by Amy Clipston
“I don’t think Solomon’s right,” Madeleine said, shaking her head as she looked out one of the kitchen windows. “I think God sent him home when Ruth needed him.”
“Ya,” Linda chimed in. “There’s a reason he came back now. If he didn’t love his parents, then he wouldn’t have come back at all.”
“I agree with you, Linda. He came when Ruth needed him, which proves he loves his family.” Madeleine gestured toward the window she’d been looking through. “Is that Aaron working outside with Manny?”
“Ya, he’s been working on the haus.” Becky motioned toward the front of the house. “I’m sure you noticed the ramp. He built that last week and finished it up on Monday. He and Manny are working on the back porch now. They’re replacing the posts and railing and then they’re going to build another ramp.”
“That’s wonderful.” Madeleine turned toward Linda. “Ruth will appreciate that.”
“Ya, she will,” Linda agreed. “I think it’s fantastic that he’s using his talents to help his family.”
“I do too. It’s nice that he’s spending time with Manny and teaching him construction,” Madeleine said. “I’m sure Manny is enjoying getting to know his onkel.”
Becky grimaced. “They have been working together quite a bit. In fact, Manny has been working with Aaron every day since they started these projects. I can tell he’s getting attached to his onkel. That’s another reason it would be terrible if Aaron left again. I know Ruth and Jonas are enjoying having their family all together again after so long. But Aaron won’t stay. He built a business in Missouri that he’ll go back to. He’s going to hurt his parents and my kinner.”
Linda’s hands trembled as she contemplated Becky’s negative words. I pray you’re wrong about Aaron!
“He could open a construction business here,” Madeleine said. “I can tell he has talent. That’s a nice ramp out front.”
“Ya.” Linda moved to the doorway to the mudroom and looked through the windowed door to the back porch. She could see Aaron and Manny taking down the old posts and rails. “Look at them working together.”
It warmed Linda’s heart to see Manny learning so much from his onkel. She knew it meant a lot to Aaron too. As she watched Aaron, she found herself drawn to his confidence and skill. She couldn’t look away, taking in his beautiful blond curls as they swayed in the breeze. She intently watched how he moved his tall, muscular body with grace. He turned toward Manny and said something that caused them both to laugh. She imagined the sound of the warm laugh she already knew as Aaron’s as she observed him enjoy the moment with his nephew.
“What did you bring, Linda?”
“What?” Linda spun and found Becky looking at her. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear what you said.”
“I saw the dish and the basket, and I was wondering what you brought,” Becky said.
“Oh, I made bread and baked macaroni and cheese. I hope Ruth likes it.”
“She will. Danki.” Becky carried one of the two covered dishes to the refrigerator, and placed it on the bottom shelf. “We appreciate the community’s help so much.”
“That’s what I love most about the Amish,” Madeleine said as she handed Becky the second dish. “I love how we all pitch in together and help each other. I’m so eager to start baptism classes in the spring.”
“Are you enjoying living like an Amish person?” Linda asked.
“Ya, I am. I sold my pickup truck and turned off my cell phone, and I don’t miss them. It’s so refreshing to be immersed in the community and the culture.” Madeleine pushed the ties to her prayer covering over her shoulders. “I know I made the right decision. I feel so at home here.”
“How is Saul?” Linda asked.
“He’s doing well.” Madeleine’s smile was wide. “We’re enjoying getting to know each other better. He’s such a wunderbaar man. I’m so thankful our paths crossed. I’ve never been this froh before.”
“That’s gut,” Linda said. “I know you enjoy spending time with Emma too.”
“Ya, I do. She’s such a sweet maedel.” Madeleine looked at Becky. “What can we do for you?” Madeleine asked. “We’ve brought most of what you’ll need for supper, so there’s not a lot of cooking to do. Can we help you clean or do laundry?”
“Oh, you can just visit with Ruth,” Becky said. “I don’t expect you to work.”
“We came to help,” Linda insisted. “Let us do something for you.”
Madeleine glanced around the kitchen. “How about we clean?”
