The Days of Redemption (59 page)

If only she had been that wise forty years ago.

Landon was twenty-six years old. He'd had his share of girlfriends and had gone on his share of buggy rides. But now, as he guided his gelding up the Keims' long driveway, he didn't remember ever being as pleased about the opportunity to spend time with a woman.

As Mike clip-clopped along the gravel drive, Landon noticed the first buds on the pear trees that lined the road and thanked his good fortune one more time. So many good things had happened in his life lately. He was finally near his brother, he was in business with him, and now had his very own farm. He was so glad he'd made the decision two years ago to work hard and save every penny to buy his own piece of land and join his brother's business.

Living at home and working dozens of hours at a local hardware store had really paid off. Staying true to his goals and plans had been the right thing to do.

The Lord was surely rewarding him by giving him the gift of Elsie Keim right next door. She seemed to be just the type of woman he'd dreamed about spending a lifetime with when he'd been putting in all those hours. She was pretty and sweet and had a little spark in her that he was anxious to discover more about.

Just as he slowed Mike over the hill, he caught sight of Elsie standing on the edge of the front walkway. She had on a different dress than the one she'd worn earlier. This one was a deep pink, so dark it was bordering on red. He loved the bright color on her, loved how it seemed to represent so much about her . . . perfectly Amish . . . but also perfectly her own person.

No matter how quiet she might seem, Elsie was no shy flower. No, she had a spunk about her that demanded to be noticed.

As soon as he reined Mike to a halt and set the brake on the buggy, he strode to her side.

“Elsie, you didn't have to wait outside. I would have been happy to come to your door to get you.”

Her cheeks brightened a bit, and something told him that it had nothing to do with the cool breeze in the evening air. “Actually, being out here was my choice. I was ready for a bit of space.”

“Is that right?”

She nodded. “Our house is mighty full today.”

He laughed as he got out and helped her into his buggy. “I have noticed that there seem to be folks all around your place.”

“Lots and lots of folks,” she said wearily. “Of course, we're all together to see my
mamm
, but when we're not at my mother's side at the hospital, things can be a bit overwhelming. And loud.”

He handed her an old quilt that his grandmother had given him when he'd graduated eighth grade. “I hope you won't be too cold. The days are warm but the nights are still a little cool.”

She unfolded it a bit and tucked it around her lap. “This should be fine.” She smiled softly. “It's a pretty quilt, Landon.”

“My grandmother made it,” he said, as he settled in next to her, immediately noticing the nice sensation of feeling her slim body against his. “So, are you ready?”

“Very ready.”

After he released the brake and clicked the reins, Mike started forward with a quick jerk.

Beside him, Elsie laughed. “He's a bit frisky, huh?”

“I guess so,” he said with a grin. “I've been riding my bicycle around town a lot, so Mike hasn't been getting out too much. He's a pretty young guy. No doubt, he's ready to let off a little steam.”

“I know the feeling.”

Landon looked at her curiously, wondering what had sparked that statement. But when she didn't add a word, he decided to let it go. Seconds later they were sailing down the driveway. “Do you mind if we go up the back roads?” he asked when they got to the highway. “I didn't have anywhere special in mind to take you.”

“Anywhere is fine with me.”

Eager to please her, he said, “Is there somewhere you especially like to go on buggy rides?”

“You mean when I've gone out before?”

“Well . . . yeah,” he said awkwardly. He wasn't particularly crazy about talking about her other dates, but she seemed a little tense.

“I don't care where we go.”

“Um, okay.”

Making a sudden decision, he carefully guided Mike through a right turn, then let him slow a bit. They were on a narrow-laned road that looked like it had little use. Then he peeked at her. “Elsie? Is everything okay?”

“I was just trying to find a way to tell you that I've never been courted before.”

He was glad he was twenty-six and not eighteen. Years ago, he would have blurted something stupid, like asking her why not. Had she not liked any of the other guys? Or had they not liked her?

Luckily he'd lived long enough to realize that sometimes things simply happened for a reason . . . or for no reason. He had no problem dating a woman who hadn't already gone out with a lot of men. That only added to her attraction for him. It didn't detract from it.

Instinct told him to keep things light. “You don't have to worry about telling me anything, Elsie. All I want is to spend time with you.”

She looked at him with a smile. “I can't tell you what it means to me to hear you say that.”

“If you're that easy to please, we're going to get along fine.”

She relaxed a bit next to him. “Tell me about your family, Landon. And your work.”

“I'll be glad to. But I have to warn you that there's nothing very exciting about any of us. Stop me if I bore you.”

She laughed softly. “I promise, I won't find a thing boring about a quiet family.”

Once again, he found her comment to be almost cryptic, as if there was something that she wasn't quite ready to share. He liked the air of mystery surrounding her. So many women he knew talked so much he could hardly get a word in edgewise.

“Well, I have a brother, Daniel, who's married to Edith. They have two little twin boys, Bo and Ben, and they live here in town. I also have a younger sister named Mary. She's just twenty.”

“And your parents?”

“I'm blessed to still have them both, and they live in Medina. Living down the road from them are my grandparents, and I even have a great-grandmother who lives in their
dawdi haus
.”

“And they are all okay with the fact that you and Daniel live in Berlin now?”

He shrugged. “I guess you could say we're a little bit of an anomaly in the Amish world. We like our space.”

She smiled softly at that.

“I don't have much more to say, really. About two years ago, I decided that I wanted to work with my brother. Daniel was all for it, too. He even went so far as to offer his guest room for me to live in for a while. But I wanted my own space.” He glanced her way, wondering if she could follow what he was trying to say. “I wanted something that was all mine, you know?”

She nodded. “You wanted your independence.”

