Amish White Christmas Pie (17 page)

When they stepped into The Blue Gate Restaurant, Will glanced around to see if he could spot Karen or Vonda. He didn’t see them in the lobby and figured they might be at a table already.

When the hostess came and led them to the dining room, Will spotted Karen and Vonda sitting in a booth. “Can we sit over there?” he asked, motioning to the booth where they sat. “We know those women.”

The hostess nodded and led them across the room. As they approached the booth, Karen looked up and smiled. “Will, what are you doing here?”

“Leroy and I came for lunch. If you don’t mind, we’d like to join you.”

Karen glanced over at Vonda, whose face turned crimson as she shrugged. Dark eyed and dark haired, Vonda was an attractive young woman, and Will thought her good looks would turn most any man’s head. The only thing that detracted from Vonda’s beauty was her shyness. Will hoped Leroy might see past that if he got to know Vonda better.

“We’ve already placed our orders, and we’ll have to leave by one thirty so I can be at my appointment on time, but you’re welcome to join us.” Karen slid across the seat, and Will slipped in beside her. That left the seat beside Vonda for Leroy.

A young Mennonite waitress came to take Will’s and Leroy’s orders, and Karen’s and Vonda’s food arrived a few minutes later. The four of them bowed their heads for silent prayer, and then Karen and Vonda started eating.

“How’s your turkey sandwich?” Leroy asked, looking at Karen.

She smiled. “It’s good. Turkey’s one of my favorite meats. On Thanksgiving, I always eat more of it than I should though, and then I’m miserable the rest of the day.”

“Speaking of Thanksgiving,” Will put in, “Mama Regina’s already planning her menu.” He glanced over at Vonda, who hadn’t said a word since he and Leroy had sat down. “What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?”

“Pumpkin pie, I guess.”

“How about you, Leroy?” Will asked.

“Let’s see now…turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams, and apple pie.” Leroy grinned at Karen again. “Remember that time when we were kinner and our mamms made mincemeat pie, but we thought it was apple with raisins?”

“Jah, and what a surprise we got when we took our first bite.”

Leroy chuckled. “It was the first and last time I ever ate mincemeat pie.”

“Leroy,” Will interjected, “why don’t you tell Vonda about your new horse?”

“Huh?” Leroy blinked a couple of times.

“Why don’t you tell Vonda about your new horse?”

Leroy’s face colored slightly, and he reached for his glass of water. “There’s not much to tell, and I—I doubt she’d be interested.”

“What about your new horse?” Karen asked before Vonda could respond.

As Leroy listed the many attributes of his trotter, Will gritted his teeth. Things weren’t going the way he’d hoped. Karen and Leroy were talking, and Will had managed to get in a few words; Vonda seemed more interested in her turkey sandwich than in Leroy though. For that matter, Leroy hadn’t shown any interest in Vonda. Will was beginning to think inviting Leroy to join him for lunch had been a mistake.

Maybe Vonda’s not the right woman for Leroy
, Will thought.
I’d better come up with someone else. Maybe I can get Leroy and Mary Jane together. As far as I know, she doesn’t have a boyfriend
.

W
hen Will and his folks arrived at the Kings’ place for the work frolic, Will and Papa Mark joined the men, who’d already begun framing the new harness shop. Mama Regina headed to the house to help the women make coffee and prepare snacks. Will hadn’t seen any sign of Karen’s buggy, so he figured the Yoders might not have arrived.

He spotted Leroy’s rig though and noticed Leroy and his youngest brother, Owen, carrying some lumber toward the work site. Then he saw Dan Lambright’s rig pull in and was relieved to see Mary Jane and her mother step down from the buggy. Now he needed to figure out some way to get Leroy and Mary Jane talking.

“How’s it going, Will?” Leroy asked as he set the lumber down near the place were Will stood.

“It’s going okay. How are things with you?”

“Real good. I’m sure liking that horse I got at the auction. How’s your horse working out?”

“Just fine. Blazer’s a good buggy horse and doesn’t get skittish the way Ben used to do.”

“I’ve never liked a skittish horse,” Leroy said. “It’s dangerous enough to be on the roads without having to worry about a horse that can’t be trusted.” He glanced across the yard. “I see Karen and her family have just arrived. Maybe I’ll head over there and say hello before I haul more wood.”

Will ground his teeth together. He was getting ready to follow Leroy when Nathan and Harley walked up to him.

“I heard you got a new horse,” Harley said.

Will nodded. “Got him at the auction in Topeka last Saturday.”

“What kind did you get?”

“A beautiful black trotter.”

“He’s a real nice one, too,” Nathan put in. “I was with Will when he got the horse.”

“My buggy horse is getting old and kind of slow, and I’d like to get a new one,” Harley said with a wistful expression. “Guess that’s not gonna happen for a while, though. At least not until Luanne has her boppli and I’ve paid the hospital bills.”

“I didn’t know your wife was expecting a baby,” Will said.

“She’s due in April. I’m sure I mentioned it to you.”

“Guess I must have forgotten,” Will mumbled. Truth was, he’d been so consumed with thoughts of Karen and Leroy that he hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.

Harley thumped Will on the back. “I bet it won’t be long until you’re a daed yourself.”

