A Simple Wish

by Charlotte Hubbard

  “He said he would,” Cornelius countered in a terse whisper. “He’s giving me time to repay my debt—”

  “How much?” Drew demanded.

  Cornelius glowered. “That’s none of your concern. And don’t you go telling my girls anything about—”

  “I intend to court Loretta and marry her when she’s ready—if she’ll have me,” Drew insisted. His face was mere inches from Cornelius’s, and he could smell the man’s fear. “We’ll be living here in your house, where I can keep an eye on your comings and goings, to be sure you’re honoring your promise to the bishop.”

  “You have no right to—”

  “I know about the air conditioner in your shop,” Drew countered calmly. “I know you’ve been going to a casino, wearing English clothes, with a briefcase full of money. Do we have an understanding?”

  Cornelius glared at him. “What do you mean, an understanding? I understand that you’ve been sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong—you, who deceived my Edith on her wedding day, as well as that other woman Gingerich married,” he muttered. “Why should I trust you?”

  “Because I’ve confessed to those sins and I’ve been forgiven,” Drew replied. “And because I know too much.”

  Cornelius spun on his heel, fighting for control of his emotions. “What you and Nora did is unforgivable! It was none of your business—”

  “It will become everyone’s business if you continue intimidating your daughters and don’t stop your gambling.” Drew waited until Cornelius faced him again. “If I suspect you’re reneging on your promise to repay or that you’re finding ways to go to a casino, your theft from the church’s fund will become public knowledge.”

  Although Drew had often envisioned telling Cornelius just how he felt—telling him how despicable he was, treating his daughters so harshly—he didn’t feel particularly triumphant now that he’d threatened to reveal Cornelius’s secrets. The fact that he could hold this issue over Cornelius’s head did nothing to improve his rocky relationship with Loretta’s dat—and now he’d have to keep the truth from Loretta as he courted her, too.

  “I should go to Nora’s shop right now and take all my clocks back,” Cornelius muttered. “I should never have consigned—”

  “You’d be shooting yourself in the foot, considering how many clocks she’s sold for you—and how much money you need to repay,” Drew pointed out.

  Cornelius glowered at him. “What gives you the right to tell me how to conduct my business?” he demanded. “You and Nora are dirty birds of a feather—”

  “Again, we know about your gambling habit,” Drew repeated firmly. “We watched you enter a casino wearing an English suit, which you’d changed into at the rest area, and you carried a briefcase inside with you. Where’s the money coming from that you’re gambling away, Cornelius?”

  Cornelius clenched his fists at his sides as his face paled. “You just had to go and blab to the bishop—”

  “How many thousands of dollars have you lost?” Drew continued tersely, crossing his arms. “The folks in Willow Ridge have entrusted their funds to you and you’ve betrayed them. Do you really think you’ll get away with this—with your secret intact?”

  “Tom and Ben believe I’m a man of my word,” Cornelius retorted. “In return for my timely repayment, they’re allowing me to continue in my role as the district’s deacon. It’s a matter of trust.”

  Drew let out a humorless laugh. “They’re better men than I am,” he said, shaking his head. “My lips remain sealed only if I see you express some appreciation and affection for your daughters—and if you stay away from Kansas City. Seems to me you’d save a lot of money by ordering your parts by mail or over the phone anyway.”

  “Again, it’s not your place to tell me how to manage my business,” Cornelius said haughtily. “Let’s get back to the table. This nonsense has gone on long enough, and there’s a gut chance that some curious ears have overheard anyway, now that those kids of yours have stopped bawling.”

  As Drew went back inside, he envisioned Cornelius eavesdropping on his daughters from the kitchen entryway—or his shop, or any number of other places in the house. He was a man who insisted on total control, and the knowledge he gained by listening in secret gave him more power to manipulate those in his household.

  But the manipulation and the mind games are coming to a halt, Drew vowed to himself as he took his seat in the kitchen.

