* * *
“I have heard that your goods are overpriced. Now I see that’s true.” Maisie kept a close watch on the cash register’s rising total. She would show Nathan she knew how to manage money. She was a thrifty shopper.
“My prices are fair.” The middle-aged man scowled at her as he rang up the container of powdered formula.
“This is at least a dollar higher than the last place I saw the same formula.”
“There was a coupon for it in this week’s newspaper. If you have one of those, I’ll take a dollar off what you have here.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t see the newspaper. I’m newly arrived.” She smiled at him. “Couldn’t you give me the discount, anyway? The twins are going to need a lot of formula over the next few months.”
He brightened at the prospect of future sales. “Twins, you say. What a blessing. All right, I will give you the discount. Keep an eye on my ads in the newspaper. You’ll find some good bargains, I promise.”
“Danki, you’re very kind. The last place I lived the Amish women would travel together once a month to shop at a large discount store even though it was twenty miles away. Do the Amish women in this community do that?”
“I’ve not heard of it.” His frown came back.
“Perhaps I’ll suggest it.” She cast a sidelong glance his way to gauge his reaction.
He finished scanning her items. “I’m going to deduct five percent from the total. That’s my way of welcoming you to the community.”
She smiled broadly. “That’s very generous of you.”
And a good way to appease a troublesome customer.
“Well, folks are glad to have the Amish moving in here. My grandparents were potato farmers back in the day. They worked the land with horses the way you folks do. The old ways shouldn’t disappear. Why, I can remember riding bareback on Grandpa’s plow horse. His name was Dusty, which was exactly the way the seat of my pants looked when I got off of him.”
Maisie grinned as she handed over her money. “Happy memories are cherished gifts from Gott.”
“They are indeed.” He counted out her change and picked up two of the bags. “Let me help you out with these.”
“Danki.”
The moment they stepped out the door, Maisie heard the babies crying.
Mr. Meriwether chuckled. “It sounds as if you’ll need some of that formula right quick. I’ll put these sacks in the back for you.” He opened the door and nodded to Nathan. “Your missus knows how to drive a good bargain. I was afraid I was going to have to pay her to take these groceries off my hands.”
“I’m his sister-in-law and thank you again for the help, Mr. Meriwether.”
The man left and Maisie opened the front door of the buggy. Nathan had a babe in each arm, trying to soothe them. A worried frown creased his brow. “I can’t believe they are hungry already. Is something else wrong with them?”
“The long ride in the buggy may have upset them, but it’s been almost three hours since we stopped to feed them. That’s about normal. Let me have Charity. I’ll change her and then you can feed her while I take care of Jacob. These are for you.” She opened a bottle of aspirin and shook two into her hand, then laid a bottle of water on the seat.
He handed the babe to her and she dropped the pills into his free hand. He quickly tossed them in his mouth and took a swig of water. “Danki. How do you know they aren’t sick?”
She laid the back of her hand against Charity’s forehead. “She doesn’t have a fever. I’m sure a dry diaper and a bottle will stop the fussing.”
That turned out to be the case. Once both babies were changed and fed, Maisie held one in each arm, enjoying the time to cuddle them as Nathan drove toward home.
“How is it that you know so much about babies?” he asked.
“I worked as a nanny for an Englisch family.” Annie had worked in the same house as a maid.
“The Porters.” Nathan’s tone conveyed his lingering dislike of the wealthy family that had caused him so much trouble. Edward Porter, the head of the family, had treated Nathan poorly.
“Gavin Porter, the son, had two children. His wife was sickly. I took care of her baby and two-year-old son until I left to get married.”
Annie had stayed on and taken over Maisie’s duties with the children. Gavin and Annie became close. Maisie had worried about her sister’s attachment. She suspected Annie was in love with Gavin. Because he was a married man and Annie had already taken her baptismal vows, any romantic relationship between them was strictly forbidden. Then Maisie’s husband died suddenly in an accident, leaving her with the farm to run. Between the farm work and their father’s failing health, Maisie had been too busy to do or say anything about her concerns.
