Katie backed away from Caleb, her cheeks turning pink. “Gudemariye, Rose. Did you sleep well? I didn’t hear you come in last night.”
Rose pursed her lips. “That’s because you were too busy with Caleb. Doesn’t he ever stay home?”
Katie raised an eyebrow at her older schweschder. “That’s not a very kind thing to say.”
Rose began to toss feed to the chickens who were clucking relentlessly at her feet.
“I came here to spend the summer with my schweschder, and I’ve been here almost a month already and have had to entertain myself because you are too busy with Caleb. I thought you wanted me here to help you plan the wedding. We’ve barely gotten anything done, and there is still so much to do before I go back home.”
Caleb was busy retrieving tools from the back of his buggy and could not hear their conversation. Still, Katie felt unnerved that Rose was voicing dislike for her betrothed so openly.
“Why do you dislike Caleb?”
Rose’s look softened. “I don’t dislike him. I only dislike the amount of time you spend with him. I haven’t had a single moment with you since I’ve been here.”
“I’m here now. What would you like to do today?”
Rose bristled. “Why is he here?”
“He’s here to fix the barn door so it latches correctly, and the hole in the side where the wood has decayed. Aenti hired him to take care of these things before the foxes come and make a meal of our chickens.”
Rose suddenly felt selfish. What right did she have to demand her schweschder’s time away from her betrothed? They had overcome some great obstacles to be together, and they deserved to be happy.
“I’m sorry, Katie, for sounding like a selfish boppli.”
Katie hugged Rose. “You’re right about me neglecting you since you’ve been here. You came here to help me before I have to go back to teaching in the fall, and I’ve already wasted your first few weeks here.”
“I know you want to spend as much time with him as possible. I’d probably be the same way if I had a beau. But since that isn’t likely, I’m taking it out on you.”
Katie felt badly for her schweschder. “Don’t say such things, Rose. You never know what Gott has in store for your life. And here I was envying you for being so independent.”
“Why would you envy me? Independent is a kinder word for lonely spinster with no prospects.”
Katie fought the lump forming in her throat.
“You will find someone; I just know it.”
Rose hated to admit it, but she may have already stumbled upon someone who had caught her interest. He was a little rough around the edges, and perhaps a little unkempt, but with the right woman in his life, he could change. Couldn’t he?
Rose chided herself for thinking such things about the mann who had—saved her life. Rose sank to the grass, the reality of what happened last night hitting her suddenly.
Katie crouched down beside her. “Rose, is something wrong?”
The hens swarmed to the feed bucket that had tipped out its contents onto the ground when Rose collapsed.
Rose waved off her schweschder’s concerns. “I think I got a little dizzy for a minute. I’m gut.”
“You don’t look very gut. You look pale. Are you ill?”
Rose was trying to sort out how she felt about nearly drowning the night before. She’d come very close until the handsome stranger had rescued her. She’d run off without even catching his name. He’d asked for hers, but she’d ignored him. Why had she acted so rashly? Was she in shock? Was she still in shock now?
“Maybe I should have had more than a glass of milk before coming out in the hot sun. I can’t believe how warm it is already. Usually it doesn’t get this warm until the middle of July.”
Katie called for Caleb who was only a few feet from them.
“Help me get Rose over to the shade of the tree.”
A hand-crafted wooden bench sat beneath the tree that held two birdhouses. A set of birds twittered overhead while Katie and Caleb assisted Rose to the waiting bench.
Rose looked out over the expanse of the yard toward Goose Pond. From this distance, she could scarcely see the disheveled house at the opposite end of the water’s edge.
Rose looked to Caleb. “Who’s the mann who lives across the pond in the haus with all the overgrown brush?”
Caleb sat next to Katie at the opposite end of the bench. “That haus has been abandoned for over a year now. The brush is so overgrown you can barely see the barn anymore.”
Rose squinted her eyes. “Are you sure?”
“Jah, I’m sure. My cousin, Noah, bought it two years ago. But he’s gone now. Did you see someone there?”
“I thought I did, but maybe I was wrong.”
Caleb rubbed his hands together thoughtfully.
“It’s a tragic story, really. Noah bought that haus for his betrothed as a surprise for their wedding. But she never got to live there.”
Rose leaned in so she wouldn’t miss a single bit of the story. “What happened?”
“The night before their wedding, they went out skating on the pond. The ice was too thin and she drowned. He couldn’t save her. It destroyed him—especially since her familye blamed Noah for letting her go out onto the thin ice. He left the community with no word.”
Rose’s heart nearly leaped from her ribcage.
“No one has seen him since then?”
“Jah. The haus has remained vacant out of respect. We have all hoped he would someday return to the community. His daed, my onkel, has been so worried about him this whole time. Especially since Noah’s mamm died just a couple of years before he lost his betrothed. This has been very difficult for his daed to first lose my aenti, and now my cousin. But no one has seen Noah since the funeral.”
“What was the name of his betrothed?” Rose asked slowly.
Caleb looked up at her. “Her name was Emma.”
