On Her Own (21 page)

When church was over, Paul headed quickly for the door. It was stuffy inside the house, and he needed some fresh air.

“I still don’t understand why you’re chasing after Barbara Zook, Papa,” Betty said, stepping up to John as he headed toward the barn.

He halted his footsteps and turned to face her. “What are you talking about, girl?”

“I saw the way you were looking at Barbara when she was helping the other women serve lunch. It was probably obvious to all the other men sitting at your table.”

“I am trying to find you and your sisters a mudder,” her father said impatiently. “Barbara would make a good mother, don’t you think?”

“Maybe so, but as far as I can tell, we’ve been getting along fine since Mama died.”

“You might believe that to be so, but the truth is, things aren’t done around the house the same as your mamm used to do them.”

She tipped her head and stared at him as if he didn’t have a lick of sense. “What makes you think Barbara would do things the way Mama used to do them?”

He shrugged. “Maybe she wouldn’t, but I’m sure things would go better than us trying to fend for ourselves.”

“I think we’re doing all right on our own.”

He folded his arms and stared hard at her. “Oh, jah, right. . .overly done bread, tasteless stew, and arguments over who does what chores and when. Does that sound like you girls are doing all right on your own?”

“Things might go better if my sisters would listen to what I tell them.” Betty grunted. “And don’t you think adding four boys to the family would make things more hectic and stressful?”

“I rather like the idea of having a couple of buwe around,” he said with a nod. “It would be kind of nice to have a few sets of strong hands in a couple years to do some of the harder chores. I could use some help with my business, too.”

Betty cleared her throat. “Papa, I just want to know one thing.”

“What’s that?”

“Do you love Barbara?”

“Well, I—”

“You don’t love her, do you?”

“There’s a lot more involved in marriage than a bunch of romantic nonsense. Besides, love can be learned.”

“Did you love Mama?”

“Of course I did. Loved her from the first moment I laid eyes on her.”

There was a brief pause before Betty spoke again. “Papa, I hope you do remarry someday. But it needs to be for love, not convenience, or even to have a mudder for me and my sisters.”

“Guess I’ll have to think on that awhile.” He started walking again, hoping she would take the hint and realize the subject was over. Being the oldest, Betty had begun to act a bit bossy toward
her sisters since Peggy had died, and there were times, like now, when she said more than she should to her father.

“Where are you going?” she asked.

“Out to the barn to visit with some of the men.”

“Oh, okay.” Betty turned toward the house, and John breathed a sigh of relief. Obviously, Betty didn’t want him to remarry. He hoped if he did talk Barbara into marrying him, all four of his girls would accept it and be kind to Barbara and her boys.

When John entered the barn a few minutes later, he discovered Barbara’s father petting one of the horses. Deciding to take this opportunity to speak with Samuel about Barbara, he stepped up to the man.

“Wie geht’s, Samuel?”

Samuel offered John a smile. “Except for the pain and stiffness of my arthritis, I’m doing all right. How about you?’

John shrugged. “Can’t complain, I guess.”

“Are you keeping busy with your seed and garden supply business?”

“Jah. That and making calls on people in our community who are sick or hurting.”

“I heard you’ve been by to see Barbara a few times since the boppli was born.”

“That’s right,” John said with a nod. “I saw her and the boys at the pond the other day, too.”

“Heard that, as well. Guess they went there with Paul for some fishing and a picnic.”

John cleared his throat a couple of times, searching for the right words to say what was on his mind. “I’m. . .uh. . .concerned for Barbara’s welfare.”

“You mean because she’s been so tired since the boppli was born?”

“That and a few other things.”

Samuel tipped his head. “Such as?”

“Well, for one thing. . .I think she needs to consider selling the harness shop. It’s too much for her to run on her own, and I know you’re not able to help as much as you’d like.”

“That’s true, but Paul’s there helping out now, and he does the work of two good men.”

John held up one hand. “Which brings me to my next point.”

“And that would be?”

“Paul Hilty.”

“What about Paul?”

“I don’t trust the man.” John lowered his voice. “I think he’s out to get the harness shop any way he can.”

A muscle on the side of Samuel’s cheek quivered. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, I think Paul might be trying to woo Barbara so she’ll marry him.” John grunted. “As her husband, he would have full run of the harness shop, you know.”

Deep creases formed in Samuel’s forehead. “I don’t know what would make you think such a thing, but I’m sure it’s not true. Fact is, I’ve been working with Paul for several weeks now, and he’s been nothing but helpful and hardworking.”

“That doesn’t prove he’s not trying to gain control of the harness shop without having to buy it.”

Samuel turned his hands palm up. “Doesn’t prove he’s trying to get it, either.”

John pulled his fingers through the ends of his beard and grimaced. “If you would have seen the way he acted around Barbara when they were at the pond the other day, you might understand what I’m saying.”

“How’d he act?”

“He said some goofy things and looked at her like a horse eyeing a tree full of ripe apples.”

Samuel chuckled. “Are you sure it wasn’t all that good food Barbara prepared that he was eyeing?”

John shook his head. “You can laugh all you want, but I’m sure of one thing—Paul’s trying to win Barbara’s heart, and I think he’s using her boys to do it!”

Samuel’s eyebrows rose. “How so?”

“He’s got those boys—well, two of them, anyway—wrapped around his long fingers.”

