A Legacy of Love

by Amy Clipston

  “I guess the answer is ya, huh?” Noah leaned against the truck.

  Leon nodded as he cleared his throat.

  “Who’s Susie?” Noah asked.

  “His ex.” Jamie turned toward the house and his grin widened. “Well now. Speaking of Susie . . .”

  Leon turned toward the direction of Jamie’s gaze, and then he swallowed. Susie, Betty, and their parents were all walking toward the fire engine. They each held a Coleman lantern, and the soft, yellow glow lit Susie’s beautiful face.

  “Was iss letz, Leon?” Noah nudged him with his shoulder. “Do you still have feelings for your ex?”

  “No. I’m over her.” Leon tried to wave off the comment, but he wasn’t being truthful. “Besides, she’s engaged.”

  “And you need to remember that,” Jamie quipped.

  Noah turned to Jamie. “Let’s go see if we can help with cleanup. That way I can get back home, and you two can get back to the station and get some rest.”

  “Gut idea,” Jamie said before he and Noah started for the other station’s fire engine.

  “Leon!” Susie’s father called out as he approached the truck with his family in tow. “It’s gut to see you.”

  “You too, Phares.” Leon shook his hand and then nodded at the women.

  “What happened?” Phares asked. “We waited to come until we thought we wouldn’t be in the way.”

  “The pasture caught on fire.” Leon pointed behind them. “It was lightning.”

  “Was anyone hurt?” Orpha asked, and he saw Susie place a comforting hand on her mother’s arm.

  “No.” Leon pointed to the homeowner, who was talking to Brody, the fire chief. “Mose saw the strike and called right away. We got it before it spread to the barn or the haus.”

  “Oh, praise God,” Phares said. “I’m going to check on Mose and see if he and his family need anything.” He walked past Leon and headed for the house. “Mose! I’m so glad you’re all right.”

  When Orpha and Betty followed Phares, Susie lingered behind. She was wearing a blue dress with a matching headscarf that complemented the errant fiery-colored wisps of hair that framed her face. Her blue-green eyes shimmered in the warm glow of the lantern.

  She grinned up at him. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you wearing your uniform.”

  “Ya, I suppose it has been awhile.” He leaned back against the bumper. “How do I look?”

  She scrunched her nose as if contemplating the question. She was adorable. “Old.”

  “Old?” He guffawed. “I’m only twenty-five.”

  “I meant to say older.” She giggled, and he relished the sound. “It’s been four years. You’ve changed a lot.”

  “I couldn’t have changed too much.”

  “Ya, you have.” She patted her chin as though trying to decide just how he’d changed. “You seem more mature.”

  He considered that. “I am more mature.”

  “I should hope so.” Her grin was back. “I’m twenty-four now. Do I seem more mature?”

  “You’re still the sweet Susie I remember.”

  She stilled at the comment, and then she looked toward the truck. “When I heard the diesel engine and saw the lights reflecting off my bedroom wall, I hoped you were here.”

  “Really?” His insides warmed at her admission, and he worked to keep his expression nonchalant. She’s engaged! She’s only mei freind!

  “Ya. I woke up my parents and Betty, and then we decided to come as soon as we could to make sure Mose and his family were okay.” She looked toward her house and then back at him. “Was it difficult to douse the fire?”

  “No. We got here before it spread too far. We quickly deployed hoses and put it out.”

  “I’m glad it was easy. Have you had any other calls tonight?”

  “Ya.” He lowered himself onto the bumper. “We had a car accident earlier in the evening.”

  Her eyes widened. “Ach, no. Was anyone hurt?”

  “Ya.” He rubbed his clean-shaven chin as the accident scene filled his mind. “An SUV ran a red light and a van hit it broadside. The SUV was flipped onto its roof.” He went on to describe the scene as Susie listened, still wide-eyed. “The driver was banged up pretty badly, but he’ll be fine. The driver of the van was stunned. She was going into shock when the ambulance took her.”

  “How bedauerlich. I’ll pray for them.”

