The Hearts of Middlefield Collection

by Kathleen Fuller

  Chapter 19

  Anna savored the chilly April air during her ride to work, and welcomed the milder temperatures that came by midday. Her recovery continued to go smoothly. Physically she felt well, gaining strength every day. On her first day back, she only stayed at the store for half a day. It felt good to get out of the house. Daffodils and tulip stems had already started pushing out of cool mounds of dirt, and soon they would be lining yards and flower beds with their vibrant colors. Before long she could take the winter curtain off her buggy, something she looked forward to each spring. She enjoyed riding with the front exposed, taking in the fresh air and breathing in the scent of tilled earth and new life.

  Yet for all the things that were right in her life, there was still so much wrong. She had been given the go-ahead to climb stairs, which meant moving back into the bedroom she shared with Lukas. But while they shared the space, they shared little else, even conversation. She wondered if this was how their life together would be from now on—living together more as roommates than as husband and wife. Without a family in their future, what would draw them back together?

  On the first Sunday morning she could attend church, which was being held at the Detweilers, Anna and Lukas dressed in their best clothes, each staying on their designated side of the room— Anna on the left near the window, Lukas on the right near the door. Her mother had left with Uncle Zeb a little earlier, despite him complaining that his arthritis, or “Uncle Arthur” as he liked to put it, was acting up.

  Anna sat on the edge of the bed, brushing out her waist-length hair while she heard Lukas slip on his shirt behind her. The bed creaked slightly as he sat down on his side to put on his socks.

  She set down her brush on the small table near the bed and braided her hair, then coiled it into a bun and secured it with several bobby pins. She reached for her white kapp and put it on. Standing up, she smoothed any wrinkles from her plum colored dress, one she had made before she and Lukas got married. Turning around she was surprised to see Lukas looking at her from the other side of the bed. “What?”

  He cleared his throat. “Nix. It’s just that you . . . you look beautiful, Anna.”

  Anna felt her face heat, much as it did when they first started courting and he would give her similar compliments. He looked very handsome in his Sunday best, the crisp white shirt a stark contrast to the black beard that had already started growing in. He had finger-combed his thick hair, brushing the bangs to the side and revealing his gorgeous dark hazel eyes, eyes she had fallen in love with an eternity ago. Those eyes had been filled with love at one time. But now they held uncertainty.

  Suddenly feeling discomfort beneath his scrutinizing look, she turned away from him, smoothing out the ribbons on her kapp. “We should be going.”

  “Ya,” he said in a flat tone. “We don’t want to be late.”

  Lukas opened the bedroom door, and Anna walked through it ahead of him. For the rest of the morning and the ride over to the Detweilers’, they didn’t speak.

  Nerves danced inside Anna’s stomach as she approached the Detweilers. This was the first time they had been with the community since the surgery. She reminded herself that this was the Lord’s day. No one would care about her and her problems. At least she hoped so.

  With Lukas by her side, she walked into the house, then down to the basement where the service was being held. She immediately noticed all the Bylers were there and saw Elisabeth motioning for her to sit with her. Leaving Lukas to sit on the other side with the men, she went to her sister-in-law.

  “I’m so glad to see you.” Elisabeth scooted over and made room for her on the bench. “How are you?”

  “Feeling better every day.” The words weren’t a complete lie. Physically she felt well, better than she had in months. But that was overshadowed by everything else.

  When the church service started and the congregation began to sing, she tried to join in but couldn’t. The last service she’d attended was her wedding. She remembered the way Lukas looked at her, with love in his eyes as they wed. How they had been filled with hope, looking forward to the future. Without warning, a tear slipped down her face. She wiped it off, hoping no one noticed.

  Feeling as if someone was looking at her, she turned. Her gaze landed on Lukas. Compassion shone in his eyes. She looked straight ahead, fighting to keep the rest of her tears from falling.

  “I wish there was something I could do for Anna and Lukas,” Elisabeth said.

