Free In Plain View by Olivia Newport

were far enough from the main house to speak freely, but after ten months, little remained to be said about Nathanael.
    Despite the heat of the hearth, the summer kitchen’s limestone walls kept the structure reasonably cool—for which Magdalena was grateful after her walk in the sun. A door propped open at each end allowed the air to move.
    She set the basket of fabrics on the worktable. “I thought you might want to go through these and see if you can use anything.”
    Mrs. Buerki’s eyes brightened. “Did I tell you I’m to be grootmoeder again?”
    Magdalena’s eyes widened as her heart sank. Another of Nathanael’s brothers was having kinner before she and Nathanael were even married. It was probably Obadiah and Esther, but she could not bring herself to ask. “Then you’ll need to start a new quilt,” she managed to say. “There’s plenty here for a babe.”
    The gray-haired woman smiled briefly. “Go on in the house, Maggie. He’ll be pleased to see you today, I think.”
    Magdalena nodded and stepped out into bright sunlight again. She crossed the yard and tapped lightly on the open door at the back of the main house. “Is anyone home?”
    “In here.” Nathan’s voice sounded bright, but she knew that his tone was not always a promise of his mood.
    She loved him. She could not imagine not loving him. Though Nathanael usually seemed glad to see her, he had not asked her to ride with him to a singing since before the attack. Whatever hope for the future they held between them last year had weakened like coals spread too thin. Nathanael was jumpy and wild eyed at times, sparking the nickname Nutty Nathan l. No one ever called him that to his face, of course, but Magdalena fumed nevertheless.
    Nathan sat at the table beside a cold hearth, and Magdalena took a seat opposite him.
    She could not stay long. She wished she could sit all day with him even if he did not speak to her again, but her chores would not allow such indulgence. Her older brother and sister were married now and in their own homes, leaving Magdalena to help with the younger children. Babsi was with child again, though so ill that the midwife feared the child would come far too early to survive.
    For now, she decided to give herself half an hour to sit with the man she loved.
    “Are you hungry?” Magdalena asked. “I am sure your mamm would not mind if I fixed you something to eat.”
    He shook his head then turned to gaze out the window.
    “You must be tired from being in the fields in the sun.” Magdalena searched his face for any encouragement.
    Nathan crossed his arms and cradled his own elbows. “You are kind to come.”
    “Of course I came.”
    “I know I disappoint you, Maggie.”
    “No, you don’t. You couldn’t.” She reached across the table, but he did not grasp her hand.

    “Are you sure you want to do this?”
    Jacob met Sarah’s gaze and answered evenly, “Yes.”
    “It could be dangerous,” she said. “Your movements may come under scrutiny.”
    “I am aware.”
    “My husband will help you however he can.”
    “Emerson is a fine man, Sarah.”
    “I’ve always thought so. But there’s Mamm to think of.”
    “I’ll be careful. Mamm will be in no danger.”
    “You may be overstating your case.” Sarah tugged at the canvas covering the load in Jacob’s wagon. “I hate to think what might happen if you get stopped.”
    “Who would stop me? The British have their hands full trying to keep their grip on Boston. That only makes our work more imperative. We must move while we have opportunity.”
    “ ‘Our work’? Is that what it is now?”
    Jacob leaned forward and kissed Sarah’s cheek. “We’re in this together, you and I.”
    “Christian will be horrified.”
    Jacob’s jaw hardened. “Last year he came here with Magdalena and asked me to do something.”
    “I hardly think this was what he had in mind.”
    “The question must be resolved so we can get on with our lives. Boston is only the