A Seat by the Hearth

by Amy Clipston

  “I don’t want him around Ethan at all. If you’re asking for my opinion, my answer is no.” Mark’s concern for Ethan warmed her heart. “Why don’t you want Trent to know you’re going to marry me?”

  “I don’t want him to know anything about my life since he’s not a part of it anymore.”

  Mark looked unconvinced.

  “That information felt too personal.” She reached for him and then pulled her hand back. “I’m not embarrassed by you, Mark. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

  He studied her for a moment, and then his frown waned. “I’m not perfect, but I will never hurt you or Ethan.”

  Her chest swelled with affection at the comment. He was burrowing in, digging in deep, and carving out a piece of her heart. But she didn’t feel worthy of a man as good as he was.

  “Danki.” She looked deep into his blue eyes. Had he forgiven her? “Why don’t you come in and eat something? Ice cream is not a healthy meal, and you skipped lunch earlier because you were working so hard.”

  “No.” He shook his head and pointed toward the far end of the barn. “I have plenty of boards to replace. I’ll eat something later.”

  “Okay.” She studied his face, hoping he would smile at her. A smile would let her know everything was okay.

  But he didn’t smile as he picked up the hammer and set to work. She watched him for a few beats and then headed back to the house.

  TWENTY-ONE

  “HOW’S THE SEWING GOING?” MARK LEANED AGAINST the doorframe of Priscilla’s bedroom on Tuesday afternoon of the following week.

  She looked up, and her breath stalled in her lungs. Mark’s eyes seemed to be a brighter shade of blue, and he somehow seemed taller and more attractive. How did he do that?

  She longed to tell him to leave so she could hold back her growing attraction to him. That was the reason she’d been using their conversation about Trent as an excuse to act cool around him.

  “I’m sorry.” He stepped inside her room and grinned. “Did I startle you?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m just surprised to see you.”

  “Why?” He laughed. “You know I work here.” He walked over and pointed to the half-finished dress on her sewing table. “So how’s it going?”

  “Pretty well.” She shrugged. “I finished my second one yesterday.” She held up the dress. “This will be Sarah Jane’s.”

  “Nice.” He touched the material. “You’re talented.”

  “Danki.” She hoped he couldn’t see her blushing. “Do you need something?”

  “That’s what I came to ask you.” He sat on the chair across from her. “I have to go out for supplies. Do you need anything?”

  She paused, and then said, “Would you mind stopping at the Bird-in-Hand Bake Shop?”

  His eyes lit up, as if he were happy for the task. “No, not at all. What do you need?”

  “I’ve been craving a large pretzel. Ethan likes them too.”

  “Okay.” He nodded toward her sewing table. “Anything else? Like material or something else you need for the dresses?”

  Her eyes moved to her material. She was running low, but did she want to risk sending him to Franey’s store without her?

  “What is it?” He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “I can find it if you write it down. I’m not a complete moron. Just a partial one.”

  She turned toward him, and his smile widened. “Are you certain you’re only partial?”

  To her surprise, he laughed.

  “What do you need?” he asked again.

  “Material and a few more spools of thread. And a few other things. I need to make Ethan a new pair of church trousers since he fell and ripped his only pair.” She picked up her notepad and began writing a list. “Everything will be on here.”

  “Okay.” When she was done, he took the list and stood. “I’ll be back soon with pretzels and supplies.”

  “Danki.”

  He started toward the door.

  “Mark.”

  “Ya?” He faced her in the doorway.

  “Are you having second thoughts?”

  “No, but if you keep asking me, I might develop some.”

  She gaped at him.

  He laughed, and relief threaded through her.

  “I’m kidding, so stop looking so worried.” He waved at her. “I’ll be back soon.”

  As he disappeared from the doorway, she hoped she hadn’t made a mistake sending him off to Franey’s father’s store alone.

  Mark stepped into the fabric store and glanced at the front counter.

