by Beth Shriver
“Is he any better?”
“Nee, it’s hanging on.” He turned to her directly as he spoke. “She told me you talked with Katie.”
“Ach?” She was enjoying the day and didn’t want to put a damper on the high spirits everyone was in, but Gideon should know about Katie. “Did she tell you that Katie wants to come home?”
His brows lifted. “Nee. Do you think she will?”
Elsie felt a tinge of irritation at Gideon’s question after hearing it too many times. “I don’t know what to make of it, Gideon. But it’s good news.”
“I understand how you must be feeling.” He looked down in thought. “If she does come back, you should have an open heart, without condition. I’m only telling you what you already know. It’s just a reminder.”
Elsie nodded. “I know. I need to be prepared.”
He tilted his head. “Jah, you do.”
She drew her eyebrows together. “I wonder why she decided to come back.”
“She didn’t tell you?”
“Nee, she said a lot of things had happened.”
“A lot has gone on here with you as well. Did she ask you about that?”
Elsie hadn’t thought about her not asking about the English boys or about her parents, or anything for that matter. “Nee, she didn’t.” There was a slight edge in her tone that she meant to keep inside of her, but she was with Gideon, so it slipped out.
Gideon was silent for a long while, and she knew he was analyzing everything she was saying. “I’m glad you’re not letting her steal your joy.” He scanned the garden that had Adam and Aaron footprints all over it. “This is what you love to do.”
She slowly looked over the garden. Crates of flowers were scattered around the outside perimeter, ready to plant, and various vegetables as well. She was satisfied with the progress they’d made and realized she was smiling. “Jah, it is.”
Adam opened the door and poked his head out. “Lunch is ready.”
As they walked to the door, Gideon shook his head when he saw Adam’s dirty feet. Then up to the smudge of dirt on Aaron’s nose and chuckled. “And good luck getting anything done with those two around.”
Chapter Twenty-One
THE MEN STARTED coming in with their flatbeds and work-horses as Gideon stood by his daed’s field and kicked around some dirt. He leaned down to inspect the soil.
“What is it, son?” His daed bent toward where Gideon was intently staring.
“Wire worm.” Gideon’s gloomy edge gave his daed the motivation to squat down and study the brown dirt for himself.
“Looks like grubs too.” He grabbed a handful of soil and squeezed. “Still haven’t made peace with the earth down here in Texas.”
“The organic matter is low. Once we get the balance right, we’ll be ready to plant again.” He didn’t want to tell his daed he didn’t know what was needed to correct the problem, but he’d find out today. He watched the swarm of men driving in and figured he’d have a harder time deciding whose advice to listen to more than finding the remedy.
The fields needed to be rotated, so no sooner was the spring planting done, then came cutting hay that had been planted in the winter. Now that the stalks were dry, they could bail them into rectangular chunks.
The men stacked the bales onto fifteen-foot flatbeds and trundled slowly along the side of the pasture. When they stopped for lunch, Gideon brought up the question about the soil. The men all stopped eating.
Davie relayed the latest information from the most well-renowned sources. “You need some essential mineral elements.”
“Drip tape and some regular old fertilizer,” Whitey Manuel piped in as he pulled on his premature white beard that lent him his nickname.
When Elsie rode up with a basket full of food, Gideon stepped off the porch and waited for her. The conversation would continue without his presence, and his daed would make the final decision either way.
As she stepped down from the buggy, he thought there was a special glow about her. Maybe it was the way the sun was shining directly down on her or that the golden flecks in her brown eyes were especially bright. Or maybe it was simply that he’d become completely overwhelmed by her. He’d been her rescuer and confidant, but he wanted more, and at this very moment he decided that’s the way it had to be.
“Hallo there,” she chimed. Her mood seemed to be as bright as she looked. Elsie handed the basket to him and went to a spot on the grassy area tucked away from the large group but still visible.
“You’re chipper today.” The basket wasn’t as full as usual, and his curiosity made him remove the cloth and peer inside.
