“Just a quick one and then we’ll have to go,” Mary said.
“Monday’s our day for visiting. We don’t get many people moving into the community,” Bishop Peter explained.
“We had Elizabeth move here last year,” Mary corrected him.
“Is she a young woman?” Sarah asked. “I was talking to someone called Elizabeth yesterday, but I don’t remember her last name.”
“Elizabeth Esh. She’s a young woman, and she’s always with Sadie Yoder.”
“Jah, I met them both at the same time at the meeting.”
“Elizabeth moved here after she came to her cousin’s wedding. She immediately became friends with Sadie, and she moved in with Sadie and her parents.”
“And are either of them getting married soon? They’re about the marrying age aren’t they?”
Mary shook her head. “They’re a little past the normal marrying age. Elizabeth is twenty two and Sadie is twenty three.”
Sarah recalled how they were both talking with Joshua. They both had crushes on him.
“So, you’re settling in here well?”
“Jah, it’s perfect. The haus is bigger than I’m used to, but I’m not complaining.”
“It was Harold’s vadder’s home before him. That would be your grossdaddi.”
“I remember meeting Onkel Harold when I was a little girl, but my grossdaddi had died by then. It’s all a bit daunting, meeting new people and trying to work out who’s who. I just have to settle in and then I’ll be fine.”
“Gut.”
“How are you getting along with Joshua?” Bishop Peter asked.
Sarah nodded. “Fine.”
Mary leaned forward. “He’ll be a help to you.”
“He’s been a good help already and tomorrow he’s taking me to buy a buggy horse.”
Bishop Peter nodded. “My cousin knows his horses.”
“Someone told me that his children were his wife’s from before. She was a widow and then he married her and she died shortly after.”
“That’s right. You’d never know he wasn’t always their vadder.”
“I was shocked when I found that out. They just seem that they’ve always been together.”
“I’ve got a cousin visiting next week and I was wondering if you might care to join us for dinner?” Mary asked. "We're actually going to be at Seth and Nellie's place for the meal."
“I’d love to join you for dinner.”
“Wait. I have to tell you about him first. He’s going around the communities looking for a suitable wife. I didn’t know if you’d be interested in finding a husband so soon after yours has died.”
“I’ve never liked to be alone, which is a funny thing because I’m an only child.”
“Maybe that’s actually why you don’t like to be alone,” the bishop pointed out.
“Perhaps.” Sarah giggled. “What’s he like?”
“I haven’t seen him in years, so I can’t really say. All I know about him is that he’s a leatherworker. He is quiet and he hasn’t been able to find a wife. His mother suggested he travel for a few months to meet some new people, so that’s what he’s doing. Now, what do you say about meeting my cousin?”
“I’d love to, but wouldn't he want someone younger? I have Gretel too.”
“There’s only one way to find out—come to dinner. Joshua and his kinner will be there, too, as well as some other folk.”
“Oh, I see.”
“I thought it best to have a few people, otherwise, it would be too forced.”
The bishop chuckled at his wife’s words.
“I don’t think I’ve met a leatherworker before,” Sarah said, hoping she wasn’t going to regret accepting the dinner invitation.
Mary’s eyes traveled to Sarah’s sewing in the corner of the room. “You like sewing?”
“I do. I used to sew for a living before I had Gretel.”
“You should come and sew with the ladies. Every Thursday afternoon we have a quilting bee where we sew quilts to auction off to raise money for the volunteer firefighters.”
“I’d love that. Denke, Mary.” That was just what Sarah was looking for—a way to be included in the community.
“I can collect you and take you with me. We generally use Martha Sawtell’s haus to meet at, and I drive right past your door.”
“Thursday afternoon. I’ll remember that.”
Chapter 10
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Genesis 2:18
* * *
On Tuesday morning after he had taken the children to school, Joshua was ready to take Sarah to buy herself a horse.
She stepped into his buggy with Gretel in her arms.
“I’ll take you to the bank to get money out, unless you’ve got a wad of cash on you.”
Sarah shook her head. “Nee, I don’t. I’ll need to go to the bank. I’ve got a little bit and that’s all. How much will I need?”
“Take out two and a half thousand dollars.”
She gasped. That seemed like an awful lot to spend on a horse. “I don’t know that there’ll be that much there.”
“Harold’s money has already gone into your account and he had enough for a buggy horse. I told you he’d been saving.”
“And you’re sure I need one? I don’t want to be wasteful.”
“You need one. I told you already the old one needs to be retired. A good horse should last you five to ten years.” He clicked his horse onward toward the road.
Sarah nodded. “I’ll take your advice.”
“I’m only trying to help you.”
“I know you are, and I appreciate it. I really do.”
“Next stop is the bank, so you can take money out and see how much money you’ve got. Then you’ll know that you can spend the proper amount on a horse.”
“Okay denke. I’d feel better knowing that.”
