Rebecca's Rose (6 page)

“You already said that. What have you got, a list of a thousand dangerous things to do before you die? Or an adrenaline-junkie death wish?”

“I want to live before I die.”

“Well, it’s a good idea not to kill any small household pets, horses, or people while you’re fulfilling your destiny. Do you understand?”

“Jah.”

“Because if I am going to take you skiing, you’d better learn to do exactly as I say in situations like this. I know stuff, kid. Don’t treat my advice lightly.”

“Yes, sir, laddie,” Rebecca said. “You’re right and I was wrong. I promise not to be so
deerich
again.”

“Foolish, yeah, try not to make a fool of yourself.”

The adrenaline still pumped through Levi’s veins, and judging by Rebecca’s trembling voice, she hadn’t recovered her composure either.

“Come on,” Levi said, grabbing her hand and leading her down a narrow path through the trees. It was a casual, natural gesture that he’d done a hundred times before with dozens of girls, but for some reason, he suddenly became aware of her soft hand clasped in his. Her hand, ice-cold and feather-soft, fit perfectly in his as if it belonged there. He couldn’t resist rubbing his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand, savoring the pleasant sensation when he touched her.

He cleared his throat. “There’s a place over this way where we can have our picnic,” he said. “Nice shade with soft ground.”

They emerged from the tangle of branches into an idyllic clearing with a canopy of leaves overhead and two or three fallen logs arranged for comfortable seating. He and Ashley had made out under these trees once.

Why did that memory intrude today?

Because those were the only types of memories he had with girls, even his supposed girlfriend, Tara. Nothing significant or heartwarming—just meaningless encounters. He felt a stab of regret. Were all his past relationships that empty?

Rebecca let go of his hand and sank onto one of the fallen trees. “My legs feel like jelly.”

“It’s a letdown after the adrenaline rush,” he said. “You sit, and I’ll go get the food.”

Levi led the horses to a place in the meadow where they could graze and drink. “No more running today,” he told them. From the saddlebags, he retrieved the makeshift picnic lunch Beth had helped him make. Okay, Beth had actually prepared most of it. She made a mean tuna sandwich. He couldn’t boil water.

When he returned to the clearing, Rebecca lay on the ground asleep, her head propped against a log. Her hair tumbled around her head like a waterfall, and Levi had to clench his fists to avoid the temptation to stroke it. Again. What was it about her hair that hijacked his senses every time he looked at it?

She must have heard him as he plowed through the underbrush. She opened her eyes and bolted to an upright position.

He sat next to her with his bagful of goodies. “A hard day’s ride’ll wear you out.”

“Late night,” she said.

“Let me guess. An Amish all-night drinking party?”

Rebecca gave him a half smile and smoothed her hair back over her shoulders. “I had some chores to finish.”

“And your brothers are too rambunctious to help?”

“Some days they work gute. We all have extra chores when our mamm does not feel well.”

“Is she sick a lot?”

“Rheumatoid arthritis.”

Levi grimaced. “My neighbor had that, and he was always at the doctor. Does she take medication?”

“Several,” Rebecca said, frowning. “One that makes her hair fall out and one that they said might cause her to go blind.”

“I’m sorry. I bet she’s miserable.”

Rebecca wouldn’t look at him. “They say it runs in families.”

He moved close enough to nudge her with his elbow. “Maybe. My mom’s a nurse, and she says that just as often as not things like that don’t get passed down.” He tilted his head and looked at her until she met his eyes. “I’d hate to worry my life away about it.”

She attempted a smile. “Jah.”

Giving in to the urge, Levi pulled a leaf from Rebecca’s hair and caressed her golden locks with his fingers—for just a second. No good lingering over temptation. “What I’d really like to talk about is how stunningly beautiful you look. You take my breath away.”

“Ach, you are handing me a shovelful of manure. How many cornflake girls have you said that to?”

Levi looked to the sky and pretended to be adding numbers in his head. “Seven. Maybe eight. But, Rebecca, you should know by now that it is impossible to resist my charm. You may think it’s manure I’m shoveling, but something compels you to take it. Isn’t that true?”

She screwed her mouth into that adorable little smile. “Well, manure is really gute for the garden. It makes all sorts of things grow. There are lots of worse things than manure.”

