Free The SILENCE of WINTER by Wanda E. Brunstetter

since Jonah was a boy, he’d been sensitive to others, especially when they needed help in any way. He’d had an experience long ago that had embedded kindness into his soul and actually changed his attitude about people and life. Because of that, he’d helped his twin sister, Jean, as much as he could when she’d lost her first husband. Maybe he could help Meredith, as well.
    Jonah thought about the friendship he and Meredith had developed when they’d worked at a restaurant in the small community of Pine-craft, in Sarasota, Florida. Meredith had been seventeen then, and he’d been eighteen. They’d quickly become friends and after returning to their homes, had stayed in touch through letters, until Meredith wrote and said she was being courted by Luke Stoltzfus and that they were planning to be married. Jonah had been disappointed at first but consoled himself with the thought that Meredith deserved to be happy. He’d been hoping she might be the girl for him but had learned to accept it as God’s will when she’d fallen in love with someone else.

    Meredith was slowly bringing some normalcy back into her life. At least, she was trying. She was most anxious to get things ready for the baby, which would probably keep her busy until the birth. She looked forward to her family coming over for supper this evening. It would be nice to take a break and spend time visiting with her parents and siblings—not to mention having someone to cook for other than herself. Grandma Smucker was coming, too, so they’d all be together like it had been before she and Luke got married.
    Meredith was anxious to tell her family about her plan to start making head coverings. Except for the short time Dorine had been there, Meredith had been busy working around the house all morning and into the afternoon. As soon as the weather warmed, she planned to till the garden and uncover her flower beds. She would find a place to plant the bulbs Mom said she had for her. Several daffodils and tulips would add some color to her flower beds. She would also need to trim all the shrubs around the house, the way Dad had taught her to do several years ago, when she would walk around the yard helping him with spring cleanup. Those memories were probably why, to this day, she enjoyed working in the yard and around the house.
    Thankfully she’d had no problems with her house except for a piece of siding that had blown off during one of the recent windy, snowy days. Dad said he would take care of that for her when they came over this evening.
    Meredith planned to fix a big pot of sloppy joes for the meal, and she’d made a macaroni salad as well as a potato salad to go with it. Mom was bringing a chocolate cake—Dad’s favorite—and Grandma was bringing some of Meredith’s favorite ginger cookies.
    Earlier, Meredith had browned the ground beef and sautéed the onions and green peppers, so all that was needed was to add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, a little mustard, ketchup, and a jar of mild chili sauce. She’d decided to prepare that in an hour or so, giving it plenty of time to simmer before supper. Until then, she thought she’d at least get a start on painting the baby’s room.
    She had to get the ladder from the barn and carry it upstairs, and in hindsight, she wished she had asked Dad to help her with that the last time he was here.
    Well, it was only this one project, and she had consoled herself with the fact that she would get some exercise carrying the ladder up those steps. It was still early in her pregnancy, and she wasn’t even showing yet, so it would be easier to do these things now, rather than when she was big and clumsy.
    Meredith took her time carrying the ladder from the barn and across the yard. She had to put the ladder down a few times—first to close the barn door, and then again when she was on the porch, so she could open the back door and get the ladder inside.
    “I could sure use an extra pair of hands right