Heart in Hand: Stitches in Time Series #3

by Barbara Cameron

  “I want that loom,” Mary Katherine said, her expression wistful. “I could work at home while the twins are little if I had it and just go into the shop a few days a week.” She sighed and then her breath caught. “I have to go find a restroom.”

  After a quick whispered conversation with Jacob, she left them.

  Jacob moved into her seat. “She really wants that loom. I know what she told me she wants to spend for it, but I’m determined to get it for her.”

  Anna dug into her purse and pulled out some money. “Here, you can have this if you need it.”

  He started to argue with her, but then the bid Mary Katherine had made was raised.

  Jacob signaled he raised the bid, and the auctioneer focused on the woman bidder, cajoling her, and she nodded.

  “Go for it,” Anna hissed to Jacob. “You know Mary Katherine pinches pennies until they scream. If she comes back, she’ll try to stop you from going higher.”

  She glanced around at the other woman, then turned back to Jacob. “Besides, I think that’s as high as Mrs. Wilson is going to go.”

  Anna watched as Jacob swallowed and then raised his hand.

  The auctioneer’s voice rose in excitement. “Ma’am?” he said, looking at Mrs. Wilson.

  The crowd turned to see her reaction. Indecision crossed her face, and then she shook her head.

  The auctioneer slammed his gavel down on the makeshift podium. “Sold!”

  Victorious, Jacob pumped the air with his fist. Then he caught sight of Mary Katherine standing beside him, her hands on her hips.

  “You didn’t!” she said, looking scandalized. “That was way too much! I told you not to go higher than—”

  He jumped up and took her hand. “Come on. Let’s go get your present.”

  “Present?”

  “Ya,” he said, grinning.

  “This better be for the next five birthdays, Christmases, and anniversaries,” she huffed.

  But Anna saw her radiant smile before Jacob swept her off to get the loom.

  “We’ll be right back!” Mary Katherine called.

  “Meet you out front where the driver dropped us off.”

  Anna turned and searched the crowd for Gideon as she walked. A group of people parted in front of her, and as they did, she heard familiar voices.

  With all the noise surrounding her, all she could hear was snippets of conversation, but Gideon and the other men were discussing someone working on her farm.

  Her farm.

  Anna stopped in her tracks so quickly someone behind her ran into her, apologized, and then redirected his steps around her.

  18

  Anna heard her name called, but she ignored it and kept walking to the place where the driver would be picking up her and Mary Katherine.

  A hand touched her elbow, and she stopped, not surprised to see Gideon at her side. “I was calling you. Are you leaving? You said you’d come see me before you left.”

  “I have to get back to the shop.”

  He frowned. “Okay. Sarah Rose is sitting with my mother. Let me tell them I’ll be right back.”

  “There’s no need to—” she stopped. He’d already hurried away. It would be rude to leave without him now.

  And she was in no mood to get into a discussion now about what she’d overheard. She had told her grandmother they’d be back around lunchtime, and no one ever knew when the shop could get busy.

  So she stood there, arms folded across her chest, and silently fumed at the delay and the conversation the men had been having. How presumptuous of Gideon! Another example of him being a decider.

  “Anna! Good to see you!”

  “Bishop. Are you enjoying the mud sale?”

  “Yes, indeed!” He held up the sandwich in his hand. “The firemen make a great kielbasa sandwich.”

  Then he peered at her over the rims of his silver glasses and frowned. “Are you allrecht?”

  “Fine. Thank you,” she added and tried to unclench her teeth.

  “Was that Gideon I saw a minute ago?” he asked, squinting against the bright sunlight in the direction Gideon had gone.

  “Yes. Did you want to talk to him?” She tried to keep the hope from her voice. It would be a perfect way to quietly slip away and not have to talk to Gideon.

  “No. Just thought I’d say hello to both of you. Speaking of saying hello, I thought I’d stop by and say hello to Leah and everyone tomorrow at the shop while I’m in town.”

  Anna felt herself relax a little. “She’d like that. You’re so different from the last bishop.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. As long as you understand I’m not advocating pride.”

  She smiled and then, when she saw Gideon approach, tried not to let it slip.

  “Interesting,” he murmured as he turned to look at her.

  “What?”

  “That’s not the reaction I expected of a woman to her future mann.”

  She felt her eyebrows go up. “Who said—”

  “I know. Nothing’s been announced,” he said sagely, stroking his beard. “Gideon, have you bought anything?”

  “Only snacks so far,” he said. “You know kinner. They can eat an hour before and still want to eat here.”

  The bishop held up his sandwich and chuckled. “Well, I’d better be getting back to my dear fraa.”

  He began to walk away and then turned back. “See you tomorrow.”

  Anna could almost feel Gideon come to attention. He turned to her.

  “You’re seeing the bishop tomorrow?”

  “He’s just stopping in at the shop to say hello to my grandmother.”

  “Oh.”

  Mary Katherine walked up, licking an ice-cream cone. “Hi, Gideon.” She turned to Anna. “I’m ready to go when you are. Jacob is putting the loom in our buggy.”

  “Tell Sarah Rose I said good-bye,” Anna told Gideon.

