Arden’s been caring for the animals. I wonder what he’s done with the eggs he’s collected... Rachel didn’t realize how fortunate she’d been to grow up with an endless supply of fresh eggs until she moved to Boston. On Saturdays she’d drive fifteen miles to the farmer’s market to buy them, although they were outrageously expensive. As far as she was concerned, she’d be happy to eat fresh eggs morning, noon and night for the duration of her stay in Serenity Ridge.
Then she wondered if Arden would still be working. No, it was close to seven o’clock, and he would have gone home for supper by now. Ivan never wrote about Arden’s family, but since Arden didn’t have a beard, Rachel deduced he wasn’t married, which didn’t exactly surprise her. While Arden was undeniably handsome, the Amish valued good character over good looks, and Rachel didn’t know quite what to make of his personality. Not only was he uncommunicative, but he seemed humorless, too. Still, he’d appeared sincerely apologetic about having given her such a scare, and Ivan thought highly of him, so he had to have redeeming qualities, even if Rachel didn’t know what they were yet.
There was no buggy or horse in the yard when she arrived home, although she hadn’t remembered seeing one the first time she’d arrived, either. Maybe Arden lived close enough to walk? Suddenly Rachel felt uneasy staying alone in the big house, without any neighbors within shouting distance. She had to remind herself she wasn’t in the city anymore. She was safer here, but she intended to lock the door anyway.
When she set down the groceries, she discovered a note on the kitchen table.
Welcome, Rachel—
I thought you’d enjoy soup—it’s in the fridge, and I’ve filled the cookie jar with snickerdoodles.
I hope to meet you soon.
Grace Esh (Arden’s sister)
Why such a sweet note and an even sweeter act of kindness should reduce Rachel to tears—again—she didn’t know, but they did. And few things made Rachel as ravenous as crying, so after a day of bawling her eyes out, she tossed the frozen dinners into the freezer of the gas-powered refrigerator and heated the soup instead. When she finished eating a large bowl of it, she still felt hungry, so she had a second bowl, followed by two cookies.
Finally, too full and exhausted to think another thought, Rachel collapsed into bed.
* * *
On Saturday morning, Arden was relieved to find the cow had been milked and the eggs collected at Ivan’s place. He’d been caring for the animals and bringing the surplus dairy products home so the deacon’s wife could share them with those in need. Ivan was glad to relinquish the responsibility, but it surprised him a city girl had gotten up so early on a Saturday.
When he came out of the barn, he was further surprised to see Rachel crossing the lawn carrying two cups of coffee. Tinted red by the morning sun, her hair was an eye-catching contrast with her creamy complexion. For an Englischer, she didn’t seem to wear much makeup. Not that she needs any, but I wonder if she’s going without it so she’ll fit in with the Amish women in Serenity Ridge? Arden quickly dismissed the curious thought. “Guder mariye.”
“Guder mariye.”
It wasn’t until Rachel replied in kind that Arden realized he’d greeted her in Deitsch. She didn’t seem to bat an eye, but he wondered if he ought to address her solely in Englisch instead. She extended a mug to him. He’d already had coffee before leaving his house, but he never refused another cup. He accepted it and held the workshop door open for her.
“Ivan must have told you we usually work from seven or eight o’clock until noon on Saturday. But I didn’t think you’d be up and at ’em at this hour.”
Rachel’s response was peppered with even more Deitsch words. “I get up earlier than this to commute to work. Besides, I couldn’t wait to have fresh oier for breakfast. They were appenditlich. So were the kuche and supp your schweschder made.”
“My schweschder?” Ivan wondered how Rachel knew it was his sister who’d left the goodies in her kitchen.
“Jah. That’s how she identified herself in her note. Grace Esh. She is your schweschder, isn’t she?” Rachel tittered, and Arden gritted his teeth. By saying such stupid things in front of her, he kept opening himself up to her teasing. Or was it mockery?
