Lydia Stolfutz stood at her kitchen window, half-way watching the birds play in a nearby feeder as she kneaded dough for a fresh batch of bread. Across the fields, she could see her husband Alvin plowing up the ground while Daniel fed the chickens in the barn.
Daniel.
Just watching her son made her sad. Out of all her seven children, Daniel was the only one who still remained at home – unmarried and without a family of his own. Although Daniel always tried to seem upbeat and happy, he wasn't fooling his mamm. When he thought no one was watching, Lydia could always see such pain lurking below the surface of his eyes. Sometimes he would stare off into space, not really seeing anything, just lost in the miserable thoughts about the past.
Letting out a deep sigh, Lydia reminded herself who was to blame for Daniel's heartbreak. That awful Sadie Bontrager.
And now Sadie was back...after never returning home from her Rumspringa.