The Farmer's Bride

by Kathleen Fuller

  Ruby closed the door. “You’re a brave woman, Martha.”

  “Would someone please tell me what’s going on?” Chris scratched his head, completely confused.

  “Later.” Ruby went to the stove, picked up a cookie, and thrust it into Chris’s hand. “We’re canceling the hunt.”

  He stared at the cookie and then looked at her. “We are?”

  “Ya. When the men return, we’ll have supper, and then everyone can play volleyball while Martha helps me in the kitchen. Is that all right with you, Martha?”

  She nodded. Normally she’d rather play volleyball than do dishes, but she wouldn’t refuse Ruby’s offer of help.

  “I thought you liked volleyball,” Chris said. “I can assist Ruby with the dishes instead.”

  Ruby walked to her husband and threaded her arm through his. “Don’t worry,” she said, lowering her voice. “You don’t have to play. The game needs a referee.”

  He looked relieved and nodded. “I’m capable of doing that.”

  Martha smiled, remembering the horseshoe match she, Ruby, Chris, and Selah had played last year. Chris might be the smartest man in Birch Creek, and the best teacher, but he was a terrible horseshoe player. Selah had told her after the game that Chris didn’t like sports, and Martha had seen why. A newborn colt had more grace than Christian Ropp.

  He took a bite of the cookie and smiled. “This is extremely flavorful, Ruby. I believe it’s yer best batch yet.”

  She grinned, and they exchanged a sweet look.

  A few minutes after all the women crowded into the kitchen to make sure Martha was all right, the men started returning from searching for her. Unlike Ruby and some of the women, who had a wary look in their eyes, they seemed to accept the excuse that she’d taken a walk and lost track of time. Men were so easy to fool sometimes.

  For the rest of the evening Ruby was protective of Martha, staying close to her side.

  When the volleyball game was over, and everyone was about to leave, Ruby said, “Martha, I have a quilt to show you upstairs. Christian, see our guests out. Don’t wait for us,” she said to everyone as she led Martha up the stairs. “See you tomorrow.”

  “You’re not showing me a quilt,” Martha said as they reached Ruby’s bedroom door.

  Her friend shook her head. “Nee. Well, I could. We have an old one that belonged to Christian’s grandmother on our bed. But if you’ve seen one quilt, you’ve seen them all.” She paused. “Are you okay?”

  “Ya. And danki for helping me tonight.” She hugged Ruby.

  “You’re welcome.” Ruby stepped back. “I just wish I’d known sooner.”

  “I should have told you.”

  “Maybe you and I can come up with a plan to deal with those buwe.” Ruby grinned.

  Martha shook her head. “Danki, Ruby, but I have to handle this on mei own.”

  Later that night, after she arrived home from the Ropps’, Martha pondered her predicament. So far she’d managed to involve her mother, Cevilla, Ruby, and even Seth in her dilemma, and that wasn’t right. Martha decided to follow Richard’s advice—from now on she would be straightforward with any man who asked her out. She would find a way to let him down easy, since she didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Been there, done that—and, according to Paul, worse. But she would have to be firm. And she would tell them the truth—she didn’t have time to date now. She just couldn’t tell them that was thanks to Seth Yoder. Oddly enough, she was engaging in Cevilla’s plan B, even though it wasn’t exactly the way the woman had wanted her to.

  Yes. That’s what she would do. Be firm. Tell the truth. No running away.

  She set that aside and made herself a ham and cheese sandwich. She hadn’t had much of an appetite tonight, but now she was hungry. Her parents were already in bed, and the house was quiet. Her thoughts shifted to woodcarving as she ate. She intended to learn all she could from Seth, even if it took her a while to accomplish it. Maybe he would be willing to share his woodshop if she bought her own tools and supplied more wood. She might bring that up to him during their first lesson.

  She started to feel better. Between her job and new hobby, she wouldn’t have time for dating or socializing, and she wouldn’t have to say much of anything to her suitors because, except for church, she wouldn’t see them. That suited her just fine.

