by Beth Wiseman
Esther looked over her shoulder and smiled, but it didn’t look like a real smile. Rose wasn’t sure what was going on, but she had definitely interrupted something important.
* * *
“It’s him,” Lizzie said right after she had closed the bedroom door. “Harvey Holden. I don’t know why we didn’t think of him earlier. He’s about our age, Englisch, and a widower. He’s your admirer.” She nudged Esther. “I knew I’d figure it out.”
Esther sat on Lizzie’s bed. “I actually thought about him earlier. But, Lizzie, the mailman—of all people—knows where we live. He wouldn’t have left the flowers at Amos and Naomi’s haus.”
Still standing, Lizzie’s lips puckered with annoyance. “He just did that to throw us off. Or a fancy florist delivered the flowers to the wrong address, like I said was possible before.”
Esther rolled her eyes. “It isn’t Harvey.” She thought about the other person who might be a contender.
“Ach, it might be. We’ll call him suspect number one.” Lizzie tugged on her ear, sighing. “He was right under our noses, and we didn’t even think about him.”
Esther grunted. “Suspect number one? This isn’t a murder investigation, Lizzie.”
Her sister sat down on the bed. They’d both had a decent nap, and the much-needed rest had felt good. “I-I did think of someone else,” she said meekly.
Lizzie gasped as her eyes rounded. “Who?”
“I’m sure it isn’t who sent the flowers, but . . .”
Lizzie bolted to a standing position. “Who?”
Esther swallowed hard before clearing her throat. “Maybe Edgar.”
Lizzie gasped again as she held up two fingers. “Suspect number two!”
“Ach, quit calling them suspects.” Esther sighed, but she was becoming more and more intrigued about who might have taken a fancy to her. Edgar Thompson was their yardman, and he came every Thursday.
“He’s in the running for sure.” Lizzie paced the bedroom, cupping her chin with one hand. “Age appropriate and also a widower.”
“Someone’s here.” Esther looked over her shoulder out the bedroom window. She waited until their visitor stepped out of the buggy. “It’s Jayce.”
Lizzie stopped pacing and they went into the living room. Lizzie rushed ahead, pushing open the screen door. “I am still getting used to seeing you in Amish clothes and with the short hair.” Lizzie grinned. “Even after all this time.”
“It’s a look that works for you, Jayce.” Esther hugged the boy, recalling the time he’d spent with them. Of all the folks she’d known to convert to their ways—and there weren’t very many—Jayce had been the most shocking of all. He was a levelheaded young man who had fallen in love with Evelyn Schrock. But Jayce came from a world filled with movie stars, fancy cars, and extravagant houses—luxuries Esther couldn’t even imagine. Jayce’s father made movies in Los Angeles. But giving Jayce and Evelyn a little push toward romance had been the right thing to do. Jayce had adapted naturally, and he and Evelyn were happy and expecting their first child.
“We’re always happy to see you.” Lizzie’s smiled faded. “Is everything all right?”
“Ya, ya.” Jayce scratched his cheek just above his short beard. “Do you remember when I was staying here, one of you made a stew? I said it was the best stew I’ve ever had, but I never got the recipe. Can I get that for Evelyn to make?”
“I made that, and Rose makes it sometimes now. Let me go see if I have it written down.” Esther went to the kitchen, thumbed through her little tin filled with recipes, then returned to the living room. She handed the small recipe card to Jayce. “You can keep it. I know it by heart, and if Rose doesn’t, I can write it down for her.”
“Thanks,” Jayce said. “I mean danki.”
Esther smiled. “Not to worry. Your Pennsylvania Deutsch continues to get better and better.”
“Guess what?” Lizzie sidled up to Jayce and looked up at him, speaking in a whisper. “Esther has a secret admirer.”
Esther rolled her eyes. “Lizzie . . .” The entire town was going to know, and Esther didn’t want to be the center of attention, especially over something like this.
“Really?” Jayce raised a curious eyebrow as he glanced at Esther. “And who might that be?”
Lizzie grunted, scowling. “Did you not hear me say secret admirer?”
Esther’s face was fire hot, she was sure. “It’s all quite silly really,” she said, keeping her eyes from meeting with Jayce’s.
