An Amish Family Reunion Page 18

“What say you?” He wiggled his brows.

  She shrugged with great exaggeration and summoned her most ambivalent tone. “I suppose so, seeing that I’m not courting anybody else. That is, I’m happy with this arrangement until a worthier candidate presents himself.” She smiled as sweetly as a cat in the cream.

  “Bravo! I take my victories wherever I find them. Now, if we are as successful in our partnership and sell millions of books, how do you see us living our future life, assuming we do one day marry? Keep in mind your statements in no way obligate you to future commitments to me should your skin start to crawl any time between now and then.”

  “You talk as though words were on sale at the bargain outlet and you purchased every last one.”

  “I’ve heard that before, but please don’t avoid the question, Miss Miller.”

  “I wish to always remain Amish, that’s for sure. But if we were to make lots of money, I would fatten up every medical fund for each district in the county. And should we someday get hitched, I would hire another Amish woman to run my kitchen, maybe a widow with no family. I would still do the gardening because that has grown on me, but I would need time for my artwork.” She almost added the words “and kinner,” but stopped herself. The embarrassment of uttering something so personal would certainly derail her confidence. “How about you?”

  He slapped the reins against the horse’s rump to step up the pace. “I thought you would never ask. I would also hire someone, a farmer without his own spread, maybe two of them, to help my dad. And when my sisters marry, I’ll build each one a house on our farm so their husbands can join Riehl and Son Swine and Beef, the more the merrier. Then the closest I’ll come to a hog pen will be interviewing the sow for my stories…or when I sit down to ham and potato salad at Sunday dinner.” He swept off his hat to run a hand through his long hair.

  “You think she’ll want to be in your story?” she asked, facing him on the seat.

  “If it’ll delay or prevent ending up on someone’s table, then yes.” Eli turned the buggy into the library parking lot. “You go in and return your books, but try not to dawdle. I’ll wait for you here. I have something to do.”

  Phoebe gathered up her things and hopped down, throwing a quizzical expression over her shoulder.

  The librarian, as usual, beamed when she saw Phoebe. Mrs. Carter had collected several more writing books for her to read and demanded news of their progress. Phoebe couldn’t check out and leave until she had provided an update. Outside in the parking lot, the sun temporarily blinded her as she looked for Eli’s buggy.

  “Over here,” he called. He was waiting in the shade, hard at work at something in his lap. “Ready for your signature, Miss Miller.” He handed her a pen as she climbed up into the buggy.

  “What?” She paused on the metal step, waiting for him to pick up the packets and envelopes spread across the seat.

  “I’ve gone ahead and affixed the correct label to match the letter and signed my name in the correct spot. As soon as you add your John Hancock we can finish our submissions.”

  “Who was John Hancock?”

  “It’s not important right now. Start signing.” He cleared a spot for her to perch and presented the first batch.

  With trembling fingers she wrote “Phoebe Miller” twenty-two times above his name on the letters. Eli then inserted each finished letter into the appropriate envelope with the story and artwork and sealed it shut. After he’d tucked the final packet into the tote, he whistled through his teeth. “To the post office. We should just make it before they close.” He released the brake and shook the leather reins.

  The horse pulled onto the pavement before Phoebe had a chance to collect her thoughts. “Right now?” she squeaked. “Are we ready to send them off today?”

  He offered a sideways glance. “Time and tide wait for no man…or woman. The sooner they’re mailed, the sooner we’ll hear something.”

  She didn’t argue, but she couldn’t shake the sudden wave of anxiety that filled her belly. As much as she wanted this, she feared the unknown territory they were entering. This wasn’t like running a produce stand or breeding pups for sale. This was publishing, and they were two Amish kids. Her mamm was right about that. Shouldn’t they at least have consulted their bishop first or Uncle Simon?

  But within minutes the decision was taken from her. Eli marched into the post office with his wallet and grocery sack full of envelopes and sauntered out a little while later wearing a grin. “They’re on their way, all twenty-two sent first class. According to the clerk, every one of them should arrive within two days.” He climbed into the buggy and brushed her lips with the sweetest of kisses. “We’ve begun our journey, sweet peach, for better or for worse. Let’s head to the restaurant. I’m starving and this is supposed to be a date, not just another work session. For the rest of today, you will witness my attempt at courting.”

