by Amy Clipston
“Ya.” Timothy met his gaze, sadness filling his eyes. “He was my best friend.”
Luke’s eyes widened. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I can’t let the rest of the family know how much Peter told me about his past. It makes me look bad.”
“It makes you look like a liar,” Luke finished his thought.
“Exactly.” Timothy’s expression softened. “You’re his brother.”
Luke knew he was caught. “I am.”
Timothy snapped his fingers. “I knew it!”
Luke folded his arms in front of his chest. “What else do you know?”
“I know Peter left after having a horrible argument with your dat. And he regretted it very much.”
“He did?” Luke raised his eyebrows in disbelief.
“He said he wished he’d had the courage to make things right between him and you and also him and your dat.”
Luke scowled. “If he only knew what he put us through by leaving. Pop was so distraught that he had a stroke, and I nursed him until he died. I gave up everything to care for him. I lost my girlfriend and the chance to have a family of my own while Peter rebuilt his life here with a new family. It’s hard for me to believe he had regrets when he had this.” He gestured around the parking lot with his arms.
“I’m sorry. I truly am. But you have to believe Peter wanted to make amends before the boppli was born. He was talking about how to tell Sarah the truth.” Timothy rubbed his chin and looked across the parking lot. “He was like a brother to me. We used to talk for hours.”
“That’s how it was before he abandoned Pop and me.” Luke shook his head, disappointment mixed with resentment simmering through him. “Our address never changed. He could’ve written us. He had eight years to make things right.”
“He wanted to make things right.” Timothy shrugged. “I believed he would’ve done so if he’d had more time.”
More questions bombarded Luke. “So why did he open up to you and no one else?”
“I told you—we were best friends.”
“You knew the truth all along?”
Timothy shook his head. “No, I didn’t know from the beginning. We quickly became friends when he got the job at the shop, but he didn’t tell me he had family in Ohio until I met him at the post office one day about a year and a half ago. I found it strange that he had a post-office box. It seemed an unnecessary expense. Then he confided in me that he received letters there from his family in Ohio. He begged me not to tell Sarah. He said the news that he had family would crush her, and he wanted to tell her when the time was right.”
“Did he say who the letters were from?” Luke braced himself, wondering if Timothy knew the truth about DeLana.
Timothy shrugged. “I had assumed they were from relatives, maybe your dat or even you. I never thought much about it.”
Peter didn’t tell him about DeLana.
“So where does that leave us now?” Luke asked. “You know who I am, but everyone else thinks I’m Peter’s cousin.”
Timothy’s expression hardened. “It doesn’t leave us anywhere different. You know I want you go to back home and let Sarah pick up the pieces of her life and move on. Your being here complicates things for her. She doesn’t need to know any more about Peter’s life back in Ohio. She belongs here with us.”
Luke blanched. “You think I’m going to take her away?”
“I didn’t say that. I don’t want her to even consider leaving, which is why you need to leave.”
“You also don’t want me to tell the rest of the family you kept secrets from them.”
Timothy frowned.
“It’s up to you and your conscience to come clean with your family, but I can tell you this—those kinner are my family and my only connection to my brother. I have every right to be a part of their lives. They are as much my family as they are yours. You said Peter was like a brother to you and you lost him.” Luke jammed a finger into his own chest. “Well, I lost him eight years ago when he chose to run out on my pop and me and start a new life without so much as telling us where he was living. I don’t intend to hurt your sister. I only want to be her friend and be a part of her kinners’s lives. That’s all.”
“Sarah doesn’t need you. She has the Kauffmans, and she belongs with us. You belong back in Ohio in your church district with your family. Peter must’ve left you for a reason.”
Luke shook his head. “You’re wrong. I think it’s Sarah’s decision if she wants me to stay or not.”
Timothy’s eyes narrowed to slits. “My sister is in no condition to make decisions like that. She’s lost her husband and is about to become a mother for the first time. If you tell her who you really are and then ask her to decide if she wants you around, you’ll hurt her even more. You’ll probably crush whatever spirit she has left in her. Is that what you want?”
