by Sarah Price
Ellie gave him a kind smile.
“Oh, help!” Catherine stopped walking and glanced at the sky. “I better head back. I promised Wilma I’d help her bake some fresh blueberry pies to bring along tomorrow. I almost forgot!”
Henry did an about-face, waiting for his sister to do the same. “Then we shall walk you there. Can’t have you going back on your word to Wilma, can we now?”
Holding both of his arms at an angle, he waited for Ellie to link her arm with his. Then he looked at Catherine, nudging her with his elbow until she did the same. The three of them walked, arm-in-arm, back on the path in the direction from which they had just come, Catherine relishing her last few moments with her new good friends.
Chapter 14
Unlike the barn frolic, the gathering for the shop frolic was much smaller. Many of the older people, including the Andersons, sat on folding chairs under the shade of a large oak tree, drinking meadow tea and snacking on small pretzels. Nearby, the younger men worked on building the shop, which was going to be used for making harnesses. From what Catherine could see, it was going to be three rooms, two in the front of the building and one large room in the back. The inner wall would be removable so that, if needed, the building could be easily converted into a larger room for worship services or weddings.
The framing of the building was already erected when Catherine and the Andersons arrived. Children played in the large open field behind the house, and the younger women prepared the food. With the sun shining in the cloudless blue sky, it was the perfect summer day, a cool breeze keeping the heat at bay.
Now that Catherine had been introduced to some more people in Banthe, she found herself laughing and chatting with the other women as they prepared the noon meal. The pies that she had made the previous day with Wilma were already on the long table that several men had set up outside. She carried platters of cold cuts and bowls of chow chow to set in the center of the table. Other women were bringing sliced pickles, canned beets, and cooked ears of corn to the table. By the time everything was set up, it looked like a feast fit for Thanksgiving.
“Who is that man?” Ida Mae whispered into her ear when they had finished.
Catherine paused long enough from pouring water into the cups to glance up. “Which man?”
With a nod of her head, Ida Mae indicated the tall man standing beside Henry. They spoke with their heads bent together, their conversation obviously private and of great consequence. Other men were beginning to walk from the shop to the table, but Henry remained in deep conversation with that one man.
“Well, I’m sure I have no idea,” Catherine whispered back. “I haven’t seen him before.”
“Neither have I,” Ida Mae said with a slight catch in her throat that caused Catherine to turn toward her.
What she saw startled her. Her friend openly stared at the stranger, a slight smile on her lips. Catherine noticed that the man glanced in their direction, his own eyes assessing both young women. Henry leaned forward and said something to the man, who then studied Ida Mae, his eyes actually moving from her head to her toes and back again.
Rather than act insulted, Ida Mae lowered her eyes demurely.
“Ida Mae!” Catherine hissed and reached for her friend’s arm. “You should look away from him!”
“Oh, hush and bother, Catherine! A little admiration from a stranger never hurt anyone.”
Scarcely able to believe her ears, Catherine’s mouth opened agape. How could Ida Mae openly flirt with a complete stranger? Or anyone for that matter! Catherine’s temper flared and she said in a not-too-soft voice, “I reckon my bruder James would feel otherwise. You are, after all, engaged!”
With a petulant expression, Ida Mae glowered at Catherine. “You say that as if I’ve forgotten!” Then, just as suddenly, Ida Mae softened her expression and forced a small smile, batting her eyelashes. “Why, Catherine Miller, you know that your bruder James is the only man for me! It isn’t as if I asked that strange man to notice me. He did it of his own accord.”
But Catherine knew what she had seen and she didn’t like it one bit. “Encouraging his attention is just as bad as openly seeking it.”
Once again, Ida Mae narrowed her eyes and scowled at her. “Interesting words from my future sister-in-law, who just yesterday went walking during the day with that Henry Tilman!”
