The musty air of the station was stifling and almost nauseating when coupled with the smell of diesel fuel exhaust that drifted in through the open doors from where the busses sat in the holding area just outside with their motors running.
Lila’s attention suddenly wavered to the doorway where a handsome Amish mann entered. It was as if she had somehow sensed his presence. She could see the blue in his eyes from where she sat, and the dimples that formed at his instant smile when his gaze met hers were enough to unseat her. She wondered—no hoped—it wasn’t Samuel Yoder, Onkel Jessup’s new nephew to come for her. Her onkel had sent for her after the news of a boppli that had shocked the entire familye. With no other relatives to take care of the B&B, while the new parents tended to their unexpected blessing, Lila was the logical choice to provide her services to the familye. Besides, it had been urgent for her to get the handmade cradle to her onkel to use for his new boppli. Now, Lila was certain she would have to endure the discomfort of riding with this handsome stranger.
The young mann approached her with the sort of confidence Lila would deem to be somewhat prideful, but still charming. “Are you Lila?” he asked.
“Jah. You must be Samuel.” Her voice shook nervously.
Samuel bent down to pick up her bag and the wooden cradle, and then he walked toward the door without another word to her. Would the ride to her onkel’s haus be filled with the same reserve? She was fairly certain she didn’t want to engage in conversation with Samuel, but neither was she fond of awkward silence. She forced herself to believe that awkward silence was better than letting this mann’s alluring smile distract her from the pact she’d made with herself to not become caught up with marriage and having kinner the way her friends had. Since her mamm had died minutes after giving birth to her, she had determined, even at a young age that she would not risk bringing kinner into the world only to leave them without a mamm the way she’d grown up.
Lila sighed, knowing that the ride in close-quarters with such a handsome mann would not be an easy test of her willpower. But she’d been able to resist the advances of every suitor for the past few years who had come to ask her to take buggy rides with them. She could handle a short buggy ride with Samuel, especially since she would most likely not see him again.
Lila tried not to show her discomfort as Samuel’s leg rested so close to hers she could feel his body heat. Never mind that it was a chilly day, and there didn’t seem to be a lap-quilt in the buggy.
Samuel slapped the reins against the gelding’s muscular flank. “I hope the weather stays cool without freezing for the next couple of weeks so it will be nice for the wedding.”
Be polite, but not encouraging. He doesn’t have to know I would rather not talk to him.
“Mei schweschder, Rachel, is marrying Blake Monroe,” he continued. “There is much to be done to prepare. It’s gut timing for your visit so you can help with preparations at the B&B since that is where the wedding is to take place. The familye was concerned that with the arrival of the new boppli, that it would slow the progress, but you will be a gut addition. I’m certain Rachel will be grateful for the extra help.”
Wunderbaar, Lila groaned inwardly. I didn’t realize that Onkel was volunteering me to help with a wedding!
Lila didn’t allow herself to swoon over bopplies or weddings the way her friends and cousins did. She was against all of it, and would just as soon steer clear of any part of it. Unfortunately, her daed had put her into a tight spot, where both situations would be clearly unavoidable.
“I imagine you’re eager to see the new boppli. Mei schweschders and mamm have already spoiled him. Most women are narrish when they learn of a new boppli, and they all have to visit and make clothes and quilts.”
She wasn’t crazy over the presence of a new boppli, but she would not admit that to this handsome stranger.
She smiled politely. “Onkel Jessup said I was to take over the duties at the B&B to keep it running.”
“Jah, but there are no reservations set until Christmas, so he will most likely ask you to help with wedding preparations or to help Aenti Bess with the boppli.
Lila had no intention of helping with the boppli, but the only alternative was to assist with preparing for something she did not believe in—a wedding. How could she help with something she was so much against? It would be the first time she would meet her new cousins, and she was not getting off to a very gut start.
Samuel flashed her a sideways glance while keeping his eye on the busy road ahead. “You do like weddings, don’t you?”
Chapter 5
When Samuel steered the gelding into the circle drive of the B&B, Lila could not get out of the buggy fast enough. Most girls would daydream about having Samuel pull them into an embrace, and wrapping his work-strong arms around them.
Not her.
She had spent nearly the entire buggy ride pushing such thoughts from her mind to avoid giving into something that could never be a part of her life. In her mind, it was best to be casual and cordial, but nothing more.
Lila didn’t wait for Samuel to fetch her bag from the back of the buggy. While he tied his horse, she was nearly up the steps to the B&B with it, and didn’t dare look back. It wasn’t her intention to be rude, but when he brought in the cradle, she would thank him for the ride to her aenti’s haus in the presence of familye. This way she could avoid any lingering conversation with him. The buggy ride had seemed excruciatingly lengthy because of the long silence between them, but she’d made it very clear to Samuel that she was not interested in being overly friendly. It was better that way. It was best not to give him any reason to ask to call on her company.
Samuel took his time with his horse, making certain there was fresh water in the trough. He patted the side of his gelding’s nose. “Do you think that girl is a mite shy, or do you think she has a beau?”
The gelding nickered and bobbed his head.