  Phoebe’s head still reeled from the second kiss and from the bold move they’d just taken. Eli didn’t seem affected by either, but she had to grip the bench just to stay in place. There was a distinct possibility of either fainting or floating off into the clouds.

  Winesburg—The Byler Dairy Farm

  Days didn’t get any hotter than the one Joanna Byler had chosen to return home from Wisconsin. Leah straightened her back in the vegetable garden and wiped her face with her apron. So far that morning she’d fixed breakfast, swept the floors and dusted, baked six cherry pies, and fixed sandwiches for lunch. Now, unless she picked the remaining green onions, radishes, and leaf lettuce, they would go to seed and become inedible. Jonah had instructed her to take it easy in her “delicate condition,” but then who would do the housework? At least his dairy employees had taken over Joanna’s responsibilities with artisan cheese production or Leah would have had to give up sleeping at night.

  She blinked several times as the hired van pulled slowly up their driveway. She blinked once more as Jonah’s mom stepped out of the van, looking annoyingly fresh and well rested.

  “Leah, dear child, you look ready to liquefy,” sang Joanna. “Come out of that hot sun and give me a hug.”

  Leah stepped over the low garden fence and approached her mother-in-law on shaky legs. The driver set suitcases and several plastic totes on the lawn before he accepted payment, tipped his hat, and left. She reached for one suitcase handle, but Joanna intervened. “Don’t you touch that, young lady. Jonah called me from his business phone line in the barn and gave me the blessed news. He couldn’t wait to tell me, and I must say I’m pleased as punch. A grossmammi—I can’t wait!” She threw her arms around Leah and hugged.

  Leah, damp from head to toe from hard work and the humidity, felt embarrassment over her disheveled state. “If I’d known you were arriving today, I would have freshened up.”

  “Nonsense, it’s healthy to sweat. Anyway, I wanted to surprise you. Who needs fancy preparations?” Joanna stood in her side yard, gazing around like a tourist. “Let’s leave the luggage for Jonah to carry in. We’ll just go inside and see what I brought back.” She lifted the plastic sacks and practically skipped up the path.

  Leah followed her into the house, feeling like a heifer pregnant with twins.

  “Oh, my, it smells wonderful in here. Is that cherry pie?” Joanna hurried to the window ledge where the pies were cooling. “Yummy. I hope one is for tonight and not all to sell.”

  “Of course we can cut one.” Leah slipped off her gardening gloves and washed her hands by the sink, longing to stick her head under the faucet.

  Joanna retrieved the pitcher of lemonade from the fridge and poured them each a glass. “Wait until you hear what I’ve learned. They’re doing plenty of new things up north with specialty cheeses. Everything is a spread these days, mainly soft cheeses combined with you name it: herbs, vegetables, spices, sour cream, horseradish, bacon, and even seafood. They make crab spread, lobster, and, of course, shrimp. They even combine smoked cheddar with red wine.”

  Leah wrinkled
her nose as she sipped her drink. “That sounds terrible.”

  “Oh, no. I tried some on a cracker and it was quite tasty. The Englischers want their cheeses spreadable to slather onto fancy crackers or scoop up with vegetables. It’s not like the old days, where you had a giant wheel of cheddar, one of Swiss, and maybe an aged blue cheese. Now everything is a concoction of some sort.” She grinned with delight as she dumped one bag onto the table. “I brought us plenty of samples to try.”

  “But you had already expanded into exotic varieties right here in Ohio,” said Leah, growing defensive.

  “Jah, true enough, but Wisconsin certainly is the cheese capital of the country with all that fresh water everywhere.”

  Leah struggled to her feet, finishing her drink with a noisy slurp.

  “Where are you going? I can’t wait to tell you about my trip to the Dells.”

  Leah gritted her teeth, feeling old and mulish. “I’m sorry, but I need to finish picking the garden. If your stories will keep until supper, Jonah can enjoy them as well.”

