Huckleberry Hill

by Jennifer Beckstrand

  Moses’s mamm was the fourth of Mammi and Dawdi’s children, and Moses was her youngest child. Aunt Abigail, the sister just older than Mamm, came with Uncle Titus and his wife, Sally Mae, in their extra-long buggy. Titus and Sally Mae’s two unmarried sons, Ben and Titus Junior, hopped out of the buggy along with cousins Max and Amanda, twins from Ohio.

  At twenty-two years old, Ben was a fine young man. He stood three inches shorter than Moses and looked as skinny as a broomstick. His brother, Titus Junior, always had a toothpick in his teeth. They both worked for their dat on his farm and also at the harness shop. They didn’t have much time to come up to Huckleberry Hill.

  Moses hadn’t seen Max and Amanda since a year ago last Christmas. They lived in Ohio but had come to Wisconsin to visit Uncle Titus and his family. Cousin Amanda, still as petite and wiry as ever, gave Moses a cautious hug, careful not to upset his delicate balance on the crutches. “That cast is huge. You must have broken your leg something awful.”

  Max shook Moses’s hand. “Some people will do anything to get out of harvest time.”

  Moses raised his bucket. “Do I look like I’m planning on taking a nap?”

  Moses couldn’t even remember how old Max and Mandy were. Old enough to be looking for someone to marry. Neither of them would have much trouble with that. Mandy’s dark brows succeeded in perfectly framing her greenish-blue eyes, and Max’s full head of curly, thick hair must surely attract the girls like moths to a lantern.

  Mammi, Dawdi, and Rachel came from the barn each carrying a bucket of their own. Mammi hugged all her relatives and marveled at how big Titus Junior was getting even though she had seen him just last week at the country store.

  Ben, Titus Junior, and Max caught sight of Rachel and made no attempt to hide their interest. Ben nudged Titus and grinned, and Max followed Rachel’s every move with his eyes. Gute. His cousins could flirt with Rachel while they picked berries, and Moses would be free of her for the afternoon.

  Mammi introduced Rachel to all the relatives, and Rachel batted her eyes and giggled at all the appropriate moments. Max was handsome enough. Maybe Moses could convince him to take Rachel off his hands.

  Nae, Moses wouldn’t wish that fate on anyone, especially not his cousin.

  Lia finally emerged from the barn leading the already-saddled horse. Mammi beckoned to Lia to meet the family. “This is Lia Shetler. She has made something very special for supper. I don’t know what we would do without her.”

  Where Mamm had been polite and attentive to Rachel, she seemed intensely interested in making Lia’s acquaintance. She stepped forward and gave Lia a hug. “I have heard so much about you, Lia. I am glad to finally meet you.”

  Mammi smiled like a cat with a mouthful of the pet bird. Jah, Mammi must have told Mamm a great deal about her hopes for Moses and Lia. Moses found himself hoping that Mamm would approve.

  Lia’s smile never ceased to send warmth pulsating through his veins. “I am thrilled to meet you,” she said. “Moses is such a fine man, I knew he must have very fine parents.”

  Moses’s three cousins stood with their heads together like three wise old trees studying Lia as she spoke. Their looks of admiration did not escape his notice. It didn’t surprise him that they found Lia pretty. He felt extremely annoyed. He silently willed them to return their attention to Rachel.

  Moses knit his brows and narrowed his gaze. Each of his three cousins was taller than Lia. Her height would not scare them off. It would, unfortunately, draw them in, as it had Moses. Tall boys couldn’t resist tall girls.

  Uncle Titus pulled a stack of buckets from his buggy and handed them to the cousins. Mammi stuffed her hands into her apron pocket and retrieved brightly colored knitted things, each about the length of Sparky’s tail. “These are handle covers for your buckets,” she said, her eyes twinkling with delight. “They fit around your handle so you won’t get blisters.”

  Rachel turned her head and rolled her eyes at Moses, who ignored her. Everyone else gratefully accepted Mammi’s handmade creations. With every breath, she thought of how she could make other people’s lives easier or more pleasant.

  “Let’s get moving,” said Uncle Titus. “I’ve been craving huckleberries since November.”

