by Leslie Gould
“Would you give me a chance?”
“What do you know about cutting flowers?”
“Only that I’m willing to learn,” he said.
I took a deep breath.
He grinned.
My heart melted a little. I took the second knife from my apron pocket and held it up. “I’ll show you what to do,” I said.
He made his way down the row. I demonstrated the cut, at a slant and quick, and then handed him the knife. He grasped it and cut a flower, a little clumsily, but it worked.
“Good,” I said, pulling a bucket from the bottom of the stack. “Start at the beginning of this next row.”
He took the bucket and the knife and followed my instructions. When my bucket was nearly full, I carried it to him and took what he’d cut and then headed to the spigot and filled the bottom with water.
Leon and I worked alongside each other in silence as the sun came peeking over the hill, casting a pinkish hue over the flowers. Even as light flooded the field, neither of us talked. I started to—but realized I had no idea what might come out of my mouth—so I stopped.
Leon and I carried the buckets of flowers to the loading dock as a pickup turned up our driveway.
I hopped down from the dock to direct the driver to back up the pickup for easier loading. I’d expected Jennifer’s mother, but it was Kristine, the owner of the bed-and-breakfast. “Good morning,” she called out.
I waved.
She smiled and began to back into the space without my instructions. When she climbed out of the pickup, she looked up at Leon and called out, “How are you?”
He grinned and then greeted her.
“Such a sweet young man,” she whispered to me. “You two must have made up.”
I grimaced, but perhaps it didn’t look that way to her. She smiled and then said, loudly, “When Jennifer said she’d purchased the flowers from you, I volunteered to pick them up.”
“How do you know Jennifer?” I asked.
“She’s getting married at our place today.”
“Oh.” I’d imagined a big church wedding.
Leon started to load the buckets.
“I have a few other weddings booked. I thought I’d pass on your business information to them.”
“Thank you,” I answered.
“Well, let me know if you have any questions about the bed-and-breakfast business. I’d be happy to give you advice.”
“I will. I’m not sure what we’ll decide. . . . My Mamm is having some health issues.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said.
I thanked her for her concern. “Hopefully we’ll find out today how bad it is.” I gave her the invoice, and she said Jennifer’s mom would get a check in the mail.
After she left, Leon told me he had something for me. “It’s in my saddlebag.” I walked over to the hitching post with him, Love wedging herself between the two of us. He pulled two papers from his bag. “Here,” he said, handing them to me.
They were the pastel drawings of the columbine and the purple flowers.
“It’s heal-all,” I said. “My Mamm identified it.”
“That’s what Hannah’s grandma said too. It heals broken hearts.”
Touched, I said, “Really?”
He nodded.
Mamm had said it healed weak hearts. I liked broken hearts better.
“Will I see you at the wedding?” I asked.
“Jah,” he said as he unwound Lightning’s reins from the post. “I told Owen I’d go with their family.”
If I didn’t speak to him now I might not have another chance.
“I have something I wanted to tell you,” we both said at once and then laughed.
“You first,” Leon said, tipping his hat at me. For a moment I wanted nothing more than for him to put it on my head again.
“You asked me if I would have gone to Montana with you,” I said. “I wasn’t sure at first—and it took me a long time to think this through. But now I can’t, not with Mamm ill. Not when we don’t know what’s wrong. Not until she’s back to right.”
“I understand.” He slipped up onto Lightning, his blue eyes still on me.
I whispered, “What were you going to ask?”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t important.” He turned Lightning around. “See you soon.”
As he rode away, Love followed him.
“Love, come back!” I yelled. “Love!”
“Love! Love!”
I whirled around toward the oak tree. The mockingbirds were calling for Love too. My heart lurched as I hurried to the house, Love loping along behind me.
Ivan was waiting at the back door, his coffee cup in hand. “Was that the Montanan?”
“Jah,” I said.
“Did he come a-courting?”
“No,” I answered. “He came a-helping.”