Knowing Timothy was right, Luke shook his head.
“Good. I’m glad we’ve reached an understanding. You need to start packing and head back to Ohio. That’s where you belong.” Timothy turned and stalked back into the shop.
The crunch of tires on gravel pulled Luke’s attention to a pickup truck steering into the back lot. Eli hopped out of the passenger seat while the English driver climbed out and circled to the back of the truck.
“Luke!” Eli called. “Would you help unload some supplies?”
“Ya.” Luke jogged over to the bed full of wood and lifted an armful.
“Danki, son,” Eli said with a smile. “You’re such a wonderful addition to our family.”
Luke forced a smile. Too bad your son doesn’t agree. “Danki, Eli.”
“I hope you’ll join us for supper tonight,” the older man said.
“Of course.” Luke suppressed a sarcastic snort. Timothy would not be glad to find him at supper once again.
10
Luke leaned back on the fence and laughed while Daniel shared another story about an English customer who’d ordered a triple dresser and wanted it within a week. It was obvious some of the customers had no concept of what went into making a beautiful piece of furniture. Creating a dresser wasn’t about hammers and nails; it was creating a work of art that would be enjoyed for years and passed down through generations of families.
The aroma of livestock filled Luke’s nostrils as he breathed in the crisp autumn afternoon air of the Esh family farm. Standing up straight, he righted his hat while trying to keep his focus on the men surrounding him. However, his eyes betrayed him for what felt like the hundredth time today, and he found his gaze trained on Sarah sitting on a bench across the yard and rubbing her abdomen while she watched the younger children play on the intricate wooden swing set.
He’d been fighting in vain all morning to avoid staring at Sarah, but it had been impossible. During the church service, his eyes kept moving from the bishop and ministers to Sarah sitting across the room on the backless bench with her sisters. She looked radiant—her cheeks pink and her eyes as bright a blue as the summer sky. A few times, she met his stare and graced him with a small smile, causing his heart to thump madly in his chest. He tried in vain to focus on God’s Word.
Was he falling for her?
He pushed that idea away. She was his brother’s widow. Any romantic feelings for her would be a sin.
However, he’d thought about her nonstop since their last meeting at her parents’ house two nights ago. She invaded his head throughout the day and stole into his dreams at night.
“Did you hear me?” Daniel’s voice penetrated Luke’s daydream.
“Ya?” Luke met Daniel’s questioning glance. “I’m sorry.” Clearing his throat, he tried to ignore his heated face while the rest of the Kauffman men looked on with interest. “I wasn’t listening.”
“What has you so captivated?” Daniel asked with a smile.
“I think I know,” Eli said with a sly grin. “It could be it’s a certain maedel.”
Oh, no. Luke’s stomach twis
ted. How could Eli know? Is my ogling that obvious?
Luke braced himself for a much-deserved tongue-lashing from the elder Kauffman.
“She’s right over there.” Eli looped his arm around Luke’s shoulders and nodded across the yard toward a group of young women. “It’s Naomi King, isn’t it? She’s a pretty thing. I tried getting Timothy to court her, but he thinks he’s too good for her.”
Timothy rolled his eyes. “Please, Dat. You know it’s not that. She’s too young for me. Besides, I’m through with courting. Miriam ended that for me.”
“You have to move on, son. Miriam wasn’t right for you.”
“Let’s leave the subject of my lack of a fraa for another day.” Timothy stepped toward the house and held up his cup. “Anyone want more iced tea?”
Luke started to move toward Timothy to escape from the grilling, but Eli held him back.
“Look, Luke,” he said. “She’s smiling at you. You should go talk to her.”
Luke glanced toward the brunette standing near the barn and found her grinning in his direction. His shoulders tensed. The last thing he needed to complicate his life was a girl with a crush on him in Lancaster County. He started toward Timothy. “I’ll come with you. I could use some more iced tea.”
