Harvest of Hearts (36 page)

“Jah.” Joshua swallowed, then glanced back at the barn. “I’ll ask again.”

“Has Luke returned home for gut?” Rachel asked before he’d taken a step.

Joshua shrugged. “He was at the haus when we came back from church this afternoon, and he said he’d kum home.”

“Ach, his parents must be so happy.”

Joshua nodded, but the truth was, he didn’t know. The Schwartzes had both seemed rather skeptical when they’d found Luke on the porch after church. Already, the whole community seemed to know about his homecoming. Who needed a phone when the grapevine was so effective? Annie had looked surprised to see him, however, so perhaps the news hadn’t spread as quickly as Joshua thought.

“I’ll go see if I can find Annie. Be right back.”

Rachel smiled. “I’ll wait at your buggy.”

Joshua gave a brief nod, then headed back inside the lantern-lit barn, where he breathed in the scents of animals, dust, and hay. He skirted the table, still laden with sandwiches, vegetables, and cookies left over from the singing, and walked toward a far corner where he thought he saw a brown dress in the shadows. Annie always wore brown, as if she wanted to go unnoticed. Hidden from view. Invisible.

Of course, given the recent conflicts with the school board, maybe flying low was the best thing for her.

With a sigh, Joshua paused, backtracked, and grabbed a couple of peanut butter cookies off the table. Taking a bite of one of the crumbly cookies, he retraced his steps toward the corner where he thought Annie was hiding. He swallowed. “Annie?”

No answer.

He rounded a pile of hay bales and saw her, crouched low. “Hey. You’ll never find a ride hiding back here.”

She jumped up and straightened her shoulders. “I wasn’t hiding. I was….” She looked around and picked up a piece of straw, poking it back into the bale. “Cleaning. They missed this corner.”

Joshua raised his eyebrows and silently watched her pick up more straw for several moments. Fighting a grin, he leaned against another bale of hay.

Annie balled her fists and planted them on her hips. “Aren’t you going to go take Rachel home?”

“It’s more fun watching you pick up straw. And I’m sure the Stoltzfuses will appreciate that you took so much time cleaning this part of their barn. By hand, no less. I’ll be sure to tell Shanna.”

“You’re insufferable. Nein wonder your community swapped you out.”

Her comment couldn’t have been farther from the truth, but he didn’t mind. That was just what he wanted everyone to believe—for now, at least. But it didn’t matter. The temptation to grin won out. “Jah. I’ll just be the thorn in your side, here. Now, quit being so stubborn and admit you need a ride home.”

“I’ll admit nein such thing.”