Blessings (3 page)

Graham stepped forward and cupped the horse’s nose. “Instead of the café?”

Trina nodded. “I could learn so much, spending time with him! And maybe—” She lowered her gaze. There was no sense in getting her hopes up. “Of course, Mama probably wouldn’t let me.”

Graham spoke, his breath brushing her cheek. “Talk to your folks. Maybe they’d say yes. You won’t know until you try.”

Raising her head slowly, she met Graham’s tender gaze. She wished she possessed hope, but she knew her parents too well. They’d never approve it. Lehigh, although less than ten miles down the road, was too far away. “They’d say no. Mama would say she needs me in the café. And Dad would have to drive me to Lehigh every day since I haven’t got my license.”

“Well, maybe it’s time for you to learn to drive,” Graham said, “and for your mom to think about getting some other help. Because you won’t be available to her at the café forever.”

Her heart lurched. Although Graham had never uttered the word
marriage
, she knew his attentiveness indicated his interest. She also knew she wasn’t averse to the idea. No other boy in the fellowship made her heart clop harder than the hooves of a runaway horse. She jerked her gaze downward and watched Graham’s hands gently stroke Regen’s soft nose. Her throat felt dry, and she swallowed hard. She chose an innocuous subject. “But Dad says he doesn’t have time to teach me to drive.”

“I can teach you.”

“And Mama. . .she depends on me.”

“There are other dependable girls in town.”

His soft rebuttals to her arguments made something flutter through her middle. She peeked at him out of the corner of her eye. “You’d really teach me to drive?”
Dad would never approve it
.

He shrugged, grinning. “Sure. And I’ll take you to Lehigh myself until you learn, if you start working for the vet.”

Mama will never let me leave the café.
“But I don’t have a car.” She waited for his response.

He opened his mouth, but Andrew and Livvy came in. Andrew carried a thermos jug, and Livvy held up four mugs. Andrew said, “Livvy fixed a fresh pot, so we can all have some.”

Graham stepped well away from the horse, and Trina took the mug Livvy offered. Trina locked gazes with Graham, offering a smile she hoped communicated her regret for their interruption. His slow wink let her know he felt the same way. Trina experienced a prick of conscience—desiring to be alone with Graham was sinful. It could lead to trouble. Just as pursuing her desire to gain a license to treat animals would create problems.

She stifled a groan that pressed at the back of her throat.
God, why does everything I want seem to be wrong?

T
HREE

B
right, early morning sun streaming through the barn’s window wakened Trina. She stretched and yawned, opening her eyes by increments. When she could focus, her first sight was Regen, staring at her with wide, unblinking brown eyes.

She laughed. “Good morning, pretty boy.” Crawling across the hay, she removed the compress and checked his leg. A smile grew on her face. “The swelling’s way down.” She stood and gave the horse a pat. “You’ll be okay, big fella. It will just take time.”

The barn door opened, and Andrew strode in with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Oh, you’re awake. I was just going to get you up and take you into town.” His gaze dropped to Regen’s leg. “It looks a lot better, doesn’t it?”

“Better, yes, but there’s still some swelling. Dr. Groening said to keep the compresses on there until it was completely gone.” She leaned over and scooped up the compress she’d removed. “I’ll get a fresh one for him and put this one in the freezer.”

Andrew caught her arm as she went to pass him. “Trina, your mom called. She needs you in the café.”

Trina resisted rolling her eyes, knowing it was a disrespectful response, but it took great control. “I’ll call her and tell her to get Kelly.”

“She said Kelly is already there, helping her open up, but she needs you, too. With the farmers’ market opening this weekend, she’s overrun with customers.”

Trina thrust out her jaw. “I need to take care of Regen.”

Andrew’s fingers pressed gently on her arm. “Livvy and I can put compresses on Regen’s leg as well as you can, and I promise to call the café if something changes.” Although his tone carried no reprimand, Trina knew he wanted her to obey Mama’s direction.

She sighed. Her night with little sleep had left her droopy and out of sorts. Working in the café—especially on Saturday, the busiest day of the week even without the additional customers brought in by the farmers’ market—would be less than pleasant. But she didn’t have a choice. She must honor her parents. “All right. But take me home, not to the café—I’ve got to clean up.”

He grinned. “I agree with that. You smell like the barn.”

While he drove her back to town, she slurped the coffee he’d brought out. The hot, strong brew helped bring her to life. The drive was short—Andrew and Livvy lived little more than a mile outside of Sommerfeld on a small, four-acre plot surrounded by corn and alfalfa fields. In no time, Andrew pulled up in front of her parents’ home. She set the empty coffee cup on the seat and leaned over to bestow a hug.

“Thanks for coming to get me when Regen got hurt.” Her throat felt tight, and she swallowed. “It meant a lot to me, that you trusted me with him.”

