Huckleberry Harvest (24 page)

He cupped a hand over her elbow. “Can you walk okay?”

“If you hold my hand, I’ll be all right,” she said, a tease glinting in her eyes. “What does your mamm say about holding hands?”

“I might still end up in China.”

Her smile nearly knocked him off his feet. “I hear China is amazing.”

He laced his fingers through hers. A pleasant sensation tingled all the way up his arm. “I’m willing to risk getting lost.”

“Me too.”

What was she going to tell Kristina?

Only the worst kind of friend would steal her best friend’s boyfriend.

Only, it wasn’t stealing if he hadn’t really been the best friend’s boyfriend to begin with. And she hadn’t set out to steal anything. She’d sort of stumbled into Noah and had lost her heart in the process.

With a lump in her throat, Mandy did up the breakfast dishes while Mammi sat at the table and perused her cookbook. “Chinese noodles with ginger sauce,” Mammi said, adjusting her glasses and leaning in for a better look. “Do you like Chinese food, Mandy?”

“I’ve never had Chinese food,” Mandy said. But she’d heard that China was amazing. Despite her misgivings about Kristina, her lips curled into a smile. Amazing. If she had known that being kissed by Noah was that heart-stoppingly breathtaking, she would have asked him to do it two weeks ago. Of course a little more than two weeks ago she had been standing on his porch wagging her finger at him and making all sorts of wild accusations. She probably couldn’t have talked him into it. Besides, Kristina had been watching from the buggy.

“Do you know what five-spice powder is?” Mammi asked.

“Nae. Is it Chinese?” Mandy glanced at her mammi doubtfully. It sounded like she was going to jump in over her head again.

Mandy’s heart skipped an uneven rhythm when she looked at the clock. Almost seven. Noah would be here any minute. Would he wear the white shirt or the blue? Would he smile or put on his normal down-to-business expression?

Maybe he’d smile. He’d told her he loved her, hadn’t he? Well, he’d said he was turned every which way in love with her. Was it the same thing?

She hoped so, because she was beginning to feel turned every which way in love with him too, even though he got mad at her on a regular basis. Even though he wasn’t about to see reason when it came to his fater and even though she still had a secret she hadn’t shared with him.

And even though . . . Kristina.

She adored that look he got on his face when he tried to solve a problem and the way he persistently stuck to a job until it was finished. He didn’t let something he didn’t know stop him from accomplishing his task. She loved the way he teased her and spoke plainly and felt so protective of girls. And yes, she had a preference for boys with muscles. Was that so wrong?

She rinsed out the sink and dried her hands, then touched her fingers to her lips. Every time she thought of Noah’s kisses, her lips tingled pleasantly and her unbridled heart galloped like a racehorse. At this rate, she’d be breathless all day.

All month.

Probably all year.

“. . . just sandwiches, don’t you think?” Mammi said, looking at Mandy as if she expected an answer.

Mandy pulled her hand from her mouth. Had she been puckering? “I’m sorry, Mammi. What did you say?”

Mammi eyes danced. “My dear, your head has been up in the clouds all morning, but I can’t say as I blame you. Paul is a very promising prospect, even with braces.”

Mandy pasted on a fake smile. “Paul Zook?”

“Don’t you remember, dear? He’s coming at noon to take you to Cobbler Pond for a picnic, but I think it will just have to be sandwiches today. I used all the clams in the couscous last night.”

Mandy’s smile sagged slightly. Oh, yes. Paul Zook. The boy with braces who couldn’t lift a hay bale over his head.

She scolded herself for that unkind thought. Most boys didn’t have Noah’s sculpted arms and strong back. That didn’t mean they weren’t gute potential husbands.

Except it
did
mean that they weren’t potential husbands for her, because there was only one kind of husband she wanted. The realization crashed into her like a charging bull even as she tried to hold it back. She’d only known Noah for two weeks. She’d only liked him for one. Did she really want to marry him?

Hoping her expression didn’t betray her wild thoughts, she cleared her throat and tried to focus on what Mammi told her. “I don’t remember planning a picnic with Paul Zook.”

“Well, dear, since you are going to a gathering with Adam Wengerd tonight, but I knew you had the afternoon free, I set an earlier date with Paul. He came over yesterday while you were at Noah’s house. I knew you’d be thrilled, so he and I planned a picnic for you. You don’t have plans, do you?”

