Seasons of Tomorrow (47 page)

“Leah,”—Landon’s voice pulled her from her thoughts—“not seeing the groom is a silly tradition most people have set aside these days. How about if we meet on the porch and talk?”

The long pause she’d taken after his earlier question apparently had him worried about how she was doing. “We’ll have plenty of time to talk after you’re legally bound to live with and listen to me.”

“Legally bound to listen?” His chuckle warmed her heart. “I don’t think there’s a law that covers such a thing.”

“I may have to work on that.” She grabbed her shiny, heeled sandals off the bed. “Look, I know everyone at the farm would come if they could, and they’ll make it up to us when the dust has settled. So trust me when I say I’m coping just fine, okay?” She was strong enough to carry the hurt and still fully enjoy her day.

“Okay.”

But she knew Landon wanted to give her what he couldn’t—a wedding day without any lingering sadness.

When she’d made it known to the Amish community that she wasn’t joining the faith, Samuel, Rhoda, Steven, and Phoebe had supported her without fail. But for giving her their support, they’d been held accountable by the church for several violations of the Ordnung: not taking the proper stand against the person leaving, creating an atmosphere that encouraged Leah’s independence from the Amish, and helping her establish a business
with the intent of leaving her Amish roots. The final charge was opposition to the will of God.

Since Leah had been born into an Amish home, the church believed it was God’s will she remain there. So Samuel, Rhoda, Steven, and Phoebe were shunned for six weeks and had to retake instruction classes concerning the Amish belief on how to deal with wayward loved ones. Steven had lost his right to preach during that time too, which had to be embarrassing. But despite what was equal to six weeks of public flogging, the four hadn’t wavered in their backing of her.

Jacob and Esther supported her too, but since they didn’t live here, they hadn’t been held accountable for helping pave the way for her to leave the Amish.

She moved to the window. Landon was below, looking up. Fresh gratefulness stirred excitement about her future. The store was under her, Landon was beside her, and God was in and around her. This was the life she wanted.

A few months ago, before they announced to the community that they were getting married, Landon had quit his job at the farm, hoping to diminish the church’s outcry at Samuel, Rhoda, Phoebe, and Steven. Landon would return to work on the farm when those who were so angry with Leah for leaving the Amish and marrying an outsider were no longer looking for someone to blame.

If people were over the worst of their anger before apple picking began at the end of next month, Samuel would hire Amish workers again. If people were still too upset to work for Orchard Bend Farms, Samuel would hire migrant workers. By Leah pacing her severing of ties, she had tried to leave her family in a good place emotionally and businesswise.

Still, even with their love and encouragement, she and Landon had dealt with anger, disapproval, and harsh words of judgment from some in the district. The disapproval of the Amish community directly affected the success of her store, but she couldn’t live her life based on that. Her next goal, which would take a few years to achieve, was to establish a strong connection to the non-Amish in the area.

She grabbed her keys and took one last look at Landon as he stood on the gravel parking lot staring up at her window. She was so very, very grateful that he’d been willing to walk this journey with her. “I love you, Landon Olson.”

Inside a pole barn, Jacob stood behind a row of mismatched, unlevel tables filled with junk and treasures. All of it represented the life span of a stranger who’d passed.

Only a few minutes earlier, he and Esther had been passengers in a car, and this wasn’t their original destination. But he had spotted the Estate Sale sign, and it had been his idea to stop. Of course Esther had been excited at the prospect, and once out of the car, she sent him on a mission to hurriedly search for goods, because they had to leave soon.

His intentions were good. If a worthy item was here, he wanted to help find it. But right now, rather than searching, he couldn’t stop eyeing his wife. She was on the next aisle from him, quickly moving down the tables of items.

Yard sales and auctions were a favorite pastime of theirs, something they had done just for fun on Saturday mornings the last two summers. They’d had only two summers together thus far, but the idea of a lifetime of seasons with her made his heart pound with anticipation and enthusiasm. She called Saturdays their minivacations, and no one was quite as good at productively wasting a day as he and Esther. Last spring when Jacob and Esther were in Maine to visit and help with the orchard, Landon had pointed out that “productively wasting a day” was an oxymoron—a contradiction of terms. But that didn’t stop Jacob and Esther from spending their Saturdays in that fashion.

Since the beginning of their courtship, they had gotten up early on Saturdays, gone out for breakfast, talked over coffee and delicious food, and then spent half the day finding a few hidden treasures. Most often they walked through the yard sales and auctions like they walked along the beaches Bailey drove them to—hand in hand.

She glanced up. Her beautiful, radiant smile warmed his day even more than the July sun. Privately he called her Sunshine. Truly, she brought warmth and light into every moment of his life.

They’d courted for a year before marrying, and as courtships were intended, they’d gotten to know each other better and had fallen so deeply in love he couldn’t imagine life without her. Looking at her now, he found it hard to believe how difficult it’d been to get to know the real Esther. But after she came to Maine to see him almost two years ago, letting him know she’d chosen to dismantle her armor for him, he’d never known a more honest and open person.

They’d been married nine months, and they’d learned yesterday that she was expecting. Their firstborn was due early next spring. Jacob had never imagined being this excited about anything. Before the wedding they’d bought a small, older home less than a mile from the Daadi Haus where she used to help unwed mothers-to-be full-time, but now she did it only part-time. At Esther’s warm and sincere invitation, Sandra had moved to Virginia and now lived in a good school district only a few miles from them.