  He reached for Loretta’s hand under the table, gently squeezing it to reassure her. Somehow he had to gain her love and confidence while keeping his knowledge of her father’s heinous behavior to himself—because if the Riehl girls learned the extent of their dat’s deception and thievery, their hearts would be broken and their belief in him would shatter like fragile china.

  “Sorry we took so long and this nice meal has gotten cold,” Drew said, nodding at the folks around the table. “I believe Cornelius and I have reached an understanding.”

  The man at the opposite end of the table clamped his mouth shut as he jerked his fork from the baked potato on his plate.

  “Glad to hear it,” Will remarked as he spooned some gelatin salad onto his plate. “Care to fill us in on the details? If Bishop Tom and Preacher Ben came by, and asked Loretta and Rosalyn to leave, that tells me they were delving into a problem of some magnitude.”

  Drew smiled, catching Cornelius’s eye. “That’s between Cornelius and the bishop—and God. I’ve agreed to keep silent.”

  “Silence is golden,” Asa remarked as he helped himself to the zucchini casserole.

  Drew shook his head. Silence is the color of money. A whole lot of money.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Near the end of her shift at Simple Gifts on Saturday, Loretta buzzed with curiosity and excitement. Ever since she’d heard that Nora and Drew had gone to Kansas City on Tuesday, she’d hoped that Nora would reveal more about the mysterious errand she’d been running while Loretta had taken charge of the shop.

  But Nora hadn’t spoken of it, and Loretta didn’t feel it was her place to ask questions.

  When the bell above the door jangled, her heartbeat accelerated. Drew had invited her to supper, and he looked as eager to be with her as she was to be going out with him. His black hair was damp from showering, and he smelled intoxicatingly fresh.

  “Hey there, Loretta,” he said with a wide smile. “If you’ll hold the door, I’ll pull my cart inside. I’ve got some new pieces to consign.”

  “Gut afternoon, Drew!” Nora called out as she joined them. “I’m always happy to see you show up with your pull cart. What’ve you got for me today?”

  Loretta inhaled Drew’s fresh male scent as she accompanied him to the door and held it open. “Another rocking chair—and look at that pair of pretty nightstands!” she said. “You’ve been busy this week.”

  “Jah, we have,” Drew replied, pulling his cart into the store. “Moving to Willow Ridge was the best thing Asa and I could possibly have done to improve our business.”

  Loretta shrugged, feeling giddy. “I’m glad you came here, too—but my feelings have nothing to do with furniture,” she added with a soft laugh.

  When Drew focused his indigo eyes on her, she drifted into a private paradise—the dreams she sensed would come true with this handsome man, if she believed in him. “Hold that thought,” he whispered, winking at her.

  He pulled a sheet of paper from his back pocket and handed it to Nora, who was already fingering the pieces in his cart. “Here’s the inventory sheet and my prices,” he said. “Let me know if you think I’m shooting too high.”

  Nora skimmed the neatly written figures, shaking her head. “I think you’re right on the money, Drew. Those retro nightstands won’t be here long, and the platform rocker is absolutely gorgeous.”

  Slipping the price list into her apron pocket, Nora smiled. “I’m going to have you reupholster the two wing chairs in my front room, because you do such a meticulous job,” she said. “Let
me know when you’ll have time to work on them. Your color sense is so gut, I’ll even leave the fabric selection up to you.”

  Drew laughed. “That’s a high compliment, Nora. Gee, I see this as an opportunity to use up a couple of big fabric remnants—stripes and plaids in teal and pink,” he teased.

  Nora laughed. “If anyone could make two uncoordinated prints look gut together, you could,” she said. She turned, gazing around the shop. “Let’s put the rocker in the corner by that bookcase, and the nightstands will look nice on either side of the new queen-sized bed Aaron Brenneman brought in earlier this week. Then you and Miss Loretta are excused to go have your Saturday night fun.”

  “You’re very generous, letting me off an hour early,” Loretta said. She lifted one of the nightstands from the cart and placed it at one side of the glossy wooden headboard. “Drew arrived before the time I told him—”

  “And I’ll be happy to kill some time,” Drew chimed in. He placed the second nightstand on the other side of the bed. “Gut things come to those who wait.”