Plans? She had planned to make up reasons to be outside all day gazing up at the roof and thinking about Noah’s lips. It wouldn’t really have been spying, but sometimes she wondered if she were as bad as Kristina.

Oh, no! She’d also forgotten about Kristina.

“Kristina is coming over this morning to help in the yard.”

“The yard? What are you doing in the yard?”

Mandy wasn’t exactly sure, but she had promised Kristina on Tuesday that if she would stop spying on Noah she could come over today and help Mandy do something in the yard. Kristina hadn’t cared what the activity was going to be. She just wanted something, anything to get her within sight of Noah Mischler. Mandy’s nagging conscience had gotten the better of her on Tuesday.

Her conscience wasn’t nagging anymore. It was howling. Kristina would feel completely betrayed if she knew that Noah had kissed her supposed best friend. And Mandy should probably feel guilty for not feeling guilty about the kiss.

Someone tapped lightly on the door, making Mandy’s heart do a double backflip with a twisting leap. “That will be Noah,” Anna said, closing her dangerous cookbook. She bustled to the door. Mandy held her breath.

She couldn’t see him, but she heard that low, silky voice of his. “Gute maiya, Anna. Just wanted to let you know I’m here.”

“How nice to see you, Noah,” Mammi said. “Be sure to join us for lunch.”

There was a slight pause. “Is Mandy here?”

“Of course,” Mammi said. “She barely finished the dishes.”

Mandy practically leaped across the room to the front door. “Hello, Noah.”

He wasn’t smiling. His frown cut jagged lines into his face. “Can I talk to you outside for a minute?”

She didn’t like that look. He was either still mad at her for interfering in his life or he regretted kissing her and had come to tell her not to get her hopes up. If she had a phone, would he have texted her the bad news?

She stepped onto the porch, gave Mammi a weak smile, and shut the door behind her. Chester stood obediently at Noah’s side, regarding Mandy with a look of pity in his eyes. She shook her head. Surely she was imagining things. Dogs couldn’t communicate their feelings like that, could they?

Her heart sank. She always knew when Chester was happy to see her. If Noah had confided in his dog, it wasn’t all that strange to think that Chester would feel sorry for her.

Noah reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small brown paper bag. He clenched his jaw and forced a smile. “I made this for you.”

Mandy opened the bag and pulled out a pint jar with a creamy light yellow substance inside. “Homemade butter?” she asked.

He nodded. “It’s really easy to make. You just pour whipping cream into the jar and shake it until it turns to butter.” The corner of his mouth twitched into a grin. “I know how much you like butter.”

She opened the jar, scooped out a dab of butter with her finger, and popped it into her mouth. “Mmm. This is delicious. Do you have a spoon?”

His eyebrows rose higher on his forehead. “You eat butter plain?”

“When it’s really good, I do.”

Reaching into his pocket, he shook his head vigorously. “Please don’t do that.” He pulled out a small bag of crackers. “At least have it with a cracker.”

She took a cracker from his bag and dipped it into the butter, scooping out a healthy teaspoonful. He grinned in amusement as she popped the whole thing into her mouth.

“Would you like a little cracker with all that butter?” he said.

She giggled. “I love butter. How did you know?”

His smile seemed to falter, as if it took great energy to keep it going. “You said as much last night.”

This was the part where he was going to tell her that the kiss was a mistake and that he hadn’t really meant it when he said he loved her and would she please get a cell phone so he didn’t have to face her when he delivered bad news. The butter suddenly tasted thick and heavy in her mouth.

“I’m sorry that I got carried away last night,” he said, “and I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Oh,” she said, feeling as if someone had cut the porch out from under her. “Okay.”

“I know I’m not good enough for you.” He lowered his eyes. “It was nice of you to kiss me back even though I don’t deserve it from someone as wonderful as you are.”

She forgot to breathe. He thought he wasn’t good enough? He didn’t want her to stay out of his life? A smile crept onto her lips. “You don’t hate me?”

He furrowed his brow. “I told you that last night, didn’t I? But I didn’t give you any choice about kissing me, and you were too polite to push me away. I’m sorry.”

