The Promise of Palm Grove

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  And she couldn’t even bear to think about what Mattie would do. All Mattie could seem to say was how they were going to be sisters forever now.

  Luckily, Sara entered the room, which meant it was Leona’s turn to shower and change. “I’ll be fast,” she promised. And she was. Having taken a quick shower, she got dressed with little fuss, and after drying her hair as best she could with one of those fluffy white towels, she ruthlessly pulled it back and pinned it into a neat bun.

  Then she made a promise to herself. She was going to make this the happiest two weeks of her life. And that happiness would have no choice but to spill over into the rest of her life. That positive attitude was therefore going to seep into her prayers and her thoughts concerning Edmund.

  Surely then, the Lord would see fit to bless her with a fresh heart and new attitude. All of her doubts would fall away, leaving only the determination to be everything Edmund needed her to be.

  She tested out that positive attitude when they walked to the pizza parlor and devoured a large pepperoni pizza. It continued next door, when she ordered a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone.

  It felt like God was rewarding her for her efforts. The smiles became easier and she began to relax and simply be with her two best friends.

  And then they started walking. Block after block they went, smiling shyly at other Amish folks they passed, some wearing kapps much like theirs, signaling that they were from Holmes County, too. Eyeing other girls’ dresses with pleated skirts from Indiana and some of the more colorful ones from a church district in Lancaster County, her spirits lifted further.

  “I think I’m going to like it here,” she said.

  “Me too,” Mattie said, her smile, as usual, making Leona smile, too.

  Leona was just about to suggest that they go read the message board in front of the post office, where visitors left messages about upcoming parties or events, when they heard the unmistakable sound of masculine laughter.

  Sara was on that like a dog after a bone. “Come on, girls.”

  Mattie froze. “Why?”

  “To see the boys, of course.”

  Leona shook her head. “Sara, we can’t simply go search for boys.”

  “You can’t because you’re engaged. But I’m not. Nothing is stopping me,” she called over her shoulder. “Come on.” And with that, she darted down Birky Street and turned left on Beneva.

  After exchanging a pained look with Mattie, Leona hustled down the sidewalk after Sara. There was no way she was going to let Sara get into trouble on her own.

  After practically running down the block, Sara came to a sudden stop at the front yard of the Palm Grove Mennonite Church.

  “Now what’s wrong?” Mattie griped before she, too, seemed transfixed by the sight before her.

  Feeling like the lazy part of the three musketeers, Leona hurried over to catch up, then found herself just as captivated.

  And then she had to remind herself not to stare quite so blatantly.

  But what a sight it was!

  “What are they doing?”

  “It looks like there’s something in the tree.”

  Two men about their ages had surrounded a tree, chins lifted, and were staring up at something nestled in the branches. Leona followed their gazes. Then stifled a gasp.

  A third man was more or less reclining on one of the branches like he was seven years old again. One leg was swinging, his blue shirt was untucked, and his straw hat had floated down to the base of the tree. And he was grinning like he was having the best time in the world.

  Leona swallowed.

  Yes, it was obvious that they were having a good time. Every minute or two, they laughed, egged each other on, and made jokes about bees.

  Bees!

  Especially the man in the tree—who she’d just happened to notice had sandy brown hair, very tan arms, and a dimple.

  She knew he had a dimple because from the moment she’d spied him, he’d either been laughing, teasing his buddies, or grinning.

  He lit up the scene. And, she had a feeling, he most likely lit up wherever he was all the time. Unable to take her eyes off of him, she realized he was the type of man she used to dream about when she went to sleep at night.

  He looked confident and happy. Comfortable with himself and with everyone else, too.

  Just then, that man glanced in her direction. Within seconds his gaze had turned intent. Far more serious.

  And though it was truly a fanciful thought, Leona imagined that she could actually feel his gaze. And that he was thinking the same thing that she was—that for the first time in forever, something significant was about to happen.

  That look was compelling and scary and intense. Enough to take her breath away. Instinctively, she took a step back. “We should go.”

  “No way,” Sara said. And then did the exact opposite. She walked a little bit closer. “I want to see what they’re doing.”

  “But it’s none of our business.”

  “We won’t get in the way, Leona,” Mattie said. “Don’t be so timid. I mean, weren’t you saying on the bus that you wanted to meet new people?”

  She had said that. But she hadn’t been talking about handsome men. She’d been thinking more along the lines of girls their own age. “Yes, but—”

  “But nothing,” Sara whispered. “They’re cute and they look nice. And they’re Amish, so even my mamm wouldn’t get mad.”

  At that, Leona felt her lips twitch. Sara’s mother constantly warned Sara about talking to Englischers, especially young, handsome Englischers. “Fine.”

  “Hey!” one of the guys called out.

  “Hey, yourself,” Sara said, flirting right back.

  “Did you need something?”

  “Nee. We were just wondering what caught your attention. What’s in the tree?”

  “A cat. A mighty determined, mighty skittish katz.”

  Mattie laughed. “I guess it takes three Amish men to rescue a cat in Pinecraft?”

  The man’s smile grew wider. “Obviously, and we’re still having a time of it. Perhaps you three ought to come over here and give us a hand.”

