Courting the Amish Nanny

by Carrie Lighte

  Levi gulped before he realized she was kidding. He’d miss her kidding. “As long as it’s sturdy enough to hold me, too,” he teased back.

  Sadie giggled. “Seriously, though, I’d like to get them each a sled. You have great hills around here.”

  “That’s very generous of you.” He was going to show her he meant what he said about lightening up about his rules for them. “They’d love to go sledding.”

  Although Levi was relieved he’d made up with Sadie, their discussion about her leaving kept him from feeling truly content. For the rest of the afternoon, he ruminated on her response to his question about going back to Pennsylvania. She’d only said she supposed she was ready to return. That wasn’t the same as saying she couldn’t wait to go home. Maybe there was still a possibility she’d consider staying in Maine as Elizabeth and David’s permanent nanny. And if she would, maybe there was a way he could smooth things over with his in-laws...

  He was so preoccupied he didn’t notice Otto approaching him in the parking lot after Levi helped the last customer ease a tree into the back of her van and she drove away.

  “Do you mind if I go in now?” Otto asked. “I, uh, want to take a shower before supper tonight.”

  Levi fought a smile; Otto wanted to impress Maria. He had to give it to the guy—Otto was eternally optimistic, just like his sister had been. And, in some ways, like Levi had been before Leora’s accident. “Go ahead. Walker will help me put away the equipment and I’ll do the milking. By that time, Maria should have the cash box reconciled and ready for me to look over.”

  Usually Levi saved the milking for his final task before coming inside, but in a gesture of generosity—or maybe it was guilt over being so sore at his brother-in-law—he figured he’d delay Maria in order to give Otto more time to prepare himself. Otherwise, knowing Otto, he’d damage his chances with Maria by showing up to supper still dripping wet.

  “I was starting to think you went to the party without me,” Maria said when Levi entered the workshop half an hour later.

  “Neh, Sadie wouldn’t have let me in the door without you. Neither would the kinner.”

  Levi briskly double-checked the figures in the ledger; once again, the day’s sales exceeded his expectations. As he walked toward the house with Maria, the milk pail in his hand, Levi commented he was surprised people were still purchasing trees and wreaths this late in the season.

  “Some folks wait until the last minute,” Maria said. “Which is a shame, since they could have been enjoying the beauty of a tree for weeks before now. Everyone has their reasons for putting things off, I suppose.”

  Because it was dark, Levi couldn’t see her expression, but he had a niggling feeling Maria wasn’t referring to procrastinating customers. He pointed at the windows. “Look, Sadie must have lit the candles.”

  “Aw.” Maria paused to admire them. “She’s brightened all our lives, hasn’t she?”

  Now Levi was certain Maria was up to her matchmaking tricks. This wasn’t the first time she’d tried to set him up with someone, but it was the first time he didn’t mind. Or wouldn’t have minded, if Sadie lived in Serenity Ridge permanently. What am I thinking? Asking to court Sadie would be even more lecherich than asking her to stay in Maine... Chalking the wayward idea up to Maria’s influence, Levi shifted the milk pail to his other hand and continued with her toward the house.

  They had barely ascended the first step when the door flew open. David and Elizabeth hopped up and down, unable to contain themselves.

  “Wilkom, Maria,” Elizabeth called and nudged David, who ran onto the porch in his stocking feet.

  “May I take your coat?” he asked.

  Levi’s heart swelled; he recognized Sadie’s influence on the twins’ manners. “That’s very kind, David, but let Maria kumme into the house first, okay?”

  The twins backed through the door, but they kept talking as David hung Maria’s coat on a low peg and Levi untied the laces of his boots. When he opened the door from the mudroom leading to the kitchen, a fragrant aroma filled his nostrils.

  “Did you see the candles from outside, Daed?” Elizabeth asked.

  “You said an adult could light them for a special occasion,” David reminded Levi before he could answer.

  Sadie turned from the stove. Backlit by the candlelight, she appeared to be aglow. “Hello, Maria. Hi, Levi. I hope you don’t mind that I lit them.” She gestured toward the window, but Levi couldn’t tear his gaze away from her face.