She tapped his hand. “Just wait.” She took the blanket that was tucked under her arm and spread it out for them to sit on.
Gideon set the food down and sat cross-legged in front of her. “What’s this all about?”
She stopped taking food out of the basket, like she was plucking up the weeds in her garden, and smiled at him. “I made a lovely lunch and only want to share it with you. Very un-Amish of me.”
He chuckled. “If there is such a thing.” As Gideon watched her pull out the food, he was astonished to see that everything she made was his favorite. She handed him her mamm’s cheese biscuits, mincemeat sandwiches, and for dessert her Aunt Fannie’s chocolate cookies.
“How did you know what I liked?” He didn’t try to hide his surprise. Only his mother and a couple of aunts knew what he preferred. He wasn’t a picky enough eater for it to matter.
She handed him some sweet tea. “Because I know you, Gideon Lapp.” Then she took a bite of her own food, sampling each one and making an “Mmm” noise when she chewed. “I did pretty well. Maybe not as well as your mamm, but she’s had more time to practice.”
His baffled state began to dissipate, and he enjoyed the meal, and even more so the company. “This was great, very gut.”
“I’m glad you liked it. But you wouldn’t tell me if you didn’t.” She smiled and leaned back to let the sun hit her face, closing her eyes. “You’ve been beside me through everything.” She opened her eyes. “This was my way of saying danke.”
Although Gideon appreciated her gesture, he wanted this to mean more, and he felt he needed to know where their relationship was going. “Elsie.” His voice was louder and more serious than he meant for it to be.
She sat up with wide eyes.
“I’ve asked your daed for permission to court you.” He felt a fire in his stomach that he pushed through. It wasn’t usual for the young man to talk with the parents about courting, but because of their special situation, Gideon felt he could.
Elsie didn’t show any sign of saying no; she just waited and stared. His usual ability to read her was lost at the moment.
“Elsie, would you consider letting me—” He lost his words. Never had he stumbled so badly. He didn’t have a fear of speaking, and was actually quite comfortable with a healthy debate. But he couldn’t find the last two words he needed to finish what he was asking. His mouth went shut and opened again, but there was not so much as a breath of air that escaped from his lips. What if she still wasn’t ready? But what if he didn’t ask her and someone else did?
He slowly regained his senses. He’d finally found the only girl he’d ever had true feelings for to allow him to court her, and he was at a loss of words.
She squeezed his hand. “Are you all right?”
“Jah, I have something important to ask you and . . . ” He stopped short. By the look on her face he knew not to continue. It was as if he was causing her physical pain to finish what he set out do. Her forehead creased and she twiddled her thumbs, a sure sign she was worried. “It was hard for me to tell what you’re thinking. I can with a lot of people. But not always with you.”
“I can’t live up to your standards.” An awkward mood hung over them, with neither of them seeming to know what to do or say.
After a moment’s time Gideon spoke his mind. “What standards have I put on you?�
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“Not you, Gideon; the community, Omar, and the others would have certain expectations if we were formally together.”
“God will put me where He needs me. Just as He will place you, and all who follow Him, on the path He has for us. Jah, I love the Word and studying, but that doesn’t mean I’ll preach or lead; it simply means I enjoy learning, and so do you.”
“But is that what you want?”
“I want to serve others in whatever capacity God wants me to. And yes, if it means leading, then I will.” He lifted a single eye-brow. “But if I don’t know yet where I’ll serve, how do you?”
“I don’t, of course. But I have a pretty good idea, and if that happens, I don’t know if I’m suited to be who you’d need me to be.” She sighed and turned away then back to him.
He grinned. “You have big plans for me, more so than Omar or anyone else does, for that matter.”
She stroked her cheek with her fingers. “God’s plans. ‘I know the plans I have made for you.’ His plans are the only ones you need to listen to, not to any of ours,” she said in all seriousness.
