An Amish Year Page 16

  ELI WALKED TOWARD A GROUP OF MEN GATHERED IN THE front yard. He’d met several of them over the past couple of weeks, but he was having a hard time remembering names. Back home, there weren’t nearly as many people to keep track of. Then he reminded himself, This is home now.

  Amos Glick extended his hand when Eli joined the men. Amos was an easy name to remember since it was his father’s.

  “It was a fine worship service today,” Eli said as he greeted the other men with a handshake. Amos introduced everyone to Eli. Some were repeat introductions, but Eli was grateful to hear their names again.

  “For those of you who haven’t met Eli before now, he comes to us from a small church district near Bucks County.” Amos stroked his beard, a mixture of brown and gray streaks, though Eli suspected the gray was premature. Amos looked about Eli’s age, early thirties, and couldn’t be over five foot five. He’d also met Amos’s wife, Sarah, who towered over her husband. One thing Eli liked right away about Amos was that he smiled a lot. Eli remembered a time when he smiled often, and he wondered if he’d ever be that man again.

  “What brings you to Lancaster County?” one of the other men asked, an older fellow with a big black mole above his left eye. Eli had already forgotten his name.

  Eli had practiced how he would respond to this question. “More opportunities for work here.” He forced a smile, content that he’d told the truth, even if it wasn’t the entire truth.

  “Do you farm?” The same man squinted one eye, still stroking his beard.

  “Ya, mostly farming.” Eli tipped the brim of his hat to block the sun that had reached its midday peak. This was his favorite time of year, when the foliage shifted into soft hues of amber and crimson. His former home was only an hour and a half from here, and they’d enjoyed the same type of Octobers in the past. Not only was the shift in seasons a feast for the eyes, but cool breezes drifted beneath the brilliant blue skies. Soon they could expect low clouds that floated like billowy cotton overhead. Best of all, it signified that the fall harvest would soon be upon them. It was always a lot of work, but following the harvest there would be time for rest. And weddings. Almost everyone waited until the fall to get married.

  “Eli bought the old Dienner place,” Amos said as he looped his thumbs beneath his suspenders. “And Gideon had already done all the planting, so it’ll be ready for harvesting in a few weeks.”

  Eli was grateful to the prior owners of his new farm, though Gideon had planted alfalfa before he knew he’d be moving away. The kindly older man had met with unfortunate circumstances of the financial type. That was all Eli knew. It was the only reason Eli had been able to buy the Dienners’ farm. It was worth more than he’d offered Gideon, but it was all he could afford. Eli had been surprised when Gideon had accepted his bid, but somehow it seemed like a win-win situation for both men. A chance for Gideon to relocate with his wife to a smaller house now that their kinner were grown and living in a different district, and a fresh start for Eli, Ben, and Grace.

  The men began to disassemble when the ladies starting bringing out trays of food, placing them on tables set up in a shaded area. But Amos lingered behind with Eli until they were alone.

  Amos’s smile grew as he nudged Eli. “Ach, let’s get down to business.” He pointed toward the group of women and lifted up on his toes, closer to Eli’s ear, so Eli leaned down a bit. “See that woman in the maroon dress, the one carrying the tea pitcher? She’s a widow.”

  Eli nodded, grinning. He’d told Amos that he lost his wife two years ago in an accident. Eli would always miss Leah. But he was ready to find a wife and a mother for his children. He’d been ready for the past year, but with no more than twenty Amish families in his area, his choices had been limited.

  “Her name is Elizabeth,” Amos whispered as two men walked past them. “She’s twenty-five, no kinner, and her husband passed a few months ago.”

  Eli stretched his neck to have a better look at her. She was a petite woman with dark hair, but he couldn’t make out her features.

  Amos tapped him on the arm. “Let’s walk that way.”

