He smiled at her excitement. Taking the bag of groceries from her, he handed them to Leah and then lifted his daughter into the truck. “You’ll meet lots of horses at your grandpa and grandma’s farm. Cows, too, and chickens and ducks, but no elephants.”
“Do they have a dog?”
Caleb glanced at Leah. “Do they?”
“They don’t have a dog, but I do. Her name is Trixie, and she is going to have puppies soon. I’ve been trying to think of some names for them. Have you got any suggestions?”
Caleb breathed an inward sigh of relief. Leah seemed to be on board with his plan. While she might not like helping him, he had to trust that she would do what was best for Joy.
He drove out of town with a renewed sense of hope. This might actually work. If Joy was happy and safe, he couldn’t ask for more.
“If your dog has a girl puppy, you can call it Princess,” Joy said from the backseat.
Caleb smothered a grin and waited for Leah’s reply. She tilted her head slightly. “I think Princess is much too fancy a name for an Amish dog. She will be a working dog.”
“What kind of work can a dog do?” Joy asked.
“My puppies will grow up to herd sheep and cattle, just like their mother and father do.”
Caleb glanced at Leah. “Are they border collies?”
“English shepherds.”
The breed wasn’t well-known outside farming communities. Similar to the border collie in size and coat texture, they were often sable and white or tricolor. Unlike many herding dogs, English shepherds were used to guard as well as herd cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and even fowl. They made excellent farm dogs.
“Pete would be a good name,” Caleb suggested.
“Not for a girl dog, Daddy,” Joy said in disgust.
“Right. Not for a girl dog,” he conceded.
Leah half turned in the seat to speak to Joy. “Can you think of another name?”
Joy was thinking, so Caleb ventured a second suggestion. “Matilda.”
“No.” Joy shook her head. “I don’t like that name.”
“Okay, how about Tilly? It rhymes with silly,” Leah said.
He glanced at his daughter’s face in the rearview mirror. She grinned at Leah. “No, not Silly Tilly. I like Pickles.”
“Ja, I like pickles, too. Dill pickles, sweet pickles, even bread-and-butter pickles. Do you like pickles, Caleb?”
“I do. I like pickles on sandwiches and on hamburgers. I like to eat the little crispy ones right out of the jar.”
Joy shook her head. “Not pickles to eat. Pickles for a name. I want to call the puppy Pickles.”
“Ach, I see.” Leah nodded solemnly. “Pickles is an excellent name. If my Trixie has a girl puppy, her name will be Pickles.”
They’d gone only half a mile down the highway when they came upon a buggy traveling in the same direction. Caleb slowed to a crawl, unable to pass on the hilly road.
“Does your family know you’re coming?” Leah asked.
“I wrote. I wasn’t sure when to tell them to expect us.” He hadn’t mailed the letter until the day they left. Up until the moment he dropped the letter in the mailbox, he’d hoped he could find a way to manage his life with Joy in Texas. Admitting that he couldn’t was a bitter pill to swallow. He simply didn’t know where else to turn.
Leah lapsed into silence until he had the chance to pass the buggy. As they went by, she sat back and muttered, “Oh, no.”
“What?” He looked in his rearview mirror but didn’t see anything amiss.
“That was Esther Zook.”
“The bishop’s wife?”
“The same.”
“Has she changed any in the past decade?”
“Nee, she has not.”
“So gossip about you riding with an Englisch fellow will be spreading before the sun sets tomorrow. Good to know some things never change. Will it be better or worse for you when she learns it was me?”
“You were not baptized. No one must shun you.”
“Some people will think I should be.”
“Not everyone has a forgiving nature, in spite of what we are taught.”
He glanced at her. “Do you?”
“Have a forgiving nature? I thought so, but I find it is something I must work on.”
It wasn’t the answer he wanted. For some reason, he wanted to know that she had forgiven him for leaving the Amish, for straying so far from the path laid out from his birth. It was a foolish thought. He was grateful she was willing to consider teaching Joy. That was enough.
