Promised to Another (7 page)

She shook her head. “Mamm and Cathy do the baking in the mornings. Cathy makes a much better pie crust than I do.”

“Ach, yours are okay,” Daed said with a grin. “Cathy just bakes more than you do. You’ll feel more confident when you have to do it regularly.”

Annie shrugged. “Maybe so.” She was conscious of Joshua’s gaze resting on her. Did he think she couldn’t cook? She took a sip of her tea, testing it, then stood. “I really do need to get supper started. Are you going to join us tonight, Joshua?” She silently willed him to say “Jah.”

He hesitated, glancing at Daed. “Nein, I think not.”

Daed shook his head. “You’re welkum to join us. You’re earning it, anyway. I planned to give room and board to one of the men in the swap, until my frau was injured. What are your sleeping arrangements at the Schwartzes’? Do they have room for you now that Luke’s come back?”

Annie stilled. Had Daed suspected her crush on Joshua? Did he think maybe having him under the same roof would bring them together? It had worked for Annie’s best friend, Becky Troyer, after all. She’d be marrying Jacob Miller in five short weeks.

Joshua’s eyes slid downward, and he studied the fork in his hand. “Ach, they emptied a drawer and provided a cot. That’s gut enough.”

“Can’t be very comfortable. I can do better. I have a spare bed. A whole spare room, actually, now that I have only three kinner left at home. Just the two girls and Aaron.”

And Aaron would be getting married in a few months. Daed didn’t tell Joshua that.

Having Joshua under the same roof…would that make them kind of like siblings?

That was the last thing she wanted.

Joshua stared at Isaac, speechless, before his gaze darted to Annie. She seemed frozen to the spot, her mouth gaping open, her eyes fixed on her daed. She didn’t display enthusiasm about the prospect—but then, he didn’t see signs of repulsion, either. The only clear emotion he could read on her face was shock.

The same expression he probably wore.

Living under the same roof as the girl he was most attracted to…that did appeal. But, on the other hand, so did the ability to keep an eye on Luke.

He’d rather keep his eye on the prize, not the competition.

But wouldn’t it be better to keep his distance and not tempt things? If Annie did marry Luke—they had been promised to each other, after all—then it would mean heartbreak for him if he’d ended up falling in love with Annie.

On the other hand, living with the Beilers, he might be able to win her away from Luke.

Joshua drew in a breath and glanced back at Isaac. A smile played around the edges of the older man’s mouth. And Joshua thought he saw a gleam in his eyes.
Ach, matchmaking.
A favorite pastime of the Amish. But Annie was taken. Or was she?

After what felt like an awkward period of silence, Joshua rubbed his chin, trying not to squirm under the scrutiny of Isaac and Annie. Did he really want to live with a blatant matchmaker? That would get uncomfortable. Fast.

Unless they were in agreement with each other.

Isaac looked away. Finally. “We can talk to the Schwartzes before we make a decision. But you’re still welkum for dinner.”

“Danki.” But he wasn’t sure whether to stay or not.

“What’s for dinner, Annie?” Isaac picked up his mug and took a sip of his tea.

“Beef stew. I thought I’d make corn bread to go with it.”

“Sounds gut.” Isaac smiled at her, then finished off his pie. “About ready to get back to work, Joshua?”

“Jah.” He swallowed the last of his tea and stood. “Stew sounds gut. Maybe I will stay for dinner.”

“Gut.” Isaac patted his shoulder. “Excuse me a moment. I’ll be right back.” He headed into the other room.

Annie sucked in a deep breath. “You can’t stay.”

Joshua raised his eyebrows at her. “Excuse me?” She was taking back Isaac’s dinner invitation?

“Daed’s offer for you to move in. You can’t stay here.”

“Ach, I’m sure he had his reasons for asking me.” Joshua shrugged.

“Jah, sure he does. Aaron is getting married. Daed thinks he can’t be without a bu at home.” She tangled her hands in her apron. “It’d just be you and me and Cathy here, then, and I don’t want you to be my brother.” Her face turned a pretty shade of pink.

“We wouldn’t be siblings.” About the farthest thing from it.

“I also think Daed has matchmaking on his brain.”

So, she’d caught that, too.

“Cathy is seeing someone,” she went on. “And we both know you don’t want me.”

“We do?” Joshua frowned. The exact opposite was true. Thing was, he needed to figure out why she believed differently. And how she’d reached that conclusion. “And just how do we know that?”

She waved her hand dismissively. “Ach, I’m not going to spell out all the reasons. You know them better than I do, anyway.”

***

She didn’t want to see him leave to go visit Rachel or whoever happened to be his girl-of-the-day. And, if they lived under the same roof, he’d never get around to asking her out again.

Not that she planned on accepting another ride home from singing, anyway.

She’d just like to be asked.

Joshua picked up his empty mug, glanced inside, and strode over to the stove. He lifted the teakettle and refilled it, then walked back to the table, picked up his used tea bag, and dunked it into the hot water. “Perhaps, you’re the one who doesn’t want me.”

He thought he was a mind reader, did he? She gazed at his tea bag, floating on the surface of the water in his mug, and felt a sudden kinship with it. She was in hot water, too.

“After all, we both know that you’re Luke’s girl,” Joshua added.

She couldn’t identify the tone in his voice. Something dark. She shuddered. “I’m as much Luke’s girl as I am yours.” Translation:
Not at all.
She glanced up at Joshua, and something flashed across his face. Pain? He winced.

“And that’s why the Schwartz family has your upcoming wedding all planned out, ain’t so?”

