She opened her mouth to object, then shut it as their gazes locked. Was he expecting her to argue? Instead, Emma went to the barn’s rear door that opened directly into a fenced pasture. Emma started to pull the door but then Daniel was there tugging it with her. It slid open, and she went back to let the first of three horses out into the paddock.
Daniel followed her and led the other two horses together. Emma sighed. She knew how to do this. She’d learned as a child while helping her grandfather. Of course, Daniel didn’t know that. Once the horses were outside. She went over to check the horse water trough and saw that it needed to be refilled. As she turned to head back, Daniel stood waiting for her. “The water trough needs to be refilled.”
He nodded at her and waved her to follow him. They found buckets inside the barn and left through the front door. Daniel showed her where there was an outside water pump. He pumped the handle after she set a bucket under the spigot. When pail was full, she moved it out of the way and replaced it with the empty one. When both were filled, Emma grabbed a bucket while Daniel picked up the other. She felt sure he had planned to carry them both, but these were her chores, and she wasn’t about to allow him to believe that she didn’t have the gumption or the strength to carry them out.
They emptied the buckets into the trough. After that, Emma looked to Daniel to see what he wanted to do next.
“Chickens?” she asked.
He nodded. This time she didn’t wait for him but went inside and filled a pail with chicken feed. “Can I let them out before I feed them?” she asked, knowing that she’d done it when she was a young girl.
A flicker of surprise in Daniel’s brown eyes as he nodded gave her a feeling of satisfaction. She opened the fence around the chicken coop and threw down feed in the yard. Emma watched with a smile as the hens and one rooster gobbled it up. When she was ready for them to go back inside, she tossed some grain into the fenced enclosure and watched as they headed back in.
“You’ve done that before,” Daniel said after she’d closed the gate and faced him.
Emma nodded. “When I was little, my grandparents lived on a farm.” They most probably still did, but she didn’t know for sure whether or not they were even alive. A sharp pang in her heart hit her hard as she remembered how much she’d loved her mother’s parents. Had they missed her at all? According to her mother, her grosseldre would have pushed thoughts of their shunned relatives from their mind. That leaving the community had made them shunned sinners hurt Emma. She’d had a hard time adjusting to the English life as a young child. Eventually, she’d gotten used to it. But she’d still missed her Amish family and friends.
You can never go back. Her parents had drilled it into her over and over, especially when she’d begged to visit her grandparents. After her parents died, she’d felt more alone than ever before. No mother or father. No aunts or uncles. No grandparents or cousins. No one.
“Emma?” Daniel’s concerned voice drew her attention, and she realized that he’d called her name several times before she’d looked at him.
“Ja?”
He eyed her with a gentle expression. “Are you oll recht?”
She managed a smile. “I’m fine,” she lied. “What next?” she asked, trying to distract him from asking any questions.
“We can let the goats out with the horses, then we should be finished.”
“That doesn’t seem like enough work for me to do,” she murmured.
Daniel regarded her with a smile. “I’m sure Missy will think of something else for you to do eventually. ’Tis your first morning. Enjoy it while you can.”
Emma chuckled. “I will.”
When they were done, they headed toward the house. Emma was conscious of Daniel beside her. Had he come early just to help her get acquainted with her chores? She realized that she should have asked Arlin the night before how he liked the animals cared for, but she’d taken care of farm animals in the past. She didn’t think she’d have any trouble. Still, having Daniel beside her as she worked this morning helped. She hadn’t given a thought that Arlin and Missy might do things differently here. Emma knew she wouldn’t be quick to assume they did anything the same in the future.
“Do you have some time for another cup of coffee?” Missy asked as Emma, followed by Daniel, entered the kitchen.
Emma glanced at Daniel, saw him nod. “That would be wunderbor,” he said.
A quick note of the time on the kitchen wall clock showed her that it was only seven. Daniel originally hadn’t been due to arrive for another hour and a half yet.
“Sit,” Missy ordered when Emma hovered, wanting to help.
She took a seat, and this time Daniel sat next to her.
“Did you get the animals fed?” Arlin asked as he cradled his coffee mug.
“Ja,” Emma said. She felt self-conscious. “’Tis still early. Surely there is something else you’d like me to do.”
Missy smiled as she set down two mugs of coffee. “Did you make your bed?”
Emma nodded. “Of course.” She’d made her bed since she’d been old enough to learn how.
“Then relax. Keep my nephew company. You can help with the laundry tomorrow if you’d like.”
After flashing a quick, shy look in Daniel’s direction, Emma took a small sip from her coffee. “I can do laundry.” She could feel Daniel’s gaze on her. She avoided looking at him but couldn’t ignore his scent—of soap and outdoors.
“Do you need help getting your corn in?” Daniel asked Arlin after a moment of silence.
“Are you offering?”
“I’d be happy to help. There isn’t much. With a little help, we could get it done in a morning.”
“I could ask my sons-in-law.”
“You’ve got other nephews, too,” Daniel pointed out.
“True. James will be busy at his vet clinic, and Henry will be helping Leah at the store.”
“I’ll be there to help Leah,” Emma pointed out.
