Hope Chest (16 page)

***

With every step Silas took as he headed back out to the fields, he thought about Rachel and how motherly she had looked while she’d worked to remove the splinter from his thumb. Her pale blue eyes, framed by lush, dark lashes, and those cute little dimples made her look irresistible. Her voice, sweeter than a bluebird calling to its mate, had almost mesmerized him.

I’ll bet she’ll make some lucky fellow a good wife someday. She’ll probably be a great mother, too, since she can bake such tasty cookies.
He smiled.
And she’s even an expert at removing slivers.

He kicked at a stone with the toe of his boot.
What am I doin’ letting myself think such thoughts? If I’m not careful, I’ll end up thinkin’ I’ve got feelings for that girl.

“Girl,” Silas mumbled as he bounced another rock across the dry ground. “That’s all Rachel is ... just a girl.”

Silas didn’t know why, but here lately, he’d begun to feel strangely attracted to little Rachel, and that bothered him more than he cared to admit. Maybe the best way for him to handle these strange feelings was to keep a safe distance from Rachel.

Jah, that’s just what I’ll have to do.

***

As Joseph headed home in his horse and buggy after running some errands in town, he was surprised to see Pauline walking along the edge of the road. He pulled on the reins and guided the horse over to the shoulder. “Where you heading?” he called to her.

“One of my buggy wheels broke, so I’m walking home to get some help.”

“Climb in, and I’ll give you a lift.”

“Danki.” Pauline stepped into the buggy. “Whew! Sure is a hot day. I didn’t relish the idea of walking the next couple of miles to my place, so this ride is much appreciated.”

“I’m more than happy to do it.” Joseph smiled. “I’d offer to fix your wheel, but like a dummkopp, I forgot to put the toolbox in the buggy when I left home this morning.”

“That’s okay. My daed can do it.” She tipped her head and smiled. “And you’re not a dunce, Joseph Beachy.”

His face heated up, and he gathered up the reins in order to get the horse moving again. He wished he could think of something else to say, but being this close to Pauline made him feel so nervous it was all he could do to keep his mind focused on his driving. If only he could think of some way to make her take notice of him. If he just weren’t three years younger than her. Now that Eli Yoder was married and out of the picture, Joseph thought he might have a chance with Pauline, and if she could get to know him better, she might decide their age difference didn’t matter so much.

“Have you been real busy this summer working in the fields?” Pauline asked, breaking the silence.

He nodded. “Mom says things have been busy at the greenhouse, too.”

“Jah. We’ve had plenty of customers, all right.” She sighed. “I’ve enjoyed working around the flowers and wouldn’t mind doing it all the time.”

He grunted. “My sister Rachel would argue with you on that.”

“She doesn’t like flowers?”

“Not the indoor kind. Says they make her sneeze.”

“Maybe she’s allergic to some of them.”

“That’s what she says, but I think it’s just her excuse to get out of working in the greenhouse.”

“Why doesn’t she like working there?”

“She’d rather be outside climbing trees so she can get a better look at some dumb bird she wants to watch.” Joseph glanced over at Pauline, and when she smiled, he found himself beginning to relax. He loosened his grip on the reins a bit and smiled in return.

“I guess Rachel’s kind of a tomboy, huh?”

“Jah.”

“I’ve never tried climbing a tree, and I think if I did, I’d probably fall out and break something.”

“Rachel’s taken a tumble or two over the years, but so far she’s never broken any bones.” He wrinkled his forehead. “If you want my opinion, she’s way too old to be climbing up in trees.”

“Next to working in my mamm’s flower garden, my favorite thing to do is bake.”

“What kinds of things do you like to bake?”

“Cookies ... pies ... cakes...”

The mention of food made Joseph’s stomach rumble, and he hoped Pauline couldn’t hear it. He coughed a couple of times, trying to cover up his embarrassment, and kept his eyes looking straight ahead.

They pulled into the Hostetlers’ driveway a few minutes later, and he felt a keen sense of disappointment.

“Danki for the ride,” she said, offering him another pleasant smile that set his heart to racing.

“Gern gschehne.”

Pauline stepped down from the buggy, and just before Joseph got the horse and buggy moving again, she looked up and asked him a question. “What kind of pie do you like, Joseph?”

“I like ’em all, but I guess shoofly’s really my favorite.”

“I’ll bake you one soon as a thank-you gift for giving me a ride home.”

“There’s no need for that. I was glad to do it.”

“You’re a nice man, Joseph Beachy.” Before Joseph could think of anything sensible to say, Pauline hurried off toward the barn.

Joseph clucked to the horse and headed back down the driveway, whistling a silly tune and smiling so hard his cheeks began to ache. Pauline had said he was a nice man, not a boy. Maybe there was some hope that she might take an interest in him—at least as a friend.

CHAPTER 14

Over the next few weeks, Rachel helped Katie every day she could. She got up an hour early in order to get her own chores done at home; then right after breakfast, she headed over to the Swartleys’ place. Katie’s arm seemed to be hurting less, but she would have to wear the cast for another three weeks, which meant she still had the use of only one arm.

Things weren’t going as well with Silas as Rachel had hoped. Ever since the day she’d removed his splinter, he had seemed kind of distant. She had to wonder if he was trying to avoid her, although she couldn’t think why, since she’d made every effort to be pleasant. It might be that Silas’s aloofness was because he was so busy in the fields. On most days, she saw him only during lunch and supper, and even then, he appeared tired and withdrawn.

Today was Saturday, and Katie had enlisted the help of another Amish woman so Rachel could work in the greenhouse with Pauline. Dad had taken Mom, Elizabeth, and Perry to Bird-in-Hand, where they would be selling some of their plants and fresh-cut flowers at the indoor farmers’ market. Since Saturday was always a big day at the greenhouse, they didn’t want to leave Pauline alone, and that meant Rachel was expected to stay and help out. Joseph also stayed behind, saying he had some chores to do.