  “Right you are. I’ll drag in my suitcases, unpack, and start a load of laundry. I should change out of this dress too. Oh, Leah, I’m happy to see you and so glad about your blessed good news.” Joanna squeezed her again, leaving Leah feeling guilty about her uncharitable thoughts. But that guilt soon faded during the hours it took to pick the remaining produce in the merciless sun.

  And yet, when she trudged into the house at the end of the day, the kitchen floor gleamed, fresh coffee awaited, and a savory pot of stewed chicken simmered on the stove.

  “I was coming to drag you in by your kapp strings,” said Joanna. “Enough for one day.” She poured a cup of coffee and thrust it into Leah’s hands. “Take this with you while you soak in a nice cool tub. Dinner won’t be ready for an hour. I’m going to find my son. That man doesn’t even know I’m back yet.” Joanna stood with arms akimbo, looking far younger than her forty-four years.

  “Danki,” murmured Leah, accepting the mug gratefully. Once inside the deep claw-foot bathtub, she tried to dwell on the positive aspects of her mother-in-law’s return: help with the housework and laundry, a female perspective for advice or venting steam, assistance scheduling the constant deliveries and pickups from running three separate home-based businesses. She wouldn’t let her one small fear creep in to spoil the homecoming: What if Joanna, enthralled by her home state, sold the Winesburg farm and moved them north?

  But that one small fear loomed ever larger during supper. The only time Mom Byler wasn’t singing the praises of Wisconsin was when her mouth was full of dumplings. “Wait till you hear about Devil’s Lake, a state park in the Dells. They have the most incredible rock formations, cut by glaciers originally, and then by the wind and rain ever since.”

  “Why would they name a pretty place after the evil one?” asked Leah, picking at her creamed spinach.

  “I have no idea, but they have miles of nature trails with one stunning vista after another. We saw bald eagles and listened to loons each evening while falling asleep.”

  “I thought a ‘loon’ was English slang for an insane person.” Leah’s petulance was beginning to show more than her pregnancy.

  “Oh, no. They’re sort of a black spotted duck with the most sorrowful cry.”

  “At least our mallards on the pond seem happy, and I hear there’s a nesting pair of bald eagles over in Shreve.” Leah met Jonah’s gaze but glanced away quickly.

  “The lakes there are so clear and deep, they are perfect mirrors of the surrounding forest and overhead sky.” Joanna set down her fork to gesture with her hands.

  “Deep lakes mean only one thing—cold water.” Leah shivered, even though the kitchen had to be eighty degrees.

  Joanna stared at her curiously. “There were lots of folks at the swimming beach who didn’t seem to be suffering terribly.”

  Jonah patted his wife’s hand. “You’ll have to excuse Leah, mamm. I believe the Ohio Department of Tourism has hired her as their spokeswoman.” Two of the Bylers enjoyed a hearty chuckle, while the newest Byler concentrated on her chicken leg.

  “So tell me, what did my cousins do during your vacation?” asked Jonah.

  “They hiked and climbed and fished every day. One day they rented kayaks for a trip down the river. That evening, my sister and I rented a rowboat and paddled out to the middle of the lake. It was so peaceful and quiet, we didn’t want to row back.” She released a nostalgic sigh.

  “What did the boys do while their mamm was off boating?”

  If Joanna took exception to Leah’s rather accusatory tone, she didn’t let on. “They fished from the shore and caught rainbow trout, both small and largemouth bass, walleye, and a fish called a Johnny Darter. We cleaned and fried up everything the next day for dinner.” Triumph crossed her features for the briefest moment.

  Leah couldn’t stomach any more Wisconsin conversation. She rose to her feet. “I believe I’ll start the dishes, if you two don’t mind. I’m rather tired and cranky tonight, so I’d like to get them over with. Then I’ll probably read for a while and go to bed early.”

  “Nothing doing.” Joanna sprang up. “I’m yammering on as though I must tell you everything in one night. You and Jonah run along—maybe take a stroll or sit in the porch swing. These dishes are mine to do, especially since my sister spoiled me while I was visiting. The closest I came to cooking a meal was peeling potatoes. High time I came back to reality.”

