by Naomi King
Rosemary nearly dropped the vegetable bowl. Titus’s abrupt tone told her he was more interested in knowing whether he’d have a housekeeper in Cedar Creek than he was concerned about her future. Or was that an unfair assumption? Was she hearing this whole conversation through her dismay at the prospect of moving so far from her own family and friends—and on such short notice?
“Maybe that depends on the offer I get for my land,” she hedged. It wasn’t fair that Titus had information he wasn’t sharing, yet he expected her to give an answer that would determine her entire future. “Who do you have in mind to talk with? Joe paid a gut price for our ground, buying it from an English fella, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let it go cheap just because an Amish buyer thinks he’ll be doing me a favor, taking it off my hands.”
Titus’s eyes widened. “You could show some gratitude for the home you’ll have in Cedar Creek, Rosemary. You’ll be closer to Lois’s shop, where you can sell your pies. Not to mention living right across the road from a young fella who wants to get hitched.”
Beth Ann’s eyes got as wide as saucers. “You and Matt Lambright are gonna get married?”
“NO!” It was all Rosemary could do to stay at the table. How had this conversation strayed so far down this path, and so fast? “Your dat is jumping the gun, just like he seems to forget that I came here of my own accord to help out.”
Beth Ann’s wavering expression warned Rosemary to tread carefully. Her own feelings weren’t the only ones she had to consider. “While it’s true you both welcomed me into your home,” she went on, cutting chunks of hamburger steak for Katie, “I have my mamm and sister to consider. Just like it will be hard for you to move away from folks you’ve known all your life, Beth Ann, going to Cedar Creek will mean I’ll be leaving my family and friends behind, as well.”
“But…but without you, Rosemary, we won’t be a family.”
The kitchen got very quiet. Beth Ann’s wistful words hung over the table like a rain cloud. Titus looked ready to reprimand his daughter, but Rosemary held up her hand. Oh, but this was a prickly patch of nettles they had strayed into, and she had no idea how to get out of it gracefully…lovingly. She had seen this crossroads from a distance, as though she’d been driving a buggy, looking for the turnoff to a place she’d never been. Now that she’d reached the intersection of Move Forward and Stay Put, the decision loomed larger than she had anticipated. And her choice would affect Beth Ann and Titus as much as it would determine her own future.
“We will always be a family, Beth Ann,” she said. “But just like you’ll someday meet a fella and move out of the house to start another branch on the family tree, I have choices to make for Katie and me that might shoot us off in a different direction. Sometimes we lose branches in a storm and sometimes we grow new ones, but it’s still the same sturdy tree.”
Titus sat back. He looked grateful for the way she’d framed her answer. “I’m seeing this as a chance to get back to my roots—a fresh start, even at my age.” He ladled gravy over his meat and potatoes. “I suppose it’s only fair to Joe’s memory—to the investment he made in that piece of ground—to see what offers you get before you make your decision, Rosemary. But as for me and my house,” he quipped, rephrasing the verse from the book of Joshua, “we’ll be moving to Cedar Creek when the Bontrager place is emptied out.”
“As well you should. Seems like the whole situation has come about mighty fast,” she replied. “I’m happy for you.”
For the rest of the meal an uneasy peace prevailed. Titus seemed intent on eating twice his usual amount while Beth Ann drew her fork through her potatoes and gravy, lost in thought.
“Mama! More!” Katie crowed, pointing to the bread basket.
As she buttered another slice of the bread she’d baked that morning, it struck Rosemary that more was exactly what they all needed right now. Beth Ann craved more love and attention at a difficult time in her young life, while Titus wanted more companionship from old friends and his new partner, Matt.
And what do you want more of?
The question lingered in Rosemary’s mind after Titus went out to do his sheep chores, as she and Beth Ann washed the dishes. Would God think she was ungrateful for all He had given her, if she wanted a life of her own choosing? Did God, like Titus, figure that as a woman, she should be happy with whatever the men in her life provided for her?
“Guess I’ll finish our new jackets,” Beth Ann murmured as she draped the dish towels over the drying rack. “Sounds like I’ll be packing up my room pretty quick, with no time to sit at the sewing machine for a while.”
