The Amish Teacher's Dilemma and Healing Their Amish Hearts

by Patricia Davids

  “I don’t know.” Maddie turned to look at Willis. “Can you?”

  “Nee, but I thought I might be able to bribe someone I know into doing it with a nice lunch in town.”

  “That’s rather presumptuous of you, isn’t it?” Eva wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily.

  “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” he muttered.

  Maddie lifted the front of her apron. “Harley sewed this patch on my dress.” The stitches were uneven, and the fabric was puckered.

  “I told you not to tell anyone.” Harley’s annoyed voice caused Eva to look back at him.

  “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Harley,” she said softly. “Your sister is blessed to have such a caring brother.”

  “Willis made me do it.” Clearly, Harley hadn’t enjoyed the task.

  “Otto fixed supper last night,” Maddie said with a wide smile. “He made grilled cheese sandwiches. Bubble doesn’t like burnt cheese and bread.”

  “Bubble can cook her own supper from now on,” Otto shouted.

  “You made her cry.” Maddie’s lower lip trembled as she cuddled her imaginary friend.

  “She’s not real,” Harley snapped.

  “Enough!” Willis’s commanding tone silenced everyone.

  Eva cleared her throat. “It sounds like you have had a trying few days, Mr. Gingrich.”

  Maddie leaned closer to Eva. “He broke his best hammer, too,” she whispered. “Did you matchmake him a wife yet?”

  “Nee,” Eva whispered back. “Willis doesn’t want a wife.”

  “He needs one,” Harley muttered.

  “I can turn this wagon around and take you all home,” Willis threatened, proving he had heard Harley.

  Maddie looked appalled. “But then Bubble won’t get to eat ice cream.”

  Willis fixed his gaze on Eva. “Is the offer to watch these darling children during the day still open?”

  Maddie pressed her hands together as she looked at Eva. “Please, please, please.”

  “Ja, my offer is still open.”

  “Does that include lunches?” Otto asked hopefully.

  “I think I can manage to feed you, as well.”

  “Wunderbar!” The relief in Otto’s tone made Eva laugh.

  Willis gave her a wry smile. “I think I may owe you my life. Their joy at finding their lost sister has worn off.”

  “Because she is back to being an annoying pest,” Otto said.

  Maddie rounded on him. “I’m not a pest. You just don’t like playing with Bubble. You wanted her to stay lost.”

  Eva slipped her arms around Maddie. “We are all glad you didn’t stay lost. Right, boys? They cried when they couldn’t find you.”

  “They did?” Maddie wasn’t sure she believed that.

  “They did,” Willis assured her. “Your brothers love you. You should try being nicer to them. They don’t have to play with you all day. They have things they like to do.”

  Maddie pressed her head against Eva’s side. “But I don’t like being alone. What if the bear comes to get me?” Her voice broke on a sob.

  Eva met Willis’s astonished gaze. She could see this was the first time he had heard about Maddie’s new fear.

  Harley stood up and tugged on the ribbon of Maddie’s kapp. “No bear will come within a mile of our place.”

  “That’s right,” Willis said. “They don’t like fire, and I always have a fire going in the smithy.”

  Maddie looked up at Eva. “Is that true?”

  Eva nodded. “That is true. I read it in a book once. Bears won’t come near a fire.”

  It took them a while to restore Maddie’s good humor, but she was happily talking about starting school in a new dress by the time they reached the nearby town of Fort Craig. The foundry was located on the north end beside the river.

  Eva and the children waited in the wagon while Willis purchased his iron bars. He spent the next twenty minutes loading them with Harley and Otto’s help.

  Willis climbed up to the wagon seat when they were done. The boys sat on the sideboards of the back. Willis looked at Eva. “Are you hungry? There’s a nice restaurant in town if you’d like to try it? It’s buffet style.”

  “I’m always happy to sample someone else’s cooking.”

  They drove the wagon to an empty lot and left the horses there while they walked to the restaurant. It was busy inside, but the waitress was able to seat them at a small table in the back corner. The room was cozy with red-and-white-checked tablecloths and lace curtains on the windows.

  Most of the patrons were Englisch families enjoying an afternoon out. Some of them gawked at Eva and Willis in their plain clothing.

  Willis followed Eva as she filled her plate and helped Maddie make her choices. After Eva sat down, Willis and the boys returned with two heaping plates of food each.

  Eva looked at them in amazement. “Can you really eat all that?”

  “This will be a good start,” Harley declared.

  Otto licked his lips. “Did you see the dessert bar? I’m hankering for a big piece of that lemon cake.”

  “The owner of this place is going to lose money on us,” Eva said.

  Willis gestured toward Eva’s plate. “You and Maddie eat like birds. We balance each other.”

  Eva treasured the warmth spilling through her veins as he smiled at her. They did balance each other in many ways. She dropped her gaze to her hands folded on the table. She had to be careful or she would find herself in trouble. Sitting with his family didn’t make her a part of his family. She already liked Willis and the children way too much. He wasn’t interested in finding a wife, and she had a job to do. That was what she needed to focus on.