  Leah bobbed her head in Joanna’s direction as a wave of emotion robbed her ability to speak. What is happening to me? One minute I’m mad as a hornet, and then I’m weeping over nothing. What’s next—breaking into uncontrollable fits of hysterics until the EMTs arrive with a straitjacket?

  “I should finish some paperwork in the office, but how about meeting me on the porch in an hour?” Jonah flashed his silver-blue eyes at his wife.

  “Okay,” she answered weakly. “I think I’ll walk in the apple orchard until then. There’s usually a breeze through the trees at night.” Leah fled the house before anyone could try to stop her or offer to tag along. She needed time alone to think and pray. She needed to rid herself of this unchristian anger and resentment and prepare for the day when Joanna announced, “I’m selling the farm. Wisconsin, here come the Bylers!”

  NINETEEN

  Winesburg—End of July

  For the first time in years, Julia Miller wasn’t remotely aware of her rheumatoid arthritis. She had been too busy for days to even think about pain or stiffness. She cleaned her house from top to bottom and enlisted Henry to make sure the yard and garden were mowed and weeded. Simon moved the living room furniture several times, often replacing it exactly where it had been before. Hannah washed the windows and bedding in all rooms and had been helping her cook and bake for a week. And Julia had finally made up her mind as to where everyone would sleep during her third cup of coffee. Now, as she watched her son and husband head toward the house for lunch, she exhaled a deeply satisfied sigh.

  “What’s to eat, fraa?” asked Simon as he entered and hung his hat on a peg by the door.

  “Roast partridge with pickled snails,” she said cheerfully as she carried a pot of soup to the table. She returned to the counter for a loaf of fresh-baked bread.

  “Again?” teased Henry, already washing at the sink. “Didn’t we just have that? I was hoping for leftover soup from last night’s supper.”

  “In that case, I’ll change the menu.” Julia patted his cowlick as he sat down and bowed his head.

  After a silent prayer, Simon held up his bowl for her to fill. “What was your final decision regarding where to put folks? Should Henry and I cover some hay bales in the loft with old quilts for our new sleeping accommodations?”

  Julia winked at him. “You get to remain with me in our room, ehemann. But, Henry, I’d like you to move to the back porch while your brother and his family visit from New York. I pushed together the two twin beds for Matthew and Martha. Noah can sleep
in between them, and if you two can bring down the crib from the attic and set it up, it will do for little Mary.”

  Henry held up his bowl. “I don’t mind at all. I’ll bring in the old glider. It’ll be far cooler on the porch than upstairs in my room. Besides, I love listening to all those crickets and tree frogs while falling asleep.”

  Simon snorted. “Sometimes their racket keeps me awake. What about Emma and her boys?” He dunked his bread into the soup.

  “She’ll be in her old room. The second bed will be for James on the nights he can stay over. She wrote to say her sons have sleeping bags, thanks to their English grandmother, so they can sleep on the floor. I’m putting Leah in the guest room so there will be space for Jonah whenever he can leave his chores at the Byler farm.”

  “His mamm is back from Wisconsin, ain’t it so?” Simon peered over his glasses.

  “Jah, she’s back, but she’s busy with new cheese concoctions, according to Leah’s letter, in addition to her standard orders. Her cheese business keeps growing and growing, and Leah can only help out so much because of her pie making.”

  Simon harrumphed, a skill he’d perfected. “Then Leah should stop selling pies for profit and bake only for her family…and her dear old daed, of course.” His eyes twinkled with amusement. “I’m sure Jonah earns enough money selling milk and beef to pay their taxes and whatnot. Building great stores of wealth only leads to man’s downfall.”

  “In that case, my place in heaven is fairly assured, based on the balance of my bank account.” Henry tipped his bowl to scoop the last drops before pushing it across the table for a refill.

  Simon scowled at his youngest offspring. “No one’s place is assured, son, especially not a person who would boast so recklessly.”

  “Mir leid,” he said, apologizing. Henry’s cheeks flushed to match the bowl of fresh-picked strawberries in the center of the table.

  Simon glared another moment to hone his point and then turned back to Julia. “So I can remain with my bride? Your sister isn’t moving in for the month?”