  “I don’t mind at all,” Levi said. “Everything looks beautiful. Absolutely lovely.”

  And I wish everything could stay this way. But as David pointed out, this was a special occasion. After Christmas, everything would change.

  * * *

  Sadie’s legs felt weak from the way Levi was looking at her. Her yearning to be in a courtship with him had crept back into her heart the minute after he returned to work that afternoon, and his compliment now only encouraged her fanciful thinking. Don’t be narrish, she told herself. He’s referring to the decorations—to the candlelight and the place settings—not to you.

  “Hi, Maria.” Otto came into the kitchen. Before his shower Sadie had informed him she’d told Levi that she and Otto weren’t walking out. Now that Otto was free to openly express an interest in getting to know Maria, he apparently wasn’t wasting any time.

  “As soon as you wash up, we can eat,” Sadie said to Levi.

  “Onkel Otto already washed up. He took a shower,” Elizabeth reported to Maria, causing Sadie to cringe. Fortunately, Maria only laughed and Otto seemed unfazed.

  “Would you like to sit here?” Otto pulled a chair out for Maria.

  “That’s my seat,” David protested. “I always sit next to you, Onkel Otto.”

  “Ach! I forgot.” Otto smacked his forehead, not appearing at all chagrined to have his preference exposed.

  “How about if I sit across from you instead, Otto?” Maria asked. If Sadie wasn’t mistaken, she was batting her lashes.

  Elizabeth took Maria’s hand and led her to the table. “Jah, it’s better if you sit next to me, Maria. Onkel Otto takes almost all the mashed potatoes before he passes them.”

  “Elizabeth, that’s not polite,” Sadie scolded, but the child couldn’t hear her over Maria and Otto’s laughter. It was clear the pair wasn’t going to need any matchmaking help from Sadie. Sadie wasn’t sure if she was impressed or envious; Otto didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed to be seen clearly vying for Maria’s attention. How many times have I wished a man would be that blatant about wanting to get to know me better?

  After supper everyone enjoyed a large slice of peanut butter sheet cake, followed by a card game Elizabeth suggested and a round of charades David wanted to play. Then Levi announced it was bedtime for the twins. Sadie immediately said she’d clean up in the kitchen and adamantly refused any help from Maria—she wanted to allow Otto and Maria an opportunity to visit alone in the living room.

  When Levi returned, Sadie was placing teacups on a tray.

  “You blew out the candles,” he observed.

  “Safety trumps romance,” Sadie ribbed him, only half joking. “Besides, Otto and Maria don’t need romantic lighting—they seem to be getting along just fine.”

  “Jah. I’m surprised they didn’t notice each other before tonight.”

  “Sometimes people miss the most obvious opportunities for love,” Sadie replied wistfully, knowing her hint fell on deaf ears.

  Lifting the tray, she walked into the other room without giving Levi a backward glance. Which, unfortunately, was probably how she’d have to leave Serenity Ridge in a few days, too.

  Chapter Ten

  Since Sadie and Maria had made arrangements to go to the mall on Tuesday right after the tree lot closed, Sadie prepared supper for Levi, Otto and the children before she left.

 
“You didn’t have to do that,” Levi said. “We would have managed.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Otto contradicted him. “What are we going to do when Sadie leaves in a couple of days?”

  “I don’t know about the rest of us but you’re probably going to lose weight,” Levi needled his brother-in-law.

  Sadie forced a chuckle even though Levi’s lighthearted response disappointed her. Clearly her departure was going to be harder on her than it was on him. What did I expect? she scolded herself. But no amount of self-recrimination kept her from clinging to the tiniest shred of hope.

  As she was leaving, Otto followed her into the mudroom. “I, uh, wanted to say denki for matching me up with Maria last night. We had a great time.”

  “I’m glad.” Sadie was no longer surprised he’d be so open about a topic Amish men didn’t usually discuss; that was just the way Otto was.

  “Jah. She and I have a lot more in common than you and I do. You turning me down as a suitor may have been the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “Otto!” Sadie was indignant. She hadn’t wanted him for a suitor, but there was no need to point out how relieved he was she’d refused him.

