to Gwen. Though he’d certainly been upset about her moving on so quickly to Will, now that he’d gained some perspective, Calvin couldn’t say he’d been completely surprised. “I’m just fine, too, you know. You both can stop feeling sorry for me. And, I hope, we can drop this subject.”
“Don’t worry,” Loyal said with a grin. “We’re getting closer to home.”
“Yep,” Graham added. “Before you know it, we’ll all be back at work in the fields, and your trip to Indianapolis will be a faded memory.”
Calvin nodded, though he knew deep inside that he was not going to be able to forget everything.
Even if he wanted to, Calvin knew he would never forget the pretty blond woman with copper-colored eyes and a dimple in one cheek.
Who had enjoyed her day at the zoo with the kind of exuberance that rivaled Katie’s. Who had gone without regular meals through power outages and foreign train stations with a calm acknowledgment.
And who had also known heartbreak, but she’d elected to help her cousin instead of dwell on the pain.
And who’d run out of his life over a misunderstanding about a horse.
Though he’d let her leave, he knew he was always going to remember her. No matter how hard he might try, he was never going to forget Lucy Troyer.
Then, like a bolt of lightning had just hit him, he remembered once again . . . he still had her journal.
Chapter 12
“Lucy! You’re here!” Mattie exclaimed, all smiles as her mother, Lucy’s Aunt Jenna, led Lucy through the front door after a long embrace. “I can’t believe you finally made it.”
Lucy rushed to Mattie’s side. As she did, she quickly took notice of her cousin’s pale skin and the new lines around her eyes. The stress of the past month had already taken its toll on her body.
“Finally is right,” she said with a smile before enveloping her cousin in a gentle hug. “For a while there, I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see your front door.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Mattie replied. “Mamm and I must have looked at the clock a thousand times, wondering if you’d ever make it here.”
“I’ve had a time of it. But it doesn’t matter. I would have gone through much worse in order to see you. Besides, you did the same for me, and more than once.”
A new awareness entered Mattie’s eyes as she looped her hand around Lucy’s elbow. “Indeed, I did.”
“I’ve never forgotten how much I appreciated you coming to see me after Paul died,” Lucy said.
“Well, of course I would be there.”
“I feel the same way now. It is a blessing to have the chance to help you.”
A shadow entered Mattie’s gaze. “I wish it wasn’t for this reason.”
“I know. But we’ll get through it.”
As Mattie led her into the front room, Lucy felt her cousin’s eyes on her. She felt like she was getting inspected. “Well, how do I look?” she teased.
“Much better.” Mattie tilted her head. “Especially given your trip here. I’ve been imagining the worst. It had to have been difficult, sitting by yourself for hours and hours on the train, and then later in the train terminal.”
“It wasn’t so bad.”
“No?” She paused. “Hmm. Now that I think of it, whenever you left a message on the phone line you didn’t sound too aggrieved.”
“The train breaking down and the storms were scary, but the whole time wasn’t a trial.”
“I’m so glad.”
Lucy was relieved Mattie didn’t need to ask more questions, because she knew exactly why things hadn’t been as bad as they could have been—because she’d been with Calvin Weaver.
As she thought of him and his sister, Lucy knew she would always be grateful for their companionship. For a few hours, she’d thought of herself as a woman again, not just the shell of one.
Actually, she had begun to think that the Lord had known exactly what He’d been doing when He had placed her in Calvin’s company. He had encouraged her to have fun, and to think in the present.
Being with them had felt so freeing. For a brief time, no one was telling her what to do. Or asking about Paul.
No one was causing her to remember things she didn’t want to. Or asking her to help mind her brothers and sisters. No work had begged for her attention. Instead, the journey’s time had been all her own. A true gift.
Yes, her day with them had been wonderful . . . until she’d witnessed his