“Did you call a driver?” Rachel asked.
“No.” Joseph beamed. “Must be your first customer.”
“They must have seen that old sign you put out!” Rachel pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Do you think everything looks good enough? Do you think we have what they want?”
Joseph gave an indulgent smile and headed for the door. “Ya. I think everything is perfect here.”
The smell of perfume and hairspray drifted into the greenhouse as soon as the door flung open. Joseph froze in place. Rachel watched his face fall and inched closer to him. Who could it be?
“Chrissy?” Joseph’s voice sounded flat.
A tall, curvy blonde slid past Joseph and into the greenhouse. White-hot indignation burned through Rachel. What was that girl doing in her greenhouse? Had Joseph invited her here?
Joseph stumbled backward as Chrissy breezed in. “What are you doing here?”
Chrissy laughed. “You told me where you work, remember?”
Joseph swallowed and nodded. He glanced at Rachel.
She plastered a neutral expression on her face. She refused to show her hurt. “Feel free to look around. Almost everything’s for sale.” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat.
“Aww, how cute!” Chrissy said as she picked up a miniature succulent. “But I didn’t come to buy anything.” She set the tiny pot back down. “I came to find out why my boyfriend hasn’t been around.” She leaned into Joseph and slid her arm through his. “You okay?”
Joseph cleared his throat. He glanced at Rachel, but Rachel wouldn’t meet his gaze. She studied Chrissy’s tight jeans and heavy gold earrings for a moment, then turned away. She couldn’t compete with that. Chrissy was everything she could never be.
Joseph rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, then slowly slipped his arm out of Chrissy’s. “You sure? There’s lots of stuff to choose from. Maybe a Christmas present for your mom?”
Chrissy shook her head. “No thanks. I do most of my Christmas shopping online. It’s cheaper than family-run places.” She flinched and glanced at Rachel. “Sorry. It’s just . . . well, you know how it is.”
Rachel did not know how it was, but she nodded anyway. Joseph sighed. Chrissy bent down and rubbed a spot of mud on her red shoe. “You got a paper towel or something? It’s dirty out there.”
“You look fine.”
Chrissy straightened back up, shrugged, and smiled. “Thanks.”
Joseph stared at her without speaking.
“Look, I’m sorry for bothering you at work. But you haven’t been around and . . . ” Chrissy frowned and shuffled through her red leather shoulder bag. “We’ve got something going tonight. Bet you’ve never been clubbing before, right? We’re driving over to a place outside of Philly. You should come.” She pulled a red-and-white-striped travel-size plastic bottle from her bag and squeezed a dollop of peppermint-scented lotion into her palm. “It’s supposed to smell like candy canes.” She flicked the lid of the bottle shut, dropped it in her bag, and rubbed the lotion into her hands. “Cute, right?” She smelled her hands. “I love Christmas; don’t you?”
Joseph didn’t answer. The peppermint smell made Rachel’s nose itch. It must be made of chemicals. She had always been sensitive to that kind of thing.
“So, what about tonight? You coming?” Chrissy leaned closer to Joseph and flashed a gorgeous smile. “Don’t say no.”
Joseph frowned. Chrissy returned the frown, but hers looked pouty instead of troubled. “It’ll be fun.”
Joseph glanced at Rachel, then back at Chrissy. “Come on, I’ll walk you to your car. We can talk outside.”
Rachel watched them leave. When the door shut the room felt empty and still. Had she ever enjoyed being in here alone all day? She let out a long, hard sigh. The rasp of her breath sounded too loud in the silence.
“Sorry about that,” Joseph said when he returned ten minutes later. His face looked tired and his hand kept rubbing the back of his neck.
“You okay?”
“Ya. No problem.”
Rachel listened as the car engine roared to life and gravel crunched in the driveway. “I’ve never met anyone like her before.”
Joseph laughed, but his eyes stayed serious. “No. I wouldn’t think so.”
“I can see why you like her.”
Joseph looked surprised. “You can?”
Rachel nodded. “Like I said, she’s not like anyone around here.”
Joseph looked thoughtful. “Mmmm.”
