“Fine.” Katherine averted her gaze.
“Just fine? Then why are you blushing?”
She didn’t answer right away. “I’m sure it’s nix. It’s just there’s this mann—”
“Oh?”
“You sound surprised.”
“I am. A little.” Mary Beth smiled, but it seemed a little forced. Johanna started to fuss again. Mary Beth rose. “She needs changing. I’ll be right back.”
While Mary Beth was gone, Katherine stood and went to the front window. She looked out toward the back of the Mullets’ house, where Caleb and Micah were doing some repairs on the back deck.
In the big oak tree, the tire swing still hung from a thick branch. A few feet away, almost hidden from view, was the pond.
So many memories. For a moment she let her mind drift to the past, remembering when she was a girl of twelve, sitting on the tire swing, waiting for Mary Beth to come outside.
The swing had been tied higher back then—or maybe she had just been smaller—and she could barely touch the ground with her bare toes. She had tried to gain purchase and propel the swing forward, but after a few failed attempts, she gave up.
Suddenly she felt herself moving. She turned and saw Johnny behind her. He’d been fishing at the pond.
“Thought you might need a push,” he said. “Wait.” He stopped her, brushed a green oak leaf off her shoulder, and pushed her again.
Then he smiled, and her heart turned into a puddle.
Her mind jolted back to the present. A puddle. How childish. How pointless it was, falling in love with a boy who had only smiled and given her a push on an old tire swing. It was just a kindness, nothing more. She had blown it all out of proportion.
For years she had held on to hope for Johnny. And now all the memories of time spent with the Mullets would be bittersweet.
Johnny’s optimism started to wane as soon as he left the bank. He was in trouble, and he knew it. He would continue to look for a job, but he would also call Mr. Wagner. He couldn’t afford to turn away any opportunity. He climbed into his buggy, every muscle in his body tense.
Maybe the best way to get his mind off of everything was to see his new niece.
When he pulled into Mary Beth’s driveway, his palms started to sweat. Katherine’s buggy stood in the driveway. He wondered if he ought to just turn around and head back home.
But before he could make up his mind, the front door opened. Katherine stepped onto the porch, while Mary Beth held Johanna and waved good-bye from the doorway. She caught a glimpse of him pulling up beside Katherine’s buggy.
“Johnny!” his sister called out, louder than she needed to.
Katherine turned around and saw him, then looked away quickly, climbed up, and disappeared into her buggy.
He thought to call out to her, but what could he say? That he was broke? Desperate? On the verge of losing everything? He watched as Katherine chirruped to her horse, turned around in the long driveway, and drove away without saying a word.
His sister had already gone inside. Johnny scanned the tiny patch of property Mary Beth and Chris called home. Their parents had given them the small parcel of land as a wedding gift, but Chris had built the house himself. The crisp white paint, perfectly square front porch, and neatly manicured lawn were a stark contrast to the sad state of his own home. The front porch swing and flower boxes with buds just barely in bloom added a homey touch.
Johnny hadn’t even thought about plants. Or his lawn.
He went inside the house. Mary Beth was sitting in the rocker. She looked up at him, her cheeks plump, much as they were when she was expecting. “You could have at least said good-bye to her, Johnny.”
First Caleb, now her. “I don’t need a lecture. I came by to see mei niece.”
“And I thought you were here to see me,” she said, finally smiling.
“Why would I do that?” Johnny winked at her.
“Here.” Mary Beth put Johanna in Johnny’s arms. “Hold her for a minute.” She disappeared into the adjacent kitchen.
Johnny sat in the nearest chair and looked down at his niece. He didn’t feel the least bit uncomfortable holding her—he’d never been put off by helping out with his younger brothers, especially when Eli was a baby. He liked kids. Someday he hoped to have a family. But that day would be far in the future—further now than he’d thought. How could he possibly think about marriage or a family if he couldn’t even take care of himself?
