“That’s very kind of you to say, but—”
“No protests.” Dorrine waved her hand about. “I know you want to help, and you can do Arlene a lot of goot if you draw Joseph out of his sorrow. I’ve tried talking with him, but I don’t get anywhere. He might open up to you.”
Before Esther could answer, another knock came on the door.
“See how popular you are?” Dorrine said, laughing.
Esther laughed along with her, but she sobered quickly when she opened the front door. “Joseph! Well, this is a surprise. What can I do for you?”
He held out a paper bag. “I’m overflowing with tomatoes down at the greenhouse, so I thought I’d bring you some. I’ll have lettuce heads next week if the weather helps them along. That is, if you want some.”
“I would love some!” Esther said cheerfully, taking the offered bag. “But now that I’m settled in, I’ll have to get my own garden going. I have the perfect spot picked out.”
He lowered his head. “That’s goot, but please know that you’re welcome to use a corner of my greenhouse if you prefer. That would keep you from having to deal with the elements.”
“Thank you, Joseph. That is a very kind offer. I’ll have to think about that. Would you like to step inside?”
He hesitated. “I should be getting back.”
Esther held the door open wide. “Please. Dorrine’s here. You’re welcome to join us for a cup of hot chocolate.”
He peered cautiously around the edge of the door.
“She won’t bite,” Esther teased.
He grinned and followed her inside.
“Have a seat.” Esther pulled out another chair at the kitchen table. She poured the last of the hot chocolate from the pan and set the mug in front of Joseph.
Dorrine hadn’t said a word yet.
“Don’t you two know each other?” Esther teased.
They both laughed.
“I thought so.” Esther grinned at the both of them. What a lovely day already, full of fresh produce and kind neighbors who wanted her to feel welcome.
Joseph took a sip of his hot chocolate and turned to Dorrine. “I was just telling Esther that she’s welcome to use a little corner of my greenhouse for her garden if she wishes. There’s no sense in tilling more soil here when I have everything down there ready to go.”
“That’s nice of you to offer,” Dorrine said with a smile. “I’m sure Esther will appreciate your generosity.”
He settled back in his chair. “That’s what neighbors are for.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Esther told him. “But we noticed you left early the other night. I hope we didn’t scare you off.”
“No.” Joseph grinned. “I wanted to attend a lecture down at the community hall in Fort Plain on plant diseases. But I doubt you are interested in hearing about such things.”
“I’m quite interested,” Esther corrected him. “Not that I garden to the extent that you do, but it sounds like useful knowledge. Was there anything special I need to know?”
“I’m listening too,” Dorrine piped up. “I don’t know much about gardening either, but I’m sure it’s important information.”
Joseph took another sip of hot chocolate. “It seems that the experts are learning more all the time about how plants repel disease if they’re raised in healthy ground. On the other hand, if the soil becomes weak and robbed of nutrients, plants can contract diseases.” He paused in thought. “It’s almost as if they despair and wish for death. Isn’t that interesting?”
Esther and Dorrine exchanged a glance as Joseph continued. “So instead of depending on sprays and chemicals, the best preventive measure against disease is the quality of the soil. We must always make sure that the nutrients are there.” Joseph paused again with a ghost of a smile. “I’m not a minister, but it seems to me that has a goot spiritual application. We can fight off the temptations of the world when they appear in our lives, or we can nurture a vibrant relationship with the Lord and so fend off many temptations before they take root in us.”
“That is quite interesting,” Esther agreed. “No wonder you’re such an expert at growing vegetables. Such knowledge and insight!”
“Yah, that is interesting,” Dorrine seconded. “Have you shared this information with Arlene yet?”
“She is very helpful around the greenhouse, but I don’t think she has much interest in soil conditions. But I’m not complaining. We had plenty of produce to sell at the market this morning.” Joseph gulped down the last of his hot chocolate and stood to his feet.
“You don’t have to leave yet,” Esther told him.