He motioned toward the desk, ignoring her question. “You might want to get started on the paperwork by going through that stack of mail. Our calendar is somewhere beneath all those papers, and it’ll show you what we’ve got scheduled when. The checkbook’s in the bottom drawer. We had a delivery from Knight’s yesterday and got a 10 percent discount. I wrote out a check, but I didn’t record the amount in the ledger yet. Also, Mrs. McGregor wants the playhouse completed a week early, so please call our delivery guy and arrange for that.”
“Whoa! Wait a second,” Rachel protested, setting her mug on a large manila envelope. “How do you expect me to remember all of that? Let me grab a pen... Where is a pen?”
Before Arden could answer, the door swung open, and Colin Blank walked in. Rachel was crouched behind the desk, searching the drawer for a writing utensil, and she didn’t immediately see him, so Arden announced loudly, “Guder mariye, Colin,” which caused Rachel to jump up.
“Guder mariye, Arden.” Then, catching sight of his sister, he said stiffly in Englisch, “Hello, Rachel.”
“Guder mariye, Colin. It’s—it’s gut to see you,” Rachel replied. Arden noticed her hands were trembling as she lifted her arms, presumably to embrace her brother, who remained motionless. Rachel quickly dropped her arms, knocking her hand against the desk and jostling her cup, which sloshed coffee onto the mail.
As Rachel used a blank sheet of paper to blot the spill, Arden took advantage of the pause to edge away, saying, “I’ll, uh, let the two of you talk in private.”
“Neh, don’t leave. What I’ve kumme to say concerns you both.” Colin announced, “Last evening Hadassah and I visited Ivan in the hospital. Imagine our surprise when the nurse told us Rachel had been there to see him, too. And that she’ll be helping care for him after he’s discharged.”
Uh-oh. Arden had known this moment of familial reckoning would come, but he hadn’t expected to be in the middle of it. Neither he nor Rachel spoke—Colin had a commanding presence.
“Even more perplexing was that Ivan indicated Rachel will be helping with the paperwork here,” Colin said. Arden noticed he avoided addressing his sister directly; instead, he referred to her in the third person, as if she weren’t standing a few feet away. “Since he couldn’t elaborate, we figured we must have misunderstood him. Would you care to explain?”
Arden swallowed, unsure if Colin was speaking to him or to Rachel. “I-I-I’ll be too b-busy constructing the sheds to take care of our orders and accounting.”
“I understand what it’s like to be short-staffed,” Colin said. “What I’m confused about is why you didn’t ask me or Hadassah or someone from our district for assistance.”
Arden tried to think of a diplomatic yet truthful explanation. He couldn’t well say, You’re so reproachful Ivan was worried you’d find fault with our business and try to convince us to close shop. Nor could Arden admit he didn’t want others in their district to discover the extent of his reading and writing difficulty. Fortunately, Rachel piped up.
“From what I understand, many in the community are preparing for planting season, and spring is an extremely busy time for you at work, too, especially with Albert being in Canada. And Hadassah’s pregnancy is wearing her out, so Ivan didn’t want to burden the two of you.”
Colin’s face visibly reddened, and Arden didn’t know if it was because the Amish in their district avoided using the word pregnancy, especially in mixed company, or if he was angry because Rachel had answered instead of Arden, but there was no mistaking his insinuation when he said, “Ivan, Hadassah and I are familye, and familye help carry each other’s burdens.”
Rachel lifted he
r chin, clearly unfazed. “Jah, which is exactly why I’m here—to help my bruder Ivan, as well as my bruder in Christ, Arden.”
Upon being reminded of their shared Christian faith, Colin appeared to momentarily back down. His posture softened. “It was kind of you to kumme, Rachel, but I’ll help Arden with the accounting and orders, and Hadassah and the other women in our district will care for Ivan when he comes home from the hospital. I’m sorry for the inconvenience of traveling all this way, but there’s no need for you to stay any longer.”
“Denki for your concern about me, Colin.” Rachel’s response was equally tempered. “But it’s a privilege, not an inconvenience, for me to be here. I gave Ivan my word I’d stay and help, and I intend to honor my promise.”
