Seek Me With All Your Heart (2 page)

“Is she
.
.
.” David wasn’t sure how to ask. “
Ab im kopp
?”

Jacob chuckled. “sion grew serious. “She’s just
Nee
, she ain’t off in the head.” His expres
.
.
. I reckon she’s just going through a
hatt
time right now.”

The bel on the door chimed again, and David saw a smal girl enter. She was bundled in a black bonnet and cape and was breathing hard. “Are you the one who made Emily cry?” She thrust her hands on her hips and drew her mouth into a frown. David opened his mouth to answer, but Jacob cut in.

“Betsy, what are you doing out here? You’re supposed to be helping
Mamm
get those jams labeled so she can carry them to Abby’s bakery later. Does she know you ran over here?”

The child untied the strings of her bonnet, pul ed it off, then tucked loose strands of blonde hair beneath her
kapp
. “I reckon this is more important.” She folded her smal arms across her chest as her hazel eyes bored into David. “What did you do to Emily?”

“Betsy, he didn’t do nothing. Now, get on back in the house.” Jacob stacked papers on top of the counter, dismissing the child.

Betsy walked to David, her hands landing back on her tiny hips. She squinted her eyes and pursed her lips together. “I want you to know that if your behavior instigated this outpouring of emotion from my sister, it would be best for you not to visit us here again.” She nodded her head once, but David was too stunned to say anything.
The women in this family are crazy
.

“Just pretend she’s not here,” Jacob said as he walked to the girl. He gently grabbed her by the arm and led her to the door. He pul ed the door open.

“Put your bonnet on and go home, Betsy.”

Betsy stood in the doorway as snow powdered her black cape and the threshold of the shop. She plopped her bonnet back on her head, tied it, then lifted her chin. “I wil be going back to tend to Emily, and I suspect you should be heading to your own
haus
.” She spun around and slammed the door behind her.

David cocked his head to one side and watched Betsy from the window. “How
old
is she?”

“Seven.” Jacob shrugged, then sighed. “And a handful.”

David scratched his chin and final y pul ed his gaze from the window. “I have a sister who is seven, but she doesn’t talk like that.” He paused. “I don’t know many Amish folks who talk like that, even us older ones.”

“
Ya
, Betsy is special. She’s a real pain most of the time, but
Mamm
and
Daed
let some
Englisch
people give her some tests, and they said she’s what they cal gifted.” Jacob pushed a button on the cash register, and the drawer swung open. He fil ed the slots with bil s as they talked. “Betsy’s been reading since way before other
kinner
her age. I reckon she thinks she knows everything.” He chuckled. “Sometimes I think she does, too, using them big words and al . She does math real
gut
too.”

David nodded. “Oh.”

Jacob slammed the cash drawer shut, then smiled. “In case you were wondering,
mei mamm
is normal.”

David laughed. “
Gut
to know. Are those your only siblings?”

“No. I got a younger
bruder
, Levi. But he works with
mei daed
doing construction and instal ing solar panels.”

David had noticed that lots of the Amish homes in Canaan used solar panels, something you didn’t see a lot of in Lancaster County. “How’d your
daed
and
bruder
get into that?”

“
Daed
knew he was going to need to find an outside job here since farming is going to be a chal enge, at least in the beginning.” Jacob shook his head.

“Can’t believe that there’s only three months of frost-free weather here.” He paused with a sigh. “Anyway,
Daed
planned ahead and learned about these solar panels before we moved here.”

David nodded again as he considered whether or not his family might benefit from solar panels.

“And me and Emily take care of the shop, and ’course
Mamm
has the house to tend to
.
.
. and Betsy, which is a ful time job when she ain’t in school.”

Jacob scratched his forehead.

“What ’bout you? Where’d you come from? I haven’t seen you around here.”

David sighed. “We moved here. Yesterday. We’re not even unpacked, but my stepmother wanted me to pick up a few things.”

“You don’t sound happy about this move.” Jacob sat down on a stool behind the counter and eyed David skeptical y.

“I’m not, real y. I mean, my whole family and everything I’ve ever known is in Lancaster County. In Pennsylvania. My great grandfather left us some land, so we moved.” David shook his head. “Although . . . I reckon I don’t know why. This is nothing like Lancaster County. It’s—” He stopped when he realized he might offend Jacob if he went on.