Becky laughed. “Are you saying the kitchen is dirty?”
“No.” Madeleine chuckled. “It’s not dirty, but we can always clean the floor, right?”
“That’s a gut idea,” Linda chimed in. “Let’s go visit with Ruth, and then I can sweep and dust and you can clean the kitchen. Sound gut?”
“Ya.” Madeleine nodded.
“Fine, fine. It’s true that some of the women who’ve been coming to help couldn’t make it this week, and the girls and I had to do some cleaning at our house. If you want to clean, then I’m not going to tell you that you can’t.” Becky started toward the family room and motioned for them to follow. “Let’s go see Ruth. I think I heard her nurse take her in there from the bedroom while we were talking.”
They found Ruth sitting in a chair in the family room. She was moving her left leg up and down while wearing ankle weights. When she saw them in the doorway, she smiled.
“You have visitors, Mamm,” Becky said. “Look who came to see you. And they brought supper too.”
“Ma-d . . .” Ruth tried to pronounce Madeleine’s name, but the word wasn’t clear. “L-linda! K-k-kumm!”
Anguish consumed Linda as Ruth struggled to say their names. She’d hoped Ruth would have been further along in her recovery.
“If it’s okay with your nurse, Ruth, we’ll let you three visit.” The nurse readily agreed and Becky headed back into the kitchen. The nurse excused herself while Linda and Madeleine pulled their chairs up beside Ruth’s.
“How are you?” Linda asked as she touched Ruth’s hand.
“G-gut.” Ruth gave her a lopsided smile. “A-a-aron h-here.”
“I know.” Linda’s smile widened. “That is a blessing.”
“We miss you at the hotel,” Madeleine began. “I have some funny stories to share.”
“Oh?” Ruth asked with a lopsided smile.
Madeleine and Linda shared stories about the hotel, laughing until the nurse returned and asked Ruth to continue her therapy.
Linda and Madeleine gathered cleaning supplies from Becky and, as Linda worked, she lost herself in thoughts of Ruth and her recovery. She hoped Ruth would be able to walk soon. She hated to think she could be restricted to a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
Aaron stepped back from the porch and admired their work. All the rails and posts had been replaced. “Looks gut. We can stain it all tomorrow.” He smiled at his nephew. “You make a gut assistant.”
“Just gut?” Manny’s expression feigned irritation. “You mean to tell me you have a better assistant than me?”
“Maybe I do.” Aaron chuckled. “Are you hungry?” He glanced at his watch. “It’s not suppertime yet, but I’m starved after all that effort.”
“I’m starved too.” Manny picked up a hammer.
“We can go get a snack and then clean up these tools and supplies.” Aaron started for the mudroom door. Although he was hungry, he had an ulterior motive for wanting to go into the house—he longed to see Linda before she left. He’d been listening, but he hadn’t heard any outside doors opening or closing or anyone calling good-bye. He hoped she was planning to stay for supper so they could possibly eat together. They hadn’t had a chance to talk much lately at the bed-and-breakfast.
Aaron stepped into the mudroom and heard women talking in the kitchen. He pulled off his work boots, set them under the bench, then shucked his coat and hung it on a peg.
He stood in the wide doorwa
y for a moment and watched Linda as she wiped a counter and talked to Becky and Madeleine. He couldn’t pull his gaze away from her. He’d thought she looked lovely when he’d seen her outside with her coat on, but she was stunningly beautiful in her deep-purple dress. The color complemented her fair skin, dark hair, and chocolate-brown eyes. He knew he had to walk into the room, but he felt stuck there, enjoying the view.
Linda suddenly looked his way and met his gaze. Her rosy lips turned up in a tentative smile, and he saw a pink blush spreading across her high cheekbones. He smiled back at her and wished he could pull her into the family room and talk to her alone. He missed their conversations. He hadn’t had a nice, long talk with her in nearly a week, and he was craving some time alone to tell her . . . everything.
Linda watched him, and she tilted her head in question. He wondered what she was thinking while she stared back at him.
