"Your mamm has no need for another cow. Your milker still has plenty of good years left in her."

"This one's a wonderful-gute-"

"Not another word. I declare, if I weren't around to keep you in check, you'd be spending every cent of your money on things you don't need."

On tiptoe, Sarah ventured a few feet into the livestock pavilion and reached out her hand to Nathaniel. "Cum. Your tables are about to go up for bidding. You want to see how much they bring, don't you?"

Nathaniel glanced at Davie, who was doing his best to pretend he hadn't heard the conversation. "I'll be back," he said under his breath. Davie gave a barely perceptible nod.

With Sarah in the lead, Nathaniel tromped over to the warm east pavilion, which was outfitted with tables and folding chairs-and where buyers were already bidding on the last of his three walnut tables. Nathaniel and Sarah slipped into the back row.

"I told you, you shouldn't have disappeared," Sarah hissed. "You missed it."

"Not all of it."

"Most of it."

Nathaniel had always loved auctions-the excitement of watching the price of his item rise with every bid, the thrill of competition to be the highest bidder. He enjoyed browsing the goods and livestock that Englisch and Amish alike brought to sell.

His favorite memory was the time he'd threatened to buy Kate a quilt she knew he couldn't afford and watching her eyes grow to saucers as he pushed the bid past six hundred dollars. He knew precisely when to stop so he wouldn't actually have to buy the quilt, and she had cuffed him several times for putting her through such torment.

The thought sobered him now. How could he take pleasure in the memory of something that wasn't real?

"Seven hundred and twenty-five dollars!" Sarah clapped her hands. "Did you hear that? People love your furniture, Nathaniel."

"A gute price."

"Gute? Excellent, I'd say."

A beautiful quilt of emeralds and reds came up next. Tiny appliqued flowers twined around the border, and a bouquet of roses graced the center.

Nathaniel folded his arms across his chest and grinned. "How about I buy that for you, Sarah?"

"You'll do no such thing. I can make thirty of my own for the price you'd pay for that."

After two bids were placed, Nathaniel raised his hand. "One hundred."

Sarah's horrified expression did not deter him. "Stop this at once," she scolded.

"Two hundred," Nathaniel yelled after waiting for a sufficient number of bids.

"Nathaniel, you will quit this foolish game right now, or I will have to remove you from the room."

"Two-fifty." Nathaniel looked smugly at Sarah, whose piercing stare could have sliced him in half.

Jumping to her feet, she plucked the hat from his head, clutched one of his suspenders, and pulled him toward the exit. He had no choice but to follow. She would have wrenched the trousers right off his legs.

As they emerged under the overcast sky, Nathaniel could hear guffaws and sniggers echoing through the pavilion. He felt his face flush hot-with anger or embarrassment, he could not tell.

"What in the world were you doing? I want to bury my head, I'm so embarrassed," Sarah said.

Nathaniel glared at her, every unkind thing he could think of at the tip of his tongue. With his heart pounding, he clenched his fists and tried to smother his temper before it got the better of him.

He snatched his hat from her fingers and jammed it firmly onto his head. Without a word, he wiped all expression from his face and stormed away from her.

"Nathaniel, come back. I didn't mean to..."

His resolute strides carried him behind the pavilion to where the livestock trailers were parked. Most people kept to the warmth indoors. It would be difficult for Sarah to find him here.

He should be so lucky.

He immediately rebuked himself. Sarah had no fault in this. How could she know he was teasing her? He thought she would find his game amusing, like...other people might.

Leaning against a large trailer, he closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down. The incident was trivial. Why had he reacted with such anger?

Nearby laughter caught his attention. He stuck his head around the corner of the trailer to see five young men standing by another trailer and carrying on an animated conversation. He thought about joining them until he spied Elmer Weaver in the group.

The friendship between Nathaniel and Elmer had completely dissolved with Kate's absence. Elmer made it plain that he thought it despicable that Nathaniel had abandoned Kate, accusing him of being unduly influenced by Aaron.

"Why would you volunteer for that?" one of the boys said.

"They're not even married," said another boy, ribbing the boy next to him.

"So? Marriage shouldn't give a woman permission to walk all over her husband." The speaker turned his head so Nathaniel could see his profile. Davie Eicher. "Better it is to single live, than to the wife the britches give."

"You make that up?"

"No," Davie said. "It's in Proverbs."

Nathaniel had decided to return to the livestock pavilion when he heard his name. "Everyone sees it but Nathaniel."

He plastered himself against the trailer and held his breath.

"Maybe somebody should warn him."

Nathaniel heard Elmer loud and clear. "Nah, he deserves what he gets with that one."

"If you ever want to know the definition of 'henpecked,' watch Sarah with Nathaniel," Davie said.

"Oy, anyhow," Elmer said. "If you ever see me being led around by the nose like that, hit me upside the head with a two-by-four."

Nathaniel felt as if all the breath had been sucked out of his lungs. Is this how they saw him? For more than three months he had lived in a perpetual stupor. Had he really let things sink so low with Sarah?