“It’s al right.” Jacob took off his hat and ran a hand through wavy brown hair. “You ain’t tel in’ me anything I don’t know. We moved here from Middlefield, Ohio, three months ago. It’s real different here for us too.”

“What made your family move?”

Jacob shrugged. “Needed a change.” He pul ed his eyes from David’s and his forehead wrinkled as he went on. “And Levi’s got asthma. The weather is better here for him. Less mold, which seems to trigger it.”

David suspected there was more to it than that, but he just nodded.

“Lil ian, my stepmother, was wondering where the school is for my sister. I have two sisters, but only Anna is old enough to go to school. She’s the one who’s the same age as Betsy. Elizabeth is almost five, so she won’t start until next year.”

Jacob grunted. “There ain’t no schoolhouse. Hoping to build one soon, though. Right now, the young ones are getting their schooling from Emma Mil er, the widow around the corner.” Jacob pointed to his right. “Big blue house on the next road to the right. She teaches them in the barn.”

“In the barn?”

“
Ya
. She’s got a
gut
setup out in her barn. Al the young scholars have their own desk, and it’s al heated with propane. It’s just until we can get the school built. Widow Mil er is sick; otherwise Betsy would be in school today.” Jacob chuckled. “Bet
Mamm
is hoping she gets wel real soon.”

David had almost forgotten about his list from Lil ian. “I better pay for these couple of things, then head to town for the other items.” He reached into his pocket and pul ed out a five dol ar bil .

“There’s a singing here on Sunday, if you’re interested.” Jacob handed David his change. “It won’t be nothing like what you’re used to, I’m sure, and there ain’t a whole lot of people who attend, maybe only ten or fifteen, but you could meet some folks. There wil even be a few single girls coming. How old are you, anyway?”

“I just turned twenty.”

“And you ain’t married yet?”

David forced a smile. Marriage wasn’t in his plans. “No.”

“I’m getting married in December.” Jacob grinned again. “Adding another crazy woman to my life. Beth Ann’s her name.”

David watched Jacob’s eyes light up when he said her name—his new friend was happy about this. “Congratulations.”

“
Danki.
”

David picked up his smal bag with the noodles and green beans, and then extended his other hand to Jacob. “Nice to meet you, and please tel Emily that I’m not some psycho or anything.” He chuckled, but stopped when he saw the color fade from Jacob’s face. “Did I say something wrong? I just don’t want her to think I’m—”

Jacob waved his hand. “Nah, it’s okay. I can tel you’re a normal guy.” Then he stood up and headed toward the back of the shop. “See ya ’round,” he said over his shoulder. “Come Sunday, if you feel like it.”

David opened the front door of the shop and walked toward his buggy. The snow had stopped, and he glanced across the white terrain between the shop and the house. Movement on the front porch caught his eye.
Emily
. He stopped for a moment, then pivoted on his foot and headed in her direction.

He’d never made a woman cry before today.

EMILY’S FACE FLUSHED with embarrassment as she watched him walking toward her. When was she ever going to feel—and act—normal again? She reached up and touched the scar on her forehead.
Never
.

The screen door slammed behind her, and Vera Detweiler joined her daughter on the porch.

“Who is that handsome fel ow comin’ ’cross the yard?”
Mamm
smoothed the wrinkles in her brown apron. “I don’t recognize him.”

“I’m going in the
haus
.” Emily started to step around her mother, but felt a hand on her arm.

“Emily. That’s rude. Is this young man coming to see you? Did you meet him at the shop?”

Emily wiggled free of her mother’s grasp. “
Ya
. But he’s not very friendly, and I’d rather not talk to him.”

Mamm’s
lips thinned. “Emily, how are you ever going to find a man and get married if you keep running away from everyone?” She softened her expression. “You must move past what happened.”

The man was nearing earshot, so Emily didn’t have a chance to respond.

“
Guder mariye.
”
Mamm
waved from the front porch. Emily didn’t think there was much good about this morning at al .

