The Hearts of Middlefield Collection

by Kathleen Fuller

  With every ounce of strength he had, Zach held fast to Maggie’s reins. He fought to keep control of his normally tame horse. She’d never been spooked before. But the crazy way those cars flew past them would have scared any animal, no matter how calm. He pulled on the reins as hard as he could, but she still refused to slow down. It was as if someone had put a torch to her hind end. All he could do was try to keep her from crashing the buggy until she wore herself out.

  Maggie continued to flee across the field but then the buggy hit a huge bump. Zach’s body rose off the seat, and the buggy tilted onto two wheels. Ruth slid into him and screamed. He took his eyes off the horse for a split second to see if she was all right. She gripped his upper arm with both hands, squeezing hard. He really needed that arm to help control the horse, but right now Ruth needed it even more because she had nothing else to hold on to.

  The buggy slammed back down onto four wheels, but Ruth continued to clutch his arm. He yanked on the reins harder. “Whoa, Maggie, whoa!” Finally the reins went slack in his hand. Almost as quickly as she had sped up, she slowed her gallop to a canter, then finally to a walk, then at last to a stop.

  He fell back against the seat, gasping for breath. Only then did he notice that Ruth hadn’t let go of his arm. She stared straight ahead, her face whiter than the spot of hair between Maggie’s eyes. “Ruth?” When she didn’t say anything he asked again. “Ruth? Are you all right?”

  She let out a small squeak.

  He angled his body to the side, his heartbeat finally slowing. But he didn’t try to extract his arm from her grip. “Ruth, it’s okay. We’re all right. Even Maggie’s okay.”

  “I . . .” She looked up at him with round, bluish gray eyes. “Wha?”

  Something pulled at Zach, deep inside. Seeing Ruth this terrified worried him. He lowered his voice. “Ruth. You can let geh now. It’s okay.”

  She wagged her head back and forth several times. “What if she takes off again?”

  “Maggie won’t. Those cars spooked her bad. I don’t blame her; they were reckless.” He looked at his horse, her sides pumping back and forth as she fought for breath. He glanced back at Ruth. “I need to check on her. I’ll make sure she’s really calmed down before we try to go anywhere.”

  She stared up at him again, intensifying the odd pull he felt toward her. He looked into her dark blue eyes, mesmerized by the mix of fear and total trust he found in them. She always seemed so guarded, but at that moment, her façade was gone. It was as if he was seeing the real Ruth, and it unnerved and attracted him at the same time.

  Ruth slowly removed her hands from his arm. He jumped out of the buggy and went to Maggie. He patted her brown flanks, talked to her a bit, and made sure she was okay, but his focus wasn’t totally on his horse. As he pressed his hand against Maggie’s side, he realized his body was shaking. Sure, he was tired after working twenty-four hours straight, and he was rattled after Maggie’s fear-driven rampage off the road. But he also knew that he was shaking because of the spark of attraction he’d felt moments ago.

  He snuck a glance at Ruth, making double sure she was all right. To his relief, the color was seeping back into her cheeks. And as it did, his senses seemed to return. He couldn’t possibly be attracted to Ruth Byler. She wasn’t anything near his type, especially her uptight personality. Whatever emotions he’d experienced had nothing to do with reality and everything to do with the fact that he needed sleep. And lots of it.

  Satisfied that Maggie was okay, he took the opportunity to look around the field. Where were they? He didn’t know how far the horse had taken them off the road. Giving her one last pat, he went back to the buggy, where Ruth was tucking stray strands of her dishwater blonde hair behind her ears.

  “Where are we?” The tremble in her voice was almost undetectable, her stoic mask back in place. This was the Ruth he was used to.

  “Not sure.” He took off his hat and swiped his arm across his damp forehead.

  “You mean you don’t know?”

  Exhausted, her curt question suddenly irritated him. “I was a little busy, remember? I didn’t take time to notice where Maggie was dragging us.”

  “So you have no idea where we are?”

  “Nee, but I’m sure we’re not lost.”

