by Amy Clipston
Ian grinned. “Wunderbaar.”
Eva sidled up to her mother as she scraped mashed potatoes from a pot into a serving dish. “May I help you?”
Mamm paused for a fraction of a moment, as if surprised by the offer. “That would be great.” She pointed to a bowl of salad. “Would you please take that to the table? The bottles of dressing are in the refrigerator.”
Eva helped carry all the food to the table and then sat down across from Ian. Her mother sat down across from her father, and after a silent prayer, they all began filling their plates with salad, roast beef, mashed potatoes, and green beans.
After Eva ate a bite of roast beef, she looked at Mamm. “It’s appeditlich.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Mamm smiled, but the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Did you have a nice trip?” Dat asked.
“Ya, it was gut. The hours went by quickly, but I’m sure Junior thinks it’s been too long since we ate our lunch on the bus.” Eva took a roll from the basket in the center of the table and then pushed the basket toward Junior. “Do you want brot?”
“Ya.” Junior swiped a roll from the basket.
“Ian,” Eva began, and his eyes snapped to hers. “Would you please cut it open and butter it for him?”
“Of course.” Ian reached for the roll. “Let me help you with that, buddy.”
As Ian sliced open the roll and buttered it, Eva watched him, truly taking him in for the first time since seeing him at the bus station. He was the same Ian she remembered from their childhood and early years as adults, but maturity had made his chiseled cheekbones, strong jaw, and long, thin nose somehow more defined.
Then it hit her that he was clean-shaven. He was thirty years old and still unmarried. Why hadn’t he settled down and married one of the young women in the community?
“Eva?”
“Ya?” She spun toward her father.
“How is everyone doing since you lost Simeon?” Dat’s expression was warm.
“Oh.” She paused, caught off guard by the question. “We’re all managing.”
Mamm nodded, her expression solemn.
“But the restaurant keeps everyone busy.” Eva finished cutting her slice of roast beef.
“What kind of food do they serve there?” Mamm asked.
“They have a variety, and then a daily special.”
Her parents and Ian asked questions about her life in Ronks throughout the meal and as they ate dessert—her mother’s homemade cherry pie and coffee. Then Eva stood and began gathering plates and utensils, amazed they had all seemed so interested.
“Well, we’d better get started on the chores.” Dat stood and turned to Junior. “Do you still want to help close up the chicken coop?”
“Ya.” Junior looked up at Eva. “Is that okay, Mamm?”
“Of course it is.” Eva carried the stack of dishes and utensils to the counter and turned on the faucet at the sink.
“Let’s go.” Ian pushed his chair back and stood. “It will be dark before we know it.” Then he followed Dat and Junior through the mudroom and out the back door.
As Eva put dishwashing liquid in the filled sink, she thought it seemed strange that Ian not only had stayed for supper but was now helping her father with evening chores. He must still be helping them part-time. But even so, why would he be working in the evening? He never did before.
“Are you and Junior settled upstairs?”
Eva turned toward the counter as her mother lifted the first dish Eva put in the drying rack. “Ya, danki. We’ll be very comfortable.” She washed another plate as questions from earlier swirled through her mind. “Did you set up the extra room just for Junior?”
Mamm nodded as she set the plate she’d just dried in a cabinet. “I did.”
“Did you buy those toys for him?”
“Ya. I thought he might like to have a few to play with while he’s here.”
“A few?” Eva gave a little laugh. “I saw at least two dozen.”
Mamm shrugged. “I spotted them at a yard sale and couldn’t resist. I wanted to be ready for him in case you ever decided to bring him for a visit.”
Eva spun toward her mother. “You mean you’ve had them for a while?”
“I picked up some of them last year and then found a few more about a month ago.”
“Did you make that quilt?”
Mamm hesitated and then nodded. “I made it for Junior when he was born. I was going to mail it to you, but I decided to save it for a visit. I’m just grateful he can have it now.” Her eyes sparkled. Were they wet with tears, just as they were when she and Junior first arrived?
