Read [Kentucky Brothers 01] - The Journey for Free Online Page B

daughter, Mindy.
     
    “Your
bruder
must have gotten married when he was pretty young.” Nelson thumped Titus’s arm. “You don’t look like you’re much more than twenty years old.”
     
    “I’ll be twenty-three in October. Mom’s always said that Timothy and I have baby faces.” Titus’s face sobered. “Timothy was twenty when he married Hannah, and she was more than willing to become his wife. But then things always seem to go the way he plans.”
     
    “How many other brothers and sisters do you have?” Nelson asked, apparently unaware of Titus’s attitude when he’d spoken about his twin.
     
    “Timothy’s my only full brother, but we have three half sisters and five half brothers from my
daed
‘s first marriage. Our
mamm
and her first husband had a girl and a boy several years before Timothy and I were born, so that gives us another half brother and sister. All my siblings are married except for me,” Titus added with a frown. At least Suzanne thought it was a frown. Maybe he just had a case of indigestion.
     
    “So your folks were both widowed for some time before you were born?” Grandpa asked.
     
    “Jah.”
     
    Nelson whistled. “You have a big family. Ours is small by comparison.”
     
    “How many brothers and sisters do you have?” Titus asked.
     
    “Besides Suzanne, there’s Russell, Chad, and our little sister, Effie.”
     
    “I guess that is small compared to ours.” Titus reached for a cookie and took a bite. “Umm … this is good.” He glanced over at Suzanne, frowned, and then quickly averted his gaze.
     
    Not this again. He’s got that look of disgust. Does he think I was listening in on his conversation? Is he irritated that I’m still in the shop? Maybe he thinks like Nelson, that a woman’s place is in the house
.
     
    When the men finished their lunch, Suzanne set the broom aside and gathered up the sandwich wrappings and empty jug of lemonade; then she put everything in the basket. “I’m going back to the house now,” she said to Grandpa. “Is there anything else you’d like me to bring out to you?”
     
    He smiled. “I think we’re fine. If we get thirsty we’ll drink water from the jug in the ice chest in the back room.”
     
    “Okay. See you at suppertime.” Suzanne hurried from the shop. At least she’d learned a few things about Titus. She still didn’t know whether he had a girlfriend or not.
     
    Of course
, she reasoned,
it’s not my job to find that out. Esther’s the one who’s interested in him, and she did say she would ask. I just wonder when she’ll do it, and what she’ll find out
.
     

C HAPTER 6
     

Paradise, Pennsylvania
     
    A s Fannie stood at the kitchen sink, peeling potatoes for supper, her thoughts went to Titus. He’d used Allen’s cell phone to let them know he’d made it to Kentucky, but she didn’t know how often they might hear from him in the days ahead. She planned to write letters, of course, but knowing Titus, it was doubtful that he’d take the time to write back. Probably would just leave messages on their voice mail from time to time, and she’d never get to speak to him directly.
     
    “What are you thinkin’ about?” Abraham asked, touching Fannie’s shoulder.
     
    She whirled around. “Ach, you startled me!”
     
    “Sorry.”
     
    “How do you know I was thinking about anything?”
     
    He gave her arm a gentle squeeze. “ ‘Cause I said your name three times, and you just stood there, staring out the window without saying a word.”
     
    “I was thinking about Titus and how much I miss him.”
     
    “I miss him, too, but we still have the rest of our family living here.”
     
    She nodded. “Just doesn’t seem the same without one of our special twins.”
     
    “The twins are special,” Abraham agreed. “Havin’ those boys was such a comfort to me after Zach was kidnapped.”
     
    “I know they were.” Fannie set her potato peeler aside. “Let’s sit down so we can be