The Farmer Next Door (11 page)

Pretending to consider it, she finally said, “I agree. I say we ask for a nickel.”

Adrian ran his fingers down his chin whiskers. “Let’s think big. We should ask for a dime.”

Kyle scrunched up his face. “Are you making fun of me?”

Faith ruffled his hair. “Perhaps a little.”

Kyle rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

Adrian said, “Come along. Our work is waiting.”

Faith watched them walk away together with mixed emotions. Kyle would need the influence of a man in his life, someone to teach him how to earn a living and work the land. Was she wrong to hope that Adrian could fulfill that role? It was a lot to ask of a neighbor. Those were things a father should teach a son.

Adrian would make a great father. He was kind and patient. She’d never heard him utter an angry word. While she never intended to marry again, if she did, someone like Adrian would be the kind of husband she’d look for. Someone exactly like Adrian.

The idea of being his wife made her blush. She quickly dismissed it as a fantasy that could never come true. Adrian wouldn’t marry again any more than she would. The love he held in his heart for his first wife didn’t leave room for another.

Wishing things could be different was foolish. Daydreams about Adrian were a sure path to heartache. She knew that.

So why couldn’t she put her foolish yearning away?

S
everal days later, Faith rose at five o’clock. She dressed, brushed and rolled her hair, fastened on her
kapp
and went down to start a fire in the kitchen stove. Stacking kindling and newspaper inside the firebox, she put a match to it. When she was sure the fire was going, she closed the firebox door.

While the stove heated, she straightened up in the living room. Adrian would be over soon to start work in the orchard. She didn’t want him to see her home in a state of disarray.

Grabbing her broom, she began sweeping the floors. Soon she would have to have the offending pink and white linoleum replaced. The bishop had generously given her eight months to convert the old
Englisch
house into an Amish home. A home for her and Kyle, where the ghosts of the past could be put to rest and their new lives could flourish. It wouldn’t be easy, but it would be worth all her hard work.

She finished her floors, washed up and began making breakfast. At half-past five o’clock, Faith called to Kyle from the bottom of the stairs. “Kyle, time to get up. Breakfast is ready.”

She had to call one more time before he appeared in the kitchen, his hair tousled and his eyes puffy with sleep. “What time is it?”

“Almost six o’clock, sleepyhead. We have a lot of work waiting for us.”

“We do?” He sat at the table and yawned.

She loaded both their plates with pancakes and scrambled eggs and carried them to the table. “Adrian will be here soon to start picking peaches. You don’t want to keep him waiting, do you?”

“No. Is Miss Watkins coming today?” Kyle folded his arms on the table and laid his head down.

“Not that I know of.”

“Good.”

Outside, a loud whinny came from the barn. Faith said, “Sounds like Copper is wanting her breakfast, too.”

Kyle raised his head to squint at Faith. “Can I feed her?”

“
Ja,
but first eat before your eggs get cold.” Faith sat beside him, bowed her head to say a quick silent prayer and then began eating.

“Can I feed Shadow, too?” Kyle forked in a mouthful of eggs.

“His mother will give Shadow all he needs for a few months yet, but we need to feed her.”

“Okay. Then can I play on the swing Adrian made me yesterday?”

Adrian had turned a length of rope and a broad plank into a swing that now hung from the oak tree beside the porch. Faith said, “After all your chores are done.”

“What chores?”

“We must feed the horse and turn her out to graze. We must feed and water the chickens and gather their eggs.”

“Then can I play?”

“Not until we feed the alpacas, clean up their pen, pick the debris out of their coats and let them out to graze.”

“How long will that take?”

“It takes as long as it takes, Kyle.”

It might sound like a lot of work to him now, but wait until next spring when there would be a garden to hoe and weeds to be pulled every day and all before he went to school. Faith smiled. Amish children did not have time to be bored.

Kyle finished his breakfast and waited impatiently for Faith to wash the dishes. When they were done, he dashed ahead of her to the barn. “Remember the rules,” she called out.

He immediately slowed down. “Don’t run behind a horse and always speak softly to let them know where you are.”

“Very
goot.
”

She passed Adrian’s farm wagon sitting in the shade. The bed of the wagon was half full of boxes of peaches. The scent of the ripe fruit filled the still morning air. Today they would load the rest of the wagon and head into the farmer’s market in Hope Springs where Faith hoped her fruit would fetch a good price.

She opened the barn door, and Kyle ducked under her arm to get inside ahead of her. He made a beeline for Shadow’s stall. His little buddy rushed away to hide beneath his mother.