“And don’t forget, you’ll have money going into your account at the end of every month. So you’ll need to budget for horse feed, household expenses and so on, but you will have enough.”
“Denke. I’m aware of the need to budget my money. I don’t go on spending frenzies.” He was being helpful, but he was also treating her as though she were a ten-year-old child. She shifted in her seat, trying to avoid showing her annoyance. “It’s nice of you to help me today.”
He looked at her and smiled. “I’m happy to do it. Anything to look after Harold’s niece.”
“Your kinner are very helpful. They’re bringing eggs to me every morning.”
“They like to be helpful.”
She kept quiet about the information she had on him, as it was the only polite thing to do.
After a peaceful buggy ride, he pulled up outside the bank and she got out.
“I’ll park the buggy around the corner and then I’ll come and find you.”
“Okay.”
She hurried into the bank and the teller told her how much money she had. It was more money than she’d ever had. She withdrew enough money for a horse, the teller passing it to her in an envelope, and she went outside to find where he’d parked the buggy. Joshua was standing there, right outside the bank waiting for her.
“That was fast,” he said with a grin.
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting.”
“Was everything okay?”
“Jah, everything was as you said it was going to be. I took the cash out to buy the horse.”
“Gut. I’ll carry it for you.”
“That’s okay. I can mind it.”
“It’s easier if I look after it because I’ll be doing the bidding for you.”
She stared at him and he looked so concerned that she agreed. “Okay. If it matters that much, you can look after it.”
“Sarah, it just makes sense, that’s all.”
She took ahold of Gretel with one arm while she passed Joshua the envelope. “There you are. I hope
that buys me a horse.”
“It will.”
She decided to open up a little about her husband hoping that the awkwardness between them would begin to break down. “Joel always used to do these things for me.”
“That’s what men do.”
And that was it. He’d shut her down with a single statement. She figured that there was nothing she could do or say to help them become better friends. Perhaps some people were never meant to be friends. At least he was helpful toward her and she was grateful for that.
As they walked back to the buggy, he said, “Now I have a surprise for you.”
“You do?”
He nodded and smiled.
“I love surprises.”
“We aren’t going to an auction. I’ve already found a horse for you and all we have to do is pay for him and collect him.”
She fixed her eyes on him and stopped in her tracks. “You’ve chosen my horse for me?”
He stopped still and stared back at her. “Jah, I asked around and checked out a few horses for you yesterday. I came across a real beauty with just the right temperament and he’s an experienced buggy horse. He’s perfect and he came at a good price.”
“I wanted to choose my own.”
“Nee, you didn’t. You said you didn’t know anything about them. That’s why I was going to the auction with you.”
She stared at him not believing he was shaking his head at her. Now he was trying to tell her what she wanted. “I did. I wanted to go to the horse auction and choose my own horse.” Her voice showed an amount of force that she figured was necessary to get through to him.
“Sarah, you didn’t. You told me you don’t know anything about horses; that’s why you wanted me to go with you,” he repeated slowly as though he were speaking to a disobedient child.
“That part is true, but I imagined we’d be at the auction looking at a few horses and then I thought I’d be able to choose one from a small selection. Don’t you see that?”
“There’s no point doing that now. You wouldn’t get a better horse than this one if you went to five auctions.”
Sarah was irritated that he had gone ahead on this without letting her know. But if she carried on about it, she’d sound ungrateful and cranky, and she didn’t want to be that way. “I appreciate you going to all that trouble to find me a gut horse.”
He smiled gradually. “We’ll go and collect him right now. His name is Snuffles, but you can change that if you want. That’s what his old owners called him.”
“Is he close by?”
“Five miles away. We can attach him to the buggy and lead him back.”
For the first few minutes of the journey, Sarah was silent. She was fuming inside and still in shock over him buying a horse for her without her being there. Not even her husband would have made such big decisions without including her. It made her wonder what Joshua’s wife had been like, to be able to put up with him. Perhaps they'd argued all the time.
“Tell me about the horse.”
“There’s not much to tell. He’s an experienced buggy horse, which is important. He’s proven himself. Some can seem all right, but it’s no use if they’re too nervous or excitable. Even a good horse could’ve been like that when it was younger. The experience is so important with all the traffic about these days. He’s not just a horse straight from the racecourse. And he’s sound as well, strong and healthy.”
He pulled into a farm and stopped by a paddock.
“Whose farm is this?” she asked.
“Nathan Hostetler’s farm. He’s a cousin. It was his son’s horse. Nathan bought it for his son, but his son and his new wife have moved away.”
“I met so many people on Sunday. I don’t even remember if I met him. His name sounds familiar.”
“Nathan and Mary Hostetler.”
“Jah, I’m sure I met them.”
“You’ll get to know everyone soon enough.”
“Mary, I mean the bishop's wife, Mary, is having me go to a sewing afternoon with her on Thursday.”
