The Hearts of Middlefield Collection

by Kathleen Fuller

  Being away hadn’t extinguished her feelings for Aaron. If anything, the separation had intensified them, which she found annoying. Her plan to leave her attraction to Aaron in Lancaster had failed. The thought of seeing him again filled her with anticipation and dread. Somehow she had to figure out how to put a lid on her emotions. Problem was, she’d never been successful at doing that.

  On Sunday afternoon, Moriah stopped by with the children for a visit. As her mother and Ruth watched the kinner in the living room, Moriah asked Elisabeth to sit with her on the front porch, a custom that the two sisters had enjoyed for as long as they could remember.

  “Tell me about your trip,” Moriah said as they sat on the wooden porch swing their father had installed a few weeks ago, the scent of fresh oak surrounding them.

  Elisabeth fingered the metal chain that suspended the swing from the porch roof. “The bus ride was long and boring. Sitting in the same seat for twenty hours was dull, dull, dull. I even broke down and read the book Mami insisted I take, but I got a headache after page three. I ended up sleeping most of the way.”

  “I hope things were better in Lancaster.”

  “Oh ya. Much better.” She shifted to the side to face Moriah. “Deborah’s doing well, and the boppli is fine. Her Aunt Sadie is an odd bird, though. She wears the same necklace every day—these big red beads that match her big red lips.”

  Moriah frowned. “That’s not nice, Lis.”

  “It’s true! She even said she had big lips. Said that’s why she wears red lipstick. ‘Might as well show off what God gave me.’ Her personal motto.” She and Moriah laughed.

  A small bird landed on the banister near Elisabeth and Moriah. Moriah looked at it for a moment before she spoke. “Did you hear from Aaron while you were gone?”

  “Aaron?” Elisabeth’s pulse started at the mention of his name. She looked away, hoping to sound nonchalant. “Why would I hear from him?”

  “You two have gotten very close over the past year.”

  “We’re friends.” Her foot pushed against the porch, sending the swing into motion.

  “That’s all you’re going to say?”

  “Ya. What else is there?”

  “Lis, you always have more to say. You’re never at a loss for words.” Her blue eyes twinkled. “I can think of only one reason you would clam up like this. He’s more than a friend, isn’t he?”

  Elisabeth moved the swing faster. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh, you know exactly what I mean.”

  She sighed. “Fine, you win. I like him. But it doesn’t matter because he doesn’t like me, not that way. Just because he kissed me—”

  “Wait, he kissed you?” Moriah leaned forward in her chair, her expression filled with curiosity.

  “Barely kissed me. And I think it was an accident.”

  “How do you accidentally kiss someone?”

  “I don’t know.” She stuck out her heel and halted the swing. “But he sure wouldn’t have kissed me on purpose.”

  “I can’t believe you just said that. Why wouldn’t he like you, Elisabeth? You’re sweet, kind, pretty—”

  “You have to say those things, you’re my schwester.”

  “I mean them. I’m sure Aaron thinks the same way.”

  Elisabeth threaded her fingers together. “I don’t know.”

  “Then ask him.”

  “I can’t do that!”

  “Ya, you can.” Moriah looked at her. “Remember when I was pregnant with Velda Anne? After Levi died, how Gabriel would come and visit and I’d send him away? I was falling in love with him even then, but I wouldn’t tell him. I wasn’t honest with him, or with myself.”

  “That’s completely different. Your relationship with Gabe was complicated to say the least.”

  “And I made it more so by shutting him out.”

  “But you knew he loved you, Moriah. I have no idea how Aaron feels. You know how long it took for him to even smile at me?” A lump formed in her throat as she thought about the past year. He’d helped her with her nieces when she’d needed him. He’d taught her to ice skate. He’d saved her from possibly being arrested. Above all, he was willing to sacrifice his happiness and marry her when he thought she was pregnant with another man’s child. “He’s the best, and I don’t want to lose the friendship we have.”

  “So what are you going to do? Ignore your feelings? Trust me, you can only do that for so long.”