Faith showed Kyle how to measure and pour the feed into the troughs for the alpaca. While Myrtle was busy with her breakfast, Shadow ventured close to Kyle and allowed the boy to pet him.

Kyle’s bright grin gladdened Faith’s heart. She took a small rake and a shovel from their place on the wall and handed them to the boy.

He said, “What’s this for?”

“To
redd-up
the stall. To clean it.” She indicated the manure piles.

He wrinkled his nose. “Yuck!”

She folded her arms and scowled at him. “Shadow is your responsibility. You said you would take care of him. Do you want him to sleep on a messy floor?”

“No.”

She held out the tools. He approached with lagging steps and took them from her. Faith had trouble holding back her laughter as he carefully raked the manure onto the flat shovel. He looked at her. “Now what?”

“I will fetch the wheelbarrow. When we have done everyone’s stall we will empty it onto the pile behind the barn.”

“We’re keeping it? Why?”

“Because it will make very
goot
fertilizer for the orchards and gardens next spring.”

It took most of an hour to feed all the animals and clean the stalls. To Faith’s delight, Kyle didn’t complain or shirk from the work. They let Myrtle and Shadow out into the pen. Shadow raced about in delight at finding himself outside.

Faith and Kyle were crossing back to the house when she saw Adrian striding toward them across the field. He was pulling a small wagon behind him.

He raised a hand and waved. Her heart flipped over with unexpected joy at the sight of him.

Kyle took off toward him. “Hi, Adrian. I cleaned out the barn and fed all the animals and Shadow let me pet him.”

Adrian grinned at Kyle. “Then you have done a man’s work already this morning. You must be tired.”

“No. Well, maybe a little.”

“You deserve a rest.” Adrian picked the boy up and balanced him on his shoulder. Kyle’s squeal of fear quickly turned into giggles of delight.

Faith waited until the two of them caught up with her before falling into step beside them. Adrian immediately shortened his stride to match hers. Something Mose had never done.

She needed to stop comparing the two men in her mind. There was no comparison.

“Aunt Faith says we are going to town later. Are we?”

“We are. It is Market Day. Almost everyone goes to town on Market Day.”

“Cool beans. Can you teach me to drive the horse?”

By this time they had reached the porch. Adrian swung Kyle down and deposited him on the steps. “Someday, but not today. We must take my team and they are too big for you to handle.”

“I’m strong.” Kyle flexed one arm and pushed up his sleeve to show his muscles.

Adrian whistled his appreciation. “We must put those muscles to work in the peach orchard. Are you ready?”

Kyle fisted his hands on his hips. “
Ja.
I’m ready.”

Faith pressed her hand to her lips to hide her smile. “Spoken like a true Amishman.”

Adrian folded his arms over his chest. “Grab a couple of boxes from the big wagon and put them in this one. We won’t have to carry our peaches so far this way. Can you pull this out to the tree where we stopped working yesterday?”

“Sure.” The boy took off at a run, the little wagon bouncing behind him.

Faith spoke softly to Adrian. “He has taken quite a liking to you. God was wise to bring you into his life.”

“He is a fine boy. He reminds me of my son.”

Faith laid a hand on Adrian’s arm. “This must be very difficult for you.”

Adrian waited for the pain of his son’s loss to strike his heart, but it didn’t. Instead, he recalled the way Gideon had always wanted to help, sometimes to the point of being in the way. Kyle had the same burning desire to prove his worth.

Adrian glanced at Faith’s small hand on his arm. Her touch was warm and comforting. Was she right? Did God have a purpose for bringing him into Kyle’s life?

For the past several years Adrian had thought only of what
he had lost. He’d never once considered that God might use him as a gift to others.

He gazed into Faith’s sympathetic eyes. “Kyle reminds me of Gideon, but he is not Gideon. I see in Kyle a boy with joys and pain, hopes and fears that are all his own. I’d like to think that they would have been friends. I know Lovina would have liked having you for a neighbor.”

“I wish I could have known her.”

“Me, too.”

Adrian moved away from the comfort Faith offered. “We’d better get busy or we’ll miss the start of the market.”

“You’re right. I need the best possible price for my fruit. My yarn is selling fairly well, but not well enough.” They began walking toward the orchard.

“I’ve been thinking about that. Have you any items you’d like to sell at the market?”

“You mean things made from my yarn? I have several baby blankets and two dozen socks ready. Should I take them?”

“Many tourists come for the quilt auction that will be held this afternoon. They might buy your work.”

She shook her head. “My plain socks hardly compare to the beautiful quilts they come to buy.”