“I live in the same house. It’s past the next hill on the right-hand side of the road, a short mile after the school.”
“You still live with your folks?”
“Nee, they are gone now.”
“I’m sorry.” He slowed as he topped the rise. The school building and schoolyard were just as he remembered them. He would have to tell Joy to look for his name carved under one of the desks. The lane to Leah’s home came all too quickly. He turned in and hoped Joy would say goodbye without making a fuss.
Her face took on the mulish pout he dreaded, once Leah opened the door to get out.
She held out her hand to Joy. “It was wonderful meeting you. I look forward to seeing you at school.”
“At school?” Joy gave her a puzzled look.
“Your father wants to enroll you in my school. If it works out, I’ll be your new teacher. Wouldn’t that great?”
Joy folded her arms over her chest and stared at the floor of the truck. “I don’t like school. Other kids make fun of me.”
“My students won’t do that. Besides, even if you don’t come to my school, I’m sure your father will bring you over to see the puppies when they arrive.”
Joy looked at Caleb. “Will you?”
“Sure, kiddo.”
Joy clapped her hands and rewarded him with a beaming smile that crinkled her eyes closed. He smiled in return. It was amazing how fast he was growing to love her. That was one more reason to get her settled quickly. Another painful upheaval wouldn’t do either of them any good.
He glanced at Leah. She was smiling at Joy, too. As their eyes met, his heart gave a funny kick. She really was a pretty woman. He liked the way her eyes sparkled when she smiled.
The last thing he expected to find in Hope Springs was an Amish woman who caught his fancy.
If only things had been different.
And that was the story of his life.
Leah looked away first. “Goodbye, Joy. Be sure and tell your grossmammi I said hello.”
“I will.” Joy waved.
Leah waved, too, and closed the door.
Caleb sat and watched until she entered the house. After a few minutes, the soft glow of lantern light lit the windows. He couldn’t put it off any longer. It was time to go home. He shifted the truck in Reverse and began to back up.
“Daddy, stop!”
He hit the brakes. “What?”
“Leah wants you.”
He looked toward the house. She stood on the porch motioning to him. He put the truck in Park. Was something wrong? He looked around the cab. He didn’t see anything she might have left behind.
“Stay here, Joy.” He opened his door.
“But I want to come in.”
“We’re not staying. I’m just going to see what Leah wants.” He stepped out of the truck. The light layer of powdery fresh snow muffled his footsteps as he crossed the yard to her porch.
Leah’s eyes were bright with excitement. As he neared, that excitement faded. She bit her lower lip and clasped her hands together nervously. When she didn’t speak, he asked, “Is something wrong?”
“Nee. It’s only that Trixie has had her puppies. I thought perhaps Joy would like to see them.”
Bemused by her unexpected offer, he hitched a thumb toward his truck. “I’m sure she will. I’ll go get her.”
He was happy to put off going home for a bit longer. The real upside was spending
more time in Leah’s company.
* * *
What was she thinking?
Leah couldn’t believe she had just invited Caleb Mast into her home. She had been so excited to find the puppies had arrived that she had simply stepped out and beckoned Joy to come see them, not thinking that Caleb would come, too. She could hardly ask him to wait outside while she took his child in. She prayed her sister wouldn’t find out.
Leah watched as Caleb lifted Joy out of the truck. He spoke to her quietly and then held her hand as they approached the house. Leah stood aside and let them enter.
She had placed the whelping box in the kitchen, near the stove for warmth. Trixie lay on an old quilt in a corner of the box with three tiny black, brown and white pups nestled against her belly. She pricked up her ears and gave the newcomers a guarded look.
Trixie was a medium-size dog with long black fur and a white blaze that went down her face and chest. Over her eyes and upright ears, she had brown points, which gave her an inquisitive look. Two of the puppies were marked like their mother. A third was as pale brown as winter grass, with a white blaze and chest and four white feet.
