Promised to Another

by Laura Hilton

  It was a bit dishonest, maybe, as he was supposed to be part of the man swap meant to introduce fresh blood into the Amish community in Seymour. But as long as he chose a frau from here, he would fulfill his duty, right?

  Annie’s face flashed across his mind, and he frowned. He hadn’t even taken her out. Though he’d wanted to. Desperately. Their friendship was tenuous, at best. So, why was she the single woman who’d made any lasting impression on him? The only woman he’d noticed? The only girl he really wanted to get to know? The one who came to mind when he thought of marriage?

  Something bumped against the door, and Joshua looked up, bracing himself for an interruption.

  The door opened slowly, and Luke peeked inside. “What’s up?”

  Joshua scowled. So much for reading in peace. He didn’t care for the Englisch slang that permeated Luke’s manner of speaking. He shrugged. “Not much.” His fingers tightened around the edge of his letter. Maybe he could finish reading it in the barn or someplace else where he could be alone.

  Luke opened the door the rest of the way, stepped inside, and sat down on his bed. The bed Joshua had slept in before Luke’s return. A wave of body odor assaulted Joshua’s nose. “What do you think of Annie?”

  Luke seemed a bit defensive, judging by his set jaw. Had he been drinking? Joshua sniffed the air again. He did pick up a kind of yeasty smell. “Uh, Annie who? There are several around here.” Might be best to play dumb.

  “Annie Beiler. My Annie. I saw you talking with her.” Luke balled his fists, though they remained at his sides. “Walking in the woods with her.”

  Joshua scooted away a bit, wondering if he should stand up or even make a hasty exit. He didn’t need to fight with his host’s eldest son. “Hmm. Did you?” Had Luke trailed them into the woods and seen their few moments of closeness? He hated the idea of someone observing that private moment, even though the entire scene was completely innocent. He hadn’t even thought of anything happening—at least, not until he’d felt that unexpected spark when he’d touched her and heard her gasp. She’d noticed it, too.

  She’d noticed it, too. He fought to keep his face stolid, in spite of the grin that threatened to form on his lips.

  “She’s my girl.” Luke squirmed a bit, twisting to fully face him, anger coloring his voice. “Nein point in your meeting her outside the barn and going for a walk. She and I, we have an understanding. We’re getting married.”

  “You were spying on us?” Joshua rose to his feet. “Any understanding you may have had was before you jumped the fence.”

  “I asked her to kum with me. She didn’t want to leave her family.”

  Joshua refolded his letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. “Is that so?”

  “Jah. And now that I’m home…well, you’ll see.”

  Home? What did Luke mean by that? He’d returned to the faith? Or, he was just physically present once more?

  Joshua scowled but refrained from pointing out that Annie had refused to allow Luke to take her home the night before. Instead, he walked over to the window closest to the bedroom door and opened it. He heard muffled voices as the school board members said their good-byes.

  A decision might have been made. He wished he knew what it was. Henry Schwartz would know, but Joshua doubted he’d tell him.

  He turned around and studied Luke. “So, you think they decided to let your Annie go?” Ach, it hurt to include that possessive pronoun.

  Luke shrugged. “Who cares? If she isn’t working there, she might be too ashamed to face the community and more willing to leave.”

  “You aren’t planning on staying, then?” Joshua’s eyes widened. If Luke left again, his parents would really be hurt. And if he were only toying with Annie, getting her hopes up…now it was Joshua’s turn to ball his fists.

  Luke pursed his lips and, without answering, got up and left the room.

  Joshua slid the envelope back beneath his clean socks and shut the drawer. Luke had been warning him to stay away from Annie. He must have noticed something between them, too. His thoughts returned to the private moment at the spring.

  A moment Luke might have witnessed.

  Joshua sighed. Luke had a point. If Annie were fired, she might be more willing to leave the Amish. And that would give Luke the advantage. Not only that, but if the wedding were to go on as planned, or if she refused to leave this particular community, what was the point in even trying to win her?

  She wouldn’t be willing to leave with Joshua, either.

  He shook his head.

  Pointless.

  ***

  The next morning, Annie didn’t know whether to go to the schoolhaus or not. She hadn’t heard any news about the board’s decision. She hoped they wouldn’t show up when class was in session and humiliate her in front of her scholars. But, if they had decided to fire her, surely they would have the decency to come to the haus and let her know, instead of subjecting her to public humiliation.

  Just in case they decided to come to the schoolhaus, maybe she should take the children on another field trip. One that was allowed, of course. Today would be a good day for a walk in the woods. They could collect different types of leaves to identity, or even use them for an art project. The youngest scholars could practice counting or naming colors or writing the letter l, for “leaf,” and t, for “tree.”

  Her plan decided, Annie pulled on her brown dress and black apron, pinned her hair up, and covered it with her kapp, then headed downstairs to get started on her chores. Mamm stood by the stove, her walker in close proximity, as she stirred a kettle of oatmeal. “Gut morgen, Mamm.”

