Surprised by Love

by Kathleen Fuller

  But it wasn’t just thankfulness she was feeling. Something else had gone through her when she was so close to him. She’d had no idea he had a small freckle underneath his left eye, or that his irises were a mix of brown, green, and gold. His arms were strong, and being that close, she could see the dark stubble on his chin. For some reason, she wanted to touch it. And because of that she sprang up as if her dress had been on fire.

  The odd feeling inside still hummed in the background when he’d touched the tape on her extra glasses. Adding to her humiliation, this was the only other pair she had. Her mother wanted her to get rid of them, but Emily was petrified of something happening to her good ones and not having another pair to wear. She was already getting a headache from the blurriness, but this was much better than having to feel and trip her way around the house.

  They entered the kitchen as her mother was pulling the rhubarb pie from the oven. She turned, and when she saw them she grinned. But her smile disappeared as her gaze landed on Emily. She set down the pie, took off her oven mitts, and walked over to her. “Why are you wearing those?” she said in a loud whisper. Her mother had no idea what it meant to be subtle.

  “I accidentally broke her other pair.”

  They both looked at Reuben. Emily didn’t blame him at all for breaking her glasses. She’d been putting off getting them adjusted. But she appreciated his reaction—taking her to the eyeglass shop and now taking the blame. He really was a good guy.

  The flutter in her heart started again. She placed her palm over it, then realized what she was doing and threw her hands behind her.

  “How in the world did that happen?” Mamm asked as Daed walked into the kitchen. As always before supper, he was showered and dressed in clean clothes.

  Emily gave her mother the shortened version of the story while her father and Reuben sat at the table and started talking about growing vegetables.

  Mamm shook her head when Emily finished the story. “That could only happen to you, Emily.”

  Emily shrugged. Her mother was right. She wasn’t a walking disaster, but she was close.

  She helped bring supper to the table. After prayer, they started to eat. Reuben and her father continued to talk, both having farming and gardening in common. Reuben was telling Daed about the success of his sister Sarah’s greenhouse.

  “The plants are growing really well,” he said, then put a bite of chicken and dumplings in his mouth. After he finished eating, he added, “Next month’s harvest should be excellent.”

  “I’m thinking about building another one,” Daed said.

  “Let me know if you need some help.”

  Emily was surprised by the offer. After their relationship ended, she expected to have minimal contact with Reuben. Things would go back to the way they were before. She knew her father wouldn’t start working on the greenhouse until late fall, months after she and Reuben “broke up.” She had to hand it to him, he was taking this fake relationship very seriously.

  She glanced at her mother, who practically had stars in her eyes. If Emily didn’t know better, she would have thought her mother was smitten with him. Then again, who wouldn’t be?

  After supper, Emily offered to wash the dishes. “Why don’t you and Reuben sit outside? I’ll bring dessert,” Mamm said. “I heard it was supposed to be another clear night.”

  “From who?” Emily asked.

  “Um, you must have mentioned it.” She moved behind Reuben and Emily and started shooing them out the back door. “I’ll bring yer pie and kaffee out in a minute.”

  Emily looked at Reuben when they were on the patio. “Sorry,” she said.

  “For what?” He looked down at her and smiled.

  “Mei mamm’s a little too eager to leave us alone.”

  “I know a few girls who would love for their mothers to do that.”

  “Really?”

  Reuben’s smile turned into a confused frown. “Obviously yer mamm trusts us.”

  “Why wouldn’t she?”

  He sat on one of the patio chairs. “I don’t have the most trustworthy reputation when it comes to maed.”

  She sat in the chair next to him. “Because you date so much?”

  Reuben nodded and leaned back. “Can’t blame people for drawing conclusions.”

  “Well, they shouldn’t. That’s not fair to you or the maed you geh out with.”

  “Sometimes the rumors are started by those maed. Can’t blame them for that either.” He looked down at the concrete patio floor. “Some of them are pretty mad at me.”

