“Where’s the hund now?” Lyle glanced around before clucking to the horse to get him moving down the road.
Heidi pointed in the direction of their house. “As soon as you showed up with the horse and buggy, he made a beeline for home.”
Lyle snickered. “Guess he figured I might holler at him for being out of the yard.”
“That’s quite likely,” Heidi agreed. “So how’d things go at the auction?”
“They went well, and there was a good turnout. How was your day?”
“Okay. I got lots done, and I hope your hungerich, because I made a pot of stew, and it’s keeping warm on the stove.”
Lyle thumped his stomach and grinned. “You know me … Always ready to enjoy a good meal.”
Heidi placed her hand on his knee and gave it a tender squeeze. Her husband’s humor and pleasant attitude were reminders that she’d chosen well when she married him.
“Say, this is a pretty good meal. What’s it called?” Lance’s brother smacked his lips.
“It’s Chicken in a Crumb Basket. The Amish woman I told you about taught me how to make it during the last cooking class.” Lance put some coleslaw on his plate and handed the bowl to Dan. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Oh? What’s up?”
“There’s a young woman named Lisa who’s also taking the cooking classes, and …” Lance paused and took a quick drink of water. “Anyway, Lisa owns a duplex in Dover. She lives in one side and rents the other one out.”
Dan grabbed a pickle and plopped it on his plate. “That’s nice, but why are you telling me this?”
“The thing is … Well, Lisa’s previous tenants moved out unexpectedly, and now she’s looking for someone else to rent or lease the place to.”
“I’m still not sure why you’re mentioning this.”
Lance clutched his fork tightly. Did he need to draw his brother a picture? “I thought you might want to take a look at it—maybe rent the duplex.”
Dan’s brows furrowed. “What for? I own a townhouse, you know.”
“Yeah, but it won’t be ready for several more months.”
“That’s okay. Thanks to your generosity, I have a place to stay.”
Lance briefly closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. This wasn’t going as well as he hoped. Should he come right out and tell his brother that he wanted him to move, or would it be better to let Dan figure it out himself? All Lance knew was he couldn’t put up with his brother’s irritating habits and inconsiderate actions much longer.
He drew a quick breath and decided to try again, using a more direct approach this time. “I think it might be better for both of us if we weren’t sharing the same house.”
“I shoulda known this was coming.” Dan slumped in his chair. “You’re still mad ’cause I painted the kitchen beige without asking you, huh?”
“It’s not just the kitchen or the TV you replaced my old one with. We don’t see eye-to-eye on many things, and it’d be best if we had our own space.”
Dan pressed his lips together. “Wow, I’ve only been here a short time, and have already worn out my welcome.” He pushed his chair back and rose from the table. “Well, don’t give it another thought. I’ll find someplace else to live till my townhouse is ready. Sorry I’ve been such a bother to you.”
Lance groaned inwardly. He’d offended his brother, and now he felt like a heel. “Listen, Dan, you’re not a bother.”
“Sure sounds like it to me.”
“Okay, look, I’ll be the first to admit, I’m set in my ways. Since Flo died I’ve established somewhat of a routine, and havin’ you here has upset my applecart. If you don’t want to look at Lisa’s duplex, that’s fine by me. We’ll continue with our arrangement until your place is ready.”
Dan gave a firm shake of his head. “No, you’re right. It’d be better if we weren’t sharing a home. We may be brothers, but we’ve always been different as nighttime and daylight. If you want to set up a day and time with your friend Lisa, I’ll take a look at her place.”
Lance wasn’t sure if Dan had given in merely to keep the peace, or if he actually felt he’d be better off living on his own. No matter, though. Dan had agreed to look at the duplex, so tomorrow morning they’d head over there and see if anything could be arranged. One thing Lance hadn’t mentioned, though, was that he’d promised to help Lisa with anything that needed to be fixed. He’d make sure Dan knew about it before they got to Lisa’s place, though, because he figured his brother should help, too.