As Rachel began watering plants, the musty scent of wet soil assaulted her senses, causing her to sneeze and making her wish she could be outside instead of cooped up in a much-too-warm greenhouse. She glanced over at Pauline, who was busy waiting on some English customers. The tall, blond-haired woman certainly had changed since she’d returned from Ohio. Instead of being distant and sometimes cross, Pauline had become outgoing and cheerful. Rachel could remember a few years ago when Pauline had been jilted by Eli Yoder. She hadn’t tried to hide her bitter feelings.

Rachel couldn’t be sure what had brought about such a dramatic change in Pauline, but she suspected it had something to do with the time Pauline had spent in Ohio. She was certain of one thing—Joseph was glad Pauline had returned to Pennsylvania. He seemed to have set his reservations aside about his and Pauline’s age difference, because Rachel had noticed that for the last couple of weeks he’d been hanging around Pauline every chance he got. It made her wonder if she could do something to help Pauline and her big brother get together.

When the customers left the greenhouse, Rachel moved over to the counter where Pauline stood. “You can take your lunch break now if you want. I’ll wait on anyone who might come in during the next hour.”

Pauline nodded and grabbed the small cooler she used as a lunch bucket from underneath the counter. “I think I’ll eat outside. Might as well enjoy the good weather while it lasts. Fall’s almost upon us. Can you tell?”

“Jah. Mornings and evenings seem much cooler now. Won’t be any time at all until the leaves start to change.”

Pauline was about to open the door, when Rachel called out to her. “I think Joseph’s still in the barn. Would you mind going there and letting him know that the sandwich I made for him is in the refrigerator?”

Pauline smiled. “I think I can do better than that. I’ll go on up to the house, fetch the sandwich and something cold to drink, then take it out to Joe myself, along with the pie I brought him.”

Ah, so it’s
Joe
now, is it?
Rachel hid her smile behind the writing tablet she’d just picked up. Maybe she wouldn’t have to play matchmaker after all. “What’s this about a pie?”

“He gave me a ride home a few weeks ago after my buggy lost a wheel.” Pauline’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “When he mentioned that he liked shoofly pie really well, I said I would bake him one.”

“That big brother of mine does like his pies. It’s a good thing he works so hard in the fields, or he might be packing on some extra weight due to his hearty eating habits.”

“There’s not a speck of fat on Joe from what I can see. Lots of muscle, but no fat.” The color in Pauline’s cheeks deepened, and she dropped her gaze to the floor. “Well, guess I’d best be getting up to your house to get his lunch.”

“See you later, Pauline. Oh, and tell
Joe
I said hello and that I hope he enjoys his lunch.”

***

Joseph had just set out another bale of straw for the horse’s stall he was cleaning when he heard the barn door open and click shut. He turned and saw Pauline heading toward him, and his stomach did its usual flip-flop. He hoped he would be able to speak to her without his tongue getting tied in knots again.

“I brought you some lunch, Joe,” Pauline said, lifting the small cooler she held in her hands as she stepped up to him.

Joe?
Since when had she started calling him
Joe?
Not that he minded the nickname. Truth be told, Joseph saw the familiarity as a good sign. Maybe Pauline was starting to have feelings for him—or at least see him as a good friend, which he hoped could be the beginning of something more.

He reached under his straw hat and wiped the sweat from his brow. “What did you make for me?”

“Actually, it was Rachel who made your sandwich and filled a jug with milk. I just offered to go up to the house and get it from the refrigerator and then bring it out to you.” Her face turned kind of pink, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

“Even so, it was nice of you.” He studied her further, trying to get a feel for what she might be thinking.

The color in her cheeks deepened, and she giggled, kind of nervous-like.

“I ... uh ... also brought you that shoofly pie I promised to make for you a few weeks ago.”

Joseph took the cooler and flipped open the lid. “There’s a whole pie in here, Pauline.”

She nodded. “You said it was your favorite kind, and I didn’t think a slice or two would do.”

“Danki. That was sure nice of you.” He licked his lips, and his stomach rumbled despite his best efforts to keep it quiet. “Would you care to join me? We could pull up a bale of straw and have ourselves a little picnic.”

Pauline glanced over her shoulder, like she was worried someone might come through the door. Then in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, “I need to be honest with you about something, Joe.”

He tipped his head in question.

“The cooler you’re holding has my sandwich in it, too.”

“It does?”

“Jah. When I volunteered to bring your sandwich out to you, I kind of had it in mind that we could eat our lunches together.”

Joseph’s lips curved into a smile as a sense of joy spread over him like a warm bath on a cold day. “I’d like that, Pauline. Jah, I’d like that a lot.”

***

Silas wasn’t sure it was such a good idea to be going to the Beachys’ greenhouse today, but his buggy was already pulling into the graveled parking lot, so he figured he may as well carry out his plan.

When he entered the greenhouse, Rachel greeted him from behind the front counter, where she sat reading a book.

“I thought you’d be swamped with customers,” he said, removing his straw hat and offering her a smile.

Rachel jumped off her stool and moved swiftly to the other side of the counter. “We were busy earlier, but since it’s almost noon, I think everyone must be eating their lunch about now.” She took a few steps toward him. “I’m surprised to see you here today.”

He shuffled his feet a few times and glanced around the room. “Uh, where’s Pauline? I thought she was working here now.”

Rachel nodded, and her eyebrows drew together.

Have I said something wrong?

“Pauline does work here, but she’s on her lunch break right now. Want me to see if I can find her?” As Rachel moved toward the door, her shoulders slumped.