Plain pursuit Read online

“I don’t know Samuel at all,” she was quick to say. “Lillian and I were good friends before she moved here. She’s completely changed her life and seems really happy, and I’m glad for her. But honestly, Samuel doesn’t seem to want to talk about you or have you around his family.”

  “Ouch.” She was blunt. And it stung.

  “I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.” She sat up a little straighter, her look challenging him. “And I see the purpose of the coffee date. I’ve been wondering why you were so insistent after you had already told Lillian about David. Now I see. You want me to play go-between for you and Samuel.”

  “Well, I was hoping for that, but it’s not like you haven’t gotten anything out of the deal. I’ve shared a lot of personal details.” Way more than I intended. “Spend the day with me tomorrow. I’ll show you around. I can fill you in more about the Amish lifestyle. And maybe you’ll see that I’m not such a bad guy.”

  “I don’t think you’re a bad guy. But aside from that, I’m just not sure that I can help you smooth things over with Samuel. I’d hate for you to waste your time.”

  “Somehow I don’t think getting to know you would be a waste of my time.” She was beautiful. And interesting. Not to mention a potential key to unlocking Samuel’s heart. Even if the latter didn’t pan out, the thought of spending more time with her appealed to him.

  Lillian won’t like it, Carley thought, although Lillian was the one who’d pushed her into this in the first place.

  It sure seemed that the handsome doctor was only using her to try to get in good with Samuel. But hey—if he was willing to share information about the Amish faith, maybe she would consider it research.

  Although when she thought about it, she wasn’t sure it was worth it. She’d seen a softer side of him, but it didn’t change the core of who he was. A doctor. She was willing to acknowledge the goodness of the profession, but it was the lack of compassion by those in the white coats that she had a problem with. She couldn’t imagine delivering bad news with such detachment as she had witnessed in the hospital. Yet it seemed to come so easy for them. How can you trust someone who refuses to acknowledge human suffering with some level of sympathy? Do they have no emotions, or just a grand ability to mask them? Either way, she had trust issues with doctors.

  “I’m sure I can learn whatever I need to know about the Amish from Lillian and Samuel.”

  “But will it include a scenic drive through the country? And—if you’re nice—maybe even a trip to the river.”

  “If I’m nice?” He might be arrogant, but he was also charming.

  “Dr. Noah! Dr. Noah!” a tiny voice belted from the far side of the restaurant. Carley and Noah turned their attention toward the small bundle of energy bouncing their way. The little girl looked about four or five. She had flowing blonde ringlets down to her waist, blue eyes wide with wonder, and a smile that could have turned the hardest of souls to mush. The girl was dressed in a pink frock with matching shoes and short white socks. A doll with similar attire was tucked underneath her arm.

  The child dropped the doll on the floor, jumped into Noah’s lap, and threw her arms around his neck.

  “My sweet Jenna, how are you?” Noah kissed her warmly on the cheek, seeming equally pleased to see her. “Where’s your sister?”

  “Dana’s over there.” Jenna pointed across the room to a young woman sitting down at a table for two. She was a very young woman, possibly a teenager.

  Repositioning her pointed finger toward Carley, the girl asked, “Is this your girlfriend?”

  “No, no,” Carley quickly replied. “I’m a friend. My name is Carley.”

  “She’s pretty.” Jenna leaned her head on Noah’s shoulder.

  “Yes, she is very pretty.” Noah smiled at the girl before he glanced across the table at Carley.

  “I have to go back now,” Jenna said. She scooted off Noah’s lap and collected her doll. “Bye.” She planted a kiss on his cheek and waved to Carley.

  “Sorry about that,” Noah said when the child was out of earshot.

  “Don’t be.” She was surprised he felt the need to apologize. Clearly the child adored him, which only lent credibility to his “I’m not such a bad guy” statement. “How do you know her? Is she a patient of yours?” Carley glanced at Jenna’s sister. A pretty girl with flowing brown hair—and a huge scowl on her face. Carley quickly looked away.

  “No,” he said without elaborating, quickly getting back to the subject at hand. “Now what about spending the day with me tomorrow?”

