by Sarah Price
Ella nodded her head in agreement and a mournful look clouded her eyes. “You know,” she said, “the wedding’s just a week from tomorrow.”
Sadie paled. With all the turmoil in her own life, she hadn’t given much thought to her friend Belle’s plight. A wave of shame washed over her. How could she have forgotten about Belle? “She must be a nervous wreck. I’d run away rather than be forced to marry!” she stated in a low voice so Ella’s stepmother couldn’t overhear. “Even for my family!”
Ella nodded. “I agree.”
Upon hearing Linda’s approaching footsteps, Sadie whispered, “You will be going to the wedding, ja?”
“Of course!”
“I wish I had time to go visit her,” Sadie said, “but Rachel’s not been feeling well.”
“And Linda always keeps me so busy with chores,” Ella added before their conversation ended abruptly.
“Here’s two rolls of that wire for repairing the breaks in the fence and a new wire cutter,” Linda told her as she placed the items on the counter. She glanced at Ella and her expression seemed to darken. Ella lowered her eyes and said a quick goodbye to Sadie before she retreated into the stockroom from which she had come.
Linda turned her attention back to Sadie and smiled. “Now, anything else that you’ll need today, Sadie?”
Outside the store, Sadie shifted the bag of items her father had requested in her arms, then made her way down the front steps. She couldn’t wrap her mind around the conversation she had just had with Ella. And Belle? She was far too special a young woman to live life in a loveless marriage.
“Sadie!”
Startled from her thoughts, Sadie looked up in time to see Frederick driving by in his buggy. For a moment, she thought something must be terribly wrong. What would he be doing back in Echo Creek? Why, it had only been three days since the weekend.
Frederick pulled back on the reins to stop the buggy. “That bag looks heavy,” he said with a bright smile lighting up his face. “Let me give you a ride home.”
For a moment, she thought about refusing his offer. Too many people might see her get into his buggy, and she didn’t want anyone having cause to gossip. The last thing she needed was the community thinking they were courting. Despite their two meetings, she reminded herself that two outings did not a marriage make. She needed to get to know Frederick better, at least before tongues started wagging.
However, the bag was heavy, she reasoned. And what better way to get to know him than by accepting his invitation?
“Danke, Frederick. I normally don’t mind walking,” she said, “but I’d be much obliged to accept.” She walked over to the buggy, then handed Frederick the bag through the open door before climbing up and sitting beside him. “It’s a bit warm out, isn’t it?”
Frederick waited until she was settled before he released the brake and slapped the reins, urging the horse to walk on. “Ja, it is. Looks like autumn isn’t arriving anytime soon.”
“It was sure cold the other night.”
He laughed. “Quite true.”
She noticed that he held the reins taut in his hands, as if holding back the horse so that it walked, rather than trotted, down the road. “You’re becoming a regular in Echo Creek,” she pointed out, curious to know why he was back so soon but too afraid to ask. She didn’t want to appear too forward, especially if he was here for a personal reason.
“I am that!” he answered, then smiled and Sadie knew that he was teasing her. “I had to visit my cousins who live south of Echo Creek—”
“The Grimm brothers?”
He nodded. “Ja, those fellows. Maem asked me to bring them some canned food. Too heavy to carry that, so since I was close by, I thought I’d ride up to Echo Creek.”
Sadie frowned. She had never been to the forest where the Grimm brothers lived, but she knew that it was a far distance from Echo Creek. “Were you visiting with Anna Rose then?”
Frederick shook his head.
“Elizabeth? She’s teaching today, you know.”
He nodded. “Ja, I know that.”
Sadie couldn’t help but wonder why he would have made the detour to Echo Creek, especially since he had just been there earlier that week. Suddenly, she worried that she was putting him out of his way.
“I enjoyed the singing at the Riehls’ the other night,” Frederick said at last, breaking the silence and interrupting Sadie’s thoughts. “It was a nice change of pace. We don’t have such a large youth group as yours.”