Will blinked a couple of times. “Huh?”

“You and Karen will be getting married in December, right?”

“That’s the plan.”

“Then by this time next year, you could be a daed.”

Will nodded slowly. He wanted to have children, but the thought scared him a bit. What if he didn’t measure up? What if he turned out to be like Pop, who had cared so little about his son that he’d run off and left him with people he barely knew?

“Will, could you bring some of that lumber over here?” Papa Mark hollered from across the yard. “We’re ready to begin building the side walls.”

“Okay,” Will called in response.

“Guess we’d better get busy,” Nathan said. “We should be able to get the harness shop pretty well done in a day if everyone does his part.”

Will glanced in the direction of the field where the buggies were parked. He caught sight of Karen walking across the yard with Leroy at her side.

I’ve got to put a stop to this
.

“Where’s that lumber?” Papa Mark shouted.

“I’m coming!” Will bent down and grabbed some wood. “Yeow!” He dropped the wood and stared at the one-inch sliver embedded in his thumb.

“Looks like a pretty nasty splinter,” Nathan said. “Guess you should have been wearing gloves.”

Will nodded. “That’s what I get for not paying attention to what I’m doing.”

“You’d better go up to the house and see about getting that splinter removed.”

Will glanced at the wood lying near his feet.

“Don’t worry about that. I’ll haul it over to your daed,” Nathan said as he slipped on a pair of leather gloves.

“Danki.” Will sprinted across the lawn to the back door and nearly collided with Mary Jane, who was on her way out.

“I–I’m sorry,” he mumbled. “Guess I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“That’s okay, no harm done. Were you looking for something to eat or drink?”

He held up his hand. “I’ve got a sliver and came to the house to get something to take it out.”

“I’ll take care of it for you.” Mary Jane pointed to a chair on the back porch. “Have a seat, and I’ll run inside and see what I can find.”

Will lowered himself into the chair as Mary Jane went into the house. A few minutes later, she was back with a first aid kit. “I’ve got what we need,” she said, sitting beside Will.

She took his hand, and Will winced when she poked a needle under the sliver. “Ouch, that sure hurts!”

“Hold still. If you move around, it’ll hurt a lot more.” Mary Jane continued to probe until the sliver was finally free. Then she poured some antiseptic on it and applied a bandage. “There you go. Good as new.”

“Danki,” Will said as the throbbing subsided.

“You’re welcome.”

Just then Karen stepped onto the porch. “What’s wrong, Will? Why are you wearing a bandage on your hand?”

“I picked up a nasty sliver. Mary Jane got it out for me, though.”

Karen pursed her lips as she looked at Will; then she glanced over at Mary Jane and frowned. “I figured you’d be in the house helping the other women get coffee and refreshments going.”

“I was, but I was coming outside to see if anyone needed coffee, when I bumped into Will and he told me about the sliver.”

Karen looked back at Will. “How’d you get a sliver in your hand? Were you wearing gloves?”

Will shook his head. “Forgot to put my gloves on before I picked up some wood.” He glanced toward the work site and noticed Leroy heading that way. At least the irritating fellow wasn’t with Karen anymore. “I’d better get back to work, but I’ll see you during the noon meal if not before.” Will smiled at Karen and rose from the chair. He was disappointed when she didn’t smile in return.

Did Leroy say something to make Karen upset with me?
Will was about to ask when Karen pushed past him and stepped into the house.

Will looked over at Mary Jane to see what her reaction was to Karen’s strange behavior, but Mary Jane sat staring across the yard.

“If you’re going out to see who wants coffee, you can walk out with me,” Will said. He figured if Mary Jane came out to the work site, she might end up talking to Leroy. At least that would be a start at getting them together.

Will and Mary Jane headed across the yard and stopped when they reached the spot where Leroy was working.

“Mary Jane would like to know if you’d like some coffee,” Will said.

“Is that so?” Leroy asked with barely a glance in Mary Jane’s direction.

Will nodded. “She was kind enough to take a sliver from my hand, too.”

“That’s nice.”

Mary Jane nudged Leroy’s arm. “Do you want some coffee?”

He shook his head. “Not right now. I need to get to work.” He lifted a can of nails. “Are you planning to help now, Will?”

“Jah, sure.” Will smiled at Mary Jane. “Why don’t you bring a pot of coffee out, anyway? I’m sure some of the men would like a cup.”

“Okay.”

When Mary Jane headed back to the house, Will grabbed a hammer and faced Leroy again. “Mary’s Jane real nice, don’t you think?”

Leroy shrugged.

“She looks pretty good in the face, too, don’t you agree?”

Leroy squinted as he stared at Will. “Is there something going on between you and Mary Jane?”

“Huh?”

“I said—”

“I heard your question. What I don’t understand is why you asked it.”

“You said she took a splinter from your hand, and she kept smiling at you the whole time she was standing beside us.”

“I never saw her smiling at me, and there’s nothing going on between us.”

“Sure looked like it to me.” Leroy grunted. “I saw her visiting with you at the auction the other day, and you two looked pretty cozy.”

“She came there with her daed, and we were only talking.”

Leroy shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

Will clenched his fists until his fingers dug into his palms. Things weren’t working out the way he’d planned at all.