"I liked your sister better," Davie said softly.

Someone kicked the gravel. "Mamm says she's gone to Ohio."

With Ada as his informant, Nathaniel had heard that news before just about everyone else when Ada returned from Milwaukee three days ago. Joe Weaver had the nerve to ask Nathaniel if he would seek out Kate now that she had decided to be baptized.

We will see, Nathaniel thought.

"She's living with my sister Hannah," Elmer said.

"Is she coming back?"

Elmer's voice went very quiet. "I do not think so. She wants to be baptized in Ohio."

"Nathaniel would have been better off with Kate, I think," one of the boys said.

"She's better off without him," Elmer said, bitterness oozing with every word.

"He is a good man...and a man of God has to draw the line," Abner Burkholder said. "I'm sorry to offend you, Elmer. I would not want anything to do with a girl who gets in trouble with an Englischer and then has his baby."

"What are you talking about?" Elmer said.

"Her baby. Kate's baby. Had I been Nathaniel, I would have rejected Kate too."

"What do you mean, Kate has a baby?" Elmer said.

Nathaniel groaned inwardly. It was not right for Elmer to find out this way.

"She has a baby. You...you didn't know?"

Nathaniel heard a thud. It sounded like a body being shoved against the wall of the trailer. "That is a damnable lie. Who told you this?" Elmer said.

"The...the whole community knows," Abner grunted.

"Who told you?" Elmer said, his voice rising in outrage.

"Let go of him." More shuffling, more gravel crunching.

"My dat heard it from Ada, I think. Or maybe Aaron."

Aaron? Nathaniel wanted to jump out from his hiding place and call Abner Burkholder a liar. But deep down he knew Abner was not making it up. Exploding with fury, Nathaniel ran toward the pavilions instead. He stormed through the livestock area, scanning faces for Kate's eldest brother. How could Aaron have betrayed his trust?

How could Aaron have been so disloyal to his own sister?

Ada stood outside of the smaller pavilion, her arms wrapped around herself against the chill.

She caught sight of Nathaniel. "Sarah is looking for you. She says she's real sorry for making you mad, and she'd be pleased and proud if you still want to buy her a quilt."

"Where's Aaron?"

Ada shut her mouth then opened it again. "Did you hear what I said about Sarah? She's awfully-"

"I must speak to Aaron."

"He went with Sarah to find you. Oh, there he is."

Aaron stormed around the corner of the pavilion with Sarah hanging on his arm. Annoyance was etched on his face. He caught sight of Nathaniel and nudged Sarah in front of him. "She's sorry for whatever it is she did. Now can we finish with this nonsense?"

With no regard for propriety, Sarah threw her arms around Nathaniel. "I didn't mean it. Please forgive me."

All but ignoring the tearful girl, Nathaniel pried Sarah away from him and glared at Aaron. "You broke your promise."

Aaron's annoyance increased. "What promise?"

Nathaniel didn't have a chance to answer. Elmer appeared, charged Aaron, and thrust him roughly into the side of the pavilion, pinning his back against the wall.

"What are you telling people about Kate?" Elmer yelled, tears glistening on his cheeks.

Aaron struggled to break free, but at almost twenty years old, Elmer had grown taller and stronger than he.

"Tell me!" Elmer yelled again.

Aaron scowled, but it was clear he knew exactly what Elmer accused him of. "I told no one."

Elmer released him with a shove. "You're lying."

Aaron looked like he wanted to shove Elmer back. Instead he retreated a step and kept his voice low. "I told no one." He directed a sharp eye at Ada. "Except my wife. I do not keep secrets from her."

Ada clapped both hands over her mouth.

Elmer barely glanced in Ada's direction. "You let her spread it around for you."

Aaron stood with his feet apart and folded his arms, making a show of indignation. "Ada, who did you tell?"

Ada shook her head in mute distress. All three men stared at her.

Sarah pushed them aside and put a protective arm around her sister. "Don't pick on Ada. She hasn't done nothing wrong."

"I didn't mean to," Ada said, her voice grating on Nathaniel's ears like cheese curds on his teeth. "It just popped out." Her hazel eyes brimmed with water.

Aaron shrugged his shoulders. "Ada means well. Sometimes things slip."

Elmer gave his brother a black look. "You told her because you knew she'd repeat it. You wanted her to repeat it. She has the biggest mouth in the community."

Ada puffed out her chest and huffed at Elmer.

Aaron glared right back at his brother. "The truth was bound to come out sooner or later."

"The truth! Where is an ounce of truth in this?" Elmer said. "Did you think it would make Nathaniel love Sarah? Or did you want revenge for Kate's disrespect last summer?"

Aaron shook his head. "I did not make it up. Nathaniel first knew about it, and he shared it with me."

"Nathaniel! Nathaniel knew?" Elmer yelled.

A group of curious onlookers gathered around the center of conflict.