Gideon held onto the verse and applied it not only to what he would be called to do but also to what commitment he might have with Elsie. He was disappointed, yes, but he forced himself to obediently wait for God’s timing in courting Elsie. She clearly wasn’t ready, and her understanding how important his calling was showed him even more that she was well suited for him. He prayed for patience.
As they were packing up, Chris walked by and stopped. “Hallo.” He waved as he greeted them.
“It’s gut to see you.” Gideon reached out to pump his hand. He clumsily clasped his and shook once, hard.
Then Chris reached over to shake with Elsie. As they twined their hands, Elsie put her other hand on top of his and looked him in the eyes. “Are you helping stack the hay?”
He shook his head. “Driving . . . ” He stuttered then finished his sentence. “ . . . the horses.” His grin showed his appreciation for the task. April and May were the names of the two horses the Fishers were using. “Both girls.”
Gideon took his time gathering the utensils and went around the corner of the haus to wash them off. Then he heard another male voice.
“Elsie, I’ve been looking for you.”
“I didn’t see you there,” Elsie’s voice sang out.
“Go find our wagon and tell Daed I’ll be along, Chris.”
Gideon popped his head around the corner of the clapboard haus to see Chris wave to Elsie.
Mose. It figured. He always seemed to be around Elsie. Gideon knew they shared the same plight with their siblings gone, but it still irked him the way Mose sought her out and the way their conversations went off the topic of Katie and Jake.
“Mose.” He stood, pumped Mose’s hand and moved away.
“Gideon,” Mose answered in a flat tone and turned to Elsie. “Rachel said you talked with Katie.”
Gideon wiped off the plates and listened to them talk.
“Jah, I asked Rachel to tell you. I didn’t know how you’d feel about it. If your daed is like mine, I thought it best to wait and see what you wanted to know.”
“Are they all right?”
Gideon didn’t like the way Mose moved a step closer, almost touching Elsie. He wondered if she was comfortable with how near he was and was about ready to step in when he heard Elsie respond.
“Katie didn’t say as much, but she didn’t sound like herself. She wants to come home.”
When Mose put a hand on Elsie’s shoulder to comfort her, Gideon stood and turned around. He wiped the water from his hand on his pants and laid the plates and forks in the basket.
“Have you heard from Jake?” Elsie asked.
“Nee. It would be good to see him and find out how he is. Did she say when they would be coming?” Mose’s eyes darted to Gideon’s once quickly.
Gideon’s gaze remained on Mose until he heard his daed calling for everyone to get back to work. “Mose, it sounds like we need to go.” He turned to Elsie and grabbed the basket. “Let me help you take this to your buggy.” He wasn’t about to leave them alone together. Part of him wanted to tell Mose they were courting, but that was the sour part of him he didn’t want to seep out and make him a liar.
“Nee, but I’ll tell you if I hear anything more,” she said as she folded the blanket and walked beside Gideon.
Mose went around on the other side of her. “I’ll tell my daed and mamm so there are no surprises. It would be just like Jake to show up out of the clear blue sky.”
When they both smiled at the scenario, Gideon felt left out of the conversation. He’d only seen a side of Jake that hurt Elsie; before that he was just one of the many Fisher boys, and not one he knew very well. He was missing out on something that the two of them understood about Jake and seemed to be amused. But Gideon felt sure he didn’t want to find out what it was.
Chapter Twenty-Two
ELSIE TOOK THE cover off the buggy. It was a nice day, and she wanted to enjoy it before the hot summer weather started. Angus was a large stud with one of the calmest dispositions in their herd. She preferred to use him when she wanted to take an easy ride and not trying to train a horse to pull the buggy.
She needed to go to the Byler’s store to pick up a few items. Her farm was at the end of the community and the store was at the very front, just off the highway to Beeville. The neighbors were helping with a grocery shower for a widow who broke her leg in three places and was coming home from the hospital. There would be a supply of food waiting for her. Elsie also brought a baby blanket to sell that her mamm made.
