Megan touched his arm. “Maybe you won’t have to keep wondering where your son is.”
“What do you mean?”
“On Saturday I placed an ad with The Budget.”
His eyebrows arched upward. “You did what?”
“I put an ad in the notice section of The Budget, telling your story about leaving Will with an Amish couple in Lancaster County and asking anyone who knows Will or the Amish couple to contact you.”
“I can’t believe you’d do something like that without asking me.” Frank grimaced. “If you called the ad in two days ago, how come you’re just now telling me about it?”
“I probably should have told you sooner, but you worked Saturday, and on Sunday, you slept half of the day, so I didn’t think about it until now.”
He grunted. “You probably wasted our money. I doubt that anyone will respond to that ad.”
“You never know. The Amish couple you left Will with might subscribe to The Budget. If they do, they’re likely to read the notice and hopefully contact you.”
“I won’t get my hopes up,” Frank said as he climbed into his truck. “If Regina and Mark Stoltzfus moved from Lancaster County so they could have my boy, even if they do read the notice, I don’t think they’ll respond.”
Karen had just left the dry goods store and was preparing to go to Shipshewana when Will showed up.
“Wie geht’s?” he called as he stepped down from his buggy.
“I’m doing fine. So much better now that I have no pain and I’m finally about to get my wedding dress made.” She smiled. “I’m also back working in the store.”
“Glad to hear it.” He joined her outside the buggy shed. “Are you going somewhere?”
She nodded. “I’m meeting my friend Vonda Nissley for lunch. Then I have another appointment with the oral surgeon.”
Will’s eyebrows puckered. “I was hoping I could take you to lunch today and then over to my place to see Sandy’s hundlin.”
“I’m sorry, Will. Maybe we can make it another day this week.” She hated to disappoint him. He seemed in a good mood today—better than the last time he’d dropped by to show her his new horse.
Will opened the buggy shed door and pushed her buggy outside. “Would you like me to get your horse and hitch it to the buggy?”
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”
“Don’t mind at all.”
“How’s your new horse working out?” Karen asked as she followed him to the barn.
“So far so good. Of course I haven’t had him long enough to know for sure.”
“Have you given him a name yet?”
Will nodded. “Since he’s got a white blaze on his forehead, I decided to call him Blazer.”
“Seems like a good name to me.”
“What restaurant will you and Vonda be having lunch at today?” Will asked as he hitched Karen’s horse to her buggy.
“The Blue Gate in Shipshewana. We’re supposed to meet at 12:30, so I’d best be on my way.”
Will helped Karen into the buggy and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “I’ll see you soon.”
She nodded and got the horse moving. In the side mirror, she saw Will climb into his buggy. When he got to the end of the driveway, he turned in the opposite direction of the way she was heading.
Maybe I should have invited him to join Vonda and me for lunch. She sighed. But I guess it’s too late for that.
Regina looked up as Mark entered the store. “I spoke with Bishop Miller a few minutes ago,” Mark announced, “and he said the Kings’ harness shop burned to the ground last night.”
Regina gasped. “That’s terrible! What happened, do you know?”
“I guess a propane tank blew up, and the whole place caught on fire. The bishop said there’s going to be a work frolic in a few days to rebuild the harness shop.”
“Will you be going to the frolic?”
Mark nodded. “I’m sure our son will want to help out, too.”
Regina smiled. “Will’s always been willing to help others in their time of need. He’s turned into a real fine man. Remember when we first met him? He was so polite, but I’ve never seen a six-year-old boy who could put away as many cookies as Will did that day.”
“He’s always had a pretty good appetite.”
Regina grabbed her jacket from the wall peg near the door. “Speaking of appetites, why don’t you come over to the house with me while I fix some lunch?”
“Is that a hint that I should help you fix it?”
“Only if you want to. I mostly thought we could visit.”
Mark chuckled. “Jah, okay.”
“What brings you by our place today?” Leroy asked when Will stepped into the Eashes’ blacksmith shop. “Is that new horse of yours in need of some shoes?”
Will shook his head. “I was on my way to Shipshewana for lunch and thought I’d drop by and see if you’d like to join me.”
Leroy quirked an eyebrow. “You want me to go to Shipshewana with you for lunch?”
“Jah.”
“Mind if I ask why? I mean, you and I have never been that close.”
“Well, I…uh…thought maybe we ought to try to mend some fences between us—for Karen’s sake, you know.”
“I suppose that would be a good idea.”
“So are you free to join me for lunch?”
Leroy glanced at his brother Gerald. “Do you think you and Dad can get along without me for a few hours? Will wants to treat me to lunch.”
