Amy's Dilemma. (Book 4 Of The Arlington Series) (complete )

Chapter 19

"Oh, I see. I wish there was something I could do."

"Don't worry about it. Something will come up."

Amy decided that she would talk to Adam and see if he had any ideas.

Their conversation ended there because they had reached the back and Isabelle and Kurtis were calling for her as usual. Jacob took the casserole to the table where the food was and she took the children to play on their swing set that Adam had built. It was any child's dream. He had not only put swings on it, but also a fort. The fort had a tunnel connecting it to a platform and there were holes for the children to peep out of. Once they got to the platform they could slide down either on the slide or a pole into a sandbox below. It was while the little ones were busy in the tunnel that Amy had a chance to talk to Adam about Jacob's problem.

Amy told Adam what Jacob was facing.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Not right at the moment but give me some time to think about it."

Adam started to walk away but stopped and turned back to her saying: "Wait a minute. I might have something. There's a farm going up for sale on the west side of us. It's been offered to me before it goes public. I would like to buy it but don't really have the funds right now. It's possible that Jacob and his parents might be interested in it since it will get them closer to Ruth and Jasmine. We can form a co-op, that way Jacob won't be so tied to the farm, besides I could use his education to help bring our farm up to par. He's really made a success out of theirs."

"Oh Adam, it sounds just the thing. I can't wait to tell him."

"Maybe you better let me talk to him about it. You know the man thing."

"Yes, I guess you're right."

Later that afternoon, when lunch was over and everything cleaned up, the men disappeared. The ladies wondered what was going on and Amy had a difficult time biting her tongue. When they came back you couldn't tell from the looks on their faces how things went. Amy tried hard to get Adam alone but he avoided her. She got increasingly agitated at his antics. She finally gave up. Catching her eye Adam winked at her. She refused to look his way anymore after that.

Joshua came over and whispered into Natalie's ear and the two of them left. When Natalie and Joshua returned neither of them were giving anything away either. Joshua announced that he and Natalie were tired and wanted to return to Jasmine's for an early evening. They suggested that Jacob stay behind and return with Jasmine and Caleb then they left. It was clear that they wanted to be alone. This frustrated Amy even more. It never dawned on her to wonder why she cared what happened to Jacob and his family. Adam knew. It was the same Arlington stubbornness that was in him, the part that never gave up on love when everything seemed to be against you.

The next morning around ten o'clock Joshua called Ruth and asked if she might be able to get Beth to watch the children so that she could come into town to meet them for lunch. She said that she was sure that Beth would do it and that she would call him back after she talked to her about it. Beth said yes.

Ruth's family was sitting at the table at Jasmine's when she arrived.

"What's up?"

Joshua motioned for her to sit down and began the story.

"Yesterday Adam informed us that a farm to the west of you is going up for sale. He would like to have it but feels that he doesn't have the funds at this time. What your mom and I didn't know is that Jacob is getting tired of working our dairy alone. He doesn't get much time off. We didn't know that he has wanted to sell out."

"Jacob, what will you do?" His sister's asked in unison.

"I'm coming to that. Well, we talked it over with your mother and she has agreed to sell. We are going to buy the farm and join it with Adam's and form a coop."

"You sound as though everything has been settled. Don't you have to sell the home farm first?" Ruth enquired.

"It's already been arranged. When your mother and I came home early last evening we called Stephen to tell him what was on our minds. He wants it and didn't even quibble at the price. He knows its good land and with the new equipment it will more than pay for itself. All we have to do is sign the papers and move our things."

"It's sad to think that the farm won't be ours anymore." Jasmine mumbled.

"Yes, but just think, mom and dad nearby. How many times have you moaned about the distance between us?"

Her eyes brightened up at that and she let out a big whoop of joy, throwing her arms around them. Then remembering Jacob she hugged him too, even giving him a big kiss on the cheek.

"Can I tell Caleb?"

"No, you better wait until the papers are signed."

"Oh, that's going to be so hard."

"All right, since Adam already knows you can tell Caleb but nobody else. Remember, nobody else, until we call to tell you that the papers have been signed and the check received."

Later that evening Joshua and Jacob met with Adam to go talk to their neighbor about putting a down payment on his farm. He was more than willing to accept it when he heard that they had sold their farm and would be able to pay the whole amount when the papers were signed and the money came through.

The next morning the three Worthingtons left for home to prepare to move. Though no reason was given as to why they left early Amy was convinced in her mind that they had taken Adam's suggestion and would soon be living nearby. She wondered how she was going to cope with Jacob being around more. It was easy to put him out of her mind when he was so far away. Time would tell.

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Author's Note: Amy has carved out a nice life for herself as a successful single lady. Will Jacob's being so near mess that all up?

Don't forget to comment and vote for your favorite chapters. Happy Reading, Tigger