“I’ll do that, jah. Denki, Amos.” Roman flashed him a smile. “If you don’t think you’ll be needing anything after breakfast, I’ll go over to the Lehmans’ and help with the chores—and ask Mary Kate if she’ll ride along with me. Unless you think the sleigh might need some repairs.”
“No, no—the sleigh’ll have some dust on it, but it’s plenty sturdy. Nothing like the roof that gave way under me.” Amos pulled his pants over his legs, allowed Roman to help him stand, and then got his pants fastened. “Seems to me Gloria’s the girl who’s trying to look after you, Roman. What’ll she say when you take her sister sleigh-riding instead?”
Roman shrugged, although he’d been thinking about this very situation. “I’m going to have to say it straight out, and tell Gloria I’m not interested in dating her. Never have been.”
“Jah, that’s what you have to do with women sometimes—tell them how it’s going to be, if they can’t see reality for themselves.” Amos sat back down in his wheelchair with a sigh. “That’s why I broke up with your mother. I really didn’t want to, Roman, but I couldn’t shackle her to a man who’ll need so much care, maybe forever. It was in Mattie’s best interest. For her own gut.”
Roman didn’t reply. Did Amos truly believe he’d done himself or Mamm any favors by calling off the wedding? From what Roman had observed, his mother was moving beyond her broken engagement a lot faster than Amos was—but he suspected a part of her would always be disappointed.
And Gloria’s going to be mighty disappointed when you tell her you’re not interested in her, Roman thought as he strode up the road to the Lehman place after breakfast. How will you handle her reaction ? It won’t be pretty . . .
* * *
Mary Kate lolled in the recliner, tilted all the way back, feeling very bulky and uncomfortable. Her legs were swollen, she was exhausted from not sleeping well for the past few weeks—and she was ready to deliver the baby and be done with this discomfort. Minerva had checked her over a couple of days ago and was predicting an early December birth, but Mary Kate wasn’t sure how she could possibly endure this pregnancy for another week or more.
It didn’t help that her dat had hobbled into the front room to stare at her. He pointed to her belly and tried to say something—spoke very slowly and with great deliberation—but Mary Kate couldn’t understand a word he said. It bothered her to look at him, because one side of his face hung slack and motionless while the other side displayed his agitation at not being able to speak clearly.
“I’m all right, Dat,” she assured him. “Just feeling as big as a house. Wishing this baby could be born right now.”
The eyebrow above Dat’s good eye rose as he waved her off. When they heard loud knocks on the door, he went to answer it, rocking unsteadily from side to side as his cane tapped the hardwood floor. Mary Kate prayed he wouldn’t stumble and fall again, as he had last night. She hoped Mamm would steer their visitor into the kitchen rather than into the front room, where she was sprawled in the recliner, looking as though she’d swallowed a beach ball.
When Mary Kate heard Roman’s voice, she groaned. Even though she enjoyed his company a lot, she really didn’t want him to see her this way.
“I’ve finished your barn chores,” Roman was saying, “and I found a shovel and cleared your walk and your porch steps. What else can I do for you while I’m here?”
“Denki so much, Roman,” Mamm said. “We appreciate it, especially because you’re helping out over at Amos’s place, too.”
“Oh, Roman, that’s so sweet of you to do those chores for us again,” Gloria gushed.
Mary Kate closed her eyes, trying not to imagine the cloying expression on her sister’s face. Sensing he might come into the front room, she pulled the afghan on her lap up higher, to camouflage the bulge of her belly—but now her midsection resembled a beach ball with a ripple-striped sweater stretched over it. She struggled to raise the chair back into a sitting position, but either her arm muscles had degenerated into wet noodles or the chair’s mechanism was broken.
“It’s gut to see you, Mary Kate,” Roman murmured as he approached her chair. “Let me help you. You’re at an awkward angle to be—”
“Everything about me feels a lot more than awkward,” she muttered. “And I don’t think I have a single angle left. I’m all bulges and curves and—”
“This, too, shall pass, sweetie.” Roman smiled at her as he righted the recliner and then stood beside her. “They tell me you forget all about this discomfort once you’re holding your baby. But truth be told, I think you’re beautiful.”