  * * *

  Willis bowed his head and began silently reciting the Gebet Nach Dem Essen, the Prayer Before Meals.

  O Lord God, heavenly Father, bless us and these Thy gifts, which we accept from Thy tender goodness. Give us food and drink also for our souls unto life eternal, that we may share at Thy heavenly table, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

  He followed it with the Lord’s Prayer, also prayed silently, knowing he had much to be thankful for.

  He raised his head to signal the end of the prayer for Eva and the kids. The boys began eating like they would never see food again.

  Eva pressed a hand to her lips to stifle a smile.

  Willis cleared his throat. “You’ll founder if you don’t slow down.”

  Otto shot him a questioning look. “I thought only horses could founder from eating too much grain?”

  Willis rolled his eyes. “Don’t put it to the test. Slow down and enjoy your food.”

  “It smells like our house used to before Mamm died,” Harley said. Otto and Maddie nodded.

  The aroma of warm bread and pot roast filled the air. Willis thought back to the food his stepmother used to make. Roast beef, roast pork, fried chicken and potatoes, schnitzel with sauerkraut, all served piping hot from her stove, with fresh bread smeared with butter and bowls of vegetables from her garden. He never gave a thought to how much work she had done in making those meals until he had tried to feed his siblings three times a day. A few evenings he had caught the same delicious aromas drifting from Eva’s place. Her house smelled like a home should. The children were going to enjoy eating at her place.

  The thought brought him back to why she was here with him. “I can’t pay you much for watching the children. You’ll have to wait until after the potato harvest for any kind of payment, I’m afraid.”

  She waved aside his suggestion. “I refuse to take money. I have already told you having the children will benefit me.”

  “All right. When shall I bring them over?”

  “First thing in the morning?”

  “Agreed.”

  The rest of
the meal passed pleasantly. When they finished, they crossed the street to the fabric store where Eva picked out a soft green cotton for Maddie’s new dress and a yard of white material to make her new kapps. Willis didn’t mind the expense. Seeing Eva’s enjoyment while shopping with his sister and Maddie’s bright smile was worth the cost.

  Back at the wagon he climbed aboard and stowed the packages before reaching down to help Eva up. A sizzle of awareness spread through him as his hand engulfed her slender fingers. The desire to pull her closer shocked him. Her gaze flashed to his. Her green eyes widened. Was she feeling the same sensation? Her fingers were so delicate. Her skin was soft and smooth, not calloused like his. It was a pointed reminder of just how different they were.

  It was something he shouldn’t forget. Her world was filled with books, poetry and beautiful words to describe the world and the people in it. His world was hot glowing charcoal, heat, smoke and the deafening ring of a hammer striking iron. There was nothing soft or gentle about it.

  She stepped up quickly and sat down, pulling her hand away from him. There was something about Eva that left him constantly off balance. He rubbed his palm on his pant leg, determined to erase the feelings from his mind, too. The sooner he got back to his smoldering pit, the sooner he could forget about the quiet magnetism that seemed to draw him toward her.

  The children were quiet for a change on the way home. He glanced toward Eva a few times, but she seemed more interested in the scenery than having a conversation. It was just as well. He had no idea what to say to her. He dropped her off at her house and guided the horses to the back of his smithy. Harley stayed to help him unload while Otto and Maddie headed to the house.

  Otto came back a few moments later with a piece of paper in his hand. He held it out to Willis. “Someone left this on our door.”

  Willis pulled another length of iron from the wagon bed to hide his shaking hands as his heart began racing. “Read it.”

  “It’s for you.” Otto waved it as if Willis couldn’t see he held it.

  “I’ve got to get this unloaded. Is it important?”

  “I don’t want to read your stuff. You take it.”

  Harley tossed his length of pipe on the pile, snatched the message from Otto and scanned it. “It’s from Bishop Schultz. He says he’ll be back to talk to you tomorrow at noon.”

  Willis let out the breath he’d been holding. “Does he say what about?”

  “Nope.”

  “Danki.” He began unloading his iron with renewed vigor. His secret was safe for now. He glanced up and found Harley watching him with an odd expression on his face. Willis swallowed hard. How much longer would it be before one of his brothers learned the truth? He cringed at the thought. What would they think of him then? What would Eva think of him?

  The following morning Otto and Maddie tried to hurry out of the house before breakfast, but Willis stopped them at the door. He glanced at the empty wire egg basket on the counter. “Maddie, did you do your chores this morning?”

  She looked up at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Not yet.”

  He frowned at Otto. “Have you fed the chickens and geese?”

  “I thought I’d do it after breakfast.”

  “No one is going to Eva’s house until their chores are finished. I will have breakfast ready for you by then.”

  Maddie frowned. “But Eva might have something better than you make.”

  “What’s wrong with my oatmeal?”

  “Nothing,” Otto said. “If you like oatmeal.”

  Willis stifled a grin. He was getting tired of oatmeal, too, but it was a good, hot meal that would last a fella until noon or later. Eva was willing to make their lunches. He wasn’t going to test her patience by sending the kids over for breakfast, too. He sent them on their way a short time later. Harley was the only one who finished his bowl of cereal.

