The Way to a Man's Heart (The Miller Family 3) (15 page)

The two men held each other’s gaze for a long moment. “I’ll meet you out here in twenty minutes.” Then James Sr. marched off, leaving Jamie feeling ashamed, annoyed, and a little confused about what he wanted in life.

Tuesday morning dawned sunny and clear—a perfect day weather-wise for Leah’s first bus trip to Cleveland. A group of friends on
Rumschpringe
had planned to attend an Indians ball game. Leah was no big fan of baseball, unlike most Amish youths. She also had little interest in
Rumschpringe
outings. She was content to work at the diner during her running-around years before joining the church and getting married. April had promised to teach her to drive in the parking lot, and that was enough excitement for her.

But with so many young people going to the game, there was a good chance Jonah Byler would be among them. And that’s why she was willing to watch grown men swing bats at little white balls. She hadn’t seen him in more than a week, not since the horse sale, which certainly hadn’t turned out as planned. Due to the antihistamines, she had slept through the entire auction, and she never saw the four horses Jonah bid on and purchased. And he hadn’t been back to the diner since, not even to claim the coat he’d tucked under her head. She’d washed and ironed it with utmost care, but it’d been catching dust in the kitchen closet all week.

When Rachel stopped over with the news about the bus trip, Leah had expected her
mamm
to say no. Instead, after reading the flyer, she’d announced, “It would do you good to spend time away from the kitchen.” Of course, Julia still had plenty of “dos and don’ts” while mother and daughter waited for the bus to come:
Don’t go to the restroom by yourself. Don’t eat too much junk food. Don’t try to catch a fly ball with your bare hands.

The last warning had been the strangest. Leah couldn’t imagine why she would want to catch a baseball. When the bus rumbled down the road and stopped at their drive, Leah kissed Julia goodbye and climbed aboard for a day of fun.

“Hi, Leah!”

“Hullo, Leah.”

“Guder mariye,
Miss Miller.” Three animated voices sang out as she reached the top of the steps.

“Guder mariye,”
she greeted, recognizing Steven, Daniel, and John. As she walked down the aisle, anxiety crept up her spine. Every smiling face she passed was male.
Am I the only girl who opted for the trip?

“Back here, Leah,” called a familiar voice.

She exhaled with relief when she spotted Rachel in a small knot of girls in the back. Joy radiated from their faces as they chattered like crows on a telephone wire.

“Can you believe it?” Rachel whispered when Leah took the seat beside her. “I counted four boys to each girl here!” Her brown eyes glittered with excitement.

“You can have my extra three, so that’ll give you seven total, okay?” Leah whispered, joining in the playfulness.

“Don’t let my sister overhear you. She’s chaperoning today.” Rachel’s cheeks turned pink as she swatted Leah’s hand. “You’re a mischief-maker, Leah Miller. Do you see your favorite cheese-maker?” Her head bobbed left and right.

“His mother makes the cheese; he runs the dairy farm. And no, I don’t see him yet.” Leah decided to have a good time with or without Jonah.
This is the day the Lord has made. And I am thankful for it.

As the landscape changed from rural to suburban, and finally to the commercial sprawl of the city, Leah soon forgot about the cheese-maker and enjoyed the scenery. Vehicles sped past the bus on both sides, while the amount of traffic going to or coming from Cleveland astounded her. But nothing could compare to the sheer pandemonium surrounding the ballpark. Once they left the bus, they joined a tide of people flowing toward the stadium. Other than themselves, everyone had on bright red-and-blue matching clothes. Many people were wearing earphones, most wore ball caps, and every person was either eating, drinking, or talking loudly—or all three at once.

“Don’t be frightened,” Daniel said, appearing by her side. “I’m here to protect you.”

“Danki,”
she murmured, feeling more amazement than fear.

“Who’ll protect her from you?” hollered Steven as they passed through the turnstile.

