Something Old - Dianne L. Christner [35]
Katy flinched. Was he flirting or was that a challenge? Had he somehow heard about the three-date deal she’d made with her dad? Her heart raced with confusion.
He touched her cheek with his glove. “See you tonight.”
David Miller was an intriguing riddle.
The huge horse, a blond Belgian draft with white feet and mane, was borrowed from David’s Amish neighbors. The animal quivered with impatience.
“Is the sleigh the Beachys', too?” Katy asked.
“Yep,” David replied. “Ever since I can remember, they’ve taken me on at least one ride each winter.” He helped her up onto the seat of the simple box sleigh. “Now that the Beachys are getting up in years, the horses don’t get enough use. The Beachys usually get someone to drive them to town these days. You know they sold Ivan’s property to him?”
She nodded. The sleigh heaved under his weight as he climbed up next to her and took the reins.
“Last year, I took their grandkids out a time or two. Now they trust me with their horses. He pulled out a lap blanket and placed it over Katy’s skirt. “You might need this till you get used to the cold.” He gave the reins a flick. “Giddyup, Jack!”
A full moon gave the snowy evening a pristine glow and provided a soft backdrop for the black goblins that reached from dark trunks toward the passing sleigh. The silent world painted with only black and white seemed unnatural without color, the black so stark against the white. Lil would probably argue it was the other way around. Katy had to wonder if David had felt a bit creepy driving over alone through the lonely countryside. She’d always been a little afraid of the dark herself. Thankfully, the sounds of beast and human made the night less eerie, the soothing clopping of hooves, the creak of leather and wood, and the companionable timbre of her male companion’s voice.
The glittering sky, however, gave her an awareness of her insignificance, and the feeling balled up unwelcome in her throat. She wondered if he felt it, too. Glancing sideways, she said, “It’s different out here like this. Almost like the night could swallow us up.”
“It’s pretty.” He cast her a glance. “Like you.”
“No. It almost feels like we shouldn’t be here, like we’re trespassing in somebody else’s world.” She shivered then, not sure if it was from the cold or the idea. It was a familiar one, feeling like a foreigner in an outsider’s world. Oftentimes, she felt insignificant. The outsiders’ world was confusing. The Conservatives’ world was constrictive, yet comforting because it was the most familiar. It was where she fit in best.
His hand slipped over her shoulder. “Come closer.”
She inched over so he could still shelter her from the wind, yet their bodies weren’t touching, and adjusted the blanket. “Do you ever think about how the Amish live? What it would be like?”
“I’ve thought about it. The sleigh is nice tonight, great for a date, but I can’t imagine life without my car. I don’t think I’d like that much. Aren’t very many Amish buggies around Plain City anymore, but my dad’s good friends with our neighbors, says it’s a shame most of the Amish moved out of the community because just having them around added a missing element.”
“What’s that?”
“The desire for a simple life. Even if we don’t choose to follow their way, it’s nice to know it’s still possible to make a stand like that. It takes courage not to follow the crowd.”
She thought about her predicament with her nanny job. “You’re right.” She warmed her nose with her glove. “I have some Amish cousins.”
David burst out laughing. “Doesn’t everybody?”
They both laughed.
He drew his sleeve across his eyes and then glanced over to study her, allowing Jack to keep to the road on his own for a bit. “I hear Jake Byler is remodeling the doddy house.”
She flinched. Of course he would know because his brother owned the property. “That was all Lil’s doing,” she clarified. “Jake and I have a history, and she thinks this will help us get past the awkwardness, since he’s back to stay.