A Marriage for Meghan (10 page)

“Goodness, come inside and get warmed up! I can’t believe that boy left you out there to freeze.”

When Catherine and Meghan entered a kitchen smelling of pork and sauerkraut, they spotted Joshua hiding behind his mother. “Would you like a cup of coffee or tea?” she asked. After they had both shaken their heads, his
mamm
took the lead. “My boy told me what’s been goin’ on and about the warning he got today. I guess he figured I should hear the story from him first. Now he’s got something to say to you.” She turned toward her pale son.

“I’m sorry, Meghan and Catherine, for not listening the first time, for staring out the window, and for not doing my schoolwork. Sorry I left you outside just now.” Joshua glanced up before refocusing on the floor.

“He won’t give you another moment of disrespect,” added his mother. “Or his
daed
will hear about this and take a switch to his backside.”

“No more trouble,” promised Joshua.

“Well then, our work here is finished,” said Meghan. “
Guder nachmittag
to you.” She brushed her palms together as if she’d just finished rolling out pie dough and walked out the door.

Catherine nodded at mother and son and then trailed her sister down the steps, thoroughly impressed.

“I don’t want to see him get the switch,” whispered Meghan, “but I don’t think we have to worry about that.”

“Two down, one to go,” said Catherine. However, their final stop before home didn’t go nearly so well. While they waited for someone to answer their knock at the Shockley home, they smelled a strong musty odor emanating from the canvas covering the woodpile. Catherine thought she would gag before Mrs. Shockley finally opened the door. The woman seemed reluctant to let them in. “We’re Owen’s new teachers and we’d like a word with you,” explained Catherine. After a moment’s hesitation, Mrs. Shockley stood aside so they could enter.

Inside the shabby but clean kitchen, Mr. Shockley sat at the table, clutching a mug. “What’s this about?” he asked. He did not ask them to sit down.

Catherine carefully enumerated Owen’s transgressions along with their attempts to rectify his behavior.

“He didn’t give Joanna much trouble,” said the father, looking from one sister to the other. “At least, she never came here complaining.”

“Perhaps he’s unhappy with the change,” said Catherine. “But we’re his teachers now, and we want no talking during reading and we want him to do all his work.” She sounded timid and scared.

“Plus he should listen when I yell at him on the playground,” added Meghan from behind Catherine’s shoulder.

Mr. Shockley turned toward the doorway to the front room. To their dismay, they saw Owen leaning on the doorjamb, his face blank and unreadable.

The father turned back to meet Catherine’s gaze. “You do realize Owen’s never been much of a student. And that he finishes up in the spring.”

“We are aware of that, Mr. Shockley, but that’s why he should make the most of his last year in school.”

The man issued a dismissive snort. “You can lead a horse to water and all that. But I won’t tolerate him sassing you. Even if he never gets a single star on his papers, I won’t have him disrespectin’ teachers.” He pivoted to face his son. “Are you hearing me, boy? You understand what I’m saying?”

Almost imperceptively, Owen nodded his head.

“All right then, it’s settled. Catherine, tell the bishop I said hello and we’ll see y’all on Sunday.” Mr. Shockley strode from the room, leaving his wife, who’d been silent in the corner, to see them out.

They didn’t have to be asked twice. Neither spoke for several minutes until they were back on the familiar road toward home. It was as though the presence of Mr. Shockley still lingered, intimidating them.

“Think it’ll do some good?” asked Meghan.

“It’ll do
some
good, but whether it’ll be enough remains to be seen,” said Catherine. They walked in silence for half a mile until a sight grabbed their attention, casting out any final thoughts about the Shockley visit.

“Oh, my goodness,” Catherine murmured.

Meghan stared at the farm fields on their right. Someone had broken through the fence and driven into the pastureland. Deep ruts, filled with melting snow, had been cut in crisscrossed and zigzagged patterns for as far as the eye could see. “Do you suppose some
Englischer
skidded off the pavement and crashed through the rails?” she asked.

“I don’t think so. They should have been able to get back on the road without doing
that
much damage.”

“Someone has made a mess of the Miller farm and broken down their fences too.” Catherine looked frightened, as though the perpetrators might still lurk close by. “Let’s hurry home. We must tell
daed
as soon as possible.”

Inside the safety of their kitchen, the sisters described exactly what they had seen at the farm on the next road. The other family members listened without interruption, wide-eyed. Then James turned to his father. “What are going to do,
daed
? The Millers are old folks who don’t need this kind of trouble.”

Gideon looked at his middle daughter. “You’re sure this couldn’t have been done by Amish youths?”

Catherine shook her head. “Absolutely not. Where the snow had melted, you could see huge tire treads from those big trucks they show at the county fair.”

Gideon turned to his wife. “There’s only one thing I can do. I’m calling the sheriff.”

M
eghan, hurry up! We don’t have time for long tub soaks. You should have taken a shower upstairs.” Catherine glanced at the kitchen wall clock for the fourth time but heard little movement inside the bathroom off the kitchen. If they didn’t leave right now, she’d never get the room ready before the students arrived. And after her unsatisfactory stop at the Shockley farm the night before, she wanted to make sure she was prepared for anything today.

Catherine packed their lunch cooler with sandwiches and apples, filled their thermos with hot coffee, and then marched back to the bathroom door. Just as she lifted her hand to knock, Meghan emerged, fully dressed but with a towel wrapped around her head.

“You
washed
your hair?” Her tone revealed sheer disbelief.

