Page 68 of Prodigal Son

“Shall we?” He held the door. “Your brother’s having breakfast. I can hear him.”

She paused, listening for any sound, but heard nothing. Following Cain down the hall, she took in every detail of the house. Everything appeared quite…well, Amish, which had the strange effect of filling her with shame, as if she’d vandalized a church or something sacred.

The planked wood floors were worn and ancient and the walls were mostly bare, aside from calendars and tapestries made useful with pockets and such. Much of the handcrafted wood showed details common stores couldn’t replicate. Obvious time and effort went into every item, from the quilts upon the beds to the braided rugs in the halls. The house smelled of burning wood, as every room had either a wood stove or working fireplace. But there was also something sweet and comforting in the air—like cinnamon and apples.

They passed a stairway leading to the second floor of the house and then entered a large kitchen. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted her brother sitting at the table eating a slice of crumble coffee cake.

“Hey, D, there you are. Isn’t this great?” he said over a mouthful of crumbs. “Here, taste this. Best cake I’ve ever had. It’s not dry or nothin’. Gracie made it. Did you meet Gracie yet?”

Destiny shook her head, and a small young woman wearing a bonnet, black gown, and an apron sprinkled in flour smiled at her. Definitely Amish. “Good morning, Destiny. Would you like some breakfast cake?”

Cake for breakfast? Was this heaven? “Um…no, thank you.”

A little overwhelmed, she looked at her brother.

“Seriously, D, try the cake.” He shoveled another bite into his mouth. “I asked little Gracie here to marry me after the first taste, but apparently they’re not allowed to date outside of their order.”

Once again, Destiny wondered what the hell might have possessed her to have sex with an Amish man. She glanced back at Cain and instantly remembered. Oh yeah, he’s hot. She was going to hell.

Gracie laughed and placed a tall glass of milk in front of Vito, patting his shoulder. “Are you sure you wouldn’t like a piece, Destiny? Cain?”

“No, thank you,” they answered in unison.

Just then the front door opened and an older teenage boy, still in that awkward stage of growing where his weight hadn’t quite caught up with his height, came in, holding a young girl’s hand. Destiny couldn’t help but smirk at the adorable picture the two of them made in their Amish garb.

The boy immediately looked to where Gracie’s hand rested on Vito’s shoulder and scowled. The little girl looked at Destiny, and also scowled. Okay, maybe they were touchy Amish children.

“Who’s this?” the boy demanded, his accent different from Cain’s and more modern.

Gracie’s eyes narrowed at the boy as if they shared some unspoken secret. “This is Vito and his sister, Destiny.” She turned to face her. “Destiny, Vito, this is Dane and his younger sister, Cybil. You’ll have to forgive Dane as he’s forgotten his manner.”

Dane and Cybil… Why did she recognize those names?

The little girl released her brother’s hand and walked to Cain’s side, wedging herself between him and Destiny. She hadn’t realized he’d moved so close.

The boy's lips firmed as a dash of red touched his cheeks, his disapproval sucking the welcome right out of the room. “They stayed here while Jonas and Abilene are away?”

Grace scoffed. “I believe we are well past the ages of needing a chaperone, Dane.”

The boy’s nostrils flared. Without another word, he pivoted and left the house, letting the front door slam behind him.

“I’m giving Destiny a tour of the farm,” Cain announced and the little girl began rapidly signing something with her hands as she scowled up at Cain. Only then did Destiny realize she must be deaf. “We won’t be long,” he told the child, signing his words much slower.”

Destiny tugged his shirt and quietly whispered, “I have to, um… Can I use your restroom?”

“Right. I forgot. It’s out back.”

Out back? She frowned, but he was back to signing with the little girl so she figured her way on her own. Sure enough, there was a wooden shed out back.

“What in the name of Deliverance…” she mumbled as she peered inside the small shed.

A sink, shower stall, and toilet occupied the small room. Thankfully, there was also a wood stove so it wasn’t freezing. But the water was.

Destiny shivered as she washed up. She kept a small makeup bag in her purse that also contained a travel sized toothpaste and toothbrush. The mirror was more along the lines of marbled metal that only gave a minor reflection, which was probably for the best.

Once freshened up and invigorated by the icy water, Destiny headed back to the house but paused as she overheard people arguing.

“How could you let two total strangers stay at your house?” a male voice carried.

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