Esther looked up again. This time she mouthed the words
you ready to go?

He grinned and shrugged, finally scanning the stuff on the table in front of him. He quickly scrounged through various boxes.

She joined him. “Having trouble concentrating?”

“I am,”—he opened the lid to a dilapidated box about the size of a toaster—“and I blame you for being entirely too intriguing. Did you find anything?”

“No. I searched every table except this one and had no luck, but we need to go.”

Jacob jiggled the box, making it rattle.

She peered inside it and laughed. “That’s not fair.”

He’d stumbled upon a box of antique doorknobs, plates, and keys. “Apparently you didn’t need to go in search of treasures. You only needed to wait for me.”

She put her arm around his waist and kissed him on the cheek. “
That
is the story of my life.”

Rhoda came out of the bathroom, freshly showered and wearing a new dress. Her almost air-dried hair cascaded down her back as she gathered the items for pinning it in place. Was that humming she heard? She followed the sound and found herself tiptoeing to the nursery and peering through the barely opened door.

Samuel stood beside the empty crib, his daughter snuggled in his arms as he swayed her back and forth. He turned, radiating the peaceful contentment of a man in love with life.

When they were shunned for supporting Leah’s leaving, it’d been unexpectedly hard on Samuel, and they’d discovered that Rhoda was as much help to him in that situation as he was to her when tragedy made her sense of intuition run amuck. She’d grown up being isolated and ostracized due to her intuition, and he’d grown up as a King, knowing only respect from everyone. But the birth of their daughter had freed him from people’s opinions, because he’d realized all that truly mattered was what was in his heart toward his family and others.

She moved in closer and cradled her daughter’s head, enjoying the downy softness of her scant blond hair. Three months old today. Rhoda had been completely clueless how much she and Samuel would fall in love with their child—and with each other all over again. Was this normal? “She’s so beautiful.”

They’d named her Emma, after Rhoda’s deceased sister.

“She is.” Samuel met Rhoda’s eyes. He ran his hand through her hair and to the base of her neck. With Emma asleep in the crook of one arm, he pulled Rhoda closer.

She rested her forehead on his. He gazed into her soul before he slowly kissed her full on the lips.

“Hello?” Phoebe called, sounding as if she was at the foot of the steps.

Samuel slowly stopped kissing Rhoda. He drew a deep breath and winked. “In the nursery.”

Numerous footfalls could be heard on the steps, and Rhoda knew Phoebe had at least two of her three children with her.

Phoebe was quite healthy, had been for the last eighteen months, but since she liked having her living quarters on the main floor, Samuel and Rhoda’s space was permanently upstairs. With Leah living above the store and Iva married to Crist and living in an apartment above his parents’ carriage house, these days the home housed only two couples and their children.

A few moments later Steven eased open the door. Isaac and Arie hurried into the room, and Steven’s two-year-old son, Karl, was in his arms, grinning. Steven and Phoebe had fought so hard to keep Karl alive, and they would probably never get all the hospital bills paid, but he was such a blessing to the household and a bundle of boundless joy, energy, and smiles.

Arie slid her hand into Rhoda’s. “Is Emma asleep again?” she whispered.

Rhoda bent and kissed Arie’s forehead. “Ya.” Arie wanted Emma to play, and thus far her little cousin had proved to be a disappointment.

Phoebe held up a black apron. “Freshly pressed.”

“Oh, gut.” Rhoda put it around her waist, and Phoebe helped pin it in place.

Steven gestured toward the front of the house. “Jojo’s here.”

Rhoda jolted. “Already? I’d better get moving. I need to get my hair pinned up and find my shoes.” Since Emma had been born, Rhoda seemed to have lost her sense of timing.

“We’re here to help.” Phoebe glanced under the gliding rocking chair and then pulled out Rhoda’s missing shoes.

Samuel grabbed Emma’s diaper bag. “I’ll take Emma down. By the time we have the children strapped in their car seats or seat belts, you’ll be ready.”

“I’ll hurry.” Rhoda scurried out of the room to find a hairbrush.

Jojo worked for them full-time now. She and Sophia had rented a tiny house between here and Camilla’s. Sophia loved her grandmamma, and the little girl thrived, learning music under Camilla.

Rhoda rushed through the last bits of getting ready, and within five minutes she was walking out the front door. The van doors were open, the children were strapped inside, and Samuel stood in the yard nearby talking to …

Rhoda grinned. “Jacob King! What are you doing here?”

He turned, smiling. “Well, look at you, Rhodes. You’re a little thinner since the last time I saw you.”

“I hope so.” She’d been eight months pregnant when she’d seen him last. “Where is your wife?” The two were just about inseparable. But maybe he’d chosen to come alone in order to protect her.

Jacob gestured toward the van, and Esther came around the side of it. “I was admiring your daughter.” Esther hugged her, and Rhoda had a surge of joy go through her. Maybe it’d been the brief glance she’d witnessed between Jacob and Esther, but Rhoda was sure Esther was expecting. Jacob hugged Rhoda, and when they parted, Rhoda grasped Esther’s hands. “I didn’t know Jacob was coming, but when I saw him, I thought maybe you’d stayed home this time.” She squeezed her hands and then released them.

Esther looped her arm through Jacob’s. “If he’s in trouble, I’m in it with him. But we didn’t know you guys had decided to go until Jojo picked us up. Does Leah know any of us are coming to her wedding?”