“Wait just a cotton-pickin’ minute!” his wife blurted. “You can’t tell me you’re going forward with this deal on Asa’s say-so during a phone call. What if his brother backs out? What if their place in Clifford doesn’t sell? What if Will changes his mind—or what if someone in his family takes those twins to live with them?”
Luke smiled patiently as he dug around in the desk drawer for the real estate agent’s business card. “Those are all gut questions that any prudent businessman would ask, pretty lady,” he replied. “But truth be told, Ira and I haven’t gotten this far by always being rock-solid on the details. We tend to do things on the prayer-and-a-promise system—like when we left Lancaster County to come here,” he added. “We prayed for steady work and gut-looking girls, and we promised to stick together no matter what. Worked out pretty well, don’t you think?”
Nora sighed in exasperation. “All right, fine! But whatever you and Ira scheme up is on your money. My store’s not going to subsidize whatever you invest in—”
“You’re exactly right. This is mill business—and not so much your business, if you get my meaning,” Luke teased as he dialed the phone. “For your concern and your caring ways, I’m taking you to supper at the Grill N Skillet, all right?”
Nora’s lips lifted. “I know when I’m being shooed off and shut up,” she replied with a shake of her head. “But I reserve the right to say ‘I told you so’ if this deal blows up in your face.”
Luke chuckled as he watched her head back into the storeroom. “Jah, Chuck? It’s Luke Hooley. How about if we meet you at the farm we’ve been talking about tomorrow? We’ll have some earnest money for you—and you might as well bring the paperwork to start processing the purchase.”
“Well, now!” Chuck replied. “Sounds like things have fallen together fast. Any idea how long it’ll take for a loan to get approved, or—”
“It’ll be a cash transaction. Soon as we get signatures all around, we’ll be gut to go.”
After arranging a few more details, Luke hung up the phone with a sense of great satisfaction. Nora, who’d been restocking the fridge with fresh eggs, gazed at him meaningfully from across the store. He understood her concern, because she was an astute business owner in her own right. She’d created her own success despite a previous husband who’d ditched her and a father who had initially refused to accept her back into her Amish family.
But going through with this farm deal just felt right, for a lot of compelling reasons.
Luke stood up and stretched as he peered out the window. “See there? The rain’s stopped, and I bet there’s a rainbow in the sky somewhere—a sign from God that all’s right with His world,” he said. “We’ll go to supper as soon as I tell Ira what’s up. I love you, Nora-girl.”
“It’s a gut thing you do, Luke,” she teased. Her smile told him she wouldn’t pester him about this matter any further. “Where would I be without you in my life?”
Luke was glad he didn’t need to worry about that. He blew Nora a kiss and headed out the back door toward the new house on the hill, jubilant about this day and the many gifts God had given him.
Chapter Eleven
As Asa rode around the bend and got his first glimpse of Willow Ridge on Saturday, he perked up and paid attention. “Whoa, Midnight,” he murmured to his Percheron. “A lot’s riding on what we do today.”
Rather than heading straight up the road toward the Riehl house, he took the curve that went past the farms and homes on the side of town he hadn’t yet seen. He passed a couple of mailboxes with Brenneman on them, where a newer home sat slightly behind one that had been built years ago. Sheep grazed in a pasture behind the place with Kanagy on the mailbox, and Asa saw white beehives tucked among the apple trees in a small orchard. Farther along, the road curved up a hill and he passed the Wagler Harness Shop. A large wagon with Wagler Remodeling painted on its side was parked at a house that sat back from the road.
Asa smiled, inhaling the sense of peace and prosperity that enveloped this picturesque little town. The red barn that housed Simple Gifts glowed in the morning sunlight, and alongside the river behind the Hooleys’ large white house he saw the big wooden mill wheel turning—and the new home behind it, which belonged to Ira.
“What do you think, Midnight?” Asa murmured as he rode along toward the county highway. “Is this place calling to you the way it is to me?”