Colin acted as if she hadn’t spoken. Directing his gaze toward Arden, he said, “Ivan is ill, so I understand his lapse in judgment, but I would have thought you’d know better. You should have asked me for help.”
Arden resented Colin scolding him as if he were a child, but not as much as he resented it when Rachel called attention to Colin scolding him as if he were a child. “Arden’s not a bu and you’re not his daed. You wouldn’t appreciate it if someone came into your shop and took over your business,” she pointed out.
Now the brother and sister were speaking as if Arden weren’t there, and it riled him to no end, but even if he had known what to say, they didn’t give him an opportunity to say it.
“Your opinion is not wilkom, so I’d thank you not to interfere,” Colin authoritatively declared. “This matter is between Arden and me.”
“Neh, this matter is between Ivan and Arden. You’re the one who’s interfering.”
Colin must have been surprised by the fire in Rachel’s voice, or else he recognized he was overstepping, because he faltered. “All—all right, then. Arden, do you want Rachel or me to help you with the administration of the shop?”
Some decisions were easier than others. “Rachel,” Arden stated definitely.
Both Rachel’s and Colin’s mouths dropped open. Colin recovered first, saying, “If that is your decision, I’ll respect it.” He clapped Arden on the back. “But if you change your mind or if there’s anything else I can do to support you, let me know.”
Once the door closed behind Colin, Rachel clasped her hands beneath her chin and gushed, “Denki for standing up for me like that. It means a lot to me.”
Considering how poorly Colin had treated Rachel, Arden could understand why she’d feel like Arden had stood up for her, but he didn’t want her getting the wrong idea. “I wasn’t standing up for you. I was abiding by an agreement I made with my business partner,” he told her. “If Ivan had suggested we ask Colin for help, I would have agreed to honor that request, too.”
“Jah, I know. I just meant...never mind.” Pressing her lips together, Rachel turned her back toward him and began tearing open an envelope.
If her presence is going to cause me this much stress every day, I might need to convince Ivan to take Colin up on his offer to help, Arden thought to himself as he strode to the opposite end of the workshop, where he could labor in peace.
Chapter Three
On Sunday morning as Rachel drove into town to attend a local church, she passed the little building the Amish used for worship. Although most Amish throughout the country took turns hosting biweekly services in their homes, the Serenity Ridge and Unity districts were two of a few exceptions that worshipped in church buildings. However, they did keep the custom of only gathering every other week as a congregation; on alternating Sundays, families met in their own homes. Rachel was surprised to see the number of buggies neatly lined along the perimeter of the property; could the community have grown that much since she’d been away, or did a lot of folks have relatives visiting?
She sighed. The Amish practice of visiting each other on Sunday afternoons had been one of her favorite customs when she was young. As a girl outnumbered by three brothers, Rachel relished any opportunity that allowed her to socialize with female friends. Once she became a teenager, she better appreciated having older brothers whose male friends dropped in at their house. Although Colin and Albert’s friends were too old to have any romantic interest in Rachel, that didn’t stop her from developing crushes on them. By the time she was mature enough to have a suitor, she’d already made up her mind to leave the Amish, which was probably just as well, considering there weren’t any eligible bachelors her age in their tiny district anyway.
Maybe there are more courting opportunities now that the community has grown, she thought. Ivan hadn’t ever written about walking out with anyone, but she wouldn’t have expected him to, since the Amish were more discreet about their romantic relationships than the Englisch were. Still, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was courting anyone. Then she found herself wondering whether Arden was courting anyone, and if so, whether they’d be walking out tonight, the way Amish couples often did on Sunday evenings. Why would I care? she asked herself. It’s certainly not as if I want him to pay me a visit instead.
But as she headed home after church, Rachel had to admit she wished someone would drop by; the house seemed too large and lonely. Maybe I should make the first move and visit Colin, Hadassah and the children, she thought. I could offer to take them to see Ivan. Ultimately, she wasn’t that brave, however, so she journeyed to the hospital alone, where her brother slept through most of her visit.