  “I’m pretty sure Lillian and Samuel would not approve of us spending time together, and I’m a guest in their home.”

  He gazed at her a moment then shrugged. “I understand.”

  Whoa, is the good doctor giving up so easily? She should be glad about that. This man had issues—issues she had no business burdening herself with. She had her own problems.

  But . . . something inside her twitched and the words just spewed out. “I’ll tell you what,” she began cautiously. “Why don’t you tell me what you did that Samuel seems to think is so bad? Then I’ll go with you tomorrow.”

  “Ah, a negotiator.” He avoided her eyes, a solemn expression on his face. Then he looked back up at her and turned the tables. “I’ll counter that. You go with me tomorrow, and I’ll tell you my dirty little secret then.” He extended his hand across the table in an optimistic gesture he seemed to hope would seal the deal.

  I hope I don’t regret this.

  She reached across the table and grasped his hand. “Deal.”

  7

  JUST A FEW MORE MINUTES, CARLEY THOUGHT WHEN HER her cell phone alarm went off at four fifteen. She’d been allowing herself fifteen minutes to get dressed and be downstairs for breakfast, but was thinking maybe she could do it in five. Why things had to get started so early around here, she still wasn’t sure. If they’d sleep in another couple of hours, then they’d be able to stay up until nine or ten. Carley couldn’t get her body, or her mind, adjusted to the schedule. And why was it that she looked like something the cat dragged in each morning while Lillian simply glowed? Maybe happiness did that to a person.

  As it turned out, no one was glowing this morning.

  Samuel didn’t say much during breakfast. Carley suspected Lillian had told him about David’s test results. She wondered if she and Noah had been the topic of conversation the night before as well. There hadn’t been an opportunity to talk to Lillian privately, so she was anxious for Samuel to be on his way this morning. It was five o’clock when he kissed his wife and headed out the door. David finished his breakfast while Carley helped Lillian clean the kitchen.

  “David is going to do some light work around here today instead of working the fields with Samuel,” Lillian told Carley. She placed two plates in the sink before turning to face David. “You’re sure you feel up to it?”

  “Ya, I feel gut.” He reached for another piece of toast before he stood up and headed toward the back door. “I don’t know why I can’t go work the fields, but I’ll go tend to the cows.”

  The door had barely closed when Lillian turned to face Carley. “I’m so worried about David. Did Noah offer up any more details about what might be wrong with him?”

  “I don’t think he knows. That’s why he’s sending him to a specialist.”

  Lillian shook her head. “I don’t understand. I mean, look at David. He seems fine. Ya, his color isn’t so gut. But otherwise he doesn’t seem to feel bad. I’m going to need to borrow your cell phone in a little while to make an appointment with Dr. Bolton. Samuel and I discussed it, and Samuel realizes this isn’t a matter for our natural doctor.”

  “Of course you can use my phone, and I agree with you about bypassing the natural doctor and going straight to a specialist.”

  “I’m so sorry I pushed you to go have coffee with Noah last night,” Lillian said. “Samuel isn’t an aggressive man, and he’s obedient to the teachings of the Ordnung. But I d
on’t know Noah, and I feared what would be said between the two of them. And despite my efforts, they still traded words. Samuel didn’t say what transpired.” Lillian sighed heavily. “Samuel retreats when Noah is mentioned. He doesn’t like to talk about him, and . . .” She stopped. “I’m sorry.”

  “It wasn’t so bad.”

  Lillian handed her a rinsed dish. “Does he seem like a nice man?”

  Carley dried the plate and placed it in the cabinet. “He’s pushy. He shouldn’t have shown up the way he did. But thank goodness he did. At least you know about David now.” Lillian handed her a clean bowl to dry. “And to answer your question, he did seem nice. A bit arrogant, but nice.”

  “What did he say about Samuel?”

  “He said Samuel is the only sibling who didn’t keep in contact with him in some way. Evidently Samuel’s sisters and other brother exchanged letters with Noah. Even their mother stayed in contact with him.”