Lance tapped his chin. On second thought, it might be better if I wait till we get to Lisa’s to mention the work that needs to be done. I’ll be harder for Dan to say no in Lisa’s company.
Canton
Todd had finished eating a fried egg sandwich for his evening meal, when his cell phone rang. Seeing it was his mother, he almost didn’t answer. But if he ignored her too long, she’d only keep calling and leaving him long messages, which really got on his nerves.
Todd swiped his thumb across the front of his phone. “Hi, Mom. How are you?”
“I’m well, and so is your father. We haven’t heard from you in a while and wondered how you’re doing.”
“Doin’ okay. Keeping plenty busy with work and other things.”
“I figured as much.” There was a brief pause. “Listen, the main reason I’m calling is to see if you plan to be here for Thanksgiving weekend.”
Todd glanced at his calendar. Thanksgiving was still a few weeks away. “Probably not, Mom.”
“How come?” He could hear the disappointment in her voice.
“I have other plans.”
“Oh, I see. So what are your plans for Thanksgiving?”
The truth was, Todd had no holiday plans but hoped he and Lisa might get together that day. He wanted to go out with her a few more times before he asked, though, and didn’t want her to think he was moving too fast. The last thing he wanted to do was lay out money for a plane ticket to see his folks and spend Thanksgiving listening to Mom pick apart everything he said and did. Her constant badgering was one of the reasons he’d moved away. The offer to write a food column for the newspaper here had come at just the right time.
“Todd, did you hear what I said?”
“Yeah, sure, Mom. You asked what my plans are for Thanksgiving.”
“And?”
“I’m seeing someone I met recently, so …”
“You’re dating again?”
“Yeah. Sort of.”
“I’m happy to hear this, Son. After the breakup with Felicia, I wasn’t sure you’d ever want to date again.”
Todd put the phone on speaker and moved over to the sink to rinse his dishes. “Can we talk about something else? I’d rather not rehash all that went down with my ex-girlfriend.”
“Whatever you wish. Is it all right if I ask a few questions about your new girlfriend?”
“Sure, but right now we’re just friends. I’m not sure how she feels about me yet.”
“Then why are you spending Thanksgiving with her?”
Todd lifted his gaze to the ceiling. If he didn’t hang up soon, this could turn into a session of twenty-plus questions. “I enjoy Lisa’s company, and—”
“Lisa who? What’s her last name, Todd?”
“Brooks.”
“Did you meet her at work, or is she another woman you met on one of those Internet dating sites?”
“I haven’t been doing anymore online dating. Once was enough. I met Lisa at a cooking class I’ve been taking, hosted by an Amish woman who lives in Walnut Creek.” Todd moved back to the table and took a seat.
“Cooking classes? An Amish woman?” Mom’s voice raised nearly an octave. “Since when did you decide to learn how to cook, and why take lessons from an Amish woman? I’m sure she’s not a gourmet chef.”
“Of course not, but she’s an excellent cook and is teaching us to make some traditional Amish dishes.”
“How many others ar
e taking the class?”
“There are six of us. Three men and three women. We meet every other Saturday for a total of six classes.”
“Hmm … Interesting.”
Todd glanced at his watch. In three minutes one of his favorite shows would be coming on TV. “Sorry, Mom but I have to hang up now. Thanks for calling, and tell Dad I said hello.”
“All right, Son. I’ll talk to you again soon. Oh, and it’d be nice if you called us for a change.”
“Okay, Mom. Bye.” Todd clicked off the phone. He wished his mother hadn’t brought up the topic of his breakup with Felicia. It was a bitter pill, and he wanted to put it behind him. Hopefully, if he and Lisa’s relationship developed further, she wouldn’t betray him the way Felicia had.