Elsie passed by John and Annie’s bed-and-breakfast that was next to the store. The two-story home, with five bedrooms, was larger than most. The three rooms they boarded were usually full this time of year. Elsie wondered if they would add on once they had more children. It brought them good and steady income to subsidize their farm. There were pots of fern, upside-down bunches of lavender, and herbs hanging from the trim above the railing. The couch and porch swing were empty, too early for the guests at this hour.
The door’s hinges creaked, and the aromas of vanilla, dried herbs, and lavender vied for attention. As Elsie walked through the store, she decided what to buy for the widow Verna.
“Morning.”
MaryAnn popped her head up from the box she was digging into.
“You’re here bright and early. Gotta enjoy this weather before the heat starts up.” She tucked a gray strand of hair behind her ear and rested her hands on her wide hips.
“Jah, for sure. I need to get some ingredients to make granola for Verna before she gets home.”
“Ah, she does like her granola, especially Clara’s recipe with coconut.” She came out from behind the counter.
“And I have this for you to sell.” Elsie laid the powder blue infant blanket on the counter for her to examine.
MaryAnn ran her hand over the soft flannel and fussed over it. “This is precious. And with the summer babies on their way, someone will be needing this—especially if a set of twins surprises some mamm.”
She went over to an aisle with cooking and baking ingredients. They weren’t commonly needed since they made a lot of their own but nice to have in a pinch. “Tell me what else you need.”
“Oatmeal. The silverfish got into it, but I’ll stop at Rachel’s and borrow some from hers, so just the coconut.”
She cringed. “That might be the one thing I don’t have. I’ll have to make sure to get some in town.” She rifled through items on the shelves, shoving small bags and boxes around. “You have vanilla, maple flavoring, and vegetable oil?”
“And salt, of course. Don’t need pecans.” Elsie searched with her, hoping she wouldn’t have to ask around for coconut too since she didn’t frequently use it.
“Good crop this year for pecans.” She continued to search for the coconut with success. “One small bag.” She carried the plastic bag to the counter and added u
p the total.
The bell on the door jingled as Will walked in with Ruby close behind. “Little sister, I thought that was daed’s buggy.” He gave her a tight squeeze. Ruby’s hug she barely felt.
“Ran out of oatmeal, of all things.”
“And our place is too far to come over and get some from us?” Will smiled as though teasing, but she knew he meant what he said.
“But I bet you don’t have coconut,” Elsie countered. Bantering was the language Will related to. And Elsie didn’t mind. She missed it, in fact.
Will turned toward Ruby. She shook her head. “Nee, I don’t usually have it around.” That opened the door for talk about cooking, so Elsie thought she’d take advantage of it.
“You can come over and help me make granola if you like.” Elsie noticed the edges of her mouth turn up and considered that a yes.
Ruby shrugged at Will, who nodded to her. “All right.” Her eyes shifted to the blanket on the counter. “Who made that?”
Ruby reached over to it to feel the soft material beneath her hand.
“Mamm did. She usually makes bigger blankets, but I think she has grandbabies on her mind.” Elsie smiled, but neither Will nor Ruby did. When Elsie looked at Will, he gave her a forced smile and put his hands on Ruby’s shoulders.
“Come on, honey, you can ride home with Elsie, and I’ll pick you up later.” Will leaned down to kiss Ruby on the forehead and winked at Elsie then started to walk away.
“Where are you going?” Elsie inquired as she watched her tall, muscular brother saunter off.
“I’m not big on shopping. And I do have a farm to work.” He grinned and was out the door whistling a tune.
Ruby and Elsie smiled at one another, and Elsie shook her head. “I don’t know how you put up with him,” she said in the most endearing way.
“He makes me laugh.” Ruby’s eyes softened when she spoke of Will. They seemed to be happy together, and Elsie hoped to have the same kind of relationship. Then she stopped, literally causing Ruby to run into her.