The Scent of Cherry Blossoms: A Romance from the Heart of Amish Country (12 page)

He shifted, wishing he could sigh without being noticed. Several young women came in the front door and giggled as they made their way to the Choosing room. Though the coupling was only for the day, Aden had no desire to pretend to be interested in any of them.

A wedding partner didn’t need to do much. Just keep the chosen girl company throughout the day’s activities. If friends planned a wedding prank that required masculine assistance, he usually got roped into that as well. Aden didn’t mind helping with wedding pranks, all harmless fun. Last year some guests barricaded the bride and her friends in her parents’ home. The grin on the bride’s face when she finally escaped from the house and flew into her new husband’s arms was priceless.

“Aden.” The floorboards creaked under Roman’s wheelchair as he entered the room. “What are you doing standing off in a corner?”

He turned to face his brother. “H-hiding.”

He chuckled. “And hoping there won’t be any girls left when your turn comes?”

Aden returned his attention to the window. His brother knew him well.

Roman wheeled up beside him. “See that girl in the blue dress?” He pointed to a large oak in the yard where a petite brunette stood in the shade of the tree trunk, talking to a taller, slender blond.

Aden nodded.

“I want to choose her.”

Aden raised an eyebrow and shrugged, silently asking his brother why he wasn’t out there talking to her right now.

Roman stared at his legs. “I can’t take her anywhere by myself.” He looked up, a hint of hope in his eyes. “But if you chose her friend, we could all be together.”

“N-no way.” Aden peered at the petite girl’s friend. He couldn’t see her very well from this distance, especially in the shadow of the tree. But her appearance made no difference. She could be a troll, and she’d still be better off with anyone other than him. Stuttering aside, it wasn’t right to spend the day with a girl and be thinking about someone else the whole time.

“We can work together like we do at the diner. I’ll help you communicate, and you can help me get around. Come on, what do you say?”

Aden looked into Roman’s pleading eyes.

Mattie’s Daed clapped his hands. “Time for the Choosing.”

“Please,” Roman whispered.

Worse yet, if he agreed to this arrangement, it meant the four of them would take a carriage ride after the day’s events, like a double date. And that would keep them out past ten—the time he’d agreed to meet Annie at the orchard.

But his brother needed this. Desperately. Aden prayed Annie would understand why he couldn’t meet her tonight.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Annie flung dried corn onto the ground as chickens clucked all around her, pecking in the loose dirt. This small brood was her grandfather’s personal laying hens. All she wanted was to get done with her chores and find a way to check on Aden. He’d never showed last night, and her fears for his safety were mounting by the minute. Rarely did a week pass without her reading about a horse-and-carriage wreck in the newspaper. She hadn’t slept all night and had grabbed the paper first thing. Nothing was listed.

Daadi Moses was somewhere on the egg farm, probably working harder than most men half his age, but lately he hadn’t wanted her help with those jobs, so she’d been keeping her distance. This morning he’d do well to stay out of her way. Despite her best efforts, she was much like a wet hen, ruffling her feathers every few minutes and slinging dirty water in every direction.

While waiting last night for Aden, she’d walked up from the creek to the top of the knoll dozens of times, looking for signs of him. She’d then returned to the orchard, thinking maybe he’d decided to walk from his place rather than come by carriage. She’d diligently watched for him, determined not to miss him no matter what part of the acreage he might be on. But he’d never showed.

She emptied the pan of chicken feed. After turning on the spigot, she filled the containers with fresh water, trying to calm her rioting emotions. She had to see him this morning, and she intended to be there the minute the diner opened.

After turning off the water and closing the gate to the chicken pen, she hurried into the farmhouse to wash up. Daadi Moses had told her she couldn’t use the rig to go to the diner anymore, so she’d go on foot. That was not what he’d intended when he said she couldn’t drive over there, but she had to check on Aden this morning.

The mid-March sun was warm on her back. The newspaper said the high today would be sixty with a light wind. But by the time she stood across the street from the diner a couple of miles from her grandfather’s place, she was ready to pull off her jacket.

She stared at the diner from the far side of the street. Through the large plate-glass window, it appeared that Aden was in the kitchen. Relief lasted only a moment before insecurity reared its head. Perhaps he’d changed his mind about her.

They’d had five glorious late-night strolls, talking about anything and everything. Reminiscing about childhood memories. Sharing their opinions about the differing views of their communities. Discussing their hopes and dreams for the future. Of course, Annie had done most of the talking. But Aden had started to come out of his protective shell.

She loved the way he sang his more intimate thoughts to her. But she rejoiced especially when he was able to speak without singing or stuttering, at least not as much as before.

The night before last, they’d stayed together the latest, neither of them wanting their time together to end. That’s how she’d felt, at least. She’d assumed he thought the same thing.

But if he felt the way she did, then why did he stand her up last night?

The question circled, making her heart ache.

Roman came to the front door and flipped the Closed sign to Open. A family of eight piled out of a car in the parking lot and entered the restaurant. Roman welcomed them in and showed them to a table. His smiling face indicated that all was well.

Needing answers, she strode across the street and opened the glass door. When Roman turned her way, she smiled. His expression turned cold.

He grabbed a menu and rolled toward her. “Table for one?”

