The Way to a Man's Heart (The Miller Family 3) (22 page)

Simon barely noticed that his family was very quiet as the gelding took them home from the barn raising. Everyone was exhausted. Henry, at sixteen, did more than his share moving lumber around the construction site. Leah had helped in the food tent after her regular shift at the diner. And Julia? Her arthritis bothered her more than she revealed, despite her medications. Hot humid weather inflamed her already swollen joints. He too was tired but glad he had felt well enough to pitch in. Because the horse knew the way home, he dozed on his sleeping wife’s shoulder.

“Where’s Matthew?” Henry asked from the backseat. “How come he didn’t ride home with us?”

Simon shook off his somnolence. “He’s spending the night there. He was asked to remain to finish the interior partitions and hang the barn’s windows and doors.”

“What about his job?” Leah asked. “Doesn’t he have to work at Macintosh Farms tomorrow?”

“No, he quit his job there,” said Simon.

“Oh, that’s too bad. He loved working with horses all day. And he made good money.” Leah leaned forward over the front bench.

“There are more important things in life than a paycheck, daughter. You keep that in mind. Your
bruder
didn’t like how the
Englischer
ran things, so he’s striking out on his own.”

“Oh, dear,” she said, settling back on her seat.

“I hope you’ll keep your negativity to yourself,” Julia snapped. She apparently hadn’t been sleeping after all.

Simon seldom heard Julia be short tempered with Leah. It was usually one of the boys who found her last nerve.

“I will,” Leah agreed, sounding either chastised or half asleep. “If anybody could make a go of it, it would be him. Everyone thinks he’s the best horseman around.”

“The bishop said starting his own business is the right course of action, all things considered,” said Simon. “Sometimes we must show faith. The bishop will ask the men who stay to finish the barn to help spread the word about his horse training. Word-of-mouth is the best advertisement.”

A yawn was Leah’s final comment on the subject, which suited Simon fine. Peace and quiet was what he needed, and a good night’s sleep in his own comfortable bed. Never before did their humble home look so welcoming as they turned up their driveway.

“See to the horse, Henry. You’re a bit younger than me. Check all the water buckets and then come to bed.” Leah jumped out and practically sprinted to the house. Simon helped Julia down from the buggy. “I’m glad tomorrow is Saturday. Sleep in, wife; it was a long day. Anything you need to do can wait an extra hour.”

“I think I will, but before we go in, I need a word with you.”

“Tonight, when we’re both so tired? Can’t we talk at breakfast?”

She touched his arm lightly. “It won’t take long, I promise. And I want to get this off my chest.”

“Ach,
sit down on the porch.” He pointed to a straight-backed chair so she could get up easily. “And tell me what won’t wait until the morning.”

After Julia settled herself she gazed up, her soft brown eyes catching reflected light through the window. “It seems that our shy little girl has bloomed, Simon. And like the honeysuckle bush when filled with blossoms, she has attracted quite a few bees buzzing around the diner.”

Simon huffed with impatience. “I’m too tired to figure out metaphors tonight. You had better spell this out to me in simple words.”

Julia reached for his hand. “Several young men from the next district over have become smitten with our daughter. They appear to be vying for her attention.”

“For Leah?” Simon asked in disbelief. His younger daughter had shown no interest in such things thus far, and he’d been very pleased with that. She hadn’t even wished for a
Rumschpringe.

“Jah,
our daughter Leah. I heard at quilting that there was a scuffle during the Cleveland baseball outing, but I’d assumed the story had been stretched out of shape.”

He studied her weary face as best he could in the dim light. “Go on.”

“And then a woman spoke to me this afternoon, the mother of one of the boys who frequent the diner. She has the notion that Leah is encouraging this competition among the young men.”

Simon slapped his palm on his leg. “That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard in a long time. She must have been sitting too long in the hot sun.” He pushed away from the porch rail and offered his hand. “Let’s go inside. You had me worried for a moment that it was something serious.”

Julia grasped his hand tightly but didn’t get up. “I want you to speak to our daughter, Simon. She’s no longer a child, not since she started working. Make sure she understands that a girl’s reputation is fragile. And that she shouldn’t encourage flattery or male attention to stroke her ego.” Julia struggled to her feet, accepting his arm for support.

He felt blindsided by Julia’s words.
Are we talking about the same child?
“This sounds like womanfolk talk,
fraa.
Don’t you think she should hear this from you?”

“True enough, but I’ve already spoken to her today about another matter. I thought we could spread out the parental duties.”

“Two lectures in the same day—a total equal to the number she has received in the last two years? What is the world coming to?” He helped Julia to the door feeling ninety-five years old.

“Let’s contemplate that question after a good night’s sleep.”

The next morning Simon was waiting for his daughter in the kitchen when she arrived downstairs.
“Guder mariye,
” Leah said, slipping on one of her work aprons. “You already started the coffee?”

“I’m not helpless in the kitchen. I know how to make a pot of coffee,” he said, sipping the strong brew.

“Do you want me to cook your breakfast before I leave for work?” She glanced around the room with a puzzled expression.

“No, I’ll eat with your
mamm
after my morning chores, same as always. Get your coffee, Leah, and sit down.”

