Authors: Mary Ellis
“Why on earth are you dogging me? I waited for you to pull alongside me since leaving Shreve, but you never did. You kept slowing your horse to stay far behind.”
Caleb reined his gelding to a stop. “You knew I was back there?”
“Of course I did. I try to stay aware of my surroundings whenever I'm out by myself. It's unsafe to be oblivious on the road.”
“But you weren't alone, were you?” He took off his hat to slick a hand through his hair.
She blinked with confusion. “Nobody rode with me today, not my
mamm
or my
schwestern.
”
“I saw you go into that coffee shop with a man.”
Reality finally dawned on Josie. Up until that moment, it had been a lovely summer afternoon. She and Caleb could have floated on the pond in her
bruder'
s rowboat or waded in the river with their shoes off. They could have strolled through the apple orchard, picking a snack when they got hungry, or lain back on a quilt, finding animal faces in the cloud formations.
But they wouldn't do any of those things. In an instant, Josie knew it was time for a long overdue chat. “You're blocking traffic. Pull your buggy into our driveway.” She marched from the roadway with hands balled into fists.
Once his wheels were safely off the county highway, Caleb stuck his head out the window. “Should I drive to your paddock? I could rub down both your horse and mine.”
“No, you won't be staying that long.” She tried not to grit her teeth as she tethered her horse to a tree branch. “We'll sit in the shade for a few minutes.” Waiting for him to join her, Josie settled her skirt primly around her ankles.
Caleb lowered himself to his haunches as though ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
“What's this about?” she asked. “Why did you follow me home?”
“I didn't know the
Englischer
you met in Shreve, so I wasn't sure if he could be trusted.” Caleb rested his wrists atop his knees.
“Is that why you tried to stay out of view, because you didn't trust
him
?”
“He could have been up to no good. I also thought you might get mad if you found out,” Caleb added after a slight hesitation.
“You're the one up to no good,” she snapped. “And I am mad that you were checking up on me.”
Caleb shook his head. “I accidentally spotted your rig when I came to Shreve to buy plumbing supplies for the Sidleys. If you had an errand, we could have ridden to town together.” His tone of voice was soft as though he possessed the upper hand. “You can be so independent at times.”
“I didn't know about my trip until Steve Strickland sent word he would be in Shreve on business.”
Thus began a series of questions and answers which went nowhere.
“Who's Steve Strickland?” asked Caleb.
“Mrs. Angela Wilson's younger brother,” she said.
“Who's Angela Wilson?”
“The
Englisch
woman I used to babysit for. I told you about her.” Josie bit her lip, her patience waning.
“How come you never mentioned Steve Strickland before?”
“Because I never met him before today.” She rubbed her neck, which had stiffened during the ride.
Caleb emitted a long, protracted sigh. “Could you explain why you snuck out to meet a total stranger at a coffee shop?”
Josie matched his sigh with orchestrated mimicry. “I didn't sneak out. My
mamm
knew about my errands and that I was meeting a beekeeper.”
Her beau stared at her mutely.
“Steve and his family are moving to South Carolina due to a job transfer. He's not moving his honey production business, so he's willing to sell the queen bee, along with his equipment, for a very reasonable price.” Josie tugged up a handful of crabgrass.
“Steve Strickland is a beekeeper and you wish to become one?” Caleb sounded both shocked and skeptical.
“Correct. I thought you would be proud of me.” Josie tossed the clump of grass at him, hitting his chest squarely.
“Proud of what, exactly?” He brushed away the grass without breaking eye contact.
“That I had devised a way to make money. You seemed concerned that my income-producing ability was zilch. Real clover honey fetches a good price in the tourist shops. Plus I could sell it in the natural food market in Berlin.”
Caleb squeezed the bridge of his nose. “If this Steve Strickland wanted to sell his beekeeping supplies, why would you meet him at a restaurant for forty minutes?”
“You were
timing
me?” Josie hopped to her feet and pointed a finger at him. “You sound jealous. I have no idea why you would be...or should be. Steve is a married man. Besides, I've already made my feelings for you clear.”
“Mr. Strickland could have delivered everything in his truck, taken a check from you, and then been on his way to South Carolina.”
Josie lowered her finger and explained with as much control as possible. “Beekeeping isn't the same as hanging a birdfeeder in the kitchen window. It's complicated; plenty of things can go wrong. If you suffer total hive collapse, the profits and maybe even your whole business might be out the window.” Pulling a spiral notebook from her bag, she fanned pages of neatly printed notes beneath his nose. “I wanted to know exactly what I was getting into before deciding yea or nay.”
“I see why it took forty minutes.” His voice lost most of its vehemence.
“After Steve explained the work involved, I picked his brain for helpful hints and what I should watch out for. He's had years of experience. After his family moves to South Carolina, it'll be hard to ask questions. It's not like I can stay in contact by email.”
Caleb rose to his feet stiffly. “Beekeepingâthat's the last thing I would have guessed.” One of his dimples deepened as though this were merely a misunderstanding.
“What would be the firstâthat I was meeting an
Englischer
for a romantic date?”
He blushed, but didn't deny her preposterous suggestion.
“Oh, Caleb, is that what you thought? How could you possibly have so little faith?”
His flush deepened. “I suppose my past history would be the easy answer.” He gazed down on her with a face filled with sadness.
“We don't have time for the long, hard answer. I need to help
Mamm
with supper.” Josie pushed up from the grass.
“I asked you earlier about the men you courted, but you provided few details. Maybe I had distracted our conversation with this.” Caleb clamped a hand over his arm where the horrid tattoo lay hidden.
