The Crossroad Read Online Free Page A

down, hugging her.
    “How’s my sunshine?”
    She let go, stepping back, then twirled about to model her long floral skirt, blond hair fanning out around her shoulders. “What do you think? I made it without any help from Mom.”
    “Wow, is this the sewing project you told me about?” He eyed the new skirt. “So … along with your other talents, you’re a seamstress, too.”
    Kari beamed, still posing a few feet from the arched entrance to the dining room, where the table was set with Janice’s best dishes and tall white tapers, already lit for supper. Kari had chosen the perfect backdrop to show off her newly acquired domestic skill.
    “Hey, wait a minute. I think I may be underdressed for this occasion.” He unbuttoned his overcoat, pulling it open slightly to gaze down comically at his own clothing—dress slacks and a sweater.
    Kari giggled at his antics, her blue eyes twinkling.
    “You’re just fine, Phil.” Janice breezed into the living room, reaching for his coat. “Let me take that for you.”
    Philip exchanged a glance with Kari while his sister hurriedly hung up his coat in the entryway closet. “Hope you’re hungry,” she called over her shoulder as she sailed back to the kitchen.
    Kenneth Milburn, his brother-in-law, emerged from the hall study. “Good to see you, Phil. How long has it been?” He thrust out his hand, and Philip returned the warm handshake.
    “Weeks, I’m afraid,” replied Philip.
    “Too long,” said Kari, still spinning. “It’s about time for the London trip, don’t you think, Uncle Phil?”
    “London?” he teased, knowing she was definitely counting on him to follow through on an earlier promise.
    Ken smiled. “Give your uncle a chance to catch his breath,” he admonished with a wink. Then, turning to Phil, “I’ve heard nothing but good reports about your Vermont vacation. Kari and Janice talked of it for days. And it was educational, which was a real plus.”
    Kari followed her dad to the sofa and curled up on one end, while Philip took the wingback chair across from them. “Dad thinks most everything in life should be educational.” Kari grinned at her dad. “We toured Robert Todd Lincoln’s estate, where one of Abe Lincoln’s three remaining stovepipe hats just so happens to be on display. Can you believe it? Mom and I had Uncle Phil take our picture next to it. For posterity.”
    Philip chuckled. “Don’t forget the Norman Rockwell exhibit in Arlington,” he prompted her. “That was also educational .”
    She took the cue, describing the magazine cover illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post they had enjoyed. “We found lots of surprises in Vermont when we stayed at Great-Grandpap’s cabin.”
    Philip remembered. They had discovered some fascinating treasures on their daily treks through the woods. Things like a rusty horseshoe, old pennies, red and yellow leaves, and aluminum cans imbedded along the trail, which they picked up and deposited into Kari’s backpack to be recycled later. But it was the chatter between him and his niece that he recalled as being the most rewarding aspect of the trip. For some unknown reason, she had been curious about the Amish and their plain attire—especially the women’s clothing—so he had attempted to describe the details he remembered: the length of Susanna’s and Rachel’s dresses, the colors—not mentioning Rachel’s choice of gray for mourning—the cape-style bodice and high-necked, full-length apron, and of course, the white head covering. “Not a sign of makeup,” he’d told her. “But it’s funny, you really don’t notice.”
    “Is that because their cheeks are naturally rosy?” Kari had asked.
    He thought about that. “Well, yes, I suppose they are.”
    “Must be all the gardening they do.”
    He let his niece think the latter, though he knew for a fact that Rachel Yoder had not been one to expose her face to the sun. Yet she was beautiful—pink-cheeked—nevertheless.
    Kari had