Ivan hitched up the buggy as I quickly washed and changed into my nicest dress, and then hurried Beatrice along. Mamm was quiet on the ride to the wedding, and I was afraid she was overtired from staying up late the night before. Ivan chatted away about the crops we passed, guessing at how much each would bring in that year. I stopped listening by the time we were halfway there, and I was pretty sure Beatrice hadn’t been listening at all.
Betsy wasn’t at the wedding, of course, but it seemed most of the rest of the county had shown up. There were well over six hundred people, which wasn’t usually the case for a second wedding, but it was Nan’s first, and Bob knew everyone—not only in the county but all over the country—Amish and Englisch alike, it seemed. The Millers had cleared out the shop for the event and had hired two kitchen wagons.
Cate was standing out by the shop with Robbie on her hip when we arrived. He fell into my arms, still clinging to his toy horse.
“Goodness, what changed?” Beatrice asked me. I smiled as Robbie gave her an impish grin.
“We need your help,” Cate said to me. “Aenti Laurel fell ill about a half hour ago and had to go home, and Addie isn’t here yet. Could you take over as the wedding organizer?”
I’d been to a hundred weddings. I thought I could do it. “Jah,” I answered. “I’d be happy to.”
Cate gave me a rundown of who was working on each crew.
“I’ll go check on everyone,” I said, still holding Robbie. On the wedding day, the organizer made sure everyone was doing their job—the cooks, the servers, and the clean-up crew—and that they were timely. There were very clear expectations. No one would accuse me of having too high of a standard.
Both Beatrice and Cate followed me into the shed. Nan had relatives from New York who were helping set up the benches, including a niece named Hope. Cate introduced her to Beatrice right away, saying Hope enjoyed writing too, and the two seemed to hit it off—as much as Beatrice did with anyone. I was thankful she seemed willing to do Cate the favor of befriending Nan’s niece, which would be one less worry for Cate during the day. Beatrice stayed to help Hope, although the project was almost done.
I spoke with Nan’s brother, who assured me he would lead the crew to set up the tables for the meal as soon as the service was over.
Next, still carrying Robbie, I checked on the cooks in the kitchen wagon, breathing in the homey scent of roasting chickens, stuffing, and gravy. The potato crew had the peeled potatoes soaking, ready to be boiled. The truth was, it looked as if Laurel had done such a good job getting everyone organized that the day probably would have run like clockwork without her—or me. But I was happy to help.
I’d started to the house to check if Nan was ready, when Hannah arrived with her family. Her face was pale but she seemed steadier on her feet than she had the night before, although she didn’t carry Tinker—her next younger sister did. Hannah smiled when she saw Robbie with me but didn’t say anything. I searched behind her for Leon, but he was nowhere in sight.
Instead I saw the Bergs coming from the parking lot in front of Bob’s showroom. They’d hired a driver, and Phillip had come with
them. I watched as he quickly retrieved Bella’s wheelchair from the back of the van, expertly popping it open. A moment later he returned, with Jessie at his side, carrying Bella. He carefully put her in the chair and then pushed it toward me. Bella grinned when she saw me, and I stepped forward to greet them. Phillip lifted the tips of his fingers in a wave and said hello. Jessie smiled warmly as the family all passed by. When Mr. and Mrs. Berg came along, she reached out and squeezed my hand.
I watched as they all filed into the shed. Even in my sorrow, I couldn’t have been happier for Phillip Eicher.
I continued on to the house. Nell was in the kitchen and it took me a minute to realize that she was standing up with Nan. That made me smile. Nan was still in the back bedroom, so I didn’t see her, but Cate stepped out and I told her to watch out the window and I’d wave when all the guests were seated in the shop.
As the last of the guests filed in, Leon showed up on Storm. I couldn’t help but think he cleaned up good—even though he looked good to me all the time. He tipped his straw hat to me—no sign of his cowboy hat now—as he approached and then took it off as he entered.
