by Leigh Bale
Joe, their black-and-white dog, greeted him. His pink tongue lolled out of his mouth.
“Hallo, boy.” Jakob patted the animal’s head.
The chill morning air embraced him, and he took several deep breaths. Moonlight sprayed across the graveled driveway. His gaze swept over the open fields where their cattle grazed peacefully. A small stream ran past their place, swollen with spring runoff. He should speak with Reuben and Ruby about staying away from the swirling water where it deepened near the irrigation ditch...it could be dangerous to a young child. Thankfully, they should have enough water for their crops this year. Since his father brought his familye to Colorado ten years earlier, they had worked hard to build their farm into a prosperous place to live. Although they earned only half their living off the farm and the rest from the bakery and furniture he sold, Jakob loved it here and hoped to one day pass this land on to his children. Hope for a better future was the main reason his father had brought them here in the first place.
He held the lamp high as he walked to the barn. Joe trotted happily beside him, his stumpy tail wagging. Opening the heavy door, Jakob caught the warm earthy smell of dust, animals and straw.
“Abby!”
She stood in front of the grain bin, fully dressed and holding a silver pail and scoop of chicken feed. Another lamp had been lit and hung on a hook beside her head. The warm glow illuminated her lavender dress, white apron and kapp, making her look small and fragile among the shadows. Her eyes widened with momentary surprise, then she smiled and brushed a hand across her long skirts in a gesture that told him she was suddenly nervous.
“Guder mariye, Jakob.”
“Good morning,” he returned.
He closed the barn door to shut out the chilly air, then walked to her. “Why are you up so early?”
She took two steps back, not quite meeting his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep, so I thought I’d make myself useful. I suspect I’m used to getting up two hours earlier in Ohio.” She glanced at him. “Why are you up so early?”
He shrugged. “The same reason. I couldn’t sleep either, although Ohio has nothing to do with it.”
She laughed, her blue eyes twinkling and her face lighting up. In the lamp glow, she was absolutely stunning and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. He realized she had as many worries on her mind as he did. And for some reason, he wished he could ease her fears and bring her a bit of comfort.
“It appears we both suffer from insomnia,” she said.
“I guess so.” He couldn’t help returning her smile.
Stepping closer, he reached up to remove a piece of straw from her kapp. She jerked back and lifted both hands, as if to protect herself. In the process, she dropped the pail and scoop. Chicken feed spattered across the barn floor. Her breathing quickened, her eyes wide and wary, as if she expected him to strike her.
Jakob drew back in surprise. He held perfectly still, waiting for her to relax. Then he plucked the piece of straw and held it out to her.
“I meant you no harm.” He spoke gently, trying to soften the tense mood. But in his heart, he couldn’t help wondering at her actions.
“Danke.” She stooped over and swept up the spilled feed with her hands, funneling it into the pail.
He noticed that she never turned her back on him, but positioned herself so she could always see him. Something told him it was a protective instinct she’d learned from living with her father and brother, and he couldn’t help wondering if they had a tendency to ambush her when she wasn’t looking.
When he crouched down to help her, she drew away again, her entire body stiff. And then he knew. Simon and her father’s abuse had been worse than he first thought. This gentle, soft-spoken woman was afraid of men.
She was afraid of him.
“I’ll never hurt you, Abby. You are safe here. This I vow,” he said.
She met his gaze, her lips slightly parted. Her eyes filled with doubt, and he wasn’t sure she believed him.
She stood abruptly and gave a nervous laugh. “I had better get the chickens fed. Do you want me to turn them out into the yard, or leave them in the coop?”
“Ja, turn them out. The dog will not bother them, and Dawdi will be here to watch over the place while we go into town.”
“Unless you object, I’ll feed the pigs also,” she said.
He nodded and she hurried to the door, but paused there to look over her shoulder at him. “Are...are we taking the children with us into town?”
Her voice carried a bit of hesitancy, and he didn’t need to ask why. No doubt she was still wary of Reuben and wished to avoid the boy.
“Ja, but we’ll be dropping Reuben off at school. Ruby will spend the day with you and Mamm.”
“Gut. I want to spend more time getting to know Reuben, so that he realizes I mean him no harm. I hope we can one day be friends.”
Once again, she surprised him. She didn’t want to avoid the boy. Instead, she sought the opportunity to be near him. Not what Jakob expected at all.
She stepped outside and closed the barn door. He felt the urge to go after her. To apologize once more for frightening her. To make her laugh again. But he knew that would be a mistake. It might make her think he had changed his mind and wanted to marry her after all. That there could be something between them. And there couldn’t. Not ever.
* * *
“Reuben, get your coat. We’re going to be late,” Naomi called to the boy from the stairs. Her arms were laden with a shallow box of freshly wrapped blueberry muffins.
The boy’s bare feet thudded against the stairs as he ran down them and hurried into the kitchen. He thrust his arms into his plain black sack coat. “Where’s my lunch?”
“Here it is.” Abby turned from the counter, holding a red personal-sized lunch cooler.
He came to a screeching halt. “Did...did you make my lunch?”
She nodded and smiled, handing the cooler to him. “Ja, and I put something extra special inside. I hope you like it.”