Luke followed him into the large kitchen where more than twenty women chatted and cleaned up after the noon meal. Conversation flew through the air like confetti while they washed dishes and tidied up tables. Timothy refilled his and Luke’s cups before they moved back out onto the concrete walk.
Luke stepped toward the gate leading to the playground and spotted Norman sitting with Sarah on the bench. She had been sitting alone when Luke had gone in the house.
A flicker of jealousy poked at him, and he stopped dead in his tracks. Where had that come from? Sarah and Norman were friends, which made perfect sense considering their circumstances. Why should Luke care who Sarah chose as her friends?
But his reaction made him think again: was he beginning to feel something more than friendship for Sarah?
He swallowed a groan. He didn’t need the complication of feelings for his brother’s widow.
“Luke,” a sweet voice said. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I thought you’d run off.”
Luke turned to find Naomi King beaming at him. She had deep brown eyes and matching brown hair that stuck out from under her white prayer kapp.
“Hi, there.” He raised his cup as if to toast her. “I was just getting some more tea.”
“Ya.” She smiled with a little too much mirth. “Elizabeth Kauffman makes the best iced tea.” She stuck her hand out and shook his—hard, crushing his fingers in her grip. “I’m Naomi King. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Luke Troyer.” He pulled his hand back. “Nice to meet you too.”
“Are you staying here in Lancaster County long?”
He shrugged. “Not sure yet.” He glanced toward Sarah. She was still talking to Norman. “I guess I’ll see how things go.” He looked back at Naomi. The determined look in her eyes made him uneasy.
“I heard you’re a carpenter.”
He nodded. “That’s true.”
“There are plenty of carpentry businesses ’round here. You could make a nice living.” When a gentle breeze blew her hair in front of her eyes, she pushed a wisp back from her face. “I bet Eli Kauffman would consider hiring you. He’s short-handed since the—” She stopped short, turning pink with embarrassment at mention of the fire.
Luke sipped his tea and nodded. “Possibly. He could need help.”
“I didn’t mean to say—” Her face turned sad. “I’m sorry about your cousin. It was a tragedy. I heard you were close to Peter.”
“Danki. I knew you didn’t mean anything by mentioning the fire. It’s quite all right.” He cleared his throat and glanced toward the Kauffman men. Eli’s wolfish grin annoyed him. Luke sure didn’t need a matchmaker. “It was nice meeting you.” He stepped toward the Kauffmans, but a hand on his arm, followed by a tug, stopped him.
His gaze collided with Naomi’s bold smile.
She bit her bottom lip as if scheming. “Have you gotten a proper tour of our church district?”
“Well…” He searched for an excuse—anything—but came up blank. He was stuck.
“How about I give you one?” She pulled him toward the line of buggies in the field next to the second white barn. “I’ll drive.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a great idea,” he began, scanning the yard for someone, anyone, to save him from an afternoon spent with an overly eager young woman he barely knew.
She stopped, blushing again. “Oh. Right.” Turning, she called toward a group of young women gathered by the horse pasture. “Lizzie Anne! Lindsay! Let’s go for a ride.” She then faced Luke again. “We’ll have two young chaperones so the rumors won’t be too bad.”
Before Luke could mount a protest against being kidnapped, a young woman resembling a younger Naomi trotted over, accompanied by Lindsay, Rebecca Kauffman’s niece.
“Luke, this is my sister, Lizzie Anne, and you know Lindsay,” Naomi said. “Okay, girls, let’s give Luke a tour of our district.” Turning, Naomi called to a young man, ordering him to retrieve her horse from the barn and hitch it to her buggy. Within several minutes, the horse and buggy were ready for the tour.
Plastering a smile on his face, Luke succumbed to the determined hand steering him toward the buggy. He hoped the district was small and the ride short.