The way he said it made it sound like impending doom. As if marrying Luke would prove fatal.

Maybe it would.

There was no “maybe” about it. Not with Luke’s drinking. His sudden bouts of violence. His hot temper. Anybody else would be a better choice.

But no one else wanted her.

Joshua stepped nearer, just enough to cause her slight discomfort, but not close enough to be in her face. “Maybe that’s why Luke felt the need to warn me to stay away from you.”

Annie caught her breath. “But…but things have changed. Luke left. I have nein guarantee he’ll stay. And I’m…I’m….” And she was attracted to Joshua.

“Maybe it’d do you both gut if I did move in here,” Joshua mused. “Luke wouldn’t presume to tell me where to go, what to do, who I can or can’t see. And you would see that there are men other than Luke.”

She knew there were other men. The problem was, they didn’t notice her.

His comment the night of the singing about being “the thorn in her side” came to mind. He was more right than he knew. Anger flooded through her. “You just think you’re God’s gift to women, ain’t so, Joshua Esh? Kum down here to Missouri, and you’ve got all the girls eating out of your hand—all except for me—and you just can’t stand that. I wish you’d go back to Pennsylvania.” Realizing she’d raised her voice, she snapped her mouth shut. Mamm was in the next room, and she wouldn’t tolerate her being unkind.

His jaw clenched tight, and Annie could see he was trying hard not to bark back. After a moment, he spun on his heel, leaving his steeping tea on the table, and headed outside. “Tell your daed I’ll be in the shop,” he said without turning around.

Annie sighed. Her ugly attitude had surfaced, much to her chagrin. She had to face facts. She wanted Joshua to stay with her family—she liked his looks and enjoyed having him around—but, at the same time, she didn’t want him here, since he wasn’t for her. He’d been like a wasp invading a beehive right from the start.

She wished he’d get on the next bus out of town.

On second thought, she wished he’d come back inside and…what? Declare his undying love for her? After the showdown they’d just had, that was the last thing she ought to expect.

Tears burning her eyes, she reached down and picked up the wrapper from Joshua’s tea bag. Vanilla coconut. So, he liked dessert teas? She thought she was the only one. She crumpled the bag in her fist, then smoothed it out again and slid it into her apron pocket.

She picked up his mug, inhaling the warm aromas of vanilla bean and coconut. With a glance toward the doorway to the next room, she made sure no one was coming, then raised the cup to her lips. The closest her mouth had ever come to Joshua’s. Pathetic, she knew.

She closed her eyes, sipping the tea and savoring the moment. Seconds later, the door creaked open, and she lowered the mug—too late, she realized as Joshua crossed the room and took the mug out of her numb fingers.

With a smirk and a raised eyebrow, he walked out again, this time with the mug.

***

The machine shop was quiet, the air heavy with the smells of gas, oil, turpentine, dust, hay, and fresh-cut grass. A faint musty odor also permeated the room. Joshua set his mug of tea on the counter and stepped back to survey it. Had Annie Beiler done what he thought she’d done? Jah, he knew what he’d seen, for certain.

She wasn’t as indifferent as she wanted to seem.

This could get very interesting.

His thoughts wandered back to Luke. He’d jumped the fence once, and she wouldn’t be surprised if he left again. Did Annie feel the same way about wanting to stay here, close to her family? And would it be fair for Joshua to even begin a relationship with her that was doomed to fail from the start? He fully intended to return home to Pennsylvania in time to help with the sugar mapling. It was what he wanted, what he had always planned. And it was expected of him.

And Annie’s daed would come to expect him to join him with the beekeeping, which Joshua found unusually fascinating, and in his small engine repair shop—a place that did provide an outlet for tinkering, something he enjoyed doing from time to time.

Was he wrong to spend time here, to want to be around Annie? To try to woo her? He wished he knew. If only she were open to leaving Seymour.

Joshua exhaled loudly and turned his attention to the older model gas riding lawn mower an Englischer had brought in sometime earlier. Isaac had said that the man had nursed it along all spring and summer and was about ready to give up on it and buy a new one unless Isaac could fix it.

With another sigh, he gathered a few tools and an old newspaper before he lowered himself to the dirty floor next to the mower. At least he got to start with the fun part: taking it apart.

But Annie kept intruding into his thoughts. That first time he’d seen her, on a church Sunday, he’d thought she looked like the kindest person he’d ever met, watching her as she comforted a small child. So encouraging. And all the little kinner had gathered around her to listen, completely engaged as she told them a story. She was beautiful, caught up in the story, in the kinner, in life. Jah, she’d caught his attention. But when he’d casually asked the other buwe about her, everyone had told him the same thing.

She was not available.

“Not available” had to be two of the most discouraging words.

The door opened, and Isaac came in, his gaze going to the partially disassembled engine beside Joshua. “Ach, gut. You’ve started on that. Let me know if you need any help. I’ll start work on the riding mower that came in yesterday.” Gesturing at Joshua’s project, he added, “I’m told that with a bag on the back, it collects leaves and grinds them up for mulch.” He shook his head, as if trying to understand the luxury of not having to rake leaves. “The owner is pretty anxious to get it back.”

Joshua nodded, trying to wrap his mind around the concept, as well. In his community in Pennsylvania, they were allowed to use push lawn mowers, but they weren’t gas. His family had an old model with a rotating blade. An antique, was what he’d been told by some awestruck Englischer. A gas lawn mower seemed a luxury to Joshua. And riding one…well, he could see where it might be handy. If it picked up leaves, all the better. He smiled and lifted his gaze to Isaac. “Should we give it a test run as soon as I get it fixed?”