  When Sadie Liz spotted him, she lifted her hand and waved. “Hi, Mark! I’ll be right with you.” Then she turned back to the customer in front of her.

  Mark wandered around, glancing at Priscilla’s list and wondering how he was going to find all the items without help. Asking Priscilla if she needed anything had seemed like a great idea, but he was lost here. He’d rather pick up groceries than try to find his way around a fabric store.

  But he’d had an ulterior motive when he went upstairs to check on her earlier today. Priscilla hadn’t spoken to him longer than a few minutes since she’d asked him to stay for supper last Thursday and he’d declined. After their conversation in the barn, she’d been cool again, and the atmosphere between them had been strained. It was his fault. He’d had no real reason to assume she would ever go back to Trent.

  But the damage had been done. Just yesterday he walked up on the porch while she hung out laundry and chatted about how nice the daadihaus looked with the fresh coats of paint. But she only nodded in response. The day before, he’d mentioned how excited Cindy and Sarah Jane were about the wedding, and Priscilla only smiled.

  He’d never before had to work so hard to get a woman to talk to him, and this was the woman he was going to marry. That was why he’d used the offer of running errands as a lame excuse to spend a little bit of time with her. He was grateful she hadn’t just given him a one-word response—”No.”

  “How may I help you?” Sadie Liz appeared beside him with a wide smile on her face.

  “I need to get these supplies for Priscilla, but I have no idea where to begin.” He handed her the list.

  Sadie Liz examined the list and then nodded. “I can find all of this for you. I’ll be back in a jiffy.”

  “Danki.” Mark spun the display of patterns a few times and then walked over to a wall of quilts.

  After a few minutes he walked toward the back. When he heard Franey say his name, he stilled and listened to the conversation taking place in the next aisle.

  “Oh ya,” Sadie Liz said just loud enough for him to hear. “Mark is so handsome. He could have married any maedel in our community.”

  “That’s true,” Franey said with a sigh. “I thought for certain he was going to choose me.”

  “Why do you think he chose Priscilla?” Sadie Liz asked.

  A beat went by, and Mark held his breath.

  “Go ahead,” Sadie Liz encouraged her. “Say what you’re thinking. I can tell you want to.”

  “Well, she already had one kind with a man,” Franey said. “Maybe they’re expecting one together.”

  “You think she’s pregnant?” Sadie Liz exclaimed.

  Mark’s blood boiled. Clenching his fists at his side, he forced a pleasant expression on his face and headed to the counter at the front of the store. Anger and disappointment swirled in his gut as he waited for Sadie Liz to appear with Priscilla’s supplies.

  When Franey emerged from a nearby aisle, she smiled, and he nodded a response as he shoved his hands into his pockets.

  “Hi, Mark,” Franey called as she approached.

  “Hello.” He hoped he sounded pleasant.

  “I have all your supplies,” she said as she stepped behind the counter. “You had quite a list.”

  “Well, Priscilla is busy working on the dresses for the wedding, and Ethan needs a new pair of church trousers.” He pulled his wallet from h
is back pocket as she began ringing up the items.

  Sadie Liz appeared beside Franey and began putting the items into bags.

  “How’s your day going?” Franey asked him.

  “Fine. It’s been busy.” He rested his wallet on the counter. “There’s a lot to do on Yonnie’s farm. I just finished painting the daadihaus earlier this week. Now I’m cleaning the barn and replacing its rotten floor boards for the wedding.”

  “Oh.” Franey’s smile grew tight. She rang the last item and told him the price.

  Mark handed her the money, and she gave him his change. “Well, I’d better get back to the farm.” He smiled. “Priscilla is expecting me to bring her supplies and then a pretzel. She and Ethan love pretzels, and I’m froh to bring my future fraa the things she loves.”

  Franey’s smile faded.

  Sadie Liz nodded. “Oh, I’m certain you are.”

  “Danki for your help.” Mark slipped his wallet into his back pocket.

  “Gern gschehne.” Franey gave him a little wave.