  * * *

  It was almost dusk when Nina walked down the gravel drive to the mailbox. Her father had mentioned that he might pave the driveway, but that would be in the future. He had his hands full working on their new house and the inn. They were all busy. She rubbed her shoulder. It was still sore after she’d first helped with all the unpacking and cleaning and then spent the last three days pulling down old kitchen cabinets, sanding them, staining them a lighter oak color, and then, with Levi’s help, hanging them back up.

  The four of them had been so busy that no one had collected the mail even though the post office had been scheduled to start delivering it yesterday. She anticipated that the rusty box would be full. Her grandmother had already purchased a new metal mailbox to put in a simple new wood frame, and somehow she’d talked Sol Troyer, the carpenter helping them with the inn addition, into making the frame by Monday. Grossmammi never wasted time getting things done—or using any excuse to snoop around the community. She hadn’t admitted to doing that, but Nina was positive she was learning as much information about Birch Creek as she could. That was her grandmother’s way.

  As for Nina, she hadn’t ventured past their property lines, unlike Levi and her father, who had visited the bishop and introduced themselves yesterday. If Grossmammi had been home at the time, she would have gone with them, but she’d just left for Yoder’s Bakery to purchase bread. She wouldn’t be happy they were going without her, but they had invited Nina to go along with them. She had declined. She wasn’t ready for that. Eventually she would meet people, but right now she wanted to keep herself at arm’s length. That way she could at least pretend there was still a possibility that the rest of the family would give up this whole inn idea and move back home.

  Even though it was early evening, it was still hot and humid. She pulled a handkerchief out of the pocket of her apron and wiped her forehead. She tucked it back into her pocket, then pulled open the lid to the mailbox and thrust her hand inside.

  Something flew at her, and she yanked out her hand. A wasp! She swatted at it. She was fine around worms and grubs and other live bait, but she despised flying insects, especially the stinging kind. More wasps flew out. She screamed when one of them stung her arm, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  Then she felt someone strong and sturdy grab her waist and yank her away from the mailbox. “Hang on,” a male voice said close to her ear.

  She opened her eyes and saw that she was being dragged halfway up the front yard. When they were clear of the wasps, he released her.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She nodded, face-to-face with a handsome man who appeared to be around her age. “I-I think so.” Then the sting started to burn. “Or maybe not,” she said, looking down at the bright red welt on her arm.

  “For land’s sake, Nina, what was all that screaming about?” Grossmammi marched onto the front porch, the screen door shutting behind her.

  “Wasps,” the man said. “She’s been stung.”

  “Oh dear.” Grossmammi hurried down the porch steps. Nina was always surprised at how light and quick on her feet her grandmother was. “Let me take a look at it.”

  The sting wasn’t that bad, and she checked her arms again. Somehow, she’d been stung only once, which was a miracle considering how many wasps had flown out of the mailbox. She felt a little stupid for screeching like a wounded animal. “I’m okay, Grossmammi,” she said, turning to the man who had saved her from a more painful experience. Her mouth dropped open. “But I don’t think he is.”

  Grossmammi turned and sucked in a breath. “Oh dear.”

  The man winced, as if finally notici
ng that he was in pain. He touched the huge red bump forming above his eye. “Guess they got me too.”

  “Come inside right now and we’ll put some ice on that,” her grandmother ordered.

  He shook his head, still wincing. “I don’t live far from here. I’ll take care of it when I get home.”

  “Nonsense. We’ll take care of you here.”

  Before he could respond, her grandmother was behind him, pushing him toward the porch. “Geh into the kitchen and get some ice cubes,” she said to Nina. “Then wrap them in a clean dish towel.”

  Nina nodded and did as she was told. When the man and her grandmother came into the kitchen, Grossmammi pointed at a chair. “Sit.”

  He sat down without saying a word.

  Nina brought over the wrapped towel and handed it to Grossmammi. “I’m not the one who needs it; he is,” her grandmother said. “Place it gently on his eye.”

  She hesitated. This wouldn’t be a big deal if it was her brother or father or any of her friends back home, but she didn’t know this man. She didn’t want to be that close to a stranger.

  “I can do it.” He took the towel from her and put it against his eye, which was already swelling shut.