  Willis managed to catch up on some of his backlogged orders for potato-digging parts and cultivator shovels before the bishop showed up in his buggy. He wiped his hands on a rag. “Welcome, Bishop. What can I do for you today?”

  Bishop Schultz glanced around. “Where are your brothers and sister?”

  “Eva is keeping an eye on them today. Why?”

  “The children are why I’m here. After Maddie went missing, several of the women in the church have expressed concerns about your ability to care for them.”

  * * *

  Harley was reading in Eva’s sitting room while Maddie and Otto were decorating sugar cookies in the kitchen when she heard someone at her door. She opened it and saw Willis with both arms braced on either side of the door and a fierce scowl on his face. “Were you in on this?”

  She leaned back. “In on what?”

  “On the bishop’s visit to my home today.”

  She could see he was angry. She stepped out on the porch, forcing him to let her pass, and closed the door. “Willis, I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “The bishop wanted me to know that some of the women in the community are worried that I’m not raising my siblings right.”

  She slapped a hand to her chest. “I never said anything of the sort to the bishop or anyone else. I think you’re trying hard to replace their mother and father. It can’t be easy for you, but you’re doing okay.”

  He raked a hand through his hair. “You’re wrong there. I know I’m doing a lousy job. I never expected to have the children living with me.”

  “What exactly did the bishop say?”

  Willis shot a sour glance her way. “He suggested I find a wife.”

  “Oh. I’m well aware of your aversion to matrimony.”

  “My what?”

  She waved one hand. “Aversion. It means you can’t stand the idea.”

  “Why didn’t you just say that? Why do you have to use big words?”

  She folded her arms across her middle. “Because I like the sound of them. Words are the decorations of life. Good words are like frosting on a cake. Exemplify. Emancipate. Enlighten. They sound magnificent because they are magnificent.”

  “Do you even know what they mean?”

  “Of course I do, but I digress, which means I got off the subject.”

  “I’m not completely ignorant.”

  She took a step closer and gazed intently into his eyes. “I never thought that for a minute. This will blow over when school starts and the children are occupied all day. The good ladies of the church will find a new mission.”

  “Maybe they are right. Maybe the kids would be better off with someone else.”

  “You can’t mean that.”

  “Maybe I do.” He turned and walked away. Eva longed to call him back, but she knew he had to decide what was best for his family by himself.

  She went back into the kitchen and saw Harley had joined the younger children there. He was writing on a piece of paper while the other two looked on. “Is this all?” he asked them.

  Maddie and Otto nodded. Harley handed them the paper. “I think it’s a dumb idea but here it is.”

  Maddie grinned as Eva walked in. “Teacher, we have a list for you.”

  Eva put aside her concern for Willis. “A list for what?”

  “To help you matchmake a nice wife for Willis.”

  Eva narrowed her eyes and hooked her thumb toward the door. “Did you hear us talking outside?”

  They all shook their heads. Eva took a seat at the table. “What’s on the list?”

  “She has to be pretty,” Harley said. “That’s my only suggestion.”

  “And not old,” Otto added.

  Eva tipped her head to the side. “What do you consider old?”

  The kids exchanged looks. “A hundred,” Maddie offered.

  “That’s really old,” Harley said. “Maybe fifty. Like you.”

  Eva bit down
on her upper lip. “Under fifty. What else, Harley?”

  “That was my only suggestion. Ask them.”

  “Well?” She looked at Maddie and Otto.

  Maddie held the list out like she was reading it. “She has to be a good cook. She has to smell nice. She has to have a dog. What else did we say, Harley?”

  “She needs to sew and not make us take too many baths,” Otto finished.

  Eva took the list from Maddie. “This is a tall order. It may take me a while to matchmake someone with all these qualifications. What happens if Willis doesn’t like the woman I find?”

  Maddie scrunched her face in deep thought. She brightened suddenly. “We could get our own dog.”

  Eva folded the list and put it in her apron pocket. “Let’s not tell Willis about this. He has a lot on his mind today.” Someday she would share the note with him and they would both laugh about it. Now wasn’t that time.

  * * *

  Harley came into the barn as Willis was finishing feeding and grooming the horses that evening. He let himself out of Dodger’s stall. “Where have you been?”

  “The Arnett place.”

  Willis hung up his brush and currycomb. “What are you doing over there every day?”

  “Chores mostly. Lilly always has a list of things for me to do.”

  “You’ve been gone so much I was beginning to think you had a girlfriend.”

  Harley blushed bright red. “I don’t and I don’t want one.”

  Willis snatched off his brother’s hat and ruffled his hair. “Goot. You’re growing up too fast as it is.”

  “I didn’t get much choice in the matter.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Willis slipped his arm around his brother’s shoulders. Otto and Maddie came out of the house. Willis gestured for them to come over. They gathered in front of him. Maybe the children would be better off with someone else. He had to at least consider the possibility.

  He could give them the choice. “The bishop came to see me today.”

  “What did he want?” Otto asked.

  “He’s concerned that I’m not raising the three of you properly. What do you think?”