Love Inspired March 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: A Wife for JacobThe Forest Ranger's RescueAlaskan Homecoming

by Rebecca Kertz

  “I’ll not approach a man and ask him to marry me,” Annie said, horrified at the idea.

  “Nay.” Mam dumped the apples into a large bowl, which she pushed toward Annie. “I’m simply saying that if a man shows interest in you, you consider him seriously.”

  Annie sprinkled sugar and cinnamon over the apples and stirred them through. “I will,” she said, “if one shows interest.” She didn’t have much to worry about. No man since Jed Lapp had taken notice of her yet.

  Mam smiled. “Gut. I like having you here—it’s not that.”

  She felt herself relax. “I know you want only what’s best for me.”

  “Ja,” Mam said. “I want what’s best for all of my children.”

  The thud of footsteps resounded on the front wooden porch—the new covered porch with the wheelchair ramp, built by the church community men to help with her father’s recovery.

  “Miriam?” Samuel Lapp’s voice called out as he approached the screen door.

  Annie smiled as her mother left the kitchen to greet Samuel. She liked Jedidiah Lapp’s dat. He was a kind, caring man, who loved his family and was always available for whenever anyone within their church community needed him. As she continued to work on the apple pie, she heard murmuring voices. Samuel must have come to visit with her father. She carefully spooned the apples onto the crust, aware of when her mother entered the kitchen. “Mam, would you pass me the container of brown sugar? I left it on the counter.”

  The container of brown sugar was set before her. She looked up to smile her thanks and then promptly froze at the sight of Jacob Lapp, standing on the other side of the table, watching her with his laughing, golden eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” she snapped. His dark hair looked neatly combed despite the fact that he had obviously just removed his hat upon entering the house. His jaw was clean shaven, like all of the other unmarried young men within their village of Happiness. She lifted her gaze from the smooth skin of his chin and cheeks to a nose that was well formed and masculine, up to those twinkling tawny eyes of his. It felt like dancing butterflies flitted across her nape as some unknown emotion passed over her. Disturbed, she quickly looked away.

  “Your mudder sent me for the pitcher of iced tea. Dat and I have come for a visit with your vadder.”

  Her heart raced as she narrowed her eyes at him. “The tea is over there,” she instructed, “in the refrigerator.” She gestured toward a back room. Aware of her flour-and cinnamon-dusted hands, she quickly went back to work, fixing the crumb topping that would form the upper “crust” of the apple pie. She was aware that Jacob hadn’t moved. She could feel him studying her and pretended she didn’t notice until her mother returned from the family gathering room, where her father spent the better part of his days recuperating.

  “Did you find the iced tea, Jacob?” Mam asked.

  “Annie just told me where to find it,” he said.

  “I’ll get it,” her mother offered as Jacob moved closer to the worktable.

  He leaned forward, nearly invading her space. She stepped back and glared at him. He simply smiled at her. “That looks gut,” he said. “I always enjoy being in the kitchen on Mam’s baking day.”

  Annie paused, looked up. “Making an apple pie?” she taunted.

  A slow smile curved his handsome lips. “I don’t cook, but I’ve helped a time or two.” Her mother returned from the back room and handed him the iced tea. He held on to the glass pitcher and said, “Nothing like a slice of hot apple pie, fresh from the oven on baking day.”

  “Except maybe a piece of warm apple pie with a scoop of homemade ice cream.” Mam went to the pantry and took out a tray of cookies. “Pie won’t be done for a while, how about these instead?”

  “These are great.” Jacob grinned, and Annie told herself that she wasn’t affected by his smile or his good looks.

  “Annie made them,” Mam said, and Annie wanted to cry out with frustration.

  “You helped.” She measured out the brown sugar, dumped it in a small bowl and added the butter her mother had cut up earlier.

  Jacob grabbed a chocolate-chip cookie from the plate and took a bite. “Delicious.”

  Annie shot him a glance and felt her heart flutter at his look. “It’s just a cookie,” she said, her tone sharp. There is no need to be hostile, she reminded herself. She drew a calming breath and managed to smile. “I’m glad you like it.”