  Aaron picked up a rock and skipped it across the pond in his backyard. The church service had ended an hour ago, and he and Elisabeth had slipped away to come here. Soon they were joined by a few younger boys and girls, who were on the opposite side throwing rocks in the water with far less finesse.

  “Like what?” He bent down and found another smooth stone.

  “They’re so unhappy. There has to be a way we can help them.”

  He paused midthrow, looking at her. “We?”

  “Ya. Don’t you want to help them?”

  His rock skimmed across the water with ease. Satisfied, he joined her on the bench. “Maybe we should stay out of it and let them work things out for themselves.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Aaron, you know me better than that.”

  He leaned back against the bench, crossing his arms over his chest. “Ya, I do. So what do you have in mind?”

  “Since they missed out on their wedding celebration, we should throw them a party.”

  Aaron scratched his head. “That sounds like a gut idea, but I don’t think we should do that right now.” He’d heard through the busybody vine that Anna’s emergency surgery had lasting repercussions and that she wasn’t able to have children. He couldn’t imagine how hard that news was on both her and Lukas. When he saw them enter church, he didn’t see a happy couple. Instead he saw two people deeply hurting. “A party’s the last thing they need, Elisabeth.”

  “I happen to agree with you. So we’ll wait a few weeks before throwing the surprise party.”

  “Surprise party?”

  She jumped down from the bench. “Ya. It’ll be more fun that way.”

  “Maybe you should rethink the idea, Elisabeth.”

  She looked at him, biting the bottom of her lip. “Maybe. But even if we don’t do the party, we need to think of something to cheer them up.” Leaning down, she picked up a rock and attempted to skip it. Instead of gliding across the surface, it plunked right to the bottom. Undaunted, she tried it again, then a third time.

  He watched her with a mix of amusement and admiration. She wasn’t one to give up. Even the kids who had been there earlier had gotten bored with the game and left. But not Elisabeth. Taking pity on her, he got off the bench and joined her at the edge of the water. “Here,” he said, picking the stone out of her hand. “Like this.”

  Five perfect skips.

  Giving him an aggravated look, she selected another rock, then cocked her arm back to throw. He touched her arm and stopped her.

  “Two problems. First, you’ve got the wrong rock.”

  “There’s a right and wrong rock?”

  “Ya, believe it or not. It needs to be smooth and flat, not like that boulder you picked.”

  “It’s the size of a pebble.”

  “A round pebble. Look, here’s a gut one.” He snatched one off the ground. “Now, you have to hold it at an angle.” He handed her the stone.

  “Like this?” She held it like she was a pitcher about to throw a strike.

  “That’s not an angle.” He put his hand over hers, moving her hand to the right position. “Now you can throw it—”

  “Aaron, I think I’m too close to the—”

  “Like this.” He pushed her hand forward, intending to assist her in the throw. But her hand wasn’t the only thing that went forward. Horrified, he watched as she fell into the pond, her white kapp disappearing beneath the murky water.

  “Elisabeth!” The pond was deep, even near the shore. Figuring she couldn’t
swim, he jumped in after her. His body stiffened as he hit the cold water. Immediately he popped up for air, taking in a big gulp. He was about to dive back under to look for her when he heard her laughing.

  “Aaron, what are you doing?”

  He spun around and saw her treading water. “You know how to swim?”

  “All Bylers know how to swim. Our mami made sure of it. She would take us to our cousins’ near Burton in the summers. They have a pond bigger and deeper than this one.” She grinned, then splashed him.

  He turned his head, but not before he got a face full of water. “All right, so that’s how it’s gonna be.” Arcing out his arm, he moved to blast her with a wave, but she ducked under before he could. Suddenly he felt a tug on his leg, and he was pulled under.

  They both came up at the same time, sputtering and laughing. She was only a few inches away from him, and before he could stop himself, he reached out and grabbed her around the waist with one arm, using the other to keep them both afloat. She licked the water off her lips, and he couldn’t keep his eyes off her mouth. Leaning down, he brushed his lips against hers.

  She gasped. Shoving away from him, she swam back to the edge.

