by Sarah Price
Oblivious to Ella’s thought, Rachel forced a dramatic sigh. “As right as it can be, I reckon. Given the situation, anyway.”
Ella wanted to inquire about Sadie, but she wasn’t certain if she wanted to make that inquiry of Rachel. After all, Ella knew that Rachel had been about as kind to Sadie as Linda was to her. Ella wasn’t surprised to see that the woman didn’t look despondent or poorly at all. So instead of asking about Sadie, Ella settled on saying, “I keep your family in my prayers.”
“Danke, Ella.” Rachel’s gray eyes scanned the aisle and frowned at the mess on the floor. “Moving things again, I see?”
Ella merely shrugged as she nodded her head.
“I understand that Linda’s been talking about partnering with someone. Is that true?” There was something hopeful in the way Rachel asked the question.
Ah, Ella thought. Now the truth comes out. While Ella would have preferred to shoot down the gossip, to tell Rachel that no, Linda had chased away Hannes Clemens from wanting to partner with her, she knew it was not her story to tell. Besides, Ella wasn’t one to attempt reading Linda’s mind. Who knew what her stepmother was thinking about today?
So instead, Ella simply replied, “Linda’s in the back if you’d like to ask her directly.”
When Rachel wandered toward the back of the store, presumably to inquire of Linda about the rumors, the bell over the door jingled again. This time, Ella was already standing, so she greeted Miriam King with a broad smile.
“Well, hello, Miriam!”
“Oh, Ella! It’s right gut to see you out of the haus!” Miriam shifted the basket on her arm and gave her a quick embrace, something that most Amish women did not do. The gesture surprised Ella, but she welcomed it nonetheless. It wasn’t often that she received affection from anyone. “You spend far too much time alone. It’s about time you start stepping out some more, ja?”
While the idea was appealing, it would have appealed to Ella even more if Hannes were still in Echo Creek.
“Now, I’m sure I needn’t ask whether you’ll be at the event on Saturday?” Miriam gave her a mischievous smile, her eyes turning into small half moons.
Before Ella could answer, Linda appeared and interrupted them. She must have heard Miriam’s voice and deserted Rachel near the back counter. Clearly the wife of the deacon trumped the stepmother of a missing girl.
“Miriam! So glad you’re here. What can we help you with? I’ve a mind to personally assist you, because as you can see”—she gestured toward the large boxes of goods still spread out upon the floor where Ella had just been seated—“we’re rearranging the store to help serve you better.”
“Is that so?” Miriam raised her eyebrows. “To help serve the town better?”
Rachel walked up behind them, a scowl on her face at the affront Linda had given to her by racing over to Miriam. “Mayhaps you could serve us better by lowering the prices, then.”
Ella held her breath. She knew that Linda would not take kindly to Rachel’s contemptuous comment. However, with Miriam standing there, Linda would be forced to calm her tongue.
So instead of retorting as she most likely wanted to, Linda merely shot Rachel a fierce look. “I can assure you,” she replied pointedly to Rachel, “that the prices in my store are as low as I can possibly put them without losing the roof over my own head.”
Rachel clicked her tongue. “I find that rather hard to believe.” And then she smirked. “On second thought, perhaps I don’t, considering the word that’s spreading around town.”
“Now, now, Rachel,” Miriam coaxed gently. “Just remember that ‘bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.’”
Ella pressed her lips together, stifling a small giggle. She was uncertain to which woman Miriam was addressing that particular Scripture. Perhaps both of them. Regardless, Ella found Miriam’s choice of Bible verse amusingly appropriate.
Neither Rachel nor Linda appeared fazed by it, however.
With great impudence, Rachel sniffed at Linda and stormed out of the store, her arms empty. Ella suspected that the only thing she had come shopping for was information.
“I daresay something must be troubling her,” Miriam said, more to herself than to Ella or Linda.
Linda, however, responded, “She heard that I was in discussion with someone about the store.”
Miriam raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that so?”
Her response did not indicate whether she was asking about the discussions or merely Rachel having heard about them.