I waved at Cate, and then she, Nell, and Nan, wearing a deep purple dress, hurried over, followed by Bob. Cate took Robbie from me, and she and I entered the shop. I didn’t follow her to the front but instead slipped into the last row on the women’s side, by Beatrice, Mamm, and Edna, who had met us there. Then the wedding party filed in.
When it came time for the actual ceremony part of the service, after the singing and preaching, it felt as if the entire congregation scooted to the edges of the benches and collectively held its breath. I know I did. Not because we expected anyone to object or for there to be any great revelation or even any unusual words—an Amish wedding was as predictable as the rest of our lives. No, we all held our breath in honor of true love. Of two people finding each other after losing love, living faithfully, and working through the obstacles that faced them, slowly but surely.
Nan appeared radiant. Her blond hair, what was visible under her Kapp, was definitely streaked with gray, but her face looked young for her age. Bob also had a few streaks of gray in his dark hair and beard, but he hardly looked to be the father of grown daughters and now the grandfather of three, with Cate’s baby on the way.
He was definitely younger than my Dat was when he married for the second time. I smiled as the preacher took the couple’s hands. I guessed Nan was in her early forties, just a little older than my Mamm was when she married. Bob and Nan, theoretically, could have children. I smiled a little at that. Betsy’s three children and Cate’s too could have an aunt or uncle younger than them.
As the preacher placed Bob’s hand on top of Nan’s, I was thankful to be a witness to God’s goodness, regardless of the plans he had for me.
I scooted back on the bench, and as I did, caught sight of Leon sitting next to Ivan. That surprised me some—I’d expected him to sit by Owen, but perhaps as late as Leon was, the only place left for him to sit was by Ivan.
Chapter
23
After the service, the guests milled around outside while the set-up crew put up the tables in the shed. I made sure all the servers were ready to go, and had them line up outside the kitchen wagons. Addie and Jonathan led the crew and Nell helped too. I wasn’t surprised when Ivan stepped to her side and asked how he could assist. That made me smile.
My phone vibrating in my pocket caught my attention, and I quickly stepped away from the shed, fearing perhaps I’d gotten Jennifer’s order wrong. But when I answered it, a man asked to talk with Mamm.
I didn’t bother to ask who was calling. I guessed it had to do with her test results. It seemed she was giving everyone my cell number these days.
I turned toward the crowd of people. The first group was going in for the meal, but Mamm was standing, leaning slightly on her cane, by Edna under the oak tree. I hurried toward her, passing off the phone. “It’s for you,” I said.
She took it, but instead of talking immediately she started to make her way past the crowd. I followed.
When she reached the driveway she stopped and said, “Hello. This is Anna Zook.”
Then she listened for what seemed an hour but was only a few minutes.
Finally she said, “Thank you. I’ll call to make that next appointment later this afternoon.”
My heart fell.
She ended the call and handed the phone to me.
“Mamm?”
She smiled. “It’s benign.”
Tears of relief sprang into my eyes.
“I’ll still need treatment—maybe surgery but more likely radiation. I have a specialist I’ll consult with. But it’s not nearly as dire as they feared. The doctor’s optimistic that it will respond to treatment and that I have many years of living ahead of me. Once the tumor shrinks, my balance should be good again. And my memory.”
I was grateful she didn’t bring up the matter of money. I’d talk to the bishop about the mutual aid fund. She took my arm and said, “Walk with me, would you?” We did, along the edge of the driveway, up the lane.
“I’m not sure what this means for us—for the farm,” she said.
“Can’t we keep going the way we have been? Bob thinks we can turn things around in a couple of years.”
“Ivan doesn’t.” She sighed.
“Listen, if you want to sell it to Ivan, that’s fine with me. I have to trust God with this. I’m driving myself—and everyone else—crazy trying to make all of this work.” I couldn’t stop the tears.
“Did you talk to Leon about how you really feel?” she asked. “Ivan said he was over this morning.”
I shook my head.
“You have to,” Mamm said. “If you don’t, I will.”