Will grimaced. He hadn’t actually planned to treat Leroy, but if that’s what it took to get him to go, he’d gladly pay the bill.
“Jah, sure, you go ahead,” Gerald said. “Dad should be back from lunch most anytime, and I can manage on my own until he shows up.”
“Great! I’ll see you later, then.” Leroy grabbed his jacket and followed Will out the door.
“Before we head out, there’s something I’d like to say,” Leroy said as he climbed into Will’s buggy.
“What’s that?”
“I hope you don’t still think I ran the bid up on that horse just to make you pay a big price.”
Will shrugged.
“I told you the other day that I really wanted that horse. I just couldn’t go any higher than I did.”
“Jah, okay.” Will gathered up the reins and directed the horse onto County Road 8. “Blazer’s a fine horse. I can see why you wanted him.”
“I did want him, but I like the horse I got, so I have no complaints.”
“I’m curious to know something,” Will said.
“What’s that?”
“How come you wanted a new horse? Was there something wrong with the one you had?”
“Tinker’s a good horse, but he’s getting up in years and isn’t as fast as I’d like him to be. So I gave him to my mamm, and she’s real pleased, because she likes a slower, more easygoing buggy horse.”
“I see.”
“Changing the subject,” Leroy said, “which restaurant do you plan to go to for lunch?”
“The Blue Gate. They have some pretty good Dutch-style meals.”
Leroy smacked his lips. “That’s true. The desserts they have are pretty tasty, too.”
As they continued to travel toward Shipshewana, they talked about the chilly November weather, their new horses, Papa Mark’s dairy cows, Sandy’s puppies, and the blacksmith shop Leroy ran with his father and older brother. By the time they arrived at their destination, Will had decided that Leroy wasn’t such a bad fellow when he wasn’t hovering around Karen. If Leroy had a girlfriend of his own, he and Will might even become friends.
When they stepped into The Blue Gate Restaurant, Will glanced around to see if he could spot Karen or Vonda. He didn’t see them in the lobby and figured they might be at a table already.
When the hostess came and led them to the dining room, Will spotted Karen and Vonda sitting in a booth. “Can we sit over there?” he asked, motioning to the booth where they sat. �
��We know those women.”
The hostess nodded and led them across the room. As they approached the booth, Karen looked up and smiled. “Will, what are you doing here?”
“Leroy and I came for lunch. If you don’t mind, we’d like to join you.”
Karen glanced over at Vonda, whose face turned crimson as she shrugged. Dark eyed and dark haired, Vonda was an attractive young woman, and Will thought her good looks would turn most any man’s head. The only thing that detracted from Vonda’s beauty was her shyness. Will hoped Leroy might see past that if he got to know Vonda better.
“We’ve already placed our orders, and we’ll have to leave by one thirty so I can be at my appointment on time, but you’re welcome to join us.” Karen slid across the seat, and Will slipped in beside her. That left the seat beside Vonda for Leroy.
A young Mennonite waitress came to take Will’s and Leroy’s orders, and Karen’s and Vonda’s food arrived a few minutes later. The four of them bowed their heads for silent prayer, and then Karen and Vonda started eating.
“How’s your turkey sandwich?” Leroy asked, looking at Karen.
She smiled. “It’s good. Turkey’s one of my favorite meats. On Thanksgiving, I always eat more of it than I should though, and then I’m miserable the rest of the day.”
“Speaking of Thanksgiving,” Will put in, “Mama Regina’s already planning her menu.” He glanced over at Vonda, who hadn’t said a word since he and Leroy had sat down. “What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?”
“Pumpkin pie, I guess.”
“How about you, Leroy?” Will asked.
“Let’s see now…turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and apple pie.” Leroy grinned at Karen again. “Remember that time when we were kinner and our mamms made mincemeat pie, but we thought it was apple with raisins?”
“Jah, and what a surprise we got when we took our first bite.”
Leroy chuckled. “It was the first and last time I ever ate mincemeat pie.”
“Leroy,” Will interjected, “why don’t you tell Vonda about your new horse?”
“Huh?” Leroy blinked a couple of times.
“Why don’t you tell Vonda about your new horse?”
Leroy’s face colored slightly, and he reached for his glass of water. “There’s not much to tell, and I—I doubt she’d be interested.”
“What about your new horse?” Karen asked before Vonda could respond.
As Leroy listed the many attributes of his trotter, Will gritted his teeth. Things weren’t going the way he’d hoped. Karen and Leroy were talking, and Will had managed to get in a few words; Vonda seemed more interested in her turkey sandwich than in Leroy though. For that matter, Leroy hadn’t shown any interest in Vonda. Will was beginning to think inviting Leroy to join him for lunch had been a mistake.
