Summer Storms

by Amy Clipston

Nathaniel, his older brother, approached him. At twenty-nine, Nathaniel stood slightly taller than Jesse at six feet even. He had light-brown hair, a matching beard, and the same blue eyes Jesse had inherited from their mother.

  Nathaniel raised an eyebrow. “Why are you hiding out here?”

  “I was trying to talk to Arie.”

  “Trying to talk to her?” Nathaniel leaned his back against the barn wall and folded his arms over his wide chest. “Are you two arguing?”

  “I wish it were that simple. We’ve broken up. Marvin won’t let me see her.”

  “What?” His brother stood up straight, his eyes wide. “What happened?”

  Jesse summarized what had happened between him and Ariana during the past forty-eight hours, leaving out the part about Tobias’s drunkenness. Nathaniel listened with interest, his eyes remaining wide.

  “I don’t know how to get her back,” Jesse said after sharing the story. “I can’t figure out how to convince Marvin I’m not a bad influence for her either.”

  Nathaniel shrugged. “That’s easy.”

  “Easy?” Jesse ground out the question. “Now is not the time for jokes.”

  “I’m not joking.” Nathaniel leaned forward, jamming a finger in Jesse’s chest. “If you really want to marry her, then you need to find a way to prove to Ariana and Marvin that you will do anything to get her back. Show them how much you love her and how committed you are to her.”

  Jesse blinked as his older brother’s words soaked through him.

  Nathaniel patted Jesse’s shoulder. “Come on. Let’s go have a piece of pie.”

  As Nathaniel started toward the barn door, Jesse looked up at the sky, again asking God for the help he so desperately needed. Show me, God. Show me how to prove my love for Ariana.

  CHAPTER 6

  “HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STAY AWAY?” Marvin growled as Jesse entered the stable Monday afternoon.

  “I’m not leaving,” Jesse countered, standing a little taller as a surge of confidence flowed through him. “I’m here to help with chores.”

  “I don’t need your help.”

  “Ya, you do. Tobias isn’t here, so I’ll take his place.” Jesse pulled on his work gloves, grabbed a pitchfork from the corner of the stable, and started toward the horse stalls.

  “Don’t you have chores to do at your dat’s farm?” Marvin followed him.

  “I finished all my chores this morning. Caleb is helping this afternoon,” Jesse said, referring to his nineteen-year-old brother. “Caleb said he was froh to do a little extra so I could help you.” He rolled the sleeves on his short-sleeved tan shirt up to his shoulders. “When I’m done with the stalls, you can tell me what else you need done.”

  Marvin eyed him as red stained his cheeks. Just like the night he argued with Tobias, his jaw worked, but no words escaped his mouth.

  Jesse clamped his own mouth shut to discourage the grin threatening his lips. In all the years he’d known the Smucker family, this was only the second time he’d ever seen Marvin speechless.

  “Fine! But only for today,” Marvin finally blurted before stalking toward the stable door.

  Sweat beaded on Jesse’s forehead and trickled between his shoulder blades as he worked. It was another brutally hot June day, but he could take the heat. As he continued to muck the first stall, his thoughts spun. After his strained conversation with Ariana yesterday, Jesse had spent the remainder of the afternoon thinking about the Smucker family and all they were facing after Tobias’s departure.

  Jesse’s chest had squeezed as he recalled the worry and sadness in Ariana’s eyes while she talked about how Tobias’s disappearance was tearing her parents apart. He loved Ariana, but he also cared deeply for her family. Jesse longed to console both Ariana and her parents. He yearned to find a way to help them.

  And then an idea hit him like a bolt of lightning streaking across the night sky. Marvin depended heavily on Tobias since Tobias was his only son, and he needed help with chores now that Tobias was gone. This morning, Jesse briefly explained to his parents that Tobias had left and that he would like to make time to help Marvin. Naturally, his parents were supportive, and Caleb agreed to do extra chores to allow Jesse the time away from the horse farm. He was grateful for his family’s understanding and support of the Smucker family.

