“That sounds ruthless.”
“I’m a ruthless genius.”
“And how would you go about taking advantage of someone’s mistake anyway?”
“That’s my secret.”
“You can’t tell me something like that, Mark, and not follow through with an explanation.”
He sighed. “It’s pretty clear, Rosie. Jacob has to marry someone else other than you. How would I turn that to my advantage?” He stared at her with such intensity that she had to look away. He still liked her just as she’d hoped and he hadn’t been put off by her liking Jacob.
Mark continued, “I’ve always felt a certain way toward you, and I’ve always hoped that you might feel the same way about me. I love you, Rosie.”
She turned her head around once more to look into his eyes. “You do?”
He nodded.
“Why did you encourage me with Jacob? Why did you ask me to have dinner at your haus when he was there?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve just been hanging around, hoping you’d feel the same one day. There are only so many hints I can drop. All those jokes and what-not that I say to you—I mean them. I’ve always meant them. I’ve always hoped you’ll marry me and perhaps one day see something in me that you’ve never seen before. That’s my hope, anyway.”
Rose looked down. Her heart was bruised and not ready to let anyone else in.
“You don’t have to say anything, Rosie. I’ll have to settle for your friendship if that’s all you have to offer. I need you in my life and if it’ll only ever be that you and I stay friends then I’ll consider myself a man most blessed. Blessed because …” He put his hand on his heart. “You are … I can’t find the words. You are just wunderbaar!”
She laughed. No one had ever talked that way about her before. With Jacob it had all been lies and it somehow felt as though he was always out of reach. Here was Mark who had all the goodness, principles, and kindness that she’d always wanted in a man, but did she love him? There were no butterflies in her tummy.
“I don’t know what to say, Mark.”
He shook his head slightly, smiling at her. “You don’t need to say anything, but I need to ask you something.”
She gulped. “What?”
“Rosie, will you marry me?”
She gulped again. “I don’t know … it’s too soon because …”
“Don’t say anything more. I didn’t think you would. I just wanted to let you know in all honesty how much I would love you to be my fraa.” He stood up. “I’ll never be far away, Rosie, if you ever change your mind.”
Rose sat there and watched him walk away. Part of her wanted to run after him, but there was another part that told her Mark wasn’t her perfect man. He wasn’t the one she’d always imagined. Tulip had been right to caution her. Just because Jacob had been a disaster, she shouldn’t settle for someone who was nice and wouldn’t break her heart. Someone else might come along who suited her better than Mark and be more like the dream man she’d always imagined.
Chapter 21
A whole year passed. Months ago, Rose had held her oldest brother’s newborn baby in her arms, and she desperately wanted to have a baby of her own. Some weeks after that, she heard whispers that a child had been born to Jessica and Jacob. Of course, the child had been born less than nine months after their marriage, but that was swept under the rug and not mentioned. Still, the news of the birth reminded Rose of how she’d been fooled by Jacob and it sent her into a dark depression.
Nancy Yoder sat her oldest daughter down one Monday morning before Rose left for work.
“Rose, it’s been more than a year now since I spoke to you about you getting married. You haven’t been out with anyone since Jacob. Your vadder told me to let you be, but what’s going on? There are ten weddings booked now in the time since Jacob left. One of those weddings should’ve been yours.”
“I told you, Mamm, getting married is something I won’t do until I find someone who suits me. I won’t be forced into something just for the sake of it.”
“There are a dozen men, any of which would suit you. What are you waiting, or looking, for? It’s not setting a good example for your sisters. They seem just as uninterested in the whole idea of marriage as you are and I can only blame you for that.”
Rose tugged at the strings of her prayer kapp. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know about what?” Her mother was using her angry voice.
“Anything, really … I guess.”
“Well, perhaps that’s where we should start. We shall work out what problem you have with marriage and clear it up. Perhaps another talk with the bishop would be in order?”
“Nee, not the bishop again, please, Mamm.”
“Okay, but you can’t escape talking with me. Tonight’s the night, right after dinner.”
Rose stood up. “Okay, tonight it is, but right now I need to go to work. Mrs. Walker needs me to start a little earlier today. She’ll be here soon. They’re redoing the roof over the market and we might need to move the stall to the other end for a few days. The managers are letting us know today.”
“Okay, Rose, but we will speak tonight. And we’ll put a plan into place. You’re making too big a thing out of this. One man is as gut as another.”
“Really?” Rose raised her eyebrows. “I wonder what Dat would think about that?”
Mrs. Yoder giggled and wagged her finger at her daughter. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Rose smiled and then leaned over and kissed her mother on her cheek. “I’ll see you later, Mamm.”
“Don’t forget we need to talk tonight.”
“There’s no danger of that. You’ve talked about nothing else these last few minutes.”
Rose hurried down the driveway to meet Mrs. Walker. She’d long since gotten over Jacob and the hurt he’d caused her heart. Jacob hadn’t been respectful toward her and now that more time had passed, she could see that clearly. She felt sorry for Jessica, the girl he’d married.