  “That’s the very definition of being lost.” She climbed out of the buggy, moving steadily and purposefully. Any trace of the terrified woman he’d witnessed moments ago had disappeared completely. She strode away from the buggy and started looking around. “Where’s the road?”

  “From the buggy tracks, I think we came from that direction,” he said, pointing west.

  She looked up at him, shading her eyes from the weakening sunlight. “I’m going to miss my meeting because of this.”

  “Is that all you’re concerned about?” He walked over to her.

  “My teachers’ meetings are important. It’s a chance for us to get together and exchange knowledge and strategies for educating our students.”

  “Sounds scintillating.” The words were out before he could stop them. Why couldn’t she be more helpful instead of whining about missing her dumm meeting?

  Her brows knit together. “That’s quite a big word for you. Sure you know what that means, especially since you seem fuzzy on the definition of lost?”

  His lips pressed together. Ordinarily he could appreciate skilled sarcasm, but not right now. “You might want to go easy on the charm, fraulein.”

  Her mouth formed a tight O shape, but she didn’t reply. Instead she turned her back to him.

  The horse whinnied behind Zach, and he walked over to her. He stroked her nose, relieved she was still calm and had finally caught her breath. It took him a few minutes to gather his composure. Flinging insults at each other wouldn’t get them home. Once his emotions settled down, he called out to Ruth over his shoulder. “We should get back in the buggy. At least if Maggie takes off again, I can grab the reins and control her.”

  Ruth spun around and stared at him, her chin slightly lifted. And people told him he had a chip on his shoulder. “What if you can’t?” she asked.

  “Can’t what?”

  “Control her.”

  Was that a glint of anxiety he saw in her eyes? He softened his stance. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Ruth. I promise.”

  She glanced away for an instant, then looked back at him. “I’m not worried about me. I just wouldn’t want anything to happen to your horse. She’s a fine animal.”

  Zach fought a smile. “So you’re worried about my horse?”

  “Ya.”

  Sure you are. “C’mon, let’s geh. We need to take advantage of the daylight that’s left.”

  Ruth hesitated, but she climbed into the buggy, sitting as far away from him as possible. He picked up the reins and looked at her. “Don’t fall out now.”

  “I won’t.”

  He gently urged Maggie forward, relieved when she started moving without complaint. He held the reins loose in his hand, not guiding her in either direction.

  “Aren’t you going to steer?”

  He shook his head. “Maggie knows the way home.”

  “You’re putting an awful lot of confidence in your horse.”

  “Ya. Horses always find their way back home.”

  “You’re not worried she’ll geh the wrong way?”

  “Nope. Haven’t you ever been lost with a horse before?”

  “Nee. I’m very gut with directions and orientation.”

  Figures she would be a human compass, although he didn’t quite understand what she meant by orientation, and he wasn’t up to figuring it out. All he wanted to do was go home.

  He waited for her to say something else and was relieved when she didn’t. For the next fifteen minutes Maggie wandered the field. Zach started to yawn. He kept glancing at Ruth, waiting for her to tell him Maggie was going in the wrong direction. She sat straight in the seat, her lips thinned, her hand gripping the edge of the seat, but she r
emained silent.

  Finally the road came into view. He glanced at Ruth again. Her posture had relaxed, but only a tiny bit. Zach gripped the reins and directed Maggie onto the road, his body tensing in case she balked. But she calmly stepped onto the asphalt and dragged the buggy behind her. Even the few cars that passed them didn’t affect her. He let out a deep breath, unaware he’d been holding it in.

  It took Maggie twenty minutes to get to Ruth’s, and by that time the sun was almost down. When he stopped in the driveway, he expected her to jump out. Instead she turned to him. She looked as drained as he felt. “If need be, you can let Maggie have a drink before you geh home.”

  Zach lifted a brow in surprise. That was the last thing he’d expected from her, an invitation to water his horse. “Danki, but she’ll be fine until I get home.”

  She nodded, then moved to get out of the buggy.