“Jah, we’ll be plenty busy, you and I, getting ready for whatever comes next.” Rosemary stood in front of Joe’s little sister, squeezing her shoulders. “Your dat acts like it’s all to be smooth sailing and moving forward, but he’ll hit a few bumps come time to leave this house,” she said softly. “No matter what happens, though—no matter whether I go to Cedar Creek or stay here—I love you, Beth Ann. And you can talk to me whenever you need to. I’d miss it a lot if we couldn’t do things together.”
So why would you leave me? Beth Ann’s forlorn eyes seemed to ask.
It was a question that would torment Rosemary until she made her final decision to go or stay.
Beth Ann went upstairs, and within moments Rosemary heard the steady whirring of the treadle sewing machine in the spare bedroom above her. Meanwhile Katie had opened the lower cabinet door to haul out the pots and pans, but Rosemary wasn’t in any mood to hear her banging on them. “Outside we go, punkin,” she said as she scooped her daughter into her arms. “Let’s cut the lettuce and spinach. And who knows? Maybe the bunnies will be playing in the garden.”
“Bunnies?” Katie’s face lit up, and Rosemary laughed. She plucked her baskets from the mudroom shelf, and as she stepped outside into the early-evening sunshine, she felt better. Planting loud, playful kisses all over her giggling daughter’s face lifted her spirits, too, and when she set Katie down she marveled at how much steadier those little legs had become. Her toddler took off across the yard, squealing when a rabbit sprang from behind the leafy rhubarb plants at the garden’s edge.
What a difference it made, getting out of the house, after baking and delivering her pies this morning and her terse conversation with Titus. It seemed the rows of carrots, beets, lettuce, and onions had grown taller since the last time she’d worked in the garden, and the recent rain had made the weeds pop up. As Rosemary cut the tallest leaf lettuce, she heard the phone ringing. Ordinarily, she might let the caller leave a voice mail, yet after receiving so many surprises over supper, something prodded her up off her knees. She sprinted to the shanty and grabbed the receiver. “Jah, hullo?” she said breathlessly.
“Rosemary, it’s Abby Lambright. I’m glad I caught you close to the phone.”
Who wouldn’t feel better, hearing that happy voice? “Well, I’m glad, too, Abby. How are you?”
“We’re all gut here, thanks—and we’ve got some plans brewing for a sewing frolic next Saturday.” Abby paused for a moment. “You probably know by now that Salome Bontrager’s got a baby due in August—and that she and Perry plan to move soon.”
“Jah, I’ve heard about that, all right.”
“Well, we’re making it one big get-together for all the neighbor gals, sewing baby clothes and a new quilt here at the house. We’d love for you and Beth Ann to join us,” Abby continued in an excited rush. “I thought it might be a gut way for you two to get better acquainted here in Cedar Creek. And truth be told…”
Abby apparently assumed Rosemary had decided to move to the Bontrager house with Titus. That aside, wouldn’t a sewing frolic be a fine way to spend time with Beth Ann, doing what she loved best?
“…Matt was already thinking of coming your way for a visit with Titus about his sheep,” Abby went on. “So he’d be willing to leave here bright and early, pick you girls up, and then drive you back to Queen City after supper that evening.”
Laughter erupted from the receiver. “You saw right through me, then?” Abby teased. “But honestly, Mamm and I had been looking for a gut time to host a party for Salome, and with all that’s happened for the Bontragers—and for you—these past couple of days, we thought we’d better have our frolic sooner rather than later.”
“Mighty nice of you to think of us, Abby,” Rosemary murmured.
“And why not have Beth Ann bring those strips for the rag rug her mamm was going to make?” Abby continued. “Zanna will be here, and there’s nobody better for showing Beth Ann how to crochet those strips into a pretty piece she can remember her mother by.”
Rosemary’s heart welled up with so much gratitude, she gripped the phone to keep from crying. “Abby, that’s the sweetest, most thoughtful idea. It was awfully nice of you to think of Beth Ann this way. What time should we be waiting for Matt?”
