Forevermore (33 page)

“Naomi had a button jar.”

Hope glanced over at him. He usually didn’t mention his wife. Then again, in the past few weeks, she’d sensed a big shift in him. Grief no longer gave a haunted look to his eyes. Striving to sound casual, she said, “Whenever you got a moment and think on it, I’d appreciate you settin’ that jar out. We could use some of the bigger ones to help Emmy-Lou with her countin’.”

Jakob chuckled. “Yes, well, I was impressed when she hit twenty-nine, but twenty-ten?”

Hope smiled. “She’s such a dear heart.”

An unexpected voice quietly intersected their conversation.

“Jake . . .”

Hope looked up. “Who calls you Jake?”

“Nobody.” He stood and peered into the dim barnyard. A mere breath later, he vaulted over the porch rail and ran.

Twenty-Seven

H
ope’s work dropped to the planks as she dashed after him. “What is it?”

“Phineas.” Jakob zigged around the sycamore and to the corner of the barn. By the time Hope reached his side, Jakob had stooped and wrapped Phineas’s arm around his shoulders and braced an arm about his waist. “He’s hot.”

Hope moved to Phineas’s other side. “Let’s get him to the house. Once he’s on the settee, you can come out and fetch his mattress. Would you rather put his bed in the parlor or your office?”

“The office.”

“Sorry,” Phineas rasped.

Late the next morning, Jakob nudged Hope aside and lifted the sheets from the rinse water. “You stayed up most of the night. Go take a nap.”

“Nope. You’re a dab hand at a lotta stuff, but I seen you with sheets that one time.”

Stubbornly holding on to the sheet, he gave her a withering look that would have made anyone else give in. “Go take a nap, Hope.”

“I’m so rested up, I probably won’t need to shut my eyes for a whole week.” She reached for the sheet. “May as well warn you, Jakob, I’m every bit as stubborn as Hattie.”

“Her hat is nicer.” Jakob couldn’t believe he’d blurted out that insult. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry you spoke your mind, or are you sorry you like Hattie’s hat better?”

Why didn’t I keep my big mouth shut? I’ve hurt her feelings
. “Both.”

“Seems we got the same taste in hats, then. I like hers better, too. Problem is, I’d have the longest ears and most fattest head in the world if ’n her hat fit me. Now gimme that sheet.”

“We’ll wring it out and hang it up together.”

“Many hands make the work right, huh?”

Light. Many hands make the work . . . well, “right” fits the meaning, too.
Jakob nodded. “Speaking of hands . . . Phineas isn’t going to be in good shape if Konrad comes back even one day early. If I’m not by the house when the sheriff drops off the food, be sure to tell him Phineas is sick.”

“Okay.” Together they wrung out the rinsed sheet and hung it on the line. As she clipped the last clothespin in place, Hope heaved a sigh. “Jakob, I got me a heavy heart today.”

“You do? Why?” He didn’t know anyone as buoyant as Hope—but it was good that she felt she could share her burden with him. Even after he’d insulted her one and only hat, she didn’t hold it against him.

“Phineas—he’s such a good man. And your sister. ’Til last night, I suspected Phineas held a special place in his heart for her. He ain’t never said nor done nothin’ improper, but I had my suspicions. Last night and today, Annie’s hovered over him, and the truth hit me. If ’n she wasn’t bound in marriage to that worm Konrad, I think her heart would flop straight into Phineas’s hands.”

“It’s not fitting. She’s married. Even when Konrad is gone, they are still married.”

Hope sighed again. “I know. That’s why my heart’s heavy. I wisht God woulda done things different. In my head, I know His plan is right; in my heart I wanna jump in and fix things.”

“Some things can’t be fixed. The best we can pray for is that Konrad will go away and never trouble her again. For her and Johnny to be safe—that’s the most important thing.”

Though he spoke the right words, Jakob’s spirits sank. Annie returned Phineas’s affection? How had that happened? When? Sure, they’d been schoolyard friends. But that didn’t translate into love.
For Naomi and me, it did
. He shoved aside that thought. Then it hit him: The day he’d told Annie that Linette Richardson had designs on Phineas, Annie fell to pieces.
Lord, I’m like Hope. I want to fix it, but I can’t. You work miracles. Can’t you do this for my sister and my friend?

Plenty of chores needed doing. With Phineas ailing, Hope jumped right in and picked up the slack. By sunset, Jakob carried the evening milking to the springhouse and poured it into the De Laval separator. “Jakob, I’ll crank that if ’n you’ll see to gettin’ a scuttle or two of coal into the house. I’m needin’ more for the stove.”