Catherine made a face, stunned by what Ida Mae had just said. There was nothing improper with taking a walk with Henry Tilman, especially since Ellie was with them. Their time together had been innocent enough. What bothered Catherine, however, was how Ida Mae was trying to turn the subject around to find fault with her, rather than take responsibility for her poor judgment in flirting with that strange man. “And what does that have to do with your engagement?” she asked in a bold voice.
“Nothing.” Her admission came fast and furious, along with her next comment. “But it does have something to do with yours.”
Catherine couldn’t help but laugh. “Mine? I’m not engaged to anyone.”
Suddenly, Ida Mae’s expression changed. She smirked in a way that made her appear sinister, and for a moment, Catherine found herself not caring for this new friend at all. The thought came to her in a flash, as she suddenly realized how many times Ida Mae had twisted situations for her own benefit.
Ida Mae raised an eyebrow and gave her a haughty look. “That’s not what my bruder John says. Why, he left me a letter at home. He told me that he had made you an offer to marry him, that you did not deny it, so he’s intending to speak to your daed along with James.”
Nothing could have shocked her more. Catherine gasped out loud and pressed her hand against her chest. How was it possible that John could come to such a conclusion? Not only did she barely know him, she wasn’t even certain if she liked him!
“Then there was a terrible miscommunication!” she said rapidly. “You must contact him at once, Ida Mae, before he says or does something that might make him feel foolish later!” She reached out and grabbed Ida Mae’s hands. “Please promise me! Surely he will contact you while he is away?”
Before she could question her friend further, someone called Catherine’s name. Momentarily distracted, Catherine turned in the direction of the voice and smiled when she saw Ellie hurrying toward her.
“Oh, there you are!” she said with an eagerness to her voice that caught Catherine off-guard. “I’ve been looking for you.”
“I’ve been in the kitchen the whole morning. You must not have been looking very hard,” Catherine teased gently.
Ellie gave a soft laugh. “Well, we have only just arrived fifteen minutes ago. We were waiting for my bruder, Freddie.”
Ah, Catherine thought as she glanced toward Henry once more. “So that’s who Henry is talking to, then?”
Nodding her head, Ellie continued talking, as Ida Mae edged away. “Ja, that’s Freddie. He’s come for a few days since we are leaving Saturday. That way, the farm will not be unattended for long.”
Once again, Catherine looked at Freddie. In some regards, he resembled Henry. They were both tall with dark hair and bright eyes. However, Freddie appeared more aged than Henry, his skin a creamy brown with deep wrinkles on his brow and under his eyes. The weathered appearance surprised Catherine for she knew that Freddie likely worked inside his shop during the day. And his mouth. It was set in a permanent scowl softened only by his tendency to raise just one eyebrow in a perfect arch.
She could not understand why, but she knew at once that she didn’t care for him.
“I spoke with my daed about something last evening,” Ellie said, redirecting Catherine’s attention to her. “And I had rather hoped …” She paused and her cheeks turned pink. Clearing her throat, she started talking again. “Well, I had an idea that I wanted to share with you. You see, it would make me rather happy …”
Her sentence remained unfinished as a deep male voice approached from behind. “Ah, Ellie!” Gid said in what could almost be called a cheerful manner. “I see tha
t you have found Catherine.” Behind him came Henry and Freddie, Henry watching her intently while Freddie looked around with a bored expression on his face.
“I’d like to introduce you to my oldest son,” Gid said.
Catherine glanced at Freddie, who merely raised an uninterested eyebrow at her and walked away. She made a face and thought she heard Henry stifle a laugh.
Gid, however, didn’t seem to notice his son’s rude behavior. “So, Ellie has spoken to you then, ja?” He didn’t wait for a response as he stared at the young woman. “And what say you to spending some time at Newbury Acres, then? Is that something that you might find of interest?”
Ellie lowered her eyes. “I hadn’t asked her yet, Daed,” she said in a soft, non-accusatory tone.
“Indeed?” Gid looked as surprised as Catherine felt. “Well, I reckon that I’ve just done that for you!” He turned to Catherine and forced a slight smile. “You see, Catherine, our time at Banthe is over for the summer. I’m prevailed upon to return to Newbury Acres to oversee the shop while Henry returns to the fields. I cannot leave Ellie here in the company of her older bruder, Freddie … it simply would not be proper.”