  Nina grimaced. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “It’s not yer fault.” He smiled a little, then winced. “The wasps have been a problem in this heat.”

  “Still, I should have been more careful—”

  “He said it wasn’t yer fault, Nina.” Grossmammi turned to him with a sweet smile, one she reserved for special occasions. “What’s yer name, yung mann?”

  “Seth Yoder.”

  Her smile widened. “Are you related to the bishop, then?”

  “Ya, he’s mei daed.”

  “You hear that, Nina?” Grossmammi looked at her, clasping her hands together. “He’s the bishop’s sohn.”

  “That’s . . . nice.” The only bishop’s son she’d ever known was Jonah Gruber. He had been a huge pest when he was younger, then a troublemaker when he was older. She wasn’t surprised he ended up leaving the Amish. Until then, her grandmother had dropped hints that he just needed a good woman to turn him around, as though Nina was surely that woman. For some reason Grossmammi had always thought more highly of the bishop’s family than any other. From her impressed expression as she looked at Seth, she apparently still believed that.

  “Does yer arm hurt?” Seth pointed to her sting, looking at it with his good eye.

  “It’s fine.”

  “Here.” He handed her the towel. “Put it on the sting.”

  This guy was nothing like Jonah. “You keep it,” she said. “You need it more than I do.”

  “Let me get you something cold to drink, Seth,” Grossmammi said. “Lemonade or iced tea?”

  Seth stood. “Neither, but danki. I need to get back home. I’ve been gone long enough as it is.”

  “But yer eye—”

  “Mei mamm’s got some herbs she uses for stuff like this.” He cracked a tepid smile. “I’ve been stung plenty of times.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll walk you out,” Nina said, ignoring her grandmother for once. She led Seth out the front door, glancing over her shoulder. Surprisingly, Grossmammi didn’t follow them.

  When they were on the porch, she said, “Danki. I would have been stung to bits if you hadn’t come along.”

  He nodded. “I’m glad that didn’t happen. I really do have to get home.” He hurried down the steps and waved to her. “Nice to meet you, uh . . .”

  “Nina,” she called out, waving back as he half-jogged down the road. He really was in a hurry to leave. I wonder why?

  “Nina!” Grossmammi yelled.

  Then again, she knew exactly why. “Coming,” she said, going back into the house.

  “Why did you let him geh?” Grossmammi said as Nina walked into the kitchen.

  She looked around the kitchen. Tools and debris were everywhere, a can with stain dripping down its sides was on the counter, and several of the floorboards were buckled. Now that she was viewing it objectively, she realized the place looked like a disaster zone except for the refurbished cabinets. Between that, her pushy grandmother, and Seth’s eye being nearly swollen shut, she didn’t blame him for running off. “He said he had to geh home.”

  “Humph.” Grossmammi gave her a stern look. “You could have tried harder to convince him to stay. He’s the bishop’s sohn, after all.”

  Not that again. “I’m sure he’d feel more comfortable at home than here in this mess.”

  Her grandmother glanced around the room. “You might have a point.” She looked at Nina. “How is yer arm?”

  At least she remembered Nina had been stung too. “It’s all right.”

  “I’ll get you some ice.” Grossmammi grabbed another dish towel off the ring it was hanging on and went straight to the cooler. She took out a few more ice cubes, wrapped them in the towel, and went to Nina. “Sit down and we’ll put this on yer arm. I’ll have Loren get rid of that nest. I told him he needed to take down that old rusty mailbox sooner than later.”

  Grossmammi sat down next to Nina and put the towel over the welt on her forearm. “Seth is very schee, ya?” Grossmammi said. “Yer daed told me about the bishop’s familye. Said they were very nice. From what I’ve been able to gather, the whole community thinks highly of them.”

  “That’s gut.”

  “And he saved you.” Grossmammi batted her eyelashes. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

  “Nee,” Nina said warily. “Other than he was at the right place at the right time.” And he was willing to risk getting stung to save her from being swarmed. She admired him for that.

  “It means we must invite him for supper.” She looked at Nina, smiling. “As a thank-you for saving you.”