Sarah smiled in response to the pleasant discussion of the weather Norman was providing from the bench seat beside her. As she listened, her eyes found Naomi King smiling, laughing, and batting her eyelashes at Luke across the yard. Sarah shook her head. Didn’t Naomi realize she was making a spectacle of herself by flirting with Luke in front of the whole church district?
“Sarah?” Norman’s voice broke through her mental tirade. “Are you with me?”
Her cheeks flushed. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about the zwillingbopplin again. Sometimes I just get caught up in my dreams of the future.” She rubbed her belly, feeling a kick in response. A smile broke out across her lips. “Someone is awake.”
Norman grinned. “Really?” He reached his hand out, then swiftly pulled it back and frowned. “How forward of me. I apologize.”
She smiled. He was such a gentleman.
A movement behind Norman distracted her, and she watched Naomi yanking Luke back toward her. What was that girl trying to prove by manhandling him? Was she going to force him to court her?
If he courted her, would he stay in Bird-in-Hand permanently?
Sarah analyzed her feelings about that. His staying would give the twins a connection to their father. However, how did she feel about his courting Naomi King?
Why was that her business anyway?
“Sarah?” Norman asked. “I’ve lost you again.”
“Sorry,” she whispered, glancing back at him. “You were saying?”
“Is something across the yard intriguing you?” Norman glanced over his shoulder toward the area where Luke stood with Naomi and then looked back at Sarah. His eyebrows arched in question. “Did you need to talk to Lindsay? Would you like me to call her?”
“No,” she said, shaking her head. “I was just wondering what they were doing.”
“Oh.” He cleared his throat and his expression softened. “How have you been feeling lately?”
“I’m doing okay.” She smiled. “Danki for asking.”
“I’ve been concerned about you. Your due date is coming up fast. Is there anything you need? Anything for you or for the kinner? I have plenty of supplies up in my attic. Leah seemed to save everything from clothes to high chairs for the kinner. I’d be happy to turn them over to you.”
She shook her head. “I’m fine with supplies, but danki for asking. My sisters are loading me up, but I appreciate it very much. You’re a very thoughtful friend.”
At the word “friend” something un
readable flashed in his eyes. However, his pleasant expression remained attentive and sweet.
Against her will, her attention moved across the yard again to find Naomi pulling Luke toward the field of parked buggies. Where was she taking him?
Sarah pushed the thought of Luke and Naomi away. How could she blame Luke for going out for a ride with a young, pretty woman like Naomi? Since he’d lost his true love when he was nursing his father, he deserved someone young and sweet like Naomi. He seemed so unhappy and alone. Perhaps Naomi would bring some joy into his life.
Sarah should be happy for him. And she should be happy her children would be born soon, putting a piece of Peter back into her life.
So why was something nagging at her? Some little, tiny feeling of unease creeping into her stomach.
Meeting Norman’s gaze, Sarah smiled and patted Norman’s hand. “What were you saying about the weather?”
Luke yawned and guided Molly up the driveway toward the Kauffman home, the horse’s hooves crunching over the rocks. After Naomi had dropped him off at the Esh farm, Luke hitched up Molly and his buggy and headed back to the Kauffmans’. He breathed in the brisk evening air. As the scent of wood-burning stoves filled his lungs, he reflected upon his long afternoon of riding around the beautiful, rolling farmlands of Lancaster County. He’d listened to Naomi pointing out farms owned by families he didn’t know while Lizzie Anne and Lindsay whispered and giggled from the back of the buggy.
Naomi was sweet and kind, but she was a little too eager, with her hand frequently brushing his and her girlish giggle bursting out at odd times. She’d invited him to come to supper tonight with her family, but he declined, hoping to not hurt her feelings. She seemed to want to court, but finding a mate was not the purpose of his trip. He’d come here to find Peter and what was left of his past.
The scent of cinnamon mixed with dew washed over Luke as the buggy approached the back porch of Elizabeth and Eli’s home. He spotted the lamp still glowing in the kitchen and his thoughts turned to Sarah. He’d missed his chance to speak with her after the service, and he hoped she was doing well today.