“I’ve seen the way Paul acts around Zachary and Joseph, and I don’t think he’s using them to get to my daughter.” Samuel pursed his lips. “What I think is that Barbara’s boys, with the exception of Aaron, enjoy spending time with Paul because they see the good in him.”

John opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted when Moses, Paul’s dad, showed up.

“Are you two talking about something private, or can anyone join the conversation?” the man asked.

“We weren’t discussing anything important,” Samuel said with a shrug. “Matter of fact, I was just petting one of the horses when John showed up.”

Moses smiled. “How are things going in the harness shop these days? Is my son Paul really as much help to you as he says?”

Samuel nodded vigorously. “Oh, jah. Paul does the work of two men. His cousin must have taught him well, because he really seems to know what he’s doing.”

John ground his teeth together. The way Samuel talked, one would think Paul was some kind of a saint. He was good with Barbara’s boys, he did the work of two men, and he knew a lot about the harness business.

Moses gave his left earlobe a quick pull. “Paul used to help me and the boys in the fields until he got it into his head to move to Pennsylvania and learn the harness trade from Andy. Now all he talks about is leather straps, silver rivets, and the smooth feel of a well-made harness.” He grunted. “If there wasn’t already a harness shop in Webster County, I believe he’d open one of his own.”

Hmm
. . .John folded his arms and contemplated Moses’s statement. If Paul wanted to open his own harness shop, maybe his suspicions about the man wanting to get his hands on Barbara’s shop weren’t so far-fetched, after all. Now John was even more determined to get Barbara to marry him. She needed someone to watch out for her and protect her interests.

Soon after lunch, Barbara left the baby with her mother-in-law and allowed the three boys to play with their friends. When Barbara spotted her friend Faith on the other side of the yard, she headed that way.

“You’re looking a bit down in the mouth today,” Faith said as she and Barbara took a seat on the grass under the shade of a
hickory tree. “Are you still feeling
hundsiwwel
?”

“No, I think I’m done with the postpartum depression.”

“Then why the long face?”

“I’m struggling with several issues,” Barbara admitted. “Things I really need to talk about if you’re willing to listen.”

Faith nodded. “Of course I’ll listen. What issues are you struggling with?”

“Bishop John and Paul.”

“What about them?”

“John wants me to marry him.”

“Ah, I suspected as much.”

“He’s been over to my house a couple of times, asking me to go places with him, but I’ve always turned him down.”

“So he knows you’re not interested?”

“I’m not sure, but John was at the pond yesterday when Paul and I arrived with the boys, and he acted like a jealous little boy.”

Faith’s mouth dropped open. “You went there with Paul again?”

“Jah.”

“I should have guessed what was going on.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I can see by the look on your face that you’re smitten with the man.”

“Paul and I don’t see eye to eye on some things concerning the harness shop,” Barbara said. “But I must admit I’m attracted to him, though I can’t figure out why.”

Faith leaned her head back and laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Don’t try to figure out love, my friend. When two people
fall for each other, they can be as different as sandpaper and polished cotton—yet the feelings are there, and you can’t do a thing to stop them.”

Barbara moaned. “I don’t know how Paul feels about me.”

“He’s invited you to go fishing with him twice. I’d say that says something about his interest.”

“It’s really strange, but there are times when Paul acts friendly and nice, and other times when he seems distant and almost as if he’s angry about something. I think he wants to do things his own way in the harness shop, and he gets irritated when I want things done my way.” Barbara frowned. “To tell you the truth, I don’t think he likes me very much.”

Faith clicked her tongue. “Ever since Adam met Eve, there has been trouble between men and women. Just because Paul doesn’t always see things the same as you doesn’t mean he dislikes you.”

Barbara shrugged. “I think he believes my place is in the house with the kinner, not running a harness shop.”

A ruckus on the lawn interrupted their conversation, and Barbara turned to see what was going on. She was taken by surprise when she heard Joseph hollering and saw him running after Faith’s son, Isaiah, with a squirt gun.

“Now, where in the world did he get that?” she muttered as she scrambled to her feet.

“Guess we’d better put our conversation on hold and see about our boys before one of them ends up crying.” Faith shook her head. “Most likely it’ll be Isaiah unless his big sister comes to the rescue.”

Barbara marched across the yard, planted herself in front of
Joseph, and reached for the squirt gun.

Swish!
A spurt of water hit her right in the face.

“Give me that!” she ordered. “What’s gotten into you? And where did you get this squirt gun?”

Joseph’s brows furrowed, and he pointed across the yard. “Paul Hilty gave it to me.”

Barbara hurried across the lawn to where Paul stood talking to Faith’s husband. “Excuse me, Noah,” she said, “but I need to speak with Paul.”

“No problem.” Noah smiled and moved off in the direction of his wife.

“What’s up?” Paul asked with raised eyebrows.

She handed him the item in question. “Would you mind telling me why you gave my son a squirt gun?”

He shoved the toy inside his shirt pocket and looked at her as though she were daft. “Didn’t see any harm in it. The boy said he was hot, so I got the squirt gun out of my buggy, figuring it would help cool him off.”

“What were you doing with a squirt gun in your buggy?”

“It was mine when I was a kinner, and I found it in my daed’s barn the other day. So I decided to bring it today to see if one of your boys might want it.”