“So are you going clubbing tonight?”
He shook his head and picked up a pair of shears. “No.”
“Why not?”
Joseph looked uncomfortable. “We’ve got an early day tomorrow. There’s still a lot to do before Christmas.”
Rachel looked away. What had she hoped that he would say? That he had broken up with that flashy Englisher right there in her driveway? “I guess we’d better get to it then.”
Joseph nodded. He didn’t mention Chrissy for the rest of the day.
* * *
“I’d like to talk to you about Chrissy,” Joseph told Rachel the next morning. Rachel felt her stomach drop. She couldn’t bear to hear what he had to say. She couldn’t bear to hear him announce that he wanted to be with Chrissy. To think she had almost invited him to stay on at the greenhouse! He would have said no and she would have been humiliated. Of course he’d rather live in the fancy English world with his fancy English girl.
Rachel shook her head. “No. Let’s not talk about that.” She fumbled for an excuse. “Our big day is almost here and we have to be ready.” She pointed to the wall calendar. The Saturday before Christmas, when Aenti Ruby would share her booth at the farmers market with them, was marked with a big red X. “There’s a lot left to do. We should focus on that.”
“Oh.” Joseph looked surprised, then confused. Rachel turned away. “Look how this one turned out.” She picked up a rosemary topiary. The conical shape looked just like a tiny Christmas tree. “Nice work, ya?”
Joseph stared at her for a moment. Rachel pretended she didn’t feel his eyes on her. After a moment he sighed and forced a smile. “Ya. You’re going to sell a lot of those. Everyone’s going to love them.”
“I hope so. If I do, then maybe . . . ” Rachel set the pot down. She wanted to tell Joseph that she could hire him permanently if her business proved a success. But she remembered Chrissy and didn’t finish the sentence.
Things almost went back to normal. They daydreamed about how many plants they’d sell. They chatted and joked as they hunched over the potting table. Joseph teased Rachel and Rachel tried not to laugh. At the end of each day, Joseph marked the wall calendar with another big red X. Christmas was coming fast.
“What do you want for Christmas?” Joseph asked one afternoon. The December sun had already begun to set and it cast long shadows over rows of plants.
“To get all of this ready on time. We only have two days left until Saturday.”
Joseph laughed. “Other than that.”
“Ach, I don’t know. A new scarf, I guess.”
“What if you could have anything you wanted?”
“Anything?” Rachel smiled. “There is something I’ve always wanted.”
“What?”
“A pig.”
“A pig?” Joseph laughed. “That’s a surprise.”
“Not just any pig. A heritage breed like the ones the first Amish settlers brought over from Germany. I want it for a pet. You can housebreak pigs, you know.”
“A historical pig.” Joseph looked at her with warm eyes. “You never disappoint, Rachel.”
“You’re making fun of me.”
“Only a little.”
Rachel smiled and looked down.
“Why not a heritage breed dog or cat? Don’t they have those?”
Rachel bit her lip.
“Go on and tell me.”
“How did you know I wanted to tell you something?”
“You’ve got that glint in your eyes.”
Rachel laughed. “Okay. There’s a story in our family about Jacob and Greta. Do you remember who they are?”
“The ancestors you told me about, ya?”
Rachel nodded. “According to the story, they fell in love after he threw her into a pigpen.”
“Why’d he do that?”
“He was trying to help her. Nobody knows the whole story. Details get lost over the centuries. It might not even be a true story.”
Joseph smiled. “I like to think it is. It’s a good story.”
“Ya. It is. What a way to fall in love.” Rachel looked down. She hoped Joseph didn’t hear the catch in her voice when she talked about love. She tried to laugh so that he didn’t sense her discomfort. “I’m here because of a pig, if you think about it.”
“Will your mamm and daed buy you one?”
“There’s a farm on the other side of Lancaster that sells them, but Mamm and Daed are afraid it would be too much on me. They still worry about me, you know.”
Joseph nodded and slipped his hand over hers. “I know.”
Rachel didn’t know what to think. Did friends touch like that? Did friends feel the rush of emotions she felt over a touch like that?
