Rachel's Garden Read Online Free Page A

managed a smile. “That is kind of you to go to so much trouble. But I don’t wish to sell.”
    He blinked. “Not sell?” His voice rose in surprise. “But what will you do with all that lumber and glass?”
    “Build a greenhouse.” The words came out almost before she thought what she’d say. She’d been having such difficulty in making decisions, and suddenly she’d made one on the spur of the moment. Yet Isaac had pushed her into this one.
    Annoyance flared in Isaac’s face, quickly masked by an air of concern. “Ach, Rachel, don’t be so foolish. The money will be of much more use to you than a greenhouse.”
    “Ezra gave it to me for my birthday. I don’t want to sell his gift. I want to use it the way he intended.”
    “Ezra would want you to do the sensible thing.” Clearly the sensible thing, according to Isaac, was to listen to him.
    The smile was so tight it felt her face would split with it. She shook her head. “I appreciate the trouble you’ve taken, but I’ve made up my mind.”
    Temper flared in his eyes, and his fist clenched on the counter. “How do you expect to get a greenhouse built? I don’t have time to do it for you. And you certainly can’t do it yourself.”
    “I w-w-want t-t-t—”
    William didn’t get any further before Isaac turned on him. “Forget that idea. I need you at the farm. You’ll have no time to indulge this whim of Rachel’s.”
    Her teeth gritted at the way Isaac disregarded William’s wishes. Just because it took the boy a long time to say something didn’t mean he couldn’t have an opinion.
    But that was how most of the family treated him, finishing his thoughts for him instead of having enough patience to hear him out.
    “If that is indeed what William intended to say, it is very kind of him.” She smiled at him, and he blushed to the tips of his ears.
    “William is not available.” Isaac ground out the words.
    William’s jaw clenched as if, for once in his life, he might go against Isaac’s wishes. But she couldn’t let the boy get into trouble on her account.
    “I can’t take him away from his work—he does so much for me already. I’ll manage.”
    “How do you plan to do that?” Isaac’s face darkened to a deep red, and he looked dangerously close to an explosion.
    It seemed she didn’t even consider the words before they were out of her mouth.
    “Gideon Zook is going to build the greenhouse for me.”
    She caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her eye. Gideon was standing there, watching them, close enough to hear every word.

CHAPTER TWO
    G ideon winced inwardly as the expression on Rachel’s face hit him. She’d just announced that he was going to build the greenhouse for her. But as soon as she’d seen him, she’d regretted her hasty words.
    He hadn’t been listening intentionally He’d just noticed that her stand didn’t seem to be busy at the moment, and he’d thought this might be a good opportunity to see if she’d made up her mind about the building.
    Well, now he knew. She had, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she’d been driven to that by Isaac’s attempts to boss her around.
    Ezra had always said his eldest brother was a little too fond of giving people orders. Even when they were boys together, he remembered Isaac trying to rule the roost. But Ezra had been a peaceable person. He’d listened politely to what Isaac advised, and then he’d gone his own way.
    The surprise was Rachel. Who would have thought that someone who seemed as soft and gentle as Rachel would display such a stubborn streak when she was pushed?
    Isaac, apparently following the direction of Rachel’s gaze, turned and saw him. His face darkened a little.
    “Gideon.” He jerked his head in greeting. “Is this true, what Rachel is telling us?”
    “Ja.”
    Sometimes the less said the better, and Isaac, though a good enough man in his way, had an uncertain temper to go with his bossy ways.
    Isaac hesitated, and his expression said he