“Danki,” Will said as the throbbing subsided.
“You’re welcome.”
Just then Karen stepped onto the porch. “What’s wrong, Will? Why are you wearing a bandage on your hand?”
“I picked up a nasty sliver. Mary Jane got it out for me, though.”
Karen pursed her lips as she looked at Will; then she glanced over at Mary Jane and frowned. “I figured you’d be in the house helping the other women get coffee and refreshments going.”
“I was, but I was coming outside to see if anyone needed coffee, when I bumped into Will and he told me about the sliver.”
Karen looked back at Will. “How’d you get a sliver in your hand? Were you wearing gloves?”
Will shook his head. “Forgot to put my gloves on before I picked up some wood.” He glanced toward the work site and noticed Leroy heading that way. At least the irritating fellow wasn’t with Karen anymore. “I’d better get back to work, but I’ll see you during the noon meal if not before.” Will smiled at Karen and rose from the chair. He was disappointed when she didn’t smile in return.
Did Leroy say something to make Karen upset with me? Will was about to ask when Karen pushed past him and stepped into the house.
Will looked over at Mary Jane to see what her reaction was to Karen’s strange behavior, but Mary Jane sat staring across the yard.
“If you’re going out to see who wants coffee, you can walk out with me,” Will said. He figured if Mary Jane came out to the work site, she might end up talking to Leroy. At least that would be a start at getting them together.
Will and Mary Jane headed across the yard and stopped when they reached the spot where Leroy was working.
“Mary Jane would like to know if you’d like some coffee,” Will said.
“Is that so?” Leroy asked with barely a glance in Mary Jane’s direction.
Will nodded. “She was kind enough to take a sliver from my hand, too.”
“That’s nice.”
Mary Jane nudged Leroy’s arm. “Do you want some coffee?”
He shook his head. “Not right now. I need to get to work.” He lifted a can of nails. “Are you planning to help now, Will?”
“Jah, sure.” Will smiled at Mary Jane. “Why don’t you bring a pot of coffee out, anyway? I’m sure some of the men would like a cup.”
“Okay.”
When Mary Jane headed back to the house, Will grabbed a hammer and faced Leroy again. “Mary’s Jane real nice, don’t you think?”
Leroy shrugged.
“She looks pretty good in the face, too, don’t you agree?”
Leroy squinted as he stared at Will. “Is there something going on between you and Mary Jane?”
“Huh?”
“I said—”
“I heard your question. What I don’t understand is why you asked it.”
“You said she took a splinter from your hand, and she kept smiling at you the whole time she was standing beside us.”
“I never saw her smiling at me, and there’s nothing going on between us.”
“Sure looked like it to me.” Leroy grunted. “I saw her visiting with you at the auction the other day, and you two looked pretty cozy.”
“She came there with her daed, and we were only talking.”
Leroy shrugged. “Whatever you say.”
Will clenched his fists until his fingers dug into his palms. Things weren’t working out the way he’d planned at all.
Karen stood at the kitchen window watching Mary Jane walk back to the house. I shouldn’t have let her walk out there with Will. I should have gone with them.
In all the time Karen and Will had been seeing each other, she’d never felt jealous. But seeing the way Mary Jane had looked at Will when he talked about how she’d removed his sliver made Karen wonder if Mary Jane might be interested in him.
Come to think of it, when she’d talked with Leroy earlier, he’d mentioned seeing Mary Jane at the horse auction talking to Will.
Now that I think about it, whenever I’ve seen Will working in his mamm’s health food store, Mary Jane’s always acted real friendly toward him. Surely Will doesn’t have an interest in Mary Jane, or he wouldn’t have asked me to marry him. Maybe he’s been acting so friendly toward her in order to make me jealous. He might be doing it to get back at me because he’s jealous of my friendship with Leroy.
Mary Jane entered the kitchen a few minutes later and removed the coffeepot from the stove. “Some of the men are ready for coffee,” she said to Doris King, who was cutting up brownies.
“I’m sure they’d like some of these to go with the coffee,” Doris replied. She looked over at Karen and smiled. “When Mary Jane goes out with the coffee, why don’t you take the brownies to the men?”
Karen nodded.
“How about if I go along?” Cindy asked. “Someone will have to carry the Styrofoam cups so the men will have something to drink their coffee in.”
Doris nodded. “You can take out some hot apple cider, as well as the cups.”
Karen and Cindy slipped into their jackets; grabbed the brownies, hot cider, and cups; and followed Mary Jane out the back door.
“There aren’t as many here today as I thought there would be,” Mary Jane said as they crossed the yard.
“There seems to be enough to get the job done.” Karen pointed to the building, which was quickly going up. “At this rate, the harness shop might be done by the end of the day.”