“He’ll probably be there by eight, eager as he is to see you.” Abby laughed softly. “I’ve told him to take it a little slower, to give you time to adjust to all these changes in your life, but—well, Matt will be Matt, ain’t so?”
Yes, Matt would be Matt. But before Rosemary had to fend off his exuberance again, she would spend a week clearing out closets…pondering the big decisions about where she would live and what she wanted to do with her life now. And didn’t a sewing frolic sound like a better way to spend next Saturday than packing?
“We’ll be ready to go when he gets here,” Rosemary replied. “And, Abby, denki so much for this invitation. You’ve just made my week a whole lot brighter.”
Chapter 19
Matt wondered if he looked totally idiotic as he clapped the reins lightly on his horse’s back, but he couldn’t help himself. After a brief assessment of the flock that Titus would be moving, Matt was leaving the Yutzy place on a sunny Saturday morning with Rosemary seated beside him, and he’d never felt so grand. Sure, Beth Ann and Katie sat behind them in the buggy, but if their presence made Rosemary more comfortable, he was fine with that.
And wasn’t this what it felt like to drive a family around? It could be his family someday. He guided the horse onto the county road, looking for a good start to a conversation.
“It was a nice surprise last week, to get Abby’s invitation to the frolic,” Rosemary said, sitting primly against the far side of the seat, hands clasped in the folds of her black dress and apron.
“Truth be told, I was happy to get out of the house and come for you,” Matt confessed. “Dat and I will be making ourselves scarce while you hens—er, you girls—do your sewing and chitchatting.”
“Gut thing, too. Gives us more of a chance to talk about you while you’re not around. Not that we’d gossip, of course,” she added.
She was keeping a straight face, but oh, Rosemary’s green eyes had a special glimmer when she teased him this way! Matt shifted so his thigh nearly touched her skirt…wanting to sit closer, yet aware they had an audience. “Meanwhile, we fellas will be helping Perry get his equipment out of the sheds,” he said. “That also involves making decisions about what to do with his dat’s woodworking tools and lumber left from his cabinetmaking, in that shop behind the house.”
“Jah, we’ll have that on our end, too,” Rosemary said more solemnly. “Won’t be easy for the Bontragers or for us, moving away from homes full of memories and belongings of people who won’t be going with us. But we’ll figure that out. We’ll handle it, come time.”
Matt was sorry he’d introduced a topic that had made Rosemary’s sunshine duck behind a cloud. They rode in silence for several moments.
“Matt? Matt!” Katie piped up behind them.
He turned to grin at her. She was perched on the seat beside Beth Ann, watching him intently.
“Matt, hi!” she said, waving her hand.
“Hi yourself, Miss Katie. It’s gut to see you this morning,” he replied. Who wouldn’t be captivated by this little pixie in her dress the color of a butterscotch pie?
“Puppies?” she replied hopefully.
“Jah, Panda and Pearl are back home, watching the sheep,” he said with a nod. “They’ll be glad to see you.”
“Me, too.” She stuck a finger in her mouth, fixing him with her gaze.
Rosemary chuckled. “Katie went running out into the yard and scared up a bunny in the rhubarb patch yesterday. That was exciting.”
“Jah, we’ve had to shoo the bunnies from Mamm’s garden, too,” Matt said. “The dogs love to chase after them in the pasture. Which do you like better, Katie? Bunnies or puppies? Or kitties? We have barn kitties, too, you know.”
“I love bunnies,” the little girl sang as she began to rock from side to side. “I love puppies…I love kitties. And I love you, Matt!”
His heart leaped up into his throat. How did he reply to that without making Rosemary or Beth Ann feel awkward?
And why are you worried about them? Hasn’t this little girl just wrapped you around her finger—and her heart?
Matt let out the breath he’d been holding, giving the only reply that made sense. “And I love you, too, Katie. Wherever you go, you’re a ray of sunshine.”
She giggled. “Jah. I know.”
Beth Ann grabbed her playfully in the crook of her elbow, and it struck him how close the two of them must be…Most likely, things were pretty quiet for a young lady of twelve, out there on Titus’s place. As the girls tussled, he turned his attention to Rosemary again. She was looking into the distance, maybe because Katie’s declaration of affection had startled her. “You’ve got yourself quite a little sugar pie there,” he murmured. “One of these days you’ll be beating off the boys with a stick.”
