An Unlikely Match Read online

  Jayce took a seat in the middle of the twelve place settings and eyed the offerings. “Wow,” he said again. “This looks awesome.” He reached for a large bowl of mashed potatoes nearby. After scooping a generous helping onto his plate, he stood and made his way around the table gathering roast, peas, corn, bread, and broccoli salad. His glass was already filled with tea.

  When he sat back down, he said a silent prayer of thanks, unsure what proper protocol was with these people. Then he took a couple of large bites and thanked God again. The food was amazing. The two women were still standing at attention side by side. “Aren’t you going to eat?”

  They exchanged looks. The petite one—Lizzie—clenched her teeth before moving to a chair across from Jayce. “Well, I’m eating.” She looked over her shoulder at her sister. “And you should too. There’s going to be a lot of food wasted if more people don’t eat.” Visibly bothered by the lack of attendance, she frowned even more as she sat. While Esther remained standing, Lizzie lowered her head, presumably to pray. Jayce stopped chewing, which seemed silly but somehow respectful. He started eating again when Lizzie raised her head and began to fill her plate.

  When she finished, Esther made herself a plate and joined them. She sat beside her sister, also lowering her head right away. Despite a mouthful of roast, Jayce stopped chewing again and resumed after her prayer.

  Jayce had helped himself to seconds before the women finished a third of their meal. “I can eat enough for at least three people.” He hoped to quench their disappointment that no one else had joined them for the meal.

  Esther cleared her throat. “So, what type of movie is your father making?”

  Jayce held up a finger as he finished chewing another large chunk of roast, possibly the best meat he’d ever had. “It’s about six people who get stranded on an island, then they find a cave to take shelter in when a storm comes, leaving them trapped inside. One of them is a murderer, but no one knows who.”

  “There are a lot of caves around here.” Esther delicately forked a piece of meat. Her tiny sister ate like she hadn’t had a meal in days. She’d piled her plate with almost as much food as Jayce. No way that little old lady can eat all that food.

  “Tomorrow we’re loading up to go to Bluespring Caverns to film. The people running it said they would close it for half a day and offer patrons a free pass for the following day.” He helped himself to another slice of bread and slathered butter on it. “This is the greatest meal I’ve ever had,” he said. The food will definitely be the best part of this gig.

  “Danki. I mean, thank you.” Esther blushed a little. Lizzie was too busy eating to acknowledge the compliment. “Will your group be spending the night in the cave?”

  “Do what?” Jayce covered his mouth with his hand so he didn’t spew food everywhere. “I don’t see that happening.”

  “Oh. I just wondered.” Esther raised an eyebrow, seemingly amused. “Bluespring hosts a lot of Boy Scout troops, church groups, and students, so they have a section of the cavern set up with electricity, beds, and other accommodations.”

  Jayce tried to picture anyone from the film spending the night inside a cave. “Nah, I seriously doubt it, but it sounds cool.” He pointed to the roast. “May I?”

  “Eat all you want,” Lizzie said before she rolled her eyes. “Doesn’t appear anyone else is going to.” She grunted. “Nothing like gut food going to waste.”

  Jayce smiled apologetically. “I’ll do my best not to let that happen. I—”

  A large heavyset man with a gray ponytail stomped into the room. By the look on his face, he wasn’t here to eat. He crinkled his nose. His big jowls jiggled as he shook his head and folded his arms across his chest, resting them on his oversized belly.

  “What in the . . . ?” He rattled off words that obviously upset the sisters. The smaller one stood and picked up her plate, firing the man a look filled with anger as she squinted and snarled at him.

  “I am forced to eat two meals per year with you. Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s all you’ll get from me, you grumpy old excuse of a man.” Carrying her plate, she stormed out of the room.

  Jayce stifled his amusement. The woman had been mostly quiet up to this point. What a spitfire.

  “Gus, I have told you repeatedly that you can’t use such language in this haus.” Esther turned to Jayce, her face red. “Mei apologies.”

  “No problem.” Jayce refocused on his plate and began cutting off another bite of roast. He’d noticed the women’s accents. Some of their words sounded different, kind of like German.