Mark and she hadn’t been as close as they once were. It was kind of awkward between them ever since Mark had asked her to marry him. She’d thought about Mark and his proposal every single day. She couldn’t find a reason not to accept his proposal except for a nagging doubt. After months of self-examination, Rose realized that her doubt was purely based on the fact that she’d always seen herself with someone different from Mark. She was a tall girl and Mark was barely a shade taller and she’d always imagined herself married to someone so much taller, as tall as Jacob. Besides that, Mark was easily available to her and there was something within her that wanted the excitement of the exotic stranger, someone new and exciting—as Jacob had been.
Is it that simple? She slowed down when she nearly reached the road. Looking down, she kicked the pebbles along the driveway. Rose missed talking and laughing with Mark every day. What if he no longer wanted her? Could he have grown tired of waiting? She knew he wasn’t dating anyone—she hadn’t heard he was, at least.
She leaned against the gatepost at the end of the drive, waiting for Mrs. Walker while she thought about men. Her relationship with Jacob had been exciting, but it had also caused her pain. Jacob wasn’t honest and forthright, whereas Mark had told her exactly how he felt about her and that had taken great courage. Rose could appreciate that now that time had passed.
Maybe she loved Mark. Or was it love? Could it be love or simply that there was no one else around? Was that why she now felt as though she might love him?
She heaved a loud sigh. This is all too confusing!
When she heard the clip-clopping of hooves, she looked up to see Mrs. Walker’s gray horse pulling the buggy.
When they arrived at the markets, Rose found out that the Walkers had to move their stall to the other side while the roof was being repaired. That also meant that Rose wouldn’t be next to Mark’s younger brother and the goat-cheese stall.
When the midday rush was over, she looked up and
saw Mark walking toward her. Her heart pounded in her ears while at the same time she hoped she looked all right.
“Hi Mark. It’s nice to see you.”
“Hello, Rosie. I’ve come to check on Matthew.”
“They’ve had to move us all around.”
“I know. I hope it won’t be for too long. Our regular customers mightn’t be able to find us.”
“You’re not working today?” Rose asked.
He laughed. “I’ve got the day off. It’s the advantage of not working in the familye business. Goats have to be milked every day.”
“That sounds gut, that you can have a day off.”
She stared at him. Had he grown a little taller and was he a little heavier? He looked more of a man now rather than a teenager. How great a difference a year had made. Sure, she’d seen him every couple of weeks at the meetings, but she’d never really ‘looked’ at him like she was now.
“How have you been, Rosie?”
She desperately wanted to tell him that she’d missed him. She swallowed hard against the lump that had formed in her throat. “I’ve been okay.”
“You look lovely.”
Rose giggled. “Denke.”
“Well, I’d better have a look to see where our stall’s been placed.”
“I’m sure it’s over that way.” She pointed to the western corner of the building.
“I’ll come back and talk after I see Matthew.”
Rose nodded. “I’d like that.”
She watched him walk away and to her surprise she was tingling, and she could only put that down to being nervous.
A loud boom shook the ground underneath her and Rose grabbed hold of the table in front of her. The roof that was being fixed had collapsed, and billows of dust filled the air. Her stall was outside under an annex and had escaped the disaster. Everything took place in slow motion, as though she were in a dream. There was an eerie silence and then all at once screams and cries rang through the air. Seconds later, Rose stood stunned as people ran to and fro.
Chapter 22
“Mark!” Rose screamed as she ran toward the rubble.
Suddenly Mark appeared amongst the dust and debris. He yelled for someone to call Emergency Services. Then he organized men in the crowd that had gathered, forming teams to start moving the rubble aside to get people out.
When Mark saw Rose, he yelled at her to stay back.
All Rose could do was stand there and watch the scene unfold as though it wasn’t really happening. It was too awful to be true. Mark could’ve been killed, and where was Matthew? Rose knew Matthew was somewhere under the pile of wooden beams and roofing fragments with many of the other workers.
Soon Mark and the men he’d organized were pulling out the wounded. A sense of relief came at the sound of the sirens of the police, fire, and paramedic vehicles.
Rose closed her eyes tightly and prayed that Matthew was somewhere safe where he wasn’t harmed. When Rose opened her eyes, she saw an upright beam tilt, and Mark was directly underneath it. She screamed and ran to him, but she was too late. He was lying there, still and motionless.
“Mark.” She picked up his hand. The lower half of his body was trapped.
A pair of strong arms lifted her up and away. She turned to see a fireman.
“Stay clear, Ma’am.”
“Help him!” Rose screamed pointing to Mark. Rose stayed on the side and watched as three firemen levered the wooden beam off him. Once it was off, the paramedics were called over to tend to him.
“Is he okay?” Rose leaned over and asked them.
“He’s alive.”
Rose looked around and couldn’t see Matthew. She knew that would be Mark’s first concern. “His brother’s still in there somewhere.”
“They’re doing all they can to get everyone out. Stand back, Ma’am. We’re ready to move him.” The paramedics moved Mark onto a stretcher and Rose ran alongside until they put him in an ambulance.
“Are you his wife?” one of them asked as he closed the double doors at the rear of the vehicle.
