by Sarah Price
“Rosanna!”
It was Reuben. He smiled when he saw her and held up a glass of what looked like meadow tea. “Wanted to see how you’re doing. Rebecca brought in some tea today. I thought you might be thirsty, ja?” He glanced around. “I know how much you like meadow tea.”
Always so thoughtful, she told herself. “Why, danke, my husband!”
He laughed as he held out the glass for her to take. As she sipped it, he looked around the kitchen and sitting room. Whistling under his breath, he nodded his approval. “I don’t think I ever saw this place shine like this!”
She blushed at the compliment. “Nothing a good scrubbing won’t do,” she replied modestly, although she was secretly pleased that he had noticed her efforts.
“You and Nan must have worked quite hard.” He took a few steps into the room, peeking through the open doorway into the sole bathroom, which was under the staircase. “Afraid you had your task cut out for you, I reckon. Never was much for housework,” he admitted.
“Shop must be busy,” she responded, choosing her words carefully. “Nan left to see if you needed help a while ago.”
If she thought that Reuben would be upset at this news, she was disappointed. Instead, he lifted his eyebrows and merely said, “Did she, now?” He reached up and tugged at the end of his beard, nodding his head. “Good thing she did, ja? I got called over to Melvin Beecher’s farm. His mules’ harness broke, and I had to leave the shop.” He glanced around the room once again. “Looks like you’re finished anyway. Why don’t I take you on home? I’m sure you’ll be wanting to start preparing supper and finishing your own chores.”
A dull pain throbbed at her temples. There was plenty more to clean, but she wasn’t about to offer her services. Not today. Instead, she finished the meadow tea and handed the glass back to Reuben. Then she went upstairs to grab the cleaning supplies. The two bedrooms were clean enough, she reasoned, although deep down she felt guilty that she hadn’t washed the windows or the linen closet. She carried the bucket down the stairs, careful not to spill any of the liquid. Slowly she poured the water into the sink before rinsing both the bucket and the mop.
Reuben had already returned to the shop. By herself, she wrung out the mop and placed it inside the bucket. Her shoulders ached from scrubbing so much, she realized as she carried the cleaning supplies to the small closet next to the bathroom.
It was as clean as she could make it in one day. She felt as though she had given enough to Nan, who clearly had little interest in doing more than complaining about the dirty condition of the house. Rosanna should have known that Nan would stick her with most of the work. Rosanna made a mental note to not let herself get in that situation again, although, deep down, she knew she would. It was just how things happened: when someone needed help, Rosanna stepped up.
Sighing, she turned to leave the house, but just as she opened the door, she noticed the empty tea glass that Reuben had brought her sitting on the counter. Her shoulders drooped, and she shut her eyes for a moment. Give me strength, Lord, she prayed. The thought crossed her mind to leave it there and let Nan wash it later. Just as quickly, she knew that thought was not godly, and whether or not it was deserved, she would not sleep that night if she walked away with the glass sitting there.
With a heavy sigh, she took the glass to the sink and quickly washed it before she finally escaped the house and tried to banish the heavy feeling in her chest.
CHAPTER FIVE
Seated on the bench at the kitchen table, Cate let her legs swing, her bare feet brushing the linoleum. “I don’t understand why I have to help Aaron today,” she whined as Rosanna pulled a hairbrush through the girl’s long brown hair. It hung down to her waist, the ends frayed and split. Some nights, Rosanna rubbed coconut oil in it, because cutting Cate’s hair was not permitted. After all, a woman’s hair was her glory, according to the Bible.
As Rosanna ran the brush down the length of Cate’s hair, it snagged on the ends, and the girl’s shoulders twitched. Usually she cried out, making a big scene. Today, however, she was more focused on the prospect of having to work in the fields.
“Just clearing the brush along the fence line, Cate,” Rosanna said, trying to keep her tone pleasant and her brush strokes soft. “And mucking the mule paddock.”
Rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue, she balked. “That’s a man’s job!”
“Cate Zook!”