Joseph smiled sheepishly. “I have work to do. I hope you enjoy the tomatoes. And I hope you’ll take me up on my offer to start a small garden in my greenhouse. I’d be happy to watch over your plants and give you any advice I think will be helpful.”
“I accept,” Esther said, following Joseph to the door. “I’ll come down next week. Thank you so much for the tomatoes…and the kind offer.”
“You’re welcome.” He tipped his hat and was gone. Esther watched him walk across the lawn with his limp. She hadn’t noticed it in the house, but she hadn’t been looking for it. Maybe his limp was more pronounced when he moved fast or was nervous. When he paused near the gate, Diana ran up to him. Joseph bent down and engaged the girl in what appeared to be an animated conversation. She had something in her hand, and Joseph took it from her. A praying mantis, from what Esther could see. The creature crawled up Joseph’s arm, and as he moved closer to the fence, the creature jumped onto the rail above the rosebushes. The two followed its progress, their heads close together. Esther smiled and returned to the kitchen.
Dorrine was drinking from her mug, but she put it down when Esther came in the room. “That was awesome! You drew the heart right out of the man in minutes—maybe even seconds. Joseph opened up to you like a sunflower following the sun. I’m going to tell Arlene what her problem is. She has to show more interest in gardening to draw information out of him the way you do. He obviously likes to talk about his work. Maybe I can get a gardening magazine for Arlene to read so she’ll have something to talk about with Joseph. Imagine. Preventive measures for plant diseases. I do declare. And the spiritual lesson he drew from his gardening knowledge? Why, Joseph almost sounded like a minister, talking about the temptations of the world and how to deal with them. I—”
“Whoa there!” Esther said, laughing.
“I have never seen anything like it,” Dorrine continued, undeterred. “I knew you would be a blessing to all of us the minute you got here. Arlene could learn a lot from you.”
“I’m glad if I can help,” Esther tried again. “But—”
“I knew you could reach him, Esther. I just knew it.” Dorrine took another sip of chocolate as she fanned herself. “I hope you take him up on his offer. You should try to influence Joseph every chance you get.”
“What if Joseph gets fancy ideas about me? Not that I would want him to.”
Dorrine huffed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he does, but Joseph knows you’re as good as taken. That was plain enough to see the other night, and what chance does he have against Isaiah Mast? I mean, you’re not going to—”
“No, I’m not,” Esther interrupted. “So I guess there’s no harm in it. Joseph seems sensible enough, and—”
“Goot! I know this will work. Arlene will be so happy.”
“Well, I wish her the best in her pursuit,” Esther said, taking Joseph’s cup to the sink. “Now, the question is, what am I going to do with all of these tomatoes?”
Dorrine laughed. “Joseph apparently didn’t see my bag, even though it was sitting there in plain sight. That’s the kind of thing a man doesn’t see, even when he’s holding forth on fancy ways to fight plant diseases. I suggest you make ketchup.”
And with that, Dorrine bounded to her feet and gave Esther a hug. “Thank you for the hot chocolate and the marvelous insights, but I must be going. Arlene�
��s probably home by now and busying herself with early supper preparations.”
“Maybe you should invite Joseph over for a meal sometime,” Esther suggested. “Get him used to family again. Maybe that’s part of his problem.”
“That’s a brilliant idea. We’ll have you and Diana come too. That way Joseph won’t feel we’re obviously matchmaking.”
“He might talk all evening about plant diseases.”
“And if you’re there, that won’t be a problem,” Dorrine said as she bustled out of the house. She tossed a goodbye wave over her shoulder.
Diana ran along with Dorrine to the end of the driveway before turning back. Esther watched from the living room window as her new friend made her way down Fords Bush Road, hurrying as fast as she could.
Life would be both interesting and enjoyable in the community, Esther decided. Thank the Lord her own world would continue on its calm and steady way even amid the storms of life. That was all she asked of the Lord. That and the chance to see Isaiah again at the church services tomorrow. He would definitely make a worthy husband. There was no question about that.
