Lorie's Heart (26 page)

“I talked to the bishop. He's a fair man.” That was one thing about Bishop Ebersol, he was fair to a fault.

“You talked to the bishop about me?”

“I did. I told him that you had made some mistakes, but that you had a tough year. He understood with all the things you had learned about your father.”

“Oh, Jonah, I didn't want all the secrets to get out.”

He shook his head. “Do you really think the bishop is going to go around and tell everyone your family secrets?”

“
Nay.
I don't.”

“But I thought the bishop should know so he could better understand what you have been going through.”

“What did he say?”

“He said with secrets like that, it was a miracle you didn't go plum crazy.”

Lorie laughed, the sweetest sound he had ever heard. All around them cars purred by, horse and buggies creaked and groaned as they rolled down the streets, and the birds in the trees chirped out the last of their summer songs.

“He and I agreed that giving you stability and a good foundation for the future was the best thing we could offer you. So he's agreed to give you special baptism classes in order for you to join the church this fall.”

“But everyone has already been baptized for the year.”

Jonah shrugged. “I guess he thinks it's more important to get you in the church than it is to follow a bunch of rules on how to do it.” He reached for her other hand and held them tightly, absorbing her warmth as his own and gaining strength to ask the question that would change their lives forever.

“Lorie, will you marry me?” He sucked in another breath before continuing. “Bishop will give you classes and in two weeks, the church can take a vote. After that, you can be baptized, and we can be married.”

“This year?” she squeaked.

“All you have to do is say the word. So what's it going to be, Lorie? Will you be my wife?”

 

 

“Did you go?”

Zach pasted on a bright smile and flashed it at all the seniors seated at table eight. Despite his efforts, no one believed him.

“That's a no,” Stan said.

“If you won't do it for yourself, do it for us,” Linda pleaded. “We're tired of these terrible crafts.” She held up today's effort, some sort of origami he thought was supposed to be a fox but looked more like a wounded dog.

“Yeah,” Eugene bellowed. “Every time I pass that picture of hers in the hallway I want to go see her myself.”

“I wonder if we can get the shuttle to take us there,” Linda mused.

“That's a great idea.” Stan pushed to his feet. “I'm going to talk to Carol about it.”

“Face it,” Fern said, shooting Zach a stern look. “You messed up big-time with this one.”

Zach knew they meant well, but every time he came to visit they brought up Lorie. How was he ever going to get over her if they wouldn't quit talking about her? “Okay, I'm going to say this one more time. She's Amish. She's gone back to live with her family.”
And I should have never messed with her emotions
.

“Pshaw,” Betty said, waving away his protests. “She was born into this world. Not theirs. She belongs here.”

It was the age-old nurture versus nature debate. Maybe he should find Lorie and ask if she wanted to be a part of some scientific study on the matter.

“Speaking of,” Eugene said. “When are you going to quit that day job of yours and come back here full-time?”

“Yes,” Linda added. “We hardly ever see you anymore.”

How could he tell them that he needed the money from his day job? It sounded so materialistic and heartless. Suddenly the conversation he had with Lorie when they were driving through the Dallas neighborhood came to mind. What was more important, being happy or money? Why couldn't a person have both?

“Wouldn't it be great if we can get the shuttle to go to Wells Landing?” Eugene said.

“You'd go with us, right?” Fern asked, pinning him with those sharp blue eyes. “That way you can see her and find out how she's doing.”

“She's probably already married,” Zach warned.

“Pshaw,” Betty said again. “That girl was crazy about you.”

He wanted to believe that it was true, but uncertainties plagued him. She had been gone from Tulsa for months. No doubt she had settled back into her previous life. The one without him.

Before Zach could respond, Stan hobbled back up, rubbing his hands together in apparent glee. “She said she would work on it, but I think it's a done deal. We're going to visit the Amish.”

“Lorie,” Betty added.

Same thing.

“This is it?” Stan pointed his cane in a circle encompassing all of what was Main Street, Wells Landing.

“Stan,” Betty admonished. “This is a delightful town.”

“Uh-huh,” Stan replied.

“Do you want your scooter?” the driver asked.

“In this town? The mall is bigger than this place.”

“Well, I think it's charming.” Linda ducked so she wouldn't hit her head as she descended from the shuttle steps.

“It does have a real homey feel.” Fern hooked her handbag over her arm and surveyed the place with a much less critical eye.

Of course, Zach thought it was charming as well, but this is where Lorie lived and that alone drew him to the place.

The bus driver poked his head out the doors and signaled for Zach. “I'm going to fill up for the trip back. Can you take care of everyone until I get back?”

“Of course.”

The driver climbed back behind the wheel and backed the shuttle onto the road.

“Is that it there?” Eugene pointed one gnarled finger toward the Kauffman Family Restaurant.

“It is,” Zach replied.

“Looks empty,” Stan grumped.

“There's a note on the door, dear,” Betty said. “What does it say?”

Zach crossed the street with Fern and Betty close behind.

 

 

“Closed for a wedding?” Fern asked. “Who gets married on a Thursday?”