Daniel captured her attention. His brown eyes warmed as he studied her. “That would work.” He turned his gaze on Arlin. “Joseph could use the experience. Not that he hasn’t had any, but he’ll be taking over the farm someday, so the more experience he gets the better.”
“I’ll ask Reuben,” Arlin said. “He’ll want to help.”
Emma immediately pictured the man who was married to Leah’s sister Ellie. The woman and her husband were both blond-haired and had blue eyes. They will have beautiful children. She felt a longing for something she most probably would never have. A husband and children. What man would want a runaway foster child with no extended family? She thought longingly again of her mother’s Amish family, and her chest hurt. Even after all these years, she still felt the loss.
She sat listening quietly to Arlin and Daniel’s discussion. At first tense, Emma soon relaxed and enjoyed sitting at a kitchen table with people who obviously cared about one another. Whenever someone asked her a question or her opinion, she felt included, something she hadn’t experienced in years. Feeling accepted. Although her time in Happiness would be short, she knew that once she left she’d never forget everyone’s kindness.
She enjoyed hearing the conversation among Daniel and his aunt and uncle. She learned about his siblings, especially his sister Hannah, the youngest and only girl, who had seven older brothers. Daniel expressed concern about the fact that it was time for Hannah to go on rumspringa. Apparently, Hannah had always been bold, and he was afraid she’d get into trouble in the English world.
Emma was amazed by Daniel’s concern for his family. She wished she had siblings to enjoy. A brother or a sister. Either one would have made her childhood less lonely. Her first foster family had grown children who didn’t live at home. The Turners’ children, Kent and Melanie, didn’t want her as a sibling. In fact, they hadn’t wanted her at the house at all.
&nb
sp; “I guess we should go.” Daniel stood abruptly, drawing her glance.
She was surprised that it was just after eight thirty. Emma was startled that the time had gone so fast. “Are you done with your coffee?’ she asked Arlin and Missy.
“Nay,” the older bearded man said. “I think I’ll sit a while longer with my wife.”
Emma smiled as she stood and picked up her and Daniel’s mugs. She took the dishes to the sink and washed and dried them. After putting them away in the cabinet, she reached for her sweater, which she’d hung on a wall hook, then met Daniel’s gaze. “I’m ready.”
“Wait!” Missy said. She got up and pulled two paper bags from the refrigerator. “Lunch for each of you.” She handed her and Daniel their lunches. “Fresh roast beef on homemade bread. I put a bag of potato chips in there as well.” She smiled. “And an apple. You need to get your nourishment.” Her eyes crinkled with warmth. “Have a gut day. Emma, enjoy your first day at work.”
Emma stared down at the paper lunch bag and was overcome with emotion. “Danki,” she whispered. She heard Daniel talking with the Stoltzfuses as she headed outside to regain control of her emotions. Daniel stepped outside moments later. She followed him to his buggy and waited, knowing that he would insist upon helping her get in.
“Are you ready for your first day at work?” Daniel asked after she was seated.
“I’m a bit nervous, but I’ll learn quickly. I’ll make sure that Leah is never sorry she hired me.”
Daniel didn’t say anything, but she could tell he was worried.
Emma sighed silently. No doubt worried about Leah and Henry, she thought. He’d been reluctant to trust her from the first. I’ll prove to him that I’m a good worker.
Fifteen minutes later the store loomed ahead and to the right. Emma was quiet as Daniel pulled in front of the building and waited for her to get out.
“Danki, Daniel.”
“I’ll be back for you at four thirty. Leah said you’ll be done working by then.”
His sudden cool, detached tone made her want to refuse the ride home. “I can walk home.”
“Nay, it will be nearly dark by then. I’ll be here when you’re ready to leave.”
She frowned. If she couldn’t walk to work, how could she get to the store without inconveniencing anyone, especially Daniel? Emma thought of the times her grandfather had briefly allowed her to take the reins of his buggy. She’d been fearless and grossdaddi had been pleased with her. Could she drive herself?
Daniel was at her side of the buggy before she could move. He helped her out.
“I’ll see you at four thirty,” he told her again before he climbed back in, then drove away.
“Not if I find another way home first,” she muttered as she watched his vehicle disappear from sight. The man confused her. She liked him. How could she not? But yet she knew he saw her as an inconvenience.
She scowled as she headed toward the door in the storefront. Did he come to help with the animals because he hadn’t trusted her to handle the job?
Emma briefly closed her eyes as she recalled Daniel’s kindness since she had told him about her foster family.
Or had he come because he cared?
Chapter Five
Emma was nervous as she entered Yoder’s Country Crafts and General Store. Bells jingled as she walked through the door. She hesitated a moment, then moved toward the counter where Leah and Henry stood, blond heads close, bent over something between them. Henry was dressed in a maroon shirt with black suspenders but no hat, and Emma recalled that Amish men took them off whenever they came inside any building, except perhaps a barn. Although she couldn’t see, she suspected Henry’s pants were also black. Leah looked lovely in a purple dress with white cape and apron. A white prayer kapp rested on her pinned-back blond hair. She and Henry made a striking couple.
“Gut morning,” Emma greeted.
Leah looked up, smiled. “Hallo, Emma.”
