Free Lilly's Wedding Quilt by Kelly Long

said the right thing because the boy flushed with pleasure and took his seat. She only wished that she might have another opportunity to say kinder words to Jacob in the classroom, no matter what his attitude was about school. She decided then and there that she’d apologize to him as soon as she could and went back to listening with a proper ear to her students.

C HAPTER 10
    B y sunset, Seth still wasn’t talking to him, and neither was his mother for that matter. Word had spread throughout the community that he’d brought an Englisch woman to school and then had tried to get the best of Miss Lapp, his intended, in some kind of argument. But then he’d been sent home with a note to his mamm instead. He still had to suppress a laugh when he thought about it. Truth to tell, it was the first time he’d had any fun in months. And even though his conscience pricked him that it had been at Lilly’s expense, he still didn’t really want to change a thing. Lilly had gotten him laughing again and that was priceless. Except, of course, there was the fact that Victoria Castleberry hadn’t been all that pleased to not be in on the joke and had left without buying so much as a bridle. And, he knew that his mother was embarrassed and thought he’d truly lost his wits.
    He knocked on Seth’s door after supper.
    “If it’s you, go away,” his brother called.
    “Come on, Seth—it’s been hours. Let me in. I said I was sorry.”
    “Not to her you haven’t.”
    Jacob frowned at the wooden door. “ Ach , all right. Let me in and we’ll talk about it.’
    “Come in then.”
    Jacob entered to find Seth painting in the slant of the sun’s late-falling rays. His suspenders hung around his waist, and a loose, paint-stained shirt was half-buttoned up his chest. He turned with a palette and brush and raised an eyebrow.
    “I’m listening.”
    “I’ll apologize to her, of course.”
    “What possessed you in the first place? Not to mention losing the sale of Jim and that woman probably telling all of Boston that the Wyse Brothers are fractious Amish men. Why would you want to hurt Lilly?”
    Jacob sank down on the foot of Seth’s bed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “I just wanted to let off some steam. She did make me mad but I didn’t want to hurt her. And I found out she’s just— well, she’s fun when she’s thinking.”
    Seth turned back to his painting. “Uh-huh.”
    “Now what does that mean?”
    “It means that you don’t know the first thing about yourself, big bruder … or women, for that matter.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    Seth set the painting materials down and wiped his hands on a rag. “Where’s the note?”
    “What?”
    “The note she wrote you to give to Mamm . Where is it?”
    Jacob reached into his pants pocket. “Here.”
    Seth took the envelope. “It’s not even opened.”
    “Really?”
    “Just carrying it around with you as a souvenir?”
    “No, I just … never took it out.”
    Seth sighed, turned up a lamp, and opened the note. He scanned the words on the page then shook his head. “You don’t want to know.”
    “What?” Jacob rose to his feet and stared at his brother.
    “‘Dear Jacob, Truly, for whatever I’ve done to make you angry at me, please forgive me. Lilly Lapp.’”
    Jacob sucked in a breath, then hung his head. “I didn’t think she’d write something like that.”
    Seth folded the note and slid it into his brother’s shirt pocket, then he clapped him on the shoulder.
    “Well, now you know.”
    Jacob lifted his gaze. “You know how I hate classrooms. But I’ve been a fool to hurt her so. It’s my own problem—not hers.”
    Seth gave him a brief smile. “Well, you’d better get over your problem fast since you’re marrying a teacher.”
    “I’m going over to the Lapps’ now to apologize.”
    “Now?”
    “ Jah . Right now. I don’t have to court in secret anymore since the engagement is known, remember?”
    Seth turned back to his