  “Ya, I will too.” He nodded in the direction of her house. “You should probably get some sleep. It has to be close to midnight now.”

  “I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait for my family.” She set the lantern on the bumper next to him. “You must be tired. Have you had any sleep tonight at all?”

  “Very little.” He swallowed a yawn. “I had just fallen asleep when the alarm went off. Jamie had to yell at me to get up.”

  She laughed. “You once told me you used to sleep through the alarm on your clock.”

  “Ya, mei bruder still has to wake me up sometimes.” He rested his hands on his lap. “I bet you get up before the alarm even goes off.”

  She lifted her chin. “How did you know?”

  “Because I know you better than you think.”

  They chuckled as Josh walked up behind Susie. Leon’s back went rigid as Josh met his stare.

  “Leon,” Josh said with a curt nod before turning to Susie. “What are you doing out here so late?”

  Her smiled faded as she looked up at him. “The same thing that probably brought you over from your haus. My family and I wanted to make sure Mose and his family are okay.”

  “What happened?” Josh asked.

  “It was a brush fire.” Leon stood up straight. “We got it out before it spread to the barn or haus.”

  “Oh.” Josh studied Leon for a moment before turning his attention to the activity all around them.

  Leon hoped Josh wasn’t angry that he was talking to Susie. He hadn’t seen Josh for a long time, but he’d hate to lose his friendship. Not only had they been members of the same youth group when they were teenagers, but they had talked occasionally since then.

  Jamie came up behind Leon. “We’re heading out. Hi, Susie.”

  “Hi, Jamie. It’s been a long time.” She gestured between Josh and Jamie. “This is my fiancé, Josh Chupp.”

  “I’m Jamie Riehl.” Jamie shook Josh’s hand.

  “Nice to meet you,” Josh said.

  Jamie turned to Leon. “Brody is finishing up, and Noah is heading home. Maybe we can catch some sleep before the next call.”

  “We can hope, right?” Leon grinned.

  “I’ll walk you home, Susie,” Josh told her. “It’s late.”

  “I’ll wait for my family.” She pointed to where her father was still speaking with Mose.

  Leon folded his arms over his turnout coat, and he took in Josh’s pained expression as he looked toward Mose and Susie’s family. Once again he hoped Josh wasn’t upset because Susie was talking to him. Leon might regret letting Susie go, but he would never try to steal her from the man she loved.

  Brody arrived and greeted Susie and Josh before beckoning to Leon and Jamie. “All right. Let’s load up.” He climbed into the driver’s seat of the fire engine.

  Jamie said good-bye to Susie and Josh and then climbed into the passenger seat.

  “I’ll see you soon.” Leon gave Susie and Josh a wave, then went to the back door of the engine and wrenched it open as the diesel engine rattled to life.

  “Wait.” Susie jogged after him.

  He held on to the door as he turned toward her.

  She smiled up at him. “When I’m in town next week, I’ll stop by to see how you’re doing on the rocking chairs.”

  He looked past her to where Josh stood watching them, a little too intensely. But he looked down at Susie and smiled back. He couldn’t be rude. “I don’t know how far I’ll get with the chairs, but you’re always welcome to stop by.”

  “Great. Gut nacht.” She waved and then turne
d to rejoin Josh.

  Leon climbed into the truck and slammed the door before buckling his seat belt.

  As Brody steered the engine toward the main road, Jamie leaned into the backseat. “What was that about?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You and Susie.”

  “I’m repairing two antique chairs that belonged to her grandparents. She wants to put them in her new haus.” Leon shrugged. “No big deal.”

  “Really?” Jamie raised his dark eyebrows. “It looked like a big deal. She was awfully eager to talk to you.”

  “We’re freinden. That’s it.”

  Jamie’s brow furrowed, and Leon felt compelled to say more.

  “She and I dated a long time ago, and we ended it on gut terms.” Unfortunately. Not that we dated, but that it ended.

  Jamie turned toward the windshield.

  “How are things with you and Kayla?”

  Jamie grinned. “They’re great. We’ve worked out all our issues.”

