The Bridge of Peace (4 page)

Upstairs, hidden inside her hope chest, she had a very old but still well-loved list of her favorite children’s names. The idea of never having a family of her own scared her.

“You didn’t come out to the shop to see me when you got home.” Her Daed came into the room, drying his face on a guest towel. He scrubbed the towel over his mostly brown beard with a few gray hairs peeping through. It didn’t matter that he’d been widowed for thirteen years; once married, a man grew a beard and kept it the rest of his life. “At least greet your poor dog. She is begging for a little attention.” He pointed at Nicky, who had managed to come into the room without her noticing. Nicky watched Lena’s every move while her whole body wriggled in hopes of being petted.

She patted Nicky’s head. Her dog stood and slowly turned in circles as if chasing her tail, making it easy for Lena to stroke her from head to tail without moving her hand.

Daed dried his hands. “I was hoping for a fresh cup of coffee between now and dinner.”

Lena tried to shake the sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Sure thing, Daed. Do you need a little something else to hold you until dinner is ready?”

“Nope, just a cup of coffee with you.” He tossed her the dishtowel. “Then I need to get back to the shop before and again after dinner. The owners of Bissett’s would like the kitchen table and chairs done by tomorrow if possible.” He paused. “You look a little pale. You feeling okay?”

“Ya.” She wouldn’t tell him, or anyone else, what weighed heavy on her. He and others would try to assure her she was beautiful and the mark wasn’t all that noticeable. Why bother? She wouldn’t feel any better by people saying things they felt obligated to say.

Suddenly ready for time in her flower garden, she tossed the towel back at him. “I have things I’d like to do tonight too, as well as things I must do, so I’ll get dinner started now.”

With the harness in one hand and a cube of sugar in the other, Cara eased toward Rosie, talking to her as she drew closer. But Rosie kept moving just out of reach. This reminded her of trying to catch a cab in New York on a Saturday night. She could see them, but they wouldn’t stop for her. She knew so little about horses. Maybe the old girl didn’t want to work on such a beautiful fall day. Cara sang softly while holding out her palm. Finally Rosie grew more interested in getting the sugar than in avoiding Cara. A moment after the horse’s soft lips grasped the sugar from Cara’s palm, she slid the rope harness on her.

She led her across the field and into the barn. Once inside Cara guided the horse to stand between the shafts of the buggy. “Easy girl.” She patted her, but the mare shifted nervously. Cara bent forward to place the bridle on her, but Rosie jerked her head, hitting the side of Cara’s face. Struggling to keep her balance, she managed to get the bridle in place. She threw the leather strappy thing over the horse’s neck and attached the rigmarole that hooked into the bellybands. Ada had told her the names of this stuff. So had Ephraim, but none of it stuck in her brain. Couldn’t one thing about being Amish be easy?

Forcing herself to focus, she continued connecting this thing to that until she was finally ready to stick the shaves into their holders on each side of Rosie. Once she’d threaded the leads through the rings, she was done connecting the horse to the buggy … maybe. She studied her work for a moment, wondering if she’d remembered each step. The gear sat a little odd. Cara angled her head a bit. That seemed to make it look straighter. She shrugged, hoping that everything was connected right or at least that everything
important
was connected.

Once Rosie was hitched to the buggy, Cara went inside. Ada stood beside Lori as they refilled the canisters with the correct ingredients. Better Days sat on the floor, watching Lori and Ada like he was trying to understand their words. What could be seen of Ada’s light brown hair from around the head covering shined like she was still a young woman. At forty-three her face had no lines and her skin was vibrant. Cara bet she’d had very oily skin when younger and now she was reaping the benefits. “You be good for Ada.” Cara kissed the top of Lori’s head.

“Ada’s gonna teach me how to wash, dry, and iron a prayer Kapp.”

Ada shrugged. “One of you two needs to know how to care for the coverings.”