Midnight shook his black head, easily topping the next hill to head toward Zook’s Market with its blue metal roof. Asa caught sight of the Riehls’ backyard in the distance, but forced himself to focus on the other places around town rather than rushing over to see Edith. He had so much to tell her!
A lot depended upon his meeting with Luke and the Realtor. He believed the Hooley men were on board, but he couldn’t stake his future on his wishes and impressions. There were dotted lines to sign and large checks to write out—after Asa took another look at the house and the land and the price tag attached to them.
He hitched his horse to the rail alongside the Grill N Skillet and went inside for an early lunch. The café appeared sleek and new inside, with sturdy wooden booths along the walls and several tables and chairs filling the center of the dining room. The home-cooked aromas that filled the place told him these folks knew how to cook—and from the look of the buffet tables, they were ready for a crowd.
An attractive young woman with black hair tucked under her kapp filled his water glass and nodded toward the steam table. “Help yourself to the lunch buffet,” she said. “We just opened, so more food will be showing up soon.”
Asa was amazed at the assortment of grilled and smoked pork, beef, and chicken—not to mention several salads and the best-looking mac and cheese he’d ever seen. A guy with dark wavy hair and a matching beard walked behind him with two big baskets of rolls and biscuits.
“Finding enough?” he teased as he set the breads on the serving table. “Don’t believe I’ve seen you here before. I’m Josiah Witmer, and you’ve already met my sister, Savilla.”
“Asa Detweiler. This is my first visit—but it won’t be my last,” he replied as he spooned food onto his warm plate. He already felt so comfortable with these people that he dared to reveal why he was here. “I’m thinking to buy the farm across from the Riehl place, and I’d be relocating my furniture refurbishing business here, as well. If you don’t mind my asking, how’s your business? Your place doesn’t look like it’s been open all that long.”
Josiah studied him. “Detweiler, eh?” he murmured. “You wouldn’t be the fellow they found out cold on the roadside the day of Ira and Millie’s wedding, would you? We were so busy serving the wedding dinner I didn’t get much chance to hear how that story played out.”
“That would be me,” Asa replied with a laugh. “The fall from my horse knocked some things into place for me, you might say. But it’s a big risk I’m taking, moving here with my business and my brother.”
Nodding, Josiah plucked a warm roll from the basket and balanced it on the edge of Asa’s heaped plate. “My fiancée and I took a wrong turn in a snowstorm last winter and got stuck here. Best thing that ever happened to us,” he added with a warm smile. “We’ve got a baby now, and my sister has joined us—after we sold our place in Iowa. Even though the previous café, um, exploded on Christmas Eve, the gut folks here were rebuilding the place—expanding it for us—within a week. I’m a grateful man. I owe this town and the people here more than I could possibly repay.”
“Wow,” Asa murmured as goose bumps prickled along his arms. “That’s quite a testimony.”
“Your lunch is on us, Asa. It’s our way of saying welcome to Willow Ridge.”
As he savored his food, Asa observed the folks who came in—several of them English, with Mennonites and Amish, as well. From his table he could see cars and buggies pulling in alongside the Willow Ridge Quilt Shop, housed in the other half of the building, and the smiles on the women’s faces told him they loved shopping there. He g
lanced at the wall clock, tossed down money for a tip, and waved at Josiah in the kitchen on his way out. Clearly the Grill N Skillet attracted all manner of tourists and families—and across the road, a handful of Plain fellows waited to have their horses shod at Ben Hooley’s smithy, as well. He saw a car and a couple of buggies parked at Andy Leitner’s clinic, too.
Asa noticed a pickup parked near the For Sale sign at the farm, so he clucked to Midnight to move him along. A glance toward the Riehl place told him the girls were busy inside, and that was just as well. He had to concentrate on business now. He couldn’t allow romantic fantasies about Edith, Leroy, and Louisa to distract him—not when he was securing a future for himself and his brother, along with Will Gingerich.