Chapter 29
Dover
Thank you both so much. I appreciate all the help you gave me this morning.” Lisa smiled at Lance and his brother as they sat at her kitchen table, eating the lunch she’d prepared. When they’d first gotten here and she’d shown them the duplex, Dan hadn’t seemed that interested in the place. Now, however, as he gobbled down some of her homemade chicken noodle soup, he talked about moving in and said he looked forward to being able to spread out.
Dan glanced at Lance with eyes slightly narrowed. “This way I won’t be in anybody’s way.”
Lance ignored the comment and grabbed a roll, slathering it with butter.
Sensing a bit of discord between the men, Lisa handed Lance a jar of apple butter and changed the subject. “Are you looking forward to our next cooking class with Heidi?”
His eyes brightened as he nodded. “The last recipe she taught us to make was good, but I’m hoping for some kind of dessert I can make for Thanksgiving or even Christmas.”
“That would be nice. I cater a lot of parties during the holidays, so I’m always looking for new pie, cake, or cookie recipes to try.”
“Bet your business is doing well.” Dan wiped his mouth on a napkin. “Because this chicken soup you made is sure good.”
“Thank you. It’s an old family recipe, handed down from my great-grandmother.”
“My wife, Flo, used to make good soup. She taught our daughters how to cook well, too.” Lance rubbed his hand against his chest, where his heart would be. “Sure do miss her.”
Lisa felt like leaving her seat and giving him a hug, but she held back. Except for the times they’d met at Heidi’s classes, she didn’t know Lance well and thought he might not appreciate a hug from a near stranger. “Loss is hard,” she murmured. “It’s good you have other family around.”
“Yeah.” He bumped Dan’s arm with his elbow. “I may not always show it or think to express my feelings, but I do appreciate you, Brother.”
“Same here. Even though we have our differences, when the chips are down, I know I can count on you.”
Lisa’s cell phone rang from the living room, so she excused herself to answer it. She took a seat on the couch. “Hello.”
“Hi, Lisa, it’s Todd. I hope you aren’t busy.”
“I was having lunch with Lance and his brother, Dan.”
“Lance Freemont from our cooking class?”
“Yes. He brought Dan over this morning to look at my rental, and since they helped me with a few repairs, I fixed them lunch.”
“Wow, if I’d known having lunch with you would be the reward, I’d have volunteered to come help myself.”
She snickered. “And miss work?”
“You’re right, I do need to write an article for the paper, but I get a lunchbreak, which I’m taking right now, in fact.”
“If you were closer to Dover, I’d invite you to join us.”
“That’d be nice, but since I’m not, how about dinner tonight?”
“You want to join me here for dinner?”
“I was thinking of taking you out for another meal.” He laughed. “I’m a pretty direct person, but I’d never invite myself to anyone’s house, expecting them to cook for me.”
“Actually, I’d be happy to fix you a meal, but tonight I’m busy.”
“Oh, I see.” She heard the disappointment in Todd’s voice.
“I’m catering a friend’s baby shower this evening, so I won’t even have time for a decent dinner myself.” Lisa heard laughter coming from the kitchen and smiled. It sounded like the brothers were getting along well, and she was glad. She’d be most happy to have a brother or sister. She hoped Lance and Dan knew how fortunate they were.
“Are you still there, Lisa?”
“Uh, yeah. I need to finish eating, but can we get together for dinner some other night this week—maybe Friday or Saturday?”
“Saturday would work for me.”
“Okay, see you at six o’clock that evening. Oh, and plan on eating here this time. I’ll fix something special.”
“Sounds good, Lisa. See you Saturday.”
When Lisa hung up, she sat several seconds, thinking about Todd. Based on some things he’d said during one of the cooking classes, she wasn’t sure if he was a Christian or not. She needed to find out soon, before their relationship went any further.
New Philadelphia
After leaving work that afternoon, Allie picked the kids up from school, then went to the bank. As she headed for home, with Nola and Derek talking quietly in the backseat for a change, her thoughts went to Steve. She couldn’t believe he’d worked past midnight both Sunday and Monday. Allie had tried talking to him about it this morning, before she took the kids to school, but he’d been evasive. Something had to be going on, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, once and for all. It wasn’t fair of Steve to cause her to worry and wonder like this. Tonight, when he came home—no matter what time it was—she would insist they sit down and have a little talk.
