“Did the lady who wanted corn come back?”
Anne shook her head. “Not yet.”
“Looks like your cornstalks will become livestock feed, after all. My goats will enjoy it.”
“I’m not giving up on the lady. Keep your goats away until after November 1.”
The car drove past without stopping. Anne’s spirits drooped. “Don’t bother picking more for now. We’ll just have to haul them back if we don’t sell them.”
Sitting down on a straw bale beside her, he reached for Leah. “Don’t give up. It’s early yet.”
She appreciated his encouragement. It was pleasant having company with her. Manning the stand was often a lonely task between customers. Having Joseph with her for companionship made the slow morning bearable.
More than bearable, Anne admitted. It was nice. They talked about a dozen different subjects. She had no idea he was interested in so many topics or that they liked so many of the same activities. He fished and so did she. He read books by many of the same authors she enjoyed. His goats might be his passion, but he was well-read and had an inquiring mind that surprised her. She was learning more than she ever thought possible about her reclusive neighbor. God had opened a door to Joseph using Leah as the key.
Two of their Amish neighbors drove past in their buggies. They waved but didn’t stop. Anne waved back. Joseph didn’t. She couldn’t expect him to change completely overnight, but she was happy with the progress he had made.
The next vehicle that came down the road was their rural mail carrier. He leaned out his window with Anne’s mail in his hand. “Morning, Miss Stoltzfus. I thought I should tell you that your sign by the highway is down. The county is working on the bridge just east of this road. It looks like they moved your sign to get their bulldozers down into the creek bed.”
“Oh, dear. Perhaps that’s why I haven’t had any customers this morning. Thanks for letting me know, Mr. Potter.”
“Don’t mention it. Joseph, if I had known you were here, I would’ve brought your mail along.”
Joseph perked up. “Was there a letter for me?”
“Nope. Just your newspaper and your Goat World magazine.”
Anne watched the hope fade from Joseph’s eyes. He was still waiting to hear from his sister. It was a letter Anne feared would never come.
“Have a nice day, folks.” With a wave, the mail carrier drove off.
Anne sat beside Joseph and held out her copy of the paper for him to read. “I wonder if I should shut down early.”
He handed Leah to her and took the paper. “I think that would be hasty. The sign has been there since the spring. People will have seen it before. If they want fresh produce, they will come this way.”
“I reckon you’re right. I will just have to wait and see how it goes.”
She spent the next half hour playing with Leah before the baby grew tired and slept in her arms. The lady who wanted cornstalks returned just before noon. She took all the ones Anne had cut, explaining that they were being used to decorate a grade-school classroom with a harvest theme. She took an assortment of gourds and pumpkins, too, making Anne grateful that she hadn’t closed the stand.
Joseph finished reading the paper and folded it neatly. “Do you have a cell phone?”
“I keep one in my midwife kit in case of an emergency. Why?”
“I wanted to make a call, but I’ll go down the road to the Mast farm and use theirs.”
Their Englisch neighbor lived less than a quarter of a mile away. A kindhearted elderly man, he was always willing to let the Amish use his phone. He was the one who kept Anne’s spare cell phone batteries charged for her.
Joseph took off down the road without an explanation with the paper folded tightly in his hand. Anne spent the next hour cleaning the seeds from several of her overripe and damaged pumpkins. It was messy work, but she didn’t mind. It was easiest to separate the seeds from the strands and mush by soaking them in a pail of water. The seeds floated to the top.
When Joseph returned, he grasped the handles of her wheelbarrow. “I’m going to gather a few more. You only have several dozen left in the field.”
“You can if you wish, but I haven’t sold a single one since you left.”
“I think you’ll sell all that you have.” He had such a sly smile on his face that she had to wonder what he was up to.
By late afternoon Joseph had delivered three wheelbarrow loads of the orange fruit to the roadside. Anne chafed at wasting her time waiting for customers who didn’t show up. She had plenty to do to keep her busy in the house. “I think we should close, Joseph.”
“I’d like to wait a little longer.”
“Suit yourself, but I’m ready to go back to the house and so is Leah.” The baby had been good all afternoon, but she was growing restless. Anne picked her up.
“Here come your next customers.” Joseph took Leah from her.
Anne saw two pickups headed toward them. She was surprised when they both stopped. A teenage boy rolled down the passenger’s-side window. “Is this the Stoltzfus pumpkin patch?”
“It is,” Joseph called out.
“Sweet. This is it, guys. Load them up and be careful. We can’t chunk broken ones. Make sure they’re within the weight limit. If you have a doubt, Ben has a scale.”
Anne watched in amazement as five young men swarmed her stand and began loading the trucks with her pumpkins.
“Are you taking them all?” This was astonishing. She wasn’t sure what to think.
“All that we can find between eight and ten pounds,” the one they called Ben said.
“What are you going to do with so many pumpkins?”
“We’re going to chunk them.”
She looked at Joseph. “Do you know what that means?”
He smiled and nodded. “It means they are going to load them onto a trebuchet and into air cannons and shoot them as far as possible.”