A downpour broke out as Rachel drove home, and when she trekked across the lawn, her shoes left a trail of indented footprints behind her. “Mud season” was what Mainers called the period in between late March and early May when the ground was oversaturated with melted winter snow and fresh spring rain. Rachel recalled how she and Hadassah sometimes had to mop the floors three times a day to keep up with the muck her brothers tracked in.
Being back in Serenity Ridge was stirring all kinds of memories, some happier than others. Rachel remembered sledding with her brothers in the winter and the long afternoons her mother had spent teaching her to bake and sew. She even recalled how excited she’d been to help plan for Colin’s wedding to Hadassah—and how that excitement turned to disappointment when Hadassah moved into their house and Rachel found out how controlling she was. Then there were her parents’ funerals, as well as her own leaving...
Aware her mood would darken if she thought too much about the past, Rachel took out the ingredients she’d purchased on Saturday and set about making a batch of sticky buns the way her mother had taught her. Because the recipe made far more buns than she could eat by herself, she decided to bring a half dozen of them to the workshop the next morning, along with coffee for Arden and her. They’d gotten off on the wrong foot, but as her mother always told her, there was nothing like fresh confections and friendly conversation to draw people together. Granted, Arden had made a point of letting her know it made no difference to him whether he worked with her or with Colin, as long as Ivan’s preference was honored, but Rachel figured since she was the one working there, she’d try to foster a cordial environment. She was tickled when her efforts seemed to pay off.
“These are really gut,” Arden said, his mouth half-full.
“Denki. I was worried I may have lost my touch. It’s been ages since I’ve made them.”
“Why? Don’t you like them?”
“I love them.” Rachel pulled a bun off the loaf for herself. “I got out of practice because, well, my ex-boyfriend, Toby, used to lecture me about the detrimental effects of sugar.”
“Is he diabetic?”
“No. He’s a dokder. And he’s right—an excess of sugar can be bad for you.”
“An excess of anything can be bad for you.” Arden took a swallow of coffee before adding, “I’m surprised you’d let his opinion stop you from doing something you wanted to do.”
Despite her intentions to establish a congenial relationship, Rachel was immediately d
efensive. “Just because I left the Amish against my family’s wishes doesn’t mean—”
“I wasn’t referring to your leaving the Amish,” Arden interrupted. “I was referring to your refusal to back down to Colin’s demands the other day. I even had a difficult time saying no to him, but you held your own. So it surprises me you’d give in to your boyfriend’s opinion about sticky buns. Seems to me, if he didn’t want to eat them, he didn’t have to, but why should that stop you from making them if that’s what you enjoy doing?”
Rachel shrugged, dumbfounded. For all the times people had implied she was strong-willed, it had never come across as a compliment until now, and she treasured Arden’s words. At the same time, she felt criticized by his remark about her deference to Toby... Was that because Arden was right? “I guess I sort of figured he...well, he’s a dokder and he knows a lot more about health than I do.”
Brushing the crumbs from his lips with the back of his hand, Arden remarked, “Jah, he knows a lot more about health than I do, too, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have a second sticky bun after lunch today.”
As she watched him effortlessly pick up a drill and ladder and carry them across the workshop, Rachel’s heart skipped two beats in a row. It’s probably from all the sugar I just ate, she tried to convince herself.
* * *
Arden leaned the ladder against the double wood storage shed and climbed a few steps to inspect the roof a final time before it was picked up for delivery the following day. Made from rough-cut lumber, the structure required no painting, which was a relief, since painting was the task Arden favored the least. As it was, he was dreading painting the inside of the playhouse. Although the cost of any building they constructed included a painted exterior, Ivan and Arden agreed it wasn’t worth it to them in terms of time to paint the interiors, so they left that chore to the customers. Mrs. McGregor, however, had insisted she’d pay extra if they’d accommodate her request this one time. It was important to her that the playhouse be delivered in “move-in–ready condition,” as she put it, which was also why she’d supplied her daughter’s favorite hue of paint.
The Amish Nurse's Suitor Page 4