Free The Harvest of Grace by Cindy Woodsmall

you.” She wiped her hand down a pant leg. “I’m Sylvia.”
    He shook her hand, caught off balance by her effort to be nice.
    “You agreed last night not to trespass in the barn when I’m working, remember?”
    “Of course I remember. I wasn’t drunk.”
    Her eyebrows rose. “If you say so.”
    “I say so.” He took the hose and rinsed the next cow’s udder.
    She tucked loose hair behind her ear. “I was hoping you and I wouldn’t have to argue anymore.” Her calm manner made her seem like a different person from the one he’d argued with last night.

    “I know how you feel. You made that clear.” But he wanted answers. The best approach was probably to avoid being too personal too quickly, so he’d start out talking to her about the obvious thing—milking cows by herself on a Sunday morning. “Daed went to church this morning, so I guess Sundays are your day to milk alone.”
    She got the milk flowing with little effort. After dipping the cow’s teats in the iodine solution and wiping them off, she attached the milkers. “ Alone is the key word.”
    He’d worked by himself on Sundays a hundred times in order to avoid attending church, and he wondered if that was her reason too. “Nope. Sunday is the key word.”
    She rubbed her forehead, probably trying to figure out how to get rid of him.
    He adjusted the pressure on the nozzle. “Daed was strong enough today to help milk cows. The two of you could have been done in plenty of time for church, but instead you’re here, and he’s gone.”
    The taut lines in her face told him a couple of things. One, he was right about Sunday being the key word. Two, she was a fairly easy read. He wasn’t particularly good at reading people, at least he didn’t think so, but this woman spoke loudly without saying a word.
    “Look, I know every evasion tactic when it comes to avoiding church. You don’t want to go? No one gets that more than I do. But I’m not leaving you with this herd to milk by yourself. No one has to know I helped. When we’re done, you can go have an uninterrupted bubble bath.”
    She shook her head. “Can’t you just respect my wishes?”
    “Not today.” He went down the line, preparing each cow. When his father’s arthritis kicked up, Aaron had been expected to run the farm without anyone’s help. His Daed shouldn’t ask that of someone outside the family, and Aaron wouldn’t allow it.
    He pointed at her outfit. “Are you Amish? Or did you borrow that prayer Kapp like you borrowed my old clothes?”

    “I was raised Amish, just like you. Much to my parents’ disappointment, I haven’t joined the faith.”
    “I get that. So, Sylvia, since we’ve established that you’re Amish and that you avoid attending church, how many visits have you received from the local church leaders?”
    “A few.”
    “Only a few?”
    “Preacher Alvin told me about a woman named Cara that the church leaders have been dealing with. They feel they handled her situation too strictly and were unfair to her, so I’m reaping the benefits.”
    They worked side by side for a good fifteen minutes in complete silence. She refilled the troughs with feed, getting ready for the next group. “Isn’t there somewhere else you’d rather be?”
    He’d go see Frani later today and talk to her about trying to get clean. He figured he’d need to repeat that conversation numerous times before she began to hear him. But even if she was up, she’d have a monstrous hangover.
    “Nope.”
    “Why come back now?”
    He paused, unsure what to say. He couldn’t discuss his plan until he’d revealed it to his parents, and they weren’t ready to hear it yet. He shrugged. “It’s home.”
    She stopped and stared at him. “You’re here to stay?”
    “It’s complicated. I just … Actually, I’m not sure it concerns you.”
    “You’re right. It was rude of me to ask.”
    He couldn’t figure her out. The agitation between them was like two male cats squaring