Rhonda leaned forward on tiptoes and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, Valerie. Enjoy the rest of your birthday.” Valerie walked out into the cold night air. She was going home to an empty house, and for the first time, she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like to be going home with Ed as a married couple.
Chapter 22
That night Nancy hardly slept. It annoyed her to see Rhonda continually throwing herself at Ed. Everybody in the community knew that Valerie and Ed were a couple except for Rhonda, it seemed. If Ed wasn’t going to tell Valerie how he really felt, then things would have to move forward from Valerie’s end. Ed had obviously paid no mind to the conversation they’d had the other day.
Nancy would get them together. She chuckled as she made her husband a breakfast of eggs and bacon. There was nothing she liked more than matching people together. All she wanted was people to be as happy as she and Hezekiah were. She’d matched her older sons and four daughters and they were all so happy. With her last niece, Willow, now married, it was perfect timing for her to concentrate on Ed and Valerie.
Her husband came into the kitchen and sat down. “Kaffe ready?”
“Jah, here it is.” She placed a mug of kaffe in front of him.
“Denke. What are your plans today?”
“First job of the day is to visit Nerida, and then I’ll continue on to Valerie’s.” To Valerie’s to begin the first segment of her plan. She turned back to the frying pan and watched the breakfast cook.
* * *
Nancy pushed Nerida’s bedroom door open and saw Nerida in bed, half asleep.
Right then, Nerida opened her eyes wide and pushed herself up with her elbows.
“Stay there. You don’t have to move.”
“I must have been asleep. I didn’t even hear you arrive.”
“John said he brought a cup of tea up to you and you were asleep.” Nancy leaned forward and touched the cup of tea on the nightstand. “It’s still quite warm. Do you want to drink it?”
“Okay.” Nerida pushed herself up further in the bed and Nancy arranged pillows behind her back before she passed her the tea.
After Nerida had taken a couple of sips of tea, she asked, “How was Valerie’s birthday dinner?”
Nancy sat down on the bed next to her. “Well, I was right about Rhonda. She was following Ed around all night and barely left the poor man alone. Valerie barely got a chance to say two words to him.”
“But surely if he likes Valerie, he won’t change his mind and like Rhonda just because she’s chasing him.”
“Well, I’d like to think that was the case, but how do we know? And then what will happen to Valerie? She’s always liked him.”
“I don’t think we should interfere.”
“Nerida, we’re not interfering, not if we’re helping them.”
“No matter what you call it, it’s still the same thing.”
Nancy swallowed hard and remembered seeing Ed and Valerie together. They looked like they belonged together. “Anyway, I’m going to Valerie’s haus soon.”
“Well, don’t do or say anything to make Rhonda feel uncomfortable. We want her to feel welcome here.”
“I quite agree. She’s a likable person and she’ll fit in well.”
“Don’t go putting nonsense in Valerie’s head.”
Nancy frowned at her sister. “Like what?”
“I don’t want Valerie to think that she’s got to chase after Ed. Just leave things be.”
“That’s a dramatic turnaround from the other day.”
“It’s not. Well, if it is, that means I’ve just had time to think about things these past couple of days. Things turn out like they’re meant to.”
Nancy wasn’t about to argue with her sister again. She would just pretend to agree with her and then do her own thing. “Would you like me to take the tea from you?”
“Please.”
Nancy placed the teacup back on the saucer. “Too cold?”
“Just a little.”
“I’ll make you a fresh cup.”
“Denke, that would be lovely.”
Nancy walked downstairs holding the teacup in the saucer.
When John saw her coming down the stairs, he looked up from his Amish newspaper. “Tea gone cold?”
“Jah, I’m making her a fresh cup.”
John started to stand.
“Stay there. I can fix it. Who’s bringing you dinner tonight?”
He chuckled. “I believe it’s Daisy’s turn.”
“Good. It will do them good to think about people other than themselves.”
“Denke for organizing everything, Nancy. I think that’s what you do best.”
Nancy couldn’t stop smiling. John knew, too, that she was good at organizing things—events as well as people’s lives. “Would you like a cup of hot tea too, John?”
“That would be lovely, denke, Nancy.”
While Nancy waited for the teakettle to boil, she did her best to clean up the kitchen. If Nerida knew how cluttered her kitchen had become, no one would be able to keep her in bed.
Several minutes later, Nancy gave John his tea and then continued up the stairs with her sister’s. “There you are, Nerida. It’s piping hot.”
“Wunderbaar, denke.”
Nancy sat back down on her bed. “No more pains?”
Nerida had just taken a sip of tea, and she placed the teacup down on the saucer. “None so far, and I got to thinking, if I don’t have any more pain, why am I still in bed?”
“Because the doctor ordered it.” Nancy took the cup and saucer from her and placed them on the nightstand. “And you’d be a fool not to listen to him. We must make sure the boppli arrives safe, sound, and healthy.”
“I suppose you’re right, but it’s not easy lying here, staring at the four walls.”
