by Sarah Price
“Oh, Daed,” Ella cried. “Why did you get called to heaven so soon?”
She knew crying about her father wasn’t a strong testament to her faith. With each tear that fell, she felt shame. But try as she might, she simply could not stop sobbing. She missed him more than she let on, and she thought about him every day. It was hard not to. After all, her life had been one continuous descent into a dark abyss ever since he died.
Gone were kind smiles and kind words. They were replaced with harsh glares and even harsher criticism. Never mind the fact that her days were basically spent serving Linda and her two ungrateful daughters. Yes, she missed her father every single day. Today, however, she felt his absence especially sharply.
Out of the corner of her eye, Ella saw something move. She lifted her head and was surprised to see two little mice darting along the barn wall. As if they knew that they were being watched, they paused and turned in her direction. One of the mice, a silvery gray field mouse, twitched its nose and sat on its haunches, its little paws curled underneath its chest. The other mouse, a darker-colored one, took a step toward her, paused, and then licked a paw before swiping it over its ear.
Ella couldn’t help but smile.
“You’re so adorable,” she whispered and, on a whim, stretched out a hand in their direction, her fingers grazing the dirt floor.
To her surprise, the darker mouse slowly moved toward her hand. It sniffed at her fingertips, its whiskers brushing against her skin and causing her to giggle.
The mouse stopped and sat up once again. It looked toward the other mouse, and that was when Ella noticed the little white spot behind its left ear.
“Simply adorable,” she repeated, wishing that she could actually hold it.
But that was not meant to be.
Immediately, the mouse bounded away, the other one on its heels.
“Wait!” Ella cried out. “I won’t hurt you.”
The mice were gone.
Still, the amount of trust the mouse had shown in approaching her warmed her heart. If a tiny creature with so many predators seeking to destroy it could trust her, then shouldn’t she trust more in God? Everything happened for a reason. Wasn’t that what she had learned from her father? And who was she to question God’s plan? Perhaps she was in the middle of the story, and the ending would be far better than she could ever dream possible.
But in the meantime, she knew she must do more than just trust; she must also obey.
Chapter Fourteen
By midmorning on Friday, Ella had to stop hoeing the weeds in the garden for the fourth time in order to wipe the sweat from her forehead. Despite the fact that it was not even ten o’clock in the morning and it was well into August, it was already overwhelmingly hot and humid. Indian summer was upon Echo Creek, that was for sure and certain. She wasn’t certain how much longer she could stay out there working in this heat.
“Hello there, Ella!”
She froze at the sound of her name being called. Despite having her back turned toward the street, Ella didn’t have to look to know who it was: Hannes.
With her hair covered only by a handkerchief and the old work dress that she was wearing already covered in dirt, Ella was horrified at the thought of Hannes seeing her in such a shabby condition. But her manners outweighed her vanity, and she turned to greet him.
“Gut morgan, Hannes.”
He leaned against the white picket fence and glanced at the garden. “Hard at work, ja? Again?”
She tried to smile. “Idle hands are an open invitation for sin . . .” It was a saying that her mother and father had often used. Only now that Ella said it, she wondered if Hannes would agree. Perhaps he would remember that Linda had chastised her for being lazy when he had been at the store.
If she was worried about that, she soon learned otherwise.
“Well, I’m not surprised,” Hannes said slowly. “You always seem to be hard at work.”
The way he said it, enunciating the word “always,” made Ella wonder if he meant it as a compliment or, perhaps, as a complaint.
Hannes glanced at the garden and then up at the sky. “It’s a hot day for gardening, don’t you think? May-haps you might take a break and sit in the shade for a spell. I don’t think God would mind a few minutes of idleness to cool off.”
The idea of doing just that both excited and terrified her. While she wanted to spend time with Hannes, she also knew that if her stepmother discovered that she had put aside her chores to visit with someone, especially Hannes, Ella would surely never hear the end of it.
“Oh, I . . . I don’t know.” Embarrassed, Ella tried to avoid making eye contact with him. “God might not mind, but my stepmother certainly would.”
At the mention of Linda, Hannes frowned.
Ella felt as if she owed him an explanation for her comment. “She left me a long list of chores to do, and . . .” Ella bit her lower lip. “Well, you know how people talk. Surely someone would notice if I stopped working to sit with you. And that Amish grapevine would surely make its way to my stepmother’s ears . . .”
“I see.”
She wondered if he did, and if so, what exactly he saw. Did he think that she was putting him off, or did he see that she lived in fear of her stepmother’s retribution? Not wanting him to think the former, and uncertain whether he would realize the latter, she quickly added in a soft voice, “I reckon she couldn’t complain if you kept me company . . .”
He seemed to like her suggestion and, without being asked, jumped the fence and sat down on the grass near where she was working in the garden. He folded his knees and wrapped his arms around them, watching her as she continued plucking weeds.
“You continue to impress me, Ella, with what a right gut hard worker you are.”
Relieved to hear that he felt that way, and had not put any stock in Linda’s harsh words from the other day, she gave a slight laugh. “No more so than other Amish women, I reckon.”