  “Really?” Lillian motioned for Carley to take a seat across from her at the kitchen table. “Anna will wake up soon. So tell me everything.”

  “As we suspected, Noah was shunned for leaving to become a doctor. He said it was his calling and that he feels Samuel should be more understanding of that. He said writing letters is accepted by the bishop, but Samuel chose not to write Noah. Noah wrote to Samuel, but the letters were returned.”

  “What about the other thing? Did he tell you what else he did?” Lillian planted her elbows on the table, rested her chin in her hands, and leaned forward.

  “No.” Carley sighed, too nervous to mention her plans for the day.

  “Hmm. I just can’t imagine.”

  “Noah did say Samuel took it the hardest when he left.” Carley paused, unable to stifle her own curiosity. “Lillian, I have a terrible time understanding why Samuel won’t talk to you about this. He’s your husband. That just seems odd to me.”

  Pondering her response, Lillian shrugged. “It’s more of a respect issue than anything. Samuel and I are very close. Whatever happened pains him a lot. I know he’ll tell me in his own good time. Amish men rule the roost, so to speak. I know it must seem incredibly old-fashioned. It did to me too. But I try to live the Deitschi wege as if I have always been Amish. Samuel will tell me when he is ready.”

  “Well, you may not have to wait that long.” Carley twisted her mouth to one side. “I’m spending the day with Noah. It’s research for my article. And he said he would tell me what he did that has Samuel so upset.”

  Lillian’s expression plummeted. “Samuel won’t like this,” she asserted. “He won’t like it at all.”

  “Lillian, I won’t go if you don’t want me to.” Carley wondered if Lillian could hear the regret in her voice. “Or maybe just don’t tell Samuel?” She heard herself suggest the lie—and cringed.

  “Ach, no. I don’t keep anything from Samuel.”

  But he’s sure keeping something from you, Carley thought. Pushing judgment aside, she added, “When Noah was talking about Samuel and the shunning, it was clear that he’s still very hurt.”

  She’d no sooner said it when she realized her preconceived thoughts about Noah might be off more than she wanted to admit.

  “I had a hard time accepting the shunning issue,” Lillian sympathized. “But it’s an accepted practice, and the Old Order Amish adhere to it. So what time is he picking you up?”

  “I’m supposed to meet him in town. I didn’t want to cause a problem for Samuel by having him come here. But, Lillian, if you don’t want me to go, I won’t. I’m a guest here. I don’t want to do anything to cause problems or upset Samuel.”

  “No, you go spend the day with Noah. You’re a grown woman, and it’s not our place to tell you who to spend time with.”

  Despite her words, Carley knew Lillian hoped she’d stay home. Instead, she nodded. “Okay.”

  Lillian’s eyes widened, and Carley waited for her to confess her disappointment, but all she said was, “I’ll expect you to tell me later what Noah did that has Samuel so upset.”

  “I will.”

  Carley found the white Lexus right away in the parking lot of the farmers’ market in Bird-in-Hand. Noah was just getting out of the car with a beautiful yellow Lab when she walked up.

  “This is Chloe,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind. Poor girl has been cooped up in the backyard while I’ve pulled extra shifts at the hospital.”

  Carley covered her surprise. She wouldn’t have thought a busy doctor would have time for an animal. She squatted down to meet Chloe eye-to-eye. “Look at you,” she said as the dog lavished her with sloppy affection. “You’re beautiful!”

  “She loves to go anywhere, and she’s a good car rider.” Noah released his tight hold on the leash. “She sure likes you.”

  “That’s because she knows I’m a dog lover. She can sense that.” She continued to scratch Chloe behind the ears, receiving another round of wet kisses.

  “Well, what’s your pleasure, Miss Carley?” Noah asked when she stood up. “We can do the tourist thing and drive around Bird-in-Hand and then through the town of Intercourse, or we can get off the beaten path and do a little cross-country traveling. You’d probably see a couple of covered bridges, Amish farms and schoolhouses, and there are shops here and there along the way.”

  “I can do the touristy thing anytime. Let’s take the cross-country tour.”