  “I don’t know,” she admitted, just as confused about the situation as she ever was.

  “Then think about it. Even better, pray about it. God will let you know what to do.”

  “I don’t think it’s as simple as that.”

  Moriah smiled and took Elisabeth’s hand. “It is, Lis. It is.”

  For Aaron, the last two weeks had dragged slower than a turtle crossing a river of molasses. He’d missed Elisabeth more than he thought possible. Her image had consumed his thoughts, and he couldn’t get the memory of their short, sweet kiss out of his mind. More than once he’d been tempted to go to her house last night, just to catch a glimpse of her. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted to see her, but the strength of his emotions for her scared him.

  He’d been at loose ends today, trying to deal with the turmoil inside him. He decided to go for a walk, and now he was here at the shop. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, not bothering to turn on the light. Sunbeams streamed through the window, one illuminating the door of Elisabeth’s office. His feet took on a mind of their own and he went inside and sat down in her chair.

  Elisabeth had always kept a neat enough workspace, but since Ruth had filled in for her, the office had never been tidier. The only items on the desk were a blotter with the calendar on it, a pencil, and a small pad of paper. Usually Elisabeth left behind a coffee cup, a few pieces of unopened mail, or a couple of paper clips scattered around. Evidence she’d been there. He hadn’t even realized he’d noticed those things until now.

  He picked up the pencil and pad, tapping the eraser on his bottom lip. He thought about her note, which was still in his pocket. He had carried it with him. A corny gesture, but he couldn’t help it. It made missing her a little more bearable.

  He tore out one of the small yellow pages and wrote I could never forget you, then set it down on her desk. But as soon as he did, he regretted it. Talk about corny. He reached to take it back and throw it away.

  “Who’s in here?”

  Startled, Aaron shot up from the seat at the sound of Gabe’s stern voice. He opened the office door and came out. “It’s just me.”

  Gabe’s guarded expression relaxed. “Whew, I’m glad it’s you. I thought somebody might have broken in. What are you doing here?” Gabe entered the shop, shutting the door behind him. “Don’t tell me you’re working on a Sunday.”

  “Nee. I wouldn’t do that.”

  A puzzled expression crossed Gabe’s face. “Then why are you here?”

  Aaron’s cheeks grew hot. He felt like he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

  “Did you forget something?”

  “I, um, I thought I did.” Aaron bit his tongue on the lie. “My lunch cooler. But I couldn’t find it here, so I guess I took it home.”

  If Gabe wasn’t buying Aaron’s lame excuse, he didn’t let on. “Gotcha.” He looked past Aaron’s shoulders at the office door. “I’m glad Elisabeth’s coming back tomorrow. Don’t get me wrong, Ruth’s a great worker. I’ve never met anyone more organized. But Elisabeth is more—”

  “Fun?”

  Gabe grinned. “Exactly.” He looked up at the clock on the wall. “Moriah should be back with the kinner pretty soon. Do you want to stay for supper?”

  Aaron shook his head. “I need to get going.” He headed toward the door of the shop.

  “Okay. You know you always have a standing offer with us.”

  “I appreciate that.” And he did. For the first time in a long time he didn’t feel like an
outsider anymore. Elisabeth had a lot to do with that, but so did Gabe and the rest of the Bylers, along with his own family. They had put his past behind them, and finally, Aaron had too.

  He left and headed back for his house, filled with peace and, as usual, thoughts of Elisabeth. After an interminable two weeks, he’d see her tomorrow. It was only when he was nearly home that he remembered he’d forgotten to grab the note.

  Elisabeth yawned as she opened the door to the blacksmith shop. She had decided to come in to work early, just in case she had some catching up to do from her absence. Although knowing Ruth, everything would be completed to annoying perfection. But she still came in half an hour before her scheduled time.