Eva’s jaw worked as her mother’s words marinated in her mind. Mamm had been preparing for this visit for a long time. Then why had she never invited them to come home? Why had she kept her distance other than writing a few skimpy letters every year?
Pushing the questions away, Eva turned back to the sink. She and her mother continued to wash and dry dishes in an amicable silence, and then Mamm wiped down the table as Eva swept the floor.
After draping her dishrag on one side of the sink, Mamm held up the kettle. “Would you like to have a cup of tea on the back porch like we used to?”
“Ya, that would be nice,” Eva said as she finished sweeping the crumbs into the dustpan.
Mamm filled the kettle and set it on the propane stove before taking tea bags from a cabinet.
Eva decided to ask her most burning question as she set the dustpan and broom back in the pantry. “I assume Ian is still helping Dat part-time. But why is he helping with the evening chores?”
Mamm seemed to hesitate for a moment.
“Well, because he helps your dat run the farm full-time now. I know I never mentioned it in my letters, but Ian lives in the daadihaus too. I just thought—”
“What?” Eva pushed the pantry door closed and stared at her mother. “For how long?”
Mamm sighed and dropped the tea bags into two mugs. “I guess it’s five years now. Ian’s been a great support to us. He handles most of the heavy chores.”
Eva was stunned, not only because her mother had withheld this information, but because an unwelcome thought came to her. Was Ian looking for a farm to take over? He was the second oldest of four boys, so he would never inherit and run his parents’ farm. That privilege would go to his older brother. Yet when they were teenagers, Ian told her he dreamed of owning a farm of his own someday.
How dare he move in on her parents after she left! He wasn’t their son, and this wasn’t his farm! This farm was supposed to belong to her someday, and then she could pass it on to Junior if he wanted it.
“You recall how Ian used to help your dat part-time before you moved away,” Mamm said. “They worked it out so he could be here full-time and permanently.”
Guilt slammed into her as yet another thought came. Did she even deserve the farm? Had she not just left it, but abandoned it?
No, that wasn’t the point. Ian’s betrayal was the point.
The kettle began to whistle, and Mamm poured hot water into the mugs. After steeping the tea bags, she dropped them into the trash can and then handed Eva her mug.
“Danki,” Eva muttered as she followed Mamm out to the back porch.
Eva lowered herself into her favorite rocker and moved it back and forth as she stared out toward the line of barns. Her thoughts spun with resentment toward Ian as she sipped her tea. He’d been her friend. She’d trusted Ian, and she never imagined he’d worm his way into her parents’ life this way. This farm had been passed down through three generations of the Bender men, and Ian had no right to it.
“It’s a schee night. Not too hot yet, but the heat is coming soon.” Mamm cradled her mug in her hands as she moved her own rocking chair back and forth. “In a couple of weeks, it will be the first day of summer.”
“The year is passing quickly.” Eva set her mug on the small table beside her and took in the horizon. The sun had begun to
set over her father’s pasture, painting the sky with vivid splashes of red, pink, yellow, orange, and purple. She’d forgotten just how beautiful her father’s land was.
“Mamm! Mamm!” Junior called as he exited the fencing around the chicken coop and ran toward the back porch. Dat and Ian followed at a slower pace. “Guess what I got to do.”
Her anger dissolved, and warmth filled her chest as her son bounded up the back steps. “What did you do, mei liewe?”
“Daadi and Ian let me help check on the horses and cows.” He came to a stop in front of her and worked to catch his breath. “And I also closed up the chicken coop.”
“That’s wunderbaar,” Eva said.
“I’m sure you were a great help to your daadi and Ian,” Mamm chimed in.
“Oh ya.” Eva looked at her mother. “He enjoys helping his onkel Nathan with chores back home too.”
Something unreadable flickered in Mamm’s eyes as her smile faded. Was it jealousy toward the Dienner family because of their relationship with Junior?
Regret came calling again. She could have tried to reconcile with her parents before now, made a separation from Junior less a factor in her relationship with them. But she pushed the regret away.