  “Still, starting rumors isn’t the right thing to do.” She knew that all too well.

  “Neither is leading girls on.”

  She stared at him for a moment. It was still too early for twilight, and contrary to her mother’s statement, it wasn’t supposed to be a clear night. Already the clouds were gathering into one solid cover. There would be no stargazing tonight. In the fading sunlight, she could see the troubled look on Reuben’s face. Regret. A feeling she, too, knew very well.

  The back door opened and her mother appeared, carrying a tray. Reuben popped up to take it from her, which led to another beaming smile. “How kind of you,” Mamm said, handing it to him. He set it on the patio table between their chairs.

  “If you need anything else let me know. I’ll be right inside.” Mamm hurried back into the house.

  Emily got up to serve the pie and coffee to Reuben, but he waved her off and handed her a steaming mug.

  “The pie looks delicious,” he said, handing her a piece. “Is this from today’s delivery?”

  She nodded and sat back down. A cow lowed in the distance. “Mamm makes excellent pie. I’ve tried to duplicate her crust, but I can’t get it right.”

  He sat and pushed his fork into the large piece of pie. Juice ran from the fruit between flaky layers of crust. He took a bite and swallowed. “Yer right. Best pie I’ve ever had.”

  They ate in silence, but it was a nice silence. Emily gazed up at the sky, wishing they could see the stars tonight. She would love to show Reuben the different constellations, the location of the North Star, and maybe, if they were lucky, a shooting star. She’d only seen one and would love to share that moment with Reuben.

  Wait. She put her hand over her heart again.

  “You okay?” Reuben put his fork down.

  She nodded quickly and shoved the rest of her pie in her mouth. “Gut,” she said through a mouthful, then grimaced. “Sorry. That was rude.”

  He chuckled. “You’ve got some pie on the corner of yer mouth.”

  Of course she did. She wiped it away. “Did I get it?”

  “Ya.” He picked up his mug and took a sip. “What time do you want to go to town tomorrow?”

  She thought for a moment. “Early afternoon would be best.” She paused. “You really don’t have to geh.”

  “So you’ve said.”

  “I don’t want you to geh to any trouble, or to take you away from work.”

  He took another drink of his coffee, then set the mug on the table. “I don’t mind a little escape from work every now and then, especially in the summer.” He glanced up at the sky. “Too bad it’s cloudy. I was hoping you could show me your telescope.” He locked his gaze on her. “We’ll do that next time.”

  Next time. A shiver coursed through her. Oh nee. She was in trouble. She wasn’t experienced at all in the dating department, but she knew what she was feeling for Reuben right now. Attraction. Surprising attraction. She leaned over. “You don’t have to be so nice. I’m sure Mamm isn’t spying on us.”

  He looked surprised. “I wasn’t being nice because I have to. I really do want to see yer telescope. I’ve never looked through one.”

  “Oh.” Now she felt stupid. Confused, stupid, and unfortunately, still attracted. “I’m sure you have to get back home,” she said, bolting from her chair.

  “Not really—”

  But as he spoke she stepped backward, bumped into the chair
, and started to fall. Before she hit the ground he caught her—again.

  But instead of letting go the way he normally did, he held on to her. “We seem to be finding ourselves like this a lot lately.”

  Her eyes widened as he pulled her upright, and kept his arm around her waist. “Because I’m so clumsy,” she said, her voice sounding breathy.

  “I don’t mind clumsy.” Reuben gazed at her intently.

  The back door opened and they broke apart. This time it was Daed, not Mamm, who came outside, holding a large roll of paper. He moved the coffee cups and pie plates to the side. “I thought you and yer sister might want to look at this,” he said, unrolling the paper and putting it on the patio table. “It’s mei plans for mei new greenhouse.”

  Reuben quickly moved to the table and started looking at the plans. “Nice,” he said. “This is pretty big.”

  “I’ll probably scale it back. This is just a rough sketch.”