FOUR
On Sunday morning, Esther chose her dark blue dress from the closet rack. She placed the pins carefully and checked the results in the mirror. She could have chosen a more risqué color, perhaps a lighter green, but the dark blue would make a better first impression. In the mirror stood a properly demure Amish woman who wouldn’t lose the ground she had gained with Isaiah on Tuesday evening.
Life would begin again here in the valley, and eventually—if all went according to plan—she would be a minister’s frau again, leading the district’s women with her example more than her words. Even in her rumspringa, not one fancy Englisha dress had hung in her closet. Life had always been a time of preparation for the duty that lay ahead, and nothing about that destiny had changed with Lonnie’s death.
With one more satisfied glance in the mirror, Esther went down to the kitchen to find Diana with her empty bowl in front of her. “I’m ready to change, Mamm,” Diana sang out.
Esther gave the girl a quick hug and patted her back, “Off you go, then. I’ll be right in to help you finish.”
The girl scampered away, and Esther rinsed the oatmeal from the bowl and utensils and set them on the counter. She normally washed dishes only once a day, but that might change once she wed Isaiah and more kinner were added to the family. Kinner were a great blessing from the Lord, and a home should be full of them, even if the dishes needed washing after each meal.
Esther left the kitchen and entered the bedroom to help Diana dress. Bent on one knee in front of the girl, Esther set the kapp on Diana’s small head before she pushed the pins in.
Diana wiggled and objected, “One pin is goot enough, Mamm.”
“We have to keep your kapp straight,” Esther instructed her. “And watch where you play after the service so you don’t bang your head against anything.”
“I’m always careful,” Diana protested. “You know how I look after playing outside. I’m clean and proper, and nothing is dirty.”
“Yah, you’re a dear, sweetheart.” Esther planted a kiss on Diana’s head. “I’m glad you’re looking forward to this Sunday.”
“Oh, I am!” Diana declared. “Mary and Betty will be there.”
Esther gave her another kiss. “By the way, what did Joseph say to you yesterday as he was leaving?”
Diana’s face glowed. “He knows all about praying mantises, Mamm! He said there are many thousands of different kinds, and they jump out of the bushes to catch things. Did you know that?”
“No, I certainly didn’t.”
“And the woman mantis eats the man mantis. Did you know that?”
“Joseph told you that?” Esther gasped.
“Yah, but I’m not sure what he meant.”
“I guess he means the one eats the other,” Esther blurted out. “But what a horrible thing to tell a little girl.”
“Joseph knows a lot of interesting things like that,” Diana said proudly.
“What else did he tell you?”
Diana shrugged. “Well, some of the mantises can change colors depending on what they sit on. Isn’t that great?”
“Yah, it is, but I want you to forget about the eating thing.”
“People don’t do that, do they?” Diana peered up at her mamm. “Eat each other?”
“Certainly not! Of course people don’t eat each other.”
Esther hustled her daughter out the bedroom door. They collected their shawls in the living room before heading toward their small barn. Diana watched from a corner as Esther harnessed their horse, Biscuit, and led him outside to the buggy.
“You can practice holding up the shafts,” Esther told Diana.
Anything to wash images of praying mantises eating each other from a little mind, Esther huffed in silence. All her sympathies for Joseph had vanished into thin air. He had no sense! But he did have a son to raise and no frau in the house. Esther took a deep breath and calmed herself. Joseph may have been careless with what he said to her daughter, but he had obviously meant no harm.
Esther gave Diana a bright smile as the little girl attempted to heave upward on the shafts. They didn’t lift more than an inch off the ground. “That was a goot try, sweetheart. You’ll soon be big enough to pick them up all by yourself.”
Diana sighed and stepped back as Esther settled Biscuit under the shafts. Moments later, Diana’s face brightened. The girl pointed toward the split rail fence. “Joseph said our roses should bloom this week.”