“Well, you seem to work harder than most people.” He glanced toward her house. Reaching down, he plucked at a piece of grass and wrapped it around a finger. “Idle hands may invite sin, but everyone needs to take a break from time to time.”
Ella wanted to quip that someone needed to share that expression with her stepmother. But she knew that saying such a thing would be disrespectful and show a lack of filial duty toward Linda. So even if she thought it, she remained silent instead.
“One of the things I’ve learned in my short life is that things aren’t always what they seem, Ella.”
She tugged at a weed and tossed it into the nearby bucket. “That’s true, for sure and certain.”
“I mean it, Ella.” The serious undercurrent of his tone caused Ella to stop working and look at him. Only then did he continue speaking. “I’ve learned that sometimes it’s best to keep a cool head until I can figure out exactly what is what.”
Ella pursed her lips, wondering what Hannes was getting at. Surely she couldn’t agree more with his words. “That’s right gut advice, Hannes. I sure wish more people followed it. The world would be a more peaceful place, don’t you think?”
Despite his somber expression, he gave a little chuckle, his eyes still studying her every movement. “Indeed I do, Ella. Just remember that, though, Ella. Sometimes things might be going one way, and then, when you least expect it, they turn around in your favor.”
She leaned against the end of the hoe, considering the serious nature of his words. Hannes barely blinked as he stared at her, his gaze steady and intent as if trying to tell her something without actually saying it. It was the Amish way, to speak cryptically when avoiding unpleasant topics. However, she couldn’t help but wonder what the hidden message of his words might be.
“I’ll . . . remember that,” she said at last.
“Gut!” Satisfied, he tossed aside the piece of grass and wiped his hand on his pants. “I stopped by to let you know that I’m leaving Echo Creek.”
Now it was Ella’s
turn to become solemn. “Ja, so I heard.” What she didn’t tell him was that she had barely slept at all since hearing the news about his abrupt departure. While she hadn’t thought he’d stop by to bid her farewell, she was glad that he had, even if she was dirty and wearing an old, ragged dress. At least she could tell him goodbye in person—for she was certain she’d never see him again. What reason would he possibly have for returning to Echo Creek now?
“I’m not surprised you heard.” He glanced up at the sky, squinting his eyes at the sun. “My meeting with Linda yesterday did not go as planned.” With a sigh, he added, “It doesn’t appear that we’ll be partnering with your stepmother after all.”
Nervously, she swallowed. “I heard that, too.”
Hannes cleared his throat. “She’s an interesting woman, that stepmother of yours,” he said in a strained voice.
“Interesting” wasn’t the exact word Ella would have chosen, but she respected Hannes’s civility toward Linda.
“It’s a shame, Ella, because I can see that there’s a lot of potential at that store. It could certainly be run in a more efficient manner, which you already know.” He exhaled, and Ella sensed that he felt frustrated. “When I first came here, my daed had asked me to look at the store for business opportunities, such as working with vendors to create distribution channels like those wedding clocks. Then he thought that, perhaps, we should outright partner with the owner. We had heard that she was in some financial trouble, with the unpaid taxes and all.”
Ella’s cheeks heated at the realization that Hannes and his father knew about Linda’s financial situation. To think that others had learned the truth and the story had spread to other towns was humiliating enough. However, she was even more embarrassed at the graceless way Linda had treated him. Here she was, a woman in trouble, acting as if she was doing Hannes a favor and not the other way around.
If Hannes noticed her shame, he was kind enough to pretend otherwise. “The truth, Ella, is that I don’t think partnering with your stepmother is in my daed’s best interest.”
“But I thought she turned you away.”
Hannes gave a soft, short laugh. “Ja, I can see where she might say that.”
Clearly Linda’s version of the previous day’s meeting differed from Hannes’s, and that meant that Linda had, once again, lied. Now Hannes knew it, too. She could read between the lines of his carefully chosen words, and she knew exactly what he was hinting at. Despite her mortification, Ella appreciated the gracious way Hannes spoke.
To her surprise, Hannes continued sharing his thoughts with her. “In fact, I don’t think partnering with anyone is in his best interest.” He glanced at her. “Nor mine.”
“Oh?”
He gave a simple nod of his head. “You see, my daed wanted to set me up in business, Ella. My older bruder’s already helping to run Daed’s store.”
She remembered him having mentioned something about that when they were skipping stones at the pond that Sunday evening.
“There’s not much there for me—not long-term and if I want my own family, anyway,” he added.
Ella held her breath, stunned that he would confide something so personal.
Hannes appeared unaware of her shock. “At first, Daed had arranged for me to distribute products, like working with that vendor who makes the clocks. That’s all well and good, but what I really want to do is run my own store.” He tossed a small stick into her bucket of weeds. “I enjoy interacting with people, helping to solve problems, finding ways to make others’ lives more enjoyable and satisfying while saving them money. Dealing with someone else who has their own business goals, or even their own operational ideas that counter mine, well . . .” He scratched the back of his neck. “It seems a bit like a futile collaboration, don’t you think?”
Now Ella understood his frustration. She also understood why his father had sent Hannes and not accompanied him. This was Hannes’s opportunity to decide if he wanted to partner with Linda to run the store. And clearly he had realized that was not a sound business decision.