“Hope I haven’t kept you waiting,” Asa said to Luke and Chuck as he dismounted. “Just ate a fabulous meal at the café while I talked to the owner about Willow Ridge. I’m ready to buy this farm and be here!”
Luke crossed his arms with a sly smile. “You’re about half an hour too late, Asa. Somebody’s already bought the place.”
Asa felt as though Midnight had kicked him in the chest. All the breath left him as he stared first at the real estate agent and then at Hooley. “But—but I thought we agreed yesterday that—how did that happen?”
Luke didn’t reply for a moment that seemed to last forever. Then he clapped Asa on the back, laughing. “Not to worry, man,” he said as Chuck chortled along with him. “Ira and I bought the place, and we’re going to have the acreage with the house and the road frontage surveyed so you can buy that part from us. You and your brother didn’t intend to farm it for yourselves anyway, right?”
Asa’s gut tightened as he took in this startling change of plans. “No, but I thought—”
“This way, you won’t be up to your ears in debt for half your life,” Luke explained. “When your place in Clifford sells, that money’ll probably cover the cost of the house, the buildings, and the land they sit on. You can move in any time, and you can pay me whenever you’re ready.”
Turning on his heel, Asa exhaled hard to keep from saying something he might regret. He looked at the house, a modest structure set back from the road and shaded by mature maple trees and a few evergreens. A barn and a couple of outbuildings sat farther back. He gazed out over the untilled acres awaiting a fresh crop, searching for words. He’d come to Willow Ridge believing this little slice of paradise would be his and Drew’s. . . .
“You okay?” Luke asked after a moment.
Asa repositioned his straw hat and faced Hooley, who stood as tall as he did. “I figured we were partners in this deal. If you’d had plans to buy the place outright, maybe you could’ve told me that,” he said tersely. “I was counting on the rental income you were going to pay me for the crop land to keep us afloat until my brother and I got our furniture business established. This changes everything.”
Luke cleared his throat. “I can understand why you’d feel I double-crossed you,” he began in a calm voice, “but Ira and I have our reasons for wanting ownership rather than a rental agreement. We like you a lot, Asa. But we could see the deal falling through if your brother decided he didn’t want to move here—because he’s not even visited Willow Ridge, after all. And we’ve not met him.”
“I asked Drew to come along today, but he trusts my judgment about whether this move’s right for us,” Asa stated stiffly. “He stayed in Clifford to spruce up our apartment and shop before the real estate lady looks at it, so the building will bring a better price. Do you have a problem with that?”
“Nope, I understand where he’s coming from. Ira’s letting me handle this real estate business, and he’s minding the mill store right now,” Luke replied. “And while I admire the way you want to provide Will Gingerich a job and a home, I haven’t talked to him yet, either.”
Hooley studied Asa for a moment. Detweiler’s gaze was confident without being cocky, and he showed no sign of backing away from the decisions he’d made. “There’s a lot of money riding on this deal, Asa, and several pieces of the puzzle are still loose on the table yet,” he pointed out. “I want to be sure the crops will be planted soon and properly tended—which might fall through if Will changes his mind. And if somebody from Will’s family takes the twins from the Riehls, I can see this whole arrangement tumbling like a house of cards.”
Asa pressed his lips together. He still didn’t like the way Luke had taken the entire real estate transaction into his own hands—had taken total control—yet he could understand the reasoning behind Luke’s decision. “Jah, it’s amazing how much is riding on two little babies,” he said with a sigh. “My brother and I still want to do business in Willow Ridge. And Will is coming partly so he can raise the twins as his own—”
“So where does that leave you and Edith? And how’s Will going to raise those babies while he’s farming full-time?” Luke blurted incredulously. “Are we talking about a—a three-way relationship here? Your best intentions—and who will be doing what, with whom—still seem a little iffy, if you’ll pardon my saying so.”
Asa laughed, at himself mostly. “It’s complicated,” he agreed. “I can see why you have your doubts, and why you and Ira might not want to take the same leap of faith I did. But I’m trusting God to guide us to the outcome He intends. I believe the details will all work out.”
