Dear to Me (22 page)

 Gabe grimaced. After the argument he and Melinda had a few days ago over him hunting, just the mention of deer made him cringe.

 “You’re frowning. Don’t you care for Melinda’s drawings?”

 “It’s not that,” Gabe was quick to say. “It’s just…well, she seems so protective of the deer in the woods. She doesn’t even want me to go hunting.”

 “I’ve heard her complain about others who like to hunt, too. However, Melinda realizes she can’t keep all the deer safe or stop everyone from hunting, but she wants to protect those that are on our property.” Faith sighed. “Sometimes I worry about Melinda’s preoccupation with the animals. It seems like all she wants to do is sketch pictures of those she sees in the woods and take care of those she’s in contact with here and at the veterinary clinic. Sometimes she shirks her duties at home in order to care for one of her animals.”

 Gabe fought the temptation to tell Faith that her only daughter was contemplating leaving the Amish faith to become a vet. It was Melinda’s place to tell her folks, not his. Besides, he’d made a promise not to tell anyone until she felt ready and knew for sure what she planned to do.

 “I’d better get out to the barn and see if there’s any Sheetrock so I can fix this hole,” Gabe said, pushing his thoughts aside.

 Faith nodded. “And I’d better head back downstairs and get some sewing done.”

Half an hour later, Gabe and Melinda stood in front of his open buggy. He had patched the hole with a piece of plywood he’d found in the barn and planned to come back tomorrow with a new piece of Sheetrock, tape, and the mud he would need to do the job correctly.

 “See that piece of canvas I have right there?” Gabe said, motioning to the back of his buggy.

 Melinda nodded.

 “Pull it aside and take a look at what I made for you last night.”

 “Is it a trash can holder like the one we saw at the farmers’ market?”

 He shook his head. “It’s something I hope you’ll like even better.”

 Melinda gave the canvas a quick yank, and when a long wooden object came into view, she tipped her head in question. “What is this, Gabe?”

 “It’s a feeding trough—so you can feed the deer that come into the woods bordering your place.”

 “That’s a wunderbaar idea. If the deer come to our place to eat, they’ll be safe from hunters.” Unexpectedly, Melinda threw herself into Gabe’s arms and squeezed him around the neck. “I’m so glad you want to care for the deer now rather than kill them.”

 Gabe swallowed hard. Melinda had obviously misinterpreted his gift. How could he admit to her that he had no intention of giving up hunting? He enjoyed hunting and would continue to do so. He just wouldn’t do it on her folks’ land.

Chapter 20

W
ith the warm August breeze tickling her nose, Melinda leaned back on her elbows and sighed. She loved being here at the pond where birds and wildlife abounded and everything seemed so peaceful. Gabe’s picnic supper of barbecued beef sandwiches, dill pickles, and potato salad had left her feeling full and satisfied. Even though he’d admitted that his mother had made most of the meal, Melinda appreciated the gesture. Gabe seemed to enjoy Mama’s homemade bread, too, for he ate several pieces slathered with some of Grandpa’s rhubarb-strawberry jam.

 Not wishing to ruin their meal with a possible argument, Melinda hadn’t asked Gabe if he had told his mother that he’d proposed. She thought it would be best to wait awhile on that. So they’d only had a pleasant chat on the drive from her house to the pond, and for the last hour, they’d been sitting on an old quilt enjoying the picnic supper and having more lighthearted conversation.

 Melinda glanced over at Gabe. His eyes were closed, and his face was lifted toward the sky. He obviously enjoyed being here, too.
If I can’t get him to change his mind about going English, and I have to leave on my own, I’ll surely miss him. It doesn’t seem fair that I’m expected to choose between those I love and the joy of caring for animals. I wish I could have both.

 As if sensing her watching him, Gabe opened his eyes.

 “Were you sleeping?” she asked.

 “Nope.” He smiled at her in such a sweet way it sent shivers up her spine. “I was just enjoying the warmth of the sun and thinking about how much I want to make you my wife.”

 Her cheeks warmed. “Gabe—I—”

 “Whatever differences we may have, can’t we just agree to disagree?”

 A little crease had formed in the middle of Gabe’s forehead, and Melinda reached up to rub it away. “I wish it was that simple.”

 “You love me, and I love you. We shouldn’t allow anything to come between us.”

 Melinda was about to reply, but Gabe stopped her words by pulling her into his arms and kissing her. She couldn’t think when she was in his arms. Nothing seemed to matter except the two of them sharing a special time of being alone together.

 “Let’s go for a walk,” he said suddenly. “When we get back, we can have some of that apple crisp my mamm made for our dessert.”

 Melinda nodded, and he helped her to her feet. As they walked together among the pine trees, she knew all the wonderful moments she had shared with Gabe today would stay with her forever.

 “I hate to spoil the evening,” Gabe said sometime later, “but there are a few things we need to discuss.”

 “You’re right,” she agreed. “I also have a question I want to ask you.”

 “You can ask me anything, Melinda.”

 “Did you tell your mamm that you’d asked me to marry you?”

