after she'd left.
So much for being unforgettable. Jenny sighed. That was the stuff of a young girl's daydreams. Something you only read about in a romance novel or watched in a movie. And being a practical person, she'd seldom indulged in romantic fantasies.
She picked up the book again but despite the fact that she'd wanted to read it for some time, she couldn't get interested. What else to do? There was no television, of course. Not that she watched much daytime TV at home. And there were no chores to do—the place was spotless. Phoebe had even prepared their evening meal, putting it in the oven before she'd left.
Jenny found herself longing to be outside. She'd been cooped up for months in the hospital and hadn't ventured outside here except for the therapy appointment.
She'd go crazy if she didn't get out. And walking was good for her, she told herself.
Before she could think better of it, Jenny put on her shoes, reached for her coat and cap, and wrapped a muffler around her neck.
The air was cold and crisp. She shut the door behind her and carefully navigated the steps. Her hip protested, but she told it to shut up and made her way down the walk gripping her detested cane.
She had no clear goal; she just wanted to get out of the house. But after a few steps Jenny realized she was walking toward Matthew's farm next door. She told herself it hadn't been intentional, just a desire to walk in the opposite direction of town. After a little while, she'd simply turn around and return home.
The landscape looked so different from her memories of summers years ago. Now it was white and barren, not green and lush. But the winter scene had its own beauty and appeal, especially after her stint in the grueling heat and devastation overseas. Fields slept under a blanket of snow, unmarked by human or animal feet.
Careful not to slip, she turned and saw that hers were the only footprints leading from her grandmother's farm.
Her breath came out in little puffs in the cold air, but the exertion of walking caused beads of perspiration to pop out on her forehead. Though her hip had made a sharp complaint when she first stepped outside, it had faded to a stubborn ache, seeming to become a bit easier, so she walked a little further, careful with her cane.
Hearing the clip-clop of a horse-drawn buggy behind her, she moved closer to the side of the road. It stopped and the man inside touched the brim of his hat and smiled a welcome.
"May I offer a ride, Jenny?"
She stared at him, surprised not only by his use of her name but the informality of it. Then she remembered that here there were no formal titles; even children addressed their teachers by their first names.
Jenny shook her head. " Nee, danki. I'm getting a little exercise."
"I am Amos Yoder. Phoebe mentioned that her grossdochder was making a visit. Well, gut day to you, then."
He nodded and with a quiet command to his horse moved on down the road.
Somehow, on a day like this, in such a serene spot in the world, the buggy didn't seem out of place. The car that followed it a few minutes later, one with out of state tags and tourists leaning out the windows to take photos, did. Jenny tried not to flinch when the cameras were aimed in her direction, bending her head and burrowing the lower part of her face into her muffler, turtle-like.
Then they were turning their attention to the buggy ahead, passing it and gawking, leaving too little distance between it and the edge of the road for her liking. The buggy driver veered to the right and made no protest. He was probably used to that sort of thing.
Jenny wondered if she'd be here in the spring. She hadn't really had a plan when she came, just a desperate desire to be out of the hospital and in the comfort of a safe place with someone she knew loved her. No one had been able to give her a really good timetable of when her body would be healed enough for her to go back to earning a living.
She saw Matthew going into the