  He turned red. “Ach! I didn’t mean to sound insulting. I meant Maria might be the woman the Lord has intended for me for all these years and if you hadn’t rejected my offer of courtship, I wouldn’t have considered walking out with her.”

  “Isn’t it a little early to tell if she’s the Lord’s intended for you?”

  “Perhaps, but I think when you know, you know. Don’t you?”

  Neh. I’ve always thought I’d found Gott’s intended for me, only to be proved wrong, three times in a row. Four, if I count Levi. Rather than sharing any of that, Sadie simply replied, “I’m glad you’re enjoying getting better acquainted.”

  She’d barely boarded the buggy before Maria was shaking her finger at her. “After all the grief you gave me for helping Grace set you up with Jonathan, I should be ticked off at you for pairing me up with Otto last night.”

  Sadie giggled. “You said should be ticked off. But you aren’t. That must mean you enjoyed getting to know Otto better?”

  “Jah. And when we were talking about how cold it is, I mentioned one of my windows at home has a terrible draft and he offered to kumme over tomorrow night and repair it. So I invited him to stay for supper, too.”

  That means he won’t be with Levi, the kinner and me for our little “familye” celebration, Sadie realized happily. “In that case, you’d better stop at the supermarket tonight, too. That man eats more than anyone I know—and I have seven brieder!”

  Maria chuckled before hinting, “When you invited me to your get-together, I actually thought the party might be a facade so you could spend time with Levi in a social setting without the kinner.”

  “Hmm.” Sadie’s murmur was noncommittal.

  “C’mon, I told you how I felt about Otto. Be honest. You like Levi, don’t you?”

  Sadie sighed. “Jah, I do—you can’t tell anyone I said that, though. Not that it matters. Levi hasn’t expressed any romantic interest in me.”

  Maria clicked her tongue. “You’d make a terrific couple. But you know how cautious Levi is. Maybe he likes you, but he’s afraid. Maybe he’s working up to expressing himself.”

  “I’ve been telling myself the same thing, but sooner or later I’m going to have to accept the truth. He’s simply not interested in me like that. Besides, I’m leaving in two days.”

  “There’s still time,” Maria insisted. “He could still ask to be your suitor.”

  “He could also decide to ski down Mount Katahdin, but I don’t think that’s going to happen, either.”

  Suddenly, Sadie was struck with an idea of what to get Levi for Grischtdaag—a gift card to rent snowshoes. She’d write something on it like “Here’s to taking a step toward freedom.” When she told Maria about the snowshoes, Maria deftly halted the horse and reversed their direction so Sadie could purchase the gift card before the rental shop closed.

  Afterward, they continued to the mall, where Sadie bought a red sled for Elizabeth and a blue one for David. Even though the shop featuring all-Maine products was touristy, Sadie wanted to buy her family’s gifts there, since it would probably be her only time visiting the state. She purchased a Maine-shaped cutting board for Cevilla, wool socks for her father, an assortment of wooden toys and puzzles for the younger boys and fishing nets for her older brothers. She nearly squealed when she found a solid “chocolate moose”—the perfect gift for Otto. And for Maria she purchased a small leather diary. She can fill it with reflections on her courtship with Otto, Sadie thought plaintively. I hope it turns out better than any of my relationships with men.

  * * *

  Levi stood in the middle of the aisle of the outdoor-gear-and-apparel shop holding a pair of new work gloves he intended to purchase for Otto, who’d recently torn his. Levi had purchased Elizabeth’s and David’s gifts—a doll and a handmade wooden tractor and wagon—at a local craft fair last summer, so now the only gift left to choose was Sadie’s and he had no idea what to get her.

  “What should I buy for Sadie?” he asked his children.

  “A new coat,” Elizabeth answered. “So she can stay outside longer.”

  David disagreed. “Remember when I asked if she was too cold in her skinny coat and she said neh, she was tough?”