He scowled at her but took the handle, careful to avoid touching her hand. As he studied the box, she could tell he wanted to stop right there and open the lid to view the contents, but Naomi called to him again.
“Reuben! Koom on.”
The boy turned and ran outside. Picking up a box that contained six loaves of carefully wrapped homemade bread, Abby followed. On the porch, she set the box down on a table and closed the front door securely behind her.
“I’ll see you all later,” Dawdi Zeke called from near the workshop.
“Vaarwel.” Abby waved as she picked up the box of bread and stepped down off the porch.
Jakob had already pulled the buggy wagon up in front of the house. The back of the wagon was filled with carefully packed breads, rolls, cupcakes, cookies and pies for the bakery. He hopped out of the buggy to help her put the box in the back. As he did so, his hand brushed against hers and she jerked back, the warm feel of his skin zinging up her arm.
Looking up, she noticed that Naomi had managed to climb in the back of the buggy with Reuben and Ruby. That meant Abby would have to ride in the front with Jakob.
He helped her into the buggy, then hurried around to the driver’s seat. Taking the leads in his strong hands, he released the brake and slapped the leather gently against the horse’s back.
“Schritt.”
The horse stepped forward in a steady walk. In the close quarters, Abby gazed out her open window, conscious of Jakob’s knee brushing against her skirts from time to time.
When they reached the county road leading into Riverton, Jakob directed the horse over to the far right side of the road. Several cars and a truck whizzed past, and Abby was relieved when they took a turn onto another dirt road. Within fifteen minutes, they passed wide-open fields and an apple orchard.
“The Beilers live down there.” Nao
mi pointed. “We buy our apples from them. You’ll meet Lizzie at the bakery. She makes the best pies in the district.”
“Not better than yours, Grossmammi,” Reuben said.
“That’s because I use her crust recipe. It’s so tender and flaky. She’s a very gut cook.” Naomi smiled.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for the woman to brag, but Abby could tell her grandson’s words had pleased her.
Abby saw the schoolhouse long before they reached it. A white frame building with a small bell tower sat amid a fenced-off yard in the middle of a hay field. Two outhouses sat in one isolated corner. A teeter-totter and baseball diamond were the only play equipment in the yard.
The horse pulled the buggy wagon down the lane, and Jakob stopped them just out front of the schoolhouse. Several boys dressed in similar clothes waved at Reuben.
“Mach’s gut.” The boy bid farewell, then hopped out and ran toward them in bare feet.
“Wait! Your lunch,” Abby called.
The boy stopped. Turned. With a huff, he walked back to the wagon. Abby picked up his forgotten cooler and handed it to him with a smile.
“Have a gut day,” she said.
Under the heavy stare of his father, Reuben gave a slight nod, then turned and raced over to his friends.
Jakob made a clicking noise and the horse walked on. They passed another buggy coming into the schoolyard. They waved, but Jakob didn’t stop to chat. Abby could see the woman craning her neck to look at her and was grateful he kept going. She would have plenty of people to meet and questions to answer at church on Sunday.
“Reuben said you put something special in his lunch box,” Ruby said.
Abby turned in her seat, conscious of Jakob’s interest in the conversation. “Ja, that’s true.”
“Is it a real nice surprise?” Ruby asked, obviously digging for more information.
“I think so. Would you like to know what it is?”
The girl nodded eagerly, a wisp of brown hair escaping her small kapp.
Reaching into her purse, Abby withdrew a carefully wrapped bag of chocolate chip cookies tied with a bit of yellow string. While Naomi made breakfast, she’d prepared them for the bakery.
“I was saving the cookies to give to you later on, but if it’s okay with your vadder, you can have them now,” she said.
Ruby leaned forward and pressed her cheek against her father’s shoulder. “May I have them now? Please, Daedi?”
Abby’s heart melted. The girl asked so sweetly that it would be difficult for anyone to refuse her anything.
Jakob chuckled. “Ja, you may.”
Abby handed the cookies over.
“Danke.” The girl undid the string and then made an exclamation of surprise. “Ach, what is this?” she asked, holding up a little slip of paper with writing on it.
“What does it say? Can you read it?” Abby asked, knowing very well what it said since she had written the note.
Ruby tried to sound out the words, but got only the first three correct.
“‘You have an amazing smile.’” Naomi read it out loud for her.
“I do?” Ruby asked.
“You most certainly do,” Jakob said from the front seat.
“Ja, you do.” Abby faced forward and hid a satisfied smile. She’d written something similar on a piece of paper for Reuben, too. Simple words that would hopefully make him smile.
“That’s nice,” Naomi said.
The girl showed the paper to her father. “See what Abby gave me, Daed?”
Jakob nodded, looking at Abby with a thoughtful frown. “Ja, it was very nice of her.”
“I hope it makes you feel gut,” Abby said, thinking that Ruby and Reuben needed to hear something positive for a change. Maybe her notes would help them feel not quite so lonely for their mother.
“When I go to school, I’ll learn to read better.” Ruby tucked the note into her hand, obviously planning to keep it.