  Emily took a step back and smoothed her dress, not that either man was paying attention to her. Which was good, because right now she could barely get her wits about her. Even though she knew Reuben was being nice and keeping her from falling—again—she couldn’t help but wonder if he felt the same sharp jolt she had when she was in his arms. Her face heating, she slipped back into the house, leaving Reuben and her father to talk about the greenhouse.

  “Where’s Reuben?” Mamm asked. She was seated at the kitchen table, writing a letter. She wrote weekly to Emily’s two sisters and three sisters-in-law back in Shipshewana.

  “Outside with Daed. They’re discussing greenhouse plans.”

  “For goodness’ sake.” She put down the pencil and stood. “Yer vatter can be so thick at times.”

  “It’s okay. Reuben was ready to geh home anyway.” At least she thought he was. He’d have to be, especially since he’d kept her from landing on her behind more than once today. Her cheeks heated.

  Mamm sat back down, mollified. “Well, you’ll see him tomorrow anyway. If you need the day off, you can have it.”

  “Just the afternoon.” She pushed on her glasses, even though they weren’t slipping, then remembered the big hunk of tape in the middle of them. Not to mention the half of a frame, plus another bit of tape on the side. She groaned inwardly. How could she possibly think Reuben would be attracted to her when she looked like this? When she was even more of a klutz around him than normal?

  She had to remember they were pretending. A stab of guilt passed through her. She looked at her mother, who was writing again. She didn’t like lying to her or her father. But it was better than the alternative—Wayne Jantzi.

  She also had to remember that Reuben didn’t take commitments lightly. After his confession about waiting to join the church, it made sense to her that he would be fully invested in playing the role of dutiful boyfriend. Reuben wasn’t a man to do things halfway. Any feelings she thought were between them were due to him playing his role to the hilt—and nothing else.

  CHAPTER 4

  It took all of Reuben’s concentration to focus on what Andy was saying. He liked the man, but he could drone on about his garden, herbs, and now, the greenhouse. Normally he’d be interested in those things, but his mind was somewhere else. Reuben nodded and glanced over his shoulder. Emily had gone inside. He hid a frown. He’d wanted to say good-bye to her at least. But she’d been so eager for him to leave that he didn’t dare go back inside.

  That bothered him. He was a decent-looking guy and a decent-acting guy. Nothing really special. But he was available, and that was the most likely reason why he had so much female attention. But not from Emily. When he’d held her in his arms after her second near-fall of the day, he hadn’t wanted to let her go.

  Which puzzled and unnerved him—two more things he wasn’t used to feeling.

  Andy rolled up the plans. “Feel free to keep them as long as you want.”

  Reuben glanced at the house again, positive Emily wasn’t going to come out. She could at least say good-bye the way most people would. But when it came to Emily Schwartz, Reuben was realizing she wasn’t like most people.

  He headed home, the plans next to him on the seat in the buggy, still thinking about Emily. He smiled as he thought about her taped-up glasses. His smile widened as he remembered her beautiful blue eyes. Then he thought about the cat in the tree. Of course she would take a risk to rescue it. That was the kind of woman Emily was.

  Despite all her great qualities, it didn’t mean he wanted to take their relationship any further. They were fulfilling a purpose for each other, and it was a temporary one. When Emily returned from her family reunion, they would stage their breakup and go back to the way things were.

  Satisfied he had set his thoughts back on the right track, he put his horse up in the barn, then went inside. His mother was in the living room, working on a crossword puzzle. “Hi,” she said, taking off her reading glasses as he walked into the room. “Did you have a nice time tonight?”

  “I did.” He set the rolled paper on the coffee table. “That’s for Daed and Sarah. Andy said they could look at his plans for a second greenhouse if they wanted to.”

  “How nice of him.”

  Reuben nodded as he started up the stairs.

  “He’d make a gut father-in-law for you,” Mamm said.

  Reuben almost tripped. “Father-in-law?”

  “Ya.” She put her reading glasses back on. “Or are you planning to break her heart like you’ve broken the others?”