“Promise me you won’t,” I said, mortified by the idea.
She smiled. “You have until the time we go home.” Then she said, “I’m still going to try to save the farm. I’ll go over Bob’s ideas. I’m going to tell Ivan to give us a year. If we can’t make it by then, we’ll entertain an offer.”
Up by the rose garden, Hannah and Mervin stood shoulder to shoulder next to Phillip and Jessie. Beatrice and Hope chatted, maybe even flirted, with Ben and Martin. Leon stood a few feet away.
“Go have some fun,” Mamm said. “You’ve been acting as if you’re as old as I am since your Dat died.”
Edna stepped to Mamm’s side. “Let’s go eat,” she said.
I headed up the little hill toward Hannah, asking her when I reached her if she was feeling all right. “Jah,” she answered. “It was the weirdest thing. I was better by this morning.” Then she whispered. “Mervin and I are officially back together.” She reached for my hand. “I’m going to go see my counselor. I called her this morning before we came. She said it sounded as if a few maintenance sessions were in order.”
I squeezed Hannah’s hand. “It’s gut to take care of yourself, jah?”
She nodded and then said, “The same is true for you.”
My face flushed, but then Robbie came running up the hill, distracting both of us. I expected him to go to Hannah, but he reached up to me. I scooped him up. He laughed, but not at me. I followed his eyes. Leon was making faces at the toddler, but when his eyes met mine, Leon grinned.
“Go talk to him,” Hannah said, nudging me.
I handed her the little boy. This time he didn’t cry.
Leon saw me moving toward him and met me halfway. “Miss Molly,” he said, tipping his hat.
Without even saying hello, I blurted out, “I didn’t say what I needed to this morning.”
“Neither did I.” He nodded toward the edge of the property.
I walked beside him. I’d need to go check on the servers in a little while, but I had some time.
We stopped by the fence line, under the leaves of a silver maple.
“I should have said more this morning,” Leon said. “I guess I was . . .” He smiled, but his blue eyes appeared sad. “I hate
to admit it, but I’ve been fearful. After you fell off Lightning, I was afraid of being rejected again. Afraid you’d never trust me.”
I shook my head. “It’s not your fault I’m not good with horses. And as long as I’m being honest, I’m not very good with children either. It’s not that I don’t want to be a Mamm—I do. I’m just afraid I won’t be a very good one.”
“You seemed to have charmed Robbie.”
I smiled. “No, he charmed me.”
“I think he charmed us all,” Leon answered, “and I don’t care if you’re good with horses or not. Sure, I thought it would be fun to ride together.” His eyes twinkled. “And after last night, I hope you’ll give it another try. . . . But that’s not what I want to say to you.”
He stepped back toward the tree and leaned his hand against it. “I wanted to say that I think I offended you, and I’m sorry. I care about you. I understand why you can’t leave your Mamm and sister.” He took a deep breath. “I’ll stay here instead of returning to Montana. That’s what I wanted to say this morning.” He took another deep breath.
I stepped toward him, and he wrapped his arms around me. I put my head on his chest, and we stayed that way, the leaves of the trees winking above our heads.
“I do have one question,” I said, looking up into his eyes.
“Anything.”
“When you and Hannah were in the meadow and Mervin came across the two of you and then I arrived . . .”
He groaned.
“What did you mean when you told Hannah she didn’t have to put up with him. Because,” I said quickly, “it seemed to me you were about to declare your love to her.”
He shook his head. “I told you I worried about her, that she reminds me of my sister.”
“What were you saying then?”
“That she didn’t have to put up with Mervin going back and forth. That she should wait until he figured things out, for sure.” He leaned back and looked me in the eyes.
I managed to squeak, “Oh.”
After a long pause he said, “What did you want to tell me?”
“I wasn’t willing to leave Lancaster County, not even for you, but I was wrong. I am now. Mamm’s going to be okay, but last night—when we didn’t know—she told me I should go with you anyway. And she was right. I didn’t see that until today.”