  “Can’t I just write him a thank-you note?”

  “You can do that too.” She looked at Nina’s arm, realized the towel wasn’t anywhere near the sting, and placed it back over the welt. “Is this helping?” she asked.

  “A bit.” The redness was fading, and the sting hardly hurt at all. She must have been stung by a baby wasp.

  “Gut thing you’re not allergic. The last thing you need is to get all puffy.” She stood. “I’ll get some apple-cider vinegar and bandages,” she said, going to one of the freshly renovated cabinets. She opened one door and got her supplies. “I’m sure we’ll see Seth at the service tomorrow.”

  “Maybe.” The swelling above his eye looked pretty serious. “I still don’t think it’s necessary to invite him for supper.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t.” Grossmammi dabbed the vinegar on the sting, which took away the rest of the pain. “However, a nice yung lady would do exactly that after such a daring rescue.”

  Sometimes her grandmother could be overdramatic. “You’ve been reading those Christian romance novels again, haven’t you?”

  Levi and their father walked into the kitchen. “What happened to you?” Levi asked.

  “There’s a wasp nest in the mailbox,” Grossmammi huffed. “You should have taken care of that when I told you to, Loren.”

  Daed let out a long, familiar sigh. Nina knew her father had his methods of handling his mother, mainly to let her think she had her own way. “It’s all right, Daed,” she said, not wanting him to feel bad. “I’ll be okay.”

  Levi peered at her arm. “Doesn’t look too bad.”

  “It’s not,” Nina said.

  “But it could have been tragic.” Grossmammi patted her arm. “Thank goodness for Seth Yoder.”

  “What?” Levi asked, picking up an oatmeal cookie from the plate near the stove.

  “Never mind.” Nina sank back in her chair. She didn’t need Levi teasing her about Seth.

  Daed reached around Levi and grabbed a cookie. “When the sun goes down I’ll get the mail out of there and take care of the nest. The wasps should be sluggish by then, and I’ll spray some dish detergent water on them.”


  “Then you’ll pick up our new mailbox and frame on Monday,” Grossmammi said.

  Another sigh. “Ya, Mamm. I will.”

  With a pleased smile, Grossmammi went to the sink, then gave Levi’s hand a small pat. “You’ll spoil yer supper.”

  “That’s never happened,” Levi said, pointing out the truth.

  A short time later, Nina helped her grandmother put together a simple meal of sandwiches, chips, store-bought pickles, and prepared potato salad. After prayer and filled plates, Levi picked up a potato chip. “I’ll be glad when the kitchen is put back together,” he said. “I miss yer cooking, Grossmammi.”

  Grossmammi beamed. “I’ll make you a feast, Levi.”

  Nina was also tired of cold meals, but it wouldn’t be much longer before the kitchen was completely remodeled. Then she thought about Grossmammi’s supper invitation. Hopefully she would drop the idea. Having supper with Seth and her family would be nothing short of awkward. But knowing Delilah Stoll, she wouldn’t care. She’d make sure Seth came for supper, even if Nina didn’t want him there.

  * * *

  The next morning was Sunday, and Martha prepared for church. She put on her best dress, a dark-blue one with short sleeves, then put up her hair and pinned her kapp in place. She never took much time to get ready, so while her parents were still getting dressed, she went outside, sat on a wicker chair on the front porch, and enjoyed the time to herself before the service. The sweet sound of twittering birds surrounded her as fluffy clouds gathered in the sky. Thank you, Lord, for a beautiful morning. And if you don’t mind, please give me the courage to be upfront with Zeb and Zeke and Ira and the rest of the buwe. Amen.

  Finally her parents came out of the house, and they all loaded up in the buggy, where their horse was already hitched. The cloudy sky grew overcast, threatening rain. She was glad for that. It had been a dry, hot summer so far, drier than most. She’d heard some talk among the farmers in their community. They were worried about the lack of rainfall. Martha didn’t know much about farming, but she did know gardening, and she was able to keep her and Mamm’s garden going only with the help of a water hose. Even then her tomato plants had looked a little wilted last night when she got home from Ruby’s, and she’d given them a long drink of water before going inside.