Huckleberry Summer (Huckleberry Hill)

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  A loud tap on his window startled him, and he bolted upright, suddenly alert. Another insistent tap got him to his feet. Aden lifted the blinds and peeked into the dark night. Would he be able to see who harassed him?

  Someone held a flashlight beneath his chin and shined it onto his own face. From the odd angle of the light, it took Aden a few seconds to realize Tyler Yoder was the one haunting his house.

  The sight of Tyler assaulted him with a fresh wave of longing. What did Tyler want, tonight of all nights? Didn’t he have better things to do than come and remind Aden of his loss?

  “Come out,” was Tyler’s muffled plea.

  Come out? It’s freezing cold in the middle of the night, and I’m leaving for Ohio tomorrow. I’m not in the mood to say good-bye or to wish you well on your wedding day or whatever it is you’re expecting from me. Had he come all this way in the middle of the night in the freezing cold to gloat?

  Aden was tempted to crawl back into bed and let Tyler freeze.

  Instead, he fumbled around in the dark for his clothes and tried not to make any noise when he tromped down the hall in his clunky boots. Mammi and Dawdi needed their sleep even if Tyler didn’t think Aden did.

  Pilot and Sparky sprawled on the rag rug in front of the sofa, but Pilot lifted his head and twitched an ear when Aden passed. “Go back to sleep, Pilot.”

  Pilot rose and stepped lightly across the kitchen floor to stand by Aden. Aden patted him on the head. “Not a bad idea, boy. You can protect me from predators.”

  Aden lit a lantern before stepping out onto the porch. He’d rather not converse while Tyler pointed that flashlight in his face.

  Tyler stood in the middle of the yard, but the flashlight had disappeared. At the edges of the lantern’s light, Aden could see a dark horse and a sleigh standing in the lane. The snow, which had been falling all day, drifted lazily to the ground as if ready to give up falling altogether. Aden clomped down the steps and crunched through the snow. Pilot contented himself on the porch, sitting on his haunches, peering at Aden and Tyler like a curious scholar.

  The lantern illuminated Tyler’s features. He wore his normal somber expression, but Aden could tell by the hard line of his mouth and the intensity of his gaze that he wasn’t happy.

  Aden wanted to growl. What did Tyler have to be unhappy about? He was about to marry Lily Eicher, the most wonderful girl in the world.

  “Could you put the lantern down?” Tyler said.

  Reaching back, Aden suppressed his confusion and set the lantern on the porch next to Pilot.

  Tyler nodded, stepped closer, and without warning, punched Aden squarely in the mouth.

  Aden stumbled backward and fell to the ground out of sheer surprise. Tyler’s fist struck hard, as if packed with every bit of anger Tyler had ever buried. Aden groaned as the taste of salty blood filled his mouth and his ears rang with the blow. He really should have stayed in bed. Aden glanced at his sorry excuse for a guard dog who sat on the porch, oblivious to the fact that someone had attacked his master. He’d get no help from Pilot.

  The pain of losing Lily left no room for anger, not even for Tyler Yoder. If Tyler felt the need to hit him, Aden must have deserved it.

  Still frowning fiercely, Tyler reached out his hand. Aden hesitated to take it. Did Tyler want to help him up so he could hit him again?

  He reluctantly took the proffered hand, stood with a grunt, and rubbed his tender jaw. “What was that for?”

  “So that tomorrow you won’t feel so bad about ruining my life. I want you to remember that I fought back. It will help soothe your guilty conscience.”

  “What do I have to feel guilty about?”

  That was a stupid question. He had a lot to feel guilty about: Lily’s arrest, Eicher’s mailbox, loving Tyler’s fiancée. A long list.

  Tyler pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to Aden. “Your lip’s bleeding.”

  “No kidding.”

  “I’m going in the house so I don’t freeze to death,” Tyler said as he walked up the porch steps. Pilot didn’t move a muscle, not even to growl.

  This visit got stranger and stranger. “You came all this way to sock me in the mouth and take over my house?”

  Tyler turned back, and one corner of his mouth curled slightly. “Did I break a tooth? I hope I broke a tooth.”