Andrew gave her back a pat before setting her aside. “There’s no one I’d trust more.”

Trina ducked her head, a huge sigh lifting her shoulders.

“Go get cleaned up,” Andrew ordered in a gruff, big-brother tone, a mock scowl creasing his face. “Then march yourself down to that café and let your mother know you want to make a job change.”

Trina stared at him.

His scowl turned into an impish grin. “I heard Dr. Groening mention the job at his clinic. You want to do it, don’t you?”

Trina blew out a long breath. “More than anything. I wish—”

Andrew pinched her chin, his familiar gesture of affection. “Don’t wish. Pray. If it’s God’s will, your parents will come around.”

Trina knew Andrew spoke from experience. Although his father and brothers were farmers, Andrew spent his days working in the stained-glass art studio owned by Beth Quinn McCauley. At first, his father had opposed Andrew’s desire to be an artist, but over time, he had released his antagonism and instead offered his blessing.

If only Mama and Dad would give in, like Uncle Al
.

Andrew interrupted her thoughts. “Talk to your mother, Trina, and
pray
.” He gave her chin one more gentle pinch. “God can work things out.”

“Thanks, Andrew.” Trina bounded out of the truck and headed inside. After a bath and change of clothes, she felt more prepared to face the day. But by the time she reached the café, things were bustling, and she had no opportunity to talk to her mother. As the day dragged on, with an abundance of out-of-town patrons as well as the usual Sommerfeld residents taking advantage of Deborah Muller’s Saturday specials, Trina’s energy lagged, and her frustration grew. Even with her brother, Tony, and Kelly Dick helping, there was never a minute to sit and relax, let alone tell her mother about Dr. Groening’s job opening.

She thought the last customers would never leave, but when they finally did, she still faced a mountain of work. Heaving a sigh, she filled the mop bucket and grabbed the mop, but then she stood, leaning on it, her eyes closed. Someone tapped her shoulder. Opening her eyes, she found Kelly grinning at her.

“Do you want me to mop?”

Trina chuckled, keeping her hands wrapped around the handle and her cheek pressed to her fist. “If you take the mop, I’ll probably fall down.”

Kelly laughed. “You’ve been dragging all day.”

From the stove, Mama snorted. “Because she was out all night instead of sleeping.”

Kelly’s eyebrows shot up.

“My cousin’s horse got hurt. I spent the night putting cold compresses on his leg.” Trina maintained an even tone, although she wanted to snap at her mother. “So I didn’t get much sleep, but the horse was much better this morning.”

“That’s good.” Kelly glanced back and forth between the two Muller women, who glared across the floor at each other. She took a hesitant step toward the dishwasher. “Well, if you’re going to mop, I guess I’ll. . .” She waved her hand, indicating the stack of dishes.

“That’s fine, Kelly. You’ve put in a good day already,” Mama said. “You go ahead and go home.” She turned toward the dining-room doorway and called, “Tony?”

Tony immediately appeared in the opening between the dining room and kitchen.

“Are you finished out there?”

“The money is in the bank envelope, the menus are stacked, the tables are clean,” Tony listed, holding up his fingers and ticking off the accomplished tasks, “and the salt and pepper shakers are full. I haven’t checked the napkin dispensers, though.”

Mama nodded. “I’ll take care of that. You walk Kelly home; then you can go home, too.”

Trina nearly wilted, tiredness bringing the sting of tears behind her nose. How she wished to be released of the duties! But of course Mama would let the youngsters go. Since Trina was considered an adult, more was expected of her than of Tony and Kelly.

The moment the two younger teenagers headed out the back door, Mama pointed at the mop. “Let’s finish up so we can leave, too.” She began transferring dirty dishes from the cart to a washing tray.

With a sigh, Trina pushed the mop across the floor. Normally she took pleasure in watching the mop strings bunch and straighten with each push and pull, seeing the grime replaced by a shiny clean surface. But today, she just wanted to finish and be done. For good.

Her mind drifted to the edge of town, to Andrew’s barn, where Regen rested his injured leg. She wondered what Dr. Groening had said when he visited as he’d promised. She hoped he was pleased with the decrease in swelling and had given Livvy encouraging words concerning Regen’s future ability to pull the carriage. She’d heard a few café patrons mention their disappointment that no rides were available today. Andrew might need to borrow a horse from one of his brothers so they could still offer the carriage rides.

With the thought of Andrew came the reminder of his advice to talk to her mother about her desire to work for Dr. Groening. She glanced across the kitchen at her mother, whose hands moved steadily between the cart and tray. Busy hands. Mama had always had busy hands. Idle hands were the devil’s workshop, she always said, which is why Trina and Tony had been encouraged to find jobs when their school years were complete.