“Someone sent Esther flowers and a mushy love note.” Lizzie folded her arms across her chest as she continued to look up at Jayce. “And we’ve got two suspects.”
Esther hung her head and shook it. When she looked up, Jayce was grinning ear to ear. “You can forget about your suspects. I know exactly who your secret admirer is.”
Esther met his amused expression in less than a second and waited, her heart pounding against her chest.
Jayce pointed over his shoulder. “It’s Gus.”
Esther shook her head. “Nee, it’s not. That’s what Lizzie thought, too, but I asked him about it.”
Jayce chuckled. “I don’t care what he said. He practically told me as much one time.” He paused, scratching his cheek again. “Well, maybe he didn’t exactly come out and say it, but I could tell. Trust me, it’s Gus.” He spoke the last part of his statement with such confidence, Esther’s stomach roiled.
Lizzie stomped her foot. “I told you so. I told you so. I told you so. Just bury me now.”
Esther recalled Gus’s response. Esther, do I look like the type of man who sends flowers to a woman? “I just don’t think so,” Esther said, barely above a whisper.
“By the way, where is the old guy?” Jayce grinned. “You know I like to stop by and give him a hard time. But I didn’t see his truck yesterday, and it’s not there now.”
It was an odd friendship between Gus and Jayce, but for some reason Gus tolerated Jayce the same way he did Esther.
“Gone forever, I hope.” Lizzie lifted her chin as she pressed her lips into a thin line.
Esther thought about what they’d done yesterday, which was a bunch of nothing. “I don’t recall seeing his truck yesterday either. Or today. Hmm . . .” Gus ran to town for supplies, but she couldn’t think of a time when he had stayed away from home overnight.
“Wie bischt, Jayce.” Rose’s bare feet descended the stairs, and she joined them in the living room.
“Hey, Rose. I’m helping these lovely ladies figure out who Esther’s secret admirer is. It was pretty easy.” He waved before he turned to leave. “Danki for the recipe, Esther.”
After he was gone, Esther and Lizzie looked at Rose. Her mouth was agape, so Lizzie quickly told her about the flowers and card. The girl was going to have a lot to say about this. Esther braced herself.
Rose sighed. “It’s Gus, isn’t it?”
Lizzie clenched her fists at her sides and groaned before she headed toward the kitchen. “I think I feel a cough coming on.”
“You stay out of that cough syrup, Lizzie.” Esther spoke with authority, knowing Lizzie would do what she wanted. The honey and lemon concoction—with a touch of rum—was reserved for illness. Well, it was supposed to be.
Esther locked eyes with Rose, waiting for her to elaborate in detail, but Rose just shook her head. “Esther . . .” Rose eyed her with sympathy. “I think it is Gus.”
Chapter 5
By Thursday, Rose had fallen into a slump. She took care of her household duties but mostly stayed in her room. If Benjamin had wanted to see her, he would have called or visited by now. She lay back on her bed, her legs dangling over the side, and fought the urge to cry.
She could talk to Naomi or Evelyn, but there had already been enough discussion about poor Rose’s love life. Maybe it was time for her to go back to Ohio. She’d had plenty of reasons to leave her hometown, with no plans to return. But perhaps living there was still a better alternative than staying in
a place with a limited number of available men. Even though the move to Montgomery hadn’t been solely to find a husband, a new location had given her hope at the possibility. She refused to be a burden by moving in with one of her siblings. Her only choice would be to move back in with her mother. She cringed when she thought about it.
There were three knocks on the door. “Can I come in?”
Rose sat up and took a deep breath. “Ya, Lizzie, come in.”
Lizzie peeked her head in, then eased open the door and walked to the middle of the room. “What’s going on with you?”
Rose had tried to appear upbeat around Esther and Lizzie, but it was getting harder and harder. “Nothing.”
Lizzie stomped across the room and sat down on the bed, twisting to face Rose. “That’s it? Nothing? Hon, I lieb you, but you always have more to say than that. Now, tell me what has you so upset?”