  “Gus, why don’t you sit down and eat?” Esther waved toward a chair across the table. “Most of the guests had already eaten before their arrival, so we have plenty.”

  The man—Gus—turned to Jayce, nostrils flaring. “Who are you? Are those your motor homes causing all that racket outside? Not to mention there are people everywhere—in and out, doors slamming, and someone playing loud music.” He faced Esther before Jayce could answer. “This ain’t gonna work, Esther.”

  “Just eat, Gus.” She lowered her head, shaking it. “It’s only for a month.”

  Gus let out enough expletives to offend even Jayce, face flaming as his jowls bounced. “And this is surely something Lizzie did!” he added at the end of his rant.

  “Dude, whatever your problem is, that’s no way to speak to a lady.” He reached for his fourth slice of bread but kept his eyes on the man. He was an old guy, but he was big.

  “Sonny, you zip it.” He pointed at Jayce before he turned back to Esther. “You’d better at least make sure those idiots turn off those generators at night or I won’t get a lick of sleep.”

  Jayce stood. “Sir, I don’t know who you are, but—”

  “Kid”—the old guy’s finger moved in Jayce’s direction again—“I’m pretty sure I told you to zip it.”

  Jayce took a deep breath, wiped his mouth with his napkin, then set it next to his plate. He glanced at Esther. The poor woman’s face was still red, and her lip quivered slightly. He turned and walked to the man, who outweighed him by at least a hundred pounds. He’d held his own in plenty of fights with bigger guys. Surely this old man wouldn’t throw any punches.

  “You need to leave.” Jayce spoke as calmly as he could, but his comment was met with thunderous laughter.

  “Shut your mouth, you little runt.”

  Jayce tensed as he felt a muscle in his jaw quiver. It wasn’t cool to mistreat old ladies. He looked over his shoulder just as Lizzie came running barefoot back into the room, carting her plate. She slapped it down on the table and pulled out a chair beside her sister.

  “I could hear from the kitchen, and I don’t want to miss this.” She put her elbows on the table, then propped her chin on her hands with eagerness in her eyes. “Go on, young man. Don’t stop.”

  The old man clenched his fists at his sides as he turned his attention away from Jayce. “Lizzie, you’re like a worm that gets under a person’s skin and crawls around until a fellow goes crazy.”

  “Sir, I have to ask you to leave. I’ll escort you out if I need to.” Jayce motioned in the direction of the door. “These lovely ladies invited you to join them for a fine meal, which you really should have taken them up on. But instead, you’re talking like a fool and being rude.” He stepped closer to the man, who was now shaking with rage. “So you’re going to leave. You just need to decide how. On your own or with my escort?” Jayce raised an eyebrow.

  Hands still fisted at his sides, Gus glared at Esther. “We will speak about this tomorrow. As a renter, I have rights.”

  He stomped out of the room grumbling, each step heavier than the one before.

  “Don’t let the door hit you on the backside on the way out!” Lizzie yelled, her eyes lit up with victory.

  “It’s not funny, Lizzie.” Esther blinked back tears as she turned to Jayce. “Mei apologies again.”

  Lizzie stood, walked around the table to where Jayce was standing, and p
ut a gentle hand on his arm. “It’s not our way to be physical, sohn.”

  “I didn’t know that, and I meant no disrespect.” Jayce paused. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to that, but I couldn’t stand watching him speak to either of you that way.”

  “As I said, it’s not our way.” Lizzie displayed a perfect set of pearly whites that couldn’t possibly be her own teeth. “But I would have paid gut money to see you knock the meanness out of Grumpy Gus Owens.” She guided him to his chair. “You sit. I’ll be right back.”

  Esther’s eyebrows drew together in an agonized expression. “I’m so sorry.”

  Jayce stared into the woman’s kind eyes. “You’ve apologized three times, and you shouldn’t. That guy is the one who should be apologizing.”

  Lizzie rushed back into the room balancing four pies on her arms with the precision of a seasoned waitress. She set each one within Jayce’s reach.