Manny moved past Aaron and into the kitchen. “Hi,” he said to the women. “Is there anything to eat?”
“We’re going to start preparing supper now,” Becky said while pulling some bowls out of the cabinets. “You can have a small snack, but I don’t want you to ruin your appetites.”
“Did you see how hard we worked, Mamm?” Manny gestured toward the back of the house. “Onkel Aaron and I replaced all the posts and rails on back porch. We worked up an appetite, right, Onkel Aaron?”
“I can wait.” Aaron stepped into the kitchen, still looking at Linda. “I’m sure it won’t be long before supper is ready since Linda and Madeleine brought food.” He forced himself to look at Madeleine. “We, uh, saw you when you arrived. Manny told me who you are. I’m Aaron.”
“Nice to meet you, Aaron,” Madeline said.
Manny frowned. “Outside you said you were starved.”
Aaron smiled at Becky. “I don’t want to cause your mamm any trouble.”
Before Becky could answer, Linda turned to her. “I have an idea for a little snack. Can they have some brot? I brought two loaves. I’ll pull one out for Manny and Aaron.”
Becky paused, then started pulling utensils out of a drawer. “Ya, that would be fine.”
“Let me help you set the table.” Madeleine crossed the kitchen and pulled glasses out of the cabinet.
Linda removed the bread from the basket and found a container of butter. “I made this last night, but it should still be fresh.”
“I’ll help you.” Aaron grabbed a knife from the drain board by the sink and handed it to Linda. He stood so close to her that he could smell the scent of lilac from beneath her prayer covering.
“Danki.” Linda nearly whispered her response, and he wondered if she was enjoying being close to him as much as he enjoyed being close to her.
Only the eyes of everyone else in the room made him take a step back.
Linda cut four slices of bread and buttered them before handing two to Aaron and two to Manny.
“Danki.” As soon as Aaron swallowed his first bite, he nodded. “It’s almost as gut as your kichlin.”
Linda smiled. “I’m glad you like it. I also made baked macaroni and cheese, and Madeleine brought a tuna casserole.”
“That sounds fantastic,” Aaron said as he took another bite.
“Linda, you and Madeleine need to stay for supper,” Becky said. “We have plenty of food.”
“Oh, I can’t stay,” Linda said. “I have to cook for my onkel. I don’t want him to be upset. He expects supper promptly at six.”
“And I’m making supper for Saul and Emma tonight, so I have to get going too. What time is it?” Madeleine asked.
“It’s four forty-five,” Manny said when he glanced at the kitchen clock. “This brot is amazing. Danki, Linda.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Our ride will be here soon then,” Madeleine said. “I asked him to be back by five.”
Aaron was still looking at Linda, thinking about what she had just revealed. “Really? Your onkel gets upset if you’re late?” he said, nearly whispering.
Linda nodded but didn’t explain. Then she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. Did the subject upset her? He felt the need to find out why she didn’t want to talk about her uncle. If he drove her home, he’d have time to talk to her alone. Maybe then he could find out what was going on with her uncle.
“I’ll take you home,” Aaron said.
Linda shook her head. “You don’t need to do that. Madeleine’s driver is coming back to get us soon enough for me to get home on time. I don’t want you to go out of your way.”
“No, I insist.” He slid his cell phone from his pocket. “You can call and cancel your ride. There’s no need for you to spend that money when I can take you for free.”
“Are you sure?” Linda’s eyes seemed to search his.
“Of course I am. You spent the afternoon helping mei mamm. You don’t need to spend money paying a driver.” He held out the phone. “Cancel your ride. I’ll take you both home.”
“That would be nice. Thank you.” Madeleine took the phone from him and made the call.
“Danki,” Linda said.
She continued to study him, and he wished he could read her thoughts. Was she uncomfortable with his offer? Or did she feel something deeper for him, the same feelings that had been growing inside him? He hoped the latter was the case.
“Thank you, Aaron.” Madeleine handed him the phone after she was finished talking to the driver.
“Maybe we’d better get going now.” Linda hugged Becky. “It was so gut seeing you. We’ll come again soon.”
