An Amish Year Page 19

  “What’s that mean, imperess?”

  “Not imperess, impress. It means he’s trying to put on a gut show for her so that she’ll like him.”

  Ben grinned. “I don’t think he’s doin’ too gut a job. Sounds like he can’t say his words right.”

  Grace had to put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. She’d never heard her father stutter before, or sound so nervous with a woman. She held a finger to her lips before whispering to Ben. “Listen, that lady just asked Daed if he wanted to come over for lunch next Saturday. Guess she wants to be our new mamm,” Grace said as she rolled her eyes again. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. With six kids, Grace could just stay lost in the crowd; lost with Wayne. She smiled.

  “I don’t know. Maybe the other woman will be Daed’s fraa.”

  Grace scowled. “What other woman?”

  “A lady named Elizabeth was here earlier. She brought Daed a pie, too, and before she left, I heard Daed say he’d see her for Saturday supper.”

  Grace heard the door shut and the house go silent. “What is he doing? Someone needs to explain to him how dating works.” She tromped down the stairs, Ben on her heels.

  Ben laughed. “Uh, you gonna explain it to him? Like you’d know anything about it.”

  When they hit the landing, Grace spun around. “As a matter of fact, I do. I have a boyfriend.”

  “You’re as bad as Daed. You didn’t waste any time either. But you ain’t old enough to date.”

  “Well, Daed is letting me go out with Wayne.”

  They were quiet when the front door opened and their father came in. Grace walked to the middle of the living room and slammed her hands to her hips. Daed was grinning in such a way that he looked like a little boy. Grace lifted her chin.

  “Daed, please tell me that it isn’t true . . . that you have a date for lunch next Saturday and a date for supper? Don’t you think that’s a bit much? I’ve heard you say that you never date two women at the same time, that it isn’t right.”

  “I . . . I did say that.” Daed scratched his forehead. “But these aren’t really dates.” He smiled as he shrugged. “Just friends having a meal.”

  “It’s still dates.” Grace shook her head. “You need to go to dating school or something. I know you didn’t go out much back home, but you need to use some discretion.” Grace had recently learned that word from Rachel, who liked to throw big words around. She nodded to Ben. “You have a young child at home.”

  “Hey!” Ben said, scowling. “You ain’t much older than me.”

  “Dating school?” Daed stroked his beard, grinning. “Is there such a thing?”

  “Be serious, Daed. You made two dates that could overlap. Dinner at noon and supper at four. Do you know what they call that in the Englisch world?” She waited, lifting her chin higher. “It’s called double-booking, Daed. That’s what they call it. You’ve double-booked.”

  Grace clicked her tongue, then turned and went upstairs, certain that her father was going to embarrass her by acting like a silly schoolboy.

  Chapter Five

  ELI TUCKED HIS SHIRT IN AND PULLED HIS SUSPENDERS over his shoulders. He’d spent all week looking forward to his lunch with Ruth and supper with Elizabeth, even though he was guilty of breaking his own rule. Double-booked, Gracie had called it.

  Thirty minutes later, he was knocking on Ruth’s door, praying that he wouldn’t stutter or act stupid. But when she opened the door and gazed into his eyes, his knees got that weird feeling again, and he wished he’d brought her flowers. As it were, she might as well have been holding his heart on a platter. Eli knew Leah would want him to be happy, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she was frowning from heaven and saying, “Ach, Eli. Pick up your jaw before you slobber on yourself.” Eli was well aware that looks shouldn’t play a part in his decisions, but Ruth was an exception that he’d never been faced with before.

  “Come in, Eli. Welcome to our home.” Ruth stepped aside, and Eli walked into the living room, surprised at how fancy it was. She had green shades covering the windows, which he’d learned was customary in Lancaster County, but she had ivory lace valances as well. Above the fireplace were several decorative figurines and even two pictures hanging on the wall. The rug atop the wood floor was colorful and looked expensive. As he took a deep breath, he could vaguely smell something cooking, but mingling with a meaty aroma was a lemony scent, like the kind of cleaning solution Leah used to make. Eli couldn’t recall a time when his home was ever this clean, even when Leah was alive, especially after Gracie and Ben were born. And Ruth had twice as many kinner as he did.