“Yep, you’re right.” She missed being able to ruffle Lori’s hair, so she tugged on one of the strings to her Kapp. “Did you guys want to go to Dry Lake with me and Deb?”

“You girls will be out too late for me.” Ada placed the lid on the sugar canister. “I need to be up long before dawn again tomorrow.”

Lori took the remaining sugar to the pantry. “Not me, Mom. Takes longer to get there and back than we get to see ’From. I hate that.”

“Okay. If that’s what you want to do.” Cara kissed the top of her head again, feeling the starched prayer covering against her lips.

Deborah came into the kitchen, pinning a clean apron in place.

“There you are.” Cara gestured toward the back door. “The horse is ready. Are you?”

She grabbed the cake box. “Ya.”

They said their good-byes to Ada and Lori and went to the barn. When Deborah walked into the barn, she stopped and turned to Cara. “Harnessed her by yourself, did you?”

Cara tilted her head to the left. “If you do your head like this, it’s not so bad.”

Deborah angled her head and then her body. “Ya, you’re right.” She stepped into the driver’s side, but once they were on the road, she held out the reins to Cara.

Cara shook her head. “You’re the one in the driver’s seat. What are you doing?”

“We’re not in a car. And it’s time you learn to drive … Amish style.”

Cara folded her arms. “You drive. I’ll ride.”

“Did you rig this thing to separate from the horse while I’m driving it?”

“No. Of course not.”

“Then take the reins.”

Cara took them. The straps of leather felt totally different in her hands now that the horse was trudging along. She and the horse jolted when a van zoomed around them, but she continued heading toward Dry Lake. The cool fall air begged Cara to open her heart and soak in the very joy of being alive.

The sensation was new and exhilarating, making her wonder how long it would last. She knew that life offered no one a break for very long. The sounds of town were far behind them now, and as much as she was enjoying the ride, she couldn’t stop thinking about seeing Ephraim.

When she came to a fairly steep slope, she tried to gain speed so they could make it up the next hill, but Rosie seemed uninterested in going faster. “I’ve never driven anything before. But I know that a car or truck can’t hear or care when the owners yell at it. Will Rosie?”

“Probably not, given that she never listens, but there are some things you just don’t do as an Amish person, and yelling like a maniac in public is one of them. Once you’re married, I’m sure Ephraim will appreciate it if you can hold on to that tradition.”

Cara chuckled. “Now that’s good info to know.”

Deborah scrunched her forehead. “Did I miss something?”

“You said the Amish have no problem with me yelling at my horse or my husband as long as it’s not in public.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s what you said.”

“Poor Ephraim.”

Cara chuckled. “What about Rosie?”

Deborah looked a bit lost for a moment, and then she laughed. “Knowing Rosie, I’m more inclined to say, ‘Poor Cara.’ Of course, you’ll figure that out as time goes on.”

The ride seemed to be pulling Deborah out of that dark hole Mahlon had dug inside her, so Cara did what she could to keep the silly banter going. By the time they’d traveled for nearly an hour, she almost had the hang of driving a rig.

“You need to slow down so you can take the next right turn up ahead.”

Cara slapped the reins against the horse’s back, making it gain speed. “You’ve got to be kidding. I didn’t drive all this way to see Lena first.”

“Fine. But I’m not delivering this cake on my own.”

“Why not?”

“There are several rules to pulling a prank, but only two you need to understand right now. One, whoever thought of the prank must be in on delivering it. Two, no one goes alone.”

“I’ll repeat myself, why not?”

“Because, afterward, telling what took place isn’t nearly as fun as reliving it together. Don’t you know anything about pranks?”

Cara pulled into the driveway of Ephraim’s cabinetry shop. “Nope. Pranks are for rich girls.” She set the brake. “And you can trust me, Deb. In every way that matters—faith, family, friends, food, and shelter—you grew up rich.” She hopped down and strode to the entryway of the huge warehouse-type shop.

