Hope Chest (25 page)

“No, no. I just meant—”

“We can talk about this later. There’s no point in you being late for work.” He pulled the truck into the parking lot on the backside of the restaurant where Anna worked and stopped. “Since I’m starting work two hours later than usual today, I’ll probably be working late tonight, so you’d better plan on catching the bus home.”

“What else is new?” Anna mumbled, as she opened the truck door.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Have a good day, Reuben.”

***

***

When Joseph entered the restaurant in Lancaster, where he’d decided to have some breakfast, his stomach rumbled. He’d had an early dental appointment and hadn’t eaten anything before he’d left home. After he’d left the dentist’s office, he’d run a few errands, and now that the numbness in his jaw had finally worn off, it was time to fill his belly with a bit of food.

An English woman escorted Joseph to a table near the window, telling him that his waitress would be there shortly. As he waited, he stared out the window and thought about Pauline. It still seemed too good to be true that she was willing to let him court her, but he wasn’t complaining in the least. Every chance he got to be with her was like candy in his mouth. He wished she could keep working at the greenhouse indefinitely so they could see each other more. For that matter, he wished he could quit working in the fields and work at the greenhouse, too. Maybe someday when Mom and Dad retired from the business, he could take over. And maybe if Pauline was willing to marry him, the two of them could run the greenhouse together. Rachel wasn’t likely to want it.

“Can I bring you something to drink before you order your meal?”

Joseph turned at the sound of a woman’s voice. It was a voice he thought he recognized. When he looked up at the waitress who stood next to his table, his mouth dropped open. “Anna?”

Her cheeks turned pink, and her mouth hung slightly open, too. “Joseph. I didn’t realize it was you until I saw your face.”

“I thought I recognized your voice, but I barely recognize you at all.” He frowned deeply. “What have you done to your hair?”

Anna reached up to touch the blond curls framing her slender face. “I ... uh ... decided to try it short for a change.” The color in her cheeks deepened. “Reuben likes it this way.”

Joseph folded his arms and glared up at his sister. “Reuben’s the only reason you left the faith, isn’t he?”

Her gaze dropped to the floor. “Neither Reuben nor I have anything against the Amish way of life, but Reuben didn’t want to give up his truck, so—”

“You left just to please him then—so he could have his stupid old truck?”

She shrugged. “Sort of.”

He gritted his teeth. “Either you did or you didn’t, Anna. Which is it?”

She lifted her gaze to meet his again. “All right then; I did leave to please Reuben, but lots of things about the English way of life I enjoy, too.”

“More than being with your family? Or have you already forgotten about us?”

“Of course I haven’t forgotten, but Reuben’s my family, too.”

Joseph sat fuming as he stared at the menu lying before him.

“I need to wait on some other customers, so what would you like to order?”

“If I place an order with you, then it’s the same as doing business with you, and we both know that’s not allowed.”

Tears pooled in Anna’s eyes, and she blinked a couple of times. “Would you like me to see if another waitress is free to take your order?”

He shook his head and pushed away from the table. “My appetite’s gone, so I’ll just meet up with the driver I hired to bring me to town and be on my way home. Mom or one of the sisters can fix me something to eat.”

Anna took a step toward Joseph, but he moved quickly away. Seeing his older sister dressed in English clothes and wearing her hair cut short was a painful reminder that she was no longer Amish and had chosen Reuben and his fancy English ideas over her own family. All he wanted to do was get as far away from Anna as he possibly could.

CHAPTER 22

Daniel’s back took nearly two weeks to heal, and Silas went over to the Beachys’ place most days in order to help with chores and the last of the harvesting. In all that time, he never had his heart-to-heart talk with Rachel. It wasn’t because he hadn’t tried. He’d made every effort to get her alone, but she always made up some excuse about being too busy to talk to him. Silas was getting discouraged and had about decided to give up, when suddenly an idea popped into his head. Last Friday had been his final day helping out. Daniel had assured him that he was feeling well enough to start doing some light chores, and with the help of their neighbors, all the hay had been baled and put away in the barn, which was a good thing, since they’d had some snow since then. Silas wouldn’t be going back to the Beachy farm—at least not to help. However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t pay a visit to the greenhouse.

He stepped up to his mother, who stood at the sink, doing the breakfast dishes. “I’m going out for a while, Mom. Should be back in plenty of time for the noon meal, though.”

Her forehead wrinkled as she turned to face him. “In this weather? In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a foot of snow on the ground, with the promise of more coming from the looks of those dark clouds in the sky.” She nodded to the window.

“I’m taking the sleigh, so I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“Mind if I ask where you’re going?”

“Over to the Beachys’ greenhouse.”

Mom gave Silas a knowing look, but he chose to ignore it. “Say, if you’re heading to the greenhouse, would you mind seeing if they have any nice poinsettias? I’d like one to give my sister Susan when she comes here to celebrate her birthday next week.”

“Jah, sure, I can do that.” Silas leaned over, kissed his mother on the cheek, and started for the back door. “See you later, Mom.”

***

Since none of Rachel’s hope-chest items had sold yet and Pauline had decided not to buy any, Rachel thought it might be time to take them into town and see if Thomas Benner would sell them in his store. Storm clouds were brewing that morning, and Dad wouldn’t let Rachel take the horse and buggy to town, saying he was worried she might get caught in a snowstorm. She had been hoping to get her things into the variety store in time for the busy Christmas shopping season, but now she would have to wait until the weather improved. Besides, Mom had come down with a nasty cold, and it wouldn’t be fair to expect her to work with Pauline in the greenhouse while Rachel went to town.

Rachel donned her woolen jacket and headed for the greenhouse. She had talked her mother into going back to bed and had left a warm pot of fenugreek tea by her bedside. Mom was resting, and Rachel would be all by herself until Pauline showed up. If the weather worsened, Pauline might not come today. For that matter, they might not have any customers. Who in their right mind would want to visit a greenhouse when the weather was cold and snowy?