“Oh?” Sadie turned to look at him. During their drive home the other night, they had talked about so many things, but, embarrassed, Sadie suddenly realized that she hadn’t inquired about his church district. “Your town must be very small, indeed, then.”
He tilted his head as if contemplating what she had just said. “Nee, not so small. Certainly, it’s the size of Echo Creek, but we’ve fewer young folk than you do, I reckon. And when we go visiting, we usually head to Blue Springs.”
“Blue Springs?” She’d never heard of that town before.
“Ja, Blue Springs. It’s farther south from us, but the road is easier to travel, especially at night.”
That made sense. Sadie nestled into the seat and stared out the window. They passed the schoolhouse and she could see inside the windows along the side of the building, recognizing Elizabeth, Anna Rose’s cousin—and therefore Frederick’s, too—as she stood in front of the class, talking to her students.
As Frederick drove farther, she looked at the clothesline that was hanging from a nearby house. On the line were white sheets and several blue quilts, which reminded her of something.
“Oh!” Turning to face Frederick, she noticed he had been watching her out of the corner of his eye. His attention made her heart race. “I almost forgot to tell you that you left your blanket with me the other night. Mayhaps I can run inside to fetch it when you drop me off.”
But he shook his head. “Nee, Sadie. You keep that.”
Sadie raised her eyebrows in confusion. “Keep it? With winter coming up? Surely you will need it in the buggy to help stay warm.”
“I’d much prefer to know that it’s keeping you warm this winter, Sadie.”
The heat rose to her neck and she knew that her cheeks were flushing red.
For a few minutes, they remained silent until, in the distance, Sadie spotted the mailbox of her father’s farm.
“Well, danke again for the ride,” she said as they neared it.
Frederick cleared his throat as if he wanted to say something more. But then, as if on second thought, he changed his mind. “My pleasure, Sadie Whitaker.”
As the buggy made its way down the driveway, Sadie could see Rachel sitting upon one of the rocking chairs on the front porch, a blue blanket covering her knees.
Frederick’s blanket.
Sadie’s blanket.
A wave of anger washed over her. Why would her stepmother have gone into her bedroom? And an even better question was why would Rachel take something that didn’t belong to her?
But then, Sadie’s irritation turned into fear as she watched Rachel’s eyes follow the buggy as it approached the house. Her expression seemed to be growing darker with each passing moment. Sadie found herself shrinking inside the buggy, wondering what Rachel would say about her accepting a ride from Frederick. She was certain that Rachel would demand to know where the mysterious blue blanket had come from.
“You can stop here,” Sadie said in a small voice. She only hoped that Frederick hadn’t noticed the blanket covering Rachel’s legs and put two and two together. “My stepmother hasn’t been feeling well. I don’t want to disturb her.”
Sadie was relieved when Frederick slowed down the horse and buggy and stopped halfway down the driveway. He turned and faced her.
“It was right gut to see you, Sadie,” he said as she reached for the door handle and started to get out of the buggy.
Sadie could barely reply. Her nerves were taut with tension. S
he reached for the bag and felt Frederick’s hand touch hers. Looking up, she couldn’t help but lose herself in the moment, in the dark eyes that stared back at her with such tenderness.
“I hope to see you again soon,” he said softly.
She felt her cheeks grow hot. Surely, she was blushing. “Danke, Frederick,” she whispered, hoisting the bag onto her hip and backing away from the buggy. She raised her free hand and waved. Frederick leaned out the open window and tipped his hat, then continued down the road, traveling south.
Away from Echo Creek, she thought.
It dawned on Sadie that, perhaps, Frederick Keim had traveled all that way from his little Amish community just to see her. The thought made her insides grow warm and she felt gloriously happy. Did this mean that he intended to come call on her?
The sound of a door shutting interrupted her happy thoughts. She turned in time to notice that the rocking chair was still moving, but empty now. Sadie walked up the front steps, wondering why Rachel had disappeared so abruptly. But then she stopped, because the second thing she noticed was the blue blanket, the one that Frederick had given to her, lying in a crumpled heap on the floorboards.