  “Your home is very nice,” he said, proud of himself for speaking clearly this time.

  “Danki. So nice of you to say so.” She motioned for him to sit down on the couch, and he noticed how quiet it was. “I’m anxious to meet your kinner.”

  Ruth sat down in a rocking chair across from Eli. She crossed her legs and cupped one knee with her hands. “I was looking forward to them meeting you, but they aren’t here today. Mei sister has them for the day, and they love going to their aunt’s haus since she has young kinner too.” Ruth smiled. “I just couldn’t tell them no.”

  Eli swallowed hard and nodded as he shifted his weight on the couch, wishing he wasn’t so nervous. And when Ruth got up and walked to the couch, the knot in his throat grew to the size of a walnut. She sat down beside him. So close that her black apron brushed against his blue slacks.

  “I don’t date much, Eli, so this is a little awkward for me.” She tucked her chin, then looked up and batted her eyelashes at him. “But when I saw you after worship service for the first time, I felt like you were someone I wanted to get to know.”

  “It is a little awkward for me too.” Eli swallowed twice, then coughed. “I dated a little back home, but never anyone—anyone . . . as pretty as you.”

  Ruth’s lashes swept down over her high cheekbones as she bit her bottom lip, then she looked up at him and smiled. “What a nice thing to say.”

  “And . . . and I would like to get to know you too.”

  “Are you ready for dinner?”

  Eli nodded, then followed Ruth into her kitchen where two white china plates were laid out at opposite ends of a table for six. In addition to the green blinds, green-and-white-checked valances hung on the windows, and cool air blew through the screened windows. The lemony smell had faded, replaced with the aroma of roast. There was another colorful rug on the floor underneath the table, and several kitchen gadgets on the counter, along with a set of green canisters. It was a large room that was painted light beige. Eli had sought information about the bishop before he chose to move here, and he’d learned that the man was lenient. Very lenient, apparently.

  After they ate, Ruth insisted Eli wait in the living room while she cleaned things up and started some coffee. A few minutes later, she joined Eli on the couch with two cups of coffee. Eli thanked her for the meal. She twisted to face him, tucking one foot underneath her, and even though her cooking skills weren’t the best, he could overlook that.

  “Tell me everything about you, Eli,” she said as she leaned her shoulder against the back of the couch.

  Eli gave her a condensed version of his life thus far, anxious to hear about her. She listened intently when he got to the part about Leah dying.

  “That must have been so hard.” She touched his arm and hung her head for a few moments.

  Ruth’s life story was similar to Eli’s. She’d married young and started having children right away, and her husband had died a year and a half ago, six months short of how long Leah had been gone. Cancer had taken him, too, like Elizabeth’s husband. Ruth was in a much
better place emotionally than Elizabeth, but time made loss more bearable. Eli knew he would never forget his first love, and the pain was still present, but he was learning to live again. And for the first time in a long time, he was excited about his future. As Ruth started talking to him about the kind of books she liked to read, her favorite foods, and how important it was to her that her children stay in the community, they fell into a comfortable conversation. He shed his nervousness, and eventually he surprised himself by sharing his love for cooking with her.

  Miriam wasn’t surprised to see Grace watching the baseball game again since Wayne was playing. But she was surprised to see the girl still sitting there after everyone had left the Lantzes’ house, including Wayne. Miriam got in her buggy and started to back up when she noticed there weren’t any other buggies left, except those belonging to the Lantzes. She glanced at Grace, whose head hung low, her shoulders moving up and down.

  As she backed the horse up, she recalled how she’d felt called to go find Grace last Saturday, a girl she didn’t even know. It hadn’t been her responsibility, but Eli had been so worried. Today, she was going to do what she’d planned to do last Saturday, curl up with Kiki and read a book. But she hadn’t even made it off the Lantzes’ property when she turned the buggy around, grumbling to herself. She tethered the horse and walked to Grace.

