Promised to Another (10 page)

Annie nodded. Work, she didn’t care about. But “awkward” was an apt word to describe her relationship with Joshua and the emotions his presence stirred within her. She didn’t know how to act around him. Should she treat him like a guest? There was no way she’d be able to act brotherly/sisterly with him. She didn’t want to act like she knew Cathy would, either, all fluttery-eyed, not to mention willing to use any means available to spend more time with a man. When she’d had her eyes on Jacob Miller, she’d tried to drive a wedge between him and Becky Troyer by intercepting the letters he’d written to Becky while she’d been away at her sister’s. And she certainly couldn’t act all giggly, like the bishop’s granddaughter Ruth did around men.

She’d drive herself insane.

“He’ll just have to find somewhere else to live.” Cathy shifted. “He has friends here…maybe one of them could take him in. Or his cousin Matthew Yoder, maybe?”

“Matthew’s getting married in a few weeks. Probably wouldn’t be gut for Joshua to go there.”

“Whatever.” Cathy waved her hand in dismissal. “He isn’t welkum here, nein matter what Daed says. We’ll just have to make that clear.” She tilted her head. “Isn’t that your quilt?”

Annie looked at the quilt she’d spread over Joshua’s bed. It was the one she’d made for her hope chest—variegated green, with a double wedding ring pattern. She shouldn’t have been so bold as to pick this particular one. Hopefully, Cathy wouldn’t suspect her crush on Joshua. She decided to change the subject. “Well, if your David were homeless, you’d want Daed to take him in, ain’t so?” Too late, she realized she’d just given Cathy enough to realize how she felt about Joshua. That is, if Cathy had been paying attention.

“My David?” Cathy blushed. “Well, that’s hardly the same thing. Joshua isn’t anybody’s beau. He’s a player, for sure and for certain. David might have been part of the swap, but he’ll be all kinds of upset to find out Joshua’s staying here.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “David asked me to be his steady girl. But don’t tell anyone.”

Annie forced a smile. “I won’t.” She gathered Cathy in a hug. “I’m really happy for you.” As she released her and stepped back, she realized her sister very well might be marrying next fall. Then, she’d be the only one left at home. “But maybe Joshua isn’t a player. Maybe his behavior is just misunderstood.” Her discussion with him earlier that evening had suggested this was the case. But the way he’d touched her hand when they were alone in the loft…Annie still didn’t know for sure.

Cathy headed for the door. “Well, we’ll get rid of Joshua Esh in short matter. He won’t want to stay where he’s not wanted. Besides, I’m sure Luke will take issue with him staying here, too. Bishop Sol might even move him elsewhere.”

Annie regretted allowing Luke to court her in the first place. “Luke has nein right to say anything. I wish everyone would quit bringing him up! We aren’t getting married, contrary to what he’s been saying. He left the Amish once already, and I can’t trust him. Besides, I’m never leaving this community.” And she no longer wanted to settle for just anyone. She might not be Joshua’s choice, but, one day, maybe some good man would love her.

Cathy waved her hand again. “Still, everyone says you’re Luke’s girl. David told me that’s why no one’s asked to drive you home from singings. They all know you’re taken.”

Speechless, Annie watched her sister leave the room. Could that be true? Was that why Joshua had never asked? A flicker of hope reignited in her heart.

***

When the horse and buggy had been tended to, Joshua went to look for Isaac. He’d just extinguished a lantern. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Nein, we’re finished. Aaron’s already gone to the haus. Danki for taking care of Cathy’s horse. You’ll be a real asset around here.”

“I just appreciate your taking me in tonight.”

Isaac clasped Joshua’s shoulder. “I can guess what drove you away from the Schwartzes. And I’m not at all worried about Luke with you here.” He basically spat the name of Joshua’s rival. “She deserves better…much better than that bu. The way his eyes look sometimes, I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find out he’s using some sort of drugs. I know he drinks. And his temper….” Isaac shook his head. “Even if he joins the church, which I doubt he will, I want him to have nothing to do with my Annie.”

Joshua scuffed his shoe in the dirt. So, he wasn’t alone in his opinion. “I’ll be glad to look out for her.”

“Jah, I know you will. You’re a gut bu. And I’ve been watching you. I….” Isaac frowned. “I’m not supposed to notice this, and I probably shouldn’t say it, but I’ve seen the way you look at her. How you’re always watching her. Not sure how you’ll move past that reputation as a player, though.” Isaac winked and then headed toward the barn. “Speaking of players, I do wish that dog would have kum home when Annie called him. Samuel Brunstettler isn’t going to be happy with us. Not at all. And he’s already upset enough with Annie.”

Joshua shook his head sympathetically.

Isaac turned back and met his eyes. “But, just so you know, I don’t want you playing with Annie’s emotions, either. I will be here, watching.”

“Of course.” Joshua gulped. He was grateful for Isaac’s blessing, but he realized now the gravity of the consequences that would ensue when the man found out that he intended to return to Pennsylvania.

He’d told Luke that he would win Annie away from him. But Annie refused to leave, and Joshua certainly had no plans to stay. The Lord alone knew how all this would work out.

Annie positioned the final pillow on the bed in her parents’ old room. There wasn’t much else to do to get it ready for Joshua. She eyed the two grocery bags she’d set on the top of the dresser and thought about unpacking them. But she probably shouldn’t take the liberty of going through his personal belongings. For once, she envied Cathy for her job of doing the laundry, since she would get to handle his clothes, touch them.