Linda, however, heard it as an invitation to lament her woes. “Ja, a father and son from Blue Springs. But the young man was a bit too presumptuous for my taste,” Linda boasted.
“In what way, if I might ask?”
Ella was just as curious as Miriam to hear Linda’s response.
“Well, honestly, a man of just twenty-something years should defer to those who are more experienced, don’t you think? Instead, he just marched in here, barking demands to rearrange shelves . . .”
Miriam cast a questioning glance at the box of goods on the floor near Ella’s feet.
“. . . and wanting to lower prices.”
“Oh, my.” That was all Miriam said. Once again, Ella was uncertain exactly how the deacon’s wife meant that, for her tone expressed nothing that indicated whether she was shocked at Linda’s dismay over a perfectly legitimate suggestion or shocked that Hannes had proposed it at all.
“My thoughts exactly!” Linda, however, clearly presumed Miriam was supporting her. “Such arrogance and overconfidence from someone who obviously has little to no experience running a business! Who could work with such a person?”
Miriam shook her head. “I agree, Linda. No one should consider conducting any business with someone like you’ve described, that’s for sure and certain.” Miriam shifted her basket on her arm.
Ella returned to her work, biting back the terse remark that lingered on her tongue. While she couldn’t agree with Miriam more, the problem was that Linda had actually described herself, not Hannes! Hannes was anything but arrogant or overconfident. And it was clear that Linda had no idea about his background, or his father’s, for that matter. Without doubt, they both knew more about running a store than Linda did. Besides, Linda had only been running Troyers’ General Store for a short while, and look at the poor financial state it was in under her management!
It irritated Ella that Linda could speak so poorly of someone she barely knew at all. And to Miriam King, of all people! Why, Hannes Clemens had worshipped in Miriam’s house just that past weekend. Certainly Miriam had met him. And her husband, too. What on earth must Miriam think of Hannes now?
“Anyway,” Ella overheard Miriam say to Linda, “I’ve come on business today. John asked me to find out what baked goods your dochders will be donating for the auction.”
Ella paused in her work, wondering what Linda would say. She had a small sense of satisfaction that she knew Linda had no idea, because Ella hadn’t told Drusilla or Anna about the cakes she’d promised to make for them.
“Oh . . . I . . .” Linda stumbled over her words. “I’m not rightly sure.” She peered around Miriam at Ella. “Do you know?”
Sitting on her heels, Ella gave an innocent look. “Me? Oh, I’ve not heard what they’re baking.”
Because Miriam stood before her, Linda couldn’t rebuke her, or even demand more information from her, without giving away that it would be Ella, not Drusilla or Anna, baking those cakes. Linda’s expression remained fixed, but there was something dark and threatening in her stepmother’s eyes.
And then, just as quickly, Linda returned her attention to the deacon’s wife. “Whatever they are baking, I’m sure it will be wunderbarr gut. You know that my dochders are the best bakers in this town!”
“Really?” Miriam widened her eyes and looked directly at Linda. She seemed genuinely surprised. “I hadn’t heard that about Drusilla and Anna. Such a secret that yo
u’ve kept from all of us! You must be rather proud.”
Linda gloated at the compliment, although Ella wondered why. Pride was not something most Amish people would admit to having. After all, pride and worldliness went against the Ordnung, the unwritten rules of the Amish church. In every Amish church, regardless of the leadership, pride was viewed as being one of the most terrible of sins. Therefore, Ella was more than surprised when Linda didn’t brush aside the flattery bestowed upon her by the deacon’s wife.
Miriam, oblivious to what had just happened, continued prattling on about Linda’s daughters. “Now I’ll sure be looking forward to see what, exactly, they bake for the auction.” She started to step away from Linda, but paused. “Speaking of baking, I sure would love some of that baked bread you always have. I’ve had company at the haus and haven’t had time to bake any myself. I could use two loaves, I think.”
Linda snapped her fingers at Ella. “Go fetch two of your loaves for Miriam, Ella.”