  Lia took Moses’s crutches while Max and Ben helped him onto the horse. He felt out of balance with the clunky cast on his leg. Someone would probably have to lead him to the field. But, all things considered, it was better than not getting there at all.

  Aunt Abigail and Mandy led the way with Uncle Titus and Aunt Sally Mae following.

  “Watch for bears,” Mammi called.

  “And snakes,” Dawdi added. “I know for a fact there’s one out there somewhere.” He took Mammi’s hand, and they shambled slowly into the woods, taking the lightly worn path to the north side of the hill. They’d all make enough noise to scare predators away.

  Titus Junior took the toothpick out of his mouth and stuffed it in his pocket. It was obviously a special occasion. “I’ll carry your bucket, Rachel.”

  Rachel glanced at Moses, probably calculating the risk of losing his affection if she strayed more than four feet from his side. She must have decided it was safe, because she gave Titus a half smile and handed him her bucket. They sauntered into the woods, Titus taking up the lead and Rachel keeping a safe distance between Titus and Moses’s horse.

  With crutches and bucket clutched in one hand, Lia scooped up the reins. Max quickly took them from her hand. “I’ll lead the horse.” He smiled a very nice smile filled with nicely straight teeth.

  Lia smiled back, and a black raincloud parked right over Moses’s head. His mind raced for something, anything to say that would make Lia smile at him. “I hope you’re going to run all the way, Max. I want to get there before anyone else.”

  But Lia didn’t even hear him because at that moment, Ben appeared at her left and offered to take her bucket and the crutches. She bestowed a smile on him and handed over her load.

  Moses kept his focus glued to the back of Lia’s head as she walked with Ben and Max on either side of her. They talked and laughed and ignored Moses altogether.

  At the first opportunity, Moses would have to have a stern talk with both of his cousins. If they wanted to flirt, they should chase after Rachel. He would not allow them to flirt with Lia.

  A gaping hole formed in the pit of his stomach as he realized he had no say in what Lia or his cousins did. She might just as soon decide to marry one of them. The pit in his stomach expanded to fill every space inside of him. He didn’t like that at all.

  Lia had said she wouldn’t marry. Wait a minute. No, she had said she wouldn’t marry Moses. And that was on the first day they met. Had she changed her opinion? And why did he care? He had Barbara.

  Thoughts of Barbara gave him no comfort today. If anything, they made him feel worse. Had his loyalty waned?

  Moses felt more like an invalid than ever when they arrived at the huckleberry patch and Lia watched while Ben and Max had to help him down from the horse. He took his crutches and insisted on clumsily leading Red to a nice patch of grass where he took off the bridle and let him graze.

  Moses limped and dragged himself to the bush where Lia, Ben, and Max picked berries, deftly maneuvering himself between Ben and Lia. Lia smiled warmly at him, but her smile might have been inspired by the story Ben was telling her about his mishap with an ornery cow. Never before had Moses craved that smile so badly.

  “Can you bend low enough to pick the berries?” Lia asked.

  Moses winked. “I’ll sit and scoot myself around.”

  Lia blushed. “Would you like to put your berries in my bucket? I’ll hold it between us.”

  Moses nodded and flashed her a boyish smile. Any excuse to keep her close.

  Rachel migrated to the popular bush as soon as she saw which one Moses sat by, and Titus followed close behind.

  Lia moved aside cheerfully to make way as Rachel inserted herself between her sister and Mose
s. Did Lia honestly think he would rather stand by Rachel? Moses ground his teeth together. Everyone, it seemed, was expected to accommodate Rachel.

  Rachel held out her bucket in Moses’s direction. “You can put your berries in my bucket.”

  Not being able to reach Lia’s bucket anymore, Moses reluctantly plopped his handful into Rachel’s bucket.

  Since Rachel insisted on taking up so much space, Lia moved farther from Moses to another thicket of huckleberry bushes.

  “My cousin Sarah says you are learning to be a midwife,” Ben said as he followed Lia to the next bush.

  “Jah, Sarah is kind enough to teach me.”

  Max pointed to a clump of berries for Lia to pick as Ben offered his hand so she wouldn’t trip over a rock in her path. Why couldn’t they quit bothering her? Moses knew for a fact that she didn’t like to be babied. The problem was, Lia didn’t look annoyed by their pestering. At least Titus Junior’s attention seemed to be riveted firmly to Rachel.