Shortly after Rachel opened the greenhouse and stoked up the wood-burning stove, she heard a horse and buggy pull up. Figuring it was probably Pauline, she flung open the door. To her astonishment, Abe Landis stepped out of a closed-in buggy and offered her a friendly wave. She hadn’t seen Abe since the last preaching service, and then she’d only spoken a few words to him while she was serving the men their noon meal.

“Those angry-looking clouds out there make me think we might be in for another snowstorm,” Abe said when he entered the greenhouse. He wore a dark wool jacket, and his ears protruded out from under the black hat perched on his head.

Ears that are a mite too big,
Rachel noticed. An image of Silas sifted through her mind.
Abe’s not nearly as good-looking as Silas, but then—as Dad often says—looks aren’t everything.

“What can I help you with, Abe?” Rachel asked, as she slipped behind the counter and took a seat on her stool.

Abe removed his hat, and it was all Rachel could do to keep from laughing out loud. A thatch of Abe’s hair stood straight up. It looked as though he hadn’t bothered to comb it that morning.

“I really didn’t come here to buy anything.” Abe jammed his free hand inside his coat pocket and offered her a lopsided grin.

“What did you come for then?”

“I ... uh ... was wondering if you’d like to go with me to the taffy pull that’s gonna be held at Herman Weaver’s place this Saturday night.”

Rachel wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t want to go to the taffy pull with Abe. He was a nice enough fellow, and she’d known him and his family a good many years, but he wasn’t Silas. If Rachel couldn’t be courted by the man she loved, then she didn’t want to be courted at all. Of course, she could go as Abe’s friend. Still, that might lead the poor fellow on, and she didn’t want him to think there was any chance for the two of them as a couple.

“So, what’s your answer?” Abe prompted. “Can I come by your place on Saturday night and give you a lift to the Weavers’?”

Rachel nibbled on her lower lip as she searched for the right words. She didn’t want to hurt Abe’s feelings, but her answer had to be no. “I’m flattered that you’d want to escort me to the taffy pull, but I’m afraid I can’t go.”

Abe’s dark eyebrows drew downward. “How come?”

She swallowed hard. “My mamm has a bad cold, and my daed just got on his feet after a painful bout with his back. I think it’s best for me to stick close to home.”

Abe nodded and slapped his hat back on his head. “Good enough. I’ll see you around, then.” With that, he marched out the door.

Rachel followed, hoping to call out a friendly good-bye, but Abe was already in his buggy and had taken up the reins. Maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe she should have agreed to go with him. Wouldn’t having Abe as a boyfriend be better than having no boyfriend at all?

She bowed her head and prayed.
Lord, if I’m not supposed to love Silas, please give me the grace to accept it. And if I’m supposed to be courted by Abe, then give me the desire for that.

Rachel heard a horse whinny, and she glanced out the front window. A sleigh was parked in the driveway, and she recognized the driver. Rachel’s heart hammered in her chest, and her hands felt like a couple of slippery trout as she watched Silas step down from his buggy and hurry toward the greenhouse. She couldn’t imagine why he would be here. The harvest was done, and Dad’s back was much better. Maybe he’d come to buy a plant for someone.

Silas rubbed his hands briskly together as he entered the greenhouse. His nose was red from the cold, and his black hat was covered with tiny snowflakes. Dad’s prediction about the weather had come true, for the snow was certainly here.

Rachel moved toward the counter, her heart riding on waves of expectation. Silas followed. “It’s mighty cold out, and I’m glad we got your daed’s hay in when we did. Guess winter’s decided to come a bit early.” He nodded toward the door. “Say, wasn’t that Abe Landis I saw getting into his buggy as I pulled in?”

“Jah, it was Abe.”

“Did he buy out the store?”

She shook her head. “Nope, didn’t buy a thing.”

Silas raised his eyebrows. “How come?”

“Abe stopped by to ask me to the taffy pull this Saturday night.” Rachel stepped behind the counter. “Can I help you with something, Silas?”

He squinted his dark eyes, and Rachel wondered why he made no comment about Abe’s invitation.

“I came by to see if you have any poinsettias. My mamm’s sister lives in Ohio, and she’s coming to visit next week. Mom thought since her birthday’s soon, she would give her a plant.”

Rachel stepped out from behind the counter. “I believe we still have one or two poinsettias in the other room. Shall we go take a look-see?”

Silas followed silently as they went to the room where a variety of plants were on display. Rachel showed him several red poinsettias, and he selected the largest one.

Back at the battery-operated cash register, Rachel’s hands trembled as she counted out Silas’s change. Just the nearness of him took her breath away, and it irked her to think he had the power to make her feel so weak in the knees.

“Seen any interesting birds lately?” Silas asked after she’d wrapped some paper around the pot of the plant and handed it to him.

Glad for the diversion, she smiled. “I saw a great horned owl the other night when I was looking up in the tree with my binoculars. The critter was sure hootin’ like crazy.”

Silas chuckled; then he started for the door. Just as he got to the shelf where Rachel’s hope-chest items were placed, he stopped and bent down to examine them. “These look like some mighty fine dishes. Mind if I ask how much they cost?”

“The price sticker is on the bottom of the top plate.”

Silas picked it up and whistled. “Kind of high, don’t you think?” His face turned redder than the plant he held. “Sorry. Guess it’s not my place to decide how much your folks should be selling things for.”

Rachel thought about telling Silas that it wasn’t her mom or dad who had priced the dishes, but she didn’t want him to know she was trying to sell off her hope-chest items. It was none of his business. “I hope your aunt enjoys the poinsettia,” she said instead.