  Tobias’s alcohol-induced words had echoed through his mind last night and came to him once again while he worked in the stable.

  “Your life is so easy. You have everything you’ve ever wanted, and you’ve never had to work for any of it. You’ve had everything handed to you without any effort . . . You’ve known for years that you were going to marry mei schweschder. You didn’t even have to chase after Ariana since she’s always been in love with you. She’s had a crush on you since she was eight. All you had to do was smile at her and pay attention to her and you had her loyalty and her heart.”

  Jesse was going to prove Tobias wrong, and he was ready to work hard to show Ariana how much she meant to him. He prayed it would work, because his life was empty without her. He was determined to convince Marvin how much his family meant to him. Jesse wouldn’t give up easily on winning back both Marvin’s favor and Ariana’s heart.

  “Dat!” Ariana called as she stepped into the stable. “I made fresh lemonade. Would you like some?”

  Her shoes crunched on the hay as she approached the first stall. Dat had been in a bad mood all morning, complaining about all the chores he had to do and grumbling about how thoughtless and irresponsible Tobias had been to leave.

  When Dat announced he was going to the stable to muck the stalls, Ariana tried to think of a way to brighten his mood. Since he always liked her homemade lemonade, she whipped up a batch and then carried a glass out to the stable with the hope of seeing her father smile. It would be the first time since Tobias left them.

  “Dat?” She balanced the sweating glass of lemonade and ice in her hand. When she rounded the corner to face the first stall, she blew out a sharp breath. Jesse was there, grinning at her.

  “Jesse? Wha-what are you doing here?” she stammered.

  His grin widened. “Did you bring that for me?”

  Jesse yanked off his work gloves and stuffed them into his pockets before swiping the back of his hand over his glistening brow. Then he lifted his straw hat and raked his fingers through his hair before setting the hat back onto his head. Ariana took in his tall, muscular frame as he leaned the pitchfork against the stall wall, and her words were trapped in her throat. He somehow seemed more handsome than usual. His face was tanned after their day spent at the lake, and his eyes somehow seemed a deeper shade of blue. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up, revealing his muscular biceps.

  When he lifted his eyebrows in question, she realized he was awaiting her response. What had he asked her? Oh, right. The lemonade.

  “Oh, this?” She cleared her throat as her cheeks flamed. “I was looking for mei dat. I thought he might like some lemonade.”

  “He’s not here, but I’ll be froh to take it off your hands. It’s hot in here, and lemonade sounds refreshing.”

  When she hesitated, the corners of his mouth tipped up. She held out the glass to him, and when he took it, their fingers brushed, sending sparks of electricity skittering up her arm. She sucked in a breath, and her eyes widened as she looked up at him. Did Jesse feel that too?

  He seemed unaffected as he took a long draw of lemonade and then wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. “You make the best lemonade.”

  “Danki,” she said as he took another long draw from the glass. “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”

  “I’m helping with chores.”

  “Why?”

  “Because your dat needs the help.” He shrugged and took another long drink, polishing off the last of the lemonade.

  “Does he know you’re here?” She held out her hand, and he returned the empty glass.

  Jesse gave her a breathtaking smile,
and her knees wobbled at the sight of it. “Ya, of course he knows. He was just as shocked as you were to see me, but I convinced him he needed my help since Tobias is gone.”

  “Oh.” She blinked as his words filtered through her mind. Jesse was here to assist Dat because her brother was gone. Jesse wanted to help her family. Something warm unfurled in her chest. Despite what had happened, Jesse was still the thoughtful, kind man she’d always adored. Maybe he hadn’t lied about the vodka bottle?

  But if he hadn’t been drinking, then why was the bottle stowed in his buggy? Was it really there so he could get rid of it for Tobias?

  She suddenly recalled her father’s warning to stay away from Jesse. Dat’s mood might darken even more if he found her talking to Jesse. Panic seized her as she peered over her shoulder toward the stable door, in search of her father.

  “Arie . . .” Jesse began, his voice sounding thin.