Mary Kate was ready to protest, but she saw Gloria coming into the front room—probably to horn in on her conversation with Roman. “You’re very kind,” she whispered. “Minerva says it’ll be another week or so. She thinks I’m doing very well.”
“That’s what we like to hear.” Roman’s face lit up and he leaned closer. “What would you think of joining me for a sleigh ride, Mary Kate? Amos has a wonderful old sleigh in the shed, and he says I can hitch it to his mare—”
“A sleigh ride! Oh, Roman, I’d love to go!” Gloria said. She hurried around to the other side of the recliner, where she could look directly at Roman. “Mary Kate’s been lying around feeling fat and cranky all day, so I doubt she’ll be up to going, but I—”
“Gloria, with all due respect,” Roman said in a low, firm tone, “I invited Mary Kate to go with me. She can answer for herself.”
Mary Kate’s heart thudded in her chest. Her sister looked stunned—and then incredulous.
“You can’t really want to spend your time with Mary Kate,” Gloria protested. “Why, in another week or so she’ll have a baby to tend and—and she won’t have time to—”
“I’m fully aware of that, Gloria,” Roman continued in that same purposeful voice. He straightened to his full height, looking directly at Gloria as she began to clasp and unclasp her hands. “I appreciate your interest in me,” he murmured gently, “but I don’t want to date you, Gloria.”
Mary Kate braced herself. Her older sister’s expression was undergoing one change after another, displaying surprise, then outrage, disbelief, and mortification. Gloria suddenly reached across the recliner to give Roman’s cheek a resounding slap.
“Gloria Margaret Lehman!” Mamm called from the kitchen. “That was uncalled for. You’re to apologize to Roman—and your sister—this instant!”
But Gloria was already hurrying upstairs. The sound of her crying echoed in the stairway, followed by the heavy tattoo of her footsteps in the upstairs hallway and the bang! of her bedroom door.
“Sorry,” Roman murmured.
Mary Kate fought a smile. It was wrong to enjoy her sister’s hissy fit, but she was feeling a whole lot better than she had a few moments ago. “Did she draw blood?” she murmured. “A few times when we were kids, Gloria put some fingernail into it when she slapped me.”
Roman chuckled. “Well, I probably deserved that slap,” he said as he rubbed his stinging cheek, “but I said what I had to say. I’m not interested in your sister, and I’ve never liked the way she puts you down, Mary Kate.”
Mamm was hurrying up to them, wringing her dish towel between her hands as Dat hobbled awkwardly behind her. “Roman, I’m so sorry Gloria struck you,” she said as she studied his cheek. “Envy’s not a pretty emotion, and my daughter doesn’t handle it well.”
Dat appeared very agitated, as well. He glanced from Roman to Mary Kate and back to Roman, expressing his dismay with a one-sided shrug and a stiff shake of his head. Dat pointed toward the stairway, as though to say that either he or Mamm ought to go upstairs and give Gloria a talking-to.
“Let’s leave Gloria be for now, Floyd,” Mamm said. “And let’s you and I sit in the kitchen so the kids can have some time without us gawking at them. I’ll make us some cocoa. Come on, now.”
Mary Kate’s heart swelled with gratitude to her mother. Did Roman really believe she was beautiful? Or was he just sayin
g that to be nice?
Is that a problem, him being nice? For once, somebody stood up to Gloria and told her what’s what—a very fine young fellow who wants to spend time with you.
“A sleigh ride sounds like fun. And it’s so pretty outside, with all the fresh snow,” Mary Kate murmured. When she dared to reach toward Roman, he gently held her hand between his two much larger, stronger ones. “Soon enough, I probably won’t be able to go—”
“I’ll take you anytime you want, Mary Kate. We can wrap the baby in blankets and take off across the hills.”
What a picture he painted. Mary Kate badly wanted to believe his interest in her would continue while she was confined to the house with her newborn baby, but for now she didn’t concern herself with the future. She smiled up at Roman. “If you can give me a few minutes to dress more warmly—”
“I have to clean the sleigh and polish it up a bit,” Roman said. “Name a time that suits you, and I’ll be here.”