Ephraim
. He stood near the center of the vast building, scrubbing sandpaper over a cabinet that was sitting on a pair of sawhorses. Dark blue pants. Light blue shirt. Brown suspenders. Although it was a couple of hours before dark, he had lit several gas pole lamps. Under the glow of them, his hair looked more reddish brown than the usual strawberry blond.

The glimpse of him filled her soul. She’d once been so empty, and now it was as if he’d stolen the awfulness of her past and buried it somewhere. But it’d taken more than his physical strength to help her. He’d given up everything for a season—had been shunned and disgraced, all the while hiding the truth from her of what he was going through. And sacrificing.

He stirred her in ways she didn’t figure the Amish were familiar with—physical desire. But she bridled it and tried to behave like an upstanding Amish woman.

Deborah nudged her, whispering, “Is this what you meant by seeing him?”

Cara took a deep breath. “No, but I could stay right here all day and just watch him.”

“We have a cake to deliver.”

Ephraim looked up, a gorgeous smile instantly erasing the blankness that’d been there moments before. He tossed the sandpaper onto the cabinet and headed for her. Cara moved to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. The warmth and power of his hands made her feel both strong and weak. How was that possible?

He released her. “I wasn’t expecting a visit.”

“Deborah brought something for Lena. And I said I’d go with her to deliver it.”

He looked past Cara and seemed to notice his sister for the first time. “Hi, Deborah.”

“Hey. I think I’ll go say hello to everyone at Daed’s. Meet you at the buggy in ten?”

“You’re only here for ten minutes?” Ephraim looked disappointed.

“No, we’re coming back after we see Lena for a bit.”

“Good. That’ll give me a chance to finish up here and catch a shower.”

Movement inside the office area of the shop caught her attention.

Anna Mary
.

Ephraim’s ex-girlfriend stood in his office with the phone to her ear. Anna Mary knew the language, customs, and all the ways of the Amish. Cara knew almost nothing. If she’d been raised here as her mom had wanted, she would’ve grown up knowing all the Amish ways too. Anna Mary put the receiver in its cradle, blew out the kerosene lamp, and came out of the office. The moment she saw Deborah, her eyes lit up, and she hurried over to her friend. She engulfed her in a hug the way best friends do. The two whispered something before Anna Mary turned toward Cara and Ephraim. “Hi, Cara. How are you?”

“Hello. I’m good. You?” The words caught in her throat and tumbled out sounding rather frozen. Ephraim traced his fingers along the side and back of her neck until settling his hand there.

“She came to use the community phone.”

Embarrassed that he felt the need to reassure her, she forced a smile and turned to Anna Mary. “I … I hope everything is okay.”

“Ya, just making plans to visit one of my sisters who doesn’t live in Dry Lake.”

Cara shifted, trying to think of how to make small talk with her. “That sounds like fun.”

“Ya, should be.”

“I’ll see you at the buggy in ten.” Deborah waved, and then she and Anna Mary left the building.

Ephraim squared himself in front of her and placed both his hands on her face. “I’m glad you’re here.” He kissed her forehead before gazing into her eyes. “I have something I want to show you.” He led her to his office. After he lit the kerosene lamp, he passed her a paper with a drawing on it.

“It’s a sketch of a floor plan, right?”

“Ya. Plans for our new house.”

“Ours? But you already own one.”

“
We
,” Ephraim corrected and then waited.

Her throat felt dry, but she made herself say it. “
We
own one.”

“Ya, but it has one bedroom, two if we make that storage space into a room for Lori. Plus, I thought we might want to build elsewhere on the property, maybe not so close to my Daed and stepmother.”

Her hurt from moments earlier shrank, and feathery-light contentment filled the gap. She didn’t have much in the way of good memories from her past, but she had a future. “But I like your…” She cleared her throat. “
Our
house. You built it yourself. Just those hardwood floors you put in from some old barn are too much a part of you to leave behind.”

He gave that ‘I understand’ smile of his. “But it’s awfully small.”