  His voice pulled her attention back to him. She stared up at his attractive face, twisted with a deep frown.

  “I need to talk to you,” he continued. “You’ve been my best freind since we were teenagers. I can’t just walk away from you and pretend like I don’t feel something for you.” The pain in his eyes nearly broke her in two.

  She longed to forgive him, but she still had questions. “If you feel something for me, then why did you drink the alcohol?”

  “I didn’t drink it.” His brow furrowed. “Did you see me stumble? Did I slur my words?”

  “No.”

  “Would I have been able to leap from the buggy and stop Lester if I had been drunk?”

  She sighed, the fight draining out of her. “No, you wouldn’t have.”

  “I didn’t touch a drop of that vodka. I wrestled the bottle from Tobias and poured the rest of it out. It was only in my buggy so I could throw it away. I didn’t tell you because I believed I was protecting Tobias, but that was a bad decision. I should have told you the truth, and I’m sorry. I was just so worried about getting you and Tobias home safely.”

  She let his words marinate in her mind, then asked, “If you worried about getting us home safely, then why didn’t you stop Tobias from driving?”

  Jesse leaned back against the stall, bending one knee and resting his boot on the wall. “I didn’t know how to stop him.”

  “Why didn’t you try?” She took a step closer to him.

  “I did try, but Tobias didn’t seem like he was really drunk, and when he got into his buggy, what could I do? Then when he started racing, I yelled at him to stop, and I tried to catch up to him, but he wouldn’t slow down.”

  Her eyes widened as the details of Friday afternoon clicked into place in her mind. “Tobias was acting strangely. I saw him stumble, and everything was funny to him. He was drunk, but you weren’t.”

  “Exactly.” He stood up straight. “He was slurring his words, and he was chewing gum.”

  “What does gum have to do with it?”

  “He chewed gum to cover the smell of the alcohol on his breath.”

  She cupped her hand to her mouth. How could she have been so blind? Hot tears prickled at her eyelids. “And he’s been chewing gum frequently lately. Does that mean he’s been drinking a lot?”

  “It might.” Jesse took the glass out of her hand, set it on the ground, and placed his hands on her arms. “Please hear me. I never meant to put you in jeopardy. I would never, ever deliberately do anything that would hurt you. You know that, right?”

  “Ya,” she whispered, her voice trembling as tears escaped her eyes and trickled down her hot cheeks. “I’m sorry for not believing you.”

  “It’s okay. It was a stressful situation. Ich liebe dich.” His eyes seemed to search hers. “Do you still love me?”

  “Of course I do.” She choked out the words and then cleared her throat. “But mei dat has made it clear he wants me to stay away from you. As much as it hurts me to do that, you know I can’t go against his rules.” She stepped out of his grasp and picked up the glass. “I need to go before mei dat finds us together.” She backed away. “Danki for helping him.”

  Before he could respond, she rushed off toward the house, her heart beating wildly.

  “I’ve told you repeatedly I don’t need your help, so why do you keep coming back here every afternoon?”

  Jesse set down the hammer he was using to repair the back porch steps. Then he tented his hand over his eyes as he looked up at Marvin, who gazed down at him with his arms crossed over his portly middle.

  “You don’t need my help, huh?” He wiped his forearm over his sweaty forehead and then stood. “Let’s see. On Monday I mucked the stalls and then cleaned the milkers. Tuesday I helped you harvest the hay by running the baler and then helping you store the bales in the loft. Wednesday I cleaned out the dairy barn before mucking the stalls again, and yesterday I repaired the fencing around the chicken coop.”

  Jesse pointed down at the steps. “Today I’m going to finish repairing the porch and then fix the pasture fence before mucking the stalls again.” He rested his hands on his hips. “So, don’t you actually need my help?”

  Marvin shook his head. “You’re wasting your time if you think all your hard work is going to change my mind about your relationship with Ariana. You’re still not going to marry her.”