“Next time you’ll stay for supper,” Becky said. “I won’t take no for an answer. In fact, you can bring Reuben with you, and he can join us too.”
“Danki.” Linda turned to Aaron. “I’m going to go say goodbye to your mamm. She’s in the family room doing some more exercises.”
“I will too,” Madeleine said. “We’ll be ready to go in a few minutes.”
“Take your time.” Aaron watched them disappear into the family room.
“I’m going to call the girls over here. They’ve been doing their chores.” Becky stepped into the mudroom and pulled on her coat.
Once Becky was gone, Manny sidled up to Aaron. “I think she likes you too.”
“What?” Aaron asked with bewilderment.
“Linda,” Manny said with assurance in his voice. “I think she likes you too. She stares at you the same way you stare at her.”
“You think so?” Aaron hated how desperate and needy he sounded, but he couldn’t help it. Did she care for him the same way he cared for her?
Manny nodded. “Ya, I think so. But you’re not baptized, so she can’t—”
“Okay,” Madeleine announced as she stepped into the kitchen. “We’re ready to go.”
“You can head out to the truck.” Aaron made a sweeping gesture toward the back door. “It’s unlocked. I’ll be right there.”
Madeleine and Linda walked past him, grabbed their coats from the pegs on the wall in the mudroom, and left.
Madeleine had interrupted Manny, but Aaron knew what he was going to say. Aaron couldn’t even consider dating Linda since he wasn’t a baptized member of the church. He didn’t live in Pennsylvania anymore, either. Why was his heart jumping to conclusions that didn’t make logical sense? Is that what love did to a man? Did love give men crazy notions, such as dreaming about dating an Amish woman when the guy wasn’t even Amish anymore?
“I’ll come back after I drop them off, and I’ll help you clean up the mess outside,” Aaron told Manny as he pulled on his coat.
“Don’t worry about that. Just enjoy your ride.” Manny winked at him, and Aaron resisted the urge to scold his nephew. He was grateful Madeleine and Linda hadn’t seen Manny’s obvious gesture.
“No, I’ll be back,” Aaron said. “I don’t feel right leaving this mess for you.” He smiled. “Besides, I know you can’t clean it all up alone. You can’t handle it without me.”
Manny crossed his arms o
ver his chest. “Is that so? That sounds like a challenge. I’m sure I can handle it just fine.”
Aaron shrugged. “I guess we’ll see about that. See you soon.” He grinned at his nephew and sauntered out the door.
TEN
Linda climbed into the front passenger seat of Aaron’s big, fancy pickup truck. She’d never been in a truck that had four doors. She settled in and buckled her seatbelt as Madeleine climbed into the seat behind her.
“I think Ruth’s color was better this time,” Madeleine said as she snapped her seatbelt together. “Her complexion was brighter, and she actually looked froh. I think having Aaron home has made her happier.”
“Ya.” Linda smoothed her hands down her coat and touched her prayer covering. She had never before worried about her appearance, but she was suddenly self-conscious. Did that have something to do with Aaron’s presence?
“I don’t understand why Solomon and Becky aren’t happy that Aaron is home,” Madeleine continued. “I think it’s a blessing for their family that he came back.”
“I agree,” Linda said. And it’s a blessing for me also. The thought rocked her to her core. She had to suppress her feelings for Aaron or he would destroy her heart when he went back to his life in Missouri. She couldn’t let her feelings for him overshadow her judgment. He wasn’t Amish. She would be shunned if she let their relationship progress from friendship.
Linda heard the screened-in porch door slam and saw Aaron walking toward the truck. Her stomach flip-flopped as he climbed into the driver’s seat beside her.
“All right,” he said as he jammed the key in the ignition and turned it. The truck’s loud engine roared to life. “Where am I headed?”
Linda gnawed her lower lip. She’d hoped he would drop Madeleine off first, but she didn’t know how to suggest it without sounding overly eager to spend time with him.
“I think I live the closest,” Madeleine said from the backseat. “Just go down this road and turn left.” She explained how to get to her house, and Linda inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.