  Aden was about to follow his crazy friend up the steps and demand some answers when a glint of light appeared from around the corner of the house. Someone walked his way holding the shining flashlight.

  She stepped into the light of the lantern, and Aden held his breath. Was this what it felt like to see a vision?

  His surprise was nothing compared to the sharp yearning he experienced when he laid eyes on her. How could he bear to let her go, this bright, beautiful girl who never left his thoughts and held his heart in her hands? His love burned like a forest fire, irrational, fierce, and completely out of control.

  Pilot thawed instantaneously and jumped off the porch. Lily held up her hand. “Stay, Pilot. Stay there.”

  Pilot whined and wagged his tail, but he sat down in the snow and came no closer.

  She’d been crying. Even in the dim light of the lantern, Aden could see the red, swollen eyes and the weariness in her expression. Her violent trembling tempted Aden to wrap her in an embrace.

  He couldn’t help himself. He reached out and tenderly grasped her arms. “What’s wrong? Did Tyler do something to upset you?”

  “Aden, I’m so sorry. I’ve been unforgivably unkind to you.”

  He let his hands fall to his side. Was this some sort of pre-wedding ritual? Tyler and Lily visiting all the people they’d offended and making apologies before the big day? Didn’t they know such a gesture only made him feel like dirt?

  Hurt flashed in her eyes. “Am I too late?”

  He cleared his throat and tried to appear apathetic. She couldn’t know how her presence stabbed through his heart. “You don’t need to apologize for anything, Lily. Ever.”

  Her expression brimmed with tenderness, and she seemed to gravitate closer to him. Or did Aden involuntarily gravitate closer to her? He didn’t know, but he found his face within inches of hers.

  “You’re hurt,” she said, retrieving a handkerchief from her coat pocket. Aden didn’t dare move a muscle as she reached up and dabbed at his lip, maddeningly brushing her fingers against his jaw, sending his pulse racing. He clenched his fists in an attempt to gain some control. Didn’t she understand the torture he experienced just being near her?

  Slowly, deliberately, she rose to her tippy-toes and brushed her lips across his. He thought his heart might escape his chest and gallop down the road. He stood perfectly still in case any movement from him would make her come to her senses, because she had certainly lost them.

  She pulled away from him and searched his face for something. He didn’t know what. “Is there any possibility you could love me?” she said, in a whisper soft voice.

  He must not have heard her correctly. In bewilderment, he pointed to the house. “Do you . . . do you know that Tyler is in there?”

  “I called it off with Tyler.”

  Aden’s head reeled like the time Mahlon Byler beaned him with a softball. “You . . . you mean you . . . are you getting married tomorrow?”

  “Nae.”

  Aden didn’t think he’d ever heard a sweeter word in his life. If he were a bird, he could have soared to the sun. Weeks of the deepest despair gave way to happiness so exquisite it almost blinded him. It certainly took his breath away.

  She visibly trembled again. “Tyler is heartbroken, I stole Floyd’s sleigh, and my dat kicked me out of the house, but I finally found someone I’m willing to risk everything for.” She placed a hand on his chest. “It’s you, Aden.”

  Not caring whom he woke, Aden whooped at the top of his lungs, picked Lily up, and whirled her around. Pilot lost all control. He barked cheerfully and leaped like a rabbit in the snow-covered yard.


  Throaty laughter burst from Lily’s lips, and her smile set his heart ablaze. Aden laughed at the sheer delight of it all. He spun her until he got dizzy, then set her on her feet and kissed her as if he had every right to. She melted into his arms, and he lifted her off her feet again to bring her closer to his heart.

  After a few blissful seconds that could have filled eternity, she pulled away from him. He made sure she stood firmly on the ground when he let go. “So, you forgive me?” she said.

  He chuckled before he slid his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. She wrapped her fingers around his suspenders and pulled herself closer.

  He was so happy, he thought he might burst if he didn’t voice what he carried in his heart. With his lips within inches of hers, he said, “I love you, Lily.”

  She sighed as if to release whatever emotions she’d bottled up. Tears brimmed in her eyes before overflowing. She giggled. “You don’t know how I have longed to hear you say those words.”