“
Jah
.” Quickly, he attempted to sum up the rest of his story. “So, even though it took a bit longer, I farmed our land and worked at a hardware store on nights and weekends. When I had enough money to feel like I could afford a little piece of land of my own, I moved. And that's my story.”

“You were able to earn all that in two years?”

“Just the last chunk. I'm one of those planner type of people, Elsie. Once I set a goal, I hate to stray from it. I feel like I've practically spent my whole life waiting to live my life the way I envisioned it. Now it's finally happening—I have my own piece of land and I work with my brother.”

With a slight smile, he added, “And now we've met each other. I have to say that I couldn't be happier with how things turned out.”

Elsie smiled back at him, but then she bit her lip. Like she was worried.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“Not at all,” she replied. Then she flashed a smile and he noticed the tiniest of dimples in her right cheek. “Tell me more, Landon. What do you like to do for fun?”

“Haven't we talked about me enough?”

“Definitely not.”

This wasn't how he'd imagined talking with her would be. He'd hoped for more of a give-and-take, a true conversation. “But Elsie, I don't want to talk nonstop. I want to know more about you, too.”

But instead of taking his hint, she shook her head. “There's nothing too interesting about me, Landon.”

“But—”

“Please,” she said. “I'll tell you more about me next time.”

Well, that was something, he supposed. She wanted to see him again. He, for one, couldn't wait to spend more time with her. After a pause, he started talking again. He talked until they came to a dead end, and then after turning around, he talked some more.

And by the time they pulled into her driveway, he realized to his chagrin that she'd barely told him a thing about herself.

And that she seemed perfectly fine about that, too.

S
itting in their small living room, a fire chasing the chill away, Lovina found herself checking the clock every fifteen minutes.

Aaron noticed. “Watching the clock won't make her come home any faster, you know.”

“Do you think she's having a good time?”

“Don't know.”

“Do you think Elsie told that boy about her blindness?”

He chuckled. “Knowing Elsie? Nope. That granddaughter of ours is as sweet as they come . . . and twice as stubborn.” After a pause, he added, “Just like someone else I know.”

Raising her brows, she did her best to attempt to look shocked. “Who? Me?”

He nodded. With careful movements, he folded up his newspaper before glancing at her over the rims of his glasses. “When we first met, I thought you were a sweet girl.”

“And later you discovered how stubborn I could be?”

“
Jah
. But then by that time it was too late. I was already in love with you.”

She chuckled. “That doesn't sound too romantic, Aaron.”

“Well, it was different back then.
We
were different back then, you know.”

She knew he was referring to the first few months of their relationship, back in Pennsylvania. She had been young, barely a high school graduate, and had been getting over a difficult senior year and Jack's death.

Even thinking his name brought a slight melancholy sting to her heart. Jack had been a boy she'd had a crush on. Eventually, he'd returned her regard, and she'd even gone to a dance with him. She'd been anticipating the dance for weeks, sure it would change her life.

And it had, but not in any way that she'd imagined. Both she and Jack had made some very poor choices, which had resulted in the death of a friend and Jack's deciding to enlist in the army.

Just as she'd wrapped her arms about that, she'd learned that he'd been killed in action.

Aaron, on the other hand, had been mourning his wife and child, who had died in a buggy accident.

Looking back on it now, Lovina realized that they'd truly been two people who'd had little else to depend on besides each other and a desire to escape their present situations.

“Yes, we were very different people back then,” she said quietly. “I didn't know how to be Amish. Or a wife.”

“And I thought I knew everything.”

Lovina bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. Oh, but Aaron surely had thought he was infallible!

Worse, she'd thought he was always right, too. It was only later, when the shiny newness of her life had faded into a sense of normalcy, that she'd realized he'd been just as flawed as she was when it came to relationships.

“Lovina, we did all right. Ain't so?”

“After a time, yes we did.”

For a moment, he stared at her, and that one silent look told her so much. “Have you thought any more about going back to Pennsylvania?” she asked.

He opened a drawer and pulled out a letter. “I'd like to go soon. I received another letter this week.”

Only recently had she learned that Karl, Aaron's first wife's younger brother, blamed him for Laura Beth's death. For forty years, he'd been sending Aaron a photocopied newspaper clipping of her death announcement, and a note that said he'd never forget that her death was Aaron's fault.

Though she was still coming to terms with the fact that Aaron had hidden the truth from her for decades, and was actually the one driving the buggy that day, she was determined to move past their problems and grievances. “What did this one say?”

“The same as all the rest. But instead of burning it like I always do, I thought you might want to see it.”

With an anxious heart, she took it from him. While he watched, she opened the flap and pulled out the sheet of notebook paper. As she unfolded the letter, the clipping about the buggy accident fell out.

It was a small thing, no more than a few inches long and wide. Though it named Laura Beth and Ben, it mainly quoted various statistics about buggy accidents, especially ones in poor weather.

But what was chilling was the word written across the article in red pen.
LIAR.
The four letters practically screamed at her.

Warily, she glanced at Aaron. He stared back, his body motionless, his expression blank.

Only then did she read the rest of the enclosed letter. Written in careful print, there were only four lines. But though the letter was short, it was obvious that Karl still held Aaron in contempt. “Aaron, this is awful.”

He took the letter from her, then walked to the fireplace and tossed it in the crackling flames.

Lovina watched him stand in front of the fire. He seemed determined to watch every inch of the paper burn to ashes. Almost as if he was afraid if he didn't watch it burn, it wouldn't really be removed from his life.

“I want to go back to Pennsylvania as soon as Marie gets home from the hospital, Lovina. I want to finally face Karl. I need to tell him in person that Laura Beth's death was an accident.” Slowly, he turned. Faced her. “I need to tell him that I didn't kill my Ben. I don't know if their dying was God's will or if it was out of all of our hands. But I do know that it wasn't my fault.”