“Oh? Is it Ella who bakes that bread? Why, I’m surprised your dochders don’t make it,” Miriam said before casually adding, “seeing that they’re such wunderbarr gut bakers!”
“Oh, no. They’re far too busy working to bake bread.”
“Truly?” With a curious expression on her face, Miriam looked around the store. “And where are they today? I haven’t seen them since the last worship service.”
“Well, Anna’s home sick, the poor dear. And Drusilla went visiting Rachel Whitaker today, because she’s been feeling poorly,” Linda said, her voice giving away her pride in her daughter for being so concerned about others. “Such a good girl, my Drusilla.”
Miriam frowned and looked over her shoulder at the door. “The same Rachel Whitaker who was here . . . just a few minutes ago?”
Once again, Ella suppressed a giggle as she stood up and hurried to the back room to fetch the bread for the deacon’s wife, but not before hearing Miriam add, “I’m sure she looked more than fine. Still, I’ll have to send John to check on her.”
No response came from Linda as she evidently realized the error of her statement and the deceit in her daughter’s declaration that she was going to visit Rachel.
Hurrying back, Ella handed the two loaves to Miriam, who promptly put them in her basket. She opened her purse and began riffling through her money. “Now that I know you are the baker behind this right gut bread, I’ll be sure to buy more of it each week.” She handed Ella a five-dollar bill and gave her a pleasant smile.
As soon as Miriam left the store, Linda pivoted and gave Ella a harsh glare. While she was clearly angry, she had no one to blame but herself. Still, she didn’t waste any time in retaliating against Ella.
“What are you standing there for? You have more shelves to rearrange!” Then, an angry, twisted look on her face, Linda wheeled around and stormed to the back of the store, where she promptly disappeared into her office and slammed the door shut.
Oh, it didn’t happen very often, but Ella felt a sense of satisfaction that both Drusilla and Linda had been caught telling falsehoods. There was nothing Linda could say to blame her for this one. And without Linda hanging around, barking orders at her, Ella found a small slice of contentment. Finally.
Chapter Sixteen
On Thursday evening, Ella walked through town, enjoying the cool breeze on her face. It had rained earlier, and now there was a welcome respite from the hot, humid weather that sometimes fell over Echo Creek during the late days of August.
After stopping at the feed store to order hay and grain for their cows and horse, Ella wandered over to spend a few minutes visiting with Elizabeth Grimm, who was still at the schoolhouse. Even though the students had gone home hours earlier, Elizabeth was tidying the building for Saturday night’s charity event. Elizabeth had welcomed the visit, even though her cousin, Anna Rose, was already there.
“Might I help you, then?” Ella offered. “Mayhaps I could wash the windows and scrub the floor.” Cleaning was, after all, her specialty. Besides, working alongside friends always made work seem more like a social visit anyway.
“You sure could, ja,” Elizabeth said. “Wash the windows, anyway. Those young students sure do like to press their noses against the windowpanes when they look outside.”
While they worked, Ella inquired whether either of them had heard any news of Sadie.
“Not one word,” Elizabeth admitted. “Odd that no one seems more distressed about it.”
“It’s been what? Two weeks now?” Anna Rose asked.
“Sounds about right, ja.” Suddenly, Elizabeth stopped wiping down the baseboard and sat back on her heels. “Funny thing about that.”
“What, cousin?” Anna Rose asked.
“Have you seen our other cousins since then?”
Ella had almost forgotten about their older cousins, the seven Grimm brothers, not one of them married, who lived in the woods south of Echo Creek. They rarely came to town and never attended worship. Ella wasn’t even certain if they had ever been baptized into the church.
“I can’t say that I have. Oh, I sure hope nothing has happened to them!” Anna Rose speculated. “I’ll have to see if Daed might go visit to check on them. However, they sure do love my maem’s cooking. Why, I cannot recall a month that has gone by that those cousins haven’t been by for supper! But you know how old buwes can be . . . set in their ways and often unsociable. I’m not too worried.”