  Why was he here? Why did he seek her out? Had Jed said something to him about her? She didn’t want to know, for she feared the truth might hurt her.

  “I’ll take these into the other room.” Jacob sniffed, as if detecting a scent. “I can smell them. Lemon?” He took another whiff and nodded. “And this one here smells like almond extract.” He held up the plate with one hand. “I’d sure like to try that pie.”

  Annie saw Jacob smile at her mother, felt the bright light of it and looked away. She was relieved when he left the room with the refreshments, for she didn’t want to notice anything about him—or to remember the attractive, teasing twinkle in his eyes while he ate one of her cookies.

  * * *

  “Jacob!” Horseshoe Joe sat in his chair with his leg cast propped up on a padded stool that Jacob’s brother Noah had made for him.

  “We were just talking about you,” Samuel said.

  Jacob raised his eyebrows as he approached with iced tea and cookies and set them down. “What about?”

  “Joe wants to ask you something,” his father said.

  He glanced back and forth between the two older men. “Ja?” He was pleased to note that Joe looked much better since his return home nearly two weeks before. The color had returned to the older man’s cheeks. But Joe couldn’t get around well yet.

  Joe tried to adjust his leg, and Jacob’s dat helped him shift it to a more comfortable position. “You must know that I still have weeks of recovery before me.” Jacob nodded. “I go back to the doctor next Tuesday.” The older man suddenly seemed uncertain. “I was wondering, Jake...”

  Concerned, Jacob placed a hand on his shoulder. “What is it, Joe?”

  “Would ya consider taking over for me until I’m well?” Joe asked quickly. Seated next to him in a wooden chair, Jacob’s father was nodding.

  Jacob stepped back. “You want me to take over your work in the shop?” He thought of Annie. Maybe he shouldn’t accept the job. He didn’t want to antagonize the woman further, if he could help it. But how could he deny Joe his assistance, especially since the thought of returning to the art of blacksmithing tempted him?

  Joe nodded. “If you would. I know you’re busy, but you would be a big help, if you could. If not, I’ll understand.” He reached up to rub his bearded chin. “I’ll pay you for your work.”

  “Nay, if I do this, you’ll not be paying me.” Jacob picked up the cookies, placed them within Joe’s reach and then chose to sit across the room. He suffered a moment of doubt but couldn’t ignore the expectant look on Horseshoe Joe’s face. He sighed inwardly. Annie wouldn’t like it, but he had to help out Joe. “I’ll be more than happy to help you, Joe.” While the idea of working in the shop thrilled him, it also gave him a little chill. “It’s been years since I helped—bothered—you with my interest in blacksmithing. I was only a boy.”

  “At twelve, you were hardly a boy. You have a talent for the job, son. I had faith in you then, and I have faith that you can do the work now.” He grinned. “And I’ll be nearby if ya happen to need me.”

  “Josiah doesn’t want to step in?”

  Joe shook his head. “He never learned about forging metal, never wanted to. You are the only one who took an interest in my work and my business. You and my girls, Annie and Barbara, who liked to watch when they were younger.”

  “And I liked to be in the thick of everything,” Jacob agree
d.

  “Ja, you did.” Joe exchanged glances with Jacob’s father.

  “Will you do it, Jake?” his father asked.

  “Heat and bend metal, watch it glow?” Jacob grinned. “Ja, I’ll do it.”

  “Do what?” Annie asked as she entered the room with clear glasses. She set them down, picked up the pitcher and began to pour out the tea.

  “Jacob’s agreed to fill in for me at the shop,” Joe said.

  “That’s nice of him,” Annie said after a lengthy pause. When she shot him an angry glance, Jacob raised an eyebrow at her.

  He noted a bit of flour dust on her cheek and in her hair. She wore a patchwork apron over a spring-green dress. A few strands of her blond hair had escaped from the edge of her prayer kapp, where she must have wiped cinnamon from her forehead with the back of her hand. The cinnamon was still there—barely. He could detect the scent rather than see any of the spice’s warm brown color.