Eva turned her attention back to Junior and pushed a sweaty strand of blond hair off his brow. “You need a bath.”
“I’d love to give him a bath,” Mamm offered. “If that’s all right with you.”
“Of course it’s all right, and I’d love to take a shower while you do. But I do have to warn you. He likes to splash.” Eva laughed as a memory filled her mind. “In fact, he soaked Simeon’s mamm just last week.”
“I don’t mind.” Mamm looked at Junior. “Would it be all right if I gave you a bath?”
Junior nodded, and Mamm’s smile returned, brightening her pretty face.
Dat climbed the porch steps. “We finished all our chores with Junior’s help, right, Ian?” He pivoted toward Ian, who stood a few feet behind him.
“That’s true.” Ian smiled at Junior. “Danki for your help tonight.” Then he turned toward her father. “I’m going to head on home. I’ll see you in the morning, Harvey.” He looked up at Mamm. “Gut nacht, Mary. Danki for supper. It was appeditlich.”
Mamm waved him off. “Don’t be gegisch. You know you’re always welcome.”
Eva’s back stiffened as she pressed her lips together. Not only was Ian using her parents for their farm, but he was also enjoying free meals.
Ian’s eyes met hers. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Eva. Gut nacht.”
Eva nodded at him.
As Dat made his way into the house, Mamm stood and took hold of Junior’s hand. “Let’s get you ready for your bath.”
“Bye, Ian.” Junior waved at him before walking into the house with Mamm.
“Gut nacht, buddy,” Ian responded with a grin. He took one last look at Eva and then started down the path that led to the small daadihaus at the far end of the pasture.
Eva stood and picked up the empty mugs. Leaning forward on the porch railing, she watched as Ian’s tall, muscular frame moved down the path. She silently vowed to ask him why he felt entitled to her parents’ farm.
As Eva stepped inside, the sounds of giggles filled the house. She washed the mugs and then made her way to the downstairs bathroom. Junior was splashing and giggling as her mother sat on the lid of the commode and laughed. Eva leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms over her black apron.
Mamm looked up at her and smiled. “He’s having a gut time.”
“Do you want any help?”
“No, no. We’re fine here. You can take your shower.”
Eva lingered in the doorway as Mamm laughed at Junior’s antics, her eyes sparkling with something that looked like love infused with joy. Eva tried to swallow the overwhelming guilt that returned and washed over her as she backed into the hall.
As she started toward the stairs, irritation replaced her guilt. If her mother loved Junior so much, why didn’t she ask to come to Ronks to see him when he was born?
While she prepared for her shower, that question echoed through her mind. Then her thoughts moved to Ian’s place on the farm and in her parents’ life. He seemed to be like her parents’ second child, the son they never had. Jealousy tightened her chest, and she tried to ignore the sinful emotion as her thoughts moved back to her mother’s reaction to Junior’s bathtub fun.
She found herself wondering if her parents could love Junior as much as Simeon’s parents did. They seemed to have accepted him, yes. And they seemed to enjoy him. But would they be the grandparents Junior deserved in every way? Or in the end, would her mother’s underlying resentment affect their relationship with her son?
CHAPTER 4
I hear you all loud and clear.” Ian snickered as the gaggle of chickens clucked and moved around him inside their fenced area. “I know you’re hungry, which is why I’m filling your feeder.” He crouched before lifting the lid off the metal feeder.
“Ian.” Junior ran up to the fence and stuck his fingers through the mesh. Harvey walked up behind him.
“Gude mariye. It’s about time you got out here to help me,” Ian said, teasing.
“What are you doing?” Junior pointed to the feeder. “Can I help you?”
“I’m filling the chicken feeder, and ya, you can help me.” Ian looked past him at Harvey. “Hi, Harvey.”
“Gude mariye.” Harvey opened the gate, and he and Junior walked into the fenced area before Harvey closed it behind them. “You’re up early.”
Ian shrugged. “I was awake, so I thought I’d get to work.” He gestured for Junior to join him at the feeder. “Let me show you how to fill this. Grab that bucket of feed. Now, are you strong enough to lift it and pour it in?”