An hour later, as Ella made the short walk back to her house, she took a deep breath, feeling a bit more relaxed for once. Just spending a little bit of time with Elizabeth had improved her mood. Both Drusilla and Anna had been in terrible moods that morning, fussing about what they were going to wear to the charity event. And Linda had been bemoaning her financial woes for the past two days.
The sound of a buggy approaching from behind caused Ella to step aside. However, the buggy did not pass her. Instead it pulled up alongside her.
“Ella! Ella Troyer!”
She turned at the sound of her name. Sure enough, a beautiful Dutch Harness horse trotted up behind her, its black mane fluttering in the breeze while it practically pranced as it pulled the buggy.
“Hannes!” Ella could hardly contain both her surprise and her delight. “You’ve returned so soon, then?”
He stopped the buggy and stepped on the brake with his foot. “Ja, can’t seem to get enough of Echo Creek,” he said joyfully, leaning out the open door as he greeted her, his blue eyes sparkling as he held her gaze. “Even if it’s such a long drive.”
Ella stepped forward toward the horse. She reached out and brushed her hand across the horse’s neck. “Can’t be too far. Your horse is barely winded.”
“Oh, this gal could drive forever,” he said cheerfully. “If she’s not pulling a buggy, she’s not happy, I can tell you that for sure and certain.”
The horse nickered, as if knowing that Hannes was talking about her.
For a moment that felt like eternity, they stood there in silence. Ella wasn’t certain what to say to him. She hadn’t been expecting to see him again. At least not so soon. With her tongue tied and her heart happily racing, she could only stare at him, wondering why he didn’t seem in a hurry to start another conversation. He had, after all, called out to her, not the other way around.
A few more seconds passed and, despite her discomfort, Ella finally asked the question that was on her mind. “What brings you back to Echo Creek so soon? More business?”
“Oh, ja, business indeed.”
When he didn’t offer any more information, Ella realized that she felt disappointed in his response. She didn’t know why. Perhaps it was because he seemed to be keeping something secret from her. Or maybe it was knowing that his business was, most certainly, not with Linda.
Hannes must have sensed her feelings, for he leaned farther out the opened buggy door and, pretending to lower his voice as if confiding in her, he whispered, “Don’t fret, Ella. It’s nothing too secretive. You see, I heard ther
e’s a wunderbarr charity benefit on Saturday. Some of the finest cooks in town are going to be auctioning off baked goods, and I sure do love sweets.”
Immediately her disappointment vanished, replaced with amazement. “You returned for the charity auction?” She couldn’t help but smile, hardly believing that what he said was possible. Had he truly returned just for the auction?
He puffed up his chest in a teasingly prideful way. “That I did.”
“And two days beforehand?”
With a playful lifting of his shoulders, he said, “Like I said, can’t get enough of this pretty little town.”
This time, she laughed with him.
When their laughter quieted, she patted the side of the horse once again. “Now seriously, Hannes, did you truly drive such a long distance for a charity benefit?”
He raised an eyebrow at her question.
Ella felt the heat rise to her cheeks. She heard her words echo in her ears, and she wondered if he had misunderstood her. Quickly, she corrected herself. “I meant, surely you must have business here, ja? That’s an awful long way just to bid on baked goods.”
Hannes jumped down from the buggy, one hand still holding on to the reins. He stood next to Ella and smiled down upon her. She liked the way he looked at her, his eyes always full of life and enthusiasm. “Ja, besides wanting to buy a certain young woman’s pie, I do have business here.”
“And what might that be?” she inquired, genuinely curious. She knew that he had no plans to partner with Linda, so what business could he possibly have?
“Oh, you see, there’s this very stubborn store owner here in Echo Creek that my daed’s interested in doing business with, for some unknown reason.”
Just the way he said it made Ella laugh, although she was surprised that Hannes, and his father, for that matter, had had a change of heart, especially after Linda had treated him so poorly. “I knew it wasn’t just for the auction! But I am curious that you’ve reconsidered working with my stepmother so soon.”