* * *
Joseph looked down at his hand. It covered Rachel’s perfectly. Her skin felt smooth and warm beneath his. This was the time to tell her he had broken up with Chrissy the day she came by the greenhouse. That’s why he had taken ten minutes to say good-bye in the driveway. He was saying good-bye to her for good.
“Rachel, I really need to talk to you about Chrissy. I tried earlier, but—”
Rachel pulled her hand away and shook her head. Joseph frowned. Maybe he should wait. He still didn’t know what to do about his future. He wanted Rachel to be a part of it, but how could he work that out? If only he could stay and work with her here, in the greenhouse. It had become a second home to him. He loved the long rows of plants, the view of the cornfields through the hazy glass walls, the smell of earth and moisture. He even loved the squeaky spigot and the rusted metal shelves.
But the greenhouse wasn’t the only thing he loved. Joseph turned to look at Rachel. She looked beautiful in the yellow evening light. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He felt certain that she loved him too. He had seen it in her eyes for weeks. He had tried to convince himself that it wasn’t true after their day in Bird-in-Hand, but he knew that was only because he was afraid. He was afraid to believe that she loved him.
He was afraid because, once they admitted their love, there would be no going back. His future would be locked in, forever. Was he ready for that?
* * *
Her mamm wrote Christmas cards at the kitchen table that night while Rachel sat in front of the woodstove, closed her eyes, and let the heat radiate against her face. She couldn’t bear that Christmas was almost here. Soon, her time with Joseph would be over. Ada watched her with tight lips. She offered strawberry eggnog pie, pumpkin pie, and molasses cookies, but Rachel just shook her head.
Ada threw up her hands. “You can’t let Joseph get to you like this.” She pulled her daughter close. “You’ll forget about him.”
“Ach, Mamm.” Rachel shook her head. “You don’t understand. I don’t want to forget about him.” She leaned back to look her mamm in the eyes. “He made me feel alive for the first time in years. I felt like I had a life again.”
Ada knit her brows together and studied Rachel. “No one’s forcing him to leave.”
“You wanted him to leave! You tried to convince him to quit early.”
“Ya.” Ada reached out and straightened the work kerchief that covered Rachel’s hair.
Rachel sighed and readjusted the kerchief. “Thanks, but I’ve got it.”
“I know.”
“No you don’t.” Rachel’s voice tightened. “You promised you would try to let me go, but you haven’t.”
Ada stepped away from her daughter and sank into a chair. She didn’t speak for a long, quiet moment. Then she nodded her head. “Ya. I know.” She swallowed and looked down. “But when I saw how hurt you were over Joseph having a girlfriend, I wanted to protect you.”
“You can’t protect me from life, Mamm.”
A deep voice spoke from the doorway. “She’s right, Ada. We’ve been over this.”
Ada nodded. “I know. I know.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “And I’ve learned my lesson. I see how much she cares for him. I’m sorry I tried to interfere.”
“What do you mean?” Samuel leaned against the doorjamb with a serious expression on his face.
Ada sighed. “I wanted Joseph to quit early. I thought it was better for Rachel. She’s been so upset lately.”
“Ach, Ada.” Samuel shook his head.
“I know, I know.” Ada’s gaze stayed on her lap. “But he didn’t leave early. So that’s something, ain’t so?”
Samuel nodded, then turned his attention to Rachel. “He still has a girlfriend?”
“Ya. And she came by here the other day.”
“Ah. I see.” Samuel walked across the room, bent down, and kissed Rachel on the top of the head. “I’m sorry.”
“Me too.”
Samuel frowned. “You know, I was sure he was sweet on you.”
“I don’t know what to think anymore,” Rachel said.
“I think he’s afraid to commit,” Ada said. “He’s afraid of making the wrong choice for his life.” She shook her head. “He’s running around trying to find something and he doesn’t realize it’s right here under his nose.”
Samuel chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
Ada’s eyes glinted and she opened her mouth, then closed it again.
“Mamm, what is it? You look like you have an idea.”