“ders hunched forward, his gaze landed on Emily. “I’m sorry for the way I acted back there.” He nodded toward the shop. “I’m just having a real y bad morning. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Guder mariye
to you.” He stopped in the yard and looked up at Emily and her mother. “I just wanted to come apologize to Emily.” He shoved his hands in his pockets, and with his shoul

With renewed humiliation about her behavior, Emily looked away from him. When she turned back to face him, his gaze was stil on her. “It’s al right,”

she mumbled, casting her eyes to the ground, wishing she’d never have to see him again.
Not much chance of that if he lives here
.

Her
mamm
careful y eased down the porch steps, then extended her hand to him. “I’m Vera Detweiler.”

“David Stoltzfus. We just moved here yesterday from Lancaster County.” He latched onto
Mamm’s
hand, glanced at
Mamm
for a moment, then looked up at Emily.

Mamm
turned her head and smiled. “That’s my daughter, Emily.”

As David’s hand dropped, he nodded in Emily’s direction. “
Gut
to meet you. And again, I’m sorry for the way I acted. I’m not normal y like that.”

Emily drew in a deep breath and was about to speak when
Mamm
cut in.

“Come into the
haus
. Let me get you some hot
kaffi
. You can tel us about your family.”

Mamm
started back up the porch steps and then turned around to see if David was fol owing her. He hadn’t moved.
Good. Maybe he’ll just head back
to wherever he came from
.

“Come in, come in,”
Mamm
coaxed with a wave of her hand. “We’re such a smal community, we’re always anxious to meet new members.”

Emily held her breath, but David smiled and moved toward the steps.
Mamm
waited for him at the doorway and held the screen door for him to fol ow her in. Emily trailed slowly behind them.

“Emily, you keep David company while I go get us al a cup of
kaffi
. I have some on the stove.”
Mamm
smiled in a way that made Emily self-conscious, and she waited until her mother turned before she rol ed her eyes.

“Uh, I can go if you want.” David arched his brows, holding his hat in his hands. “I saw the eye rol ing thing.” Then he grinned.

Now that she was feeling safe inside with her mother, she al owed herself to notice the wel -defined, boyish dimples on either side of his striking smile.

Back in Middlefield, she might have responded to his good looks, but she was wiser now and knew that looks were deceiving.

“
Mamm
asked you to stay, so stay.” Emily pointed to the rocker in the corner of the room. She waited for him to sit down before she eased onto the couch across the room from him. She folded her hands in her lap, sighed, and then watched David tap his foot nervously against the wooden floor.

“So . . . Jacob tel s me that there is a singin’ here on Sunday.”

Thanks a lot, Jacob
. Emily forced a smile. “
Ya.
” She strained to see around the corner and into the kitchen.
Mamm
was placing three cups on a tray. “I reckon there won’t be many people here. It won’t be anything like you’re used to, I’m sure.” She turned back to him, narrowed her eyes, and frowned. “No outside games or anything. And mostly younger teenagers.”

“
Kaffi
for everyone.”
Mamm
hummed as she sauntered back into the den, then placed the tray on the coffee table. Emily wondered how much more transparent her mother could be. “
Ach
, I forgot the creamer. I’l be right back.”
Mamm
scurried back to the kitchen about the same time Emily heard tiny feet jumping down the stairs. Betsy stopped at the bottom of the stairs and folded her arms across her chest.

“What are
you
doing here?” Betsy glared at David, who sat up a little tal er when he saw her.

“Besty,
Mamm
invited him for
kaffi
. This is David Stoltzfus.”

“Betsy and I met earlier.” David smiled. “Although we weren’t properly introduced.” He stood up and extended his hand to Betsy, who ignored the gesture. She squinted her eyes and pressed her lips firmly together before she veered around him and plopped onto the couch beside Emily. David returned to the rocker as Betsy slid closer to Emily on the couch, then placed a protective hand on her sister’s knee. Emily’s heart was heavy as she put her hand on top of Betsy’s.
I wish Betsy didn’t know something bad happened to me
.

“Here we go.”
Mamm
returned carrying a white creamer in the shape of a cow, a trinket
Mamm
said her grandmother had given her. Emily disliked the creamer, and it embarrassed her every time her mother used it. When
Mamm
walked toward him, David held out his cup, and Emily stifled a grin as he eyed the cow.