Leah spoke quietly to reassure her. “It’s okay. They want to admire your babies.”
Joy knelt beside the box with Caleb at her side. “They are super awesome. Can I touch them, Daddy?” Her voice squeaked with excitement.
He brushed a lock of hair away from her eyes. “You have to ask to Leah. Remember, I said we have to talk very quietly so we don’t disturb them.”
She nodded and looked up at Leah. “Can I touch them?” she whispered.
“I think Trixie will allow that.” She reached into the box and lifted a tiny ball of fur. The puppy mewed at having its sleep cut short. Trixie rose to her feet and stood close as Leah handed the pup to Joy, showing her how to hold it properly.
Joy raised the puppy to her face. “Oh, it’s so soft. It this Pickles?”
“Let me see.” Caleb took the puppy from her and checked the gender. “Yup, this is Pickles.” He handed her back to his daughter.
Joy pressed her close. “I love you, Pickles.”
The puppy started crying, making Trixie whine with concern. Leah said, “We should put Pickles back with her mother now. She needs lots of rest so she can grow up to be a wonderful helper on someone’s farm.”
Joy handed her back to Leah. Trixie nosed her pup and licked her as Leah replaced her with her littermates. Joy looked at Leah. “Pickles’s mommy will take good care of her. She won’t run away and leave her to be scared.”
Leah exchanged a poignant look with Caleb. They were both thinking the same thing. Joy was referring to her own mother’s actions. Caleb put an arm around her. “No, Trixie is going to take good care of all her puppies.”
Joy pushed his arm away and looked around the kitchen. “Where is their daddy?”
Leah knelt beside her. “His name is Duncan. He lives on a sheep farm not far from here with his master.”
Joy frowned. “Does he ever come to visit his kids?”
Leah smothered a smile. “They were only born today. I’m sure he’ll be by when he hears the news.”
“He better come. He shouldn’t be a deadbeat dad. My friends Jenny and Kala have deadbeat dads.”
Puzzled, Leah said, “What does that mean?”
Caleb rose to his feet. His demeanor changed as he squared off, almost as if he expected a fight. “A deadbeat dad is a man who doesn’t take responsibility for his children, doesn’t visit them or help support them.”
She rose, too, as the past came rushing in to spoil the moment. “Your Englisch world must be a sad place if such a thing is common there.”
Caleb took Joy’s hand. “It can be sad. It can be wonderful, too, just like here. Say goodbye to the puppies and thank Leah for letting you see them. We have to get going.”
“Thank you. Take good care of Pickles. I like her the best.”
Leah spoke before he made it out the door. “The school board is meeting next Thursday evening at Eli Imhoff’s home. You are welcome to come and speak with them.”
“All right.” He didn’t say anything else.
Leah closed the door as the pair left, and watched through the kitchen window as they got into Caleb’s truck. Rarely had she been so torn about what her course should be.
If she aided his daughter to become Amish, was she helping him avoid responsibilities to a child for a second time?
He genuinely cared about Joy. She saw it in the way he touched his daughter and in the way he spoke to her. He was trying hard to do the right thing.
Why hadn’t he given that kind of care and attention to her sister and their unborn child?
Could a man change that much?
With God, anything was possible. If Caleb had changed, why continue to deny he was David’s father? He no longer had an obligation to marry her sister or take care of David. Admitting the truth wouldn’t change anything except to free his soul from the burden of his lie. It didn’t make sense.
Perhaps he was too prideful to admit the truth. That she could believe, yet it was too simple an answer. There had to be more. Something was holding Caleb apart from the Amish community and from his family. Something painful. What was it?
Chapter Four
Caleb turned his truck onto the narrow dirt lane leading to his childhood home and stopped. It was almost dark. A crimson band of clouds in the west marked the end of the day and a new start to Joy’s life.