“Mommy, can we take Trouble for a walk when we get home?” Derek’s question pushed Allie’s thoughts aside.
“We’ll see. I need to put a roast in the oven for supper, and you two need to change into your play clothes before we do anything else.”
“Can we have cookies and milk?” Nola asked.
“Yes, we’ll take time for a snack. Afterward, you can play in the yard with the dog until I’m free to take a walk with you.”
“Okay, Mommy,” the children said in unison.
Allie smiled. It was good to see them both in pleasant moods, with no teasing or quarrelling. There were times when the kids sat in the back of the van picking on each other until they reached their destination. Nothing got on Allie’s nerves more than that.
The grocery store was up ahead, and Allie decided to stop and pick up a few things she needed. “Let’s go kids.” Allie parked the van and opened the door. “We are going to make a quick trip inside, then we’ll go straight home and take care of Trouble.”
Once inside, Allie and the kids scooted down each aisle. She was glad her children kept up with her. Rounding the cart to the next aisle, Allie spotted another mother whose daughter was in her son’s class. Oh, fiddle. I was hoping I wouldn’t run into anybody. I don’t want to take the time for idle chitchat.
Allie tried to look away, in hopes she wouldn’t be seen, but it was too late. Tammy Brubaker approached her cart.
“Nola and Derek, I want you each to pick out a box of cereal you’d like to get while I say hello to Mrs. Brubaker.” Allie didn’t want to be rude, and hopefully she could make this conversation short.
“Hi, Allie.” Tammy smiled. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Hi, yourself. And yes, it has been a while.”
“How are you and your family doing?”
Allie gave a quick rundown and mentioned the puppy she’d recently gotten for the kids. Then Tammy asked how Steve was doing.
“He’s good, but his job keeps him from home a good deal of the time.”
“I’ll bet. Having a job as a police officer, well … I’m sure there is never a lull.” Tammy pushed her long auburn hair away from her face.
“You’
re right about that.” Allie wished she could find a way to end their conversation, but it would be impolite. The last thing she wanted to talk about with Tammy was Steve or his job.
“Come to think of it,” Tammy continued. “I saw Steve recently, when I went to get a cup of coffee at the little café in the mall.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. I was parking my car, but didn’t get a chance to talk with him, though. He was leaving with a fellow officer. A nice-looking lady with blond hair.” Tammy pulled a jar of pickles off the nearest shelf and placed it in her shopping cart. “She looked too young to be a police officer, but then, these days it’s hard to tell a person’s age.”
Allie tensed up, and no words would come. Call it good timing, but she was thankful when the children came running back with their choices of cereal. Did Tammy suspect something was going on between Steve and Lori? If so, Allie hoped she wouldn’t mention it to anyone.
“I’m sorry Tammy, but we really have to run.” Allie put the cereal boxes in the cart. “The puppy has been home alone all day, and I’m sure we’ll have a mess to clean up in his cage.” As she pushed the shopping cart toward the front of the aisle, Allie looked over her shoulder and hollered, “It was nice talking to you.”
Allie didn’t care about the curious expression on Tammy’s face. All she wanted to do was get out of that store, take the kids home to care for Trouble, put the groceries away, and start supper. The busier she kept, the more it would help her anger to keep from bubbling over. The last thing Allie had wanted to hear was news of Steve being seen with that blond—especially learning such a thing from someone else.
After making sure the kids were buckled in, Allie got into the minivan. Now calm down, she told herself. It doesn’t do any good for you to get so upset—especially when you have no proof of anything. But the image of Steve and his blond partner having coffee in that cute little café remained in Allie’s head.
Millersburg
Amish Cooking Class--The Blessing Page 19