“When you told me what Banks said about those high-dollar restaurants featuring local grass-fed beef on their menus—and that they’d bought most of the meat Abner had processed,” he began, “it made me think that raising your cattle on a larger scale might be a great alternative.”
Leah’s eyebrow rose as she considered what he’d said. “What do you mean by larger scale?”
Jude smiled. “Well, we’ve got that six and a half acres of pasture land down by the creek, where I was thinking of running some sheep, and Jeremiah has a nice tract of pasture he’d consider renting to you as well,” he replied. “So why not restock your herd and enlarge it? And why not have Abner do all the processing to sell the meat to restaurants, so you both earn some nice money?”
“Oh my,” she whispered. “I like the sound of that—but we’d have to reinforce the fences, not to mention reseeding those areas and buying enough Black Angus cows to—”
“And you have the money to cover all that now,” Jude pointed out, loving the way Leah’s mind worked. “I know of a couple breeders up north who’ve been raising their cattle on grass, too.”
“—and with Betsy back, and our baby coming, I’d have to consider a more efficient feeding system for them—and maybe you won’t want me spending so much time tending animals anymore,” she continued. Her voice was low and urgent, betraying her keen interest in this venture even as she anticipated the extra effort another baby would require of her.
Jude cleared his throat. “You’re right, of course, and I’m all in favor of streamlining your operation—which Stevie will jump into with both feet,” he added quickly. “He’s so excited about the way you want to put him in charge of your new animals, and I think that’s a fabulous idea that’ll work well with a little help on our part. And because you’re reinvesting that chunk of money in livestock, it’ll be a tax deduction. A really nice tax deduction.”
“Ah. I hadn’t thought about that.” Leah’s smile widened as she rested her head on his shoulder again. “But I don’t want you to think I’m shortchanging the new baby, or the housework, or the cooking, or—”
“That’s the least of my concerns.”
Leah raised herself up again to gaze into his eyes. “But you know we won’t have the twins helping us out with the housework one of these days, after they marry,” she insisted. “And what’ll the neighbors say? They already think I spend too much time doing men’s work—”
“I’ve never given a hoot about what the neighbors say, so why should I start now?” he countered with a chuckle. “If you want to give your cattle business a bigger, better shot, go for it. I’m saying this with utmost, unconditional confidence, sweet Leah . . . because I know things you don’t. Details that’ll be revealed in their own gut time.”
She swatted at him playfully. “Who do you think you are, keeping secrets from me?” she teased.
“I’m the man who loves you more than life itself,” he murmured as he pulled her close for a kiss. “I’m proud of the way you do business—and I’m in awe because you’ve won over my kids and brought our family together despite the ordeals you’ve endured.”
Leah’s eyes widened even as she appeared ready to cry. “I love you, too, Jude,” she whispered. “Where would I be if you hadn’t believed in me?”
“Probably still at your family’s farm with your mamm, doing just fine,” he replied matter-of-factly. “You’re one of the few women I know who could make a go of her life without depending upon a man—so I’m the lucky one. Do what you want about our herd expansion idea, but I suspect it’ll be really profitable on a larger scale. You might do so well you’ll give up your chickens and ducks one of these days.”
“Oh my. I’ve been raising ducks and chickens along with my milk goats since I was a girl,” she pointed out. “But . . . but maybe it’s time to consider some changes. Dat always believed in latching onto new opportunities and letting go of the jobs that weren’t worth his time anymore.”
Jude smiled as he inhaled deeply. The baby Leah carried was already shifting her mind-set—and the yeasty-sweet scent of Lenore’s cinnamon rolls was another sign that change was coming to the Shetler household. “No matter what you decide, it’ll all work out, sweet Leah. Shall we go downstairs and start our day?”
* * *
Leah felt a tingly heat in her cheeks when Jude kissed her good-bye and left on a mysterious mission after breakfast. He was humming under his breath and he had a spring in his step that she hadn’t seen since they’d married.
“There goes a happy man,” Mama remarked as they began clearing the table.