Rose felt the blood drain from her face.
“What’s wrong?” Katie asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Rose jumped up and tested her legs for stability before she took off. “I may have.”
Chapter 6
Rose stepped into the yard of the disheveled haus looking for any sign that the mann who had rescued her was real. Feeling a little unnerved about being in his yard, she considered if she should wade through the tall grass and weeds to gain access to the door. She wasn’t sure how brave she felt at the moment, especially since the reality of her near-drowning had just hit her full-on. Katie had tried to run after her, but Rose had always been a fast runner. She’d called over her shoulder for her schweschder not to worry, but she couldn’t be sure Katie had heard her. It was too late to worry about it now. She was standing on the edge of a property that belonged to a mann who might very well be dead—the mann who’d saved her from drowning last night.
****
Noah sat at his kitchen table drinking a cup of kaffi when he noticed the young woman whom he’d rescued the night before enter his yard. Why had she come here? He’d managed to keep himself hidden away from the entire community all this time, and now she was about to expose him. He still didn’t feel ready to face them after failing to save his beloved Emma. He’d managed to cut himself off from the community and remain secluded in the fortress he’d allowed to grow around him, and he wasn’t about to let a pretty woman ruin it for him.
He considered remaining in the haus, but he worried she might try to peer into the windows. She would surely see him then since his Emma had never had the chance to adorn the windows or any other part of the haus with her talent for sewing.
He’d had his moment of weakness last night when he’d kissed the young woman’s cheek and held her in his arms. But it was time to put his feelings back on the shelf where they belonged. He had no right to any kind of happiness as long as Emma lay cold in the ground.
****
Rose wandered around toward the pond, noting the deep grooves in t
he mud where the paddle boat had been pushed aground. It was evident that she had been here, but there was no sign of the mann that Caleb had called Noah. Had she imagined him? Was he gone like Caleb said, or had he meant that Noah was also dead? If she’d imagined him, then how had she gotten out of the lake?
Standing at the edge of the pond, she looked out over the water. This pond had taken a life, and had almost taken hers. Was it her own carelessness that had caused the accident, or had it been Gott who’d orchestrated the events as a way of opening her eyes to something?
Show me what you want from me, Gott. If this is all part of your plan, please give me the courage to endure your wille for the sake of your purpose.
A rustling sound from behind startled her out of her reverie.
As she turned around, she saw Noah. The sun was directly behind him, but she could see that it was him. She held up a hand to shield her eyes from the bright sun.
Rose took a step toward him. “Are you Noah?”
Noah couldn’t help but feel drawn to her, but he pushed his feelings down. She was even prettier than he’d thought last night. Her dark blond hair was pinned back neatly, but little wisps of hair fluttered across her cheeks in the gentle breeze. He had no right to delight in the depths of her hazel eyes that sparkled when she smiled.
Why is she smiling at me? She shouldn’t be here. I can’t be trusted. I let my poor Emma down, and it’s only a matter of time before this lovely creature finds out that I failed to save her. And then she will despise me like Emma’s familye.
“Why are you here?”
“I came to see if you’re real. Or if I imagined you last night.”
Noah was not prepared for such a question, and had to admit he’d begun to wonder the same thing himself lately. He’d kept himself secluded for so long, that it was strange hearing his name spoken.
“I think you imagined me,” he surprised himself by saying.
Rose stepped forward and placed her hand on his forearm. “I’m not imaging that. Are you?”
Noah shook his head. The feel of her warm hand on his arm sent a shiver of longing through him. He had denied himself of all contact with any others in the community for too long. He’d been punishing himself for not being able to save Emma. He knew she would not want him to deprive himself the way he’d been doing for more than a year, but it was what he felt he deserved for being the one to live when she had died.
Noah flicked his arm away from her grasp.
“You should go. And don’t tell anyone you saw me here.”
“What about your familye? They would be happy to see you haven’t left the community. I know your cousin, Caleb, would. He said so just a few minutes ago.”
Anger showed in Noah’s eyes. “You told him I was here?”
“Nee, but you should. He’s worried about you.”
Noah scowled. “No one is worried about me. If you didn’t tell him I was here, how is it that you know my name?”
Rose jutted out her chin. “I only asked who lived here.”
Noah’s expression turned dark. “No one is to know I am here, do you understand? I am dead to them.”
Rose left the stubborn mann, determined never to talk to him again. What had she been thinking when she saw him as kind and handsome? She’d been a fool to see him as anything more than a coward who refused to face his biggest enemy—fear.
Chapter 7
Noah felt empty and alone as he watched the young woman leave his property. He still hadn’t learned her name, but it was probably for the best. If he knew her name, it would make things personal between them, and that’s the last thing he wanted.
Wasn’t it?
He didn’t need any complications in his life. His life was just fine before she came along. No one bothered him. He didn’t have to answer to anyone. But most of all, there was nothing to remind him of what he’d been missing.
Until now.