  “See you at church,” Sadie Liz said.

  Mark turned to go, and then he stopped and faced them. “Oh, and by the way, Priscilla and I are expecting.”

  The two women’s eyes grew so wide he feared they might fall out of their heads.

  “Well, aren’t we all expecting a cold winter?” He narrowed his eyes. “You do know it’s a sin to spread rumors, right? Especially when they’re not true.”

  Franey’s mouth dropped open.

  Before they had a chance to respond, he stalked out of the store.

  “Danki!” Ethan announced as Mark handed him the large pretzel in the kitchen. “This is the perfect afterschool snack.”

  “Gern gschehne.” Mark placed the two bags of supplies on the counter.

  “Danki so much.” Priscilla came up behind him. “How much do I owe you?”

  Mark rolled his eyes. “Please. We’re going to share a bank account soon.”

  “I guess that’s true.” She turned to Ethan as he sat at the table and ate the pretzel. “How is it?”

  “Wunderbaar,” he responded with a mouthful.

  “You need to swallow before you talk.”

  Ethan nodded and continued chewing.

  “Here’s yours.” Mark handed her a large pretzel in a wrapper. “I hope it’s still warm.”

  She took the pretzel and smiled. “Ya, it is. Danki.”

  He nodded, and she noted the tightness around his mouth. Something was bothering him. Had he seen Franey and regretted his decision to marry Priscilla?

  “Is everything okay?” She braced herself for his response and possible rejection.

  He nodded. “Ya.”

  “Did you see Franey at the store?”

  A strange expression flashed over his features, and it stole her breath for a moment.

  “Ya. She sends her regards.” He jammed his thumb toward the door. “I need to finish unloading the supplies from my buggy. I’ll see you later.”

  “Do you need help?” Ethan asked, his mouth full again.

  “Ethan!” Priscilla snapped.

  Ethan’s shoulders hunched, and he looked down.

  “No, but danki, Ethan. I’ve got it.” Mark disappeared out the door, leaving her with doubts he’d told her everything there was to tell.

  TWENTY-TWO

  MARK TOOK A PAPERBACK FROM HIS BOOKSHELF AND ran his fingers over the cover the following Monday night. It was the last book Mamm gave him before she died. His eyes stung as he turned it over in his hand. She’d stopped at her favorite bookstore before grocery shopping one day, and when she saw the mystery novel sitting on the end of a display, she thought of Mark. She passed away only a week later, before he’d had a chance to start reading it.

  He’d held on to the book since the day she gave it to him, but he couldn’t bring himself to even open it. It was as if reading it would somehow erase her memory. It was a silly notion, but he couldn’t push it out of his mind.

  A knock drew his attention to the doorway of his bedroom where he found Cindy standing with an unsure expression on her face.

  “May I come in?” She bit her lower lip.

  “Ya, of course.” He dropped the book into a nearby box. “I was just packing.”

  “I can’t believe you’re moving out tomorrow.” She gestured at the sea of boxes.

  “Ya, I know.” He grinned. “I bet you thought this day would never come.”

  “No, I knew it was coming. You’ve been talking about building your own haus for a long time, and I had a feeling you’d wind up getting married first.”

  “Huh.” He set two more books from the shelf into the box. “Why did you assume I’d get married first?”

  She shrugged and picked up a softball from one of the boxes. “It was just a feeling I had. I guess since you kept saying you’d never get married, I assumed God had a different plan for you. It seems like his plans always take us by surprise.”

  “What do you mean?” Mark sat on his desk and faced her.

  “It’s difficult to explain.” She turned the ball over in her hands as she spoke. “Jamie wasn’t expecting to meet Kayla and fall in love with her when he did, and then Laura fell in love with Allen when she was trying to make things work with Rudy. God seems to know what’s best for us when we think we already have it all figured out.”

  He nodded as her words soaked through his mind. “What about you?”

  “What about me?” Her cheeks flushed. Cindy never seemed to enjoy being the center of attention.