Emma met her friend’s husband’s gaze. “Hallo, Henry.” His expression wasn’t as welcoming as it had been yesterday, and she wished she could read his thoughts. “Where would you like me to start? Do you need me to restock the shelves?”
Surprise flickered in Henry’s blue eyes. “That sounds like a fine idea.”
Emma smiled. “I’ll be happy to help with that. If you’ll show me where to find what I need...”
Leah frowned. “Emma, I don’t want you carrying heavy boxes.”
“I’m stronger than I look.” She locked gazes with Henry, pleaded silently with her eyes.
She saw his lips curve. “I’ll show you what needs to be done.” He turned to his wife. “And I’ll carry any heavy boxes out for her,” he assured Leah.
“Danki, husband,” she heard Leah whisper. The love in her friend’s eyes for Henry was clearly heartfelt.
Emma followed Henry into the back room. He showed her a small room filled with stacks of boxes. “This is our storage room.” He held the door open for her to precede him.
Emma stepped inside. “Henry,” she said, “I’ll work hard for you and Leah.” She inhaled sharply. “I promise. Leah has been a friend when I really needed one.”
Henry gazed at her silently for a long time. “She cares about you,” he murmured.
“I know. And I care about her. Someday I’ll be able to repay her—and you—for everything you’ve done for me.”
“There isn’t any need,” he said. As if the topic made him uncomfortable, Henry became businesslike. “Those boxes hold nonperishable food items. You can start with those. I’ll carry them out for you.”
Emma nodded. “Okay.”
“Ja,” he corrected with a little smile.
“Sorry.”
Henry arched an eyebrow. “No need to apologize.” The man grinned.
He carried out two boxes for her, one at a time. The first box held packages of dried corn mix. When she asked him about them, he explained, “Englishers like to buy it. ’Tis the easy way to make dried corn casserole. Have you ever had it?”
“I’ve tasted it.” She’d done more than that. She’d eaten it many times, even after her family had left their community. They’d loved dried corn casserole. Emma hadn’t had it since her parents died.
“Did you like it?”
Emma nodded.
“Leah will have to make it for you,” he said with a smile. “She’s a gut cook.”
“Missy is, too. I’ve never eaten as much as I did last night at dinner with your mother-and father-in-law,” she confessed. In fact, she wasn’t used to being properly fed.
“All the Stoltzfus sisters are fine cooks,” Henry said as he set the second box close to where she needed to unpack it.
Emma smiled. “I’ve met them—Charlie and Ellie.”
“Leah has four sisters.”
“Four!” she exclaimed.
“Ja. Nell is the oldest. She’s married to James Pierce, a veterinarian. He was an Englisher who joined the Amish church because he loved her.”
“That’s...” Sweet, she thought, but didn’t say it.
“It has worked out for them.”
“So, Nell is the oldest, then who? Leah?”
“Ja.”
“Leah what?” The woman in question approached with a smile.
“Henry is telling me about your sisters. I thought you only had two, but he said there are five of you.”
“Ja, Nell is first, then me, then Meg is in the middle. She’s married to Peter Zook. They have a little boy, Timothy.”
“Who is next?”
“Ellie, then Charlie.”
“I like them,” Emma said. “They were kind to me.” She bit her lip. “You told them about me.”
“I told Charlie.” Leah looked slightly uncomfortable. “I know I said I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I knew I woul
dn’t be at the house after I married, and I wanted someone to be there for you when you returned.”
Feeling emotional, Emma blinked rapidly. “Danki.” She bent quickly to pull four boxes of dried corn from the case.”
“When you’re done with the shelves, find me and I’ll show you how to ring up sales,” Leah said.
Nodding, Emma went to work, grateful that the couple left her alone to do the job, as if they trusted she wouldn’t mess up. She put out stock and rearranged shelves, moving the older product forward while putting the new in the back. It didn’t take her long. She picked up one box with the merchandise there was no room for and carried it toward the back of the store.
“Emma, you don’t have to do that,” Leah said.
Emma hefted the box higher. “’Tis light. Only a few boxes left inside.”
Leah looked relieved. “When you’re done putting that away, join me behind the counter.”
She nodded, put the box back into the storage room, then returned out front to get the other one. The box wasn’t as light as the first one since it held canned goods, but it wasn’t too heavy that she couldn’t manage it. She breezed past the counter into the back where Henry saw her.
“All done?” he asked.
“Ja. Leah wants me behind the counter as soon as I put this away.” She paused. “I moved the older items up front before I added the new. That’s the right way, ja?”
Henry regarded her with approval. “’Tis correct.”
She beamed at him, feeling ten feet tall, then went to join Leah.
* * *
Daniel steered his buggy toward the main office of the construction company where he worked. Today they would be starting a new project. The office meeting was to let the crews know where they would be working in the coming weeks. As he drove into the lot next to the building and parked, he couldn’t help but worry how Emma would make out at the Yoders’ store. Was it a good idea to trust her? How could they be sure she wouldn’t steal from them and then flee? If not for work, he would have hung out at the store for a while, see how Emma was doing. As if she wouldn’t guess what you were doing?
Finding Her Amish Love Page 5