“You’ll learn many interesting things in school,” Abby agreed, remembering her own education as some of the fondest times in her life. For those few hours each day, she had been free of her father and brother. Free to be herself. Free to be happy.
After eighth grade, she’d had to return to the house, where she’d been constantly at their mercy. When her father had died three years earlier, she’d had no choice but to live with her brother and his new wife.
“The Hostetlers live down that road. They raise nothing but hay and draft horses. They sell their Percherons to buyers all across the nation. They hire big trucks to come in and transport the hay for them,” Naomi said.
She pointed out several other points of interest as they rode the rest of the way into town. Ruby munched on her cookies, even sharing one with her father. By the time they arrived in the alleyway behind the bakery on Main Street, they were in fairly good spirits.
“Guder mariye!” Sarah Yoder greeted them as Jakob pulled the buggy wagon to a stop and hopped out. Two other buggies were parked in the alleyway with men and women carrying baked goods into the store.
“How are you?” Naomi asked Sarah as she helped Ruby climb down from the buggy.
“Gut.” Sarah smiled at Abby. “You look much more rested than when we first met yesterday.”
“I am, danke.”
“Let me help you.” The woman took the box of frosted cupcakes Abby had lifted out of the back of the wagon, leaving her free to retrieve something else.
“Danke.” Abby smiled.
As they walked into the store, Sarah leaned closer and spoke low so that other people wouldn’t overhear. “Have you decided to stay in Riverton after all?”
Abby nodded. “For the time being.”
Sarah’s gaze followed Jakob as he carried a heavy case of baked goods into the store. “Amos and I both hope you might soon find a reason to stay permanently.”
Abby understood the woman’s meaning perfectly, but didn’t acknowledge it. She didn’t want gossip to spread that she and Jakob were courting. Because they weren’t.
Inside the shop, Abby helped fill the display cases with fragrant pastries, pies, breads and other baked goods. Ruby helped, too, picking up each wrapped loaf of bread carefully before handing it over to Abby.
“You’re new to the district, aren’t you?”
Abby looked up from her work. An attractive young woman with reddish-blond hair and wearing a sky blue dress and white apron stood next to her, arranging a tray of frosted sugar cookies.
“Ja, I’m from Ohio.”
“I’m Lizzie Beiler. My familye is from Lancaster County. We moved here eight years ago.”
“I’m Abby. Abby Miller,” she said.
Lizzie nodded, but her slight smile didn’t quite reach her eyes and it quickly faded. “I’m glad to meet you, Abby. Are you going to be working here in the bakery now?”
Abby shook her head. “Ne, do you work here?”
“Ne, Sarah has two older daughters who help her run the place, but one of them will be marrying soon. Since you’re new in town, I thought perhaps Sarah might have hired you.”
“I’m just helping Naomi drop off her baked goods.”
Lizzie slid the tray of cookies into the display case. “The store is only open two days a week, on Fridays and Saturdays. In a town this size, there isn’t enough business to keep it open more often than that. Everyone knows the hours and they come in to buy their bread, pies and cookies for the week. A number of us make baked goods to sell. We use the same recipes for consistency. Sarah usually sells everything by close of business on Saturday evening.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Abby, we’re ready to go,” Naomi called to her from the doorway, wiping her hands on her long apron.
Ruby ran to her grandmother. Jakob stood just behind Naomi, speaking to Bishop Amos Yoder. He shi
fted his weight, seeming a bit nervous. He glanced at Abby, and she wondered what the two men were discussing. When Jakob nodded and turned away, she breathed in silent relief. No doubt he was eager to get their shopping done so he could return home to his work there.
“Goodbye,” Abby said.
Lizzie waved farewell, but she still didn’t smile.
Abby joined Naomi and stepped outside into the morning sunshine.
“I see you’ve met Lizzie,” Naomi said.
“Ja, she was nice and friendly, but she seemed kind of sad.” Her gaze drifted to the doorway where Lizzie had stepped outside with her empty basket. The young woman looked up, shading her eyes against the sun.
“That’s because she’s still missing Eli,” Naomi said.
“Eli?”
“Eli Stoltzfus, her fiancé. He left a couple of years ago... I lose track of time. They were supposed to get married, but he wanted to go to college. The night before they were to be baptized together, he abandoned our faith and joined the Englisch in Denver. He didn’t even have the common courtesy to say goodbye or write Lizzie a note. Nothing. He just left.”
“Oh, how sad,” Abby said, understanding how that must have hurt his familye and Lizzie.
“I understand from his mudder that he is doing very well in school,” Naomi continued. “He hasn’t even written to Lizzie. He broke her heart, and she hasn’t been the same since. Now, she won’t attend the singings or even think about getting married. I fear she’s lost her trust in men.”
Abby felt a powerful rush of sympathy. She didn’t trust men either. Her heart had been broken, too, but for different reasons. Neither she nor Lizzie wanted to marry. Not after the painful betrayal they’d experienced at the hands of men they should have been able to trust.
Looking up, Abby saw Jakob leaning against the buggy, his ankles crossed. With the warmth of the day, he’d rolled the long sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows and pushed the straw hat back on his head. She blinked, thinking him the most handsome man she’d ever seen.