  Nora laughed, waving them off. “It’s such a pleasure to work with both of you, because you give your best efforts and pay attention to the way I prefer to have things done,” she said. “I’d be hard-pressed to find better help than you, Loretta. I know your dat’s still not crazy about your working for me.”

  Loretta smoothed the quilted coverlet on the bed, and for a fleeting moment she imagined such a fine piece of furniture in her own home someday . . . the home she would share with her husband. “I don’t know what you found out about Dat in Kansas City. And I’m not sure what you said to him at supper Thursday night,” she added, gazing at Drew. “But Dat seems . . . quieter. He spends more time in his shop and less time finding fault with Rosalyn and me.”

  Nora’s smile held secrets. “That’s gut news, Loretta. I can’t imagine that you and your sister do anything that deserves criticism. He’s very fortunate to have you.”

  Loretta warmed with appreciation for Nora’s kind words. She’d come to realize that the Simple Gifts store meant more than a chance to earn some money in the comfort of air conditioning. The time she spent with Nora enriched her soul and opened her eyes to a world where people were considerate and cared about one another’s feelings.

  “Denki so much for saying that,” Loretta murmured. “I’m very fortunate to have you as well.”

  Nora beamed and came over to hug her. “We’re all family, in God’s eyes. When we bless one another with kindness, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.” She smiled at Drew. “What do you two plan to do this evening? Something fun, I hope!”

  When Drew shrugged and smiled at Loretta, he seemed boyish and maybe a little shy. “I’ve heard there’s a place in Morning Star that serves really gut pizza—”

  “Oh, I love pizza!” Loretta blurted out. “Dat’s not wild about it—doesn’t consider it a real meal—so I haven’t had pizza for a long time.”

  Drew held out his hand to her. “I won’t admit how many pizzas I keep in my freezer for quick suppers, so having a fresh one sounds almost as gut as spending time with you while we enjoy it.”

  Loretta suddenly knew she was in love with the handsome man who stood before her. It was probably too soon to call it love, but the rush of joy she felt when she placed her hand in Drew’s outshone the sun—and far surpassed the way she’d been craving his kiss, his embrace.

  “I’m ready,” she said softly.

  * * *

  Drew’s emotions raced and swerved and whirled as though he were riding a roller coaster at breakneck speed, when in reality he was driving his open buggy down the road. Loretta was sitting at his left, so close that their thighs rubbed with the rocking of the rig. He couldn’t help himself. He slipped his arm around her and kissed her for as long as he dared while he was driving.

  “Wow, but I needed that,” he murmured when they came up for air.

  Loretta’s cheeks were pink as her soft laughter teased at him. “They say kissing and driving don’t mix. Too much of a distraction, and too much time with your eyes off the road.”

  “You are a distraction, Loretta,” Drew shot back at her. “But jah, we’ll have no more kissing until we’re off the road and parked.”

  When she reached for his hand, Drew’s heart swelled. For the past couple of days, he’d wondered if his chat with Cornelius concerning courting and marrying Loretta had been misleading. He certainly didn’t want Cornelius to think he was only romancing Loretta to keep an eye on him.

  Riding along with her, hand in hand, felt so right, however. And it wasn’t as though Loretta hadn’t been expressing her interest in him this past month. Her smiles, kisses, and long, hazel-eyed gazes told him she was interested in him—eager to leave behind her broken engagement to Will and to start a fresh relationship that had a future.

  Don’t rush in where angels fear to tread, he reminded himself. You thought Molly hung the moon, too.

  But Loretta was different. She didn’t have a deceptive bone in her body. She wore her heart on her sleeve . . . and Drew felt certain she would entrust her gentle heart to him without a second’s hesitation, if he asked her to.

  “Oh, my. Morning Star must be quite a town,” Loretta said as they came within sight of a car dealership. “Rosalyn and I have shopped a bit in New Haven, but we’ve never driven in this direction. Dat says we can find everything we need at Zook’s Market.”