“There goes a man with a secret,” Leah countered. She wound up the swing for Betsy, delighted that they’d kept it—and that the little girl who filled their hearts with sunshine had resumed her place. “This morning he encouraged me to consider raising a much bigger herd of crossbred cattle and funneling them to market by way of Abner Gingerich’s butcher shop. Then he left me hanging, hinting there are things he knows but refuses to tell me.”
Once again, a furtive smile made Mama’s lips flicker, as they had when she’d arrived on Thursday. “Maybe I know a little bit about that—and maybe I don’t,” she teased quickly. “But then, I suspect I’m not the only woman in this kitchen who’s not telling everything she knows.”
Leah’s eyes widened. Had Mama guessed there was a baby on the way? Adeline and Alice were gathering ingredients to make the fried pies they were taking for the common meal after church the next day, while Stevie had come over to make funny faces so Betsy would laugh. Maybe it was time to tell the kids about the upcoming visit from the stork before she and Jude shared their news with everyone at church . . . so they could savor the family’s secret before the neighbors heard it.
“I’ll tell my secret if you’ll tell yours, Mama,” Leah said boldly. As she’d anticipated, her words had caught the attention of Stevie and the twins, who would probably pester her and their mammi until the revelations came out.
Mama set the stack of dirty plates on the counter beside the sink, chuckling. “All right, that’s fair. You go first, Leah.”
Leah paused. She’d imagined having Jude by her side when she first mentioned the baby to his kids, yet she felt confident that Adeline and Alice would receive this news much more graciously now than they would have when they were calling her names and taunting her with chicken bones. “Well,” she began shyly, “it seems we’ll have another little Shetler joining us, sometime in September.”
The girls sucked in their breath and rushed over to her.
“A baby? Really, Leah?” Alice asked excitedly.
Adeline hugged Leah at the same time her twin did. “Oh, but this is gut news! And we’ve all had plenty of practice with Betsy!”
“We love babies!” Stevie exclaimed, clapping his hands. “But I want a brother, okay?”
Mama laughed knowingly as she, too, hugged Leah close. “I had my suspicions,” she admitted softly, “and I’m ecstatic, Leah. Maybe this is why Jude’s got a sparkle in his eyes, ain’t so?”
“Puh! You’re not getting out of telling your secret with that line, Mama!” Leah teased affectionately. “Seems to me you’re the one whose eyes are shining. Out with it!”
Mama’s face turned a little pink when she noticed the kids’ expectant expressions. “I’ve decided to take Jude up on his offer to come here to live—if it’s all right with you, Leah,” she added quickly.
Leah’s heart turned flip-flops as she grabbed Mama’s shoulders. “All right?” she blurted out. “After you’ve made us such wonderful rolls for breakfast—not to mention all the clothes you’ve sewn and—well, do you really think we’d turn you away?”
“Yay!” Stevie cried out as he made a beeline for Mama’s knees. “We love you, Mammi Lenore, and we’ll do anything you say if you’ll stay with us!”
Mama laughed as she stooped to hug him. “You’ve got a lot of witnesses who heard you say that, young man.”
Alice an
d Adeline slipped their arms around Mama, too, eyeing her closely. “So what brought this on?” Alice asked.
“Jah,” Adeline chimed in. “Did Dat tell you about the baby, so you decided to come help us out?”
“Or are you really coming to keep an eye on us?” Alice added with a laugh.
The twins gazed steadily at Mama—and so did Leah. Having her mother here to help with the cooking and household chores would be wonderful no matter why she’d decided to come, but now that Betsy had returned and a baby was on the way, Leah felt an enormous burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
Mama smiled as though all this close attention had caught her off guard. “Truth be told, Jude has asked me more than once to live here, but I wasn’t ready—until Bishop Vernon suggested that Mose and Hannah Hartzler could live in the house—”
“They lost their home in a fire, I heard,” Leah put in.