  “What do you think God has in store for you?”

  “I don’t know.” She shook her head and looked down at one of his boxes as if avoiding his eyes. She dropped the softball into the box and then turned to the box of books beside it.

  “Do you think you’ll fall in love and get married like the rest of us, Cindy?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why not?”

  She kept her eyes focused as she fished through the contents of the box.

  “Cindy?” He stood. “Was iss letz?”

  “Nothing’s wrong.” She looked at him and offered a forced smile. “I’m just froh for you and Priscilla. You’re a great couple, and you’ll be gut together.” Her fake smile disappeared. “I’m going to miss you. I’m going to be the last Riehl sibling here.”

  He sighed. “I know, but I won’t be far, and neither is Laura. Jamie and Kayla are just down the path too. We’re still family, and we’ll see each other all the time.” He studied her blue eyes, which seemed to sparkle in the glow of his lanterns. Was she going to cry? His shoulders tightened. He needed to lighten the mood—quick!

  “Besides, you get my room since Roy decided to stay in his.” He made a sweeping gesture. “You’ll finally have your own space, and it’s much bigger than the room you share with Sarah Jane.”

  She shook her head. “It won’t be the same without you here.” She swiped her fingers over her eyes. “You and Priscilla better come and visit often.”

  “We will.” He paused for a beat as the question he’d longed to ask for years surfaced in his mind. “Do you think you’ll ever join the church?”

  Her eyes rounded for a fraction of a moment and then returned to normal size. “I don’t know.”

  “It’s because we lost her, right?”

  She took a step back toward the door. “I should let you finish packing.”

  “Wait.” He reached for her arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you. Please don’t leave.”

  She stilled, but her eyes seemed to glimmer with uneasiness.

  “I miss Mamm too. She’s always in the back of my thoughts,” Mark admitted. “But you need to remember that she’d want us to move on.”

  “How?” Cindy’s voice was tiny, as if she were six years old again.

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged. “I guess we just keep praying for strength and then put one foot in front of the other. Our family has changed and grown, but we’re still here. I’
m going to marry Priscilla, but I’m still your bruder. Just like Jamie and Laura are still your siblings. You’re never going to lose us.”

  “How do you know that?” A single tear traced down her pink cheek. “We lost Mamm.”

  Mark winced as if she’d rammed a stake into his heart. “I know, Cindy, but you can’t live in fear. We have to just live.” He touched her arm. “I’ll be only a phone call away, okay?”

  She nodded.

  “Come here.” He gave her a quick hug. “You’re still my favorite youngest schweschder.”

  She laughed. “I’m your only youngest schweschder.”

  “Exactly.” He grinned, grateful to see her smile.

  She moved toward the door and then turned back. “Gut nacht.”

  “Gut nacht.” He lifted his chin as if to wave. “Take gut care of my room.”

  “I will.”

  As she disappeared into the hallway, Mark hoped Cindy would someday feel comfortable enough to join the church and settle down. It broke his heart to see her still clinging to their mother’s memory, but he understood the depth of her grief.

  Only God could heal his baby sister’s heart, and he prayed that someday soon God would.

  “For a single guy, you sure have a lot of stuff,” Jamie quipped as he set a box on the floor of the small living area of the daadihaus the following day.

  “I don’t have that much stuff. You just like to whine.” Mark glanced around the room, taking in the sofa sitting in front of the fireplace hearth.

  Across the room was a small kitchen area, including a table with four chairs. The two bedrooms, a utility room, and a bathroom were all just off the living area. This tiny house would be the home he’d share with Priscilla and Ethan until he and Yonnie began building a larger house. Somehow it already felt like home, which didn’t make any sense. Perhaps it was because this would be his house. His first house with his new wife.

  Mark swallowed against his suddenly parched mouth.

  “You’re going to be a husband and a dat in a little more than two weeks.” Jamie looped his arm around Mark’s shoulders. “Are you ready for this, little bruder?”