Mary Kate suddenly felt as giddy as a little girl at Christmas. “How about two? I’d ask you to have dinner with us, but Gloria will still be in a snit.”
Roman squeezed her hand and released it. “See you at two, then. I’m so glad you want to go, Mary Kate.”
She watched Roman stride toward the kitchen to say good-bye to her parents. Was this turn of events real, or was she caught up in a dream? All those times Gloria had had a date and she’d been stuck at home, Mary Kate had imagined herself going out with someone even cuter and more wonderful than her sister was seeing—and today her fantasy had come true.
She slid out of the recliner and waddled toward the stairs, feeling better than she had for days. Roman deserved a girl wearing a fresh dress and a smile, a young lady-in-waiting who could rise above her weariness to have some fun.
So that’s who Mary Kate decided to be.
Chapter Eighteen
“What a beautiful afternoon,” Rosetta murmured. “Is it just me, or does the snow have a special sparkle to it today?”
Walking beside her, Truman chuckled. “Far as I can see, all the sparkle starts with you and spreads over everything else, Rosetta. You’re right. It’s a fabulous afternoon.”
Rosetta tightened the arm she’d slung around his waist. “I suppose part of this sensation is enjoying our first winter at Promise Lodge,” she said softly. “The lodge and the new houses look so pretty with snow on their rooftops and smoke rising from their chimneys. The hillsides are so clean and crisp—so perfect, without so much as a footprint.”
“Unlike the yard around the lodge and Noah’s place, where he’s been throwing Queenie’s Frisbee. From our place up on the hill, Mom and I love to watch out our front window when they play in the snow.” Truman reached the end of the road, just past where Marlin Kurtz’s family lived, and turned around to survey the expanse of property around them. “Do you—or any of these other folks—ice-skate, Rosetta? By Christmas the ice on Rainbow Lake will support us, most likely.”
Rosetta shook her head. “My sisters and I have never lived close enough to a pond to learn how,” she replied. “We had roller skates when we were kids, but I suspect it’s an entirely different skill, balancing on a single blade rather than having four wheels underneath each foot.”
“That can be my winter mission, then—teaching you to skate. The church camp was always closed during the winter, so my older brothers and I had the frozen lake to ourselves,” Truman reminisced. “We played pretty rough hockey games, but it was all in gut fun. Now Stan and Dave are married and raising their families out in Indiana. We lost our younger brothers, Pete and John, when a car crashed into the back end of the buggy they were in, back when we were all still in school.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Rosetta murmured. “I’m blessed that all of my sisters are still alive—and living in the lodge with me.”
Truman’s smile brightened and he tightened the arm he’d slung around her shoulders. “Jah, you sisters are a tight-knit bunch. An inspiration to us all about moving past your losses and making the most of your lives. My mother goes on and on about how she enjoys spending time amongst you.”
“Your mamm’s a special lady.”
“She is,” Truman agreed as a pensive expression stole over his face. “And how’s Mattie doing? When Amos told me he called off the wedding—and why— I gave him quite an earful about how he’d probably take longer to recover now, on account of how depressed he’s getting. Not that I changed his mind.”
“Mattie’s sad, but like you say, she’s moving forward and finding other purposes for her life.” Rosetta sighed. “We’re all concerned about Amos, though. Roman tells us his legs seem to be getting weaker from not getting any exercise. Eli and Marlin are figuring to construct a ramp up to his porch and install some grab bars in his house—and Noah has suggested a workshop added on to the back of Amos’s place, where he’d be able to build small furniture and do some woodworking, even if he’s confined to his wheelchair.”
“He needs something to occupy himself, for sure,” Truman agreed. “I’ve told him I’ll drive him to his doctor’s appointment this week and then we’ll get his physical therapy set up. Maybe those therapists can get Amos motivated to work with his hands and focus on doing things he enjoys.”
“If he finds a new way to generate some income, I think he’ll feel better about himself—and about life in general,” Rosetta added with a nod. She shielded her eyes from the sun to gaze toward the entry to the Promise Lodge property. “Is the snow glare affecting me, or is that a sleigh turning off the road?”