Mama nodded. “And it seems the bishop’s been looking for more pastureland for his Black Angus,” she continued. “Vernon has offered to buy the place, lock, stock, and barrel so I won’t be bothered with collecting rent or maintaining the place. After I thought about it, it seemed as though God had dropped a huge opportunity in my lap. So now that you’re all agreeable to having me here, I’ll take the bishop up on his generous offer.”
“Oh, Mama, this is wonderful-gut news,” Leah said. “I like your secret almost as much as I like mine!”
Mama’s smile took ten years from her face. “Truth be told, I was a little lonely on the farm by myself,” she admitted. “And it seemed nobody needed me anymore. If I live here, I’ll have folks to cook and sew for—”
“And kids to play with!” Stevie crowed.
“—and you folks won’t have to clean out all my stuff or deal with my furniture, either,” Mama added. “Except for my quilting supplies and a few other personal belongings, I can walk away from the place unencumbered because the Hartzlers lost everything in the fire. They don’t care that my curtains are faded or that your dat’s tools and a couple of old buggies are in the barn, because they can use them.”
The kitchen seemed to expand to twice its size to accommodate all the happiness Leah was feeling. Why hadn’t she thought to invite her mother to live here? Had she been so determined to prove herself to Jude and his kids that she’d overlooked a very practical source of assistance?
This isn’t about practicality, though, Leah realized. And it’s not about expecting Mama to do all the work I’m not so gut at, either. Left alone much longer, Mama might’ve withered away like the last grape left on the vine after harvest—although she’d never let on that she didn’t enjoy the life of an independent widow.
“Mama, it’ll be so gut having you here,” Leah said, gazing into her mother’s eyes. “I’ve missed our talks, and the way your presence always calms me. What a blessing it’ll be to have you here as we get ready for the baby, too.”
Mama’s eyes shone with tears. “I’ve waited a long time for grandkids,” she said softly, “and now—why, I’ll soon have five of them! I won’t be living in a house that’s too quiet anymore.”
Leah chuckled, slipping an arm around Mama’s shoulders. “I doubt Calvin or Ivan will be showing up here unannounced at mealtimes, either,” she said in a low voice. “But if a nice man comes along wanting to court you—”
“We’ll all be here to check him out!” Stevie interrupted brightly.
Mama burst out laughing. “If that happens, he’ll either pass muster or he won’t, and that’ll be the end of it,” she said. “It’ll be such a relief not to listen to Ivan’s long-winded stories—or to wish Calvin would shower more often.”
When Alice and Adeline grimaced and went back to making their fried pies, Leah ran hot water to begin washing the dishes. What a morning this had been, and it wasn’t yet eight o’clock! No matter what sort of mystery Jude might still have up his sleeve, it couldn’t possibly compare to the news she and Mama had just shared.
And when Mama drove to Cedar Creek to bring back another load of her clothes and belongings, Leah didn’t think anything of it....
Chapter 28
Was it Leah’s imagination, or did folks seem extra-happy to see her as the family arrived at Jeremiah’s for church on Sunday morning? She’d anticipated that Betsy’s presence would spark conversation among the women as they gathered in Margaret’s kitchen before the service, yet she sensed another undercurrent, too . . . secretive glances, and snatches of whispered conversation that stopped when she came near. Leah could recall the same furtive behavior when she’d first married Jude, but this time the women seemed festive and cheerful rather than judgmental.
“Happy Mother’s Day, all!” Margaret called out as she greeted Leah and the other ladies. “Won’t it be nice to have the men setting out the food and cleaning up after the meal today?”
“I’m not a mother, but I enjoy this Sunday every spring!” Naomi Slabaugh said with a chuckle.
Esther’s chins quivered with her chuckle. “Jah, it’ll be a real treat to relax out in the shade with lemonade and extra dessert while the fellows do the work,” she said. “And today we’ll have Betsy to entertain us, too.”
Leah was amazed when the two maidel sisters came up to her and tweaked Betsy’s nose as though she were their favorite niece. The other women were also greeting Leah as they placed their pans of food on Margaret’s counters and in the refrigerator. Soon everyone was filing into Bishop Jeremiah’s expanded front room to begin the service. Gabe Flaud sang the first few words of the opening hymn.