As if he read her mind, Hannes continued. “Partnering with someone is just like buying a cheap horse at an auction. What you see isn’t always the truth. The horse might prance about well enough during the bidding, but once you bring it home, you realize that you’ve inherited a lot of existing problems, ja? Otherwise, why would the owner have gotten rid of the horse in the first place? Chances are, without a lot of hard work and aggravation, you aren’t going to be able to fix what’s broken.”
Ella couldn’t agree more.
“Whether it’s your stepmother or someone else, I just don’t want to partner with anyone.”
“Mayhaps you could start your own store?” she offered.
For a moment, he stared into the distance as if contemplating her solution. “I reckon that might be something to consider.” He turned to look at her. “But where?”
She wanted to suggest Echo Creek, but knew that doing so would be disloyal to not just Linda but her father’s memory. He had worked so hard to start that store for the residents of Echo Creek. And everyone had appreciated his dedication to providing good products at fair prices.
If only Linda would realize all of her mistakes!
But that was an unlikely scenario.
Ella wondered if Hannes might come to recognize that there was enormous potential in opening his own store in Echo Creek. She knew that if it wasn’t Hannes who recognized the prospective opportunities, it would certainly be someone else.
Still, Ella held her tongue, knowing that once spoken, she could never retrieve those words. Offering her thoughts about his opening a competitive store in Echo Creek would serve one, and only one, purpose: her interest in Hannes. And even if Hannes considered opening his own store in Echo Creek, there was no indication that his attention to her would continue. For all she knew, there might be a girl in Blue Springs who held his affections.
“Anyway,” Hannes said as he stood up, “I wanted to say goodbye to you.” Standing before her, he met her gaze. “For now, anyway.”
Just those three words gave her a glimmer of hope. “For now? You’ll be back, then?”
“Of course.” He gave her a curious look while suppressing the hint of a smile. “Echo Creek is, after all, a rather interesting town, Ella.”
“Interesting for business reasons or interesting for other reasons?”
He laughed and winked at her. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.” And with that, he tipped his hat and left.
Ella stood on the edge of the garden, gazing after him as he walked down the street. She noticed that he crossed the road and turned up a side street. A few moments later, she saw a horse and open-top buggy appear and, upon recognizing the breed of the horse as a Dutch Harness, she knew that it was Hannes, leaving Echo Creek.
Despite his claim that he’d return, Ella felt distressed. She had enjoyed spending what little time she could with Hannes Clemens. Whatever hope she may have secretly harbored that they could develop a special friendship, one that might bloom into something more, she realized that it was as fleeting as the flowers on the morning glory vines: they opened one day and gave the world a glimpse of their beauty, only to close, wither, and drop to the ground by nightfall.
Disheartened, Ella turned away from the road and headed back into the house. She didn’t want any more reminders of what her stepmother had done, not just to the family and the store, but to Ella’s dream that her relationship with Hannes could be more than just a fleeting break from what was, otherwise, her unhappy life.
Chapter Fifteen
On Tuesday, with the day of the charity event looming ever near, Ella was in a frenzy to finish all of her weekly housework in order to prepare the cakes and pie. She knew that she’d have to bake them on Saturday morning so that they’d be fresh for the evening’s event. But Linda seemed determined to keep her busy, both at home and at the store.
One of her stepmother’s new ideas was t
o reorganize the shelves—and not in the way that Hannes had recommended. Ella didn’t agree with that decision. How on earth would people find things if Linda continually changed their locations? Linda, however, would not listen to reason.
Last night, after supper, Linda had sent Ella to the store to clean the shelving units. Again. By the time Ella returned home, she was exhausted and practically collapsed into her bed. Despite all of her hard work the previous night, Ella rose before the others to bake the bread and prepare the morning meal.
It didn’t seem fair that Drusilla and Anna never chipped in to help. Not only that, but once again, Drusilla asked for the afternoon off, saying she wanted to console the despondent Rachel Whitaker. And Anna claimed she felt poorly, another headache plaguing her from the intense late August heat.
Linda had easily given in to their requests and instructed Ella to pick up their shifts at the store.
Unfortunately, it hadn’t been busy.
Until now.
“Good day, Ella.”
Ella looked up from where she sat on the floor of the store, reorganizing the items on the bottom shelf according to the list Linda had given her. What had once been an aisle full of fishing tackle was now lined with canned goods. Ella could only imagine the look on the men’s faces when they went looking for hooks and bobbers only to find jellies and jams and pickled beets!
“Hello, Rachel.” Ella scurried to her feet as she greeted Rachel Whitaker. “I hope all is well?”
Rachel nodded her head slowly. She was an older woman, but still very pretty for her age. With dark hair and a pale complexion, it was more than apparent that she rarely worked outside. When Sadie’s father had first married her, the gossip in Echo Creek had been that he was besotted with her looks, not her personality or character. While Ella shied away from gossip, she couldn’t help but wonder if those particular rumors might hold a kernel of truth. From what little Ella knew about Rachel, her handsome face was about the only thing righteous about the woman.