  “That’s wunderbaar. I’m froh for you.”

  “Danki.” Jamie turned toward him again. “Now we need to find a maedel for you.”

  “Ya.” Leon swallowed a sigh. If only he could find someone with whom he could build a future.

  “Don’t look so glum. There’s someone out there for everyone, right, Brody?” Jamie glanced over at his chief.

  “I think so.” Brody looked at Leon in the rearview mirror. “My nana used to say every pot has a lid. Now we just need to find your lid.”

  “If only it were that easy,” Leon muttered.

  “Don’t worry,” Jamie said. “If Kayla can put up with me, certainly a maedel is out there who can put up with you.”

  “I hope you’re right.” Leon gazed out the window as streetlights and farmland whizzed by in a blur. Maybe someday he could be as happy with a special woman as Jamie was with Kayla.

  CHAPTER 4

  Susie stood in the doorway to Leon’s workshop on Tuesday afternoon, watching as he worked on her grandmother’s chair. She studied his handsome face, crumpled with a frown as he pulled apart the pieces of wood. His dark eyes were trained on his project as if he were deep in concentration. She leaned against the doorway’s wood frame, and the large brown paper shopping bag she held rustled in complaint.

  Leon looked up, and his eyes widened. “What are you doing here?”

  “What kind of greeting is that?” she teased, stepping into the workshop.

  He grinned. “Well, it’s not every day that a redhead spies on me while I work.”

  “Spies on you?” She motioned toward the doorway. “I wouldn’t be a very gut spy if I just stood right there.”

  “No, you sure wouldn’t.” He leaned against his workbench and pointed at her bag. “You’ve been shopping.”

  “I have.” She set the bag on the floor.

  He straightened and walked toward her, a mock-serious look on his face. “Did you buy top-secret items for your spy job?”

  A giggle burst from her lips, and she clamped her hand over her mouth. Why did Leon’s silly jokes always tickle her funny bone? He knew how to make her laugh, no matter how dark her mood was.

  He raised his eyebrows. “So you are hiding super-secret spy things in that bag. What did you buy? Maybe a device to tap into my phone conversations?”

  She jammed her hand on her hip. “And what would I hear if I tapped into your phone conversations?”

  He cringed. “You wouldn’t be very impressed.”

  “That’s doubtful. I imagine I’d hear some classified discussions about staining, sanding, and sawing.”

  “And those would be rousing conversations,” he deadpanned.

  Then he laughed, and so did she. His sense of humor was what had first attracted her to him. She’d always loved his electric smile, his loyalty, his sense of adventure, and his outgoing personality.

  “So, tell me.” He pointed again at the bag. “What’s in there?”

  “You really want to see?”

  “That’s why I’m asking.”

  “All right.” She pulled out the hunter-green bolt of material she’d bought. “I bought this to make the dresses Betty and I will wear for my wedding.”

  “Wow.” He smiled. “That’s the perfect color.”

  “You think so?”

  “Ya.” He rubbed one side of his neck. “You always looked great in green. It complements your hair and brings out the green flecks in your eyes.”

  She swallowed a deep breath as she stared at him.

  “It’s none of my business, but aren’t you starting the dresses a little late?”

  She shook herself. What had he just asked her? Oh, right. The dresses. “No, actually. It won’t take me long to make them. We still have two months, and Betty offered to help me with the sewing if I get behind.”

  “Is she going to be your only attendant?”

  “Ya. Josh is having his older bruder too.”

  “That will be nice.” He paused for a moment and then gestured toward the chair. “I’m sorry I haven’t made more progress.”

  “It’s all right. I can tell you’ve been working.”

  “Well, I’ve been taking the chair apart. I was planning on starting earlier in the week, but I got sidetracked with a few other projects. I told mei dat to stop giving me other jobs so I can do this for you.”

  “There’s no rush, remember? Sometime in November is fine.”

  “Can you stay and talk for a while?” His expression seemed hopeful.