“It’s too soon to be thinking about that,” Rosemary declared. “Just got her out of diapers not so long ago, and—but I don’t suppose a fellow like you has reason to talk about such things.”
“Puh! Zanna brings Harley over nearly every day, you know. I’m not saying I know how to pin a diaper on him, but I can sure tell when it’s time to pass him off to his mamm again.”
When Rosemary burst out laughing, Matt suddenly felt like fireworks were pop-pop-popping in his soul, in bright colors that climbed higher with each ecstatic beat of his heart. Rosemary’s cheeks glowed, and it was easy to imagine her sitting beside him in a summer dress in a pretty color with an apron and kapp of white rather than black.
“So now you know what you’d be getting yourself into, if you took up with the likes of me,” he remarked. “A little rough around the edges and maybe wet behind the ears, but sincere. And trainable—mostly.”
Oh, how his insides quivered when Rosemary looked at him. “We’ll see about that.”
Matt got so lost in a romantic fog, he wasn’t sure how they arrived in Cedar Creek and drove up Lambright Lane. But he knew the next ride with Rosemary couldn’t come soon enough.
Rosemary listened to the many conversations going on in the Lambrights’ large front room. Barbara had taken down some partitions, as they did for church, to allow space for large tables where some of the neighbor ladies were cutting pieces of bright-colored calicos. This had also opened up the room where the sewing machine was, and Treva sat there seaming cut pieces into a Friendship Star design for a quilt top that was already coming together beautifully.
Abby smiled at Rosemary. “We told Salome the frolic started this afternoon, and meanwhile these gals came over with their fabric scraps.” With one swift, firm motion, she drew the rotary cutter over several layers of marked calico. “So by the time Salome gets here, figuring we’re having a baby shower—which we are—we’ll have a pretty quilt top for her, too, made by all of us here in Cedar Creek.”
“What a wonderful-gut gift.” Rosemary stacked the triangles Abby had just cut. “Something new, yet made from pieces that bel
onged to all her friends here. And why do I suppose you were behind this idea, Abby?”
Her friend shrugged as she arranged fabric pieces for another couple of cuts. “Perfect way to visit while we make a quilt that would’ve taken any one of us several weeks—for a gal we’ll all miss,” she added.
Rosemary glanced over toward the corner where Zanna sat between Beth Ann and Ruthie, patiently demonstrating the technique of crocheting braided rugs with a large plastic hook. Little Harley wiggled in his infant seat on the floor, laughing as Katie held a stuffed patchwork puzzle ball beyond his reach—and then quickly tickled his face with it.
Rosemary’s heart swelled. “Now, there’s a sight to see. Look at how fast Beth Ann’s catching on to rug making.”
Her young sister-in-law’s face glowed as she nimbly crocheted the first length of braid, which would form the center of her rug. Her slender wrists and fingers found their rhythm quickly, stitch after stitch. Zanna nodded her encouragement while she crocheted another strip so Ruthie could see the movements again.
“I figured it would be that way,” Abby said. “Ruthie was so glad Beth Ann would be here today—and it’s gut for Zanna to share her skill, too. She and Jonny were to be visiting some Ropp cousins, collecting a few more wedding gifts today, but everyone there had a stomach bug. So they came home last night.”
“No need for them, or Harley, to be catching whatever that was,” Rosemary agreed, handing Abby another stack of fabric pieces marked with the template for the design’s center square. “I’m glad Beth Ann could start this rug, too, now that she’ll be leaving the home where her mamm lived. She’s had some tough moments since Titus broke the news.”
She focused again on the fabric pieces Abby had cut, matching up four triangles and a square of the same color, which Treva would join with ivory triangles to form a finished block. Just as all the various colors the local women had brought from their scrap baskets would look fresh and cheerful when the blocks of the Friendship Star quilt were sewn together and pressed, so it was with the community of women here in Cedar Creek. Their personalities and ages and situations differed from one household to the next, but when they came together in a common purpose, they formed a warm comforter big enough to cover everyone in town.