  “Pecan, rhubarb, apple, and key lime.” She batted her eyes at him. “You should have some of each.”

  Jayce couldn’t help but smile. He’d somehow stumbled into food heaven.

  He was reaching for a slice of apple pie when his father burst into the room.

  “I was in the shower, but I could hear all the ruckus even with the water running.” His eyes blazed in the familiar way Jayce had seen before. When he was younger, the expression was usually followed by a good smack across the face. These days, his old man knew better. “We haven’t even been here a day, and you’re already stirring up trouble!”

  “Nee, it wasn’t his fault at all, Mr. Clarkson,” Esther said, echoed by Lizzie.

  But the damage was done, and Jayce felt his face seething red with embarrassment. He pushed back his chair, scraping it against the wood floor. After thanking the women for a wonderful meal, he left the room. He stormed out the front door, past the motor homes and the small house with a couple sitting on the front porch, then he turned onto the road and kept walking.

  Two

  Evelyn tried repeatedly to pick up Millie’s hoof so she could see what the horse had stepped on, but each time the poor girl whinnied and pulled away from her. Drops of blood spotted the pavement on the back road that led from her house to the Bargain Center where she worked.

  “You’ve got to let me have a look, Millie.” She scratched behind the mare’s ears, hoping to calm her.

  Evelyn had brought her mother’s emergency cell phone, but the battery was dead. Her mother had asked her to charge it when she got to work, which wasn’t going to happen anytime soon at this rate. Both of her brothers left for work over an hour ago. Her father was busy in the fields. Her mother said she had no plans today, so it was unlikely anyone would be coming to her aid.

  Unless someone happened by, she might be stranded for a while. She bent at the waist and tried again to look at Millie’s foot, but the horse neighed with even more agitation. When Evelyn stood, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Someone had just rounded the corner and was heading toward her. The only people who lived on that road were Esther and Lizzie, along with their renters. This man must be a guest at the inn.

  Evelyn raised a hand to her forehead, blocking the sun’s glare as she waited for him to get closer. He was tall and apparently not Amish since he wasn’t wearing a hat. That was all she could see until he came into full view a minute or so later.

  “Hey, you okay?” He raised a bushy eyebrow that hovered above eyes as dark brown as a moonless night, obscure and intense.

  Evelyn felt a shiver run the length of her spine, despite the warm weather. She opened her mouth to say something, but a warning bell sounded in her mind.

  “Are you staying at The Peony Inn?” Her voice wavered, but if he was a guest of Lizzie and Esther’s, maybe she could shed this unexpected fear. He was a tall English man, muscular with unruly long dark hair. Evelyn was small, weighing in at about a hundred and twenty pounds and only five foot two.

  The man nodded, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. “Do you need to call someone?” He glanced at Millie, whose leg was still bent at the knee.

  “Um . . .” Evelyn began to tremble, but the man smiled, and everything changed, softened. Even his eye color seemed less intense.

  “Ya, I might need to borrow your phone, but mei horse . . . She, uh, has something in her hoof.” She nodded at Millie but quickly looked back at the man as she tried to figure out why she was so unnerved by his presence. She didn’t know him. He was a stranger. It’s normal to be cautious around a man I don’t know.

  “Want me to have a look?” He stuck his phone in his back pocket, then tucked his dark hair behind his ears—hair much too long for a man. Before she could answer, he made his way to the horse and began rubbing her neck. “What’s her name?”

  “Millie.” Evelyn didn’t move as she tried to calm her erratic pulse. What is wrong with me?

  “Hey, Millie. Did you step on something?” He moved his hand to Millie’s nose, and Evelyn was about to tell him the mare didn’t like her face touched, but Millie leaned into him and nudged him with an acceptance Evelyn hadn’t seen before. She believed animals had a sense about people. If Millie trusted him, then Evelyn would try to do the same.

  “I was on mei way to work, but Millie stopped abruptly and has been holding her leg like that for about fifteen minutes, refusing to budge.” Evelyn eyed the blood that had pooled below Millie’s hoof. “Not that I blame her. But every time I try to see what’s wrong, she pulls away from me.”

