“Jah. Maybe he could make it more like the cages I’ve seen at the zoo.” Grandpa dropped another bean into the bowl. “Some of those zoo cages are real nice—tree branches, scrub brush, and small pools of water inside.”
Melinda’s heart pounded as a host of ideas skittered through her mind. How wonderful it would be if she had larger cages that were similar to the animals’ natural habitat. The critters would feel more at home until it was time to let them go free.
Gabe clucked to his horse to get him moving. He was tired after a long day at the shop. Even so, he looked forward to going over to the Hertzlers’ to build the dog run for Isaiah. It would be something different to work on for a change, and it would give him a chance to speak with Melinda. Maybe he could talk some sense into her—make her see more clearly what the consequences would be if she left the Amish faith.
He thought about his own plans to open a woodworking shop where he could make a variety of things. What would be the point in doing that if Melinda left and he stayed behind? Without her by his side, nothing would ever be the same. He felt sure he could never be happy if he left the Amish faith, because he was Amish through and through. For Melinda, though, it might be different because she had been born into the modern world and her father had been English. Maybe Melinda didn’t have the same commitment to the Amish faith as Gabe did. Maybe she could leave it behind and never look back.
He swallowed hard. Why’d I have to go and fall in love with a woman who isn’t satisfied with the plain, simple life? Why can’t I set aside my feelings for her now?
Gabe flicked the reins to get the horse moving faster. He knew the answer to that question. He loved Melinda and didn’t want to lose her. But did he love her enough to give up the only way of life he’d ever known and go English?
Gabe pulled into the Hertzlers’ yard sometime later and parked his buggy next to the barn. Since he would be there a few hours, he decided to unhitch the horse and put him in one of the stalls.
As Gabe led the gelding through the barn door, he spotted Melinda standing on the other side of the building in front of an animal cage with her back to him.
He hurried to get the horse situated in a stall then strolled over to where she stood. “Hey! What are you up to?”
Melinda turned, and Gabe saw that she held a raccoon in her arms.
“You shouldn’t carry that coon around like that,” he admonished, wishing he’d said something sooner about her taking such chances. “What if the critter bites or scratches you real bad?”
Melinda lifted her chin and looked at him as if he’d taken leave of his senses. “Reba’s as tame as my cat. And for your information, she likes it when I hold her.”
“Humph! She’s a wild animal. You can’t be sure of what she might do.”
Melinda’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to argue with you, Gabe. I’ve been taking in wild animals since I was a young girl, and I think I know what I’m doing.”
Gabe blew out his breath in a puff of air that lifted the hair off his forehead. She was right; they shouldn’t be arguing. Besides, his irritation had more to do with what she had told him about wanting to leave the Amish faith and becoming a vet than it did with the silly raccoon. He needed to handle this situation carefully so he didn’t make Melinda mad. If she became angry with him, she might jump the fence and go English just to spite him. Even so, Gabe knew he’d have to tell Melinda that he didn’t want her to leave; nor did he want to leave with her.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” Gabe muttered.
“All’s forgiven.” Melinda put Reba back in her cage and turned to face him. “I was wondering if you’ve thought any more about what we discussed the other night.”
He glanced around nervously. “Are—are we alone?”
She nodded. “Papa Noah’s still at work, Mama and Grandpa are inside the house, and the last time I saw Isaiah, he was digging in the dirt out behind the barn.”
Gabe plunked down on a bale of straw, and Melinda seated herself beside him. “In answer to your question,” he said, “I have thought more about what we discussed the other night, and I’ve also been praying.”
“Have you made a decision?”
“I’m hoping you’ll change your mind and decide to be content with being Amish.”
“As I told you before, I am content being Amish. I’m just not content being unable to properly care for any animals I find that are hurt.” She frowned. “And I’m sure not content with always being scolded by my folks for helping my animal friends.”