When they reached the work site, they set the refreshments on the makeshift table.
“I’ll let one of the workers know the snacks are ready.” Mary Jane headed right for Will. “There’s coffee, hot cider, and brownies waiting on the table.”
He smiled. “Great. I’ll let the others know.”
“How does your hand feel?” Mary Jane asked. “Does it still hurt?”
“Not so much.”
Karen frowned as she watched the interaction between Will and Mary Jane. It seemed obvious that Mary Jane thought of Will as more than a friend. “Would you like me to bring you a cup of coffee?” Karen asked, stepping up to Will.
“That’d be nice.” Will looked over at Mary Jane. “I think Leroy might need a break. Why don’t you see if he’d like something to eat or drink?”
“I’ll ask him,” Cindy said before Mary Jane had a chance to respond. She grabbed the container of brownies and hurried off toward the side of the shop where Leroy worked.
Karen poured coffee into a Styrofoam cup and handed it to Will.
He smiled. “Danki.”
Karen figured Mary Jane would either take some coffee to the other men or head back to the house, but she just stood beside Will wearing a silly-looking smile.
Karen was about to suggest that Mary Jane offer coffee to the men, when a pigeon flew off the barn roof and landed on Will’s head.
Mary Jane gasped, and Will jumped. “What in the world?” He reached up, grabbed hold of the pigeon, then tossed it into the air.
Karen pointed to Will’s zipple cap. “Looks like that pigeon left something behind for you to remember him by.”
Will jerked the cap off his head and stared at the droppings. “Why does everything always happen to me?”
Karen bit back a smile. That’s what you get for flirting with Mary Jane.
CHAPTER 17
Clippety-clop, clippety-clop… Will’s horse moved along at a steady pace as Will headed down the road in his buggy. He’d been running errands for Papa Mark all morning and figured he might as well stop at Das Dutchman for lunch. That would save Mama Regina from having to fix him anything when he got home.
Will pulled up to the hitching rail in the restaurant parking lot and secured Blazer. “I shouldn’t be gone too long,” he said, patting the horse’s flank. “I’ll reward your patience with a juicy apple after we get home.”
Blazer whinnied and nuzzled Will’s hand with his nose. Will gave the horse a few more pats and headed for the restaurant.
As he entered the building on the bakery side, the yeasty smell of warm bread and rolls greeted him, and his stomach rumbled.
Maybe he would pick up a few baked goods before he went home.
Will made his way to the restaurant side of the building and spotted a revolving rack full of books. Many of them were about the Amish and Mennonite way of life. He stopped and picked up one of the books, noting that it had been written by a man who used to be Amish and was now a college professor.
I wonder what I’d be doing for a living if I had remained living in the English world with Pop. He might have an English girlfriend or already be married. No doubt he would be living in some fancy house with a TV and all kinds of electrical appliances. Would he live near Pop? Would they spend time together the way he and Papa Mark did as they worked side by side?
Will’s lips compressed as he stared at the book. Where are you, Pop? Do you ever think of me? Are you alive or dead?
“Excuse me, sir, but are you planning to buy that book?”
Will jerked at the sound of a woman’s voice. He turned to see a middle-aged woman with faded brown hair standing beside him. “I…uh…no.” He put the book back on the rack. “I was just looking.”
She tipped her head and gave him a curious stare. “Were you wondering what these books might have to say about you and your people?”
He shrugged in reply.
“I find the Amish way of life so interesting,” the woman said. “I think I’ve read most of the books that have been written about the Plain People.” She plucked the book Will had been looking at off the rack. “All except this one, that is.”
“Feel free to buy it. I’m here for lunch, not to buy any books.” Will smiled and walked away. When he entered the restaurant, he spotted Karen sitting at a table across the room. This was an unexpected surprise.
He was about to head that way when he realized someone sat in the chair across from her. He craned his neck for a better look and groaned. It was Leroy!
So much for trying to mend any fences with that fellow, he fumed. If I weren’t Amish, I would probably march right over there and punch Leroy in the nose for trying to take my girlfriend. Will grimaced. Maybe I should go over to their table and demand that Leroy stop bothering Karen. He shook his head. No, that would embarrass her. It would be better if I speak to Leroy alone. But since that’s not going to happen right now, the best thing I can do is head for home. I’ll deal with this matter when the time is right.
Karen turned her head and caught a glimpse of Will leaving the restaurant. At least she thought it was him. But if it had been Will, why hadn’t she seen him sooner, and why hadn’t he seen her and come over to the table?