“Better here than in a hospital bed.”
Nerida sighed. “That’s true.”
“And if you get out of bed and start doing housework, that’s where you might end up.”
“Okay, okay. I get your point.”
“Have you had many visitors?”
“I’ve had a lot, and it helps to pass the day. I heard John just now thanking you for all you’ve done. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you organizing the girls to bring us meals and help with the work around the haus.”
“As John said, I’m good at organizing people.”
“That’s true; you are.”
“Can I bring you anything else?”
“Nee, I’ve got everything I need.”
Nancy stayed talking to her sister for another hour before she headed to Valerie’s house.
When Nancy got to Valerie’s, no one answered her knock on the front door, so she walked around the back of the house. There she saw Valerie pinning her washing to the clothesline.
“Gut mayrie, Valerie.”
Valerie jumped and then smiled at her. “Gut mayrie. It’s a lovely day, isn’t it?”
“It is. It’s a perfect drying day with this breeze.”
“You’re alone?” Valerie asked.
“Jah, my guest has gone into town to visit Ed at work.”
Valerie raised her eyebrows and made no comment.
“Well, aren’t you worried?” Nancy asked, getting right to the point of why she was there.
“What would I have to be worried about?”
“Rhonda, of course. She either doesn’t know or doesn’t care to know that you and Ed are together.”
“But we’re not together—not really.”
Nancy put her hands on her hips. “Well, don’t you think that’s something that you need to change?”
Valerie shook her head. “I’m not sure.”
“I’ve come here to make you see sense.”
Valerie laughed. “I can’t force myself on the man.”
“You don’t need to do that. You just need to give him a little encouragement.”
“I don’t think you unde
rstand how it is with Ed and me. Anyway, I like living alone.”
“I don’t believe you, Valerie. You’ve been in love with Ed for years. Well before you married Dirk.”
“And maybe things didn’t work out between us back then for a very good reason.”
“Such as?” Nancy asked.
“There could be many reasons. Ed and I might not be meant to be more than close friends.”
Nancy stepped closer and looked into Valerie’s eyes. “Tell me you don’t love him.”
Valerie opened her mouth to speak and then closed it.
“Just as I thought. You’re in love with him. Keep pinning out the washing. Don’t mind me.” Nancy kept looking around at the rocks dividing the nearby garden bed.
Valerie gathered a wet sheet in her hands. “What are you looking for?”
Nancy picked up a large rock. “Something like this.”
“Why are you looking for a rock? Don’t you have rocks at your place?”
“Jah, I suppose I could’ve brought one with me.”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“This.” Nancy moved closer to the house, drew the rock back over her head, and with the force of both hands, threw it at the kitchen window. The window shattered, making a loud crash.
Valerie gasped and dropped the sheet onto the ground. “Why did you do that?” She stared open-mouthed at the window, and then looked at Nancy.
Nancy dusted off her hands. “It’s for your own good. You don’t have a phone anymore, do you?”
Valerie could only shake her head.
“I’m going home and I’ll call Ed to come out and fix your window.” Nancy grinned smugly.
“Ed doesn’t need a broken window to visit me.”
“I know, but I am shocking you into thinking about your future with Ed. While you’re waiting for him, think about how you’d feel to lose Ed to Rhonda. And when he arrives, you must tell him how you feel.”
“You can’t force these things on people, Nancy. Things must happen in their own way.”
“How many years has it been since Dirk died?”
“A few.”
“And has your relationship with Ed progressed?”
“Jah, I think it has.”
Nancy shrugged. “I don’t think it has. Anyway, I’ll pay for the window.”
“Oh, I know you will. There was never any question about that.” Valerie folded her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe you did that! There was no need. It was a perfectly good window.”
She’d never heard Valerie speak so harshly to her. “Trust me, Valerie. If you love Ed like I think you do, you need to break down those walls around your heart.” Valerie was staring back at her, not saying a word, and Nancy thought it best to leave. “I’ll call him right now.”
Nancy hurried to her buggy and drove away, hoping she hadn’t done something that would ruin their friendship forever. It was a bold move, but she had needed to do something to shock Valerie into telling Ed how she truly felt.
Chapter 23
When Nancy got back to her own home, she picked up the phone in the barn and called Ed’s place of business. Ed answered the phone. “Ed, it’s Nancy Yoder.”
“Hello, Nancy. What can I do for you?”
“It’s actually for Valerie. She has a broken window at her haus.”
“Is she hurt?”
“Nee. She’s fine. It’s her kitchen window.”
“I’ll go there now and take the measurements. How did it break?”
“I’ll let her tell you about that.”
* * *
Ed hung up the phone’s receiver. This was a perfect excuse to visit Valerie. Things between them had been awkward at her birthday dinner and he had to tell her why.
He knew Rhonda was on the verge of making her attentions toward him known and that was one thing he feared. That was why he’d been wary when she said she was thinking of moving to Lancaster County, and she wasn’t a woman backward in coming forward. Ed could tell from the way Rhonda looked at him, and from the hints she’d dropped, that she thought the two of them should marry.