After Gavin’s wife passed away, he moved with the children to New York. Then Annie suddenly married Nathan, a newcomer, an Amish logger she’d known only a few months. Annie’s assurance that she had fallen madly in love didn’t ring true to Maisie. She thought her sister was marrying Nathan help her get over Gavin. To prove she hadn’t been in love with him.
“I’m surprised the Porters hired someone without experience as their nanny.”
“When I was younger, I worked as a mother’s helper for our neighbor after she had two of her children. She gave me a reference.”
“Old man Porter took the word of an Amish frau? That’s not like him.”
“It was Gavin who hired me.” Maisie had enjoyed taking care of the children. When she married, she thought she would have babes of her own, but that wasn’t God’s plan for her.
She gazed at the beautiful babies sleeping quietly in her arms and her heart grew warm with tenderness. It was astonishing how quickly she had grown to love them. Three days wasn’t much time to prove her worth to Nathan, but the idea of leaving Annie’s babies was too painful to contemplate.
She would show Nathan that she was the perfect nanny for his children. She rocked gently with the swaying of the buggy watching their changing expressions in their sleep, feeling them stretch and snuggle inside their blankets. Even when her arms grew tired, she didn’t put them down. Every moment with them was precious.
“How soon will they start sleeping through the night?” Nathan asked, glancing in her direction.
“When they are five or six months old.”
“That can’t be right.”
“I’m afraid it is.”
He looked so disappointed that she felt sorry for him. She decided not to tell him about colic, teething, croup or any of the other reasons parents of new babies lost sleep. Today didn’t seem to be the day to add to his worries.
When they finally arrived back at his cabin, he got out of the buggy, came around to her side and opened her door. She grimaced when she tried to move. “I’m sorry, can you take Jacob? I’m afraid my arms have fallen asleep.”
“You should’ve put them down sooner.” He leaned close to gently lift the baby from her arms.
“I didn’t want to miss a minute of holding them while I’m able. They are so beautiful. Truly a gift from Gott.”
He paused with his gaze fixed on his son’s face. He stroked the baby’s cheek with one finger. “They are wonderful. I wish their mother was here to see how much they’ve changed in just a few days’ time.”
“So do I, but it was Gott’s will.” She shook her arm to clear the pins and needles, then stepped out of the buggy. Nathan took her elbow to steady her. Warmth spread from his hand up her arm. Her gaze flew to his face. A troubled expression clouded his eyes.
He stepped away abruptly. “Go inside. I’ll bring the baskets.”
Maisie did as he asked. She waited in the kitchen until he set the baskets on the table. She laid Charity in one and he placed Jacob in the other. Then he stood back and slipped his hands into his pockets.
“Oh, I almost forgot,”
Maisie said. “Here is your change.” She pulled the money out of her purse.
Nathan took the bills, counted them and slipped them in his wallet. “You didn’t use much. Did you spend your own money?”
“Nee. I was able to find some bargains. I’m careful with money.” She took off her black traveling bonnet and laid it on the counter.
“Mr. Meriwether said as much. I thought it was just flattery.”
Nathan went outside and returned a few minutes later with her purchases. He set them on the counter without looking at her. “I must see to Sassy. Then I have work in the barn. Don’t bother fixing me anything to eat.”
“You can’t go hungry because I’m here. I’ll fix you something now.”
“I said, don’t bother,” he snapped and left again. Maisie sank onto the kitchen chair. How could she prove her worth if he couldn’t stay in the same room with her?
“Annie, you really hurt that man. Each time he looks at me I see the anguish in his eyes. You wanted me to be here, but you’ve made it impossible for me to stay.”
She leaned forward to look at the sleeping babies. “I’ll take good care of your kinder for as long as I’m able.”