With a sigh, Sadie reached down and lifted the blanket off the dirty floor and hung it on the back of the rocking chair. She was so disturbed she decided to go to the barn, instead of the house. She would give her father the bag of items from town and see if he needed any help with the livestock. Anything to avoid being alone with Rachel.
Chapter Nine
All through the following week, Sadie would catch Rachel watching her.
At first, Sadie wondered if she was imagining it. Perhaps she was just being paranoid? But sure as rain, every time Sadie looked over at her, Rachel had her eyes narrowed and trained on her, taking stock of her every move. The only time she seemed to be kind to Sadie was at mealtime when Jacob was present. Oh, how she wished her father could witness Rachel’s behavior firsthand.
Rachel never said anything out loud, but the sour expression on her face clearly stated her displeasure. In fact, the intensity with which Rachel scrutinized her from sunup to sunset became so uncomfortable, Sadie found herself grateful when Belle’s wedding day arrived. Despite her concern about her friend’s willingness to wed a man she barely knew and obviously didn’t love, Sadie welcomed the opportunity to be away for the entire day and, hopefully, well into the night.
She needed a break from Rachel, and Belle’s wedding afforded her the perfect excuse. And even though Rachel would be attending the service and reception along with Jacob, she would surely be on her best behavior. Sadie wouldn’t have to worry about being criticized in front of her father or the congregation. At least I’ll have one day of peace, she thought that morning as she prepared white butter cookies to bring to the wedding reception.
During the service, Sadie and Ella stood together, at one point clenching their hands as they watched their dear friend marry Adam Hershberger. The wide brim of his black hat covered most of his face, hiding the scars that disfigured the left side and added to his disrepute.
As soon as the ceremony was over, Adam turned his back to their guests and walked to the rear exit of the house, leaving his new bride standing alone. Anna Rose and Sadie stepped forward to give Belle their blessing, along with other members of their congregation, then joined the other women to help set out the tables of food.
“I can’t believe he left right after the ceremony!”
Sadie couldn’t, either, but she wasn’t about to say such a thing. Whether they liked it or not, Adam was now Belle’s husband.
“I wonder if everyone will stay for a singing afterward,” Drusilla said.
Sadie shrugged her shoulders, not caring either way. There was nothing that could bring joy to this day as far as she was concerned. Nothing except the love of God, who had blessed this marriage for whatever reasons He might have. Sadie just wished she knew what those reasons were. But it wasn’t her place to question the will of God.
“Well, if there is a singing, I want him to drive me home,” Drusilla added, gesturing with her head toward the other side of the room where the young men were gathered.
Ella, Anna Rose, and Sadie followed her gaze.
“Oh!” Anna Rose exclaimed when she realized who, exactly, Drusilla was referring to. “That’s my cousin Frederick!” She turned to Sadie. “I didn’t know he was invited.”
“Do you know him?” Drusilla asked Sadie, her question more pointed than casual.
Sadie swallowed, feeling exposed under the other girl’s scrutiny. “I met him at the singing the other week.” For some reason, she didn’t want to share with Drusilla that she had, in fact, met Frederick even earlier, while sitting by the stream. She justified the omission since, in truth, she had officially met Frederick when Anna Rose had introduced them at the singing.
“I didn’t see him at the singing.” Drusilla sounded disappointed.
Anna Rose ignored Drusilla’s comment but made sure to let her know that he was interested in Sadie. “And he drove Sadie home afterward,” she told her matter-of-factly.
Anna Rose’s announcement caused Drusilla to snap her head in Sadie’s direction. Sadie knew better than to make eye contact with her. Everyone in Echo Creek knew that Sadie had never ridden home from a singing with any young man, not even young men that she might consider just friends. Surely this little tidbit of news would soon have tongues wagging.
“I see,” Drusilla said, her tone dry and unforgiving.
But something about Drusilla’s previous comment struck a chord with Sadie. “He frequents your maem’s store, Drusilla. On Mondays, usually. Surely you’ve seen him there before?”