“I like to see a good attitude.”

“What’s in the sack?” Rebecca asked.

“Lunch. I hope you like tuna.” Levi handed Rebecca the stash of food as he produced it from the bag. “Scooby-Doo fruit snacks, Dorathe-Explorer juice boxes, SpongeBob cookies, and non-trademarked apple slices. I’m guessing you’ve never seen any of those TV shows.”

“The lady I work for loves SpongeBob. But the others? No.”

“Me neither. We don’t own a TV.”

“Really?”

“Really. Mom wants to protect us from the world’s corrupting influence.” He handed her the sandwiches. “I don’t think she succeeded, except I still think TV is boring. I’d rather go out and throw the ball around or work on my car.”

Without fanfare, Rebecca closed her eyes and bowed her head. She fell silent for a moment then lifted her head and held up the sandwich bags. “Do you want tuna with pickles or without?”

How did someone eat so much food and stay so skinny? Levi couldn’t comprehend it. Rebecca polished off one sandwich and then ate the extra one when Levi insisted he was full. This girl had a healthy appetite.

“I think I will write to Dora the Explorer and thank her for the juice. Very gute,” Rebecca said.

“I’m sure Dora will be pleased to hear from you.”

“This is a beautiful spot. So many wildflowers.” She pointed to a bright red cluster of flowers growing just off the path. “That’s a cardinal flower. Sometimes I walk through the pastures and groves by our house and see how many different colors I can find.”

“I’ve always liked this spot,” Levi said. “Good shade, far from the beaten path.”

“Denki for taking me riding today. I’ve had a wonderful-gute time.”

“In a near-death-experience kind of way.” Levi shook his almost-empty packet of fruit snacks, and the last snack tumbled out into his hand. He gave it to Rebecca, who snatched it up and popped it into her mouth. “I’ve been thinking about our next big adventure. And I’m wondering if you’re going to wear these clothes for every date.”

“I have one Englisch outfit and this is it. Or I could wear the apron and kapp.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the Englisch clothes. The T-shirt really brings out the yellow in your hair. It practically radiates heat.”

“No manure.”

“I’m being sincere, kid. But will you wear the same thing if we go swimming? Jeans tend to absorb water and drag a person to the bottom of the lake.”

Rebecca eyes flashed with fear, and she momentarily held her breath. “Swimming?”

“We don’t have to. If you’re afraid of the water—”

“Nae, swimming is perfect. I want to do it. My fater used to take me to the lake, for fishing.”

“Do you own a swimsuit?”

“I will find one,” she said, and Levi knew she wouldn’t let something as trivial as procuring a swimsuit keep her from her next adventure.

Rebecca meticulously began to gather up the trash and stuff it into the empty bag.

“I can do that,” Levi said. “You’re the date.”

Rebecca hesitated and handed him the bag. “I am sorry. Linda says I am such a Martha.”

“A Martha?”

“There is a Bible story about two sisters, Mary and Martha.”

“Martha gets a bad rap, if you ask me.”

“You know the story?” Rebecca said.

“Don’t look so surprised, kid. Mom read to us from the Bible every day. I know those stories better than I know my own name. Jesus was at Martha and Mary’s house, and Martha was serving dinner while Mary sat there listening to Jesus teach. So Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her serve. And Jesus told Martha that she was too anxious about things and that Mary had chosen the good part.”

Rebecca nodded. “I am not sure what the ‘good part’ is, but Linda must think it means sitting around the house all day. She wants to read, and I make her get up and work.”

“Sounds like Linda uses a perfectly good Bible story as an excuse to be lazy.”

“Jah. You hit the nail on the head.”

“I’ve never understood that story,” Levi said. “Why was Martha doing something bad? People have to eat.”

“Maybe her complaining was wrong. Do you think she was trying to get the Lord to choose sides?”

Levi had no answer. Instead, he studied her expression—so beautiful in deep contemplation.

She leaned toward him and her arm rested lightly against his—an unconscious gesture. Still, that didn’t stop his heart from picking up its pace.

“It is better to do the chores by myself than to complain at what will never be,” she said.

“So you get stuck doing all the work because you think that if you ask for help, it will be a sin?”