  He went back down the stairs. “I haven’t broken anyone’s heart.”

  “Nee? What about Lora Yutzy? Her mother said she was upset for weeks when you didn’t ask her out a second time.”

  “Her mother shouldn’t be gossiping,” he muttered.

  “And maybe you haven’t literally broken hearts, but you have left hurt feelings in your wake.” She looked down at the puzzle book in her lap.

  “I . . .” He couldn’t respond because it was true. He’d never really thought about how the girls felt. He’d moved on and he expected them to as well. It was only one date for most of them, although he did go out with Julia Miller twice. Or was it three times? He scowled. How pathetic that he couldn’t remember, and they deserved better. They were nice. Friendly. They were all pretty in their own way. But since he felt nothing but friendship for them, there was no reason to keep dating. He was being practical, that’s all.

  Yet his mother’s words started to dig at his conscience. “You’re making me out to be a jerk.”

  She peered up at him over her glasses. “If the shoe fits.”

  He sat down across from her. “You really think I’m a jerk?”

  Mamm removed her glasses again. “Nee, Reuben. I don’t think that, because I know you. Yer a kind, thoughtful, generous mann. But that’s not the impression you’re leaving on these maed. And if you think yer going to end up dropping Emily like a rock, it might be better if you end things now.”

  Well, that put a kink in his and Emily’s plan. Sometimes his mother surprised him, and he was definitely stunned now. “I’m not going to drop her,” he said. At least not yet. And for once it would be mutual. Emily wouldn’t be hurt. Neither one of them would be.

  She lifted a brow. “It’s that serious between you two?”

  “Uh, it’s gotten a little more serious recently.” Very recently.

  Mamm smiled and leaned forward, the censure in her eyes replaced with a spark of excitement. “I’m so happy to hear that. I wasn’t sure if you’d ever settle down enough to get married.”

  “Married? But—”

  “And I really like her. Emily is such a nice girl. A little different, but there’s nothing wrong with that. She should come over for supper soon.”

  “Okay.” He didn’t know what else to say. He couldn’t tell his mother the truth. Not only would it ruin Emily’s ruse, but Mamm would be doubly disappointed in him. As it was, it bothered him that she felt the need to chastise him about his dating habits.
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  “We’ll have two weddings in the near future. How exciting.” She set aside the puzzle book.

  “Two?” he said weakly.

  “Yers and Emily’s . . .”

  Reuben paled. “And who else?” The words sounded like he was speaking with a throat full of peanut butter.

  “Sarah’s.”

  “Oh. Right.”

  She grinned. “She hasn’t said anything, but I have a feeling she and Peter will be announcing their engagement soon.”

  Talk about an unusual couple. His sister Sarah was a beautiful girl, probably the prettiest in the district, and he wasn’t being biased. Even his brother-in-law, Judah, had been smitten with her at one time. Then he regained his senses and fell in love with Esther. Sarah, who had the pick of eligible men, had started seeing Peter, a short, stocky guy who definitely wasn’t her type. But it was clear to anyone how much they cared for each other.

  Reuben’s temples thumped. He wasn’t used to thinking this hard about relationships, especially when it came to his sisters—or himself. And he had to make something perfectly clear to his mother.

  “I’m not going to rush into anything,” he said, standing. “You don’t have to start planning a wedding for me anytime soon.” He started for the staircase again.

  “I know. You never do anything without thoroughly thinking about it before committing.”

  That gave him a moment’s pause, then he went upstairs. But instead of getting ready for bed, he walked to his bedroom window and looked outside. The sky had cleared up a little, and there were patches of stars twinkling between layers of clouds.

  He leaned his head against the glass. His plan with Emily had seemed so simple, but now felt complicated. And wrong. But what could he do? If he came clean, Emily’s mother would send her straight to Wayne, and from the strong reaction she’d had to the man, Reuben knew he couldn’t let that happen. Whatever had gone on between them, it was clear she wanted nothing to do with him.