“Oh, he did?” Esther managed to keep the edge out of her voice as she fastened the tugs.
“Yah!” Diana declared. “He said I should come out and sniff the roses early in the morning. That’s when they smell the best. I want to do that, Mamm. Can I?”
“I don’t see why not,” Esther agreed. She helped Diana up into the buggy.
“We should keep a blanket on the ground to keep the bush warm,” Diana continued. “The flowers bloom longer that way.”
“Joseph told you all this?”
“Yah, Mamm. He knows a lot of things.”
“It appears so.” Esther clucked to Biscuit, and they trotted out of the lane to turn south on Fords Bush Road.
“When can I see Joseph again?” Diana asked, her face peering toward the greenhouse as they trotted past.
Esther paused before answering. There was no reason to sow suspicion in Diana’s heart about Joseph. Instead, she motioned toward the Kings’ driveway. “Look. There are John and Dorrine with their three children. They’re almost ready to set out too.”
Diana leaned out of the buggy to wave, and the whole King family waved back. Esther smiled and joined in.
Thankfully, Diana was distracted from her obsession with Joseph Zook, but clearly he had made quite an impression on her young mind. Esther was sure Joseph had meant no harm with his adult talk, but she would steer Diana clear of him when they had supper with the Kings later in the week.
“I saw Arlene with them too,” Diana sang out, still looking back after her vigorous waving. “Joseph said I can come help him at his greenhouse. He says Arlene doesn’t know much about gardening.”
“Really?” Esther tried to stay calm. Why would the man have said such a thing about Arlene? “I’m sure Joseph is a very smart man, but you needn’t accept everything he says. In fact, I think you should try to think about something else now.”
Diana settled back in the buggy and concentrated.
Esther changed her mind. “Forget I said that, Diana. You may talk about whatever you want.”
Diana chattered away, thankfully about little nothings for the rest of the trip while Esther’s mind continued to replay what Joseph had said. Insects eating one another. Such a serious topic for a little girl. Where was the man’s good sense? Well, one thing was sure. Diana needed a daett. There was no question about that. A good practical man…like Isaiah.
Esther sighed. She must t
hink more kindly of Joseph. It wouldn’t do any good to harbor ill feelings toward him, especially after she had promised Dorrine to help steer him and Arlene together. After all, Joseph hadn’t told Diana anything false. It was just a little inappropriate for her age. And even then, it hadn’t upset her, and she’d been able to follow the conversation and repeat much of it to her mother. Maybe Joseph had noticed that Diana was a smart and curious little girl and had responded accordingly.
Esther pulled back on the reins as they approached Abram and Emma Troyer’s place on Florien Road, where the service would be held. She drove past the end of the sidewalk and parked alongside the other buggies near the barn, where the men had gathered. One man’s form detached itself from the group and came toward them.
Esther kept her gaze away from him until she had climbed down from the buggy and reached back to help Diana. She turned to face Isaiah, who was standing near Biscuit’s head. “Goot morning. What is this, curbside service?”
Isaiah chuckled. “We can’t have our newcomers thinking the community has no manners. So I had to see to your horse myself.”
“All of you have been very kind to us,” she replied.
He grinned and began to unhitch the gelding. “What’s your horse’s name?”
“Biscuit.”
“That’s quite Englisha.”
“Lonnie named her.”
“And a goot name it is.”
Esther stopped short at the sight of Joseph descending from his buggy at the other end of the line.
Isaiah followed her glance. “Joseph’s a little late today. He’s usually the first one to the service.”
“Maybe he can’t wait to hear your sermon,” Esther teased.
Isaiah laughed heartily. “I doubt that. Joseph’s a deep thinker. I’m more on the practical side.”
“I’m sure the practical has its value. Like helping me unhitch. I thank you very much.”
Isaiah grinned from ear to ear. “I hope you’ll allow me to help you after the service as well.”
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