Ever since school had let out, Rosanna had noticed an increasing reluctance in her daughter to help with the outside work. Instead, Cate much preferred to stay inside and help with the cleaning and cooking. Even when Rosanna asked her to weed the garden, Cate lingered in the house, finding excuse after excuse to not leave her mother’s side. Finally, Rosanna had given up and gone out with her. Together they had weeded the garden.
The only time that Cate seemed to be truly happy was when she played with the dogs. Jack, Pepper, and Trigger loved to run and chase her through the front fields. She spent hours throwing sticks for them or wandering along the fence line, happy to pick up rocks and other debris, which she tossed into a small wagon that Pepper was trained to pull. The three dogs were mixed breed rescues from the local animal shelter and loyal to Cate.
Unfortunately, clearing the fields was not a job that needed doing every day. And there was too much work on the farm to permit Cate an endless amount of time to play.
When Rosanna had mentioned her concern about Cate to Reuben one evening, he had paused before responding. That was one of the things Rosanna loved about him. That gentle pause indicated that he did not respond rashly or without thought. He reflected upon every situation before he gave his opinion. This time was no different.
“It’s her daed,” Reuben had finally said.
Rosanna grimaced at the mention of her first husband. She had tried hard to block him from her memory. “You thinking that she still misses him?”
The idea was unconceivable to her. Most days Rosanna avoided reflecting on those years. She was more than happy to keep those memories locked up in a mental box tucked far away from her consciousness.
But Reuben knew better. While Rosanna had borne the brunt of Timothy’s negative behavior as a projection of his own poor self-image, Cate had also suffered greatly. Her daed had not been kind to her. Aware of this fact, Reuben had worked hard from the beginning to gain her trust and respect as the new man in the house.
“Nee, I’m sure that’s not it,” Reuben responded. “But she’s clinging to you for fear that something might happen. Her love for you is great, and she would be lost without you.”
There was a lot of truth to that statement. Rosanna did not need to be told twice that she had an extra shadow. Ever since Cate was born, she had seemed glued to her mother’s side. As a baby, she rarely cried—except when she was taken from her maem’s arms. Then Cate would fuss and make known her unhappiness. As a toddler, she clung to Rosanna’s dress. When she was older and had to start school, Cate had cried daily, not wanting to leave home or her mother. Rosanna had thought that Cate was starting to mature out of this maternal attachment, but now she realized that it had, indeed, recently resurfaced.
“I’d let it pass for a while,” Reuben suggested. “Give her a little more time.”
Rosanna promised to try. Still, Rosanna’s patience in the face of Cate’s willful behavior often seemed to be in endless demand.
Now, however, Cate was flatly refusing to help Aaron in the fields. Rosanna knew that doing the chores alone would be hard on her son.
“I’m asking you to help your bruder,” Rosanna said, inwardly counting to ten. It would do no good if she lost her temper. “We all must pitch in to help, ja?”
Pressing her lips together, Cate shook her head. “It’s not fun, Maem.”
Despite her vow to be patient, Rosanna tugged at Cate’s hair, immediately cringing when her daughter winced. “Work is not always fun.”
Cate remained silent for a long moment, her narrowed eye
s searching an empty space on the wall, her lips pressed together. Rosanna knew that something was going through her daughter’s mind. From the intent look on Cate’s face, she was clearly scheming. Knowing Cate, it could be about anything.
“Gut mariye!” Reuben called out cheerfully as he walked through the kitchen door. Most mornings he tried to rise early to help Aaron feed the animals. Setting his battered straw hat on a hook near the window, he smiled at Rosanna and winked at Cate. “Wie gehts?”
“Maem says I have to work in the field today!” Cate blurted. If the look on her face did not express her feelings, the tone of her voice certainly did. She was pleading with her stepfather to save her. Rosanna clenched her jaw. Cate never was one to hide her feelings.
Reuben glanced over Cate’s head at his wife, questioning her with his eyes. She lifted an eyebrow but did not speak as she put away the hairbrush and continued preparing the early morning meal. The scent of coffee, scrambled eggs, fresh bread, and breakfast potatoes filled the room. The table, set with fresh linens and pretty place settings, welcomed her family to fellowship before they went their separate ways. Unfortunately, Rosanna felt as if Cate’s mood was ruining one of her favorite parts of the day.
