Sisters of the Heart - 03 - Forgiven Read Online Free Page A

on home.”
    “You don’t mind?”
    “It’s the least I can do. Use my phone and call my cell when you wake up. I’ll give you an update.”
    “I should probably call the Brennemans, too, and check in again.”
    “Call all the people you want, Eli. My phone is yours.”
    “Just plan on me having your bed for the night, brother. That’s enough, I think.”
    After another wave goodbye, Sam walked to his car, wondering why he felt such a need to help. Because of his older, steady brother who had always been there for him? Because Eli always supported him, even when Sam’s wants and needs were so foreign to Eli’s?
    Or was he doing all this for Winnie, who he’d hardly known but had felt instantly drawn to?
    After all this time.

Chapter 3
    “This place smells like the inside of a shanshtah ,” Katie murmured as they stood in front of what was left of the barn three days after it had gone up in flames.
    “I wish it was only the chimney smell that concerned me,” Jonathan replied. “Unfortunately, the odor is the least of our worries.”
    Yes, the air around them most certainly held the scent of ashes, but the pungent odor was nothing compared to the destruction of his barn. Though it hadn’t burned completely down, more than half was gone. What remained looked so flimsy that it wasn’t worth the risk of keeping. The whole structure was going to need to be torn down, then rebuilt. “I don’t know how I’m going to set things to rights,” he added.
    “Luckily, you don’t have to do anything on your own. Both our families are eager to help, as is the rest of thecommunity, English and Amish. We’re all praying, too, you know.”
    “I keep forgetting to count my blessings.” Thinking of Samuel Miller’s latest phone call, he said, “It is surely a blessing that Winnie is going to be better soon.”
    “When Anna and I visited her yesterday, she seemed almost like herself.”
    As he looked around at the extensive damage, Jonathan couldn’t help but shake his head in wonder. “It’s a blessing that all our animals came through this, too. We didn’t even lose a chicken.”
    “The Lord surely was looking out for us.” Katie laid a hand on his shoulder. “He’ll help us now, too, I think. And don’t forget, we’ve got each other.”
    “I never forget that,” he murmured as he shifted and turned to pull his wife into his arms. “Your love is my greatest blessing.”
    Yes, her love truly did warm his heart. On some mornings, when he woke to hear Katie already fussing in the kitchen, humming a tune, he could hardly believe they were now married.
    What a whirlwind their courtship had been, too! Less than a year ago he was a lonely widower, who’d gone to Katie’s home and asked if her parents could spare her for a time so she could help with Mary and Hannah while Winnie traveled to Indiana.
    At first, things had been difficult—neither he nor the girls had been especially welcoming to her at first. But as days turned to weeks, a love between them all had bloomed. Next thing he knew, they were planning awedding. Now they were a family. Obviously, the Lord knew he needed someone special in his life.
    Together they entered the house, which was miraculously undamaged by either the fire from the barn or the water from the fire trucks. As soon as they entered the kitchen, Katie began to bustle about.
    He took a seat at the worn table and took a moment to watch her. As usual, she fussed like a busy bee, wiping down already clean counters, filling a teapot with water, then placing it on the gas-powered range to boil, and neatly folding two towels that the girls must have used earlier in the day. Finally, she laid a particularly pleasing cake in front of him. “I made a sour cream cake early this morning. I thought you might enjoy a slice while we make plans.”
    “And how did you know plans were going to need to be made?” He’d purposely been vague about his worries, knowing she would try to shoulder