Mary Beth came back with a dish towel and laid it across his shoulder. He shifted the baby a bit higher and patted her back. She gave a soft little burp, and both of them laughed. “She just finished eating, ya?” Johnny asked.
Mary Beth nodded. “She was fussy during Katherine’s visit. I thought she was tired. Turned out she was hungry.” She sat back down in the rocker, frowning a little. “I’m still getting used to being a mudder.”
“You’ll figure it out.” Johanna snuggled against his shoulder, rubbing her little nose into the dish towel.
“You look tired,” Mary Beth said.
“I’m fine.” He gazed down at Johanna as she started to settle down.
“How’s the farm coming along?”
“Gut.” He didn’t look away from the baby.
“Chris and I can’t wait to see it. When can we drop by?”
Johnny paused. “No hurry. You and Chris need to concentrate on your familye.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t visit other members of our familye.” Mary Beth held Johnny’s gaze. “Unless you don’t want the company.”
“Of course I want company. Things just aren’t ready yet.”
“You have two bruders, not to mention Daed, and even Chris, who would be happy to help you. Even Eli could do a little something.”
“I know.”
“But?”
He wasn’t going to answer her, but she was his twin and knew him better than anyone. “It’s hard to explain.”
“I’m listening.”
“Remember when we were kids and you used to sneak out to that old barn to be by yourself?”
Mary Beth nodded. “It was my special place. Until you found it.”
“And Sawyer.”
“But you were following me. We got into a ton of trouble, didn’t we?”
“Considering we lied to Mamm and Daed, the barn burned down, and Sawyer almost got sent to foster care until he was eighteen, I thought we got off pretty easy.”
“We did.” She smiled. “But we had some great times growing up too.”
“Gut memories.” He nodded. “Well, I want to make some memories of my own now.”
“Of course you do. But do you have to do that alone?”
Johnny shifted Johanna to his lap, tucking her into the curve of his arm. “Somehow I have the feeling you’re not talking about the farm anymore.”
“Nee. Katherine and I had a nice visit.” She paused. “I know, Johnny.”
He stilled. “Know what?”
“How you feel about her.”
He didn’t say anything for a long time. Just stared at his niece as her eyelids drifted shut.
“I’ve seen how you look at her.”
“This conversation is getting seltsam.” He didn’t want to talk about this, especially with his sister.
“It’s not the conversation that’s seltsam. It’s you. Even more than usual.”
“Very funny.”
“It’s not meant to be. For a long time I’ve wondered when you’d come to your senses about her. What I don’t understand is why you won’t tell her your feelings have changed.”
He bit the inside of his cheek. “It’s not the right time.”
“Johnny, look at me.”
“What?” He lifted his gaze to hers.
“I don’t want you to spend your life alone.”
“I don’t plan to.”
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“Your mammi needs to mind her own business,” he murmured to
Johanna.
“I’m worried about you,” Mary Beth said. “I’m allowed to be concerned about mei bruder.”
“And I already said I’m fine.” Would this happen every time he visited a member of his family? Why were they suddenly so nosy?
“I’m also concerned about Katherine. You don’t expect her to wait for you forever, do you?”
“Of course not.” Johnny frowned at Mary Beth.
“There’s someone else interested in her. His name is Isaac.”
Jealousy slammed into him. He didn’t look at his sister.
“If you don’t do something soon, you might lose her.”
“I know what I’m doing.” But did he? Envy and failure battled within him. He wondered if he knew anything anymore. He stood and handed his niece to Mary Beth. “I should head home,” he said.
“So soon? You just got here. Chris will be home in an hour or so. I know he’d like to see you.”
“I’ve got stuff to do.” He hesitated. “Promise me something.”
Mary Beth continued to pat Johanna’s back. “What?”
“You won’t say anything to Katherine.” He couldn’t risk her finding out how he felt.
“As long as you promise you’ll tell her. Soon.”
He nodded. “When the time is right, I will.”