  Eli fell in step beside Amos, who slowed down as they approached the crowd. Most of the men were finding seats at the tables as the women delivered pitchers of tea and glasses filled with ice. “She’s pretty,” Eli said as he studied her. He could tell by the way she moved around the table carrying glasses of ice that she was graceful and feminine, flowerlike. Her eyes were dark brown, set against an olive complexion, and when she smiled, Eli instinctively smiled too.

  “Ach, and not only is she pretty, but she might be the best cook we have around here.” Amos raised his chin as he also looked at Elizabeth. “I’ll introduce you to her after the meal.”

  Eli wondered if Elizabeth was too young for him. Probably no one would think so, but eight years was stretching it. He had been married at seventeen, widowed at thirty-one, and now was raising a fifteen-year-old and an eleven-year-old. He felt older than his thirty-three years. And would someone Elizabeth’s age want to step into a family with older children? He scratched his chin as he watched her.

  Amos cleared his throat, then whispered again. “Sarah told me that Elizabeth is in a hurry to get remarried. She wants kinner. Her husband died of cancer.” Amos shook his head. “A real shame. He took sick not long after their wedding. He had lots of treatments in the hospital. I don’t think they ever had a chance to think about starting a family. Elizabeth took care of him for their entire marriage, right up to the end. I think everyone was surprised at how strong she was, and what a gut caregiver she was to John.” Amos turned to Eli and sighed. “We’re all praying Elizabeth will find a nice fellow. There are several vying for her affection, but if the truth be told, I don’t think a one of them is right for her.”

  Eli was seeing Elizabeth in a new light. Taking care of someone like that lent her a maturity that was uncommon for her age. Pretty, can cook, graceful, and wants more children. Eli wanted more children too. “I’d like to meet her.” He took a step forward, but Amos tugged on his shirt.

  “Hold on there, fellow.” Amos nodded to his left. Almost everyone was seated now, and Eli could feel several sets of eyes on them. Amos must have, too, because he was whispering so softly that Eli had to ask him to speak up a little.

  “We have one other widow in our church district that I’ll point out to you as soon as I find her. Her name is Ruth.” Amos turned to Eli. “There are plenty of younger women who are available, but . . .” He grinned. “They got their eyes set on the young bucks. You’d be an old man in their eyes.”

  Eli took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. He knew Amos was right. But at least there were two widows in his new church district. It would be nice if he was properly suited to one of them and didn’t have to travel outside of the community to find a fraa.

  Amos scanned the tables looking for Ruth. Eli’s stomach rumbled, and his need to eat was becoming more important than being introduced to anyone. But when he heard a screen door slam in the distance, he turned his attention to the tall woman floating down the front porch steps as if she had angel wings on her back. Even from a distance, Eli was mesmerized as she strode across the yard. The closer she got to him, the more her beauty shone, and he had to force himself to breathe. From beneath her kapp wisps of red hair blew against her rosy cheeks. But it was her green eyes twinkling in the sunlight that kept Eli from being able to look away. He’d been taught that pride and vanity were sin, and most of the time he did his best not to let them dominate his choices.

  “She’s a beauty, isn’t she?” Amos said as they finally started making their way to two empty seats. “That’s Ruth.”

  Eli nodded, finally pulling his gaze from Ruth. After he was seated, he bowed his head in prayer, then re
ached for a slice of bread. He was glad to see Ben two tables over talking with two boys who looked to be around his age, maybe ten or twelve. But as his eyes traveled from table to table, he didn’t see Gracie. He took a bite of bread, assuming his daughter must be inside. Maybe the bathroom. Or maybe just sitting in the living room avoiding everyone. His fifteen-year-old hadn’t been happy about the move and leaving her friends behind. But Eli was certain a fresh start was just what they all needed.

  Grace loved kissing as much as chocolate pie, a warm bath on a cold winter’s night, and reading Englisch magazines on the sly, the ones she kept hidden between her mattresses. But Wayne Huyard was interested in a lot more than just kissing, and she was having a hard time guiding his hands away from places they needn’t be. They’d barely been in Lancaster County a week when she’d met Wayne at a Sunday singing. He was sixteen, a year older than Grace, and with his dreamy blue eyes and blond hair, he was cuter than cute.