  “I hear you saved Moses’s life,” Max added. “Mammi said he could have bled to death.”

  “Oh, I didn’t do much at all. I ran to the road and flagged down a motor home and used their cell phone. I was very frightened.”

  “I was more frightened than Lia,” Rachel said. “I couldn’t even bear to look at his leg. It’s because I’m delicate.”

  Moses looked at his cousins to see how they took the news of Rachel’s frail constitution. Ben merely nodded. Max wouldn’t take his eyes off Lia, even to look for berries.

  Only Titus was encouraging. “Mammi said it was disgusting.”

  Rachel drew back her hand as if she had been stung. “Look at my fingers. They’re stained.”

  Almost in unison, Max, Ben, and Moses held up their hands to show Rachel the purple berry stains on their fingers.

  “Part of the job,” Ben said.

  Rachel examined her fingernails. “Will it wash off?”

  “Not to worry. It will disappear after a few days,” Lia said, in that calm, appeasing tone of voice that she reserved for Rachel.

  “A few days? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have worn gloves.”

  Gloves. Rachel’s little trick to get out of doing her share of the work. If only they’d told her she needed gloves, Rachel would still be back at the house looking for the perfect size. For all the irritation broiling inside him, the thought forced a laugh from Moses’s lips. Lia didn’t meet his gaze, but he saw a ghost of a smile playing at her lips.

  Rachel shot fire at Moses with her glare. “What’s so funny?”

  Moses decided he’d rather not tell Rachel a fib. He kept his mouth shut and made himself very busy picking berries.

  Once she stripped her bush, Lia moved farther and farther from Moses with Ben and Max following her every step. Titus finally moved away and also gravitated toward Lia when he saw how much laughing Lia, Ben, and Max were doing.

  Moses now wished he hadn’t sat down. It would be difficult enough to stand and even more difficult to follow Lia through the woods under the pretense of picking berries.

  Continuous laughter floated over the huckleberry patch and slammed into Moses’s ears like a blaring horn. Lia and the three cousins were having a fine time. On the other side of the huckleberry patch, Mammi and Dawdi kept a lookout for ripe berries while the aunts and Mamm and Dat hunched over the bushes, picking feverishly. They looked as if they were having a very agreeable conversation. Uncle Titus and Mandy were off in different directions foraging for berries farther into the woods. Huckleberry bushes grew here and there all over the hill.

  And Moses was stuck with Glove Girl.

  Increasingly irritated that Lia was over there and he was over here, Moses picked every berry he could reach, took up his crutches, and groaned as he made it to his feet. Foot.

  Rachel propped her hands behind her and arched her back. “Ach, my muscles are aching something wonderful.”

  At last. His chance to escape. “I would hate to see you overexert yourself. Why don’t you sit over there on that log? Or you could walk back to the house and lie down.” Dared he hope she’d take him up on that suggestion?

  “I’m so tired. Will you take me back on your horse?”

  “I’m afraid once they got over here and hefted me onto the horse, it would take more time than walking. And you wouldn’t be able to get me off the horse once we got there.”

  Rachel tilted her head and massaged her neck. “I guess you’re right. I’ll sit for a minute until my back feels better.”

  Moses almost cheered out loud. With any luck, Rachel would tire of waiting, hike home by herself, and leave him alone. With her hand pressing against her lower back, she groaned softly, limped away, and eased her body to the log. If she weren’t Amish, that girl would make a mighty fine actress.

  Determined to follow Lia even if he developed blisters on his armpits, Moses picked up his empty bucket and hobbled feverishly in Lia’s direction. He knew he couldn’t possibly be subtle. There were several perfectly good bushes to pick between Lia and himself.

  He walked so rapidly and clumsily, he sounded like a bear crashing through the underbrush. All three cousins and Lia looked up as he approached.

  “Glad you could join us,” said Ben, teasingly glancing at Lia as if they were already the best of friends.

  Moses forced a casual smile. “It sounds like you’re having more fun over here than I am over there.”

  Lia pointed to a few feet from where she picked. “Here are some taller branches so you don’t have to bend over so far.”