“I can manage things well enough. And my sister and brothers put up such a fuss, most of the time it is easier to do it myself.”

“You shouldn’t let them get away with that.”

“It is no use wishing for what will never be.”

Levi crumpled the bag. “You don’t sound like a Martha to me. More like Paul. That guy traveled and wrote and preached like he didn’t ever sleep.” He gave her shoulder a playful nudge with his fist. “But I’ve seen you sleep. Every time there’s a lull in the conversation, you nod off.”

Rebecca grabbed the crushed bag from Levi and threw it at him. “I do not.”

“You have no idea the pressure on me to be entertaining enough to keep you awake.”

“I stayed up late last night finishing chores so I could come riding today. I will try to stay alert for the rest of the date.” She grinned at Levi and leaned back against the fallen log. “I like being compared to Martha. Martha is the one who trusted that Jesus could raise her brother from the dead. She said, ‘I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God.’ She knew. I want to be that strong in my faith. Worthy of His name.”

Her gaze locked onto his with an alarming intensity. He hadn’t expected a sermon. He hadn’t expected to be touched by one. What kind of strange, unnerving power did this little Amish girl have over him?

He reached over and cupped her cheek in his hand and stroked the flawless skin with his fingers. She held perfectly still as he raised his other hand and held her face between his palms. He moved close enough to feel her breath on his cheek. After pausing for a moment to look into those brilliant hazel eyes, he closed his eyes and puckered his lips.

“Don’t kiss me.”

Levi pulled back as if she’d thrown a bucket of ice-cold water on his head. “What?”

“You smell like a horse. Don’t kiss me.”

“You smell like a horse too. A sweaty horse.”

“If you kiss me now, I will forever associate kissing with stinky horses. You would not want to do that to my future husband.”

Levi groaned and fell backward on the ground. “Isn’t kissing a guy on that list of things you want to do before you die?”

“I have plenty of time for that. I will be kissing my husband every day for the rest of my life.”

Lucky guy.
“But what about kissing a mysterious Englisch stranger before you settle into the dull Amish routine?”

“Hmm. I will give that idea some thought,” she said. “But do not hold your breath. The thought of kissing you does not appeal to me.”

Levi laughed as he pretended not to be deeply disappointed.

You don’t want to kiss me? What’s wrong with you, kid? What’s wrong with me?

He swallowed his embarrassment, jumped to his feet, and pulled her up with him. Stepping on both her feet, he playfully pushed her backward then tugged her toward him so she wouldn’t fall over. She gasped and cuffed him on the shoulder.

Mustn’t let her see she’d struck a blow to his pride. He forced a smile.

“We’d better head back now, or we won’t get home ’til midnight,” he said.

“It took us less than an hour to ride this far.”

“I know, but on the way back we’ll be walking. I’m not letting you get on a horse ever again.”

Although Levi offered to drive her right up to her front door, Rebecca insisted that he drop her off around the bend from the house. She ducked into the bushes just off the road and disappeared from the sight of curious eyes. Keeping close to the cover of the trees, Rebecca quickly made her way to the safety of the toolshed at the back of her fater’s property.

Even though she was an hour late—even though she would be up past midnight finishing the chores—she couldn’t stop smiling. The horseback ride was horrible, simply horrible, but her riding companion had been surprisingly pleasant. She knew she shouldn’t let his good looks sway her. As Levi himself had said, beauty would only get him so far. But she liked the fact that he was nice to look at. She was also certain that if his handsome face were his best quality, she wouldn’t be enjoying herself so much.

Although he probably didn’t realize it, Levi developed an uneasy grimace whenever she betrayed signs of distress. She’d tried to hide her panic, but her attempts obviously hadn’t worked. She found his concern for her feelings endearing. Rebecca suspected that nothing much could ruffle his feathers—except when the Amish girl tried to break her neck on a horse.

Guilt momentarily caught hold of her. How could she justify enjoying herself while Mamm suffered in bed? Fater would be furious if she hurt herself and was unable to take care of her mother.

She slid her hand into her jeans pocket and pulled out a piece of paper that had been folded and unfolded so many times, light passed right through the creases. She looked at the first item on the list, written in Dottie Mae’s handwriting:
Go skiing
.