Maisie heard the sounds of a chain saw and an axe throughout the afternoon. Nathan didn’t come in again until it was nearly dark. She’d kept a pot of stew warm on the stove for him, but the canned meat and vegetables were overdone and mushy by the time he showed up. He stopped to kiss each of the sleeping babies and then went out again. She fed the stew to Buddy.
The next morning, Nathan came in, poured himself a cup of coffee and went back out. Maisie ate some of the scrambled eggs she had made and gave the rest to Buddy and the cat. Nathan’s animals would soon be fat at this rate. It wasn’t long before she heard the chain saw again. Later, the banging of a hammer came from beyond the barn.
Just after noon, the sound of a vehicle coming up the lane prompted her to go to the door and look out. A brown pickup pulled into the small farmyard and stopped. She saw the words Davis Lumber Company on the truck door in white letters. A burly Englisch man in his midfifties got out. He wore faded jeans held up with suspenders, a blue plaid shirt and a brown baseball cap with the same company name stitched in white letters across the front.
He caught sight of her and pulled off his cap. “Afternoon, ma’am. I’m Arthur Davis. I’m looking for Nathan.”
“I’m his sister-in-law, Maisie Schrock. I think Nathan is in the barn.”
The man tipped his head slightly. “I don’t recall Nathan saying he had any family.”
“His wife was my sister.”
“Then I’m sure sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you.”
“But I’m mighty glad to see he has someone to help with the babies.”
“Would you like to come in for some coffee? I was just about to put on a pot.”
“No thanks. I’ll just go speak to Nathan.” Mr. Davis started to turn away, but Nathan was already coming in their direction.
“I wasn’t expecting you, Mr. Davis. What can I do for you?”
“There’s been an accident at the Three Ponds camp. Ricky Burris broke his leg when a widow-maker came down on him.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is he going to be okay?”
“The doc said he’d be off at least two months. With your situation, I was already short one feller and now I’ve got none. Could you see your way to come back to work starting on Monday? I know it’s short notice. I wouldn’t ask, but the lumber is already contracted for and I can’t get behind schedule.”
Nathan stared at his feet. He scuffed the toe of one boot through the gravel. “Things aren’t settled here.”
“I know it’s bad timing on my part, and I hate to say it, but I’m gonna have to hire two new fellers to get this project in on time if you aren’t willing to return to work.”
Nathan looked up sharply. “Two? Are you telling me that I’m out of a job if I don’t come back now?”
“The last thing I want to do is lay you off, Nathan, but I have obligations, too. I wanted to give you the opportunity to come back before I did anything. If Ricky hadn’t gotten hurt I could’ve spared you for a few weeks, but not longer than that.”
The man turned his hat around in his hands. “Look, I don’t need your answer today. I’ll give you some time to think it over. I’m really sorry to do this to you. You’re the best feller I’ve had in a long time and I don’t want to lose you. Think it over and let me know tomorrow. I’ll stop by in the morning.”
Mr. Davis settled his hat on his head, got in his truck and drove away.
Maisie wished she could do something for Nathan. He didn’t need more trouble than he already had. She walked over to stand beside him. “What are you going to do?”
“There’s no way I can make it through the winter with the savings I’ve got left after I pay the medical bills for the twins and Annie. I need my job.”
“Your church will help you pay the hospital costs.”
“They might if I was a member of this church. Which I’m not. I’ll have to hire someone quickly to take care of the babies so I can go back to work.”
He didn’t even glance at her when he said it. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. He would rather employ a stranger to look after his children than allow his wife’s sister to be their nanny. The man wasn’t thinking straight.
Maisie planted her hands on her hips. “Whether you like it or not, I’m staying. Those babies need me, not some stranger.”
Chapter Four
“You can’t stay here,” Nathan snapped, wishing she would go away.
If she’d stay out of his sight instead of harping at him, he could think of what to do next. Annie had never been this exasperating. “You have a bus ticket you need to use on Friday.”