“I’ll pour in the other milk can first.” After he left her, Jakob filled the scuttle.

Annie had moved the rocking chair from the parlor to just outside the office door. From the shawl over her shoulder, he knew she was nursing Johnny. Sitting on a little stool beside her, Emmy-Lou had a dish towel over her shoulder and her dolly clutched to her chest. “Daddy, me and Auntie Annie are being mommies together.”

The sight stopped him in his tracks. Emmy-Lou was copying what she saw all about her—women being wives and mothers. But how would she ever marry and have children if she couldn’t see? Even with her strength and eyesight, it had taken all of Hope’s stamina to keep up with him that day. No matter how much training Hope gave her, Emmy-Lou wouldn’t be able to marry. No man would have her. Each time the thought hit him, his heart clenched.

Annie filled in the silence. “It’s fun to play, isn’t it?”

Emmy-Lou’s curls danced as she nodded. “Uh-huh!”

“How’s Phineas?”

Annie leaned a bit to the side and craned to look into the study. “Sleeping. He’s been good about drinking for me, so his fever hasn’t gotten too bad.”

“Daddy, Phineas isn’t getting all speckly like Miss Hope did.”

“That’s good.”

Confusion scrunched Emmy-Lou’s face. “But you told Hope you liked her spots. Why don’t you want Phineas to grow them, too?”

“Hope,” he said, knowing his comment would reveal his true feelings to his sister, “Hope is special.”

“So is Phineas.” As soon as the words left Annie’s mouth, she went ruddy.

Ignore it. We will all ignore their feelings; it’s the only way to handle this
.
She didn’t catch on to my declaration about Hope. Well, better off she didn’t. It’s not right to flaunt my love when she’ll be denied hers
. “Ja, Phineas is special in a different way. We are all special to Jesus.”

A smile transformed his daughter’s face. “So I’m special, too!”

“Absolutely!”

Annie slid Johnny from beneath her shawl.

“Here. I’ll take him.” Jakob held his nephew and patted his tiny back. A moment later, Jakob chuckled. “Such a little man, burping already! He’s heavier, too, Annie.”

“If I don’t put supper on the table, he’ll be the only one who’s full.” She rose.

“I thought we all agreed this morning it was too hot and there were too many other matters to attend to. You weren’t to cook.”

“I haven’t. Cold leftover ham and farm cheese. Bread and—”

“Watermelon pickles,” Hope added as she came inside. She carried a crock. “We can use the powdered broth and heat it over a kerosene lamp so Phineas has something to fill him and build his strength.”

Annie immediately volunteered. “I’ll see to that.”

Jakob opened his mouth to naysay her, but Hope exclaimed, “Dandy! When you’re done heatin’ it up, I’ll get it into him.” Hope breezed over to the sink, but Jakob caught the quick glance she gave him over her shoulder. They’d made a pact to protect Annie from her husband; now they’d work together to protect her from herself.

After washing the supper dishes, Hope took the rocker by the study and crocheted. “Annie, you’ve been cooped up all day. What say you leave me here with Johnny whilst you, Emmy-Lou, and Jakob go catch yourselves some lightnin’ bugs?”

“Can we?” Emmy-Lou jigged as she tugged on her aunt’s hand.

“I . . .”

“You bet we will.” Jakob swept Emmy-Lou up onto his shoulders. “Annie, fetch a jar, and we’ll meet you beneath the sycamore.”

Catching fireflies without Hope wasn’t even half the fun
. The thought went through Jakob’s mind again as he opened his bedroom window before retiring. Hope brought delight to even the simplest things. She didn’t need to adhere to a schedule to maintain order in the home. Her flexibility allowed spur-of-the moment changes that resolved a plethora of difficult situations.

Jakob crawled into bed and didn’t reach for the other pillow. Just when he’s stopped hugging it at night, he wasn’t sure. Memories of the years he shared with Naomi would warm his heart, but Hope—she filled his life now. The sticky heat of the night wasn’t unbearable because his mind swirled with memories of Hope’s boundless enthusiasm and love.

Some things didn’t need to be regulated by habit; need was more important. Hope understood that. He’d become accustomed to Naomi’s well-ordered serenity, but life had changed. Hope honored the customs he held most dear—like prayer after mealtimes. She even went the extra mile and was learning more German. One of her most endearing traits, though, was her spontaneity. No matter what she did, she did it with joy. Her zest for life shone like the brightest star when his life and home had been black as midnight. Her name said it all—Hope.