They reached the gate leading into the orchard. Kyle joined them carrying more boxes than he could safely manage. Shadow was prancing and bouncing beside him.

Adrian opened the gate for him. As usual, the curious alpacas came galloping up to investigate this new activity.

Kyle petted his little buddy. “I wish Shadow could come to town with us. I bet he’d like it.”

Faith chuckled. “The tourists would stare at an alpaca riding in an Amish buggy, that’s for sure.”

Adrian stopped in his tracks. “They would, wouldn’t they?”

Faith and Kyle walked on until they noticed he wasn’t following. Faith stopped and looked back. “What’s the matter?”

“Kyle and Shadow have given me an idea.”

“We have?” Kyle looked perplexed.

“A very good idea. Faith, can you bring your spinning wheel to market and spin yarn while others are watching you?”

“
Ja.
What are you getting at?”

“Could we take Shadow to town with us?”

She shook her head. “He’s only a few days old. It wouldn’t be good for him to be separated from his mother for any length of time.”

Adrian pondered the problems involved in his scheme. “And Myrtle is known for her spitting skills. That wouldn’t work.”

Faith’s eyes lit up. “You want to take one of the alpacas to market with us as an advertisement for my yarns.”

“You said it yourself. People would stop and stare. They might also stop and buy. Which of your animals has the best temperament?”

“Socks,” she said without hesitation. “She loves attention and she loves people.”

He nodded. Socks was the least likely to spit on an unsuspecting customer. “Would she follow behind the wagon into town?”

Faith’s face showed her growing excitement. “I don’t see why not. She’s halter trained.”

He held up his hand. “What’s wrong with this plan?”

Faith shrugged. “Nothing that I can see.”

Adrian nodded slowly. “Kyle and I will get started on the peaches. You get together the things you’d like to sell.”

He turned and scratched Socks between the ears. “Looks
like you’re going to town, girl. What do you think about that?”

Kyle ran ahead with the wagon into the orchard with Shadow hot on his heels.

Faith once again wore her best bonnet and Sunday dress as she sat on the high seat of Adrian’s wagon. Kyle sat between them as excited as any six-year-old child on his way to a special treat. The boy had been awed into silence by the size of Adrian’s draft horses but soon recovered his chatty nature.

As they approached Hope Springs, they met dozens of other Amish families all heading in the same direction. The influx of lumbering produce-laden wagons and buggies forced the traffic in town to drop to a crawl. The slow pace allowed many drivers and their passengers to gawk at Socks as she ambled along behind Adrian’s wagon.

The alpaca didn’t seem at all upset by the commotion going on around her. With her head held high, she surveyed the activity with wide, curious eyes.

Adrian turned off Main onto Lake Street. “The regular weekly markets are held every Friday afternoon in a large grassy area next to the lumber yard up ahead.”

“Is it all produce?”

“You will find a wide range of fruits and vegetables sold here including certified organic produce. There will also be homemade baked goods, homemade jams, local honey, meat, eggs and cheeses. You can even find fresh cut flowers as well as fresh and dried herbs and spices.”

Faith could already see the striped canopies of numerous tents being set up. “I’m surprised at the size, given the fact that Hope Springs isn’t that big of a town.”

“This isn’t a regular market day. This is our Summer Festival. It’s held every year on the last day of August. The big
draw this year is the Quilts of Hope charity quilt auction. My mother mentioned that they have over fifty quilts to sell.”

Adrian maneuvered his wagon to a tent marked for fresh produce and fruit. With Faith and Kyle’s help, he began unloading the wagon and stacking their boxes of peaches in neat rows inside the tent. The work would have gone faster if not for the crowd of children and adults who quickly gathered around Socks. Faith answered numerous questions about her animal while helping Adrian and keeping an eye on Kyle.

When they had the wagon unloaded, Adrian parked the wagon near a row of buggies and unhitched his team. He slipped off their bridles and put halters on the pair but left them in their harnesses. He turned to Faith. “Where would you like to set up your spinning wheel?”

“I wish I had a tent.” The afternoon sun beating down on her head promised to make her demonstration hot work unless she could find some shade.

“
Ja,
we need to get one for you.”

Faith liked the way he said “we,” as if they would be doing this together again.

Kyle pulled at her sleeve. “Can I go look around?”

On one hand, she was as eager to explore all the tents and displays as Kyle was, but on the other hand, she didn’t want Adrian to be stuck looking after Socks. The alpaca was her responsibility.

She put aside her childish desires and said, “Perhaps Adrian can show you around.”