Leah filled her travel mug and added milk right to the rim. “Can this wait till after work,
daed
? Saturday is our busiest day at the diner. I don’t want to be late.”

“It cannot. Sit down,” he ordered. Apparently, he was down to one child who did his bidding without challenge—Henry.

Leah’s complexion paled considerably. “What’s wrong?”

“Your
mamm
said there was some fuss over you at that ballgame and a reoccurrence of trouble at the barn raising. Is this true?”

A blush replaced her paleness but her voice remained calm. “I suppose one could say that.” She sipped her coffee as though they were discussing someone else.

“I’m asking how
you
would describe it. And if you’d like to get to work before lunchtime, I suggest you start talking.”

She snapped on the travel lid and then met his gaze. “Two boys started a fight at the ballgame because one wanted me to eat nachos and the other one didn’t. I had no taste for greasy nachos since I’d already eaten too much junk food, but nobody seemed to listen to me. They got themselves in trouble with the chaperones because they punched each other. One ended up with a bloodied nose and the other got the wind knocked out of him.” She didn’t break eye contact as she recounted the story as though reading aloud from the newspaper.

“And what happened yesterday?” he asked. “Did it involve the same two boys?”

“Jah
and one more. All three come to the diner quite often for breakfast. While they were working on the roof, they started calling to me and waving. One lost his balance and slipped down the plywood because he wasn’t being careful. Luckily for him, members of his crew pulled him back before he fell to the ground.” She offered a tentative smile. “I didn’t do anything wrong,
daed.
I was taking a cold drink to Matthew like
mamm
said I should.”

Why in the world doesn’t Julia talk to her about this? I have no expertise in these matters.
“You didn’t stick around to distract them from their work?”

“No, I walked to the shade trees for a while and then stayed in the food tent until it was time to go home.”

“Have any of these boys asked if they might court you?”

Leah’s placid demeanor turned stormy. “No, and I hope none of them ever do!”

“Why not?” Simon couldn’t believe he was asking such a question, but her vehemence intrigued him. “Have they acted boldly or rudely toward you, or do you think they have no prospects?”

She stared at the vase of larkspur on the table. “They’re nice enough, I suppose. One is a blacksmith, one’s a furniture maker, and the third is a beef farmer. I just don’t want to court any of them.”

Simon exhaled a sigh. “All right, Leah. Go on to work, but make sure you’re not flirting with them or any other nonsense. And you tell me if they cause more trouble. It’s your reputation that will suffer from gossip in the district, not theirs. A girl must protect her good name.”

She smiled at him like the sweet, docile child she’d always been. “I will,
danki.”
Leah patted his hand, grabbed a peach from the fruit bowl, and hurried out the door.

Simon had an uneasy feeling she had no idea what he was talking about.

The Last Sunday in June

E
mma sat rereading Leah’s letter for the third time as she waited for her
ehemann
in the buggy. Jamie had been a little better about leaving on time for preaching services, but today he had slipped back into old habits. No matter. Now she had time to think about her sister’s words. Leah’s painful confusion was all too familiar. The days when Emma had first started courting Jamie—an
Englischer
—were filled with bittersweet memories. All appeared to be hopeless many times. Emma also understood Leah’s newfound joy in the restaurant. When the future looked anything but rosy, it was easy to bury yourself in work, especially if you loved your job. She had her sheep while Leah had her cooking and baking. Both were a source of diversion and comfort during trying times.

At least Leah’s pies didn’t break down fences and trample
daed’s
corn crop. Remembering her father’s blustery face only made her feel lonesome. She wouldn’t want to trade places with Leah, despite the fact her own situation was far from idyllic. She’d written back to Leah and given the best advice she could, but it was funny how single women believed everything would be perfect once you got married.

Jamie’s family was polite to her but still treated her like an outsider. Even his sister, Lily, hadn’t become more relaxed around her since that first afternoon she’d come to Hollyhock Farms with Aunt Hannah. Maybe a woman in veterinary school didn’t think she would have anything in common with someone with an eighth grade education.

Emma sighed. That wasn’t fair to Lily, who had once told her, “You don’t need to go to school to learn. There’s a world of education to be found in books.” Emma, like Aunt Hannah, loved to read. She knew that she and her sister-in-law hadn’t grown close for the simple reason that Lily was seldom home. Ease in a relationship couldn’t be had if people rarely saw each other. No, the problem wasn’t Lily or even Jamie’s mother, although Mrs. Davis still treated her like a child. Emma supposed that happened when a new bride moved into another woman’s house.

The problem was herself. Emma longed to have her own home and have time alone with Jamie, at least until
bopplin
started to arrive. There were so many people around—coming in, going out—and always in a hurry. It was hard to live a simple Amish life, even New Order, in an English home.

“Emma!” Jamie’s voice finally broke through. “You’re busy woolgathering even when you’re not with your flock.”

She smiled as he climbed into the buggy. His damp hair was combed back under his black hat and he smelled faintly of Ivory soap. He looked so handsome in his Sunday clothes.

“Guder mariye
again,” she said. “Are you finally ready?”

“I had to check over an order.” He pulled on his well-trimmed beard, the mark of a married man.