  As she worked to fill each glass, he watched emotion play across her features. It moved so fast no one else might have noticed, but he did. She wasn’t happy that he’d be coming to the farm daily. She hadn’t known about her father’s plan. Jacob felt a smile start, but he stifled it until she briefly looked his way, and then he released it.

  “That will be a great help to Dat,” she said, turning away, and his amusement grew.

  “Ja, I’ll be around to help every day—” he glanced toward Joe “—or whenever ya need me to come.”

  “Can you start tomorrow?” Joe asked.

  Jacob looked to his father. “Can you make do without me on the farm?”

  His dat nodded. “I’ve plenty of help.” He turned toward his friend. “Tomorrow will be fine, Joe.”

  “Then I’ll be here then.” Jacob watched Joe reach for a cookie. Recalling his enjoyment of his first one, he reached for another. Annie Zook was a fine baker. He flashed Annie an admiring glance as she turned to stare at him, before she looked away. He continued to study her. For some reason, she always found fault with him. He didn’t know what bothered her about him, but he was sure he’d find out eventually. For now, he had to concentrate on doing a good job at Zook’s Blacksmithy. “I’ll not let you down, Joe,” he said.

  Horseshoe Joe swallowed before answering. “Never thought ya would.” He grinned as he brought the cookie to his lips. “I know you’ll do me proud,” he said before taking another bite.

  “If not,” Dat said, “he’ll have to answer to me.” His teasing tone made Jacob smile.

  “It’s not you I worry about, Dat.”

  “Nay, it’s your mudder.” And the three men laughed together at his father’s remark, while Annie scurried out of the room.

  Chapter Four

  Jacob stood in the center of Zook’s Blacksmithy and examined the shop. He felt a little nervous pull in his gut. Could he do this and do it well? His attention focused on the tools hanging on the wall: metal tongs, cross-peen hammers and other various tools for shaping metal, before it moved to the steel anvil not far from the brick forge.

  You must be careful you don’t burn yourself, Jacob, Joe had warned him time and again when he was a boy. Hold these tongs just so— The man had shown him how to use the tool. These will get hot, as well. He had gestured toward his leather apron. This garment protects my clothes from sparks and heat.

  One particular day after Jacob, as a young boy, had been coming to the shop for weeks, Joe had pulled out a slightly smaller version of his leather apron and handed it to him. Jacob had accepted the garment with wide eyes, pleased that Joe trusted him enough to let him try his hand at blacksmithing.

  The memory of Joe’s patient voice calmed him. Suddenly, everything within the shop seemed familiar again. He just had to remember all the things that Joe had taught him, and he’d do fine.

  “Jacob.”

  Startled, Jacob spun, surprised to see Joe in his wheelchair. Annie stood behind him in the open doorway, looking beautiful in a light blue dress, black apron and with a white prayer kapp on her golden-blond hair. She appeared concerned for her father. In direct contrast, Horseshoe Joe looked pale beneath his white-streaked brown beard. He had left his hat in the house, and his tousled graying hair made him look much older than his forty-some years. “Joe, ya shouldn’t be here. You should be resting and recovering.”

  Joe nodded. “I just wanted to check in on your first day here. Is there anything you need? Anything you want to know?”

  The memory of Joe’s teachings gave Jacob the confidence to smile. “I remember everything you taught me. I’ll be fine.”

  “I never doubted that,” Joe replied. “You make sure you stop a time or two and come to the house for something to eat.”

  “If I get hungry, I will,” Jacob said. He smiled at Annie. She glanced quickly away and he turned his attention back to Horseshoe Joe. “Do you have a list of any back orders?” he asked.

  “Ja,” Joe said. “Annie, push me closer.” He gestured toward the other side of the shop.

  “Dat...”

  “I’m not going to work, daughter. I’m hardly in a position to do anything but sit—and even that’s getting painful.” Annie pushed her father’s wheelchair farther into the room. “This is fine, Annie.” Joe gestured toward a wall shelf. “Jacob? See that notebook? Inside, you’ll find a list of special orders. Not horseshoes but cabinet hinges, tools for specific use and other requests.”