  He kissed her again and tasted not only her sweet lips, but her salty tears as well.

  Oh, how he loved her!

  Kissing Lily always sent him reeling, so he didn’t know how he finally managed to make some sense of everything she’d said. He stiffened as her earlier words came back and indignation seized him. “Your dat kicked you out?”

  She lowered her eyes. “He was frantic. And desperate. I’ve always been so easily persuaded. He thought he could change my mind.”

  Aden wished he could make the pain go away by holding her close. “My darling, adorable Lily. I can only imagine how you felt and what horrible things your dat must have said.” Horrible things about Aden, no doubt.

  “I was shaking and ill and so terrified I was like to pass out. But I promise, from now on, you will not regret loving me. You’ll see I’ve changed.”

  He brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. She fell silent. “Don’t change a thing. I fell in love with the girl who scolded me every time I waded knee-deep into a puddle of water and sprouted that adorably anxious pout when I wouldn’t heed her. I fell in love with the girl who wouldn’t stop worrying about me and commanded my dog better than I ever could. You are my treasure, Lily. I would not have you any different.”

  She curled her lips. “All right. If you take care of the puppies and the horses and the ponds, I will take care of you.”

  They stood holding each other until Lily started to shiver. “What am I thinking, keeping you out in the cold like this? This would be more romantic inside where it’s warm.”

  Lily laughed and traced her fingers along his jawline. “I came so close to losing you. I don’t want to let you go even long enough to walk into the house.”

  “I’ll hold tight.”

  Lily frowned suddenly and slumped her shoulders. “Tyler’s in there.”

  Aden’s happiness deflated a bit. “Oh, jah, I forgot.” They couldn’t go inside. Aden didn’t want to rub it in, but he didn’t think it would be possible to keep a smile from his face.

  “He drove me over here. He didn’t have one bitter word for me, and I have treated him so poorly.” Lily closed her eyes and shook her head. “It is a wonder either of you can stand to be near me.”

  “Not a wonder at all. You are worth every risk, you know.” He emphasized his sincerity with a swift kiss. “I’m glad Tyler hit me. I don’t feel so guilty about stealing his fiancée.”

  Aden took Lily’s hand in his. There could never be a better fit. He tugged her to the house with Pilot trotting close behind. Aden snatched up the lantern before opening the door.

  Pilot barged into the room ahead of them. The floor lantern had been lit, and Tyler sat on the sofa with Mammi and Dawdi on either side of him. Mammi clutched one of Tyler’s hands in hers and her eyes twinkled with delight and sympathy. She wore her petal-pink nightgown with that strange puffy nightcap that looked like a purple cat had made a bed on the top of her head. Dawdi wore an undershirt with his trousers and suspenders, and his horseshoe beard stuck out from his face like the roots of a tree. Tyler looked as if he had swallowed a toad. Tyler and his grandparents must have been having a very awkward time of it.

  Pilot loped to the sofa and propped his paws on Tyler’s lap as if Tyler were his best friend.

  “Pilot, get down,” Lily commanded.

  Tyler stood, offered an arm to each of the grandparents, and pulled them up.

  Mammi beckoned for Aden to come closer. Unable to bear the thought of letting go of Lily’s hand, he took her along with him, and Mammi’s arms went around them both.

  “Tyler told us all about it,” Mammi said. “I knew how it would be.” She patted Lily on the cheek. “I kept telling Felty and Aden, but neither of them would believe me. Men don’t understand these things.”

  Mammi went to the kitchen and shoved two logs into the cookstove. “I’ve got cocoa. Would anyone like cocoa? Aden’s dat sent me a can of Mint Chocolate Swirl.”

  “Mammi, Lily’s dat threw her out of the house. Can she sleep here tonight?”

  Mammi clicked her tongue. “Poor David. He’s dug his heels in real deep. That mailbox cover I knitted must not have helped at all.”

  “I’m afraid he fed it to the goat,” Lily said.

  Mammi poured some milk into a pan. “You are welcome to stay as long as you want. There is a small room at the end of the hall.”

  Aden wouldn’t hear of it. “She can sleep in my room, and I will sleep in the barn.” Sleeping in the same house as Lily would drive him to the edge of madness.