“It is.” Truman rested his head against hers, pulling her closer as they watched the horse-drawn vehicle glide across the snow. “Oh, but it would be fun to take you for a sleigh ride, sweetheart,” he murmured. He quickly kissed her cheek. “Who’s the sleigh belong to? The two folks riding in it are so bundled up I can’t tell who they are.”
“Let’s find out.” Waving her arm high above her head, Rosetta grasped Truman’s hand and they jogged down the hill toward the lodge. She grinned when the passengers returned her wave, and the sleigh headed up toward them. “Why, I think that’s Roman and Mary Kate under those blankets! I didn’t know he had a sleigh.”
“But he does have a girlfriend, obviously—and I’m pleased to see Gloria didn’t play the third wheel,” Truman remarked. “Don’t get me wrong. Gloria’s a nice enough girl—”
“But she’s been trying so hard to make Roman notice her, we’re all embarrassed for him.” Rosetta’s smile widened as the sleigh came closer. The horse’s harness had bells on it, and the merry sound of their jingling made the perfect accompaniment to the snowy, happy scene. “Isn’t that Amos’s mare, Mabel?”
“I believe you’re right. Hullo, you two!” Truman called out. “What a fine sight you make, dashing through the snow.”
Mabel whickered, shaking her head—and the bells—as she halted a few feet away. Even though Mary Kate was swaddled in blankets up to her chin, with her black bonnet tied tightly over her head, she appeared as light-hearted as Rosetta had ever seen her. Roman seemed delighted to be keeping her company.
“What a beautiful sleigh,” Rosetta said as she approached it. She ran her gloved hand over the seat’s curved wooden back, which was upholstered in deep green velvet. “How long have you had this sleigh and not told me about it, Roman?”
Her nephew’s laughter rang out over the snowy hillside. “Amos had it stashed under a tarp in the shed, so I asked if I could borrow it. Cleaned it up a bit—”
“And it’s padded in all the right places,” Mary Kate chimed in. “I was feeling pretty achy at home in the recliner—until Roman talked me into coming along for a ride.”
Rosetta smiled. That was young love talking, if ever she’d heard it.
“Could we possibly take it for a spin after you two are finished?” Truman asked eagerly. “I’ll tend to the mare—”
“Or we could give Mabel a rest and hitch the sleigh to my gelding,” Ros
etta suggested. “Chuckie could use a gut run, and he’s sure-footed in the snow.”
Roman looked at Mary Kate. “What do you say? Have you had enough for now, or do you want to loop around the campground one more time?”
Mary Kate’s brown eyes sparkled. “What if we went inside to visit with your mamm and the others while Truman switches the horses? Then he and Rosetta could give us a ride back up to the house and be on their way.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Roman replied as he took up the lines again. “I’ll pull up closer to the lodge so you don’t have to walk through so much snow.”
As the mare took off toward the tall, timbered lodge with another shake of the sleigh bells, Rosetta felt happy all over. “Unless I miss my guess, my nephew’s going to be getting hitched in the near future. Did you see how both of them were glowing?”
Truman tucked her hand under his elbow as they walked the rest of the way down the hill. “If anybody can handle starting out married life with a wee one, I think Roman’s the right fellow for the job. Got a steady head on his shoulders and a gut heart—not to mention a house all set up for a family.”
Rosetta nodded, thinking those qualities applied to Truman, as well. And someday, God willing, she hoped to be the woman he took as his wife. To have and to hold . . .
* * *
After Truman harnessed Chuckie, he ran his hand along the bay’s back, checking the leather, the lines, and the tarnished bells. “This tack could use some saddle soap to soften it up,” he remarked to Rosetta, “but the sleigh looks to be in fine condition. Makes me wonder how long Amos has had it, because you don’t often see such carving details in the wood these days.”
He watched Rosetta running her gloved hand along the rounded back of the seat. Truman had found her lovely in the bright sparkle of the afternoon, yet here in the unlit barn she appeared even more enticing. When she met his gaze, his pulse thundered. “Oh my,” he said in a breathy voice. “We’d better move along or I’m likely to find a warm spot in the hay for some serious kissing.”
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