As Johnny drove home, he thought about Mary Beth’s words. His sister was right. He couldn’t continue like this. He wasn’t being fair to Katherine. If only he hadn’t been so dense and realized his feelings for her sooner.
He remembered clearly the day he’d fallen for her. It was a Saturday afternoon, and several of their friends whom they’d gone to school with gathered for a last-minute volleyball game at the Yoders’. Bekah, as outgoing as Katherine was shy, managed to convince Katherine to play.
“I can’t,” she’d said. She continued to protest, arguing with Bekah about it.
“Come on, you’re holding up the game,” he said at last.
Finally she relented, and they were on the same team. It wasn’t long before he saw why she was reluctant to play. She was awful. Couldn’t even serve. Finally, after her third attempt went into the net, he offered to show her how.
“Here,” he said, coming up behind her. He showed her how to hold the ball in her left hand. “Then you fold your right hand into a fist.”
“Mullet, just let her serve,” someone from the other team shouted.
“Yeah,” David Esh, the bishop’s grandson, said. He laughed. “We’re ready to get the ball back.”
Humiliated, she handed Johnny the ball. “I shouldn’t have played,” she said.
He saw the hurt in her beautiful blue eyes. The same hurt he’d seen for years. Hurt he’d caused.
“Shut up,” he yelled at the guys. Then he grabbed her hand. Pulled her closer to him and served the ball with her. Not only had it flown over the net, it made her smile.
Now, as he gripped the reins, the memory came back to him in a rush. On the surface it wasn’t a big deal. But when he’d held her hand, felt the soft warmth of her touch, her eyes meeting his, for the first time he really saw her. Understood what his neglect had done to her. And knew he not only wanted a chance, he also had to make up for the past.
Being able to have a successful business, to show her she wouldn’t have to struggle if they married—that was a start.
Johnny arrived home, his mind heavy with regret and failure. After he put up his horse and buggy, he went inside his pitiful house.
On the rough pine table lay his brand-new cell phone. Now that he owned a business, he wasn’t going against the Ordnung by having a cell. He pulled the card out of his pocket and stared at it.
Maybe having a Yankee as an investor wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe—just maybe—this would be the answer to his prayers.
He flipped open the phone, rechecked the number, and dialed.
CHAPTER 7
The following Monday Katherine was surprised to see Johnny arrive for lunch at Mary Yoder’s. She glanced at him across the dining room. Fortunately he wasn’t seated in her section. She struggled to ignore him but couldn’t help noticing how his long fingers cupped a mug of coffee as he spoke to the Yankee man across the table.
She tried to focus her thoughts on Isaac as she went to one of her tables to take an order. He’d been in the last two Mondays, but so far she hadn’t seen him. Which she considered a good thing, since Johnny was here. Her mind was confused enough without both men being in the same vicinity.
“Miss? We’re ready to order.”
Katherine looked down at the couple seated at the table. The bustling lunch crowd surrounded her. Glasses clinked and dishes clanked as waitresses, some Amish, some Yankee, delivered meals and bussed tables. She collected her thoughts, and with pen poised over her pad, she asked, “What can I get for you?”
“Faster service, for a start.” The woman brushed back a lock of her silvery hair from her plump cheek. “I would think that after waiting in line for fifteen minutes to get a seat, we would have put in our order by now.”
“I apologize, ma’am. Mondays are always busy. We usually get traffic from the flea market.”
“We just came from there.” Her dining partner, a gentleman with thick salt-and-pepper hair, gave Katherine a smile. “Found some great bargains—”
“Henry.” The woman’s gaze was sharp enough to snap twigs. “Our order?”
“Right. Fay”—he held out his hand toward the woman, who appeared to be in her midfifties—“will have the chicken and noodles. I’ll have the meat loaf.”
“And an unsweetened iced tea.” She looked up at Katherine. “Did you get that?”