This was not one of the countless scenarios she’d envisioned. He’d asked that as if she were a customer he didn’t like.

“I’m here to see Aden.” Her voice sounded weak.

“He’s busy.”

She looked toward the pass-through, but Aden was no longer in sight. The family she’d seen walk in were the only people in the diner. “Well, if you’re going to be busy today, maybe I can help again.”

“Annie,” Roman whispered, “be reasonable, please. We can’t afford to anger Moses. You know that.” He gestured at the customer tables. “But you’re welcome to eat here anytime. Would you prefer a table or a booth?”

Was Roman speaking for Aden, telling her it was over? She wouldn’t know unless she spoke to him. “No thanks. I’ll just sit at the counter.” She walked past him and perched on the stool with the best view of the kitchen. It looked as it always did first thing in the morning—except she didn’t see or hear any sign of Aden.

Ellen came out of the dry pantry with a large can of pepper. She
grabbed a pitcher of water from a serving station and walked up to the occupied table. “Good morning.” She refilled their glasses. “Did Roman get your order already?” They nodded. “I’ll have your food ready in a jiffy.”

She headed for the kitchen but stopped short. “Annie, I … I didn’t know you were here.” Her eyes reflected something far different from the welcome she’d received little more than a week ago. “Can I make you something for breakfast?”

What was going on with this family?

“Is Aden here?”

Ellen bit her lower lip. “He’s in the deep freeze, taking inventory, while we handle the diner. He used up a lot of supplies last week, and we have to get a careful accounting so we can get our order in this afternoon.” She hustled into the kitchen as if Annie had a contagious disease.

Her heart aching, Annie had to own up to what was going on. They knew about her and Aden, and the frosty responses would be commonplace from now on. Still, she had to speak to Aden. Would he treat her with cold politeness too?

She went into the kitchen and straight to the freezer, ignoring Ellen. The heavy stainless steel door was propped open slightly by a cinder block. She grabbed the handle and pulled. Aden had on his coat and was taking notes on a clipboard. She stepped inside and allowed the door to slowly close until it bumped the block.

When his eyes met hers, he seemed both glad and startled. “A-Annie,” he whispered, “what are you d-doing here?”

She wrapped her arms around herself. “I was concerned about you.”

Aden took off his coat and put it around her shoulders. “I c-couldn’t make it.”

“What happened?”

He shifted, looking uncomfortable. “I … I …”

“Aden, where’s the …” Roman jerked open the door. “Oh, Annie.” He wheeled over the rubberized lip and came inside. “I thought you’d left.”

She looked to Aden, unable to read his thoughts.

Roman shook his head disapprovingly and started to leave, and then he stopped. “Don’t stay too long, Annie. We have work to catch up on after last week’s busyness and closing yesterday for the wedding. After last night, Aden’s moving as slowly today as me. But it was worth it, wasn’t it, brother?”

“Shut up,” Aden growled without stuttering.

Annie’s fingertips tingled with numbness. “What do you mean?”

“Aden may not be ready to tell you, so maybe I should just go.”

“Finish what you started, Roman,” Annie demanded.

“It’s just that we had a late night out with a couple of lovely women.” Roman lifted his chin, seeming very pleased. “We took them for a buggy ride after the wedding guests left the bride and groom for the evening. My girl kept staring at my worthless legs, but Aden’s partner sure took a liking to him.”

“R-Roman!” Aden pointed at the door, inviting him to leave.

He winked. “I think he’s embarrassed to talk about how well things went for him.”

Annie studied Aden, feeling sick. He hadn’t wanted her to know … but it was time to face the truth. Any Amish girl would be a better fit for him than her. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to go home.” She removed his coat, and when he didn’t take it, she dropped it and hurried out of there as fast as her unsteady legs would move.

E
llen went to the front porch and rang the dinner bell, knowing it’d take her family a few minutes to come from wherever they were. She waited and then rang it again before returning to the kitchen. After grabbing a set of potholders, she opened the oven. The biscuits were a golden brown.

A loud slamming noise echoed through the house, and she nearly dropped the pan of biscuits. It wasn’t a door that had been knocked shut. Maybe the lid to Aden’s footlocker.

“Dinner,” she called out.

The four younger children scampered in from their chores, chattering about how hungry they were as they washed up in the mud sink near the back door.

The noise seemed to have come from her sons’ room, so she headed that way. Ever since Annie had left the diner this morning, Aden had been furious with his brother. Her stomach had knotted when she saw Annie flee the restaurant. Such a sweet girl. Did she know her presence could lead them into poverty?

As she walked toward their room, David came in from the field. After talking to Aden about Moses’s visit, she’d told David what was going on. He’d chosen to stay out of it for now, not wanting Aden to feel they were ganging up on him. Ellen tapped on her sons’ door. She heard nothing, so she knocked again.

Roman jerked open the door and wheeled out of the bedroom, looking angrier than she’d ever seen him. Aden sat on his bed, refusing even to glance her way. The situation between Aden and Annie was a grave one, but Ellen wondered if part of Roman’s real problem was that his twin brother had been doing something he hadn’t shared with him.

“Dinner,” she repeated. No matter what stress their family went through, they’d always found peace and unity while sharing a meal. He got up and went to the table, but a current of tension came into the room with him.