  He groaned. What had he just done?

  She scrambled out of the pond, then took off her kapp and squeezed out the water, keeping her back to him. He swam out and walked up beside her.

  “I’m gonna be in big trouble.” Her body shook, and her navy blue dress clung to her body. She kept squeezing the kapp, even though she had already wrung it dry.

  He touched her shoulder. “Elisabeth, I’m—”

  “I have to geh.” She ran off toward the house, her wet hair falling loose from its pins.

  Water dripping from his clothes, his soaking hair hanging in his eyes, he ignored the cold seeping into his body. What had his thoughtless impulse cost him? Although he couldn’t really say it was thoughtless, because he had been thinking about kissing her for a while now. But had that one kiss ruined the best friendship he’d ever had?

  From the way she’d reacted, he believed it did.

  “Elisabeth Rose Byler, what on earth were you thinking?”

  Elisabeth shrank beneath the thick towel Aaron’s mother had let her borrow for the ride home. Appalled didn’t begin to describe her mother’s reaction when she had walked into the house, her clothes sopping, her kapp tinged brown from the pond water. Before too many people noticed that Elisabeth had spent the Lord’s day in the Detweilers’ pond, her mother had tossed her the towel and sent her straight to the buggy. Now they were nearly home, and only now had her mother calmed down enough to speak.

  “You’re going to catch your death.” Emma’s glasses slipped down her nose. She shoved them back up. “How did you fall into the pond?”

  Elisabeth tried to keep her body from shaking, but she couldn’t. The towel was too damp to keep her warm. “Aaron was showing me how to skip rocks—”

  “Aaron was back there with you?” She glared at her. “Don’t tell me he was in the water too.”

  “He thought I couldn’t swim. When I fell in, he jumped in to save me.” She left out the part where they were splashing around like a couple of five-year-olds—which had been fun, she had to admit—and where he’d kissed her. She touched her fingers to her mouth, still remembering his tender touch. Now that was how a kiss was supposed to be. She had thoroughly enjoyed the brief contact.

  But it had scared and confused her too. Why had he kissed her? Did he like her? Or had she done something to let him think she wanted him to kiss her? Probably, but she had no idea what. And she couldn’t go around letting Aaron think she wanted him to kiss her, even though she did.

  The whole thing was giving her a headache.

  “You and Aaron are too old to be skipping rocks. You should have been inside helping the women with lunch.” Emma looked at her again.

  Elisabeth brought the edge of the towel up to her nose and peered at her mother. “I’m sorry,” she said in a small voice.

  Her mother sighed. Then she started to giggle. Before long she was laughing. “Oh Elisabeth, what are we going to do with you?”

  “Love me?”

  “We certainly will.” Emma’s laughter subsided. “As soon as we get home, you go straight to the bathroom and take a hot shower. Then get dressed and stay in your room.”

  Elisabeth dropped the towel from her face. “I’m grounded?” she asked in disbelief.

  “Ya.”

  “I’m almost eighteen!”

  “You weren’t acting like it today.”

  With a sigh, Elisabeth remained silent. Her mother was right; she had been silly. So had Aaron, but she doubted he would be grounded like she was. How humiliating.

  Still, she couldn’t help from smiling as they turned into their driveway. How could she not? She’d just been kissed by Aaron Detweiler.

  Chapter 20

  Lukas wiped the sweat off his forehead and continued to pound nails into the piece of rough oak siding, attaching it to the wall of the barn. He and his father were helping to put new siding on one of Zeb’s old barns, which had needed repairing for a long while now. They had both taken the day off from the woodshop to try to complete the project in one day. It was a hot day for April, and the sun beat down on them, making sweat pour from Lukas’s body.

  He took another nail from his mouth and positioned it a few inches down from the one he had just hammered in, then started to pound. He struggled to focus on his task, and not on Anna, who was working in the small garden patch on the other side of the barn. Fortunately he couldn’t see her from his position. But he still couldn’t get her off his mind.