  “Wait.” When she turned around, he said, “Sorry you didn’t get a chance to geh to your meeting.”

  She paused for a moment. “It’s okay. It was an adventure.”

  He watched her climb out of the buggy, his lips forming a half-smile. The woman was an odd duck. Hard as glass, but just as fragile too. He didn’t know what to make of her. Worse yet, he didn’t know what to make of himself, his own temperament bouncing from irritation to attraction like a Ping-Pong ball. He never thought being around Ruth Byler would be this exhausting. Or interesting.

  “You’re back already?” Emma set down her knitting. A frown appeared on her face. “Gut heavens, what happened to you this time?”

  Ruth brushed away the loose strand of hair resting on her cheek. She knew she had to look a sight. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  Emma stood. “I’m sure I would. You look like you’ve been riding in one of those fancy convertible cars.” Her frown deepened. “Please tell me you weren’t doing that.”

  “I wasn’t.” As she told her mother about Zachariah’s horse running scared, her expression mellowed.

  “Then you never made it to your meeting.”

  Ruth shook her head. “Nee. I didn’t.”

  “Well, there’s always the next one. I’m just glad you’re okay. Where’s Zachariah now?”

  “He went home.” He’d looked so tired when he left, and she couldn’t blame him. She felt a tiny stab of guilt for arguing with him over getting lost. She knew it hadn’t been his fault, and because of his quick thinking and strong arms, he’d saved them from serious injury, or worse. But she hadn’t been thinking about that at the time. She’d been terrified, then frustrated that she’d shown him that weakness. Then once the buggy had come to a stop, she couldn’t let go of his arm, partly out of fear, but partly because she didn’t want to. Even now, she could remember the calmness she felt being that close to him. It made her feel safe when only moments earlier she had felt anything but. But she had to be rational about what had happened. She’d been afraid, and her mixed-up feelings had been a result of that fear. Simple cause and effect.

  If that was true, then why couldn’t she stop thinking about the way he’d looked at her before she’d let go of his arm? His green eyes had narrowed slightly and darkened to an almost emerald color, making her breath hitch.

  “Ruth?” Emma moved closer to her. “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  She shoved the memory away and looked at her mother. “I’m fine. I didn’t hit my head again, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I thought for a minute you might have. You’re acting a bit dazed.”

  Ruth frowned, then blanked her emotions. “Really, I’m okay. And I have gut news.” She told her mother that the school was ready, but left out the part about Zachariah working all night long. Even mentally acknowledging that piqued her feelings, something she didn’t need, not when she had to force herself not to think of him at all.

  Emma planted a kiss on her cheek. “Your daed should be home soon. I think I’ll wait for him upstairs. One thing’s for sure, dochder. Your life hasn’t been boring lately.” She winked at Ruth and left the room.

  Ruth sighed, plopping down on the couch. The lock of hair dislodged from behind her ear again, but she let it fall against her cheek. Her mother was right. Things hadn’t been boring lately. But she liked boring. She preferred predictable. And orderly. And ever since Zachariah had plowed into the school, her life had been a lesson in disorder.

  Chapter 9

  You’ve done a fine job, Zach.” Gabe Miller nodded as he strolled around the schoolroom. “A very fine job.”

  Zach couldn’t hide his smile. He, Gabe, and his father had arrived at the schoolhouse a short while ago. As members of the school board, his father and Gabe were there to approve Zach’s repairs. If they did, Gabe would make an announcement tomorrow after church that the school would open on Monday. Zach hoped it would happen, not just for his sake, but for Ruth’s too.

  But while Gabe seemed pleased with the results, his father had said nothing so far. The ride in the buggy to the school had been filled with silence. Zach even tried a few times to start a conversation, bringing up his work at the buggy shop. But he soon got tired of his father’s one-syllable answers and kept his mouth shut the rest of the way.

  He stood by Ruth’s desk and watched his father stare at the new wall and stroke his beard. He couldn’t see his father’s expression, but from the way he had slowly walked back and forth, stopping at times to examine the floor or look up at the ceiling, Zach could guess what his father was thinking.