“Ya.” Katherine wrote the order on her pad. She smiled, forcing a friendliness she didn’t feel, and picked up the menus. As she walked away, she tried not to look at Johnny, who had barely touched the plate of thick-sliced roast beef and gravy-smothered mashed potatoes. But she couldn’t help it. She didn’t recognize the man seated across from him. What was Johnny doing here anyway? He never ate at the restaurant. Yet here he was, leaning forward and listening to the man, seemingly hanging on to the Yankee’s every word.
“Katherine.”
She turned at the sound of her boss’s voice, cringing with embarrassment at being caught staring at Johnny. “Yes, ma’am?”
The petite woman peered up at her through square-shaped, tortoise-framed glasses. “Is that an order in your hand?”
“Ya. I’ll get this to the back right away.” She started to leave when her boss put her small hand on Katherine’s arm.
“You’re distracted today. That’s not like you. Is something wrong?”
Katherine shook her head. “Nee.” She snuck one last glance at Johnny before looking at her boss again. “Everything’s all right.”
“Good. Now hurry, you don’t want to keep your customers waiting.”
She turned in her order, determined to focus on her job. But as she faced the dining room, she froze. Isaac was sitting a few feet away from Johnny.
“So you want me to invest in your horse farm, even though you only have one horse.”
Johnny nodded at James Wagner. The robust, balding man had already plowed through his meat loaf platter, while Johnny had taken only a few bites, despite the growl in his stomach. Nerves kept him from the food. The future of Johnny’s business rested on Wagner’s decision.
He had no idea what it was like to have a partner. And for all his bluster about making the farm work on his own, he was still depending on someone else to make it happen.
But he didn’t have a choice. He needed a man with deep pockets. While it was possible he could put his plans for the farm on hold and wait until he had a job, he didn’t want to wait that long. And if it took a partnership with Wagner to speed the process along, Johnny didn’t have a problem throwing his straw hat in with a Yankee, who, according to his cousin, had a good reputation. Later he would explain his decision to his father. He couldn’t go to him right now, admit
he failed, and ask for help. Not until he’d exhausted every possible solution.
“How many acres do you have?” Wagner tapped his fingers against the edge of the white-and-red checked tablecloth.
“Right now it’s ten. But I hope to add on. There’s an empty field next to my property that I plan to purchase.” Soon, if you’ll help me out.
“What about the barn?”
“Six horse capacity. Again, I plan to expand. I’ll be happy to take you there. You can have a look at the property, check out the facilities.” Johnny glanced at the roast beef growing cold on his plate. His stomach growled again. He fidgeted in the chair, hoping Wagner hadn’t heard. “I have a business plan I can show you too.”
“Sounds like you have a good start.” Wagner shoved away from the table and grinned, expanding his jowls. “Tell you what. The wife and I will come out the day after tomorrow.”
“Your wife?”
“She’s my partner in everything, including business.” He chuckled. “Especially business. Married a smart one, I did. What time is supper?”
Johnny opened his mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. No way possible his place could be ready for company in two days. Especially for female company. Then there was the fact that he couldn’t cook worth a whit, except eggs and toast. The way Wagner’s belly expanded in front of him, Johnny knew that would hardly satisfy the man’s hearty appetite.
“Didn’t you hear me, son?”
“Six thirty.” Johnny swallowed air and forced a grin.
“Perfect. After we eat you can show me the facilities and that business plan of yours.”
“Gut.” A knot formed in his stomach.
Wagner stood. “Looking forward to it. The food here is tasty, but there’s nothing like a homemade Amish meal. Had a few over the years and thoroughly enjoyed them.”
“Uh, ya. They’re delicious.” Toast and eggs definitely wouldn’t work.
“Is the number you gave me still good? Just in case something comes up.”
Johnny nodded. “Ya, you can reach me there between eight and five.”
“Don’t expect I’ll have to, though. Lois and I will be looking forward to it.” Wagner stuck his beefy hand in his pocket and jangled his keys. “Thanks for the lunch. We’ll see you soon.”
The Middlefield Family Collection Page 48