Puzzled, she looked to the young men for an explanation. “What is a trebuchet?”
“It’s a catapult,” Ben said, weighing one of the questionable pumpkins on a small bathroom scale he had produced from the floor of his truck. “Half pound light. We can’t take this one. You should come and watch. I hold the county record for the longest air-cannon shot.”
Anne still wasn’t sure what they were talking about.
Joseph chuckled. “I saw an article in the newspaper that said the Pumpkin Chunkin’ Festival was getting under way in a few days. I called the number they had listed for information and asked if they needed more ammunition. It turns out they did.”
“We’re mighty glad you called. We need all the practice we can get. The big competition in Delaware is coming up in a couple of weeks. We plan to take home the grand prize,” Ben said as he counted out the bills and handed them to Joseph.
Joseph held up one hand and nodded toward Anne. “The money goes to her. Keep us in mind for next year.”
“We will, man. Good chunkin’ pumpkins can be hard to find. Thanks for calling us.” They all climbed into their trucks and took off.
As the dust settled, Anne stared in amazement at the money in her hand. It was far and above what she had expected to make for the entire season. She would be able to get a new wheelbarrow and order more seeds. She looked at Joseph. “You did this for me? How can I thank you?”
Without blinking an eye, he said, “You can help me milk the goats tomorrow.”
“Are you kidding me?”
The I-dare-you look in his eyes forced her to reconsider the answer hovering on the tip of her tongue.
Chapter Eleven
Joseph watched the play of emotions across Anne’s expressive face. She didn’t want to have anything to do with his goats, but she wasn’t about to back out of her offer, ei
ther.
Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms tightly. “Very well. I will help you milk for one day.”
“Both morning and evening.”
She bowed her head in resignation. “I’ll be there.”
“Don’t look so excited.”
She shot him a sharp look. “I’m not.”
He laughed heartily. Something he hadn’t done in years. What was it about this woman that made him happy when he was talking to her, teasing her, just being near her? Had he avoided people for so long that the simplest exchange with a woman felt out of the ordinary and exciting?
Anne raised her chin. “Shall I take Leah now, or do you want to bring her over when you milk tonight?”
He grinned at the baby. “I’ll keep her for a few hours.”
“Goot. That will give me time to close up the stand. Shall I make her formula, or are you going to try making it yourself?”
“I reckon it’s time I took over the task.”
“I don’t mind doing it.”
“Are you sure?” He knew he could do it, but the chance to spend the evening with Anne was too good to pass up.
“You bring the raw milk and I’ll have the rest ready, including supper. No arguments.” She shook the money in the air. “This is cause for celebration. Pumpkin chunkin’! I never heard of such a thing.”
After returning to his house, Joseph put Leah down for her nap and got started on the laundry that had piled up over the past week. When he had the last of it pinned on the clothesline, he fixed himself a cup of coffee and sat down to read his magazine. As interesting as the articles were, he couldn’t keep his thoughts on supplement feeds with essential macro-and microminerals. His mind kept going back to the joy on Anne’s face when she realized how much money her pumpkins had earned.
He enjoyed making her happy. Seeing her smile made him want to smile, too. The feeling was something he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Not since Beth died.
Was it really almost thirteen years now since the accident? In a way, it felt as if it were only yesterday. So much of his life had changed in an instant.
He and Beth had been giddy teenagers, in a hurry to get started on a life together. Looking back, he realized now that he hadn’t really known her. They had met at the wedding of a cousin in Delaware. For him it had been love at first sight. Beth had been as eager as he to marry. She’d come from a big family and wanted a home of her own.
She would’ve made him a good wife, and he would have been a good husband to her, but God had other plans for them.
Joseph realized he’d never looked for love again after her death. He didn’t believe it could happen twice. He had been wrong about a lot of things. Maybe he was wrong about that, too.
He glanced at the baby sleeping in the crib beside his chair. If it hadn’t been for Leah, he might have lived his whole life without getting to know Anne. What a shame that would’ve been.
Lord, You do move in mysterious ways. Help me to see the goodness in life and in the people around me. Make me a better servant to Your will.
When Leah woke from her nap, he changed her diaper and dressed her warmly. There was a distinct chill in the air. He noticed the wind had switched to the north as he carried the baby to Anne’s house. She was waiting at the door for them. “The approaching winter is ready to make itself felt,” she said, holding open the door.
“The paper had a hard freeze warning for this area.”
“Gott has surely blessed me by holding off until now. I’m ready for some quiet days without weeds to hoe or produce to pick, sell or can.”
He glanced at the array of pumpkins she had lined up along the wall of her kitchen. “It doesn’t look to me like you are done.”
“A few dozen quarts of pumpkin puree won’t take that long to make, but it sure will taste fine in soups, breads and pies this winter.”
He eyed the pie pan on the counter. “Are we having a pie with supper?”
“Indeed we are. What better way to celebrate than with the fruits of our labors?”
“Sounds goot. I’ll be back right quick.”