Early the next morning, Hope woke to the kitchen door shutting and the cows lowing. Johnny was making noises, so she changed his diaper and tucked him next to Annie. “You see to breakfast for this little feller, and I’ll take care of the rest of us.”

Once downstairs, Hope peeped in on Phineas. He was restless, so she sponged off his face and chest, then coaxed him to drink some apple juice. When she laid his head back onto the pillow, Phineas grimaced.

“Do ya hurt?” she asked.

He closed his eyes. “Do me a favor.”

“I’ll do anything I can.”

After a long moment, Phineas opened his eyes. They were glassy with fever. “Keep Annie away from me as much as you can right now.”

Hope didn’t pretend not to understand. “ ’Kay.”

“Honor.” Pain laced his voice. “It comes at such a great price.”

Hope wiped his brow. “I’ll be prayin’ for you ’bout that and for your health, too.”

She went into the kitchen and immediately lit the stove. After starting coffee, she decided to fix oatmeal for breakfast and to hard-boil a mess of eggs. Some egg salad would be cool and filling later on. Hope put a potful of water to boil on the last burner—she could use that to boil the germs from Phineas’s pillowcase and the cloths she’d used to soothe him.

Anything they’d need to cook ought to be done now. Then, she could let the fire in the oven die out so the house wouldn’t feel like a sweltering oven all day. Hope whipped up a batch of drop biscuits and started them baking, then quickly prepared Jakob’s favorite coffee cake.

He liked slow-cooked beans, too—so she’d been soaking beans and would put the pot in the oven and let them slow cook all day as the embers radiated their heat. Adding spices and a little fat back to the pot, Hope smiled. Jakob would be pleased.

She spied him through the window. Carrying the milk pails, he’d headed for the springhouse. Without being told, he’d know to bring in some milk for the icebox. Even with Phineas sick and Annie being tied up with a newborn, things were getting done.
I knew it from the start—when I saw his hands, I knew Jakob was the most hardest-workin’ man I’d ever met
.

Remembering his taciturn reception of her that first morning, Hope smiled to herself. She wouldn’t have ever imagined that beneath the stern exterior lay a man of amazing kindness. Jakob wasn’t just a man who labored with his hands—he worked to better his heart and mind and soul.

Golden brown drop biscuits came out of the oven and coffee cake went in. The coffee finished perking, so Hope placed the pot on a trivet and decided to brew some tea. Tea would be good for Phineas.

Annie descended the stairs. “I’ll go check on—”

“He’s restin’. I checked him already, and he’s farin’ okay. I was just gonna brew some tea.”

“Tea would be good for him. I’ll do that.”

That worked out right nice
. “Maybe you could make a lotta tea. Keepin’ extra in the springhouse would be good. Your brother—he shore does love a coupla glasses of sweet tea with his lunch.”

“Nothing’s more refreshing than a glass of tea.” Annie headed toward the hook where her apron hung. “What do you have in that pot?”

“Oatmeal.”

“Oh.” Annie slipped into her apron. The ties on it hung longer down her back now that her belly wasn’t huge. “I’ll put some rice on. That would be good for Phineas.”

“There’s a dandy notion. Nothin’ much tasted good to me whilst I was sick, but the rice sat well in my belly. When the sheriff came by yesterday with food, he tole me the sickness is spreadin’, but most are springin’ back after a few days like me.”

Annie filled the teakettle. “I can’t imagine how Mrs. Vaughn will manage with all of her children.”

Hope made a sympathetic sound. “You was busy feedin’ little Johnny, so Jakob and me told the sheriff to take the food and help to her instead. We got a good handle on things here.”

The kettle clinked down on the stove. “I’m worried.”

“Jakob told the sheriff folks were welcome to your eggs and milk. Sheriff said he’d ask Big Tim Creighton to come by to pick ’em up.”

“
Sehr gut
. I want to help as much as I can. You were up in the night with Phineas. Today—”

“Best you keep your distance from him, Annie. Johnny needs you to stay healthy. Him gettin’ sick from me proves it’s catchy. I’m prayin’ extra hard that God’s gonna keep you and the children and Jakob all well.”

Halfway through breakfast, Big Tim arrived. Hope saw to the eggs while Jakob and Tim loaded the milk—then the men stepped off to the side. The low tone of their conversation made it clear they wanted privacy. Just before Tim left, Jakob called over, “Hope, I’ve asked Tim to pick up chicken feed while he’s in town. Do you need anything?”