  It had been over a month since the surgery. Anna had gone back to work full-time, and she often spent extra hours at her store. The distance remained between them, a cavernous gap he had no idea how to breach. They were cordial to each other, ate their meals together, and told each other good night before bed, but their relationship had changed from an affectionate, romantic one to a platonic, distant one. He missed her, even though she lay next to him every night. A few times he had heard her weeping, and he longed to reach out to her. But he didn’t, not knowing if she would accept his comfort or not. His own heart and soul still mending, he couldn’t risk the rejection.

  He aimed for the head of the nail one last time, but missed and hit his thumb. Groaning with pain, he dropped the hammer to the ground and squeezed his wounded hand.

  “You all right, sohn?” Joseph climbed down from the ladder and looked at Lukas’s hand. “Ouch. That had to hurt.”

  “It did,” Lukas gritted out.

  Joseph removed his yellow straw hat and wiped his shiny forehead with the back of his hand, then put the hat back in place. “Can’t remember the last time you did that. Got something on your mind?”

  Lukas tossed his hat on the ground, then plopped down next to it, still holding his hand. His thumb had turned red, and he knew eventually the nail would become black. “Ya. You could say that.” He leaned against the barn, waiting for the throbbing to subside.

  Joseph lowered himself next to Lukas. He took off his hat and set it gently beside him before turning to Lukas. “Something you want to talk about?”

  Lukas shook his head.

  “All right. If you’re not in the mood for talking, then you must be in the mood for listening. Because I’ve got something to say.”

  “What?” Lukas asked, his father’s words catching him off guard.

  “You heard me. I should have said it a while ago, but I thought it was none of my business. You two are adults, and you don’t need your daed butting into your life. But I’m afraid the time has come for me to butt in.”

  Bewildered, Lukas looked at his father. He noticed his beard held a few more strands of gray, and there were a couple of new creases around his eyes, eyes that were looking at Lukas with a mix of compassion and irritation. “What are you talking about?”

  “I’m talking about you and your wife. When are you
two going to get things settled between each other? Or are you going to spend the rest of your lives going in different circles?”

  “It’s not that easy,” Lukas said, staring straight ahead. He breathed in the earthy smells of wood, hay, and horse and cow manure that wafted between the slats of the barn.

  “Who said marriage was easy?” Joseph bent his leg at an angle and set his arm on his knee. “It’s the hardest thing you’ll ever do. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.”

  His father’s platitudes suddenly rubbed Lukas the wrong way. “In this case, you have no idea what you’re talking about. Look, Daed, I appreciate that you care, but my marriage is my concern. I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “Not even with Anna?”

  Lukas snapped his head up and looked at Joseph. “We talk enough.”

  “That’s not what I’m seeing.”

  Forgetting about the pain in his thumb, Lukas said, “What exactly is it that you see?”

  “You’re hurting, sohn. That’s as plain as day to anyone, and who can blame you? You’ve had a loss, and you have to give yourselves time to grieve. Instead you’ve been putting in extra hours at the shop, and Anna’s starting to do the same. When the two of you came over the other day for supper, you barely said a word to each other or anyone else.”

  “Look, it’s not like we’ve lost a boppli.” Lukas’s throat tightened as he spoke. “And Anna and I both know this is God’s will. If he had wanted us to have children, we would be able to have them. But for some reason, he doesn’t. We’ve both accepted that.”

  “Then you’re both amazing,” Joseph said. “Because I know if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to say the same thing. Not this soon. And I know you, sohn. I know how much family means to you. So I find it hard to believe you can say those words aloud and truly mean them.”

  Lukas swallowed, unable to look at his daed. Because if he did, his father would see that Lukas didn’t mean any of it. He grabbed his hat and shoved it on his head. “There’s work to do,” he said, standing up, then reaching down for the hammer and a couple of nails. He turned to the slab of wood and finished pounding the nail he’d missed, then slammed the hammer down on another one. He felt his father’s eyes on him, but he ignored it. Even though his daed meant well, he had no idea what Lukas as going through. Or what Anna was going through.