Only someone in a big hurry. Zach's heart fell. He was too late. He should have come months ago, right after she first left. He should have told her that he was scared. That he was falling for her too fast, and he wasn't sure what to do with such intense feelings for someone he had only known for a short time. But he had told himself that he needed to let her go. What a fool he had been.

“You don't think . . . ?” Betty asked, looking from the sign to him.

“I don't know,” he whispered. But he had his suspicions even though every fiber of his being hoped and prayed that he was wrong.

“Betty, we're walking down to the bakery. You want to come with us?”

She shook her head. “I'm staying with Zach.”

Leave it to Betty to have a day of clarity when he needed to be alone.

There was a small bench outside the restaurant. The two of them settled there and watched the town. Not much was happening today. A few of the non-Amish vendors had put up Halloween decorations, but for the most part the town showed signs of early fall. A few leaves stirred around in the wind. The sun shone, but the air held the promise of cooler weather.

“Please tell me that you aren't going to sit here until three thirty and wait for her.”

Zach scoffed. “Of course not.”

She patted him on the knee and gave him that typical Betty smile. “Then come on. If you don't want something yummy from the bakery the least you can do is take your mom back something.”

“You're right.” Coming here was the dumbest idea he had ever been talked into, but he was here and Lorie was getting married. Time to move forward. He stood and held his arm toward her. “Milady. Where would you like to visit first?”

Betty swung her gaze from one side of the street to the other. “And I can go anywhere I want?”

“But of course.”

Lorie's grandmother smiled so big. “I want to go swing.”

Three hours later, after swinging in the park, grabbing a sandwich from a place called The Cheese House, and looking at so many quilts Zach was starting to see the patterns even with his eyes closed, it was time to meet the shuttle that would take them back to Tulsa.

“This wasn't why I came here at all,” Stan grumbled. “I wanted Zach to see Lorie.”

“We all wanted Zach to see Lorie,” Eugene boomed.

He shook his head. “You guys are the sweetest, but Lorie got married today.”

A chorus of “What?” went up all around the group.

“She got married today.” He patiently explained how Lorie had told him she was engaged when she left the Amish all those months ago.

“That doesn't mean this is her wedding they are talking about,” Stan said.

“Why else would she return?” Whose wedding could it be if it wasn't hers?

“There could be a hundred reasons,” Linda said.

He wanted to believe that, but he couldn't allow himself that much hope.

“Look.” Betty grabbed his sleeve and pointed toward the door of the restaurant. A group of Amish women all dressed in the same color of blue were standing outside. Many more buggies and tractors were pulling into the parking lot behind the building.

“There she is.” Stan swung his cane around toward the girls dressed in blue.

Zach almost didn't recognize her in her Amish clothing, but there she was.

He wanted to run to her and ask her to please tell him that she hadn't gotten married, but he couldn't embarrass himself that way. What good would it do anyway?

“Yoo-hoo, Lorie. Over here,” Betty called out, and waved to her granddaughter.

Lorie turned toward them, her eyes wide as she took them all in. She said something to the girl standing closest to her, then crossed the street to where they waited.

“It's so good to see you.” She hugged everyone in turn, then pulled away when she got to Zach. “W-what are you doing here?”

He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “The seniors wanted to take a trip out here and see the town.”

“Oh,” Lorie said. If he wasn't mistaken he thought he heard disappointment in her voice.

“It's a senior trip,” Fern said. “Get it?”

Lorie smiled, but the action didn't quite reach her eyes. Zach had a feeling there was more to it than her just not understanding the joke.

“We didn't mean to crash your wedding,” Zach said. “We were just about to go home anyway.”

“You didn't,” she said. “Wait. It's not
my
wedding.”

“It's not?” Could he hope now? He squashed that thought. Just because she wasn't the one who got married today didn't mean she wanted anything to do with him.

“My sister Melanie got married today.”

“Your sister?” He had to stop repeating everything she said. “I mean, how nice for her.”

“We're just about to open the restaurant for the reception. Would y'all like to join us?”

Betty moved to stand next to Lorie. She hooked one arm through her granddaughter's and gave her a smile. “I would love to meet your family. Especially your mother.”

“She's my stepmother, really.”

Betty nodded. “Of course.”

And just like that Zach found himself in the middle of an Amish wedding reception.

There was enough food to feed half the town. Even though it hadn't been that long since he'd eaten, he accepted a plate of cake and milled around between all the Amish folk and tried not to feel like the odd man out. Was this how Lorie felt when she came to Tulsa to visit?

The seniors didn't seem to be having the same problem. Perhaps that was the beauty of growing old. A person could adapt better because they had lived through more. Or maybe like Stan most of them just didn't care anymore. Zach smiled at the thought and watched as Fern and Linda talked to a very round lady with sparkling brown eyes and a kindly smile. Eugene and Stan had slid into a booth and were eating cake like they would never be allowed to have it again. Thank goodness neither one of them was diabetic.

“Hi.”

He turned, surprised to find Lorie standing there. He had hoped to get a moment alone to talk to her but had started to believe that it was a lost cause. “Hi.”