Annie thought again about what Cathy had said. If only she dared to ask Joshua if it was true that Luke’s “claim” on her was the reason all the buwe avoided asking to drive her home from singings and frolics. The reason why nobody wanted to “date” her, as the Englisch would say. But she was afraid that asking would make her appear needy. Desperate. That, or he would contradict Cathy, and then Annie would know what she’d suspected all along: nobody liked her. Period. They all found her too plain. Too bossy. Too…what did Becky’s Jacob always say? Obsessive-compulsive, whatever that meant. Annie had once asked Becky about the term, and she’d merely shrugged and said it had something to do with Annie’s penchant for putting everything in alphabetical order.

As if that was something serious. The world was a much kinder, friendlier place when it was in alphabetical order. She could find things. She knew where to put them. She could tell at a glance when something needed to be replenished. And if someone wanted to know where something was, she could point him in the right direction. That was the way librarians organized their fiction sections. Alphabetically. Such a beautiful thing.

Not at all obsessive-compulsive.

Right?

She shrugged and decided to straighten the plastic bags of Joshua’s belongings so that his clothes wouldn’t wrinkle too much. Her thoughts returned to Luke and how he’d nearly ruined her prospects with the local buwe, staking his claim on her and presuming that she was his. And that was after he’d dated whomever he’d pleased, Amish and Englisch alike. Not fair. Why couldn’t she?

She scowled when she realized she could. She’d simply refused to fully acknowledge her freedom.

But how could she get the word out that she was available without going around talking about it?

Annie stepped away from the dresser and surveyed the bedroom, double-checking each detail to make sure it would be perfect for its new occupant. Then, she hurried back to her own room to close up her hope chest. She didn’t want anyone else to know that she’d made Joshua’s bed with one of her marriage quilts. Aaron would tease her mercilessly, and then Joshua would be sure to find out. It was bad enough that Cathy knew. But, again, maybe she’d never make the connection.

What if Annie had made a serious error in judgment? It wasn’t too late. She could go get another quilt and rescue hers, put it away, and save it for…nothing. Or, for a wedding with Luke, if she became desperate enough.

Sighing, she shook her head. Enough with the depressing thoughts. She straightened her shoulders. Tonight was a new night. Joshua was in her haus, and he would be staying awhile. He’d learn firsthand that Luke never came around. That his claims on Annie were just a bunch of baloney.

She decided to go retrieve her quilt and replace it with another. From the hall closet, she selected an old quilt of Mamm’s, one that had been patched and sewn to a new backing. She carried it to Joshua’s room—and froze in the doorway.

Joshua stood at the dresser, methodically transferring pair after pair of socks from one of his bags to the top drawer, where she could see them arranged in neat, color-coordinated rows. Impressive. He slid the drawer shut and looked up. “Danki, Annie.” He came toward her and took the quilt, then laid it on the corner of the bed. “I think just one is fine for now, but it’s awfully gut of you to look out for me this way. It might get cold.”

Relief washed over her, even as she felt the rush of blood to her face. She frowned at her quilt lying on his bed. She couldn’t take it back now. It was much too late. He’d already seen it, and there was no tactful way of saying she’d grabbed the wrong one. At least, none she could think of.

“Annie? Was there something else you needed?” Joshua studied her.

The way he’d said her name, with a hint of impatience, made her wonder if he’d said something else, and she’d failed to respond. Her face heated again. The last thing she needed was to look blatantly love-struck, standing there daydreaming like a fool. She shook her head abruptly. “Ach, nein.”

Joshua smiled and took a step toward her. “Then, it might be wise if you found someplace else to be, other than my bedroom. It wouldn’t look gut to anyone who happened to glance up at the window. The shade is up. And with my reputation and your probation…. Besides, we don’t want to get your daed upset at me right away, ain’t so?”

“Ach!” Another wave of heat washed over Annie, so intense that she wondered if she was having one of Mamm’s hot flashes. She backed away. “Sorry. I wasn’t thinking. It won’t happen again.”

He laughed. “Don’t worry. Your daed said devotions will be in just a few minutes. I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Jah, downstairs.” She turned and hurried back to her room, where she closed her hope chest and extinguished the lamp before joining her family in the living room. Daed sat in his wooden rocker, thumbing through the pages of the big family Bible, probably searching for a portion to read. Mamm still had her basket of mending right beside her, the yarn trailing her needle, while she darned a hole in one of Aaron’s socks. Her brother came in, took his shoes off, and laid them by the door. Cathy wasn’t there yet, but she was sure to be in directly.

A few seconds later, Joshua came into the room.

Daed looked up at him. “You all settled?”

“Jah, didn’t take long. I travel light. Annie did a nice job making up the room for me. Danki, Annie. Beautiful quilt she put on the bed, too. Double wedding ring. My grossmammi has one similar.”

Annie held her breath and looked at Daed. He made a noncommittal grunt and turned his attention back to the Bible. Her attention slid to Mamm. She held the needle suspended in the air and stared at Annie, eyes wide.

Annie swallowed. Hard. But Mamm knew about her crush already. She wouldn’t give it away, would she? Tomorrow, maybe Annie should go reclaim her quilt. Pack it away in the cedar trunk until she found someone who loved her.

Where was Cathy? She should have been down there already.

***

Joshua squirmed in his seat—a hard, straight-backed chair that became more uncomfortable by the minute—when Isaac read the Scripture that would serve as the theme of that evening’s devotions. It was Hebrews 13:2: “
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
”

Joshua hoped Isaac wasn’t trying to imply that he was an angel. He was about the farthest thing possible from angelic. In Missouri under false pretenses. In this home to woo the girl, under the guise of helping her daed. Not to mention picking arguments with the girl’s presumed intended. He really ought to kneel and confess his dishonesty before the Lord and the church.