  “Do you need a ride?” Miriam silently prayed that Grace hadn’t already done something she regretted. “Your haus isn’t that much out of the way, and I’d be happy to take you home.”

  Grace sniffled as she stood up, then pulled her sweater around her. “Nee, I can walk.”

  “That’s a far piece to your place from here.” Miriam studied Grace’s tearstained face, and for the third time in the past two weeks, she felt like smacking Wayne. But where were the girls she’d been sitting with? “Did your girlfriends just leave you here?”

  “They aren’t my girlfriends,” she snapped back. “And I didn’t ride here with them anyway. I came with Wayne.” Glaring a little, she added, “But you probably know that.”

  Miriam had been late today, but she had assumed Grace had come with Wayne. She cringed a bit when Grace continued to shoot daggers at her. Nothing worse than a hormonal teenager who had been wronged by a boy. Walk away, Miriam.

  “Mei maedel, I tried to warn you about Wayne. There are lots of nice boys here, and—”

  “I don’t want to talk about this with you.” Grace took long strides toward the driveway, continuing to swipe at her eyes.

  Miriam glanced up at the dark clouds overhead, the reason they’d cut the baseball game short. “Did Wayne just leave you here?” she asked as she scurried to catch up with Grace.

  “Just leave me alone. I hate it here. I wish we’d never moved here.” Grace stopped and faced Miriam, her eyes red and swollen. “The only reason we’re here is so mei daed can find a fraa.”

  “I gathered that.” Miriam bit her lip, trying not to grin, but when a smile broke through anyway, Grace grunted and started walking away. “Grace, wait!”

  When Grace didn’t slow down, Miriam ran to catch up to her. She grabbed her by the arm. “Please wait.”

  “What do you want, Miriam? You were right. I wouldn’t give Wayne what he wanted, and he left me here. When I said I needed to go straight home today, he said he was going to town to visit two girls he knew, Englisch girls.”

  Relief washed over Miriam, but she knew Wayne wouldn’t give up that easily, and Grace didn’t have a mother to confide in, or apparently anyone else. Miriam wouldn’t have gone to her mother about something like this when she was Grace’s age anyway.

  “Just let me take you home. A storm is coming, and I can’t let you walk all the way to your place.”

  “Ach, well, you’re not my boss, so you can’t stop me.” Grace folded her arms across her chest.

  Miriam smiled broadly. “Really, Grace? You sound like a five-year-old. You’re not the boss of me,” Miriam mimicked as she waved her hands playfully in the air, although it was apparent by Grace’s blazing eyes that she wasn’t amused. “I’m taking you home. Come on.” Miriam looked up at the sky as thunder rumbled in the distance. “Please. We don’t even have to talk.”

  “Fine,” Grace huffed as she headed toward Miriam’s buggy. It was everything Miriam could do not to say something about her smart mouth and lack of appreciation, but the important thing was to get her home safely, so she bit her lip again. It started drizzling not five minutes after they got on the road. She didn’t dare tell Grace that Mr. Ed got spooked by thunder, but when he whinnied and tried to pick up the pace, Miriam had to pull back on the reins.

  “Whoa, Mr. Ed.” She eased him back into a steady trot, hoping to beat the storm that was fast approaching.

  “What kind of a name is Mr. Ed?” Grace spat the words at Miriam.

  “It was the name he had when I got him. He was put out to pasture after he was no gut on the racetrack anymore. Things like trains, thunder, and the fire alarms in town tend to spook him, but I’ve learned how to handle him.”

  “I hope so,” Grace said under her breath as she leaned out the window and looked up at the sky.

  Miriam only had one buggy, and she was glad it was covered. “He wasn’t treated very well where he was, and someone got word to me, and I took him in.” She glanced at Grace and smiled. “He’s a lovable fellow.”

