Free Keys of Heaven by Adina Senft Page A

sure His hand was just as generous with you,” Silas said. “I came to ask if you girls had a ride home.”
    Why was he talking to them both but looking at her? “ Ja , Caleb and I came in our buggy.” She craned to look around him for Zeke or her father-in-law, Jacob. “Did you get left behind?”
    “If I try hard enough, I will,” he joked. “Then I could ride home with you.”
    She laughed as if he’d made a joke. Of course he had.
    Then he said, “You’re coming for dinner at Jacob’s, ja?  ”
    “ Ja , I am.” She turned to Amanda. “Do you want to come home with Caleb and me, or are you staying for the singing?”
    Amanda had joined church the year before, but until she was married, she could join the Youngie for singing and volleyball and games. Some people might think a twenty-year-old woman was too old for that, but how else was she to find a husband if she didn’t go places with the singles?
    “It’s a fine afternoon,” Silas said. “You might have the chance of a drive.”
    Amanda blushed, and to draw attention away from her, Sarah said, “If you had a buggy here, you could take her for one yourself.” Then she had a bright idea. “In fact, why don’t you do that? I want a chance to visit with Zeke and Fannie, so you take Dulcie and Caleb and I will go with them.”
    And before either of them had a chance to demur or make themselves scarce, she bustled off to arrange it with Zeke, who thought it a fine joke.
    “I see what you’re up to,” he said, wagging a finger at her. “You’re matchmaking.”
    “I am not, and don’t you say a word. Silas suggested it, but Amanda needs a little help. Now, let me go find Caleb.”
    By dinnertime, when they arrived at Jacob and Corinne’s, she was bursting with curiosity about how the ride had gone. It must have gone well, because she couldn’t see her buggy in the yard…and there were plenty of quiet lanes to drive on that might delay a couple’s arrival.
    Oh, how she hoped Amanda might hit it off with Silas. Her young sister-in-law was so shy that she could barely bring herself to speak to a young man, never mind be so forward as to suggest a ride home. She had her father’s slimness and Corinne’s blond coloring, and her own gentle spirit shone in her face. If she’d use the skin wash that Sarah planned to make to brighten up her complexion, any man would take a second look at her and like what he saw.
    Not that a good husband would count a woman’s looks to be of as much value as her faithful service to God, or her skill with Kich and Kinner , but you couldn’t deny that getting his attention was a place to start.
    Preparations for dinner were fairly leisurely, since Jacob planned to barbecue steak on the grill outside, and that meant that potatoes and vegetables didn’t take long to prepare. Even still, Jacob’s barbecue fork was in his hand and he was ready to begin when they finally heard the crunch of wheels in the lane.
    Silas tied Dulcie to the rail while Amanda hurried into the kitchen, already unpinning her cape. Sarah followed her up to her room, where she found her changing into a soft green dress.
    “Did you have a nice drive?”
    Amanda turned eyes filled with pleading on her. “Oh, don’t tease me. Cousin Zeke is going to make hay with this and I don’t think I can bear it.”
    “What does it matter, Liewi? As long as you enjoyed Silas’s company, it doesn’t make a bit of difference what anybody says. What did you talk about?”
    Amanda pulled a bib apron off a peg, shrugged into it, and slowly tied it behind her. “Everything. Nothing. He told me a little about Colorado—different from what he said the other night—and he asked about Simon. About you, and your learning to make cures. About our Michael, and what a shock it was when he was diagnosed.”
    “You took an awfully long time getting home.”
    “He’s not a fast driver. And we were talking.”
    “That’s gut . I’m glad to hear it.”
    “Do you