  “Hey, girl. Are you going to let me have a look?” He alternated between stroking Millie’s nose and scratching behind her ears. Then he ran his hands down her sides, talking softly near her ear. “Please don’t kick me in the face.”

  Evelyn squeezed her eyes shut when he leaned over, sure that he was indeed going to get kicked in the face. But when she opened one eye, he was standing with a sliver of glass in the palm of his hand.

  “It’s not very big, but it was keeping her from putting pressure on it.” He offered the glass to Evelyn, and she slipped it in her apron pocket. She’d put it in the trash at work. “Do you have anything to wrap around her foot, like to stop the bleeding?”

  Evelyn thought for a few seconds. “I-I don’t have anything in the buggy.” She wished her pulse would slow down.

  “What about that thing on your head?” He pointed to her prayer covering.

  “Nee!” She gasped as she raised a hand to the top of her head. “I mean, no. I can’t take this off.” Not even for Millie, and especially not in front of a man I don’t know.

  “Okay, sorry. I didn’t know. This is an old T-shirt I’m not terribly attached to.” He lifted the yellow shirt, revealing what she’d heard her brothers refer to as a six-pack.

  “No, no, no!” She turned away and quickly untied her black apron. “Here, use this.” She pushed the apron toward him.

  “Really? It’ll get blood on it.” He eyed the garment, frowning.

  “It’s fine. I have plenty more at home.” There was probably an extra at work she could use for the day.

  He shrugged and folded the apron into a small square with the ties hanging out, then tenderly lifted Millie’s hoof, placed the square cloth on it, and gingerly wrapped the thick strings around her hoof and leg to hold it in place. When he was done, he stood.

  “How far do you have to go?” He lifted a hand to his forehead, blocking the sun.

  “Not far. A few miles up the road to the Bargain Center.” She paused and leaned over to run her hand down Millie’s side. “I’ll call a vet when I get there.” She gave the animal another long stroke down her flank. “We recently had a farrier out to shoe all the horses, so I’m surprised this happened.”

  “The glass was stuck at an angle inside the shoe, but it won’t hurt to have it checked out. You don’t want it to get infected.” He took his phone from his pocket again. “Do you need to call anyone now?”

  Evelyn studied the man for a few moments. He was handsome. In a
n English sort of way. She tried to picture him without all the long dark hair he seemed to be hiding behind. Yet there was no hiding the intensity in his dark eyes.

  “Nee. I’ll use the phone at work to call the vet.” She took a deep breath and forced a smile, anxious to get on her way, but also curious. “How do you know so much about horses?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t know a lot. As a kid, I was sent off to summer camp pretty often, and they had horses. I remembered that there’s a certain way to touch an ailing horse to keep the animal calm.” His left eyebrow rose a fraction. “Fifty-fifty shot. I could have gotten kicked in the face just as easily.”

  Evelyn flinched. “Well, I’m glad you didn’t, and danki—I mean, thank you for your help.”

  A smile filled his face. The lopsided grin was cute, in an adolescent sort of way. She could tell by his features that he was close to her age, maybe a year or two older.

  “I like your accent,” he said. “I’ve never been around your kind of people before.”

  A tourist. Montgomery was becoming more and more of a destination to get a glimpse of Amish life. Some folks were glad because it brought income to the community. Others, particularly the elders, weren’t so fond of the visitors.

  “I’m Jayce, by the way.” He extended his hand. Evelyn paused, but her hand found its way into his firm handshake.

  “Evelyn.” Her cheeks felt warm as she pulled back her hand.

  He scratched his forehead. “You said you’re on your way to the Bargain Center. Is that like a Walmart?”

  “We have Walmarts, but they are too far to go by buggy. I guess you could say the Bargain Center is like a mini Walmart.” She paused, searching for a way to explain. “A very mini Walmart, but it has most everything a person could need. Groceries, a deli, household items, gifts. But no clothes, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

  He looped his thumbs in the back pockets of his jeans. “Could I ride with you? I forgot a few things at home that I’d like to pick up.”