“
Jah
, that’s what one does when it gets dirty.” Meghan bent from the waist and ruffled the thick towel through her silky blond hair.

“Not when we’re late for work, and not in the dead of winter before you must go outdoors. You should have done that before bed so it could have fully dried. You will catch your death of a cold.”

Meghan straightened and then began braiding her long hair into a loose plait. “I would have last night if there hadn’t been so much commotion in the kitchen. First, the sheriff comes over, then he goes to the Millers, and then he comes back to talk to
daed
. I wasn’t taking my bath with the house in turmoil.”

Catherine filled a travel mug with oatmeal for Meghan to eat on the way, choosing to drop the subject of wet hair. It wouldn’t have occurred to her sister to take a quick shower and skip shampooing her hair until tonight. After all, they wore
kapps
all day long. But they had more important matters to discuss…such as how to handle Owen Shockley.

Meghan wound the braid into a bun and pinned it, slipped on her prayer
kapp
and outer bonnet, and stepped outdoors. “I asked John to hitch up the buggy so we wouldn’t have to walk.” She climbed in first and grabbed the reins, preferring to drive rather than sit planning the day’s lessons.

“Thank goodness,” said Catherine. “I’m anxious to put plenty of math problems on the board. We must keep the eighth graders as busy as possible. And separate Joshua and Robert from Owen. If we can get them away from his influence, we’ll have prevailed with two out of our three challenges.”

“Two molehills down, one mountain still to go.”

On the ride to the school, they drove by the damage done to the Miller fields. Elderly Silas Miller could be seen in the distance, trying to smooth out ruts with his boot heel. “Isn’t
daed
going to do something?” asked Meghan, her voice thick with anguish. “Mr. Miller is too old to undo the havoc himself.”

“Easy, child,” soothed Catherine. “James and John are gathering a group to head there after morning chores with several teams of draft horses. They’ll set things right. By spring you’ll hardly notice the difference once their pasture grass comes in.”

Meghan shook the reins to pick up the pace. “I wish you would stop that…calling me a child. Didn’t I do exactly what you asked with my reading and spelling groups?” She stared down the road, but Catherine noticed the muscle in her neck tighten.

“You’re doing fine with the young scholars, but you’ll always be the baby of the Yost family. ‘Child’ is merely a term of endearment.” Catherine patted her sister’s forearm.

“I wish everyone would remember I’m nineteen years old and an assistant teacher.”

“You won’t sneak off with Jacob to steal the neighbor’s cherries when you’re supposed to be weeding the garden?”

“We didn’t steal. Mrs. Wright said we could pick all we wanted.” Meghan was trying hard not to grin.

“Or how about the time you told
mamm
you were riding to town for bandages and antiseptic, but you saw Jacob at that tourist shop that had installed a sundae bar? You came home with chocolate sauce down the front of your apron and forgot the Bactine.”

Meghan giggled despite her attempt to remain serious. “They had candy sprinkles, hot fudge, chopped pecans, whipped cream, sliced strawberries, and even pineapple topping. I couldn’t stop adding things and ended up with a bellyache that night.”

“You two surely have enjoyed yourselves over the years. I don’t know why you stayed home from last Sunday’s singing. Just because he interfered on the playground is no reason to stay mad at the man. Maybe if you would talk—”

“Have you nothing better to do than figure out what I should be doing?” snapped Meghan. “With a handful of a classroom, lessons for next week to plan, and a fiancé far away who might like a letter from you, you should have plenty to keep your mind occupied.” She pouted for the rest of the way.

Catherine gaped at her sister.
When did she become so thin-skinned and temperamental?
“I beg your pardon, Meg. I was only offering a little sisterly advice.”

When they reached the school, the sun was just breaking over the eastern hills. “I’ll turn the horse into the paddock and bring in an armload of wood.”

“
Danki
.” Catherine jumped down and grabbed the totes. “I’ll stoke the embers and build up the fire with kindling.”

But halfway up the walkway her heart thudded against her chest. The heavy wooden doors were standing wide open. A drift of snow had blown across the threshold onto the hallway floor. Catherine ran up the steps to discover the inner doors also stood ajar. Inside the classroom, flakes of snow had floated down to create a surreal frozen-in-time appearance. She gasped as she scanned the interior, fear snaking up her spine. Every desk, bench, and chair had been overturned. The teacher’s desk had been pushed onto its side as though mortally wounded—the books, pencils, and graded papers scattered. Someone had emptied the wastebasket in front of the chalkboard and heaped the contents of the bookcases into a pile.

Stinging tears filled her eyes. Catherine felt as though someone had slapped her in the face. Even the potted geranium on the windowsill had been smashed against the iron stove. Struggling for breath, she turned on her heel to see Meghan at the door. “Someone has wrecked the classroom,” she gasped, willing herself not to cry. “Please take the buggy home and tell
daed
to come.”

“Was it Owen?” asked Meghan as she stepped in to survey the damage for herself.

“If it was, he didn’t leave a note,” Catherine answered without humor. “But we shouldn’t accuse anyone without proof. Please go, Meg. I’ll make a sign for the door that says ‘No School Today.’ I don’t want the students to see this. The little ones would be so upset.”

Meghan nodded and flew out the door.

Catherine swallowed down her shock and revulsion—and the sensation of violation—and went to work. She closed the outer door against the wind and snow before making a sign to turn away early arrivals. The teacher’s desk she couldn’t budge, but she began righting the students’ desks. She had reset almost half of them when Annabeth Selby poked her head inside.