true. She couldn’t understand why Katie would do such a thing, but she knew her best friend well enough to understand that to do such a thing wasn’t beyond her. She sometimes did rash things without thinking through the consequences it might have for others.
Rebecca left Ruth with her thoughts, and wandered off to go find food for herself.
Ruth felt trapped. Going back out into the crowd of people was impossible. If she knew such things were being said and heard, then she wouldn’t be able to have a single conversation without fearing what they were thinking of her, and trying to guess what they believed or didn’t believe. She had to get away from the Barn Raising, and quickly.
It was a far, far walk home, so Ruth took it at a jog so that she would be able to reach home before dark. She wanted to run anyway. It gave her a sense that if she ran fast enough, maybe she would be able to get away from the terrible thing that Katie had done to her.
Now that she was away from the immediate situation, the true consequences of the rumor began to fall on her. It wasn’t only Joseph’s respect, or the possibility that there may be anything between them that she was losing. If Katie was believed, then there were much greater problems. In the past, people had lost so much more. They could be shunned, or expelled. They could lose their haus . And because Katie was so much friendlier than Ruth, and had a tendency to make quick friends of others, Ruth couldn’t help feeling doomed, and that Katie would be believed and she herself would be lost entirely.
In her distress, she wished more than anything that she could speak to Joseph. She already felt that he was someone who could be counted on with her problems. And when she realized this, and saw how much she really liked him, it made the entire situation so much worse.
Chapter 6
Joseph was furious. He couldn’t show it, he knew. He had to try and keep a straight face. But under the surface, his emotions were boiling.
He’d been so excited about this event. He was going to see Ruth again, and he’d only grown more intrigued by her the more his memories of her had been left to steep in his imagination. She’d made an impression, certainly, and he was looking forward to
Readers choose
Chris Dietzel
David DeBatto
Julie Beard
Mark Pryor
Chris Philbrook
Roxanne St. Claire
Greg Grandin
Laurie Halse Anderson
Hart Johnson
Yona Zeldis McDonough