A woman taking tickets smiled at her. “Enjoy the game, hon,” she said, not looking twice at their Plain clothes.

“Everybody is so happy here,” Leah said to Rachel, who had finally squeezed up to her side. John and Steven were close on their heels.

“You can’t help but be in a good mood at a ball game,” said Rachel.

“Check your troubles at the door!” John had squeezed in between them and looped an arm around both their shoulders.

“Where’s your straw hat?” Leah asked. His head of curly dark hair was bare.

“I left it on the bus. Look what I bought, Leah. Got one for you too.” He dug into a plastic bag, extracted two Indians caps, and handed her one.

“Oh, no. I could never wear such a thing.” She shook her head, sending her
kapp
strings flying.

“Sure you can, just during the game. After all, it’s our
Rumschpringe.
” He turned his cap backward like some of the
Englischers
had done.

“Try it on, Leah,” encouraged Rachel.

Leah examined the hat while the chaperones looked for their section. It had a nice long bill that would shield her face from the sun. “Okay,” she agreed, “but only over my
kapp.
And only if I can wear mine frontward since I forgot sunglasses.”

Once they reached their seats, her excitement ratcheted higher. Thousands of people had filled the stadium—smiling, waving, singing, and clapping their hands. The cheering escalated to an earsplitting roar as the team members ran onto the field. A few moments later everyone rose to their feet for the national anthem. After that was finished and people were seated again, Leah requested a bag of peanuts from a vendor and it sailed through the air to her as though it were a fly ball.
This is so much better than watching the game on TV at Mrs. Lee’s.
Although she couldn’t follow what the batter was doing, an enormous screen frequently replayed the action for everyone to see. Her head swiveled back and forth between home plate and the giant screen until her neck grew stiff.

“That was called a strike,” Daniel said in her ear. He was sitting directly behind her. “The ball was right over home plate in the strike zone.” He made an indecipherable motion with his hands.

“She understands the game,” Steven snapped. He’d plunked down in the seat on her right. “She’s not stupid.”

“No, I’m not,” she said. “But I don’t know why those men in the field keep changing their minds about where to stand. They move to a different spot with each batter.”

“That’s easy,” Steven said, with an entirely different tone than the one used for Daniel. “Some batters are known for hitting fastballs—hard hits that put the players back toward the wall. Others try to sneak a bunt or a short hit near third base, so the infielders come in closer to the plate.” Steven proceeded to describe other variables in positioning, but Leah’s mind and gaze had started to wander. She spotted Rachel and the other girls surrounded on all sides by males.
How did this happen when we had planned to sit together?

The boys had finagled it! The realization sent a jolt of current up her spine. She’d never felt attractive until this spring, and she had to admit she liked it.

Without warning, everyone erupted into jubilation. The couple in front of her spilled their soft drinks. “Home run!” Steven shouted, pulling her to her feet. “With the bases loaded—a grand slam!”

She clapped her hands and whistled through her teeth—a rare talent her father said a girl was better off forgetting. Exploding fireworks filled the sky with a dozen loud booms that would rattle windowpanes for blocks. “A home run,” she repeated with newfound appreciation for the event. Then she sat back down and folded her hands in her lap. It wouldn’t do to look overly competitive. Fans of the other team could be sitting nearby.

“This is for you, Leah. My treat.” John, looking less bashful than usual, handed her a giant soft pretzel and a soft drink. He had leaned over two people to do so.

“Danki
very much,” she said, taking a bite. “Your next three pieces of Peach Parfait Supreme are on the house.” The mood of the afternoon had altered her acute business sense.

Before the end of the inning, Daniel returned to his seat with two foot-long hot dogs. “Try this, Leah. It has relish and stadium mustard.” He passed one over her shoulder.

“Oh, goodness, that’s just how I like ’em.” Just to be polite, she ate the entire hot dog, an accomplishment that greatly pleased Daniel.