Maybe Vonda’s not the right woman for Leroy, Will thought. I’d better come up with someone else. Maybe I can get Leroy and Mary Jane together. As far as I know, she doesn’t have a boyfriend.
CHAPTER 16
When Will and his folks arrived at the Kings’ place for the work frolic, Will and Papa Mark joined the men, who’d already begun framing the new harness shop. Mama Regina headed to the house to help the women make coffee and prepare snacks. Will hadn’t seen any sign of Karen’s buggy, so he figured the Yoders might not have arrived.
He spotted Leroy’s rig though and noticed Leroy and his youngest brother, Owen, carrying some lumber toward the work site. Then he saw Dan Lambright’s rig pull in and was relieved to see Mary Jane and her mother step down from the buggy. Now he needed to figure out some way to get Leroy and Mary Jane talking.
“How’s it going, Will?” Leroy asked as he set the lumber down near the place were Will stood.
“It’s going okay. How are things with you?”
“Real good. I’m sure liking that horse I got at the auction. How’s your horse working out?”
“Just fine. Blazer’s a good buggy horse and doesn’t get skittish the way Ben used to do.”
“I’ve never liked a skittish horse,” Leroy said. “It’s dangerous enough to be on the roads without having to worry about a horse that can’t be trusted.” He glanced across the yard. “I see Karen and her family have just arrived. Maybe I’ll head over there and say hello before I haul more wood.”
Will ground his teeth together. He was getting ready to follow Leroy when Nathan and Harley walked up to him.
“I heard you got a new horse,” Harley said.
Will nodded. “Got him at the auction in Topeka last Saturday.”
“What kind did you get?”
“A beautiful black trotter.”
“He’s a real nice one, too,” Nathan put in. “I was with Will when he got the horse.”
“My buggy horse is getting old and kind of slow, and I’d like to get a new one,” Harley said with a wistful expression. “Guess that’s not gonna happen for a while, though. At least not until Luanne has her boppli and I’ve paid the hospital bills.”
“I didn’t know your wife was expecting a baby,” Will said.
“She’s due in April. I’m sure I mentioned it to you.”
“Guess I must have forgotten,” Will mumbled. Truth was, he’d been so consumed with thoughts of Karen and Leroy that he hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.
Harley thumped Will on the back. “I bet it won’t be long until you’re a daed yourself.”
Will blinked a couple of times. “Huh?”
“You and Karen will be getting married in December, right?”
“That’s the plan.”
“Then by this time next year, you could be a daed.”
Will nodded slowly. He wanted to have children, but the thought scared him a bit. What if he didn’t measure up? What if he turned out to be like Pop, who had cared so little about his son that he’d run off and left him with people he barely knew?
“Will, could you bring some of that lumber over here?” Papa Mark hollered from across the yard. “We’re ready to begin building the side walls.”
“Okay,” Will called in response.
“Guess we’d better get busy,” Nathan said. “We should be able to get the harness shop pretty well done in a day if everyone does his part.”
Will glanced in the direction of the field where the buggies were parked. He caught sight of Karen walking across the yard with Leroy at her side.
I’ve got to put a stop to this.
“Where’s that lumber?” Papa Mark shouted.
“I’m coming!” Will bent down and grabbed some wood. “Yeow!” He dropped the wood and stared at the one-inch sliver embedded in his thumb.
“Looks like a pretty nasty splinter,” Nathan said. “Guess you should have been wearing gloves.”
Will nodded. “That’s what I get for not paying attention to what I’m doing.”
“You’d better go up to the house and see about getting that splinter removed.”
Will glanced at the wood lying near his feet.
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll haul it over to your daed,” Nathan said as he slipped on a pair of leather gloves.
“Danki.” Will sprinted across the lawn to the back door and nearly collided with Mary Jane, who was on her way out.
“I–I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “Guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
“That’s okay, no harm done. Were you looking for something to eat or drink?”
He held up his hand. “I’ve got a sliver and came to the house to get something to take it out.”
“I’ll take care of it for you.” Mary Jane pointed to a chair on the back porch. “Have a seat, and I’ll run inside and see what I can find.”
Will lowered himself into the chair as Mary Jane went into the house. A few minutes later, she was back with a first aid kit. “I’ve got what we need,” she said, sitting beside Will.
She took his hand, and Will winced when she poked a needle under the sliver. “Ouch, that sure hurts!
”
“Hold still. If you move around, it’ll hurt a lot more.” Mary Jane continued to probe until the sliver was finally free. Then she poured some antiseptic on it and applied a bandage. “There you go. Good as new.”
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