  “The Englisch don’t always treat their animals very gut,” Grace said as she kept her eyes on the road. Big drops of rain had started to slam against the windshield.

  “I got him from an Amish farmer, not Englisch.” Miriam had to pay twice as much as the horse was worth, but after seeing the whip marks across his flanks, she wasn’t leaving without him.

  They were quiet until the horse reared up in response to a loud clap of thunder, and it took a little longer for Miriam to get him settled down.

  “I think I would have been safer to just walk,” Grace said as she clutched the dashboard.

  “That’s my haus. I think we’d better wait out the storm there. It’s still a ways to your place.”

  “Ya, okay.”

  Miriam was a little surprised that Grace was so agreeable. Miriam would have kept going if it was just herself in the buggy, but she had Grace to think about.

  “Do you have a cell phone?” Miriam asked as she pulled into her driveway. Grace nodded. “Call your daed and tell him that I’ll bring you home after the weather gets better.”

  “I doubt he’ll be too worried.” Grace finally let go of the dash when Miriam pulled back on the reins and Mr. Ed was stopped in front of the barn.

  “Of course he will be worried. I could tell he was concerned when he was looking for you last weekend.”

  “Well, he’s on a date, so I’m sure he’s preoccupied interviewing a new mamm for me and Ben.” She paused, turned to Miriam, and held up two fingers. “Actually, he has two dates today.”

  “Busy man,” Miriam mumbled as she wondered whether or not Eli had asked her out first, second, or maybe even third. “Who is he out with?” Not that I care.

  “His dinner date at noon was with someone named Ruth.”

  “Ruth Zook?”

  “I think so. And the other one is someone named Elizabeth Petersheim.”

  Miriam was quiet for a few moments. She knew Elizabeth wanted to get remarried and start a family, but it seemed that she might not be ready. Elizabeth still cried a lot. Ruth, on the other hand, easily lured men in. She was beautiful. But the few she’d dated hadn’t worked out. “I wonder who the lucky lady will be. He asked me out too.” Miriam said the last part under her breath, although Grace must have heard.

  “
Ach, nee.” Grace had her hand on the door handle, but she threw her head back and let out an exaggerated sigh. “Please tell me that you are not trying to be our new mamm too.”

  Miriam glared at Grace. “I assure you, I want nothing to do with your father in that way, so you’ll never have to worry about me being your new mommy.” She thought this news would make Grace happy, but the girl just sat there staring blankly at her.

  “Mei daed is a wonderful man.” Grace’s tone was defensive.

  Touching. “I’m sure he is. Now let’s get Mr. Ed settled in the barn and make a dash for the haus before this weather gets worse. Then you can call Mr. Wonderful and let him know you’re safe.” She grinned, and surprisingly, Grace did too.

  Chapter Six

  ELI PUSHED HIS HORSE HARDER THAN EVER THROUGH THE downpour, wondering if he could blame the rain as his excuse for being so late to Elizabeth’s house. “Ya, ya!” he yelled. When he’d realized what time it was, he’d made a mad dash out of Ruth’s house, promising to call her later. He’d already made his decision about whom he wanted to date. Ruth was everything he wanted in a woman, aside from just being beautiful. But he owed it to Elizabeth to be polite, and he was angry with himself for being so late.

  When Elizabeth opened her front door, she handed Eli a towel to dry off. Eli took the towel, but he’d never felt like such a heel in his life. Elizabeth’s eyes were red and swollen. “I’m so sorry.” It had to be nearly five thirty by now, and he was due at Elizabeth’s house at four.

  “It’s no problem.” Elizabeth waited on the other side of the threshold, and for a few moments, Eli wasn’t sure he was going to be invited in, but once he’d finished drying off, she eased the screen door open and stepped aside. “Supper is cold, but I can reheat everything if you’d like.”

  “Nee, nee,” he quickly said. “I’m sure it will be wonderful like it is.” Shivering, he followed her into the living room, a much plainer room than at Ruth’s house, more like what Eli was used to. “It sure smells gut in here.”