The sun, marking a path across the sky, found its way under her cap brim. The heat, the excitement, and the cuisine were starting to wear her down, but she couldn’t ever remember having so much fun.

“Another homer,” Steven shouted, “with men on second and third.” He pulled her to her feet to join the fracas. She tried to clap but spilled Coke down her dress instead. She took the spilled soda in stride. Tomorrow she could always wash her dress, but it wasn’t often she saw the home team take the lead in the ninth.

Much too soon the game was over; the Indians cinched the win in the top of the ninth inning. The crowd roared, fireworks exploded, and Leah, tired but jubilant, joined the others heading for an exit. Steven reappeared at her side. “Here you go, Leah. I bought some nachos. I hope you like jalapenos.” He still looked full of energy.

She took one glance at the soggy tortilla chips with melted cheese already congealing and felt her stomach take a tumble. “No,
danki.
You go ahead and enjoy. I’m a little full.”

Steven didn’t recognize a polite refusal when he heard one. “Just try a couple. I ate a whole plate of them during the fifth inning. They’re really good.” He held them under her nose in an attempt to entice. The jalapenos seemed to multiply in number. She shook her head, and was about to stand firm when they were interrupted.

“If she doesn’t want any, she doesn’t want any,” Daniel said, coming up from behind them. “Don’t be a pest.”

Steven’s face turned as red as his ball cap. “Who’s being a pest? You’re the one butting his nose in where it don’t belong. Leah’s only trying to be polite.”

Things might have gone differently if their group hadn’t spilled into the throng in the main concourse. People, eager to reach their cars, jostled and nudged the line along. Unaccustomed to large crowds like this, Leah felt the tension around her escalate.

“She doesn’t want any nachos,” Daniel insisted. He reached out to grab the plate away, but in the midst of pushing and shoving the nachos ended up splattered across Steven’s shirt.

Then things happened so fast Leah wasn’t sure what took place. A fist shot out that connected with Daniel’s nose with an audible thud. Then a returning punch landed smack in Steven’s solar plexus, doubling him over and causing him to gasp for air.

“Leah!” a female voice yelled. Sarah Yoder, Rachel’s married older sister, pulled her out of harm’s way.

“That’s enough!” bellowed Sam Yoder, Sarah’s husband. “You two should be ashamed of yourselves.” He yanked Steven upright none too gently, while he shot Daniel an expression that could have curdled cream.

Apparently they were ashamed, because the fight ended as quickly as it began. But the damage had been done; they had attracted plenty of gawking from passersby.

Leah’s face burned with shame.

Yet a small thrill inched up her spine too.
Those men were fighting over me.
As distasteful as fistfights were, Leah felt flattered that their tiff was over her.

Flattered, yet embarrassed…and a little queasy.

Sarah and Sam Yoder, who’d come along with another married couple as chaperones, looked mad as hornets. Daniel, with spots of blood on his shirt from his nose, and Steven, with melted cheese down the front of his clothes, looked mortified.

Would word of the altercation get back to the bishop? Most assuredly it would. And Leah had been at the center of the disagreement. She suddenly didn’t feel buoyed by the attention anymore. How did it look to
Englischers
when all they heard about Amish folk was their peaceful, gentle nature? Leah realized the seriousness of Daniel’s and Steven’s actions during the walk back to the bus. Sarah Yoder was frowning. Sam looked furious. And Rachel looked frightened, along with most of the others as they exchanged glances with Leah and the two brawlers.

In addition to humiliation and anxiety, irritation jumped into her stew of emotions.
Did I ask those boys to fuss so much over me? Have I ever encouraged their attention and frequent visits to the diner?

She certainly hadn’t wanted all the snacks they’d bought as her stomach roiled in protest. The bus ride back to Holmes County would be no Sunday picnic. She would soon be in trouble with her parents and maybe the bishop when gossip reached his ears. With so much to contemplate, she slumped down in the seat next to Rachel.