  Before any of the girls could comment on that, there was a rustle of leaves followed by a lazy, loud meow. Then, next thing they knew, a sleek gray cat with white paws gracefully leapt from the tree like it was the headline attraction in a carnival show.

  “She’s out! Catch her!” the man in the tree called as he started his descent.

  The blond who had been flirting with Sara reached for the cat, missed, and stumbled as he attempted to regain his balance and run after the wayward cat at the same time.

  In response, the cat meowed, lifted her chin, then darted toward the girls.

  “Oh!” Sara said. “She’s pretty.”

  “She is mighty pretty,” Leona agreed as the cat pranced over to her legs and circled around her ankles. Then she looked up at Leona with gray-blue eyes and meowed.

  Before she thought about it, Leona bent down and picked it up.

  “Meow,” the cat uttered again before snuggling close, purring her contentment. Hugging it close to her, Leona glanced helplessly at her girlfriends and at the three men who were now all turned to her and gazing at her with looks of wonder.

  And then, the man from the tree branches stepped forward and grinned. “Perhaps it doesn’t take three Amish men at all. Just one pretty blond girl.”

  Leona knew he was teasing.

  She knew he was being a mite too forward.

  She knew she was engaged and shouldn’t encourage any familiarity.

  But for some reason, all she could do was stare at him, cuddle the cat.

  And smile right back.

  Chapter 3

  Almost a minute had passed and the blond still hadn’t said a word.

  Which meant that Zachary Kaufmann was beginning to feel more than a little awkward.

  Studying her face, he inhaled, and started wondering what he should say next—which was some
thing that didn’t happen often. It was also something that his friends and neighbors would have said had likely never happened to him.

  He’d lived in Sarasota, Florida, for most of his life. His family had made the decision to move to Pinecraft from Lancaster County when his mother’s parents had opted to retire there. Though he’d been only six, he vividly remembered his first winter spent in Florida. Instead of it being snowy and cold, the sun had been shining. Instead of breaking the ice on their horses’ troughs, his chores had consisted of keeping his mother’s flower bed watered and weeded.

  He’d taken to life in Florida without hardly a skip in beat. As had his parents. His father found work with a local contractor, and his mother got right on as a teacher’s aide at a local school, Pinecraft Elementary. His older brother and sister had settled into their new school easily, too. His grandmommi and granddawdi had loved having their grandchildren close by and spoiled them often. Over time, he’d made some good friends, Jeremy and Danny.

  He’d led a charmed life and felt more than a little blessed. The only problem he had wasn’t a problem at all, but something that, in the back of his mind, he was always focused on:

  His little sister, Effie, and her disease.

  When she turned ten, she’d been diagnosed with Perthes disease. When the doctor had first told them about this childhood disorder that usually affected children’s hips and legs, they’d all stared at him in shock. The diagnosis had come completely out of the blue.

  Though it was a rather mild condition and she functioned better than many other children in her situation, she’d still been in a lot of pain and had spent most of the first year in a wheelchair.

  She was a strong girl at heart, however, and was determined to do anything the other kids her age could do. She worked hard with her special teachers and therapists and now spent many of her days on her own two feet.

  Though the rest of them were mighty impressed, Effie took it all in stride. She would be the first person to tell anyone that she was just as capable as anyone.

  Zack knew she was, too, but she did have special needs. And he wasn’t really sure why or how, but over time, he’d become her primary caregiver. They were close and their temperaments meshed well. Besides, she was important to him. So important that he couldn’t imagine ever not being a part of her life.

  And though he wouldn’t exactly tell this to anyone, he had a strange feeling that the reason he was suddenly thinking about Effie as the blond girl held his neighbor’s cat was because he knew that she was a tourist.

  Which meant she probably lived far away.

  Since he was always going to want to live near his sister, it was likely he was always going to live in Sarasota.

  And that meant, of course, there could be no future between him and this girl. And that, he decided when she returned his smile, was a real shame.

  When she still said nothing, merely petted the cat, he knew he had to say something.

  “It seems Serena likes you,” he said as he walked to her, concentrating on keeping his voice casual and ignoring the punch he’d felt in his stomach when he noticed that she was pretty. Approachable, too. Like she could be anybody’s friend if they gave her just a couple minutes of their time.

  She raised her brows. “Serena?”

  “It’s the cat’s name.”

  “Ah. She’s pretty. Is she yours?”

  “No way. She’s my neighbor’s. Mrs. Sadler loves her.”

  Danny came up to his side and smiled at the girls. “Zack is Winnie Sadler’s go-to guy. She calls him to rescue cats, get her mail from the post office, grocery shop—”

  “It’s not that bad. I’m simply available.”

  “Or an easy mark,” Danny teased, his eyes turning warmer. Immediately, Zack felt a surge of jealousy and glanced at Danny. Then, when he noticed that Danny wasn’t looking at the blond but at the green-eyed girl with the freckles dotting her nose, he calmed down.

  The girls looked at each other and giggled in the way only girls in groups could. Then the blond smiled at him. “So you’re name is Zack?”