  Jacob pulled the book from its nesting place on the shelf. He flipped through pages, seeing Joe’s notes. “This will be helpful.”

  Joe looked tired. “There will be the usual orders for horseshoes. Abram Peachy has been patiently waiting for me to shoe one of his mares. If you can take care of that soon, I’d appreciate it.” Jacob saw a hint of tears in the older man’s eyes. “Danki, Jacob.”

  “I’m grateful you had the patience to teach me about blacksmithing when I was younger,” Jacob replied.

  “I enjoyed having you in the shop, interested in my work.” Joe smiled.

  Jacob grinned. His good humor dimmed as he met Annie’s gaze briefly before returning his attention to her father. “Go home and rest. Things will be fine here.”

  Joe’s smile was weak. “I think I’ll do that.”

  “It was gut of you to visit me on my first day,” Jacob said. He gave Annie a nod, and she acknowledged it politely. He knew that she would take good care of her father.

  As she pushed Joe from the shop, Jacob sighed. Annie. He had a lot to do and he didn’t need his thoughts muddled with Annie Zook and whether or not she approved of him. A blacksmith’s job took concentration, skill and patience, and he planned to ensure that Zook’s Blacksmithy continued to run smoothly in Horseshoe Joe’s absence.

  * * *

  Annie pushed her father up the wheelchair ramp and into the house. “You’ll be resting now, Dat?”

  Her father sighed. “Ja. I’m feeling weak.”

  “’Tis to be expected. You’ve done too much today.” She eyed him with concern. “Is your shin hurting?”

  He nodded. “I’ll just sit in my chair and put up my leg.”

  “Do ya need a pain pill?”

  “Nay. I’ll be fine. Would you get me a cup of tea?”

  Annie smiled. “I’ll bring you some of your favorite cookies, too.” She helped him move to his favorite chair. With Annie’s help, he set both of his legs onto the stool Noah Lapp had made for him and closed his eyes.

  Annie picked up a quilt, spread it carefully over his legs and tucked it in near his waist. “I’ll be right back, Dat.”

  He acknowledged her with a small sound that told her he might be ready to sleep. Still, she left the room and entered the kitchen to put on a pot of tea. As she placed the kettle on the stove, she thought of Jacob. It was strange to see him in the shop again. Watching him take s
tock of Zook’s Blacksmithy, she became overly conscious that he was no longer a boy but an attractive man.

  I’m older and wiser; I won’t make the same mistake twice. She wouldn’t fall for another Lapp brother.

  When the water was hot, she poured it into a teapot and added two bags. She’d enjoy a cup, too. Her mother and sister were not home; they were next door at her grosseldre’s house.

  When the tea had steeped, she poured out two cups. After filling a plate with treats, she went back to the gathering room and her father. Her dat opened his eyes when she entered the room.

  “Gut,” he said. “Those cookies look delicious.” He smiled when Annie placed his tea just the way he liked it on the table beside him.

  “I put more than one kind on the plate,” she said as she offered him a napkin and extended the dish.

  “They’re all my favorite,” he said with a weak grin. There was a tired look about his eyes, but there was enjoyment, too. Annie was happy to see it. “Annie.” Her father captured her hand as she turned to leave. “Take the boy something to eat later.”

  Annie frowned. “Boy?”

  “Jacob,” Dat said as he took a bite.

  “Jacob’s not a boy, Dat.” She held out the plate for him.

  “Man, then,” her father corrected as he selected another cookie.

  She opened her mouth to say more but promptly thought better of it. “I’ll make him something to eat.”

  “How about that leftover chicken potpie of yours?”

  “Mam made it.” She rubbed her nape with her left hand. “I’ll bring him a bowlful and something to drink.”

  “Nay, Annie. Invite him to eat lunch with us,” her dat said. “He’s doing me a favor by pitching in.”

  “Are ya sure he’ll do a gut enough job for you?” she asked. She was upset that Jacob hadn’t waited for her to talk with her father about the idea.

  “He’ll do a fine job.” Dat took a sip of his tea. “I taught him well.”