“So what it boils down to is that one of us has to give up something we feel is important in order for us to be together.” He hurried on before he lost his nerve. “If you left home to get the schooling you would need to become a vet, and I went with you, then I’d be giving up a way of life I love and respect.”
She nodded slowly.
“And if you stayed Amish to please me, then you’d be giving up your desire to care for more animals than you’re doing now.”
She nodded again. “That’s true, but if I leave home, I’ll also be giving up my family and the way of life I’ve become accustomed to, same as you. Sacrifices would have to be made on both our parts if we decided to go English.”
Gabe massaged the bridge of his nose as he contemplated their problem. As far as he was concerned, it was a no-win situation. No matter how it turned out, one of them would be unhappy. Truth be told, he figured if they left the Amish faith together, they both would be unhappy. Melinda might think being a vet was what she wanted, but he knew one thing for sure—if they went English, Melinda’s relationship with her family would be greatly affected.
“We don’t have to make a decision right now,” Melinda said, touching his arm. “However, I need to get registered for classes at the college in Springfield before the end of August. In the meantime, I’m going to see about getting my GED—graduate equivalency diploma.”
“I know what a GED is, Melinda.” He slowly shook his head. “I’ll bet your folks would be upset if they knew what you were planning to do. Are you going to tell them soon?”
She grunted. “I plan to, but it needs to be said at the right time, in the right way. Maybe after I pass the GED test I’ll tell them.”
Gabe stood, feeling the need to end this discussion. He didn’t want Melinda to take the GED test, but he figured there was no way to stop her from doing so, since she seemed to have her mind set on it. The best thing he could do was continue to pray that she would change her mind.
“I’d best round up Isaiah so we can get busy on that dog run.” Gabe took a few steps toward the door but turned back around. “Do you know where your daed had planned to build it?”
“He cemented some posts in an area to the left of the barn.”
“Are you coming out to keep us company?”
“I’ve got a few things I need to do inside the house right now. Then some corn needs to be shucked.”
“Maybe I’ll see you later then.” Gabe hurried out of the barn, grabbed some tools from the back of his buggy, and went to look for Melinda’s brother. He hoped a few hours of hard work would get him calmed down.
Gabe found Isaiah digging in the soil just as Melinda had said. Streaks of dirt covered the boy’s pale blue shirt and dark brown trousers, and several murky-looking smudges were smearing his face.
“What are you doing out here?” Gabe asked, squatting beside Isaiah.
“Lookin’ for an old bone Jericho buried some time ago.”
Gabe squinted. “Why would you be doing that?”
“My dog’s bored and needs somethin’ to do. Thought if he had a bone to chew on, he might be happier.” Isaiah’s mouth turned down at the corners. “Since I’m not supposed to let Jericho off his chain during the day, I figured it wouldn’t be good to let him loose in order to look for the bone himself.”
“Why not just give him a new bone?”
“Don’t have one,” Isaiah said with a shrug. “Mama hasn’t made any beef soup in a w
hile, and those are the only kind of bones Jericho likes.”
Gabe chuckled as he rose to his feet. “How about you and me getting busy on that dog run, and you can worry about finding Jericho a bone later on?”
“Jah, okay.” When Isaiah stood and slapped the sides of his trousers, dirt blew everywhere. Gabe stepped quickly aside, and the boy sneezed. He pulled a dusty hanky from his pocket and blew his nose. “You think Jericho will be happier once he has a pen of his own?”
“I believe so.”
“It’s important for dogs to be happy, same as people, jah?”
“I suppose.” Gabe clenched his fingers. I’d be happy if I had my own business, stayed right here in Webster County, and married Melinda. I’ve got to figure out some way to make her see how foolish it would be to leave the Amish faith. Doesn’t she realize how many people will be hurt if she goes English? Me, most of all.
“How are things going with you these days?” Noah’s boss, Hank, asked as he lowered himself to the ground where Noah knelt, studying a struggling pine tree.
Noah looked over at Hank and smiled. “You mean how are things going here or at home?”
“Both.”