  “When will I see you again?”

  “Later. I have to go now.” Anna slipped her arm into Mary Katherine’s and started walking toward their ride.

  “What was all that about?” Mary Katherine asked when they were far enough away that Gideon couldn’t hear.

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about. We have to get back.”

  Mary Katherine shivered and Anna stopped, concerned. “Are you cold?”

  “Sure felt it back there.”

  Anna rolled her eyes and began walking again. “Very funny.” She sighed. “I’m just upset with Gideon about something.”

  “I guessed that. He looked a little confused. Does he know what you’re upset about?”

  “No. I didn’t want to talk about it here. Too many people. And we have to get back to work.”

  “Don’t wait too long,” Mary Katherine advised. She finished the cone, wiped her mouth with a paper napkin, and threw it in one of the trash receptacles. “It causes all kinds of problems when a couple doesn’t work things out as quickly as possible.”

  A couple? Anna wasn’t so sure she and Gideon would be a couple after they talked . . .

  True to his word, the bishop stopped by for a visit the next afternoon.

  Leah took him for a little tour around the shop, and Anna noticed that he nodded with approval as he looked at the displays of authentic Amish quilts and the ones that were designed and sewn to brighten the homes of Englischers.

  Mary Katherine was in that morning—she worked at the shop Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and went home before closing. He stopped and watched her weave for a few minutes, asked a question, and made a comment that made her smile before he moved on.

  Jamie walked past with bolts of fabric that needed restocking on shelves, and the bishop complimented the fabric wall hanging she’d done that hung on a nearby wall.

  “I hope you’ll continue to feel welcome to attend church with us,” he said, and after Jamie nodded and he walked on she looked over at Anna, who raised her eyebrows and did a thumbs-up sign.

  Anna remembered how
he’d been perceptive enough to notice that she was upset the day before at the mud sale. Briefly, she toyed with the idea of going to him to talk about Gideon. His questions had shown that he was concerned.

  “Do you have time for coffee?” she heard Leah ask him.

  “I’d love some.”

  But before she could show him to the back room, a customer came in asking for her.

  Anna stepped forward. “Let me show you where we take our breaks. I’m sure Grandmother will only be a few minutes.”

  She poured a cup of coffee and set it before him with a pitcher of cream and the sugar bowl. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she poured herself a cup and sat down.

  “May I ask you a question?”

  “Of course.” He leaned back in his chair and smiled.

  She took a deep breath. “I was thinking about what you said yesterday. I was upset—am upset about something. As you said, Gideon and I have been seeing each other. But there’s been some . . . problems.”

  “Problems?”

  “I’m wondering if he expects me to be like Mary.”

  “Tell me how that is.”

  “Quiet. Submissive.”

  “That’s certainly not you.”

  “Exactly.” Then she frowned. “You don’t think I should be, do you?”

  “Oh my goodness, no. Why would you think that?”

  She traced a pattern on the tablecloth and shrugged. “Well, I have seen some men—especially the last bishop—have the opinion that men should decide things.” There was that word again. “I didn’t think Gideon was like that. But he seems to be that way lately.”

  Quickly, she told him about how Gideon had listened to someone saying she was visiting Samuel’s grave too often, so maybe she wasn’t ready to be dating him. And how she’d overheard him at the mud sale talking about getting someone to work on her farm.

  He leaned back in his seat, steepling his fingers as she talked. “Sounds like you need to talk to him, clear the air.”

  “I never had to do that with—” she stopped.

  “Oh, are you expecting Gideon to be like Samuel?” he asked seriously.

  She saw the twinkle of mischief in his eyes. “No, I—” she began, but then she stopped. “Maybe. I just think we should be partners if we get married.”

  He leaned forward and patted her hand. “I think you could be great partners. I’ve seen the way the two of you have already worked together to resolve some problems Sarah Rose was having. That tells me a lot.”

  Her eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought about it like that.”

  “I’ll say a prayer for you. If God has guided the two of you together, nothing will set you apart.”

  “But He put Samuel and me together and look what happened.”

  He stroked his beard. “I know you’ve struggled with His will about that. Perhaps we should talk about it sometime.”

  Leah walked in. “Sorry that took so long.”

  “Anna here kept me company,” he told her.

  She got to her feet. “Please excuse me, Bishop. I’ll let the two of you talk.”

  As she walked back into the shop, she considered what he’d said. While his words had been short and simple, there was a lot of truth behind them. She needed to speak up, and she needed to do it now. It was obvious to the bishop that she wasn’t like Mary, and if that’s what Gideon wanted, it would be better to get that out in the open now.

  No matter how much she was coming to care for Gideon, she had seen what happened to women she knew who were pressured by their husbands—or who pressured themselves—into roles they weren’t comfortable with.

  Anna didn’t usually watch the clock when she was working but she caught herself doing it a number of times that afternoon. She didn’t know what the end result might be, but she had to speak up now.

  Gideon had stopped for a quick break and cool drink on the porch. Facing the road, he saw Anna before she saw him.

  He watched her get out of the van and look out at the fields, searching for him. When she didn’t see him, she turned, and he waved at her from the porch.