“I believe that, as well,” Luke said. “And I believe I’ve removed a lot of the risk involved by purchasing the farm. I’ll sell the house acreage to you when you’re ready. You’ll still have your home and shop, while Ira and I have the tillable land.”
“Seems to me both families are getting what they want,” Chuck remarked as he looked at Asa. “And this way, the Hooleys will be footing the bill for the seed, fertilizer, and other farming expenses—part of which would otherwise be coming out of your pockets, before you and your brother can get relocated. It leaves you more money to build a new shop and fix up the house a bit, too. That might not be high on your list, Asa, but I bet it’ll make the lady in question happy.”
Edith. Asa glanced across the road, but none of the Riehls were outside. The Realtor’s remarks made sense, because when all of the T’s were crossed and the I’s were dotted, what mattered most to him was Edith’s happiness and the twins’ security within a family who loved them. “I see what you’re both saying. I’ll get adjusted to it,” he murmured. “So what happens now?”
Chuck’s weathered face creased with a smile. “The Hooleys can close on the deal this week. The house is already cleared out, so you and your brother can move in any time after the papers are signed.”
“Ira and I hope to meet with Will as soon as possible,” Luke said earnestly. “He can live above the mill and start planting oats and popcorn as soon as he gets here.”
“I suspect he’ll be here in a day or so. He’s traveling light.” Asa extended his hand to the Realtor and then to Luke. “My brother and I will move in as soon as we get ends tied up in Clifford and we have a new shop building in place.”
“Go talk to the Brenneman brothers,” Luke said, pointing to their long white cabinetry shop down the road. “Aaron’s putting together some numbers for you, so you can decide between frame and metal construction. Once they’ve got the materials together, he’s thinking they could have the building in place by the middle of May.”
Asa’s eyes widened. Today was the eighteenth of April. “That seems mighty fast.”
Luke smiled. “The three Brennemans make a gut team—and they’ll have help from a lot of other men in town, come time to raise the building—as they did when they built the new café and quilt shop,” he explained. “We consider it an investment in your success.”
“Many hands make light work,” Chuck said with a nod. “You Amish fellows know how to do it right, too.”
Asa felt his insides relax. As he let go of his initial resentment, he realized that he and Drew hadn’t really lost anything . . . except the financial crunch they would’ve felt if they’
d taken on the whole farm. “Sorry I got so touchy,” he murmured. “This arrangement isn’t what I’d figured on—but you’re right. It’s better.”
Hooley’s smile lit up his face as he reached into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a key on a key ring with the Realtor’s company logo on it. “I was hoping you’d see it that way, Asa. I thought you’d like to look around the house again as you plan your move.”
“We’ll let you know when it’s all signed, sealed, and delivered so you can move in,” Chuck added.
As Asa closed his hand around the key, a sensation of lightness filled him. Another chunk of his future had just fallen into place—before he’d even arrived in Willow Ridge this morning. Surely this was Providence at work.
Go tell Edith what you’ve done!
* * *
As Edith ran dishwater, she glanced out the kitchen window. “Dat seems pleased to have a couple of clock-repair calls today,” she remarked as his rig rolled down the lane. “Do you think our money’s tight? Or was he pestering Luke for more egg money because Dat always goes for the highest dollar he can get?”
Rosalyn shrugged as she carried their dinner plates to the sink. “Could be a carry-over from when Mamm used to tell him he should charge more for his repair work.”
“Jah, she thought he should’ve been asking more for house visits, especially,” Loretta reminded them. “When he works on grandfather clocks, or for folks who can’t bring their clocks in, it takes time away from his shop repairs.”
Leroy let out a funny-sounding squawk and started laughing, which prompted Louisa to make noises of her own. Edith chuckled, scrubbing the dishes quickly so she could play with the babies sooner. “Maybe everybody’s in a better mood today,” she remarked. “When I stood on the bathroom scale and picked up each of the twins, I was pretty sure they’d both gained a pound since they’ve started on the goat milk.”
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