Mandy glanced at the window that looked out onto the covered porch and then toward the woods in front of the house. It would be best to avoid any spies that might be lurking about. She laid the butter and crackers on the floor of the porch. “Don’t eat these, Chester,” she said. Boldly, she grabbed Noah’s hand and pulled him down the porch steps and around the corner of the house to where the new shed stood. If Mammi truly wanted to spy, she’d have to jog down the hall and peek out her bedroom window.

Surprise flashed in Noah’s eyes as she led him behind the shed. If Kristina was spying from the woods, she wouldn’t be able to see anything. Mandy tried not to think about her best friend. There would be enough time for confession later.

“Noah,” she said, “I do not regret kissing you. And that thought about you not being good enough for me is nonsense.
You
are too good for me. I’m the one who should be worried.”

He shook his head and tried to pull his hand away. She squeezed it tighter and wouldn’t let him go.

“My dat is an alcoholic and my mamm left us. I don’t deserve you.”

“What about me? I go to people’s houses who I don’t even know and get mad at them for things they didn’t even do. Then I spy on those same people, and they are nice enough to pull me out of the river. You saved my life. You take care of your dat. I don’t deserve you.”

“But my family is a mess. I haven’t seen my mamm or my siblings for three years. My dat goes to the bar three or four nights a week. What gute Amish girl wants a boy like me?”

“I do.” She bent her elbow and pulled his arm around her back, bringing him gratifyingly closer in the process. Stiffening, he leaned away. She countered by leaning closer to him. He stared at her lips as if he dared not hope to come in contact with them again. She saw where his gaze was focused. “If you don’t kiss me right now,” she whispered, “I’m going to be very irritated with you.”

His eyes danced as he curled his lips. “You shouldn’t whisper like that. It makes me forget every lesson my mamm ever taught me.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought his lips down on hers. They were smoother and more delicious than butter. Her heart thumped a powerful rhythm as she slid her arms around his neck and let herself be kissed until she couldn’t remember which way was up.

He pulled away and then laid a kiss on her cheek and three on her forehead. “The bishop would never approve of this.”

“Your bishop might not approve, but my bishop is not so strict. I’ve never heard him say anything against kissing.”

“Let’s pretend we’re in Charm.” He winked and kissed her again, leaving Mandy wondering how something so simple as lips touching could catapult a girl to the roof even when she wasn’t moving.

She pulled away to catch her breath and felt a catch in her throat. Should she tell him about the letter? She’d sent it over a week ago. There was no taking it back now. She studied his smiling face. She would wait. Nothing might come of it anyway, and they were getting along so nicely for a minute. She just couldn’t spoil the mood.

Mandy had never been so glad for the bell on Kristina’s bike. It certainly was annoying how often she rang the thing, but it was also a gute warning that Kristina was almost to the top of the hill. Today, Mandy needed plenty of warning.

He reluctantly released her as she took a step away from him. “Kristina’s here.”

He made a face and groaned. “Why?”

“She’s my best friend.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean you actually have to invite her up here.” He tempered his scold with a smile. “It seriously cuts into our kissing time.”

Mandy sighed. “I promised her we could work in the yard so she could gaze at you.”

His smile faded. “You want me and Kristina to get together?”

“Of course not, but she promised to stop spying if I let her come today.”

“Are you sure you’re not trying to get rid of me?” He tried to act flippant about it, but she could tell there was real worry behind his question.

She rose to her tiptoes and brushed her lips across his. He softened like putty. “Do you want to get rid of me?”

“Not a chance.”

“Then you’re stuck. She’ll think I’m the rottenest friend ever, but I’m going to tell her.”

“You’re not a rotten friend. It’s not your fault she can’t see what’s plainly in front of her.” He took her hand and pressed his lips against her fingers. “Does this mean I’ll be eating lunch on the roof yet? I want to eat with you, but not if Kristina’s still here.”

She tried for a carefree smile and failed miserably. “I’m going on a picnic with Paul Zook.”

“Paul Zook?”

“Mammi set it up.”

A dark shadow crossed his features. “I’m not good enough for you. Even your mammi and dawdi think so.”

“Mammi also tried to arrange a date with Menno King. He’s thirty-seven years old, Noah. It has nothing to do with who’s good enough. It has everything to do with Mammi’s desperation to marry me off.”