As everyone’s voices rose in the ancient song, Leah noticed how little Betsy brightened and began to gaze at the women seated around them. She wiggled happily in her basket on the pew bench, even though the hymn was rather slow and somber. Was the wee girl fond of music? Or did she simply enjoy being in the company of so many folks who smiled and paid attention to her? Either way, Leah couldn’t recall feeling happier at church—especially considering how some of these ladies had once considered her an odd duck because she worked with animals.
Leah blinked. I was indeed an odd duck, because I got along better with my goats than I did with most people, she thought. Now that I’ve chosen to be a part of Jude’s family—and his church district—I’m more open to the company of women, and they accept me. I feel like I belong here now.
It was a wondrous revelation. A few verses of the hymn went right past Leah before she found her place on the page of the Ausbund and joined the singing again. Her heart felt light, and as Betsy began to babble quietly, Leah couldn’t help smiling. Surely, God had found favor with her, and He’d blessed her with a life she could’ve only dreamed about last year at this time.
After a time of kneeling for prayer, Bishop Jeremiah began the first sermon. Although Leah had always admired Bishop Vernon’s wisdom and his way with words, she also appreciated the energy with which the Morning Star bishop addressed his congregation. His voice rang with enthusiasm as he told them the story of Jesus feeding the multitude that had gathered on the hillsides.
“With only a few little fishes and loaves of bread—certainly less food than we’ll consume after church today—our Savior satisfied the hunger of more than four thousand people. And there were leftovers!” he exclaimed with outstretched arms. “It was a miracle, for sure and for certain, and once again Jesus was showing those who followed Him that in God, all things are possible to those who believe—”
Leah sucked in her breath and sat very still, oblivious to the rest of Jeremiah’s sentence. She’d felt a flutter deep inside. Could it be the baby moving? She closed her eyes and focused inward, praying for guidance.
This time the movement was more distinct, and Leah was filled with awe. The bishop might be expounding upon wondrous events of long ago and far away, but right here on the pew bench she was experiencing her own miracle. She’d witnessed birth dozens of times in barns and pens, yet now that she was the mother involved, the whole process took on a brilliance that rival
ed the sun. Somehow Leah made it through the remaining hours of the service without exploding from sheer joy.
At long last, Bishop Jeremiah pronounced the benediction. “Do we have any announcements?” he asked with a knowing smile. “Any concerns or news about our family or friends?”
When Jude stood up with a boyish grin on his face, Leah met his brown-eyed gaze and fell in love with him all over again. “Guess you’ve noticed by now that Betsy has returned to us,” he said happily. “And this time it’s permanent—Leah and I will be adopting her.”
Heads nodded and folks smiled at little Betsy, who now leaned against Leah’s shoulder with an arm around her neck. When Betsy squawked, pleasant laughter filled the room.
“But that’s not all!” Jude continued. “Our family will be welcoming a new Shetler come September, and we couldn’t be more delighted.”
This time folks applauded and took a second look at Leah, whose cheeks tingled with heat. The women seated near her grabbed her hand or grasped her shoulders, sincerely happy for her, and folks began standing up to congratulate her and Jude.
“Before we leave this room—before you men set up for our dinner,” Margaret said loudly, “we’re not finished with announcements. Hush now, so everyone knows what’s going to happen.”
The murmurings ceased. All eyes focused on Jude and Jeremiah’s mamm, who stood with a hand on her hip and an authoritative expression on her face.
Margaret smiled at Leah. “When Jude came over yesterday and told us Betsy had returned—with only the clothes on her wee back—Lenore and I decided to make this a Mother’s Day we’d all remember by getting the word out and holding a baby frolic!” she exclaimed. “So while the menfolk are setting up the tables for a picnic outside, we gals can have a little hen party for you, Leah—”
“We brought along a big batch of bird’s-eye cotton for sewing diapers after dinner!” Cora Miller called out.
“We shared most of our spare baby things last time Jude came asking for them,” Rose Wagler remarked, “so we’ve also brought fabric for onesies and little dresses—”
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