  Drew bit back a remark about how her father seemed to do everything in his power to keep his daughters under his thumb. “Henry and Lydia Zook stock a lot of groceries and bulk items,” he agreed, “but for hardware and gardening supplies—anything that’s not related to food—you have to go to the mercantile in Cedar Creek or visit the shops in Morning Star or New Haven. See?” he added, gesturing ahead of them. “This town has an Amish carriage shop, owned by a fellow named Saul Hartzler, as well as Matthias Wagler’s harness shop, just down the way.”

  “Matthias is Adam’s older brother, jah?” Loretta asked. “I’ve seen him a time or two at church, but Annie Mae has mentioned that he’s married now and living in Morning Star. Nora carries some very pretty tooled leather saddles he’s made.”

  “He does excellent leather work.” Drew drove past a pool hall, a Laundromat, and a few other businesses before making a turn at the corner, where they could see kids in swimsuits running and playing among streams of water that shot up out of the concrete.

  “What a nice park—and what fun those kids are having!” Loretta said with a laugh. “I’ve never seen the likes of that. It’s like an upside-down shower.”

  Drew chuckled. “This is the first splash pad I’ve ever seen, too, but folks have told me they’re all the rage in small-town parks. The city council of Clifford, where Asa and I moved from, installed one earlier this summer, too.”

  As he steered his black Percheron across the street to a large parking area, Loretta leaned forward eagerly. “A Plain bulk store! You always find such interesting things in those.”

  “Would you like to shop there before or after we have our pizza?” he asked. “I’m parking here because they have a hitching rail on the side of the building.”

  Loretta considered his question. “Let’s eat first. They say you shouldn’t shop on an empty stomach.”

  Drew chuckled. “Whoa, Raven,” he said. When he’d set the brake, he kissed Loretta’s temple. “All right, we’ll start with pizza. If there’s anyplace else you’d like to shop or walk around, we’ve got all evening—and there’s a place that sells ice cream about a block away, too.”

  Loretta’s delighted smile showed him how pretty she’d been as a little girl. “The sooner we eat pizza, the sooner we’ll get to enjoy the rest of the temptations in this town.”

  Temptations.

  Drew helped her down from the buggy, all too aware of her slender waist and womanly curves. Although all Old Order women wore the same modest style of cape dress and pleated kapp so that no one stood out or called attenti
on to herself, Loretta transcended the crowd’s uniformity. Her voice thrummed with emotion—and when she sang in church, Drew could pick her voice from among the other women’s in the room. She smiled with a hint of mischief, and her hazel eyes glimmered with an underlying passion that kept him on edge whenever she was near.

  Drew enjoyed every moment of sharing a sausage pizza with extra cheese. He chuckled as Loretta exclaimed over the little containers of sanding sugar, bags of soup mix, and kitchen gadgets she found in the bulk store. After he paid for the items she’d selected, walking around town to the other stores made him ridiculously happy. As daylight shimmered into dusk, they bought triple-scoop ice-cream cones and sat on the swings in the park to eat them.

  “I hate for this day to end, Drew,” she said dreamily as they were heading back to Willow Ridge in the rig. “I have such a gut time when I’m with you.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment. Did he dare ask her the question that had been on the tip of his tongue all day? The substantial clip-clop, clip-clop of Raven’s hooves seemed to urge him on, yet he wanted to say the words just right—and with headlights coming toward them and cars sometimes passing them, he didn’t want to get caught up in romantic yearnings while he was driving.

  By the time they reached Willow Ridge, the stars were tiny diamonds in a canopy of blue velvet. Loretta was leaning against him, cradled beneath his arm, and Drew couldn’t recall ever feeling so ecstatic, yet so settled. About a block away from the Riehl place, he pulled onto the shoulder and set the brake.

  Kiss me, he was about to say, but Loretta was already seeking out his mouth with her soft, lovely lips. Drew let the kiss linger for several moments, wishing for more, yet knowing better than to suggest it.