Ada gave a shy smile and shook her head. “I just thought of how I can make up for trying to push Joseph away.”
Chapter 12
Joseph worked alone the next afternoon while Rachel went to her physical therapy appointment. “I’m getting better on crutches, ya?” she had asked before hurrying out the door. The greenhouse felt empty without her. He was glad when he had to go outside to empty the trash. He needed a break from the silence.
He thought he heard the greenhouse door open and close as he emptied the bins, but when he walked back inside no one was there. Was he hearing things? Did he miss Rachel that much?
Joseph sighed and began to clean up for the day. As he reached for a trowel, he noticed something catch the light on a metal table beside the door. He was sure that table had been empty before. He frowned, set the trowel back down, and walked to the table. He found a yellowed sheet of paper in a plastic sleeve.
Joseph glanced around, then looked back down at the paper. The plastic sheet felt cool and slick beneath his fingers. He squinted at the faded cursive until he realized it was an old letter. Joseph scanned the date at the top of the page. “Seventeen Thirty-Seven?” That was almost three hundred years ago.
Joseph tried to make out the text, but only a few lines were legible. My dearest Greta . . . it should never have taken this long to . . . I should have known that I would find what I wanted right here, at home.... She could never compete with you, my darling. When I look on you, I see all that is good and Godly. Hers is the distraction of that which is worldly—that which wilts as a . . . Nothing in this great world can compete.... You, my darling, and the joy of a plain life together. Joseph shifted the paper to move the glare from the plastic. With great love and admiration, yours always, Jacob Miller.
Joseph stared at the letter for another moment before he set it back on the table.
A car door slammed and Joseph jumped. When Rachel breezed in he felt embarrassed, as if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t.
“What’s the matter?”
Joseph looked down at the letter and Rachel followed his gaze. Her breath caught in her throat. “What’s that doing here?”
“I don
’t know.”
“Did you read it?”
“Ya.”
“It’s over three hundred years old. It shouldn’t be in here with all this moisture.”
“No, probably not.” Joseph liked the way Rachel blushed when she was embarrassed. It made him want to hug her. “I’m glad you left it here.”
“I didn’t—” Rachel pressed her hands to her face and groaned. “I know who left it here.”
“Who?”
Rachel looked embarrassed. “Mamm. She means well. She’s trying to . . . fix a mistake. Never mind. Just forget it.”
Joseph wanted to smile, but he didn’t want Rachel to know he caught on. Ada had tried to shoo him away. And if Ada felt bad for meddling, she would try to meddle again to fix it. That was Ada, for you. He couldn’t help but like her. Rachel was right; she meant well. And he had to admit he couldn’t get that line out of his head. I should have known that I would find what I wanted right here, at home.
“Tell me the story behind it.”
“All right,” Rachel said. “You know I love to talk about history. Daed’s family has kept that love letter all these years. We don’t know much more about Jacob Miller beyond what’s in this letter. We’ve found his name on a passenger list with a few other German Anabaptists, but that’s about it.”
“You know he fell in love with Greta in a pigpen.”
Rachel laughed. “Ya.” She ran a finger down the plastic sheet. Her face turned serious and her voice softened. “And we know that he must have been tempted by something else before he married her. Something fancy, ya?”
Joseph looked at her and their eyes met. “Something fancy, ya.” They stared at each other for a long, silent moment before Joseph dropped his gaze. “Do you think he ever wondered if he made the right choice?”
“No.” Rachel’s voice sounded steady and strong.
Joseph raised his eyes back to meet hers. He didn’t know what to say. But he knew he couldn’t fight his heart much longer.
* * *
The weekend before Christmas came at last and the Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market bustled with holiday preparations. The fragrance of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon hung in the air as the bakery booth unloaded fresh-baked cookies and pies. Evergreen wreaths lined the counter across the aisle from Aenti Ruby’s booth and the scent of fresh pine mingled with Rachel’s rosemary. The butcher in the adjacent booth nodded to Rachel as he dusted a big red sign advertising Christmas turkeys. Vendors chatted and hummed as familiar Christmas carols played in the background.
An Amish Second Christmas Page 24