  She wanted to say yes, as if an invisible magnet had drawn her into the workroom and she couldn’t pull away. The truth was, she wasn’t ready to leave. What was wrong with her? “Ya.”

  “Great.” He pulled over a desk chair with wheels on it and set it in front of her. “Sit.”

  She sank into the chair. “Danki.”

  “Gern gschehne.” He carried over a stool and hopped onto it. “Tell me about your day.”

  “Well, there isn’t much to tell. I came to town to get this material, and then I thought I’d stop in here before I get a ride home. How about you?” She folded her hands in the lap of her cranberry-colored dress.

  “I finished up another project and then started on this chair.” He rested his feet on the rungs of the stool.

  “Are you on duty this week?”

  He nodded. “Tomorrow.”

  “Is it a twenty-four-hour shift?”

  “Always.”

  “And do you still work here after you’ve been on duty sometimes?”

  “Ya. It depends on if I get any sleep. If I’m up all night on calls, then I go home and sleep first. If I get some rest, then I just go home to change and then come to work.”

  “Hm.” She chewed on her lower lip as she sized him up. He acted so confident when he talked about firefighting, but was he always so courageous in the line of duty? He must have experienced a lot more danger in the last four years.

  He leaned forward. “What’s on your mind, Suze?”

  She blinked at the sound of her nickname. He hadn’t called her that since they were dating.

  “Come on. Spit it out. You never could hide your feelings. They were always written all over your face.”

  “I was wondering if you ever get scared when you’re on duty.”

  Leon blew out a deep breath and fingered a hammer as he stared at the floor for a moment.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

  “No, it’s okay.” His expression had warmed. “I’ve been scared plenty of times. A little over a year ago, I was on the scene of a farmhouse fire. We got the family out, but Simeon Dienner was the last one to head for an exit. He never made it. The floor in the mudroom gave way, and he fell into the basement. As soon as he hit the basement floor, the haus collapsed on him. Simeon was crushed and died at the scene. I was terrified that day. All my fears came true.”

  Susie swallowed a gulp as a chill went through her and Leon went on.

  “Sime
on was a gut man, and a great firefighter. And like I told you before, he left behind a fraa and a boppli on the way. His fraa had a sohn.”

  “Ach. No.”

  Leon had always loved how she genuinely cared for others, even when she didn’t know them.

  “Another time, Jamie and I were trapped in a big furniture store. It was full of smoke, and we got lost. Normally, we can follow the hose, but we couldn’t find it. Two other guys had to come in and lead us out. I was afraid the building was going to come down on us or we were going to run out of oxygen before they found us. Obviously, that didn’t happen, but it was a fear.” He grinned. “I’m not the brave man you thought I was.”

  “You are.” She nodded. “I honestly wondered if your firefighting was a passing craze, but you’ve proven me wrong.”

  He gave a bark of laughter. “Now I know what you really think of me.”

  “What does that mean?” She sat up straighter.

  “You didn’t believe my heart was in firefighting, so you didn’t think I would stick with it, huh?”

  “I didn’t say that.” She shook her head. “I only meant I thought you’d get tired of it.”

  “Huh.” He tilted his head to the side and his smile dissolved, as though he were contemplating something.

  She held her breath while she waited for him to say more.

  “Is that what went wrong between us? You thought I couldn’t stick with anything, so you didn’t think I’d ever marry you?”

  She gaped as white-hot fury suddenly surged through her. “That’s what you think went wrong between us? Not the fact that you specifically told me you weren’t ready to make a commitment to me?”

  “Whoa.” He held up one hand. “I was just wondering.”

  She took a deep breath as she tried to calm her temper. “You know that’s not what happened. I was ready to make a commitment, but you said you weren’t. I told you I couldn’t see myself staying with you then. So we agreed to break up and just be freinden.”

  “You’re right.” His expression had grown somber. “I’m sorry for asking you that. Will you forgive me?”

  She nodded. “Ya.” Why on earth had she overreacted? They’d broken up four years ago. She needed to get a grip. She took another cleansing breath to calm her frayed nerves.