“You’re right. A girl that handsome probably has the menner lining up to visit with her at Sunday Singings.”
Samuel moved to the open door of the buggy and retrieved the handmade cradle. He knew Jessup had been eager for it to arrive. And not a day too soon since that boppli was already three days old. He’d overheard his mamm and schweschders talking about Jessup’s unhappiness over having to place his new son in a wicker laundry basket packed with a quilt. Samuel didn’t see what the big deal was. In fact, he’d thought it was a pretty gut idea. But what did he know? He wasn’t married with kinner of his own. Even though his twin schweschder was about to get married, Samuel didn’t have a sweetheart or even any prospects.
It wasn’t until he met Lila just now that he’d even given it any thought before. What was it about her that prompted such thoughts in him? Perhaps it was her aloof behavior. He was used to the girls in the community paying a lot of attention to him, but he hadn’t found one yet that he had any real interest in—until now. He could have his pick of any girl in the community, so why did he suddenly find himself wanting this one?
Samuel let himself in through the kitchen door of the B&B. He could smell the woodsy smell of the fireplace even before he heard the crackling and popping. It brought warmth to his bones from the chill of the late afternoon. Jessup greeted him before he made it to the small sitting room on the private side of the B&B.
Jessup’s face lit up at the sight of the cradle tucked under Samuel’s arm.
“When Lila didn’t come in with it, I worried for a minute.”
Jessup took the cradle and gazed upon it as though it was made from pure gold. “I never thought I would have to use this again unless it was for grandkinner. Isn’t it funny how life changes sometimes? Just when you don’t expect Gott could give you anymore, he blesses you one more time.”
Tears welled up in his eyes as he walked to the back stairwell that led to the private living quarters.
Not knowing what to do with himself, Samuel walked back to the kitchen to make a pot of fresh kaffi to keep him w
arm on his trip home. The sun had begun to sink below the tree-line, and it was starting to feel like the end of October out there. The first week of November would be a little colder, but Samuel prayed the weather would hold steady until his schweschder’s wedding.
Lila entered the room and turned to leave when she saw Samuel. He looked up at her and beckoned her back into the room.
“You want some kaffi? The ride here was a little chilly. I’m sorry I forgot to put the lap quilts back in the buggy.”
Lila nodded shyly and eyed the cupboards wondering which one contained the cups.
Samuel could see what she was asking without saying a word. He pointed to the cupboard to her right. “The cups are in that one.”
He pulled on the utensil drawer. “Spoons are in here.” Then pointed to the narrow cupboard beside her. “Sugar and honey are in there.”
“Danki,” she said almost too quiet for him to hear.
Samuel was used to the women in his life being outspoken. He had his work cut out for him if he was ever going to get this one to feel comfortable enough around him to talk. From the few words she’d spoken, he knew she had a lovely voice. It was gentle and angelic—one he could get used to listening to for the rest of his life.
Lila cleared her throat. “The kaffi is ready.”
Samuel’s face heated. Had she noticed him daydreaming? “Danki,” he muttered as he poured kaffi into the cups Lila had set beside him.
He looked into her angelic face as she sipped the hot beverage cautiously. He wanted to ask her to the Sunday Singing tomorrow evening, but he suddenly lost his nerve. What was wrong with him? He’d always been at ease when talking to women. Was his sudden inability to form more than two words because she appeared to not be interested in him?
Chapter 6
Lila scooped the pumpkin seeds and fleshy insides from the freshly-picked gourd. Now that she’d been at her onkel’s haus for three days, she’d settled into a routine. Her duties were a lot different than what she’d been expecting when she was asked to help, but she didn’t mind. As long as she wasn’t being asked to tend to the boppli, Lila would be content with taking over the kitchen duties and assisting with wedding preparations for Rachel.
Mashing the pumpkin in the mixing bowl, she hoped her loaves of bread would be enough for the familye dinner that Jessup had asked her to cook for. Lila intended to serve the dinner in the large dining area that was normally for guests, hoping the distance would keep her from contact with Samuel. She knew he would be attending, but what she didn’t know was why it worried her the way it did. She refused to admit to herself that she could be attracted to his baritone voice or his lively blue eyes that seemed to dance with constant delight.
Lila mindlessly knocked the bowl with the pumpkin seeds onto the floor.
Oh no, they’re ruined. Now I can’t roast them! I better stop daydreaming and concentrate on what I’m doing so I don’t shame onkel with my carelessness.
Bending down to clean the mess, she wondered if she would always be happy working in someone else’s kitchen. It hadn’t struck her until just now that she could be tending her mamm’s kitchen in the deceased woman’s absence for the rest of her life—as a spinster.
“Do you need some help?”
The strong baritone voice startled her, causing her to bump her head on the underside of the table. Lila rested on her haunches, rubbing the sore spot on the top of her head as she glared at Samuel.
He reached a hand to assist her, but she refused, scooping up the last of the spilled pumpkin and placing it back in its bowl.
“I didn’t mean to startle you. Sounds like you hit your head pretty hard. I think it’s bleeding on the top.” He reached out toward the back of her head, but she flinched away from him.