  It didn’t help that her stomach had been swirling with butterflies since before breakfast. She’d contemplated Moriah’s thoughts all night and had prayed about what to do about Aaron. Her sister had said it was simple, but Elisabeth still didn’t see it that way. She also wasn’t sure what to do. The only thing she knew was that she wanted to see Aaron. She’d worry about what to say to him later.

  She flipped on the gas-powered lights. The shop still looked the same. And why wouldn’t it? She’d only been gone two weeks. Never mind that it had seemed like forever. Elisabeth started for the office when she heard the door open behind her. She whirled around to see Aaron standing there, holding his blue lunch cooler, and looking more handsome than ever.

  “Hi,” he said, his gaze steady and connected with hers.

  Her mouth went dry, and she squeaked out, “Hi.”

  They didn’t say anything for a few moments, an unusually awkward silence stretching between them. This is what she had wanted to avoid, them feeling uncomfortable around each other. And clearly he felt uncomfortable, because now he was looking everywhere but at her. Maybe she had finally gotten her answer. If things were this strained between them because of a quick—and more than likely accidental—kiss, imagine how they would be if she told him the truth about her love for him. No, she’d keep that bit of information tucked inside.

  Taking a deep breath, she gave him a tight smile. “I better see the disaster Ruth left for me.”

  As if her words had lit a fire under his feet, he dropped the cooler and darted in front of her. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  “Oh, I know. I was making a joke. Ruth would rather die than leave a mess. I’m sure my office is neater than a pin.” She moved to walk past him, but he stepped in front of her.

  “So, how was your trip?” He crossed his muscular arms, looking more like a guard than a blacksmith.

  “Fine.” She gave him an odd look. “Deborah’s doing well, she has a crazy Aunt Sadie, and the boppli’s healthy.”

  “Gut, gut.”

  Elisabeth looked up at him, bewildered by the strained expression on his face. Any awkwardness she’d experienced a moment before disappeared, replaced by confusion. “Aaron, what are you doing?”

  “What do you mean?” He smiled, but instead of looking pleased, he looked like his grandmother had stepped on his toe and he was trying to be polite about it.

  “I need to get to my office. Do you mind?” She stepped to the side, but he followed her.

  “You came in kind of early this morning. Have you had breakfast? I thought Gabe mentioned Moriah was making cinnamon rolls this morning.”

  Now he was really spouting nonsense. Elisabeth highly doubted Gabe knew what Moriah was planning to make for breakfast, much less that he would mention it to Aaron. “Just let me by, Aaron.” As he opened his mouth again she dashed past him and went inside the office. Finally! She set down her purse on top of her desk and turned around to see Aaron inches away from her.

  Was he blushing? “I can explain,” he said.

  Her brows lifted. “Explain what?”

  He peered around her shoulder at her desk, then frowned. She turned around to see what he was looking at. All she could see was her purse, a pencil and a pad of paper, and the calendar. She turned and faced the desk completely. “I should have known Ruth would do this.”

  “Do what?”

  “She can’t stand to have anything out. She has nothing on top of her dresser, and when it’s her turn to clean the kitchen, there’s not a crumb left on the counters. Now she’s done something with my pencil and pen can.” Elisabeth picked up her purse and set it to the side. Where would her sister have put it? She had about twenty pens and pencils in an old pork ‘n’ beans can, which she had washed out and torn off the label. Elisabeth was always leaving pencils and pens everywhere, and having a stash on her desk prevented her from losing time searching for them.

  She had started to turn away when she noticed a slip of paper on the desk. How could Ruth have left this behind? Shocking. Elisabeth picked it up.

  “Elisabeth,” Aaron said from behind her.

  “I could never forget you,” she read out loud. What a weird little note. She turned around and looked up at Aaron. “Who wrote this?”

  But as soon as she saw the look in his eyes, she knew.

  “Like I said, I can explain.”

  “You wrote this?” She glanced at the note again. She should have recognized the small, compact handwriting. She’d seen his writing on enough order forms before.

  He nodded.

  She read the words. I could never forget you. Then she remembered the note she’d left for him. Don’t forget me while I’m gone. A warm fuzzy feeling traveled from her head to her toes. “That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me.”