  “Morgen, Annie. If we get enough eggs, I’m thinking of making custard for dinner. Does that sound gut to you?”

  “Jah.” Annie grabbed her egg basket and went outside, but her stomach growled for breakfast.

  “Gut morgen, Annie,” Daed called to her from the barn. “Beautiful day.”

  “Jah. I thought I’d take the kinner for a nature walk this morgen. That way, we can enjoy this nice weather some.” The egg basket banged against her knees.

  “I need to work more with the bees, too. I’m way behind with the honey harvest since your mamm’s accident. And I need to inoculate the bees before winter.” Daed scratched his bearded chin. “Yesterday, that bu from Pennsylvania, Joshua—the one living at the Schwartzes’—suited up and helped. Surprised me. Guess he liked the bees better than he does picking up rocks from that field.”

  Her heart stuttered. Joshua had come to work with Daed? She forced her voice to remain neutral. “Is Henry Schwartz planning on doing something in that field?”

  Daed chuckled. “If he were, I suspect it would’ve been done long ago. I think they just gave the bu something to keep him busy and out of the way until he found a job. Henry said he doesn’t want a transplant messing with his leather. That’s a family business.”

  “Too bad Joshua hasn’t found a job.” Did she sound as interested as she felt? She didn’t want Daed knowing about her fascination with Joshua.

  “Ach, I asked Joshua to kum work for me. Our Aaron doesn’t care much for the bees, and he doesn’t have a knack for tinkering with small machinery. Joshua didn’t seem to mind either one. He got that Englischer’s leaf blower fixed in nein time yesterday. Could free Aaron up to find his own place in life, since he wants to work with horses.”

  Joshua would be coming to work for Daed regularly? A thrill shot through Annie. She squelched it. “Too bad Aaron doesn’t want to be in the family business.”

  Daed shook his head. “Just because I raise bees for honey doesn’t mean he should. And just because I have a small engine repair shop doesn’t mean it’s a family business. If Joshua Esh wants to learn, great. His family’s business isn’t going to be of much use down here. They raise sugar maple trees and make syrup. Not the right climate for that here. Besides, we don’t have the right sort of trees.”

  “Maple sugar and honey…guess he’s interested in sweetener
s.” No wonder Joshua was so sweet. She held back a dreamy sigh. “I need to gather the eggs. Mamm says if we have enough, she wants to make custard for dinner.” She opened the gate to the chicken yard and went inside. Seconds later, she released the door to the coop and let out all of the fluttering, squawking birds before going inside to see how many eggs she could find.

  When her task was complete, and her basket was filled with eggs, she set it down outside the door of the chicken coop, then went to get the feed and a bucket of water to replenish the dishes. That finished, she picked up the basket again and headed for the haus. She glanced over her shoulder a time or two, hoping to see Joshua crossing the field on his way to work for Daed, but she never saw him. He probably had chores of his own to finish first.

  Funny how just the slightest hope of finding love put a spring in her step and a smile on her face. Annie tried to control it. After all, Joshua had asked to take Rachel home after the singing. And he’d mentioned he might visit her later this week. But he hadn’t asked Annie for anything. Except for a walk, after the school board meeting. And a tour of Wilson’s Creek Battlefield.

  But still…. Possibly, if they had time, the driver could take them to the Bass Pro Shop, and they could go through the museum. Joshua might love it as much as she had. Perhaps, he’d enjoy a drink from the koffee shop, too. And as long as they didn’t get caught….

  Her mouth watered, and she quickened her steps toward the haus. A cup of chai, even if it was homemade on a gas stove, sounded wonderful right now.

  ***

  Joshua carried another load of wood into the schoolhaus, then bent over to build a teepee of twigs and crumpled paper inside the wood stove, so that all Annie would need to do was light a match. He would have started the fire himself, but there was only a slight chill in the air, and it’d probably warm up enough by mid-morning to the point that a sweater would suffice.

  After he finished, he turned to one of the desks and picked up the apple he’d lifted from the Schwartzes’ fruit basket. He rubbed it against his shirt to polish it, then carried it over to the teacher’s desk, where he set it down gently, front and center. Beside it, he placed the glass jar he’d filled with a bundle of colorful autumn leaves. It was the best bouquet he could come up with on short notice. Then, glancing out the window, he saw Annie crossing the field, carrying a lunch bag and a thermos.

  He’d intended to keep this a secret. Just something to brighten her day.

  Besides, he really did like her. A lot. And maybe a little pursuit wasn’t pointless. He’d find out how things really stood between her and Luke.

  He looked at the open front door, checked to make sure he still had the key in his pocket, and then, with hurried steps, he went to the back door and slipped out. He wished he could see her expression when she discovered the surprises he’d left, but that would be too risky.

  Then, he hesitated. What if she thought Luke had been the one who’d left the gifts?

  Nein, he couldn’t wait. He’d promised her daed he’d be there to help with the bees, in the machine shop, or with whatever else was needed, as soon as he could.

  A promise he intended to keep, if only to stay on her daed’s good side.