  Lily shook her head. “Too cold. I am happy to have the small room.”

  A momentous idea popped into Aden’s head and wouldn’t leave. He lost his breath just thinking about it. He faced Lily and took both of her hands. “Lily, will you marry me?”

  Her eyes danced with a thousand bright fires. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips, in front of Mammi and Dawdi and her former fiancé. She had changed.

  Aden’s heart beat the unfamiliar cadence of perfect bliss. “Is that a yes?”

  “If I could say yes a million times, I would.”

  Aden cleared his throat and plunged into deep waters. “What I mean is, will you marry me tomorrow?”

  Tyler shook his head and groaned. “This day just gets better and better.”

  Lily trembled even as she smiled. “Tomorrow? Aden, do you really think we could?”

  Dawdi smoothed his beard into a more uniform shape. “Lily’s family will already be there. They’re expecting a wedding. The food is ready. It’ll just be a different groom.”

  Lily furrowed her brow. “The wedding’s at my house. What if Dat won’t let us inside?”

  “Then we can marry on your porch.”

  Tyler interlaced his fingers and leaned his elbows on his knees. “Your dat doesn’t have a say in who you marry. It’s the bishop who has to approve.”

  It went against every wedding convention they knew, but Aden could tell Lily wanted to be talked into it.

  “But what about your family, Aden? Will they be okay to miss it?”

  “Most of my aunts and uncles and cousins live in Bonduel. It won’t be hard to spread the word,” Aden said. What would Mamm and Dat say? All Aden knew was that he wanted to marry Lily so badly, he was willing to suffer his mother’s wrath.

  Mammi waved her hand in Aden’s direction. “Aden’s mamm will write me a ten-page letter, which I will be expected to read, but then she’ll get over it. She has five other unmarried children. She can attend their weddings.”

  Aden took Lily’s hand and kissed it. “If you’re even the least bit uneasy, we will wait. I only want you to be happy.”

  “I think it sounds lovely,” Mammi said.

  Lily began to cry again. “I am happy. I wouldn’t have believed this much happiness possible in an entire lifetime. The thought of facing all those people is terrifying, but I promised you I’d be brave. Yes, I will marry you tomorrow.”

  With every passing moment, Aden didn’t think he cou
ld be any happier. But knowing that Lily would truly be his in a matter of hours, he thought his heart would burst. He wrapped his arms around his fiancée. Mammi and Dawdi refused to be left out. Soon the four of them were tangled up in a toasty bear hug.

  Mammi giggled as the nightcap slipped off her head. “That hat never liked to behave.”

  Aden stole a glance at Tyler, who looked positively miserable. A twinge of guilt tugged at him. He touched the split in his lip. At least Tyler had gotten his last licks in.

  “Your lip looks bad. Does it hurt?” Tyler said, almost hopefully.

  Aden grinned. “You’re always putting other people’s feelings before your own.”

  “Glad I could be of help.”

  Aden huffed out a breath as he considered things more carefully. He pulled from the group hug with a grimace. “We can’t get married tomorrow.”

  “Why not?” Mammi and Lily said in unison.

  “It wouldn’t be right to do that to Tyler. Tyler’s feelings are more important than our wishes. He is the person who has been hurt the most by this.”

  “You’re right,” Lily said, compassion flooding her voice. “We should wait until Tyler gives the okay. It would be like pouring salt into a wound.”

  “I’m sitting over here,” Tyler said. “You don’t have to talk about me like I’m not in the room.”

  Aden and Lily glanced at each other, walked to the sofa, and sat on either side of Tyler.

  “Don’t look at me like I’m a little boy who lost his puppy,” Tyler said.

  “You don’t like dogs,” Aden said.

  Tyler’s lips twitched as if he were trying not to smile. Then he chuckled. “Well, quit feeling sorry for me. I’m going to look like a fool no matter when you two marry. Besides, it’s Aden I feel sorry for. He has to face Lily’s dat tomorrow.” Tyler leaned back and propped his hands behind his head. “I hope I’m there to see it.”

  Aden raised his eyebrow. “So you can gloat?”