  Marvin’s words hit Jesse like a smack across the face, knocking away his smile and replacing it with a frown. Jesse squared his shoulders and lifted his chin. Despite Marvin’s cutting words, Jesse wasn’t ready to give up. He would paint the house with a toothbrush if that was what it took to prove he would be loyal to the Smucker family and cherish Ariana for the rest of his life.

  “I’m going to finish repairing these steps and then move on to the fence,” Jesse said, fighting to keep his tone even. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  Marvin gave a harrumph and stalked off toward the dairy barn.

  Jesse blew out a gust of air he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, then squatted down to return to the task of repairing the porch. His mind whirled as he hammered new slats of wood onto the steps.

  For five days, he’d rushed through his morning chores at his father’s horse farm and then hurried over to Marvin’s to work there. Each day, Marvin asked Jesse to go home and then walked off, and then Jesse completed as many chores as possible before suppertime. Every night he fell asleep as soon as his head hit his pillow. He’d never been more tired or sore as he’d been this week.

  Tobias’s comments about Jesse never having to work for anything in his privileged life haunted him. As much as Jesse loathed Tobias’s words, he had also found truth in them. For the first time in his life, Jesse poured his heart and soul into every task he undertook, into all the chores he completed at Marvin’s farm. He refused to take anything for granted.

  Jesse finished fixing the last step and then looked up at the back door, willing Ariana to walk outside and talk to him. He yearned to hear her voice and see her gorgeous smile. Although he’d had the opportunity to see her from afar while he worked on her farm, he hadn’t spoken to her since Monday when they’d talked in the stable. He longed to get their wedding plans back on track, but first he had to concentrate on proving to Marvin he was worthy of Ariana’s hand in marriage.

  Jesse cleaned up the mess and disposed of the rotten wooden planks, then gathered his supplies to repair the pasture fence. He began replacing the rotten boards at the far end of the fence and worked his way toward the front of the pasture, facing the house.

  As Jesse came around a corner, he spotted Ariana in her mother’s garden, pulling weeds before dropping them into a bucket. He stilled for a moment, taking in her adorable face as she stuck out her tongue and struggled with one that seemed particularly troublesome. He gripped the hammer in his hand, fighting against the urge to rush over and help her rip up the irksome thing. The emotional distance between them sent a pang through his chest, but he couldn’t risk violating Marvin’s rules. If Marvin caught Jesse and Ariana togethe
r, it might make the situation even worse, and he couldn’t chance that happening.

  With his teeth clenched in frustration, Jesse turned away from Ariana and continued his work.

  Ariana dropped a long, thick weed into the bucket and then wiped her hands on her black apron. Brushing her hands across her temples, she looked up as the hot sun beat down on her prayer covering and shoulders, warming them both.

  She’d been working in her mother’s garden for nearly thirty minutes, and soreness radiated down her neck to her back and arms. She stood and rolled her neck and shoulders in an attempt to loosen her stiff muscles.

  When she caught movement in the corner of her eye, she turned toward the pasture. Her stomach flip-flopped when she saw Jesse working on the fence. He’d come back for the fifth day in a row to help her father with chores.

  She’d seen him working from afar since their talk in the stable on Monday, and he continued to command her thoughts. Yesterday she watched him fix the fencing around the chicken coop while she hung out the laundry. She’d longed to talk to him, but she didn’t want to upset her father.

  And now as she took in the breadth of his back and arms, watching him hammer a new slat into the pasture fence, she felt an invisible attraction pulling her to him. She couldn’t bear to go another day without speaking to him.

  Ariana’s heart skipped a beat as she looked toward the house and then toward the barn in search of her father. She held her breath, for a moment doubting her decision to approach Jesse. Then, throwing caution to the wind, she ran her sweating palms down her apron before hurrying down the rock path to the fence.

  “Jesse.” She walked up behind him.

  He craned his neck and looked at her before setting the hammer on the ground and facing her. “Hi.”

  “I saw you working on the porch steps earlier, but you were gone when I finished cleaning the haus. I thought you’d gone home.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the dairy barn to check for her father once again, and then looked back at Jesse. “Why are you still here?”