Wild Horses (Sadie's Montana #1)(62)

The girls’ breaths came in quick gasps as they climbed to the top of the long, sloping hill on the ridge in back of Dan’s barn. There was nowhere else in the Amish settlement more suited for sledding.

You can’t really call this a pasture, Sadie thought. It’s too big. This whole place is more like Richard Caldwell’s ranch than our home.

Aidan and Johnny were riding horses below them, pulling a tractor inner tube on a long rope attached to the saddle horn. The only bad thing about a ride in the tube was the snow kicked into your face by the flying hooves of the horse. You had to keep your head lowered or your eyes, nose, and mouth were soon packed with snow.

In spite of herself, Sadie grew more and more excited. She had had some thrilling rides on an inner tube in the snow before, so perhaps if the boys asked the girls, she would try it again.

Leah and Rebekah were already filling a toboggan with shrieking girls. A huge bonfire roaring at the bottom of the slope clearly showed the girls which way to steer the giant sled.

Of course they’d steer close enough to the boys to have their yells of alarm noticed, Sadie thought wryly.

Then she felt very old and very wise and suddenly wished she wasn’t there. Her feet were already tingling with the cold, she was sleepy, the wind was definitely picking up, and she knew if she wanted to stay warm, she’d either have to start sledding or go sit by the fire. Neither option sounded overly appealing.

Her best friend, Lydiann, was already flying down the hill, shrieking in a high-pitched tone, which irritated Sadie.

Johnny will see you without that war whoop, she thought, then felt bad. Maybe she actually was turning into a “sour old singleton,” as Rebekah put it.

Well, she had reason to be sour. Her leg ached as it did most every day and especially before a storm. She did her best to hide the discomfort from everyone in her family. She had to work. They needed the money to help with living expenses and to make payments on the large hospital bill.

Sadie shrugged, looked around her, and started downhill, dragging her feet to keep from sliding uncontrollably.

The group of girls on the toboggan was starting back up the hill, their noise punctuated by laughter and frequent looks in the direction of the boys who were by the bonfire. They were changing riders of the horses, both with inner tubes attached.

Another horse and rider came from the opposite direction. The horse was large, as was the rider, but Sadie could not distinguish the color of the horse or recognize the rider.

Cautiously, Sadie made her way down the slick slope. She heard someone call her name and turned to find Lydiann slipping haphazardly toward her.

“You need me to help you get down, Sadie?” she yelled panting.

Her hair was a mess, her scarf hanging completely off her head in a snowy loop about her neck. Sadie shivered as she thought of the trapped snow melting down Lydiann’s back.

Sadie waved her hand in dismissal and said, “I’m all right.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.”

Without further ado, Lydiann charged back up the hill, her arms waving as she struggled to keep her balance.

How old is she? Three? Sadie muttered to herself.

Wasn’t that just how life was? If you were tired and grouchy, people that were overly enthused and much too happy about everything only made you grouchier. Especially Lydiann. If she wasn’t so excited about the prospect of Johnny Schlabach talking to her, maybe she could calm down and act normal.

When she reached the bonfire, Sadie plopped down on a bale of straw and held her hands out toward its warmth. She felt someone standing close by, and she turned to find tall, quiet Mark Peight beside her.

She blinked, then bent her head. A spray of sparks erupted from the largest log falling inward, fanning the flames higher.

“Hello, Sadie.”

Oh, his voice! The way he said her name with the drawn out “e.” Her knees felt weak, but she managed a polite, soft-spoken, “Hello, Mark.”

She still didn’t look at him. He asked if there was room on the bale of straw and she said there was. The whole bale filled with him when he sat down. Her heart hammered against the many layers of clothes she wore. He turned his head.

“How are you?”

She gazed steadily into the fire, then nodded her head. He said nothing.

Then, “So, does that up and down movement mean, yes or you’re okay or what?”

Sadie smiled.

“It means I’m okay.”

“Back to work?”

She nodded again.

“Can I… May I talk to you?”

Sadie shifted away from him.

“You are talking to me, so why would you ask?”

“Can I talk to you alone, I mean? Away from all of this?”

“What for?”

“Just … ask you some questions.”

“Everybody will see us walk away. Then they’ll talk.”

“Do you care?”

“Not really.”

He stood up, waiting.

She didn’t want to go with him. There would only be more disappointment. He would just tell her he was going back east or wherever it was he came from. She had no reason to hope he wanted anything more than to explain his sudden departure and tell her good-bye.

“You need help?”

“Let’s go back to the farm. We can talk on the way, and then you can leave me at the house. I’ll wait there until the girls are ready to leave. My leg is bothering me this evening,” she said curtly.