“I courted boys, not men. Because I was a girl, not a grown woman. You shouldn't ask such questions, but since this apparently bothers you, I will answer.” Josie meted out her words succinctly. “My relationships with previous suitors never got beyond hand-holding or perhaps a goodnight kiss. Those boys had been my friends. We wanted to see if we could spark something more, but we couldn't. End of story.” She inhaled a deep breath before continuing. “I thought I was ready for a grown-up relationship with someone I had fallen in love with, but now I'm not so sure.”
“You must admit it looked a tad suspicious. Steve Strickland is a handsome man.” Caleb used his honey-sweet, teasing voice.
It had no effect on her. “Honestly, I hadn't noticed if that
married Englischer
was handsome, or if his face contained more warts than a horned toad.” Josie tapped her toe in the tall grass.
Caleb stared at his boots, as though finally realizing his blunder. “I apologize, Josie. I misjudged you and insulted you. Then I threw salt in your wounds by pressuring you for details that weren't my business.
Mir leid.
”
Josie unclenched her fists and released her pent-up breath. “All right, I forgive you.”
A dark cloud lifted from his face as Caleb put his hat back on. “Why don't I rub down our horses and give them a bucket of oats? They could probably use a drink of water too.”
Josie stared at him, stunned.
One apology and that's it?
“I thought you needed to deliver plumbing supplies to the Sidleys.”
“While I was busy following you, I missed their road by a country mile. Now it's too late. I'll just take everything with me Monday morning.” Closing the distance between them, Caleb took her hand. “Maybe I could wrestle an invite to supper.”
Josie yanked her hand away. “You may certainly
not
stay for supper. I might have forgiven you because it's my Christian duty, but I need more time before things are peachy between us.”
“All right, should I come back later to sit on your porch for a spell? It's Saturday night and we get few chances to be together.” He lifted one eyebrow.
“If rocking on a porch with a woman who's not talking to you sounds
gut,
then by all means.”
Caleb's head reared back as though slapped. “
Gut nacht
, Josie. I'll look for you after preaching tomorrow.” He politely tipped his straw hat and strode toward his buggy without another word.
Josie remained on the lawn for several minutes, feeling worse than the time she'd eaten potato salad left in the sun too long.
Eli had been on his way to the house when he spotted his son's buggy rolling up the drive. He waited to talk, because lately, progress at the Sidleys' had captured his imagination. Who would have guessed Albert and his
bruders
would be such hard workers or so eager to learn a trade? Every previous encounter had led him to believe the sons would end up exactly like their
daed
âcut off from their community and from God. Caleb had reached not only Albert, but also Elijah and Tobias.
“You're late, son.” Eli called. “But your
mamm
left a plate for you on the stove.”
“
Gut
to hear. I'm starving.” Caleb climbed down slowly, instead of jumping like usual.
Eli couldn't help notice the long CPVC pipes sticking from the back of his buggy. “You've started their new bathroom?”
He nodded. “We gutted the old one and hauled everything to the
dump in their hay wagon. Thank goodness they only had one bathroom in the house.” Caleb moved stiffly as he unhitched the horse.
“Did you run into any trouble with the interior walls? Any black mold or dry rot of the timbers?”
“
Nein
, the worst problem was a huge yellow jacket nest living in the wall. John Sidley had punched his fist through the plaster years ago, leaving a big hole. Albert said his
mamm
had burned the biscuits on the bottom and John flew off in a rage.”
Father and son exchanged a sorrowful glance. “John had a mean temper,” said Eli. “What about this insect nest? Are you saying none of them knew it was there?” He picked up the harness and followed Caleb into the barn.
After cross-tying the horse, Caleb picked up a brush. “Oh, they all knew its location. Hornets were flying in and out through an open window in Elijah's bedroom.”
“Did that boy sleep in the same room as an active hive?” Eli walked around the stall wall to make sure his son wasn't pulling his leg.
“Every single night for the last year. His window contained not a bit of glass. Elijah said he left the bugs alone and they left him alone. I asked if he got bit by mosquitos all night, and he said that he didn't think so. Apparently, mosquitos no longer raised welts.” Caleb paused in his grooming. “Once a bat flew into Elijah's room and spent an entire day hanging upside down from the ceiling. The critter flew out the next morning, never to return.”
“The bat probably didn't want to share space with a bunch of yellow jackets.” Eli hung the harness on a hook.
Laughing, Caleb drew a metal comb through the gelding's mane. “If you repeat this story, which I hope you won't, no one will believe you.”
“You're right about that. Insects aside, how is the reconstruction going? Has John stood in your way?”
Caleb grinned. “It's coming along better than my fondest hopes. My prayers have been answered.”
“You prayed for the Sidleys?” Eli didn't hide his surprise.
“
Jah
, I pray for them. God has been with us every step. So many bad things could have happened while dismantling the roof and masonry
chimney, but so far nothing has. Plus, Mr. Sidley hasn't shot at me or done anything worse than holler foul names.”
Eager to help, Eli filled the grain bucket and hay stanchion. “I'm curious, how did you get rid of the hornetsâa giant can of Raid?”
“That had been my suggestion, but Elijah wouldn't let me. He insisted he knew a better way.” Caleb made eye contact before continuing. “He rigged up a pot of smoldering grass and herbs, then placed it under the hole in the wall. The white smoke put the hornets into a deep sleep, allowing us to dismantle the wall around them. Then Elijah carried the nest out on a stick. He insisted they had as much right to live as we do.”