Catherine couldn’t help but wonder why that was so.
“Her one regret of leaving this place was that she’d have no more time to spend with you. So, if your parents could spare you for just another two weeks—and, with all those children, I imagine they could!—we’d like to invite you to be our guest at Newbury Acres. I’ve already checked with the Andersons, and they’ve given their consent that you may travel with us and not return to Farmington with them, if your parents agree.”
The misunderstanding with John Troyer was quickly forgotten as Catherine focused on this new, and much more pleasant, surprise.
“Why … why I’d be delighted to!” she managed to say. She glanced over Gid’s shoulder to see Henry standing there, his hands behind his back and a secretive expression upon his face. When their eyes met, he feigned a serious look, but she saw through it immediately. At once, she returned her attention to Henry’s father. “I mean, of course, I must speak with my parents for their approval to not return to Fullerton,” she said, politely correcting Gid of his error in regard to the name of her home town.
He didn’t appear to notice, or care. Instead, Gid nodded approvingly. “I imagined as much. I’m sure that Henry would be delighted to accompany you to the phone shanty down the lane so that you can make your inquiries. If there are no objections, we will look forward to departing from Banthe with you by ten o’clock sharp on Saturday morning.”
He waited for no further response. Turning on his heel, he wandered over to where some of the men were working on cutting boards for framework on the shop’s interior. He disappeared into the crowd, leaving Catherine speechless at the stroke of good fortune that had just befallen her.
Ellie gave her a soft smile. “I do hope your parents will agree,” she said. “How much fun we would have continuing our friendship from the comfort of our home.”
Of that, Catherine could not disagree.
Henry cleared his throat and took a step toward the road. “Shall we, Catherine?”
She looked at him in a questioning manner. “Hmm?”
With his hands still behind his back, something that had now become a familiar gesture to her, he shifted his eyes in the direction of the phone shanty. “Your phone call? I’ve been instructed to escort you.” He leaned over and whispered, “Cannot risk having you swept away by any wayward tourists or mischievous Amish men!”
“Oh! Ja!” Sheepishly, she suppressed a laugh, knowing that her cheeks flooded with color as she began to walk alongside Henry. Behind her, she thought she heard Ellie chuckle under her breath, but she was too embarrassed to look over her shoulder.
They walked in silence, the sounds of hammers and sawing slowly fading as they put some distance between themselves and the shop frolic. The farther away they walked, the louder was the noise of the gravel beneath their shoes.
“I must apologize for my bruder’s behavior,” Henry said at last.
“It should be Freddie apologizing, not you.”
He nodded his head once as if agreeing with her. “His ill manners shouldn’t be taken personally. It’s just how he is. He was just as disagreeable as a baby. It probably runs in the family, I reckon!”
“I’m surprised to hear that. Both you and Ellie are the most agreeable people I know!” Then, after his words hit her, she stopped walking. “Wait a minute. How would you know what Freddie was like as a baby? You weren’t even born yet!”
Henry laughed. “True. Very true! You’ve caught me!” He gestured for her to continue walking. In a more somber tone, he explained himself. “The truth is that my mother told me. Freddie was born early, had colic, and never seemed to learn how to get along with others.”
“Oh, dear!” She couldn’t imagine growing up with someone like that. It sounded as if the family had simply accepted Freddie’s poor behavior rather than try to correct it.
Taking a deep breath, Henry clutched his hands behind his back as they walked. “Maem always said that Ellie and I were her rewards for daring to have more children after experiencing Freddie.”
Catherine smiled at his jest.
“Ah, now here we are!” He gestured toward the small building that housed the neighborhood telephone. “The phone shanty!” He opened the door for her. “Take your time visiting with them. I’ll just wait out here.”