Trina stifled a snort of frustration. As soon as Tony had finished the ninth grade, he chose to work for an Amish farmer who lived a few miles outside of Sommerfeld, and he drove himself there each day in an old pickup truck their Uncle Henry had fixed up. But Trina hadn’t been given a choice. The day after her thirteenth birthday, Mama had marched her into the café and asked Miss Lisbeth Koeppler if she could use Trina’s help after school and on weekends. Then when she finished her schooling, she automatically began working full-time at the café. Trina had grown to love Miss Koeppler, and she didn’t regret the time she’d spent with the dear old woman, but now that Mama owned the café, Trina’s help seemed to be expected.

Giving the mop bucket a firm push with the mop head, she propelled it across the floor to the utility sink. She watched the dirty water go down the drain, feeling as though her dreams went with it. She was nineteen already. Her folks—and Graham—would expect her to become a wife and a mother before too long. When would she be allowed to do what she wanted to do rather than what everyone else wanted her to do? The unfulfilled desires rose up strong enough to choke her.

Spinning from the sink, she raised her voice and called, “Mama? Can we talk?”

Mama shoved the last tray into the dishwasher, closed the door, and flipped the switch. The roar of running water echoed throughout the kitchen. “At home, Trina. Let’s finish up here without delays, please.”

Trina clamped her lips together and nodded. Might be better to wait until she was home and could talk to both parents at once, anyway. Even though Dad was strict, he was usually more reasonable than Mama. She headed to the dining room to refill the napkin dispensers.

When Trina and her mother reached their home, the sky was fully dark. Dad sat in the living room in an overstuffed chair shaped like his bulky form, a newspaper in his hands. He set the paper aside when they entered. “Ah, you’re home.”

Trina glanced at the ticking clock on the wall. With worship service in the morning, normally the family went to bed early on Saturday nights. Trina fully expected her mother to give her customary order—“Off to bed now. Service tomorrow.” But she surprised Trina by sinking onto the sofa and patting the seat beside her. “All right. What did you want to talk about?”

Encouraged by her mother’s apparent openness, Trina scurried to the sofa and sat, turning her body slightly to face both parents. They looked at her expectantly, and Trina offered a quick, silent prayer.
Let them say yes, Lord, please
.. . .

“Yesterday when I went out to Andrew’s to help with Regen—”

“Oh, Trina,” Mama cut in, sighing, “if it’s about the horse, can it wait until tomorrow? I’m tired.”

Trina released a little grunt of displeasure. “Mama, please, let me finish. It isn’t about the horse.”

Mama’s eyebrows came together briefly, but she remained silent. Turning her gaze to her father, Trina continued. “When I was helping with Regen, Dr. Groening came out. He said I did a good job getting the horse stabilized. He said I have an innate ability with animal care, and”—she took a deep breath, her gaze flitting briefly to her mother’s stern face—“he offered me a job at his clinic.”

Mama said, “You already have a job.” She started to rise.

Dad leaned forward, putting out his hand. “Wait, Deborah.” He looked at his daughter. “What kind of job?”

Trina faced Dad, ignoring Mama’s pursed lips. “He didn’t exactly say, but I would imagine I’d be helping with the animals—cleaning up after surgery and assisting during exams. Really learning how to help them when they’re hurt.”

Dad frowned at her. “And you’d like that?”

To her embarrassment, tears sprang into her eyes. The desire to follow her childhood dream of caring for animals welled up and filled her, and it was all she could do to keep from begging her parents for this chance. But she swallowed hard and nodded.

Dad’s stern countenance softened with a gentle smile. “Ever since you were a little girl, you’ve brought home hurt animals and nursed them. I understand why you want to work with Dr. Groening.” He propped his elbow on the chair arm, cupping his chin. “But Lehigh is too far to walk, Trina, and you don’t drive.”

“I could learn. Graham said he’d teach me.”

Mama and Dad exchanged quick glances. “You’ve asked Graham to teach you to drive?” Mama’s voice was sharp.

Trina felt heat rush to her cheeks. “I didn’t ask. He just offered.”

“A kind gesture, but it isn’t his responsibility,” Dad said.

Mama cut in. “I’ve never learned to drive, and I do just fine.”

“But you work right here in town, Mama—just blocks from home. If I—”

“I depend on you to help in the café.” Mama glared at Trina, daring her to contradict her.

Trina clasped her hands together in her lap. “I know you depend on me to help in the café, Mama, but now that it’s summer, there are other girls who could work there. Some, like Kelly Dick, are finished with school now for good, so maybe they’d like an every-day job. Someone else could wait tables and mop the floors. It doesn’t have to be me.”

Mama opened her mouth, but Dad put his hand on her knee, silencing her. He looked at Trina. “Your mother and I will discuss this, Trina. I’ve known Josiah Groening most of my life, and I trust him as an employer for one of my children. But there are several things that would need to be worked out for you to work in Lehigh.”