Free Threads of Grace by Kelly Long Page A

on his. She moved to draw away, and he let her go easily.
    “You must be exhausted,” he said. “But I think you might have enough energy to enjoy at least one wedding gift.” He pointed to the floor, where Abel was lolling about with a reddish-gold puppy.
    “ Mamm , look! Her name’s Pretty. I named her. Is that okay?”
    Grace eased upward on the couch. The guests were all gone. She must have been asleep for quite some time.
    “Of course.” She smiled. She glanced at Seth. “Seems a dog might be good for him. My husband—that is, my former husband—”
    “Wouldn’t allow it,” Seth finished. “Yes, so you’ve told me.”
    He leaned his broad back against the cushions, moving a bit closer. She forced herself to sit still, to resist the desire to flee from such intimate touch. She didn’t know how to handle his gentleness and prayed that it was no ploy. Yet she trusted him with Abel and the horses; surely she could learn to trust him herself.
    “It seems that there was much your husband wouldn’t allow.” It was more statement than question. She murmured an affirmation under cover of Abel’s laughter. A rare sound, and a delightful one.
    “Well, this husband is different.”
    He smiled at her, and for a moment she felt herself cast back into that girlhood fantasy—the handsome Amisch boy with golden hair and perfectly chiseled features.
    But things were not always what they seemed.
    Least of all a person’s heart.
     
     
     
    S ohn, your mamm and I are going to move out to the daudi haus tonight. We’ve got the bedroom here all fixed so you and Grace can have it. I wanted to let you know.”
    Seth raised his eyebrows at his father across the back of Star Bright. “What?”
    It was the custom of their people that parents would often move out of the main house to a smaller adjacent residence, butSeth hadn’t thought that far. He tried to imagine him and Grace and Abel rambling around in that huge three-story farmhouse.
    “I talked to Jacob,” his father went on. “He’s bent on building up the farm that he and Lilly are in with her mamm .”
    Seth sighed inwardly. Jacob was content living with Lilly and her mother. Lilly’s mamm had battled depression for quite some time but was growing better every day. Still, the fact remained that his bruder had every right to this home. And even though Lilly’s family’s sprawling white farmhouse was large enough, it was no comparison to the Wyse home.
    “ Daed , I can’t let you. I feel like I’m uprooting you and Mamm . Grace and I can manage with the daudi haus and then move when . . . well, if—”
    His father laughed. “When more grandkinner come along, eh? Well, that probably won’t be long. We’re getting a head start, that’s all. It’s the way of things, Seth. You know that.”
    Seth nodded. His daed was right. It was the way of things.
    He only wondered exactly how he was going to navigate Grace to the master bedroom without appearing overly eager.

CHAPTER 14
    T obias Beiler left the run-down motel room and retrieved his horse and buggy from the old garage out back, then drove to the end of town and stopped at a restaurant called Pinky’s. There Amish buggies were tied to a hitching post among Englisch cars. It was just the kind of place where he might find the information he needed.
    He went inside, pulling his hat low in case any of the wedding guests were present.
    He needn’t have worried. Nobody in the place looked even vaguely familiar. He slid into a back booth, facing away from the door. A tall, thin Englischer approached him with a menu. “You new around here?” the man asked.
    Tobias nodded and handed back the menu. “Burger. Rare.”
    “How about a shake? We make ’em nice and thick.”
    Tobias swallowed. Milk products upset his stomach, but being agreeable seemed more important. “Sure. Chocolate.”
    “Got it. Anything else?”
    “I might be looking for work, if you know anybody who’s hiring,” Tobias said.
    The