  Levi chuckled; that sounded like Sadie, all right. Actually, a thicker coat was a great idea; it was something he’d wanted to get for her ever since the first snowfall. But a gift like that would be inappropriate. The Amish didn’t usually exchange large gifts at Christmas, focusing instead on celebrating the birth of the Savior, and Levi was concerned she’d feel overwhelmed if he bought her an expensive present. Not to mention, it was the kind of gift a man gave to a woman he was courting, which was obviously not the case with Levi and Sadie. So he and the children continued wandering through the store, considering other options.

  “How about a pair of snowshoes? You can get Onkel a pair, too and then they can go snowshoeing again,” David suggested.

  “I already decided on these gloves for Onkel Otto.”

  “Besides, Sadie is going home the day after tomorrow,” Elizabeth scolded.

  “You don’t know everything, Elizabeth. Daed might ask her to stay.”

  Levi set down the gloves and squatted beside David. “What makes you think that?”

  “You said at the hochzich that you might ask her to stay, ’member?”

  “I’m pretty sure Sadie needs to get home to her familye now.”

  David persisted. “But did you ask her to stay?”

  “Neh.” He rose and reached for a pair of protective shoe and boot coverings on the shelf beside him, asking, “What do you think of these? They’re called crampons. You wear them over your shoes so you don’t slip on the snow or ice. Sadie could use these in Pennsylvania.”

  David wasn’t to be distracted. “Why not, Daed? Why didn’t you even ask her?”

  This wasn’t how he wanted to tell his children they’d be moving, but Levi was trapped. He explained, “I’ve been thinking that after Grischtdaag, you, Elizabeth and I should move to Indiana. We could live with Groossmammi and Groossdaadi. Onkel Otto lives nearby, too. So, you see, there would be no reason for Sadie to stay in Maine. You won’t need a nanny anymore. Groossmammi will take care of you in Indiana. Ant Hannah will help, too.”

  “I don’t want to live in Indiana,” whimpered Elizabeth.

  “Me, neither.” David’s eyes were welling.

  “Hush,” Levi said sternly, not only because Englisch customers were looking at them, but because he felt emotional himself. He whispered, “Groossmammi and Groossdaadi can’t wait to spend more time with you. Their feelings will be hurt if we don’t go live with them.”

  “Can’t
they kumme to our tree farm?” David asked.

  “Jah, they could stay in the daadi haus and Sadie could kumme live in our haus. She can share my room with me,” Elizabeth offered.

  “Sadie isn’t staying in Maine and neither are we. I don’t want to hear another word about it.” Levi stood up, tucked the gloves and crampons beneath his arm and took each of his children by the hand.

  After paying for the gifts Levi hurried the twins to the buggy. On the way home the children were so quiet Levi thought they’d fallen asleep in the back of the carriage, but when they got into the house he saw their noses and faces were raw from crying and once again he had to bite his lip to keep his own feelings in check. This Christmas was not shaping up to be the happy occasion Levi hoped to provide for them. He felt so disheartened after he put Elizabeth and David to bed he retreated to his bedroom and flopped on the bed fully clothed, his mind awhirl.

  Within minutes Walker’s horse clopped up the driveway, bringing Otto home—because of the late evenings they put in, all of Levi’s staff members were forced to do their holiday shopping at the last minute. Levi could hear the low, muffled hum of his brother-in-law singing as he opened and closed the kitchen cupboards, no doubt rummaging for something to eat. Although Levi couldn’t hear the words, he immediately recognized the joyfulness of the tune for what it was; the song of a man who had the hope of a new courtship. The sound ate away at him. Levi pictured Otto marrying Maria and moving to Maine. Whereas Levi...Levi was moving back to Indiana, into his in-laws’ home, a regression of sorts—certainly not what Leora wanted for their family. Not what Levi or the children wanted, either.

  Then just as distinctly as a cupboard door snapping shut, an idea clicked in Levi’s mind: it was still in his power to try to change their situation. Hadn’t Sadie encouraged him to put his mind to the things he really wanted to do? He could at least ask her to stay on as the twins’ nanny. If she said yes, he’d find a way to work it out with his in-laws and the potential buyers, but there was no sense in worrying about those details until he consulted Sadie, first. He sprang to his feet and hurried to the kitchen.