  His drab mood lightened as he limped to the bush. Lia hadn’t forgotten him completely.

  “Lia said a snake spooked the horses,” Max said. “That’s how you broke your leg.”

  Moses put his bucket on the ground and started to fill it as best he could. “Jah. And Dawdi picked up the snake with a rake and waved it in the air like a flag. I thought for sure that thing would finish me off.”

  Max hooted with glee. “Dawdi never could hurt a living thing.”

  Moses chuckled. “He won’t even let us kill the spiders. And Rachel screams until her face turns purple whenever she sees one.”

  Lia’s face glowed with affection. Moses had never seen a more attractive look. “We have been given strict instructions to leave the spiders to Felty. He has a special little bottle he puts them in before he releases them into the wild.”

  “Lia really did save my life,” Moses blurted out.

  “The doctor said I could have gone into shock or lost too much blood.”

  “I knew she was being modest,” Ben said, showing that annoyingly handsome smile again.

  “Nae, I ran down the hill, tripped and fell, and then borrowed someone’s phone to call the ambulance.”

  “Lia kept her head and knew exactly what to do even though she got injured herself.”

  “And Mammi says she is a very gute cook,” Titus added.

  “The best.” Even though his admiration would make his cousins even more interested than they already were, Moses wanted to make sure Lia realized he’d been watching. He knew how little notice she got at home. “Her rolls melt in your mouth.”

  Lia shook her head. “Don’t exaggerate. You’ve never tasted my rolls.”

  “Oh, yes, I have. At the picnic with Rachel.”

  Lia fell silent and looked thoughtful for a minute as her lips curled ever so slightly. Did she really believe Moses could be so blind as to think Rachel made those rolls?

  “You are quite taken with Lia, aren’t you, Moses?”

  With Lia close, Moses felt more playful. “Of course. Look how pretty she is. And tall.”

  “There aren’t enough tall girls to go around,” Ben said, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

  “But I’ll have you know, she has refused to marry me.”

  The cousins gaped at Moses, unsure if he was teasing, and then they turned to Lia for confirmation.

  Her laugh tripped past her lips like a brook tickling th
e pebbles. “He thought I wanted him for a husband, but he didn’t like the way I swept the floor.”

  “That’s not true,” Moses said. “I love the way you sweep the floor.”

  Max folded his arms across his chest. “It doesn’t matter. Moses is glued so tight to that girl in Minneapolis, a crowbar couldn’t pry him loose.”

  The sunshine in Lia’s face disappeared, and she lowered her eyes to the ground.

  “She writes him every week,” Ben said. “Going on three years yet.”

  Moses didn’t like that look on Lia’s face. He wanted to grab her by the shoulders and compel her to look in his eyes. He needed to set her straight. He wasn’t glued to Barbara anymore.

  Wasn’t glued to Barbara?

  When had this happened?

  He slid his hand in his pocket and fingered the yellow envelope. He used to watch out the window for the mailman every Friday while he separated curd. But lately, Barbara’s letters felt more like burdens than blessings. She was so far away.

  Far away from Bonduel. Far away from the Amish way of life. Far away from Moses’s heart.

  Would his cousins believe him if he denied everything? Probably not today.

  A movement through the trees caught their attention, and they watched as cousin Sarah Beachy’s son, Gabe, rode toward them on a dappled gray mare. Gabe was fourteen years old and happy as a clam since he’d finished his last year of school in May and didn’t have to return with his younger siblings next week.

  Gabe caught sight of Moses first. “Is Lia with you?”

  Lia stepped out from the shade. “Is another baby coming?”

  “Mamm said there’s plenty of time, but all I had was this horse to deliver the message. Do you want to come on my horse or can Moses take you in the buggy?”

  Moses must have broken every berry branch in his way to put himself forward. “I will take her in Dawdi’s buggy.”

  Ben had always been real sharp. “You can’t hitch up the horse with that leg. I’ll take Lia.”

  Absolutely not, Moses wanted to protest. Moses and Lia shared the midwifing jobs together, the two of them—except when Rachel came along, and she didn’t count. It didn’t seem right that anyone else should take his place. Moses looked to Lia. Surely she wouldn’t agree to anything else.