Reuben, however, did not seem flustered by his stepdaughter’s complaint. He walked to the sink to wash his hands before taking his place at the head of the table. Rosanna held her breath, waiting to see how Reuben would handle an obstinate twelve-year-old. As a man with little experience with children, Reuben’s patience was sometimes tested as he adapted to his new role. Fortunately, he seemed to take most things in stride.
“Mayhaps,” Reuben began slowly, “you might prefer to come to the shop to work a spell today?”
This unexpected invitation surprised them both. Rosanna caught her breath. With Aaron already working as hard as he possibly could, that left only her to do the rest of the chores if Cate went with Reuben. Rosanna wished he had conferred with her before extending the offer.
While Rosanna stared at Reuben in disbelief, Cate’s face broke into a joyful grin. “Really?” Reuben had never invited Cate to his store.
“Ja,” he replied, ignoring the increasingly annoyed look on Rosanna’s face. “I could see if Daniel might help Aaron if you promise to help me with the shop.”
The Troyer Harness Shop was a new environment for Cate. When she had first visited it with Rosanna a few months ago, Cate had wandered around touching the bridles and harnesses. Rosanna had watched her, wondering what her daughter thought as she paused at each item, admiring the quality and inhaling the smell of new leather. Cate had examined everything with glowing eyes, even the back area where Daniel and Martin made the shop’s custom-ordered products.
“What on earth would she do?” asked Rosanna. Cate could not work on the big industrial sewing machines, and she certainly couldn’t cut the leather. Either task would be dangerous for an untrained person, especially a child. But as soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, she regretted them. Did it sound as though she was questioning her husband?
But Reuben didn’t seem bothered. He shifted his weight in his seat and looked at her. “She could help man the front desk, and when it’s slow, I could start training Nan on the equipment.”
Rosanna frowned when he mentioned his newly hired employee. “Nan?”
Nan had only worked at the store for a short while. Rosanna was surprised that Reuben felt comfortable having her learn the equipment. Daniel and Martin usually ran the machinery with a younger woman, Rebecca, who helped part-time during busy spells. But Nan? From what Rosanna understood, Nan had some experience helping her own daed at his store. While Nan might have hoped to take over the business, his focus had been on her older brother. Samuel, however, had plans of his own, and they did not include harness making or working with leather.
“She’s a right gut worker and is eager to learn everything,” said Reuben.
For some reason, Rosanna doubted that Nan was as eager to learn as Reuben thought. It wasn’t just that the younger woman had barely helped with cleaning the house. No, there was something else that bothered Rosanna about Nan Keel. She didn’t know whether it was Nan’s sharp tongue or the lack of work ethic she displayed, but Nan tested every ounce of Rosanna’s resolve to love her neighbor. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, Rosanna said a quick prayer to God asking for forgiveness and realized at the same time that it was a prayer God heard far too frequently from her.
She poured coffee into a green mug and handed it to Reuben. “I reckon I might be able to bring her down to the shop after she finishes her morning chores,” Rosanna offered, trying to soften her tone despite having so much to do. The buggy ride to the shop would take at least thirty minutes of her morning, between harnessing the horse and driving there and back, but if it helped Reuben and calmed down Cate, she was willing to sacrifice that precious time.
Reuben sighed and smiled at his wife. “That would be wunderbar!”
Cate perked up, excitement and joy written on her face. Positive attention did that to the twelve-year-old. Despite really needing her daughter’s help with the gardening and field work, Rosanna’s heart swelled with happiness to see Cate brighten at the thought of spending the day at the shop with her stepfather. This would be good for her, Rosanna told herself.
“Can we go yet?”
Rosanna looked up from the far side of the bed where she was tucking the thin quilt under the mattress. Cate stood in the doorway, a hand on her hip. Her dark skin glowed from having been in the sun all morning, and her hazel eyes flashed. Without a prayer kapp covering her head, she almost looked Englische—most certainly too worldly to be Amish.