He made no comment, appearing uninterested in her social life, and he simply got out of the buggy. At least she was trying. She got out and followed him over to the fence. She had left Gretel in the seat, soundly sleeping and wrapped securely in a shawl, knowing that she was going to stay close by the buggy.
“There he is.” He pointed to a black horse in the paddock.
“He looks good and so shiny.”
“You wouldn’t know a good one from a bad one, you told me.”
“Well, be that as it may, he still looks good to me.”
He walked back to the buggy, got a halter and rope, and then opened the gate.
As he walked toward the horse, she called after him, “Do we just take him?”
“We can leave the money in his letterbox. The amount has been agreed upon.” He kept walking toward the horse who was standing there watching them. The horse didn’t flinch when he slipped the halter over his head.
“He seems nice and quiet.” Her words were met with silence.
Joshua walked the horse through the gate and led him toward the buggy.
“Stop, Joshua. I’d like him to get to know me.” She stepped forward and put out her hand for the horse to smell. “I will call him Midnight.”
Midnight took a small step toward her.
“He approves of you.”
“And I approve of him. He’s very handsome.”
“Is that what it takes to win you over?” He smirked at her.
“For a horse, maybe.”
“Have we finished with the meet and greet?”
“Jah.” She was pleased with herself for taking a tiny bit of control in the situation.
Then he clipped the lead onto the rear of the buggy.
“Shut the gate, will you?” he called out.
“Jah, of course.” Once she’d shut the gate, she got back into the buggy, reached over to lift Gretel up and held her close.
Soon, he climbed in beside her.
“We don’t have far to go to get home if that’s what you were wondering.”
“I was. I was hoping my haus was close by. I’m still working out where I am.”
“We’re only a mile away from home.”
“Gut, denke.”
At the end of the Hostetlers’ driveway, he stopped by the letterbox, got out and placed the money inside.
Chapter 11
Be strong and of a good courage,
fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God,
he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Deuteronomy 31:6
* * *
When they arrived back at the house, he unclipped the horse.
“What should I do with him now? Should he go into one of the stalls?”
“Nee, he’ll be okay in the paddock. He’s used to being in a paddock. We’ll bring him in when the weather gets colder.”
“What do you suggest I do with the old horse?”
“We can leave him where he is, or ask around to see if anyone wants a retired horse.”
“That’s it?”
“Jah.”
It was important to her to get on well with him and everyone here because this community was going to be her new family and this place was her new home. He’d made the effort to help her, so she would make the effort to be friendly.
“Would you, Holly and Benjamin like to come for dinner tonight? I have to thank you in some way.”
“It’s not necessary.”
“You’d be doing me a favor. I like to cook for people.”
He chuckled showing the first amount of warmth all day. “Holly and Benjamin would appreciate some proper cooking for a change. Cooking is not one of my better skills.”
“Wunderbaar. Shall I expect you at about six?”
“That would be good.”
With her baby in her arms, she watched him turn the horse out into the paddock.
&n
bsp; He stood there and watched the horse for a moment before he turned back around. “I’ll give him some food. That’ll make him feel at home.”
“Okay, denke.” Sarah walked back into her house and wondered what to cook for dinner. When Nellie had stopped by the day before, she had driven her to the store, so she had a week’s worth of food. And thanks to her onkel’s extensive kitchen garden, there was still some vegetables before the winter frosts set in.
She tried to put Gretel down, but she started to fuss. “Are you ready for your feeding now?”
Gretel opened her mouth wide and started to howl. Sarah, deciding that qualified as, "Yes," scooped her up and fed her. After that, she would just have time to cook some dinner and tidy the house before her guests arrived.
Just as she began cutting up the vegetables, she looked out the kitchen window to see that Joshua was making his way over to where the buggy had been parked. A minute later, she heard the horse clip-clopping back down the driveway. It was time to fetch his children from school. Sarah knew by the way he cared for his children that there was a soft heart underneath his harsh exterior.
* * *
Right at six o’clock, Sarah heard the chatter of the two children making their way to her front door. She hurried over and opened the door just before they reached it. The two children greeted her excitedly and asked to see the baby. She pointed to Gretel, who was half-asleep, propped up by pillows on the couch, and they ran over to her.
“Mind her. Don’t push her over,” Joshua called after the children.
“Dinner’s nearly ready,” Sarah said to Joshua who was still looking anxiously over toward the children. “We can sit for awhile.” Sarah walked over to the couch and the two children, who were now kneeling down looking at the baby. They were excited that Gretel was watching them, too.
Once Sarah and Joshua were sitting down, Holly spotted the sewing in the room and she bounded to her feet. “Can I see your sewing, Mrs. Kurtz?”
“Jah, of course.”
“Don’t bother Mrs. Kurtz, Holly,” Joshua snapped.
“It’s all right. I’m happy to show her.” Sarah stood up and gathered her sewing and sat back down. “Sit down beside me here and I’ll show you what I’m making.” She unfolded the beginnings of a dress she was making for Gretel.
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