Free A Home for Lydia (The Pebble Creek Amish Series) by Vannetta Chapman Page A

wall.
    After a while he climbed up on the old wooden ladder Ervin kept for repairs in order to brutalize the top limbs of a lovely white ash tree. Unfortunately, he set the ladder in the mud—everywhere the ground was slick with mud—and the bottom of the ladder slipped. It all happened quickly, leaving him hanging from the tree limb with both hands, his handsaw having fallen to the ground below him.
    Lydia had almost gone to help, but before she’d made it out thedoor of cabin five, he’d swung his leg over the limb and shimmied his way down the tree.
    Humph.
    Ervin wouldn’t have been able to do that, but then Ervin wouldn’t have been trimming ash trees in May when the ground was too soft from rain to properly hold the ladder.
    Truth was, Ervin hadn’t trimmed a tree since Lydia had come to work for him, but that wasn’t the point. The giant white ash was beyond beautiful, especially in the fall when its leaves turned golden. Had Aaron Troyer thought of that when he took his saw to it?
    Doubtful.
    He was too busy taking his frustration out on every living thing in his path. He’d made it to cabin three when Lydia dropped her mop and marched over to where he stood with his garden shears.
    “Don’t even think about cutting down that speckled alder.”
    “It’s taken over the entire east wall. You can’t see out the window at all.”
    “Birds nest there.”
    “I’m more concerned that guests nest inside the cabin than whether birds nest in this bush. Guests won’t if they walk up to a cabin that looks like this because they can barely find the door with all the shrubs, vines, and tree branches covering the place.”
    Lydia moved in front of the seven-foot shrub and shook her cleaning rag at him, forgetting for a moment he was her boss and she needed her job. “You chopped down almost all of the juniper in front of cabin two. There won’t be an eastern bluebird or cedar waxwing in it now.”
    “Move out of my way, Lydia.”
    “I won’t.”
    Aaron shook his head, removed his hat, and wiped at the sweat beading on his forehead. When he replaced his hat he was smiling, but there was nothing pleasant about it. In fact, his expression was absolutely grim.
    She’d last seen that sort of look on the baseball field, and it was indicative of a dare if she remembered correctly.
    “I thought Amish women were submissive.”
    “I thought Amish men were levelheaded.” She refused to look away from his dark brown eyes. So what if they reminded her of one of the pups her father used to raise? He apparently had no more sense than the beagles did.
    “It’s only a bush.” He waved the garden shears at her.
    “They’re all only bushes, but together they make up the riverbank and the area where the animals come.” Lydia took a step toward him, her hands coming out and encompassing the entire plot of land as if she could fold it into her apron and hold it to herself. As if she could protect it somehow.
    “Together they make up this little haven Ervin loved. If you mow them all down we’re just another motel like the Englischers own.”
    “But maybe a profitable one!” Aaron’s voice rose in some effort to overcome her reasoning. “Maybe one that has automobiles in the parking lot and paying customers!”
    Lydia opened her mouth to answer him. She had the perfect retort ready, but she snapped it back just in time. She finally noticed Gabe, David, and Seth approaching. No doubt they had heard Aaron shouting.
    How much had they seen and heard? She and Aaron remained less than a foot from each other. Aaron had been hollering and waving his garden shears. Lydia was still red faced with her hands on her hips.
    “Sorry. We didn’t mean to interrupt.” David nodded at them both.
    “Guess we didn’t hear you drive up,” Aaron muttered.
    Gabe shrugged, combing his beard down with his fingers. To Lydia he looked as if he were trying to comb a smile off his face. She wondered if he somehow thought this was funny,