Noah had done all he could to remain focused on avoiding his community. So why did this young woman suddenly make him want to change his mind? Loneliness was not a gut enough reason; there had to be more to it than that. Was Gott prompting him to help her beyond pulling her out of the pond? Whatever it was, he decided he would keep a look-out for her—just in case.
****
“Where were you?” Katie demanded. “I’ve been worried about you.”
Rose dabbed at the sweat on her brow with her apron. “I had to clear something up in my head, but I’m fine now. I’m sorry to have worried you. But really, you can see that I am fine.”
Katie narrowed her eyes. “If you’re really fine, why do you keep saying it? Is there something you don’t want to tell me?”
Rose forced a smile. “I am the older schweschder, and I’m telling you everything is fine. Why don’t we get a little kaffi so we can begin planning your wedding?”
Katie’s face lit up. “I have a better idea. Let’s go to the bakery and sit with Rachel. She will make us kaffi, and we can discuss everything over a fresh batch of the best cookies I have ever tasted. Now that I’m going to be part of the familye, Rachel has agreed to give me the recipe as a wedding gift.”
Rose shook her head. “Nothing is better than mamm’s snickerdoodles.”
“You will take back that statement when you taste these cookies. But never tell mamm there is a better cookie out there than hers.”
They both giggled as they walked toward the barn to hitch up the buggy.
****
Lillian’s Bakery was abuzz with plenty of customers, both Amish and Englisch. Rose was impressed with Caleb’s schweschder’s ability to handle each and every one of them so quickly and efficiently. Rose had given some serious consideration to the summer job at the B&B, and watching Rachel move about the bakery enjoying her work was enough to convince her. Caleb’s aenti was in need of help since her current employee had to go back to Lancaster for the rest of the summer to be with a sick relative, and so she had offered the position to Rose first thing. Rose hoped it wouldn’t be too late to accept the offer.
When the last customer was served and happily on her way, Rachel motioned for Katie and Rose to sit at one of the tables along the front wall of the lobby. She brought kaffi and three cups, and then sat down across from Rose.
“I’m so happy to see you made it back, Rose. I’m sorry I’ve been stuck here and haven’t had a chance to visit yet. Caleb tells me you might be working at the B&B for the remainder of the summer.”
Rose smiled. “Jah, I just now decided to take the position. After watching you bustle around here helping customers, I figure I can clean rooms and wash linens. It should be fun and a lot easier than your job, nee?”
“Jah, it does get a little busy in here sometimes, but I’ve finally gotten used to it. I felt like a dummkopf when I first started here. Ask Katie how many times she had to help me clean up the kitchen. All it took was a little organization, and I was in business with a full customer load. I really like this job, and it may be my own business soon.”
Rose took a sip of her kaffi. “Das wunderbaar. But Katie promised me you bake the best cookies I could ever taste.”
Rachel laughed. “Katie is the best form of advertisement I could ever have. She tells so many people about my cookies I can scarcely keep up with the orders sometimes.”
Rachel disappeared into the kitchen and returned quickly with a plateful of frosted cookies and set them on the table in front of Rose, offering her the first one.
Rose sank her teeth into the moist sugar cookie, enjoying a burst of flavor. “Oh my, I have to know what you put in this frosting to make it so wunderbaar.”
Rachel winked at Katie. “I’m sorry but that is privileged information. I can’t give out such an old familye recipe to everyone who asks. If I did, it would put me out of business because everyone would be able to make them for themselves. Keeping it a secret is what keeps my customers coming back.”
Rose giggled. I suppose you’re right, but that doesn’t mean
I like it. You can count on me as a regular customer.”
Rachel smiled. “And that is how I keep customers wanting more. But because you’re Katie’s schweschder, I will give you a discount.”
Rose laughed. “I suppose that’s fair enough. Danki, Rachel.”
Katie set down her empty cup. “We didn’t come here just for the cookies. We also want to discuss plans for my wedding to your bruder.”
Rachel poured herself a second cup of kaffi.
“I won’t be able to help with weeding the celery patch or anything else that requires me to leave the bakery. But I am more than happy to help with sewing and list-making in-between serving customers.”
“I can let you know what my work schedule will be at B&B as soon as I talk to Bess Miller. But I’d enjoy keeping up the celery patch since I prefer being outdoors.”
Rose had already noticed Katie’s celery patch overlooked Noah’s place across the pond, and she was just as interested in keeping an eye on him as she was in keeping the celery free from weeds.
Chapter 8
Rose swallowed hard, determined to get this over with before she lost her nerve.
“There’s something I need to confess before I take the job, Miss Miller. You may not want to hire me after you hear what I have to say.”
Bess narrowed her brow. “If you are going to work for me, you’re going to have to start calling me by my first name. I’m too old to be called Miss anymore, and I was never a Missus, so Bess will do just fine. And I already know you borrowed my boat last night. And I know that you nearly got yourself drowned. If it weren’t for Noah pulling you out of the water, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
Chasing Fireflies: Book Five (Jacob's Daughter, an Amish, Christian Romance) Page 2