  “Mei daed’s going to come looking for me,” she said, latching onto one of Wayne’s roaming hands. Actually, she doubted that was the case. The only thing her father was looking for was a wife. She’d met Wayne behind the far barn on the property. As everyone was getting ready for the meal, they’d slipped away as planned.

  “I love kissing you,” he said as his mouth covered hers again. She loved the way he cupped her cheeks in his hands, thankful to know exactly where those hands were for the moment. But within seconds, they wandered again.

  “I can’t,” she said as she eased her lips away from his, stepping back until his hands finally fell to his sides.

  Wayne gently touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “You’re so pretty. I really like you.”

  Grace felt herself blush as he slowly inched forward, kissing her again. She tried to relax. Wayne had kissed her one other time, after the singing the night they’d met. Maybe he thought she was easy, as the Englisch girls would say, since she’d allowed him to kiss her that first night. But his roaming hands could get them both into trouble. She’d seen it happen with other girls.

  Grace put her hand on top of his, hoping she wasn’t going to make him mad. She was grateful to have met someone so cute not long after moving here, and she’d only kissed one other boy; that was about a year ago. He’d been shorter than her and didn’t seem to know what he was doing. Wayne was a take-charge man. Handsome. And he knew what he was doing. Grace had never had anyone like him take an interest in her.

  “I want to spend time with you,” he said between kisses. He pushed away a strand of hair that had fallen from her kapp, a gesture that caused her to shiver. “Some of us guys play baseball in a big field at the Lantzes’ haus on Saturdays.” He kissed her tenderly on the lips. “I want you to come watch.” He pulled her closer and whispered, “As my date.”

  Grace felt herself relaxing a tiny bit and she wasn’t as quick to latch onto his hand. She’d never had a boyfriend, and for the first time in two years, she wondered if maybe she could be happy again. But no matter how good looking and sweet Wayne might be, some things were just off-limits. She grabbed his hand again, but he didn’t leave the area. She eased him away.

  “I’m sorry, Wayne. I just can’t.” She took a deep breath and held it, knowing that some boys—even gut Amish boys—wanted a girl who was willing to go further than just kissing.

  “It’s okay,” he whispered in her ear. “I like you so much, I don’t mind waiting. I think you’re someone I could really fall for.”

  Grace was sure the clouds were opening up and raining down blessings on her, and for a brief second, she considered giving him some freedoms that went against what she believed was right, but at the last minute, she took his hand and repeated, “I can’t.”

  Wayne trailed his kisses down her neck, and Grace wasn’t sure what was happening to her. She was a bit weak in the knees, but a rustling in the leaves to their right caused both of them to stop and turn. Grace’s heart was beating hard, but she quickly thanked God that it wasn’t her father.

  “Wayne Huyard, what are you doing back here?” A woman a few years older than she and Wayne walked toward them, stopping a couple of feet away. Grace remembered meeting her earlier that morning before the worship service. Her name was Miriam, and Grace was pretty sure her last name was Fisher. The woman didn’t look as old as Grace’s father, but she had those feathery lines women get when they start to age. Miriam had a smudge of dirt on her chin.

  Scowling, Miriam put her hands on her hips. Grace was pretty sure this woman was going to haul them back to the group, and her father would know she’d been alone with a boy. And so would everyone else. She swallowed hard, wondering exactly how much Miriam had seen.

  Chapter Two

  MIRIAM FELT LIKE PUNCHING WAYNE, EVEN THOUGH IT wasn’t their way, and she’d never hit anyone in her life. But why was it that some boys felt the need to welcome the new girls in a way that wasn’t appropriate? Especially on a Sunday.

  “Miriam, this ain’t none of your business.” Wayne shrugged. “We weren’t doing nothing anyway.”

  Miriam rolled her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest. “If that’s what nothing looks like, I don’t need to see something.” She’d known Wayne since he was born. She’d been about twelve when she used to babysit him. And at sixteen, he’d already grown into the type of young man that mothers feared.