“Did you check on the bread?” Rosanna asked.
Cate nodded.
“Did you hang up the laundry?”
“Ja,” Cate sighed, leaning her cheek against the doorframe as she rolled her eyes. “We just did laundry on Monday anyway. Why do you insist on washing the clothes so much?”
Smoothing down the quilt, Rosanna’s fingers paused to touch the pattern near her pillow. She assessed her work. The bed was readied and everything else tidied; the main bedroom was finished. “Because everyone dirties them,” Rosanna said as she straightened up and moved toward the door. “And cleanliness is next to godliness.”
Cate made a face. “I like getting dirty.”
Rosanna smiled as she walked past her daughter, pausing to gently touch Cate’s cheek in a rare gesture of affection. “I noticed.”
With most of the morning chores finished, Rosanna gave in to Cate’s enthusiasm. It wasn’t often that Cate was so excited about something, and working at the shop would be a wonderful experience for her.
Rosanna opened the stall door to groom the mare before harnessing her to the buggy. Although she knew she had a long afternoon of work ahead of her, there was something peaceful about working outside—especially when she didn’t have to worry about what mischief Cate was up to.
“Can Jack come with us?” Cate asked.
Rosanna sat inside the buggy, holding the reins. Both side doors were rolled open so that the fresh air could blow through. “Nee, Cate,” she said. “Not today. See how it goes and then ask Reuben, ja?”
Her answer didn’t please Cate, but the girl didn’t argue. Instead, with an overly exaggerated sigh, she jumped into the buggy and sat next to her mother.
When Rosanna clicked her tongue and gave a gentle slap of the reins onto the horse’s back, the buggy lurched forward and started rolling down the driveway. The wheels hummed along the pavement, and the buggy swayed, just a little, back and forth. The front windows were open, hooked to the roof of the buggy, and small strands of the mare’s hair fluttered inside.
“Too much in your mouth, Cate?”
Cate nodded, licking the back of her hand to remove the horse hair from her tongue. Rosanna laughed softly as she reached up and shut the narrow window.
It only took ten minutes to get to the shop. When they arrived, Rosan
na was surprised to see a car parked outside the front door. Englische rarely visited the harness shop, although she knew it was not unheard of. Still, she eyed the car with curiosity as she tied the horse to the hitching rail. Turning away, Rosanna saw a young man walk down the steps of Reuben’s small rental house. Surely that was Samuel.
Gesturing for Cate to wait a moment, Rosanna walked in his direction, a curious but warm smile on her face. “Samuel Keel?”
He looked up and studied her for a moment before extending his hand to shake hers. “Rosanna, then, ja?”
“Right gut to meet you,” Rosanna said, noticing immediately how different Samuel’s demeanor was from Nan’s. His expression appeared softer and gentler; there was a touch of shyness in his dark eyes. And his hands were large and calloused, the sign of a man who had known many years of hard labor. Even his posture, his shoulders straight but not too squared, spoke of a reserve that was more simple and plain.
He put his hands in his front pockets and shifted his weight as if nervous. He didn’t seem to know what to say—another difference between the two siblings. Finally, he moistened his lips. “Danke for helping Nan with the haus,” he said.
The only response that Rosanna could give was a smile. She knew it would be unkind to point out that she hadn’t actually helped Nan, for Nan had preferred to stay in the shop. At least Nan hadn’t taken all of the credit for cleaning the house. If Samuel knew that Rosanna had been there, clearly Nan had acknowledged her contributions. For some reason, Rosanna found it difficult to envision Nan complimenting anyone other than herself.
“Ja, vell . . . best get going,” he said, nodding toward the car. “My driver’s here.”
The gravel crackled under the wheels of the car as it pulled out of the shop’s driveway. Rosanna stared after it, trying to understand the differences between the two siblings. Samuel seemed quiet and polite and, from what little Reuben had told her, a very hard worker. Apparently Jonathan Lapp had nothing but praise for the young man.