The only thing he could do was tell Valerie how he felt, how he’d always felt about her. She hadn’t picked up on any of the hints he’d dropped about marriage. He’d ask her to marry him and prepare himself for heartbreak if she said no. He’d heard back from others that she’d said she enjoyed living on her own and he could only hope she didn’t really mean it.
He told his oldest son where he was heading and walked out the door, placing his hat firmly on his head.
Just as he was climbing into his buggy, a taxi pulled up. He sat and waited for it to leave, so he could move his buggy out of the lot.
“Ed.”
He turned to see it had been Rhonda in the taxi.
“Hello, Rhonda.”
“Where are you going?”
“Just heading out to measure up a job.”
“Can I come too?”
She had the worst timing in the world. “Nee, sorry. Not today.”
“Oh.” Her face fell.
“Have you come to town to do some shopping?”
“I was hoping we could have lunch together.”
“I often don’t take the time during the workday to eat.”
“Oh, Ed, you must eat. You need someone to take care of you.” She shook her head. “That’s plain to see.”
“I’ve been doing fine by myself.”
“How long will you be?”
“I might be some time. It’s hard to say with jobs like these.”
She narrowed her dark eyes. “What? It takes hours to measure something?”
“Measuring is the most important part of the job. If we measure incorrectly, the glass we cut isn’t going to fit and it’ll be wasted.”
She looked around. “The taxi’s already gone. Do you mind taking me into town where the stores are?”
“Sure. I can go that way.”
Rhonda smiled and climbed into his buggy, and then Ed maneuvered his horse-drawn buggy onto the road.
He glanced at her. “What’s Nancy doing today?”
“She said she was visiting a few people.”
“You could’ve gone with her.”
“Nee, I think she needs a little bit of time away from me. We see each other all the time. And I am staying there.”
“I see what you mean.”
“I left early this morning and had breakfast at a little diner. I needed some alone time. I don’t mind going out by myself because I don’t need constant company all the time.”
Ed nodded.
“What about you?” she asked.
He glanced over at her. “What about me, what?”
“Do you like company all the time?”
He chuckled. “I’ve got a haus full of boys and then they have their friends and girlfriends over, and as you know one of them is married, so I always have a crowded haus. I never get a chance to be by myself much.”
“Where’s your job at?”
“Not too far away.”
Ed desperately didn’t want to tell her that he was going out to Valerie’s house. He had that birthday gift to give Valerie and if she was by herself and the time was right, he’d propose. It was Nancy who had made him see things from a woman’s point of view. He’d always felt guilty that he hadn’t been the one to tell Valerie that he was marrying Rita. For the sake of convenience, he’d pushed it to the back of his mind. From what Nancy said, though, it hadn’t been pushed to the back of Valerie’s mind.
“Yes, but where?” Rhonda persisted.
“The opposite way from where we’re heading now.”
“Oh, Ed, I’m sorry to put you out of your way.”
He chuckled. “It’s not that far out of my way. It doesn’t matter. Are things working out well with you staying at Nancy and Hezekiah’s?”
“Jah. I’m getting on with them very well. Everything is going fine and I’ll soon be moved into my new home.”
/>
“I’m glad you’re happy.”
“It’s good to be surrounded with people you can call your friends.”
“I totally agree.”
“I should stop by one night and cook for you and the boys.”
“Nee!” He glanced at her to see she looked a little shocked. “I mean, the boys aren’t often home until very late. Half of them have got girlfriends.”
“Jah, you’ll soon have them all married off and you’ll be on your own.”
He chuckled. “I’ll look forward to the peace and the quiet.”
Rhonda stayed silent for a few moments.
Then they came to where the stores were. “Now, where shall I stop and let you out?”
“Anywhere you like and I’ll take a walk around and have a look at things.”
He glanced over at her and smiled. He liked her enthusiasm and bright manner. Once he’d pulled the buggy over to the side of the road, he said, “How are you getting home?”
“I’ll get a taxi.”
“Are you sure?”
“Jah.”
“I’d offer to collect you, but I don’t know how long I’ll be.”
“That’s okay, Ed. You do your work and I’ll shop. I need to buy things for my new home.”
He chuckled. “Bye, Rhonda.”
She got out of the buggy, turned around, and gave him a wave.
* * *
The closer Ed got to Valerie’s house, the more nervous he became. How would he bring up the subject of why he’d married Rita?
He glanced over at the back seat and saw Valerie’s gift still sitting there. He was grateful that Rhonda hadn’t seen it. She’d asked enough questions as it was.
When he came to the house, he got down from the buggy, took Valerie’s gift out of the back, and made his way to her front door. Just as he had reached the last porch step, she opened the door and stood there smiling.
He held out the gift. “Happy birthday, for yesterday. I know I should have given this to you on your birthday.”
She laughed. “Denke. But you shouldn’t have done it at all.”
“It’s only something small. It’s a teacup and saucer.”
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