“No, I’m just a friend.” Thinking it didn’t reflect their relationship, she added, “A really good friend.”
After the paramedic had told Rose which hospital he’d be taken to, Rose ran back to look for Matthew. To her relief, she found Matthew sitting with people who were waiting for medical attention.
She silently thanked God that he was still alive. “Matthew, are you okay?”
“Jah, Rose, nothing major. How are you?”
“I’m okay, but they’ve just taken Mark to the hospital. A huge wooden beam fell on him and he’s been knocked out.”
Matthew’s bottom lip trembled. “Mark was here?”
“Jah. He came to see where your stall had been placed. I’ve got to go to him to make sure he’ll be fine. I mean, I’m sure he is. He’s in good hands. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Matthew gulped and nodded. “I’m just a bit dizzy. Go and be with him please, Rose. He’ll want you to be with him.”
Rose nodded and ran to grab her belongings from behind the flower stall. At least that had escaped the damage. Then she headed out to the main road to catch a taxi.
Rose was relieved when she arrived at the hospital. She was told that Mark had regained consciousness; he had a slight concussion, and a broken leg.
He was still in the emergency section and she was shown to his bedside where a nurse was adjusting his drip.
“What are you doing here?” His eyes were half open and his speech was slurred.
“I’m here to make certain you’ll be okay.” She grabbed his hand.
“I’m fine, but I can’t marry you.”
A nurse was adjusting his IV drip, and whispered to Rose, “It’s the drugs talking.”
Rose nodded and smoothed back Mark’s hair, careful of the bandage on his head. “You can’t?”
“Nee, I can’t. I can’t marry you in here.”
“The doctor will be back to see him soon.” The nurse shot Rose a big smile before she made her way through the curtains that separated Mark from the other patients in Emergency.
“But you still want to marry me?” Rose asked Mark.
He smiled back. “Nothing I’d like better,” he whispered before his eyes gradually closed.
Rose leaned closer to check that he was still breathing. What part of his words were his and what part was the pain medication? Would he still want to marry her after so long? She looked down at their hands clasped together and tears fell down her face. As long as he got healthy again, that’s all that mattered.
Suddenly the curtains were pulled aside. A man in a white coat stepped through and introduced himself as a doctor.
“Will he be okay?” Rose asked.
“Are you a relative?”
“No.” She then realized she should’ve called Mark’s parents.
The doctor glanced down at their clasped hands.
“We’re engaged,” she announced.
“Congratulations!” The doctor smiled and then told her about Mark’s injuries and what he expected of his recovery. “He’ll sleep now. He’s had strong medication and you won’t get any sense out of him. He’ll be out of Emergency and in a ward tomorrow if you want to come back in the morning.”
Rose nodded. “Is it okay if I sit with him for a while?”
“Of course, but he won’t know you’re here.”
Rose stayed by his side another hour before she thought about her family and the Walker family. They would’ve heard about the disaster by now and would be wondering where she was. She leaned over and left a soft kiss on Mark’s forehead. Before she left the hospital, her first call was to Mark and Matthew’s mother to tell her what had happened and where her sons were.
* * *
When the taxi stopped at Rose’s house, her mother rushed out the front door.
“Rose, you’re okay.”
Rose finished paying the driver and quickly got out of the car because she
knew how her mother was prone to panicking at the slightest thing. “Jah, Mamm.” Rose repeated everything she’d told her on the phone. “I’m okay. I just had to leave the stall because there was so much devastation everywhere. Mark is in the hospital with a broken leg and concussion and Matthew has got something wrong with him but he’s not too bad. The paramedics were looking after him when I left for the hospital to see how Mark was.”
Her mother wrapped her arms around her. “I’m so grateful you’re okay.”
As they walked to the house, Tulip ran out and she was promptly instructed by their mother to call the Walkers to tell them Rose was fine.
“I had to leave the flowers,” Rose said as Tulip hurried to the phone in the barn.
“I’ve had Mrs. Walker over here and she told me everything that happened. She was very worried about you because no one knew where you were.”
Rose bit her lip and stopped still at the bottom of the porch steps. “I don’t know why I didn’t call her. I thought of it, but everything was happening so fast. I called Mrs. Schumacher and told her where Matthew and Mark were.”
“That would’ve been a hard call to make. Come inside now. You look all pale, much paler than usual. You need something to eat and drink.”
That was the last thing Rose felt like, but she didn’t have enough energy to argue with her mother after all that had happened.
As soon as she stepped into the house, she was faced with the twins who rapidly asked her questions one after the other. Rose answered as many of them as she could. “As far as I know, no one died, but many were injured.”
Their mother ordered, “Stop asking so many things. Daisy, make her a cup of tea.”
“Okay,” Daisy said.
“It’s okay, Mamm, I don’t mind answering questions.”
“What would you like to eat?” Lily asked.
“Would you like to eat in the kitchen or the living room?” Daisy asked.
Rose was touched that her twin sisters were being so nice to her. They usually kept to themselves. “In the kitchen is fine, denke.”
Amish Rose Page 13