  “Sweet?” His blond brow lifted. “I thought you’d think it was corny.”

  “Hardly.” She brought the note to her chest. “You missed me?”

  “Ya,” he said in a low voice. His eyes turned a smoky blue color, reminding her of the way he had looked at her that day on the porch, just before Kacey had arrived. “I missed you. A lot.”

  “I missed you too.” At that point her confusion cleared. She had asked God for an answer regarding Aaron, and he had just given it to her. Now she knew exactly what to do. “Aaron, I—”

  “Wait.” He put his finger to her lips. “I need to tell you something first. And if you don’t want to talk to me after I say it, I’ll understand.” She opened her mouth to speak again, but he stopped her with his words. “I like you, Elisabeth.”

  “I like you, too, Aaron.”

  He shook his head, hard. “I don’t think you know what I mean. I don’t just like you, I like you. A lot. I’ve liked you for a long time. Even before I kissed you at the pond.”

  “I thought that was an accident.”

  The tension suddenly drained from his face and he smiled. “Believe me, Elisabeth. I definitely kissed you on purpose.”

  “You did?”

  “Ya. And I’d like to do it again.” His smile faded. “But our friendship means a lot to me, and I don’t want to screw that up. But I can’t keep pretending that I don’t have feelings for you.” He leaned closer to her. “I can’t lie anymore, Elisabeth. Not to you.”

  A hard knot lodged in her throat. “Oh, Aaron.” Suddenly everything she wanted to say to him flew out of her head. She couldn’t confess her love with words. Actions would have to do. She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly around the neck, placing a kiss close to his ear. She closed her eyes as his arms went around her waist, drawing her close.

  “Does this mean what I think it does?” He whispered in her ear, sending tingles down her spine.

  She released him and stepped away, nodding.

  He waited for a moment, then grinned when she didn’t say anything. “I can’t believe it. Elisabeth Byler is speechless.”

  “Stop!” she said, her voice sounding thick. She playfully tapped him on the arm.

  The sound of the front door closing wedged them apart. Aaron peered out the office door. “Gabe’s here. We better get to work.”

  Elisabeth nodded, still unable to say anything, the emotions flowing through her blocking her voice.

  H
e moved closer to her and whispered, “I think you’re overdue for another rock-skipping lesson, don’t you?”

  “Are you asking me out, Aaron Detweiler?”

  “Now she finds her voice.” He smiled. “Ya, I’m asking you out.”

  “And does this mean you want to court me?”

  He laughed. “I should have known you wouldn’t make this easy for me.”

  She lifted her chin and smiled. “Nope. I’m going to savor the moment.” Aaron liked her. Cared for her. Was looking at her like he couldn’t get his fill. Never had she been so happy.

  “Then savor this, Elisabeth. Ya, I want to court you. I want to teach you how to skip rocks and ice skate. And I want you to keep teaching me how to love life.” His gaze softened. “So what do you say? Will you go out with me?”

  “Of course.” She’d wanted something to savor, and he had definitely delivered. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  Chapter 22

  Anna tore off a brown tassel from an ear of corn, yanking down on the husk. She and Lukas sat on their small back deck, another improvement Lukas had added to the house. A stack of corn lay between them, and they sat in plastic chairs, shucking and preparing the corn for canning. She had been removing every last piece of silk from each ear before putting it in a large bin. Their garden had been plentiful that summer, and the corn was full and dripping with sweetness. It was a lovely September evening, and Anna couldn’t think of a better way to share it than working side by side with her husband.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Lukas said, grabbing another ear of corn from the stack. He pointed to the back corner of the yard behind the house. “I think that’s a gut place for a swing set.”

  Anna froze, stunned. Why was he talking about putting up a swing set?

  “Stephen can help me dig a pit, and we can fill it with sand and put some timbers around it. I think with my bruders’ help, we can build the set quickly. There’ll be a tire swing, of course. And maybe a small sandbox right beside it.”