Ian helped Junior pour the feed into the feeder and then reattach the lid. Once the task was done, Junior rushed off to play with the chickens. Ian stood and followed Harvey out of the pen.
“I’m delighted Eva came back to us.” Harvey closed the gate and then looked toward his grandson. “It’s a dream come true to meet Junior. For years I’ve wondered if she’d ever allow us to see him.” He turned toward Ian. “He reminds me of Eva at that age. He’s so curious and so schmaert.”
“And he has her smile.” The words slipped past Ian’s lips without any warning, and he longed to take them back before Harvey read more into the compliment than he meant to convey.
“You’re right. He does.” Harvey looked back toward the pen, where Junior giggled as he followed the chickens around.
“How long are they going to stay, Harvey?”
“I’m not sure.” His friend’s smile faded, and Ian regretted the question. “I’m praying she’ll decide to stay indefinitely, but it’s difficult to tell what she’s planning. Except when she answered our questions about her life in Ronks at supper last night, she’s been quiet and standoffish since she arrived. Mary and I had hoped she’d sit in the schtupp and talk to us after she put Junior to bed last night, but she went to bed as soon as Junior did. Mary is afraid to ask her how long she’ll stay because she’s worried Eva will leave if we push too hard and upset her.”
“I understand.” Ian glanced toward the house, where he assumed Mary and Eva were doing chores.
For years, he’d listened to Harvey lament over the way he and Mary had handled Eva’s decision to leave. They regretted not supporting her move to Ronks, and although he didn’t know if they ever apologized, he did know they had prayed for the day Eva would forgive them and allow them back into her life. They’d missed her, and Ian had missed her as well. But he’d never imagined she’d come back as both a widow and a single parent.
Memories of Eva filled his mind as he turned back to the chicken pen. They’d known each other ever since he began working part-time on her father’s farm at sixteen. She’d always been sweet and friendly to him, and she was a dutiful, respectful daughter. By the time she turned sixteen, she was easily the most beautiful youn
g woman in both her church district and his. With her golden light-brown hair, bright hazel eyes, and sweet laugh, she attracted the attention of many of the young men in her youth group, and she’d dated a few of them.
She and Ian had become good friends, but when he finally asked her to date him, she turned him down. That hurt, but he forgave her. He couldn’t blame her if she didn’t have the same feelings for him he had for her.
He understood about the conflict between her and her parents when she decided to marry Simeon and move to Ronks, but what had happened to cause her to completely turn her back on her parents?
Ian swallowed a groan as the answer rang through his mind. When Simeon died, she experienced a depth of grief he couldn’t begin to fathom. That had changed her.
Junior laughed as he chased another chicken, and Ian smiled. His thoughts turned to Simeon. He’d heard the story of how Simeon died while on duty as a volunteer fireman. Now Junior had to grow up without a father. Did Junior miss his father? Was it possible to miss someone you never met?
Ian swiveled toward Harvey, who smiled as he continued to watch his grandson play. Ian could feel the love and excitement radiating off Mary and Harvey in waves when they saw Eva and met Junior yesterday. If Eva chose to keep Junior away from them again, it would break their hearts. Harvey and Mary had become like his second set of parents ever since they asked him to move onto the farm and work there full-time. They’d welcomed him as if he were their son, and he would do anything for them—even help them keep their precious family intact.
Then an idea occurred to him. If he helped to make Eva and Junior feel at home, perhaps Eva would decide to stay, or at least visit often.
Ian turned toward the house again, and his eyes focused on a grassy area near Mary’s garden. “Harvey, would it be all right if I put up a swing for Junior?”
“Ya. That would be fantastic.”
“I could put it there.” He pointed to the area he’d already chosen. “I’ll attach it to one of the branches on that big oak tree.”
“That’s perfect.”
“Great,” Ian said as a plan formed in his mind. He’d first put up a simple swing, and then if Eva agreed to stay, he would build Junior the perfect swing set.