  Chapter 5

  Annie hesitated outside the schoolhaus when she saw that the door was ajar. She was positive she’d shut and locked it when she’d left yesterday. After all, she’d begged for a lock after vandals had broken in and destroyed her classroom several months ago. Her stomach roiled as she remembered the ruined books, shredded papers, overturned desks and chairs, and broken windows. Ach, Lord. Please, don’t let the schoolhaus have been ransacked again.

  With the barest touch, the door opened about twelve inches, and she peeked inside. The room appeared to be just as she’d left it.

  But that didn’t necessarily mean she wouldn’t open her desk drawer to find a garter snake or a tarantula or something else equally unpleasant, planted there by a scholar who wanted to make her the butt of a bad joke. She’d had that happen before—firecrackers thrown in the wood stove, wild creatures stashed inside her desk, and even a tack positioned pointy-side-up on her chair.

  That student, whoever it was, should have been more careful, because now she was on the alert. She pushed the door open wider and inched inside, looked around, and listened for any unusual sounds.

  Hearing nothing, she walked toward her desk, but then she hesitated when she spotted the autumn leaf bouquet and the shiny red delicious apple waiting for her. So, it hadn’t been a vandal or a mischievous student. Someone had wanted to cheer her up. Still, to be sure, she yanked open one desk drawer after another to check for anything that might jump out at her. Instead, the items inside looked neatly arranged, just as she’d left them. And no tack waited on her seat for her unsuspecting backend.

  Annie slid the bouquet to the right edge of her desk, checking for a note. But there was nothing. Whoever had left her this surprise wanted to keep the right hand from knowing what the left hand was doing. Biblical. And sweet.

  She went over to the wood stove to fill it with firewood. Bending over, she gathered a few small wood pieces, then opened the doors. Another surprise: kindling and crumpled papers had already been arranged inside, tepee-style. Still, she checked the pile for firecrackers, buried deep beneath the kindling. Nothing.

  A secret admirer? Joshua? For a second, her heart lifted. Then, it crashed down to her toes. She had no such admirer, secret or otherwise. Especially not Joshua.

  It must have been a student. She couldn’t think of anyone else who might have done this. And she must have forgotten to lock the door on the previous school day, or she hadn’t shut it tight, as stressed as she’d been by the imminent school board meeting. She would make sure to close it and fasten the lock tonight.

  Unless Luke had left the gifts. His daed was on the board, and he would have access to a key. But Luke had never done anything as sweet as this before.

  Her thoughts went back to Joshua. Living with Luke’s family, he would have access to the same key. Her heart lifted again. But why would he…? Unless, maybe he’d noticed her in that way, too.

  The school day went by without any unexpected visitors, and the kinner all went home with artwork they’d made with leaves, each type painstakingly identified and labeled. Even the littlest scholars had carefully traced all the letters.

  With school finished, Annie swept the floor and washed the chalkboard. She was straightening the rows of desks when she heard heavy footfalls clomping up the front steps. She froze and straightened as the door opened. Samuel Brunstettler stood in the doorway, pulling at his long, grayish beard as he surveyed the room. Finally, his pale blue eyes rested on her. “Annie Beiler. We’ve reached a decision.”

  She waited, her heart now lodged in her throat. She was afraid to breathe, or even move, for what felt like an eternity.

  Samuel Brunstettler didn’t smile or do anything to ease her worry. He took a few more steps forward, his heavy work boots leaving dirt on her freshly swept floor. If she was about to be fired, she’d leave the dirt for the next teacher to clean up.

  Okay, that wouldn’t be very nice of her. She would clean it up, but only grudgingly.

  Still not nice. Lord, help my attitude.

  She swallowed hard but couldn’t dislodge the lump.

  Samuel Brunstettler cleared his throat. “We talked with Bishop Sol. He said to practice grace. So, we will allow you to stay on, under probation. With nein more field trips of any sort. If you want to take the scholars to see something special, you must notify the school board in advance about the trip, where you are going and what you plan to see, and we will decide if it is acceptable or not.”

  So, no more trips, even into the woods? Good thing she’d taken the class on an outing today, before knowing the verdict. She would have had a hard time convincing the school board of its instructional value. She was glad to be allowed to keep her job, but knowing that field trips were next to off-limits was almost too much
to bear. Clutching the edge of her desk, she struggled to get oxygen into her lungs. She couldn’t compel her voice box to cooperate enough to form even the simplest word. Danki, Lord. Danki for grace.

  Samuel Brunstettler stared at her a few more seconds and then chortled. Annie jumped at the unexpected sound.

  “A dumbstruck woman,” he muttered to himself, still chuckling. “Never thought I’d see such a thing.”

  Still unable to respond, she simply watched him clomp back outside and down the steps to his buggy, chuckling all the way.

  ***

  Joshua’s job that morning was to lift the honeycomb out of the hives and lower it into the blank frames. He was grateful for the thick layers of extra clothing that Annie’s daed, Isaac, had given him to wear. The bees were riled, but he was protected from their angry stings—an occupational hazard he hadn’t had to deal with in the sugar bush.