  “Your chariot awaits.” He opened the passenger door for her before stowing Chloe in the backseat.

  “How old is Chloe?” She buckled up as they pulled out of the parking lot.

  “She’s two and just now starting to get out of the puppy stage. I’m not kidding you—this dog used to eat anything and everything. About six months ago, I made the mistake of leaving her in the house while I went to work for about four hours. By the time I got home, she’d destroyed a pair of tennis shoes, chewed a hole in my couch, and eaten through two throw pillows.”

  He smiled affectionately.

  “Well, she’s lovely.” Carley turned around in her seat and stroked Chloe’s head.

  “I’ve got a fairly good-sized backyard, but she likes to get out and about. I was really hoping you wouldn’t mind.”

  “I bet she loves the water.”

  “Oh yeah. If we go to the river, she’ll jump right in.” Noah waited on two buggies to cross in front of him before making a left turn. “I thought we’d head toward Ronks. It’s a pretty drive, and there’s a covered bridge on the way.” He eyed Carley. “So tell me about yourself, Carley. What brings you all the way to Lancaster County for a story? I know Lillian is a friend of yours, but you’re a long way from Texas.”

  “I had vacation time, and I missed Lillian. But it’s hard for me not to work. I guess it’s a combination of work and play.”

  “What do you think so far?”

  She gazed out the car window. “It’s very pretty here.”

  “May is a great time of year to come. It’s starting to get warm, though.” Grinning, he added, “So how’s the lack of electricity working for you? Particularly the lack of air-conditioning?”

  “It’s a little warmer than I care for, but it’s cool at night. Nothing like the heat in Texas, though. There’s just not as much humidity here.” She paused. “But honestly, it’s not as primitive as I thought it would be. I mean, Lillian and Samuel have a refrigerator powered by propane, a gas stove, and modern plumbing.”

  Chloe offered up a loud bark, as if to remind them she was still there. Noah twisted his head around. “Hey, girl. I still love you.” He smiled in Carley’s direction. “Guess she’s used to having me all to herself.”

  Carley found that hard to believe. Surely the doctor had a steady supply of lady friends.

  “Anyway,” she went on, “I’m having trouble with their schedule. I don’t see why everything has to begin so early in the morning. I seem to start off tired in the morning, stay tired all day, and still have trouble falling asleep at eight or nine o’clock. Then it starts
all over at four thirty or five the next morning.”

  “The Amish are the most hardworking people on the planet.” His pride was evident.

  “I don’t know how Lillian does it. I try to help, but I need a nap around two or three.”

  “That’s why you’re not falling asleep at night.”

  “I guess.” She wondered if she was pulling her weight. She often left Lillian to finish the ironing, fold the clothes, or handle one of the many other chores that her friend tackled daily—while she was off catnapping. But it was her vacation.

  “How long are you staying?”

  “A month.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find lots to do while you’re here.”

  Vacation or not, she was feeling guilty. Maybe she’d start doing more to help her friend. “Lillian’s day is full. She takes care of the baby, tends to the garden, bakes pies, washes clothes, hangs them to dry, prepares three full meals . . . and her house is in perfect order.” She shook her head. “And Lillian is the happiest I’ve ever seen her.”

  “It’s the way of life and strong faith in God. That brings peace.”

  “But you left. Did you have that same peaceful feeling before you got your . . .”

  “Calling? Yes, I did. But when God called, I knew there was something else for me. During our rumschpringe, all my friends from Paradise spent their time going to Lancaster, watching movies and drinking beer.” He grinned. “All the things expected of teenage boys at that age. But I spent my time at Lancaster General Hospital. A non-Amish friend in Paradise was a resident at Lancaster General. Doc Eddington would take me to town in his car and let me hang out at the hospital. I read as many medical books as I could get my hands on. I just knew that I was meant to be a doctor. Later when I left the community, it was Doc who let me sleep on his couch and helped me get on my feet.”

  “Most people believe it to be such an honorable profession. I would think they would make an exception to the shunning.”

  There. She’d opened it up. Maybe now he would offer details of his secret.