She was tempted to see if she could catch up to the man, but Leroy put a stop to that when he leaned closer and said, “I just can’t figure out why I feel so tongue-tied whenever I’m around Vonda. You saw the way things were when Will and I met you and Vonda at the Blue Gate Restaurant last week. She never said more than a few words the whole time we were sitting at the table.” Leroy shook his head. “I’m sure she doesn’t like me.”
“That’s lecherich. I’ve never heard her say anything negative about you.”
“Really?” he asked with a hopeful expression. “What has she said about me?”
“Nothing specific.”
Leroy frowned. “I was afraid of that.”
Karen reached for her glass of water and took a drink. “I’m sure you must realize that Vonda’s quite shy.”
“She doesn’t seem shy around you.”
“That’s because we’re friends. Vonda’s only shy with people she doesn’t know well. Since she and her family moved to Indiana less than a year ago, she hasn’t made a lot of close friends.”
“Without letting anyone else know, could you put in a good word for me with Vonda?” Leroy’s expression was so solemn that Karen didn’t have the heart to say no.
“I suppose I could, but I think it would be a good idea if you made some effort to get to know her better on your own.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to do that with her being so shy and all.”
“You could start by trying to engage her in conversation when you’re both at some social function,” Karen suggested. “After you get her talking, maybe you could invite her to go for a buggy ride or out to lunch.”
Leroy’s voice lowered to a whisper. “Do you think I might have a chance with her?”
“I can’t answer that, but you’ll never know unless you try.”
Just then Karen’s mother returned to the table from the restroom. She looked at Leroy, blinked a couple of times, and gave Karen a questioning look.
“Leroy was having lunch at the counter and spotted me,” Karen explained.
“Oh, I see.”
Leroy’s face turned red as he pushed his chair away from the table and stood. “I didn’t realize Karen was here with anyone, or I wouldn’t have bothered her.”
“You weren’t a bother,” Karen said with a shake of her head.
“I probably need to get back to the blacksmith shop anyway.” Leroy smiled at Karen. “Danki for listening…and for the good advice.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good afternoon.”
“You, too.” Leroy gave Karen’s mother a quick nod and strode off toward the cash register.
“What did he want?” Mom asked.
“He just wanted to talk to me about a few things.”
“Do you think it’s a good idea for you and Leroy to be so friendly when you’re on the verge of marrying Will? I mean, someone might get the wrong impression when they see the two of you together.”
Karen sighed. “Will’s already gotten the wrong impression. He thinks Leroy is interested in me.”
“Well, you used to go out with Leroy. I can see why Will might be jealous.”
“But we broke up a long time ago, and I was never really serious about Leroy in a romantic sort of way. We’re just good friends, same as we have been since we were kinner.”
“Even so, Leroy’s attention could be misconstrued.”
“But the other day, you said a little jealousy isn’t such a bad thing.”
“I know what I said, but after seeing the way Leroy looked at you just now, I’ve changed my mind. I can see why Will might be jealous, and I feel for him.”
“I don’t think Leroy looked at me in any special way. I also don’t think Will has any more reason to be jealous of me and Leroy than I do of him and Mary Jane.”
Mom’s forehead wrinkled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Mary Jane hangs around Will every chance she gets. Whenever I’ve been in the health food store when Will’s been working there, Mary Jane’s always smiling and talking his ear off.”
Mom smiled. “Of course she would be talking to him. Mary Jane works at the health food store, so it’s only natural that she would talk to the owner’s son. I’m sure she’s not romantically interested in Will. They’re just friends, same as you and Leroy.”
“I hope you’re right, because I’m feeling kind of anxious about the way things are between me and Will right now.”
Mom reached across the table and patted Karen’s hand. “Remember what the Bible says about worry. In 1 Peter 5:7, we are reminded to cast all our cares on the Lord because He cares for us.”
Karen nodded. “Jah, I know, but sometimes it’s not so easy to remember.”
“With your wedding day only a month away, you’re probably feeling a bit overanxious, and so is Will. Most brides and grooms feel that way right before they’re married. I know your daed and I sure did. We almost called off the wedding because we were both feeling so naerfich, which of course led to a big misunderstanding.”
Karen had no idea her folks had almost called off their wedding. “What was the misunderstanding about?”
“You know, it happened so long ago that I can’t remember all the details. The point is, tension happens and
nerves can be on edge when a couple’s wedding day approaches. That’s why you and Will need to discuss your feelings. If you air things out between you now, you’ll have fewer problems with communication once you’re married.”
Karen considered Mom’s advice. Maybe she was right. Talking about their concerns might do wonders for both of them.
“Is it all right if we stop by the Stoltzfuses’ on our way home so I can talk to Will?” Karen asked. “I’d like to see those puppies his dog had not long ago, too.”
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