She was apprehensive about making the call. What if no one answered? What if her parents said that she could not go to Newbury Acres? She had, after all, been away for almost two weeks already. She lifted the handset and glanced over her shoulder at Henry. He stood on the other side of the door, staring into the distance. With a small sigh, Catherine dialed her parents’ phone number and said a silent prayer that someone was nearby.
Fortunately, one of her younger brothers happened to answer the phone, and after a long five-minute wait, her mother picked up the receiver.
Catherine explained the situation and posed her question, reassuring her mother that both of the Andersons approved of the Tilmans. However, as soon as Catherine mentioned Newbury Acres, she heard her mother catch her breath. Clearly, she was familiar with the name.
“Why … of course you may go visit with your new friend,” her mother said in a stiff voice. “Your schwesters have been helping out, and with the hay cut just before you left, there isn’t as much to do until the next cutting.”
“Oh, danke, Mamm!”
As Catherine hung up the phone, her hand lingering on the receiver, she could hardly believe that so much had changed in one day. Just an hour before, Catherine had been dreading the morning when the Tilmans would depart for Newbury Acres. She had several sleepless nights worrying about how she might stay in contact with both Ellie and Henry. The distance between their homes was far too great to travel by buggy, and it would be impractical to hire a driver. Now, however, time could not move fast enough for Catherine.
She stepped out of the phone shanty and faced Henry. She noticed that he watched her with more than simple curiosity. For a long moment, he stared at her, making no move to return to the gathering.
The intensity of his gaze caused her to catch her breath.
“She said I might go,” Catherine whispered, unable to look away from him.
“So, then it is settled.” His voice sounded deep and husky, as if he was saying one thing but meant something quite different.
Inside of her chest, her heart began to flutter and she felt a rush of warmth flood her body that, undoubtedly, colored her cheeks once again. She wanted to tear away her gaze, but she was transfixed. His blue eyes held hers, and if she didn’t know any better, she wondered if he might be thinking of reaching for her hand.
The noise of horse’s hooves and the rumbling of buggy wheels interrupted their moment. Catherine looked up, both relieved and disappointed by the distraction. To her shock, she saw Freddie a
nd Ida Mae in the open-topped buggy. Freddie drove it down the lane, one of his boots on the dashboard as he slapped the reins against the horse’s back and clicked his tongue. The horse lunged forward and Ida Mae squealed out, raising her head to touch the top of her prayer kapp as she laughed, which only encouraged Freddie to urge the horse to run even faster.
“Oh!”
Henry watched his brother, a dark shadow covering his face.
“Oh, no! Ida Mae!” Catherine cried out. She turned to look at Henry. “She shouldn’t be riding with him! My bruder, James …” She let the sentence trail off, unfinished in words but not in understanding.
Henry took a deep breath and gently reached out to touch her arm. “There are some things that are better left to the discretion of the people involved, ja?”
Or lack thereof, she thought. But, knowing what he meant, she nodded her head. Still her heart sank at the thought of her dear brother James talking with their father in Fullerton about his future with Ida Mae at the very moment that his beloved fiancée was enjoying the company of another man.
Chapter 15
“A letter?” Catherine asked. She sank into the sofa as Ida Mae paced the floor in front of her, the small envelope clutched in her hand.
Ida Mae had shown up at the Andersons’ cottage just a few minutes after ten o’clock Friday morning, distressed and pale. Catherine had barely had time to dry and put away the breakfast dishes. Fortunately, Duane and Wilma had left the house already. They were fishing that morning down at the edge of the lake closer to town. While they had invited Catherine to go along with them, she had politely declined. She had never gone fishing before and knew that she was too anxious to sit still for a long period of time. It was better for her to stay at the house. After all, she needed to wash her clothing and pack her bag for the following day’s journey to Newbury Acres.
“James sent you a letter?”
Ida Mae nodded her head. The white strings from her prayer kapp fell over her shoulders and Catherine realized that her friend had not tied them. “I … I thought he might just call me, but he sent this letter to my house instead. A driver dropped it off this morning.”