“Here, things are going well enough, but at home I’m not so sure.”
Hank pulled his fingers through the sides of his reddish-brown hair. “What’s going on at home?”
“It’s the same old thing. Melinda’s critters stirring up trouble, and Faith getting perturbed with Melinda for shirking her duties because she’s preoccupied with her animals.”
Hank thumped Noah on the back. “At least you know where your daughter is, and you don’t have to worry about her running all over creation in some fancy souped-up car, like some of the English kids who live in this area are doing.”
“That’s true. I guess we should be grateful that Melinda spends most of her time in the barn tending to some critter or working at the veterinary clinic with Dr. Franklin.”
“When does she find the time to be courted? I heard that Gabe Swartz has an interest in her.”
“Oh, she manages to fit that into her schedule. But whenever Faith needs something done, Melinda has a dozen excuses.” Noah groaned. “Sometimes I wish Faith and I could have had more children, but then there are days when either Isaiah or Melinda does something foolish that I think maybe the Lord gave us all the children He knew we could handle.”
Hank snickered. “I hear you there. When Sandy and I first decided to adopt, we talked about getting four or five kids. But after we got Cheryl, and then Ryan, we knew we were blessed and decided two children were enough to make our family complete.”
“I guess God knew what each of us needed.” Noah leaned closer to the fledgling pine tree and squinted. “Raising children is a lot like taking care of the trees you grow here on your Christmas tree farm.”
“How so?”
“They both need lots of attention and plenty of nurturing in order to make ’em grow. I just hope I’ve nurtured my children enough.”
Melinda sat in a wicker chair on the back porch, shucking corn and watching Gabe and Isaiah work under the sweltering sun. She could hear the steady thump, thump, thump as they pounded nails to hold the wire fencing that was being connected to the wooden poles Papa Noah had previously put in.
A piercing scream halted Melinda’s thoughts. Had Gabe been hurt? Was it Isaiah?
She dropped the corn, leaped off the porch, and dashed across the yard.
When Melinda arrived at the dog run a few seconds later, she discovered Isaiah holding his thumb and jumping up and down. “Ouch! Ouch!” he hollered. “Ach! That hurts me somethin’ awful!”
“What happened? Are you seriously injured?”
“He smacked his thumb with the hammer,” Gabe explained. “But he won’t let me get a good look, so I don’t know how much damage was done.”
“Give me your hand,” Melinda ordered, grabbing hold of her brother’s arm.
“Don’t touch me!”
“I need to see how bad it is.”
“You’d better let her look at that,” Gabe put in.
Isaiah whimpered but finally released his thumb for Melinda’s inspection.
She held it gently between her fingers. The skin was red and swollen, and the nail was beginning to turn purple. “You might end up losing that nail,” she said with a click of her tongue.
Isaiah sniffed, and a few tears trickled down his cheeks. “How can ya tell? You ain’t no doctor.”
“No, but she’d like to be.”
Melinda glared at Gabe then looked quickly back at her brother. What was Gabe thinking, blurting out something like that in front of Isaiah? “What Gabe meant to say is that I’ve doctored enough animals to know many things. Besides, I lost a couple of nails myself when I slammed two fingers in my bedroom door when I was a girl.”
Isaiah rocked back and forth on his heels, moaning like a heifer about to give birth.
“You’d best go up to the house and ask Mama to put some ice on your thumb. If it’s cared for right away, the nail might not come loose,” Melinda instructed.
“Guess I won’t be able to help ya no more, Gabe. Sorry about that,” the boy mumbled.
Gabe patted Isaiah on the shoulder. “It’s okay. I’ll do what I can on my own. We probably wouldn’t have gotten it all done today anyway. I’ll come back in a few days to finish the project.”
“I can help you,” Melinda volunteered after her brother had scurried away. “After I’m done shucking corn, that is.”
Gabe’s expression was dubious at first, but then he nodded. “I’ll take any help I can get.”