Joseph left her house and hurried through his evening chores. At one point he found himself whistling. He paused in his work and gazed at the lights glowing in Anne’s windows. He hadn’t been this happy in a long time and she was the reason. If only Fannie would come home, his heart could truly be content.
* * *
Anne used a pair of thick hot pads to pull her pie from the oven. The mouthwatering aroma of pumpkin and spices filled the air. She took a deep breath and savored it. After setting the pie on the counter to cool, she checked the pork steaks simmering on the back burner and turned the heat down. All she needed now was to heat some of her freshly canned green beans and supper would be ready. She opened the pantry and pulled out a pint jar of them. She heard the front door open and a thrill of excitement jumped across her skin. “Come in. Supper will be ready in a few minutes.”
“Danki, but we can’t stay.” It was a woman’s voice.
Anne leaned back to look around her pantry door. Naomi Beiler and Bishop Andy stood inside her doorway. There was something in Naomi’s expression that killed Anne’s excitement.
“Willkomm. What brings you out here this evening?”
“I wanted to check on Joseph and the baby,” the bishop said.
“After his less-than-cordial reaction to my last visit, I thought it was best that we check with you before we went to his home,” Naomi added.
“They are both fine.” Anne clutched the jar to her chest.
The bishop nodded but didn’t take his eyes off her. “That’s good to hear. This is an unusual situation.”
Anne moved to the counter to open her green beans. “It is unusual, but Joseph is making the best of it. I watch the baby for him when he has to be away from the house.”
“So he is paying you to be his kindt heedah?”
“Not paying exactly. He is doing some farmwork for me in exchange. He picked most of my pumpkins and that was a blessing.”
“Several people mentioned seeing him with you at your roadside stand. Including Preacher Hostetler. I understand Joseph was there for several hours.”
“Ja, he was.” The jar lid came off with a pop. Anne poured the contents into a pan and set it on the burner. “Are you sure you can’t stay for supper? I have plenty. Joseph will be here soon to pick up Leah. You can ask him then how he is doing.”
“Your karibs pie smells wunderbar, but we have another visit to make yet tonight. They are expecting us to have supper with them.”
“I see.” She turned around and smoothed her apron. Joseph was standing behind the bishop with two pails of milk in his hands. He towered over the smaller man.
“Guten owet, Bishop. Naomi.” Joseph set the buckets aside and pulled off his hat. He held it to his chest like a shield.
The bishop turned to him with a smile. “Good evening to you, too, Joseph Lapp. We were just talking about you. How are you doing, my boy? I hear you have a niece staying with you.”
“I do. Things are much better for us thanks to Anne and to the good ladies of Naomi’s group who brought many fine gifts for us to use. You have been a true blessing, Naomi. Danki. Please share my thanks with the others.”
The woman’s face softened. “I’m glad to hear we have helped. It is what Gott wants us to do in His name.”
Joseph looked at Anne. “Is Leah ready?”
“Ja, she is asleep in my office.”
“Danki.” He put his hat on, went through to the other room and returned a few moments later with the baby in his arms. “I will see you the same time tomorrow, Anne.”
He wasn’t staying for supper. “That’s fine. I have to make a prenatal visit on Friday morning. I’ll need you to pick Leah up by e
ight o’clock after your morning milking. Will that be a problem?”
“Not at all.”
The bishop held the door open for him and the two men went out together.
Naomi stayed behind. She clasped her hands together. “You do not have a mother to tell you these things, so I hope you do not take it amiss that I am standing in her stead. You and Joseph can easily become food for gossip if you are seen being too familiar with one another.”
Anne folded her arms tightly across her chest. “We haven’t done anything improper.”
“I’m sure of that. Just take care. A good reputation is easy to lose and hard to regain.”
“People who gossip need to examine their own motives.”
Naomi shook her head. “Do not be flippant, Anne. This is serious business. I’m looking out for you and for Joseph. He doesn’t need to run afoul of public opinion. For now, he has the sympathy of many, but that can change. I’m sure the bishop is telling him the same thing I’m telling you.”
“What would you have us do? He’s my neighbor. I’m caring for his niece. We will see each other daily.”
“Be circumspect. Don’t be overly friendly, especially when you are in public. Limit your time together.”
Anne bit the corner of her lip. She had encouraged Joseph’s friendliness and enjoyed it more than she should. Maybe Naomi was right.
Naomi arched one eyebrow. “Unless he is courting you. In that case...”
“Nay, it is nothing like that,” Anne added quickly.
“A pity. It would be a good match for the two of you and for the child. Tell my niece Rhonda when you see her that I will visit this coming Sunday. Guten nacht, Anne.”
“Good night.” Anne closed the door behind her and leaned against it. This wasn’t the way she’d expected to end her evening. There would be plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. She spied the pails of milk beside the door and carried them to a counter. Leah needed her formula whether her nanny was in trouble or not.
The Amish Midwife (The Amish Bachelors 2; Lancaster Courtships 3) Page 10