  “There’s paint on the floor.” He marked the spot with his foot.

  “Where?” Zach zipped between two of the rows of desks. He’d set them up in even rows, thinking Ruth might want them that way. If she didn’t, she could rearrange them. He reached his father and bent down to see the paint spots. They were more like paint flecks. He rubbed them off with his thumbnail. “There. Satisfied?” The biting words were out before he could stop them.

  His daed turned to him, green eyes snapping. “Satisfaction comes from a job well done.”

  Zach stared at his father. He’d spent almost two weeks working on the school, sweating in the heat, making sure he not only finished the job early, but that he did it well. And all his father could do was complain about a few stray paint flecks?

  “I don’t see why we can’t open school Monday.” Gabe moved to stand between the two men. “Unless you have an objection, Gideon?”

  Zach held his breath as his father continued to look around, taking his time before answering. Finally he said, “Nee.”

  Gabe glanced at Zach, giving him a quick smile. With that one gesture Zach knew Gabe not only recognized what was going on between father and son, he also understood. He was glad someone did, because he certainly didn’t understand his father’s behavior.

  Moments later they were on their way home. It had been overcast all day, and the scent of impending rain filled the evening air. Dusk cast a purplish haze on the grassy fields and on the white houses lining both sides of the road.

  They were halfway home when Zach couldn’t take the silence anymore. “Why are you being so hard on me?”

  His father remained silent.

  Zach slid down in his seat, feeling like a kid of eight instead of an adult of eighteen. “I don’t understand. You said you wanted me to be responsible. To be a mann. And now that I’ve proven myself to you, you won’t acknowledge it.”

  “You’ve done one thing, Zachariah. One small thing.”

  “Repairing the schulhaus wasn’t a small thing!”

  His daed gripped the reins. “It will take more than that to make you a mann.”

  Anger surged through Zach. He clenched his fists until his fingernails dug into the palms of his hands. “Nothing’s ever gut enough for you, is it?”

  “And you’ve never understood what I’ve been telling you all these years. Mostly because you haven’t listened.”

  “I’m listening now!”

  His father stared straight ahead
but didn’t say another word.

  Zach clenched his teeth. He couldn’t remember being this furious before. Couldn’t his father see he was trying? Did he even care? He seemed to think more of Johnny Mullet, the kid he’d hired to work in his shop, than his own son. More than once Zach heard his father say how pleased he was with Johnny’s work. Each compliment dug at Zach. When he was younger, his brothers had been praised by his father, and Zach had hoped one day he would be praised too. But after tonight, that seemed impossible.

  “Are you sure you want to get here this early?” Stephen asked.

  Ruth looked at her brother, who had agreed to give her a ride this morning. She frowned at him. Her nerves were already frazzled. “Ya. I want to get here this early.”

  Stephen held up his hand, his expression wary. “Sorry for asking.”

  She let out a long sigh. “Nee, I’m sorry.”

  “You’re not nervous, are you?”

  “Of course not.” She fumbled with her purse and her satchel, both of them slipping from her grip. She picked them up again. “Can you pick me up this afternoon?”

  He nodded. “What time?”

  “Four?”

  “See you then.”

  She got out of the buggy.

  “Ruth?”

  She turned and looked at him. He gave her a smile. “Gut luck. You’ll do a gut job with the kinner. If anyone was born to be a teacher, it’s you.”

  She nodded and managed a smile as Stephen drove away. Despite her brother’s vote of confidence, she felt a stab of doubt. She’d spent most of her life preparing for this day, and she’d prayed over each and every one of her students last night before going to bed. Yet in spite of that, it felt like a hundred butterflies were dancing a jig inside her stomach. She reassured herself that everything would go smoothly today. She had formulated a contingency plan for every problem she could think of, and her lessons were ready. As long as nothing unexpected happened, everything would be okay. Yet she couldn’t get rid of those annoying butterflies.