  She started for the house, and he watched the way she seemed to march up the walk and then the steps.

  Uh-oh, he thought. Trouble is brewing. He remembered the way she’d seemed distant and cool as she was leaving, but she’d said she had to get back to work so he’d left it alone. If there was a problem, he figured they’d talk about it soon enough. Or she’d get over it. Mary always had.

  He rose as Anna climbed the steps, unsmiling, and took the seat next to his that he indicated.

  “Can I get you some iced tea?” he asked, holding up the glass in his hand.

  She barely glanced at it. “I’m not Mary,” she said without preamble.

  Startled, he sat with a thump. “I know you’re not. What brought this on?”

  She pinned him with her gaze. “You keep making decisions without me.”

  Puzzled, he ran back through the events of the past few days. “You accused me of being a ‘decider’ once, and I didn’t do that again.”

  “I overheard you talking with Matthew and Chris at the mud sale. You were arranging for a friend of Matthew’s to do some work on my farm. Gideon, we’re seeing each other. We’re not married.”

  “So that’s it,” he murmured. “I was talking with them about getting some help with my planting. The man who’ll be helping me is looking for some extra work—”

  “So you were talking about getting him to help me without discussing it with me first?”

  “I was only talking with them. I wouldn’t arrange anything before I discussed it with you.”

  He watched her get to her feet and pace the porch. “I’m quite capable of arranging these things myself, Gideon.”

  Feeling a little affronted, he stood as well. “I know that. I didn’t arrange anything.”

  “That you’d even talk about it with someone else.” She shook her head. “I just can’t believe it.”

  “I was trying to make things easier for both of us. I’m short on help since the Stoltzfus brothers have their own farm now. I’m getting some help for me and happened to hear I might be able to help you.”

  He frowned. “Don’t you want me thinking of how I can help you with all you do?”

  “Have I said I need help?”

  “Well, no.”

  She sighed. “It’s too soon. Do you understand it’s too soon?”

  “No, what’s too soon?” Confused, he pulled off his hat and dragged a hand through his hair.

  “We’re . . . butting heads over your getting so involved in my life when we’re supposed to be dating, taking things slowly! Gideon, I’ve been managing on my own for more than two years now!”

  “So you don’t need me,” he said slowly.

  “Not the way you’re doing things. I’ve had to learn to be independent, Gideon. Don’t you understand that?”

  He reached for her hand, but she put them behind her back. “But you don’t need to be that way anymore, Anna.”

  “But I do. I can’t give that up again. If you had any idea how hard it was to lose Samuel and feel so adrift, feel I couldn’t make decisions afterward on my own after making them with him.”

  “I can’t give up control again. No, control isn’t the right word.”

  She looked out at the fields surrounding the house. “I need to feel I’m a partner in a marriage. I don’t think you were a partner with Mary. I think you had a very traditional marriage with her with you being the one in charge. That’s fine if that’s what you both wanted, but that’s not what I’m looking for the next time I marry.”

  Gideon felt his heart sink. “Are you saying you want to stop seeing each other?”

  She was silent for so long he felt his nerves stretch to the screaming point. “I don’t know. Maybe we need to back off a little,” she said finally, so quietly he almost missed what she said.

  There was a commotion in the drive. Sarah Rose was jumping out of his
father’s buggy. When she spotted Anna, she flew toward the porch. His father grabbed at her, but she proved too fast for him. He chuckled and waved a hand at Gideon before he climbed into the buggy and left.

  Sarah Rose hopped up the steps and threw her arms around Anna’s knees. “Anna! Are you here for supper?”

  She glanced at him, sending him a silent signal as she stroked Sarah Rose’s braids that were coming undone. “Not tonight. Another time.”

  He couldn’t argue with her. A van was already pulling into the drive. “Her ride is here, Sarah Rose. You need to say good-bye.”

  Anna bent and hugged Sarah Rose, and then she hurried down the steps and crossed the lawn to get into the van. Gideon stood there on his porch and watched as it backed up, then headed down the road.

  “Daedi? Can I go play next door?”

  “Did you do your homework at your grandmother’s?”

  “She helped me with my math.”

  “Make sure it’s okay with Sadie’s mamm. And be back in an hour. Ask her to tell you when it’s time. And no snacks.”

  Gideon watched her run next door and waited until his neighbor stepped out onto her porch and waved to show the visit was okay.

  He’d been ready to call it a day before Anna had visited, but now he scanned the sky and calculated how much daylight he had left. It might be good to work off the uneasiness he was feeling at what had just happened between him and Anna.

  Big Jim, his lead plow horse, shook his head when he approached. “Let’s get a little more work in, and I’ll make sure you get a treat when we go to the barn.”

  The horse shook his head again and snorted but moved forward. Gideon climbed up into his seat behind them and began the slow, steady trek up a row, down a row. Most days he enjoyed the work, but today all he could think about was the sparkle of tears he’d seen in Anna’s eyes as she left him.

  They reached the end of the row and traveled down another, then another. Each time they came to the end, the horses moved in a slow turn in tandem, a movement and rhythm born of years working together on the farm.

  “Let’s head home, Big Jim,” he called on the last turn.