Maisie stood with her hands on her hips and a stubborn look simmering in her eyes. “And you have to give your boss an answer tomorrow. Allow me to stay. What’s your alternative?”
He didn’t have one and he hated being backed into a corner. “Your sister was a biddable woman. I can see that you aren’t.”
Maisie folded her arms tightly over her chest. “We might have been twins, but we weren’t the same.”
Nathan didn’t want to argue with her. His head was killing him. “I’m going to see Bishop Schultz. He may know of a woman who can look after the children.” He was grasping at straws and he knew it. Finding someone to care for the babies full-time on such short notice was unlikely.
Maisie tossed her hands up. “Why are you so stubborn?”
“They’re my children. I say who takes care of them.” He started to walk away.
“You’re being unreasonable.”
“Enough.” He raised one hand to signal the end of the conversation and kept walking.
“You’re obstinate and irrational! No wonder my sister left you,” she shouted.
Nathan stopped as pain seared his heart. He hung his head and gripped it with both hands. He’d gone over it a million times. There was only one explanation for Annie’s actions. She left because there was something wrong with him. There was some reason she couldn’t love him.
He heard Maisie running toward him. “Nathan, I’m sorry,” she said in a rush.
She stopped beside him, but he couldn’t look at her. He could barely breathe.
“That was cruel of me,” she said softly. “You didn’t deserve it.”
His throat was so tight he couldn’t speak.
Maisie laid a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me. My temper is a fault I’ve tried to overcome.”
He cleared the lump in his throat and found his voice. “You need to work on it harder,” he croaked.
She let her breath out in a rush. “I will, I promise. I don’t know why I said that. She never spoke a word against yo
u, Nathan. Never.”
He stared at the sky and blinked back tears. “I wish she had. Then maybe I’d understand. I’m just so tired and...”
“Angry. I know. I am, too, Nathan. I’m angry with Gott for taking her from me just when we had the chance to become close again. I’m angry with Annie for hurting you. For wounding me and our father. And for leaving her babies, though I know she couldn’t help it. None of it was your fault.” She tightened her grip on his arm. “Nothing gives me the right...to hurt you.”
The catch in her words made him look at her. Tears streamed down her face. Her pain was as great as his own. Almost against his will, he cupped his fingers under her chin and gently wiped the dampness from one cheek with his thumb. “I reckon we’re both grieving. They say healing takes time.”
She nodded mutely.
Her skin was soft and warm beneath his fingers. Old longings shuddered to life in his chest. The need to hold someone and to be held. He knew the curve of this woman’s jaw and the softness of her lips, but the woman whose face he caressed wasn’t his wife. His feelings were for Annie, and she was gone. Maisie was only her shadow. Any warmness she stirred in him wasn’t real.
More than the woman he had buried on the hill, he mourned the loss of the sweet girl he had married. The one who had left him months ago. His love for her had died a slow and painful death until there was only a hollow where his heart used to be.
How could he heal with Maisie as a constant reminder of all he had lost? It wasn’t possible. He let his hand fall to his side. “I don’t know where you and your sister learned to be so cruel, but I forgive you. I’ll be home late. Don’t wait supper.”
* * *
Maisie stepped back and wiped her cheeks as much to hide the flush that heated her face as to dry her tears. Her reaction to Nathan’s touch surprised and shocked her. She struggled to sound unaffected. “I’ll keep something warm for you.”
“Don’t trouble yourself.” He walked away and entered the barn.
Maisie relaxed when he was out of sight. Had he noticed the way her breath caught in her throat at the touch of his fingers? She hoped not. He had only been comforting her. It was her ragged emotions that made it seem like his touch had meant something more. She dismissed her troubled thoughts as a product of too little sleep and raw grief. To imagine there could be anything between Nathan and herself was utter foolishness. She knew better. He could barely stand the sight of her.
An Amish Mother for His Twins Page 4