“Please hold still, Isaiah,” Faith instructed as she dabbed some peroxide under the nail of his thumb. “I want to be sure you don’t get an infection.”
“It hurts like crazy, Mama.” Isaiah wiggled back and forth in his chair and groaned.
“I know, son.”
“Do you think I’m gonna lose my nail?”
“Time will tell.” Faith reached for the ice bag lying on the table and handed it to Isaiah. “You’d better keep this on your thumb awhile. It’ll help the swelling go down and should help ease the pain, too.”
Isaiah positioned the bag of ice over his thumb and leaned back in his chair. “I think I might feel better if I had some of Papa’s lemon sponge cake to eat while I’m sittin’ here.”
Faith chuckled and ruffled her son’s hair. “You think that would help, huh?”
He grinned. “I surely do.”
“All right then. I’ll fix us a slice of cake and some cold milk to wash it down.”
A few minutes later, Faith was seated at the table across from her boy, with a piece of Noah’s delicious lemon sponge cake sitting before them.
“This sure is tasty,” Isaiah said after he’d taken his first bite. “I think Papa’s the best cook in all of Webster County.”
“Melinda thinks that, too.”
Isaiah’s eyebrows furrowed. “Speaking of Melinda, do you wanna know what I heard Gabe say about her?”
“Not if it’s gossip.”
“It ain’t.”
“Isn’t.”
“That’s what I meant.” Isaiah took a drink of milk and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
Faith reached into the wicker basket sitting in the center of the table and handed him a napkin.
Isaiah swiped it across his mouth. “As I was saying, when Melinda was lookin’ at my sore thumb, and she said I might lose my fingernail, I said to her, ‘How do you know? You ain’t no doctor.’ And then Gabe said, ‘No, but she’d like to be.’ ”
Faith pursed her lips. “What did he mean by that?”
“Beats me. I never got the chance to ask, ’cause Melinda sent me up to the house to have you take a look at my thumb.”
“Gabe probably made that comment because Melinda’s always playing doctor on some sick or hurting animal.”
Isaiah shrugged. “Maybe so. She does think she can fix every critter t
hat’s ailin’.”
Faith reached for her glass of milk and took a sip, letting the cool liquid roll around in her mouth. I hope that’s all it meant. I don’t know how I would deal with it if Melinda decided to leave the Amish faith and pursue a career in the English world the way I did when I was her age.
Chapter 15
For the next few weeks, Melinda struggled for answers as to what she should do about becoming a vet, but no clear direction came. She’d helped Gabe finish Jericho’s dog run, and Gabe had agreed to make Reba a larger cage when he found the time. But every time Melinda broached the subject of them leaving the Amish faith, they ended up in an argument. Before she left for work on Thursday morning, she had found a note from Gabe in the birdhouse. He wanted her to go with him to the farmers’ market on Saturday after the woodworking shop closed at noon. She’d written him back, saying she could go because she wouldn’t be working at the veterinary clinic.
Now Melinda sat on the porch swing waiting for Gabe and hoping things would go all right between them. She had to make a decision soon and needed Gabe’s final answer. Thursday after work, she’d spoken with Dr. Franklin again, and he’d explained the necessary procedure for getting her GED. Without her folks’ knowledge, she had gotten the information she needed in order to study for the test and was scheduled to take it at the college in Springfield in two weeks. Dr. Franklin’s wife, Ellen, had agreed to drive her there.
Melinda jumped up when she heard a horse and buggy pull into the yard, figuring it must be Gabe. Instead, she recognized Harold Esh, one of their Amish neighbors.
“Wie geht’s?” the elderly man called as she approached his buggy.
“I’m doing fine, and you?”
“Oh, can’t complain.”
“Are you here to see my daed?”
Harold shook his head and stepped down from the buggy. “Found some pheasant eggs in the field this morning, and their mamm was lyin’ dead beside them.” He motioned to the cardboard box in the back of his buggy. “Don’t believe she’d been gone too long, because the eggs were still warm.”
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