  “Jah. I’m Zachary Kaufmann. And this is Danny, and the guy over there by the church entrance is Jeremy.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Leona. Leona Weaver. And this is Mattie and Sara.”

  Jeremy joined them, and they all began their round of introductions again.

  “You tourists?”

  Leona nodded. “We just arrived from Ohio today. What about you?”

  “We’re some of those rare people in Pinecraft who live here year-round.”

  One of the girls sighed. “You are so lucky.”

  “We think so,” Zack said. “It’s a nice place to live.” Then, before he thought better of it, he reached close, intending to grab the cat and lift it out of Leona’s arms.

  Serena, contrary as ever, squirmed and fussed. So he had to stand a little closer. Of course, that meant he got way too personal with Leona. She blushed as he attempted to get hold of Serena without brushing his hands across places he shouldn’t.

  And her blush made him feel even more awkward. Something he couldn’t remember feeling in ages.

  The cat made her displeasure known by releasing an especially irritated meow.

  “She’s mad now, Zack,” Jeremy pointed out.

  “Yeah. I had better go return her to Mrs. Sadler.” Bracing himself to be clawed, he grabbed Serena out of Leona’s arms as quickly as possible.

  Luckily, it was less awkward than it could have been. Serena gave in gracefully. After swiping at him in a halfhearted way, she relaxed in his arms.

  When he sighed in relief, Leona giggled. “It was nice to meet you, Zack.”

  “Same here.” He nodded. “Bye, now.”

  Then he turned away and started walking. Behind him, Danny and Jeremy were saying their goodbyes to the girls. Knowing that they were only seconds away from giving him all sorts of grief, Zack picked up his pace.

  He didn’t slow down or look back toward the church until they’d walked almost a full block. Only then did he dare to glance at the church’s front yard. The girls were long gone and the yard was completely empty now.

  The only thing that caught his eye was the church’s cross.

  Which was fitting. Once again, the Lord was directing things His way. Here, He’d given Zack an absurd situation, a wayward cat, and the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.

  And Zack had lost his heart that quick.

  He had no idea how it was going to work out. All he knew was that the Lord had seen fit to show him a hint of everything that could be. The promise of a future.

  The promise of what a life with the right woman could be like.

  WITH A SENSE of accomplishment, Beverly sealed the top of the second envelope, then flipped it over, carefully wrote her sister’s name and address on the front, and finally placed a stamp on the upper right-hand corner. She’d done it. She’d written another letter home.

  Around two years ago, after she’d been in Pinecraft for seven or eight months, she’d stopped ignoring all the phone calls and letters she’d received and started writing people back. At first, she had been overwhelmed with the number of people who’d contacted her. It seemed as if her parents had practically given out flyers containing the address and phone number of her new home, which was her Aunt Patty’s bed-and-breakfast.

  When everything fell apart, Beverly had asked her Aunt Patty if she could stay with her for a while, and since they got along so well, Patty invited her to stay on. A few years after that, Aunt Patty passed on into heaven, leaving the inn in Beverly’s capable hands.

  Though Beverly hadn’t been in a hurry to answer any of their phone calls, she had kept a log of everyone who had left her a message. She’d also kept everyone’s letters in a pretty white wicker basket. When she felt ready to start returning their notes, she’d begun picking out two a week and writing to them.

  It had been a slow yet cathartic experience, but, to her surprise, it had al
so begun to be rather enjoyable. It turned out that she liked telling people about life in Pinecraft. She liked describing the things she’d been learning about running an inn. She enjoyed relaying stories about guests who’d stayed with her.

  Most of all, she liked telling everyone that she was okay. Because she was okay. Little by little, she’d stopped thinking about Regina and Marvin and how disappointed her family had to be, and started thinking about her plans for the upcoming week. She’d stopped reliving painful conversations, trying to figure out what she’d done wrong with Marvin, and started trying out new recipes for afternoon teas.

  Most of all, she began to actually look forward to the mail coming each day, because the notes she received had little to do with the wedding that never was and were more often filled with daily news and questions about life in Florida.

  So even though she still wasn’t quite ready to return to Sugarcreek, not even for a visit, and she’d so far successfully pushed aside her sisters’ and parents’ wishes to come to Pinecraft, Beverly knew that life had gotten much better.

  Now all she had to do was hope it would continue.

  Chapter 4

  The hard plastic braces that supported her legs were starting to dig into her skin, but Effie Kaufmann pretended everything was fine. And it actually kind of was, because she wasn’t in a wheelchair today.

  That meant, at least for a while, that people would notice her first and not the chair. Maybe they’d see that she was wearing one of her new dresses that her mother had sewn for her on a break from work over Christmas.

  Maybe if they noticed her new dress, someone would also notice that it was almost the exact shade of her blue eyes. And if they did that, it would be pretty amazing, because hardly anyone ever noticed that she had pretty eyes. They were her best feature, and she didn’t even think she was being prideful for admitting that she had a best feature.

  As far as Effie was concerned, she’d been dealing with people overlooking everything about her—except for her bad legs—for two years now. She’d learned pretty quickly that life for a girl her age wasn’t real easy when folks looked at the wheelchair first and her second.