If I'd Never Known Your Love by Georgia Bockoven Page B

way I'd pictured it happening. I mentally braced myself and waited for the explosion.
    My dad shifted from one foot to the other. "That's the ice that's above the water. I want to see what's underneath before I pass judgment."
    I'd always believed my father the strongest most honorable man alive, someone who taught his children compassion and fairness by example. I'd never been more proud to be his daughter than I was at that moment. I glanced at you and said softly, "See?" I grinned. "I told you."
    You repeated your story in an emotionless voice, as if reading an article from the newspaper about someone you'd never met. It was plain you didn't want his pity or mine and that you were there only because I'd asked you.
    My father was shaken, his face a mirror of his thoughts as he went from anger to sorrow. "I knew there was something special about you the first time we met," he said.
    "I just had no idea how special you really were." He put his hand on your shoulder. "I just might be able to help you out with this fire business. Give me a couple of weeks."
    You tried hard to hide them, but there were tears in your eyes when you said, "I don't see how—"
    "I'm not making any promises, Evan. I'll do what I can. But in the meantime there's something I have to have from you." He looked at me. "And you."
    "I'll do anything, Daddy. "And I would have. "I'll even take the night shift on the combine next summer."
    He chuckled. "Don't think I won't remember you saying that come harvest time."And then to Evan, "Seems to me that we've got our work cut out for us if we're going to get you caught up by graduation. Julia, you're going back to riding the bus and getting your own homework done before supper. Evan, you'll go back to working with Mrs.
    Winslow on the English after school, and then Julia and I will alternate with algebra and social studies until you're where you should be. Julia's mom has four years of high-school German and three of college. If you have any ear at all for foreign languages, she can get you to the point where you can challenge the course for credit.
    I'm not usually in favor of this kind of thing, but you'll need a language when you apply for college yourself"
    I threw my arms around his neck. "Daddy, I love you. You're the best."
    "Why are you doing this?" you asked, confused at a reaction you obviously hadn't expected.
    "For a lot of reasons," Dad said. "Mostly, I suppose, because I think it's about time you were on the receiving end. You're a good kid, Evan. All you need is half a chance."
    "I don't know what to say."
    "One more thing," Dad said, seeing we were about to leave. He shifted his gaze from me to you and then back again. "It's plain as a cat locked in a house watching a flock of birds in the backyard how you two feel about each other. "He held up his hand when I started to protest. "I've got eyes, Julia. Anyone around you two five minutes would pick up on what's going on between you. I just don't want it getting out of hand. You've got plenty of time. Right now Evan has enough on his plate."
    I looked into your eyes and could see the yearning for everything my father had offered mixed with a longing for me. The promise we made to my dad that day to stay away from each other was one of the hardest promises I've ever made. But I sucked it up, as Fred liked to say, and smiled. I wanted you to know that it was okay. I would wait.
    C H A P T E R 6
    The doorbell rang. Julia ignored it. It rang again.

    Julia pulled her legs to her chest and leaned tighter into the corner. Loud knocking came next, and then a man called her name.
    "Mrs. McDonald?" He knocked again. "This is Deputy Thompson from the Sheriff's Department. Are you all right in there?"
    Julia stirred. He'd obviously been sent to see her and would not go away until she responded. "Mrs. McDonald? Can you—" "Just a minute," she finally said. She got to her feet, wiped her face with her hands and adjusted her skirt.
    She was experienced at hiding