Up ahead, a large two-story white farmhouse stood nestled into the slope of a hill. It was backed by a thick stand of trees. Their branches were bare now, a mat of dark lines scratching against the bloodred sky. His mother’s laundry hung freeze-drying in the winter air from the clothesline at the side of the house. White sheets, blue dresses, blue work shirts, black aprons and dark denim pants. The color palette was the same as it had been throughout his childhood.
He’d thought he was prepared to come back, but he wasn’t. A rush of emotions and memories hit him like a truck and then parked on his chest, making it hard to breathe. Scenes from the wonderful years of his youth and the heartbreaking months before he left flickered through his mind like old movie clips.
Working in the fields with his father, driving a team of mules for the first time. Hot summertime days spent shucking corn, followed by a dip in the cool river with his brother. His mother, calling everyone in to eat the most wonderful meals. His father, bowing his head in prayer. They were good memories.
Then there were the not-so-good memories. The wreck that scarred Rhonda. The bitter arguments with his parents during his rumspringa, his teenage years, when he tried to sample all that wasn’t Amish. He was introduced to Valerie during that time at a friend’s house in Cleveland. She was quite simply the most exciting woman he’d ever met. To remain Amish or to go out into the English world became a real question in his mind for the first time.
Then Rhonda Belier’s accusation that he was the father of her unborn babe changed everything. No matter how he denied it, his family expected him to do the right thing and marry her. Nothing he said made any difference until the night he flatly refused to marry her in front of both their families. Leah had been there, but he’d barely noticed her in the room. How did she remember that night? He kept begging Rhonda to admit the truth, but her silence had condemned him. It was the worst night of his life.
What followed was an unofficial shunning by his father. For days, Ike Mast acted as if Caleb wasn’t present. He was waiting for a confession that his son couldn’t make. Caleb wouldn’t take the blame. Not this time. As painful as his father’s shunning had been, it was Wayne’s refusal to believe Caleb that had finally driven him away.
He shook off the disturbing images from his past and looked around. This stretch of farmland amid the gentle rolling hills of Ohio was, and always would be, home. Too bad it wasn’t where he belonged.
What would his life have been like if he had stayed? He couldn’t imagine bend
ing far enough to fit into the mold he had been expected to fill.
If he had married Rhonda, Leah would be married to Wayne and not teaching school. She might have children of her own by now. She would make a good mother. She certainly had a way with Joy.
Why hadn’t she married? Was her love for Wayne so strong that she couldn’t care for another? He hoped that wasn’t the case. Watching the man she loved marry her sister couldn’t have been easy. What was their relationship like now? Did Wayne love his wife and the child that wasn’t his? What must that be like?
Caleb rubbed a hand over the stubble on his cheeks. His actions had affected far more people than he knew. Leaving had seemed like his only option, but had it been a mistake?
Joy, on the front seat beside him, stretched to see over the dashboard. Was he making another mistake bringing her here? He could turn around now and find a job somewhere, working on an oil rig that wasn’t a hundred miles out in the Gulf. He could be home every night. There had to be someplace they could belong and make a go of it.
Even as the thought came to him, he realized Joy hadn’t been happy since she had come to him. This was his last hope.
She pointed off to the side. “I see tepees. Lots of them.”
The field on the left-hand side of the lane had shocks of cornstalks stacked to provide winter feed for the animals. The long lines of bundles stretched in straight rows across the twenty-acre field. It was hot, itchy work in the summer, piling the stalks together and tying the tops so they would cure properly and not blow over in the wind. He didn’t miss that job.
“They aren’t tepees, but they do look like them. They’re cornstalks.”
“They don’t look like corn.”
“They don’t?”
“No, corn is yellow and it comes from a can.”
He smiled. She had a lot to learn about living on a farm. He hadn’t prayed much in the past nine years, but he silently sent up a plea now. Please, Lord. Let this be the right decision for her.
He drove down the lane and stopped in front of the house. A buggy with a black horse in harness stood at the front gate. Did it belong to his folks or did they have company?
Amish Christmas Joy (Mills & Boon Love Inspired) (Brides of Amish Country - Book 10) Page 4