Page 36 of Unforgiven

Melonie continued as if they played this game all the time. “I told myself if you didn’t show up within the next hour, I was going to visit Elias.”

“Elias?”

“Well, yeah. I was starting to worry about you and I figured he would help me no matter what. Where were you, anyway?”

“I could tell ya, but that would mean we’d be talking about me and not the fact that you’re sitting here at my house by yourself. What’s wrong?”

A myriad of expressions crossed her features before she lifted her chin. “Why would you ask me that?”

“Because you don’t come over here to just say hello. You barely come over at all.”

She pulled in her bottom lip and bit down. “I’m sorry. I should’ve been checking on you more often.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. There’s a lot of reasons not to be here.” He leaned back, trying to be more at ease than he was. But it was hard. He’d just spent the last ninety minutes doing that very same thing. He was spent. “Talk to me, Melonie,” he murmured.

“Things are really messed up at home.”

“I was just there. Mamm and Daed seemed the same to me. What’s going on?”

“You know. Lott Hostetler.”

“What’s happening now? I thought he’d started coming to the house.”

“He has come by again, but Mamm and Daed barely tolerate him.”

“They’ll figure it out.” Seth figured Lott and Melanie were going to have to figure things out too.

“Maybe. Maybe not. Even when I told them that Lott’s stopped going out and causing trouble, they don’t seem to feel any different.” She frowned. “Maybe they’re just determined not to like him dating me.”

If that was the case, Seth didn’t blame them. But he also knew that it didn’t matter what he or their parents thought. Melonie’s feelings were what was important. “Let’s start with what really matters. What do you think of him?”

“Sometimes I feel like I’m about to fall in love with him . . . but other times I wonder if I only like him because he’s coming around.”

He had no advice to give, other than no man was ever going to be worthy of his sister. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t take too kindly to him spouting that, though. “I’m sure you’ve had lots of boys interested in you, Mel.”

“Not all that much.”

“How come?” He wouldn’t have pushed, but something else had to be going on. Her hands were fisted.

“You,” she said at last.

“What about me?”

“You’re no longer Amish. And then there’s how you look.” She raised her eyebrows like it might be news to him that his arms were covered in ink.

“Your beaus aren’t fans of tattoos?”

She rolled her eyes. “I think it’s because you look scary.” She lowered her voice. “And because of what you did to Peter Miller.”

Now Melonie showing up at his house made sense. She wanted him out of her life. He was messing up her chances for a good future. That knowledge rocked him, but he held firm and tried to act like she hadn’t just cut him deeply. “Ah.”

“I’m sorry for bringing that up, Seth.”

He studied her face. Melonie did look embarrassed. “Nothing to be sorry about.” A good apology did mean something from time to time, but there was no reason for her to apologize for reminding him about his past. It wasn’t like he ever forgot it anyway. “There’s nothing I can do about Peter, though. We can’t change the past.”

“I know.” She sounded miserable.

Seth didn’t believe in defending himself. If he could live his life over, he would’ve done things differently. When he’d realized Peter had been assaulting Bethanne, he still would have stopped him, but he would’ve also called out for help. Maybe that would’ve changed things. Even better, he would’ve concentrated more on helping Bethanne once she’d gotten away from Peter. He should’ve looked after her instead of continuing to fight with Peter. That probably wouldn’t have been possible, but he tried to believe it was.

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