Drusilla made a face of disapproval. “On Mondays? I try to avoid the store on Mondays. It’s too busy. One can hardly think straight!”
Sadie fought the urge to roll her eyes. Ella wasn’t one to complain, but most people in Echo Creek knew that her stepsisters avoided work at all costs. Or at least, avoided it when it didn’t benefit them. Clearly, Mondays fell into that category.
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted when Rachel neared, a smile on her face, which caught Sadie off guard. She hadn’t seen her stepmother look so happy and cheerful since she’d learned she wasn’t pregnant. Perhaps she’s beginning to feel more like her old self, Sadie thought with a glimmer of hope.
“Sadie, come with me. I want to introduce you to someone,” Rachel told her as she turned back around and started to walk away.
Curious, Sadie left her friends and followed her stepmother toward the middle of the room, where Jacob was talking to an older man. Sadie could hear snippets of conversations as she followed Rachel. People were talking in hushed voices while glancing at Belle, and Sadie didn’t have to guess as to what they were talking about: Adam’s departure from his own wedding reception.
“Have you met John Rabor?” Rachel asked when they reached Jacob and the elderly man.
Sadie looked at the old man and smiled, then shook her head, perplexed as to why Rachel had come to fetch her at all. She had heard of John Rabor, who lived south of Echo Creek, almost three miles from the Whitakers’ farm. Normally he attended worship service at the smaller neighboring church district, but on a few special occasions, he traveled the distance to worship in Echo Creek.
Sadie had never met him.
Now, standing before him, she only saw an older man with thinning gray hair and a long, wiry beard. Clearly, he was married, and if Sadie had to guess, she figured he was well into his forties.
The old man studied Sadie with such intensity that, for a moment, she couldn’t help but wonder if this was how livestock might feel when put to auction. He pressed his lips together and made a noise that sounded a bit like approval.
“You like farming, then?” he asked, his voice gruff and direct.
The question caught her off guard. What on earth was Rachel up to?
“I do,” Sadie responded warily. “Although I’m more often to be f
ound helping Rachel in the haus.”
Another noise. “That’s gut,” he mumbled.
Sadie glanced at her father and noticed that he was watching the exchange, his expression bored and uninterested.
Rachel, however, appeared oblivious to her husband’s lack of interest and Sadie’s confusion. “John Rabor lives near the forest, you know.”
Sadie had not known that and, frankly, didn’t much care. But she feigned interest. “Oh?”
“He’s quite the hunter.”
Somehow Sadie hid her aversion to that announcement. She knew that the food she ate came from the farm: the vegetables from the garden, the eggs from the chickens, and the meat from a neighboring farm that raised Hereford cows. But that didn’t mean that she liked it.
As for hunting, she deplored the thought of anyone shooting a wild animal, be it a deer, pheasant, or wild hare.
“I just took down a nice buck this week,” John said, his muddy-colored eyes staring at Sadie from behind round wire-rimmed glasses. “I’ll bring some meat to you.”
Nothing could have turned Sadie’s stomach more. “I’m not much of a venison eater,” she confessed and glanced over her shoulder toward where her friends were still standing. She tried to think of a polite way to escape, but before she could feign an excuse, she was interrupted.
“Oh, such nonsense.” Rachel gave a nervous little laugh. “That would be wunderbarr, wouldn’t it, Jacob?”
“Ja, right gut.”
“I haven’t had venison in ages,” Rachel said.
Sadie frowned. The thought of eating meat from a beautiful deer repulsed her. But she knew it would be rude to say so. So instead of speaking her mind, she merely forced a weak smile.
The old man turned toward Jacob. “In fact, I shot that deer right near your farm.”
Immediately, the smile vanished from Sadie’s face and she started to feel nauseous.
“A nice six-pointer,” he continued, oblivious to the change in Sadie’s demeanor. “Why, it was standing quiet as could be near that little stream. Just minding its business and drinking some water. One shot in the neck and it went down right in the very spot it was standing. One of the easiest kills I’ve had in a long while. Didn’t have to track it none this time.”