  She glanced at the girl, who appeared to be quaking in her loafers, her big brown eyes as round as saucers. Miriam wasn’t sure Wayne’s prey was even breathing.

  “Have we met?” Miriam squinted one eye as she tried to remember. She knew a new family had moved to their church district, but she didn’t recall formally meeting any of them.

  The girl let out a breath. She was a cute little thing, but she was no match for Wayne.

  “Ya. We met this morning. I’m Grace Byler. My family moved here a couple of weeks ago.”

  Miriam recalled being introduced to the girl early this morning. “You have a bruder, too, right?”

  Grace nodded. “Ya. Ben.”

  That morning, Miriam had left the house before having a cup of coffee, something she tried never to do. But she’d overslept, tripped over the threshold between the kitchen and den, and landed on her right knee. By the time she’d cleaned up her wound, she was late for worship and ran to her buggy, bypassing her cup of coffee. She glared at Wayne, wanting to give him a good talking-to, but Miriam didn’t want to embarrass Grace even further. And it wouldn’t do any good.

  “Are you going to tell mei father?” Grace blinked her eyes a few times and her lip was trembling.

  “Did I meet your father too?” Miriam frowned, vowing never to start her day without coffee again. She should have just been late. Relief washed over her when Grace shook her head.

  “Nee. I don’t think you met him yet. He wasn’t with us when Ben and I were introduced to you.”

  “Nee, I’m not going to tell your daed,” Miriam finally said. She was wise enough to know that Grace and Wayne were going to do whatever they wanted, but she wasn’t sure she could live with herself if she didn’t try to warn Grace. She turned to Wayne. “You go join the others. If Grace goes back with you now, it will be obvious you two snuck off together.”

  Wayne nodded, picked his straw hat up off the ground next to him, and quickly disappeared around the corner.

  Miriam thought for a few moments. She wanted to warn Grace about Wayne without making him sound like the resident bad boy. Even though he was.

  Miriam sighed, thinking bad boy was probably too strong a description. Wayne was a teenager finding his way into adulthood, like a lot of other young men here. But he seemed to have an overabundance of cuteness, hormones, and confidence. A dangerous combination when it ca
me to the teenage girls. Miriam knew of two girls who hadn’t been able to resist Wayne’s charms, and they’d both been left brokenhearted after he’d won their affections and then tossed them aside later for reasons Miriam could only speculate about. Miriam didn’t want to see that happen to the new girl.

  “Grace, I know you’re new here, so I’m going to tell you about Wayne.” She paused, wondering how to structure her words in a way that Grace would understand, without Miriam having to spell it out. “Wayne is . . . well . . .” She blew out a breath, then scratched her chin. “Wayne is probably not the best person for you to spend time with right now. Maybe get to know the other young people before settling on the first boy who shows interest.”

  Miriam hoped the other girls would talk to Grace about Wayne soon, but just in case they didn’t, Miriam wanted to walk away with a clear conscience. Some of these boys seemed to swoop in on the new girls like vultures, even before they had time to make close girlfriends. Not many new families came into their community, but those with teenage daughters needed to be warned about this particular teen boy.

  Grace raised her chin as she lifted one shoulder, then let it drop slowly. “We really weren’t doing anything, and I can handle boys like Wayne.”

  Miriam stifled a grin. It was a very Englisch thing to say, and Miriam doubted it was true, but she just shrugged. “If you say so. I tried to warn you.”

  “Well, I don’t need a warning, but danki anyway.” Grace folded her hands in front of her and stiffened.

  Miriam stared at the girl for a few moments, but her eyes hadn’t deceived her. Grace could have used two extra hands to ward off Wayne during their little kissing extravaganza. If Grace allowed Wayne to kiss her like that, how long before she allowed him to go further? Maybe things were different in the district Grace came from.

  “Ya, okay,” Miriam finally said. “I guess we can go join the others now.”