“At least sit down for a minute and let me get you a wet towel so we can make sure you don’t need the doc to come and stitch you up.”
She reluctantly obeyed his gentle urging, but only because her scalp stung and her head wouldn’t stop pounding. She reached up and touched the tender spot, and then instinctively drew her hand in front of her face. She dizzied at the sight of blood on her fingers.
Samuel rushed to her side with a wet dishrag, pressing it to the wound. “Hold this for a minute. Put pressure on it. Head wounds always bleed a lot.”
She replaced her hand on the dishrag, wincing at the pressure she placed on the injury. Samuel unpinned her kapp, causing her to gasp. She automatically reached up with her other hand and tried to stop him.
Samuel gazed into her eyes, momentarily hypnotizing her with the blue depths that pleaded with her to trust him.
Lila allowed him to unpin her hair to better reach the abrasion on her scalp that suddenly didn’t hurt anymore.
Samuel ran his fingers through the tresses of Lila’s sun-streaked chestnut hair, trying desperately to focus on assessing the severity of the laceration. He had never had his fingers in a woman’s hair before, and the sensation drew him to her in a loving way.
Lila couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the feel of Samuel’s fingers trolling across her scalp. Until now, she had remained untouched by any mann. How would she ever be able to resist such an awareness of his touch for the remainder of her stay here? Out of necessity, she steeled her emotions against him, suddenly becoming rigid.
Lila jumped from her chair suddenly. “Does it need stitches?”
Samuel, caught off guard by her sudden change of demeanor, shook his head. “Nee.”
Lila narrowed her mouth. “Then please leave me alone to finish making the meal. It’s getting late, and I don’t have time to worry about a little scrape on my head when I have to prepare a meal for the entire familye.”
Until she suddenly changed her tone to reflect harshness, Samuel had been tempted to meet Lila’s full lips with his. He conceded, knowing his schweschders would arrive any moment to assist her with the meal. He looked into her steely hazel eyes once more before exiting the room. He’d seen vulnerability in those eyes just moments before, and he couldn’t bear to gaze upon the indifference he saw there now. What had imprinted such hardness of her heart that it should reflect in her eyes?
Samuel left the room, his exposed heart feeling the twinge of pain from her steely gaze. Had it been his imagination that he’d felt her respond to him? He was certain he hadn’t mistaken the dreamy look in her eyes at his touch that was quickly replaced with such melancholy he could hardly bear it. Why did he feel such a strong desire to be the one to break through the sadness in her heart? He barely knew her, but yet he wanted to be the one to shelter her and bring joy to her heart.
****
Lila chided herself for letting her guard down long enough to let Samuel affect her the way he had, as she twisted her hair back into a tight bun at the back of her head. She had no desire to become romantically involved with any mann. Her lifelong stance had been never to wed and never to bring a boppli into the world full of the sort of emptiness she had endured from growing up without a mamm. No relative had been able to fill the gap that her mamm had left in her heart when she’d died moments after giving birth to her. She would not risk doing the same thing to a boppli of her own.
Chapter 7
Samuel couldn’t help but stare at Lila as she placed the plate in front of him. She had not made eye-contact with him at all as she moved about the room making certain everything was in place. Her reluctance to sit with the familye during the meal did not go unnoticed. She seemed friendly enough with his schweschders, causing him to wonder if it was not the world she loathed, but him. But when Rachel tried to pass little Adam to Lila, Samuel saw Lila’s reaction and couldn’t help but wonder at the look of fear in her eyes. Had she never held a boppli before? She’d looked upon Adam as though he was a poisonous snake rather than an innocent boppli, and that concerned Samuel.
In the kitchen, Lila placed a second batch of yeast rolls in the basket and covered them with the linen towel to keep them warm.
Rachel ent
ered the kitchen and watched her for a moment. “Are you alright, Lila? You seem to be a little nervous. Was it too much for you to prepare the meal for this many people? I know you’re not used to this much cooking.”
“Nee, we don’t have this much familye back in Nappanee. Most of them are scattered in other communities.”
Rachel felt compassion tug at her heart. “I’m certain your onkel would enjoy it if you stayed on here at the B&B for a while.”
“I will be settling here, it seems. A letter arrived today with the details. Mei daed has finally managed to sell Onkel Jessup’s farm for him, and he will be here in three weeks. We will live in the dawdi haus. Onkel has asked me to clean and paint it to prepare for his arrival.”
Rachel pulled Lila into an unexpected hug.
“That’s wunderbaar!”
Lila turned serious. “I promise it won’t interfere with the wedding preparations you’ve asked for my help with.”
“I’m not so much worried about that as I am with you taking on another project on your own. You seem so stressed as it is.”
Lila waved her off. “I will be able to get everything done as long as there are no guests at the B&B.”
Rachel smiled thoughtfully. “I will ask Samuel to help you. He enjoys painting.”
“Nee,” Lila said with an urgency that alarmed Rachel.
She patted Lila’s arm. “I know you aren’t used to familye helping, but my familye does nothing but help each other. I’m certain it will be no trouble at all for Samuel to help you get the dawdi haus ready for your daed.”
Under the Harvest Moon: Book Seven Page 2