“I was surprised to see you today.” She laughed and stared out among the guests. “More than surprised, really.”

“The seniors decided they wanted to take a trip, and here we are.”

“All the way to Wells Landing?”

“You know how stubborn they can be.”

She gave a small nod. “I do at that.”

“Is that your stepmother?” Zach asked. “The one who keeps looking over here and scowling?”

Lorie chuckled. “That's not a scowl. She always looks like that.”

“Wow, that must have been hard as a child.”

“It wasn't always easy, but she has a good heart. Next to her is my sister Melanie.”

“The one who got married today?”

“
Jah.
Yes. And the tall girl next to her is Sadie, my stepsister. Then Cora Ann and Daniel.”

Such a sweet family who had recently lost their father and patriarch. No wonder it was so hard for Lorie to remain away from them. But why did she have to leave without a note?

“Why did you disappear?”

She sighed and stared off through the front window of the restaurant, but Zach had the feeling she was looking at something only her eyes could see. “I didn't mean to. I tried to write you a letter to explain, but I couldn't find the words.”

“You could have come and talked to me.”

She shook her head. “I was afraid that you would talk me into staying.”

“Would that have been so bad? Don't answer that.”

“Why did you come here, Zach?”

“The seniors talk about you every day. They want to see you and decided to make this one of their monthly outings.”

“I know why they came. Why did you come?”

He sighed and pitched his half-eaten cake into the nearby trash. As good as it had been when he first started eating it, the flavor had somehow turned to chalk. “I guess I wanted to see for myself. See if you are happy and well.” He paused. “Engaged.”

“I'm not,” she said. “I mean, I'm happy and well, but I'm not engaged.”

His gaze snapped to hers. “You're not?”

She shook her head. “He asked me to marry him, but I had to tell him no.”

“You had to?” His mouth turned to ash, and his heart thumped painfully in his chest.

“Had to.” It seemed as if the words were coming harder for her. “You see, I think I might be in love with someone else.”

Hope burst like fireworks in his chest. “You might be?”

She expelled a heavy sigh as if she had been waiting for him before she could continue. “I'm pretty sure,” she said. “But I don't know how he feels about me.”

He opened his mouth to tell her exactly how he felt when Betty rushed up, a plate of lime gelatin in her hand. “Look,” she squealed. “Leprechaun pudding.”

 

 

After Betty's revelation about the lime-flavored dessert, Lorie and Zach were separated. The next thing she knew she had to help clean up the mess and Zach and the seniors were gone. She hated the delay in talking to him, but she supposed someone else's wedding was not the best place to declare your love for someone.

“Is that him?”

Lorie tied up the trash bag and turned to face Jonah. They hadn't talked any since she had turned down his proposal. She knew he was hurt, that she had hurt him, but she hadn't meant to. Sometimes things just weren't meant to be. “Yes.”

He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Does he love you?”

“I think so,
jah.
” Zach hadn't had a chance to say the words, but Lorie had to believe they were in his heart. He had come all the way to Wells Landing to see her after she left without an explanation to him. That had to mean something.

“Is he going to marry you?”

Lorie pulled the bag from the can, then Jonah was there taking over the task. “It's not like that with the
Englisch,
” she said, following him out to the Dumpster.

He pitched the bag inside, then dusted his hands as together they walked back inside the restaurant. “I wouldn't know.”

“Jonah.” Lorie laid a hand on his arm. “Please don't be bitter.” She had seen what bitterness had done to her
mamm.

“I don't know how else to be. I have loved you for so long.”

“And I you, but sometimes love isn't enough.”

He scoffed.

“Not when two people want different things from life.”

“What is it that you want, Lorie Kauffman?”

“I want to paint,” she said. “I want to volunteer at the living center. See my grandmother whenever I want. Visit the new friends that I've made.”

He blew out a frustrated breath. “I've tried to understand. I truly have. But I don't see the lure of the
Englisch
world.”

She touched her fingers to his cheek and gave him a small smile. “That's because you are truly Amish, but I am not.”

“You were raised here. How can you not be Amish?”

She shook her head, unable to answer that. “There are
gut
things out there waiting for you, Jonah Miller. Don't let them pass you by because you are looking back at me.”

 

 

“Lorie, this came for you yesterday, but with all the excitement, I forgot to give it to you.” Sadie handed her a letter.

The wedding had gone off without a hitch. Melanie had married Noah Treger, the son of the bishop in the next district over. It would be weird not attending church with Melanie on Sunday, but it would be the last week Lorie herself would be part of the Amish community.

She hadn't heard from Zach since the afternoon before. She had hoped that he would call and explain what his feelings for her were. But either way, she was headed to Tulsa. Luke had helped her get a place in a transition house. She had taken the money from the sale of her paintings and used it to get started in her new life. She still had to find a job, but she wasn't as concerned with that as she had been before. She knew that she was making the right decision and because of that everything would fall into place. She was learning how to drive a car and soon she would take her GED test. She was even thinking about going to college. But she knew that was a ways down the road for her. Still it was good to have dreams. Even if they didn't include Zach.