Rose fought the sentences scrambling around in her mind, and she couldn’t hold back anymore. “I haven’t heard from Benjamin. If he was interested in me, he would have made contact. And I feel horrible that I let him kiss me, but I could tell he wanted to, and I wanted him to, and I’m sure I shouldn’t have told you and Esther. I’m hoping Benjamin didn’t tell anyone. Could it be that I’m just not pretty enough? I know that shouldn’t matter, but my failure to find someone to love me makes me think there’s something unattractive about me. I even thought about going back to Ohio. Sometimes I miss mei family, but . . .” She paused, lost in recollections for a few seconds. “I really don’t want to do that. And I think of you and Esther as family. I don’t understand why”—she pressed her lips closed and held her breath before blowing it out slowly—“I talk too much.”
Lizzie shrugged. “And I shuffle mei teeth around, and sometimes I spit them out. I know I snore.” She rolled her eyes. “Esther reminds me of it. And I have no tolerance for people who ask dumb questions, and I react to our guests in ways I shouldn’t sometimes. I’m terrified of those wicked cats running around outside. And sometimes I envision ways to poison Gus, which I wouldn’t do, but the thought entertains me when I’m bored.” She put a hand on Rose’s knee. “Mei maedel, we all have quirky things, and when the right person comes along, you’ll know it. As for talking a lot”—Lizzie shrugged again—“you just have a lot of things going on in your mind all at once.”
Rose was tempted to tell Lizzie that she’d overheard her and Esther talking about how chatty she was, not to mention the times they’d sat her down to discuss it in a gentle manner. But Rose knew they loved her, and she didn’t want them to feel badly. “I’m working on being a better listener. I really am interested in other people, how they feel, their wants and needs, but it’s as if all my thoughts come out of mei mouth before I get the sentences organized.”
“I know you must miss your family, but I’ll be selfishly hoping you don’t decide to go back to Ohio.” Lizzie patted her leg before she eased her hand away. “The Lord always has a plan, and He has a plan for you.” She stood up and sighed. “We have guests coming tomorrow around noon, just so you know. Three Englisch women from Texas. I’m betting they won’t last past the first night in this heat.”
Rose nodded. “I’ll have everything ready.”
After Lizzie left, Rose took her keepsake box from underneath the bed. Then she thumbed through the contents, the way she had been doing recently. It wasn’t a healthy ritual. Some things were better left behind and not recalled daily. And as she thought more about it, she was sure she could never go back home.
* * *
Esther lowered the gardening magazine she was reading when she heard Lizzie coming down the stairs.
As Lizzie hit the landing, she shook her head and said, “I really thought Benjamin was the man for Rose. She’s upset because she hasn’t heard from him.”
“Just because one of them is an introvert and the other an extrovert, that doesn’t mean it’s a perfect match.” Even though it was the truth, Esther still felt for the girl.
Lizzie sat in one of the rocking chairs, crossed one leg over the other, and kicked it into motion. “Well, there was definitely an attraction or he wouldn’t have kissed her.”
“Maybe that’s all it was, just a physical attraction they both acted on.” Esther looked over her shoulder and out the window toward Gus’s cottage.
“Stop worrying about that grump.” Lizzie slipped on a pair of gold reading glasses and picked up her Bible. Ironic since her serious dislike of Gus didn’t line up with the Lord’s teachings.
“He’s never been gone this long since he’s rented the cottage.” Esther didn’t want Gus’s romantic affections—which she still found hard to believe—but she cared about the man.
“If it makes you feel any better, I talked to Naomi this morning. Gus is alive and well . . . somewhere.”
“How do you know that?” Esther closed the magazine and put it in her lap.
“Gus called Naomi Tuesday and said he might not be home for a few days. He asked her to leave food and water out on his porch for the cats. I think Naomi and Gus share custody of those wretched creatures, but they are mostly at Gus’s haus.” Lizzie shivered as she squeezed her eyes shut. “He is probably training them to attack me in mei sleep.”
Esther shook her head. “They are just cats, and I am relieved to hear that Gus is all right.” She paused, tipped her head to one side. “I wonder where he is.”
Lizzie scrunched up her face and squeezed her eyes closed again. “Esther, if you get romantically involved with Gus, just throw me in a grave and cover me with dirt.”