 Gabe stopped walking, and so did she. “I hope you don’t mind, but Mom came right out and asked how serious I was about you. So I felt she had the right to know that I’d proposed marriage.”

 “I see. Well, apparently, your mamm told Susie when she dropped by Kaulp’s General Store, and Freda Kaulp overheard the conversation, and then she blabbed it to my mamm today.” Melinda groaned. “Mama wasn’t too happy hearing this news secondhand.”

 Gabe’s forehead wrinkled. “I’m sorry she had to learn about it that way, but you really should have told your folks yourself. Don’t you think?”

 “I agree, but we had decided not to tell anyone until we’d set a date and had resolved things between us.”

 “I know, but—”

 Melinda jerked her head. “Did you hear that?”

 He shrugged. “I didn’t hear anything except the rustle of leaves when the wind picked up.”

 “Listen. There it is again—a strange thrashing sound.” Melinda let go of Gabe’s hand and hurried off.

 “Where are you going?”

 “To see what that noise is.”

 “Not without me, you’re not. It might be some wild animal.”

 When they came upon the source of the noise a few seconds later, Melinda was shocked to discover a young doe with its leg caught in a cruel-looking metal trap. The poor animal thrashed about pathetically, obviously trying to free itself.

 “Oh no!” She rushed toward the deer, but Gabe grabbed her around the waist and held her steady.

 “What are you trying to do, get yourself hurt?” he scolded.

 “I need to free the deer and make sure her leg’s not broken.”

 “Melinda, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

 She wiggled free and went down on her knees.

Gabe watched as Melinda crawled slowly toward the deer. He didn’t like her taking chances like this but figured if he made an issue of it, she would get mad. All he wanted to do was keep her safe—locked in his heart and loved forever.

 The doe lay on its belly with the trapped foot extended in front of her. Strangely enough, when Melinda approached, it stopped thrashing and twitched its ears. It was almost as if the critter knew Melinda was there to help.

 “I wish I’d had the chance to check it over thoroughly,” Melinda said when she returned to his side. “I’m sure the doe’s leg must have been cut.” She shook her head slowly. “I’ll never understand why anyone would want to hurt a beautiful deer like that.”

 Gabe resisted the temptation to argue that hunting deer for food was perfectly acceptable to his way of thinking. But he knew they would argue if he broached that subject again. Besides, setting a trap was no way to catch a deer or any other animal, for that matter. To make the situation worse, it wasn’t even hunting season yet.

 Gabe checked the trap to be sure it would no longer work and then buried it in the dirt.

 “See why I asked Papa Noah to post N
O
H
UNTING
signs on our property?” Melinda’s eyes shimmered with unshed tears. She really was sensitive where animals were concerned. A little too sensitive to Gabe’s way of thinking. After all, it wasn’t as if the critters were human beings.

 “Let’s head back to our picnic spot and eat our dessert,” he said, hoping to brighten Melinda’s mood.

 She shook her head vigorously. “I have no appetite for food right now. Besides, we haven’t finished our conversation yet.”

Melinda and Gabe had gone only a few feet, and hadn’t even begun to talk about things, when she spotted a baby skunk scampering out of the bushes. “Oh, look, Gabe! Isn’t it cute? I wonder if it’s an orphan.”

 “Don’t get any dumb ideas, Melinda.”

 She halted and held her breath, waiting to see what the little skunk would do next. If it wasn’t orphaned, she was sure its mother would show up soon.

 “Melinda, let’s go.”

 She shook her head. “I need to see if the skunk’s mother is around.”

 “If she does come on the scene, we could be in a lot of trouble.” Gabe grabbed Melinda’s hand and gave it a tug, but she pulled away.

 “I won’t go back until I know the baby’s not alone.”

 “And if it is?”

 “I’ll take it back to my place so I can care for it.”

 “No way! I won’t allow that skunk in my buggy. What if it sprays?”

 “Baby skunks never spray unless they’re bothered, Gabe.”

 “Jah, well, picking up a skunk and hauling it home in a buggy could easily be considered ‘bothering.’ ”

 Ignoring his comment, Melinda tiptoed a bit closer to the small creature, but she’d only taken a few steps when the baby’s mother trotted out of the bushes. Before Melinda had the presence of mind to turn and run, the skunk lifted its tail and let loose with a disgusting spray.

 “Let’s get out of here!” Gabe hollered.

 Melinda gasped for a breath of fresh air as she and Gabe raced toward his buggy. They were about to climb in when he stopped her with an outstretched arm.

 “What’s wrong? Why are you blocking my way?”

 “It’s bad enough that we both smell like a skunk. If we get into my buggy, it will stink to high heavens, too.”

 She squinted at him. “We can’t walk home, Gabe. It’s too far.”

 “You’re right, but I’m afraid my buggy will never be the same after this trip to the woods.”

 Melinda dropped her gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry. This was all my fault. I just wanted to be sure the skunk wasn’t orphaned, and—” She stopped talking when her eyes started to water.

 “Don’t cry, Melinda. I hate it when you cry.”

 “I’m not crying. My eyes are watering because of this awful odor.” She fanned her face and whirled around a few times. “Phew! Did you ever smell anything so awful?”