“Ach, stop it. There hasn’t been and never will be anything romantic with me and Gus.” Sighing, she shook her head again. “Such nonsense. But I am concerned.”
“I’m sure he’s fine.” Lizzie spoke with less venom, almost in a comforting way. Sometimes Esther wasn’t convinced her sister despised Gus as much as she let on. But their sparring had become a way of life, more a battle of wits sometimes. “Maybe he went to visit his dochder,” Lizzie added.
“Nee. They haven’t seen each other since she came to that little mini movie preview Jayce’s father held. His dochder—Heather—accepted Gus’s money he received for his part in the show, then to my knowledge, Gus never heard from her again.”
Esther had thought that was a horrible thing to do, attending just to get money from her father. But Gus said she deserved it, that he hadn’t been a good father. It didn’t sound like Heather was a good woman, but it wasn’t Esther’s place to pass judgment.
“Did you let Rose know we have guests tomorrow?” Esther was looking forward to visitors. Rose had been unusually quiet.
“Ya. And even though she’s sad, she was talkative.”
Esther was glad to hear that. Somewhere along the line, she had gotten used to Rose’s chatter. Even though it contributed to her headaches sometimes, her silence was worse. The ticking clock on the mantel seemed to reverberate off the walls when all was still and quiet. Esther hadn’t realized how much she missed the girl’s vivacious ways.
They were quiet for a while, then Esther stood up. “I’m going to the barn to call the Bedford and Bloomington hospitals.” She peered at Lizzie. “And I don’t want to hear one word about it. I do consider Gus a friend, despite what others might feel.”
To Esther’s surprise, Lizzie stayed quiet, and Esther left the room and went to the barn. Bedford was a small hospital, whereas Bloomington was larger. She decided to call Bedford first and was surprised when the woman who answered the phone confirmed that there was a Gus Owens who was admitted Sunday. Four days ago. But the woman wouldn’t give Esther any information about Gus’s condition or say what he was being hospitalized for. After she hung up, she called for a driver. Bedford was too far to go by buggy—forty miles. Doable if absolutely necessary, but not in this heat.
“I’ll go with you,” Lizzie said after Esther came back in the house and told her sister she’d be leaving soon.
Esther slipped into her
loafers by the door. “Why? You can’t stand the man.” She faced Lizzie, who was getting up from the rocking chair. “What if he hurt himself when he fell off our porch Saturday night? If he went to the hospital Sunday, that could be why.” Esther put a hand to her chest. “I hope this isn’t our fault.”
“Gus does what Gus wants. You know that. We didn’t ask him to sit vigil on the porch watching for stalkers. Dense old man.” Lizzie shrugged. “Besides, I know how much you hate hospitals and anything to do with medical stuff.”
Her sister was right, and Esther didn’t relish the idea of going inside any hospital, but she had to know if Gus was all right. “Can you go let Rose know we’re leaving? My knees scream every time I have to go up those stairs.”
Lizzie bolted up to the second story with the energy of a teenager, and when she returned, they went out on the porch to wait for the driver.
By the time they reached the hospital, Esther had concocted plenty of reasons Gus could be a patient. Cancer, heart problems, an injury from falling off the porch, or a possible fall inside the cottage. Whatever it was, he had been well enough to drive himself, and that was a good sign.
Lizzie followed Esther to the entrance of the hospital, but Esther’s feet didn’t want to take the final few steps inside. “I dislike the smell of hospitals. And there is so much sickness, and—”
Her sister looped an arm through hers and eased Esther over the threshold when the automated doors opened. “It’s also a place where babies are born and new life begins. Envision all those mommies with new kinner and the lieb they are feeling toward those precious gifts.”
Esther forced her feet to move and went inside, trying to do as Lizzie said, which was nearly impossible with the smells of the medical facility assaulting her senses.
After she was told what room Gus was in and that he was allowed visitors, Esther padded down the long hallway until she got to room 221. Lizzie chose to stay in the waiting room, which was probably a good idea. No reason to upset Gus since he was sick.
Esther stood outside the door and wondered if Gus would be hooked up to all kinds of tubes and monitors. Would he be fighting pain? Would he be happy to see her, or angry that she’d come? Then she heard soft laughter and pushed the door open.