Magda’s face sparkled with enthusiasm. “It’s not a joke.”
Jeanie shook her head wondering what had come over her mother-in-law. “That’s the worst, most ridiculous idea you’ve ever had, if you’re completely serious. I’d rather lose the farm, than marry for anything other than love.”
“Ah, but you’ve had love, haven’t you? You’ll never find that again. Look at you, you’re young, you’ve got plenty of years to find another man, but he won’t be like my Malachi. There are plenty of reasons to marry other than love. Some marry for security. Why not benefit us all and keep Malachi’s legacy, as you keep calling it? All you have to do is marry Amos, and he’s not even that bad. In fact, he’s quite handsome.”
Jeanie stared at her and then covered her face with her hands. “Ah, Magda.” It was such a dreadful idea and she didn’t even know how to begin telling her mother-in-law so.
Magda grabbed both of Jeanie’s hands and looked into her eyes. “He was fond of you before you married Malachi, and that spark of interest can be rekindled.”
Jeanie cast her mind back. Amos and Malachi were always best of friends, but she'd never noticed Amos was interested in her. “Was he?”
“Jah.”
“How do you know?”
“I watch and observe people. Besides that …” she giggled before going on, “Malachi told me that they both liked you. Neither of them did anything about it for some time because they were friends.”
“Oh. I thought Malachi stayed away from me when I first came to the community because the bishop told him to.”
“That might have been part of it. The bishop doesn’t like sudden relationships when people join us, but it was more than that. When the waiting period had passed, they drew lots on who would approach you first and Malachi won.” She let go of Jeanie’s hands. “You could very well have married Amos.”
She couldn’t imagine they would’ve drawn lots over her. Malachi was known for teasing. He would’ve told his mother that in jest and she’d taken it seriously. “Nee. I’m sorry to disappoint you because that’s not how it happened. Malachi found me on the road. I was in love with him from that moment forward. There was never anyone else. So, there was no drawing lots on who would approach me because Malachi and I were always meant for each other from day one. End of story, wrapped up neatly with a pink bow.”
“I’m just saying what Malachi told me.”
Jeanie rubbed her forehead. “It did take Malachi a while to be romantic with me, and he was always with Amos. They were so close back then.”
“You see?”
“I would never have married Amos.”
“Maybe not, but …”
“Magda, are you making all this up just to have me throw myself at Amos? What, for the sake of the farm? It’s not a life or death thing. We can start over.”
“Nee.” Magda ripped off Jeanie’s bed covers and Jeanie made a lunge forward and pulled them back over her. “Get out of bed now and go see him. This is our last chance to keep the farm.”
“What about our talk the other night?”
“I always see things clearer by day,” Magda said.
“You’re selling me to buy the farm? That’s what it sounds like to me.”
“You’re a beautiful young woman, you’ll marry again and he’s the best man in the entire region. Don’t you think he’s handsome?”
“That’s not got anything to do with it.”
“Is he handsome or not? What do you think?” Magda leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Just answer the question.”
Jeanie groaned and then pictured Amos with his chocolatey dark eyes and his glossy dark hair. He certainly was a handsome man. “Jah, but Malachi’s just gone. It’s a little too —”
“Fiddlesticks. I didn’t say marry him tomorrow. Get into his heart to start with.” Magda pulled the covers off once more and Jeanie pulled her nightgown down over her legs and hugged her knees to her chest.
“I’m cold.”
“I’ll make you breakfast. Now, get up! Have a shower and freshen yourself up. Put on your best dress and dab some lavender oil behind your ears.”
She frowned at Magda. “What about Zelda? Where does she sit with your grand plans? Or did you forget she and Amos might be only days away from announcing their engagement?”
Magda smiled. “I wouldn’t be concerned. Zelda can go back home and look after those brothers of hers if she’s so worried about them.”
“I don't know.”
“Just do it. You’ll be sorry if you don’t. You know the crops aren’t going to be good this time around. We aren’t going to meet our targets, especially if we have another frost tonight and we very well could.”
Jeanie grimaced. “Don’t even say it. Okay, I’m getting up.”
“Gut. I’ll see you in the kitchen.”
As soon as Magda was out of the room, Jeanie grabbed a towel and headed to the bathroom. While the jets of hot water streamed over her body, she thought more about Magda’s plan. Had she really agreed to the madness? What was important right now was for Werner to have a future. The potato farm would’ve been ideal for him to take over and he seemed in tune with the weather and the earth. More so than even Malachi had been. Werner seemed a born farmer and she shouldn’t have told Amos she knew more about the farm than he. Sadly, she’d shown she wasn’t as good on the farm as Werner.
Jeanie finished her shower in double-quick time, dressed and fixed her hair, and then headed downstairs.
When she walked into the kitchen, she saw a mug of black coffee, scrambled eggs, sausages and bacon waiting for her. “I can’t eat all of that. I’m feeling a bit off. Could you just put a slice of toast on for me?”
“Nee. Just eat what you can.”
Jeanie slumped into the chair, hating to waste all the food. Magda hadn’t offered to eat it, and Werner was always out in the fields early, so she’d have to eat her way through it. “I’ll try to eat it all. Now, about this silly plan. You were joking, right?”
“Nee. It’s the perfect solution.”
“Think of it from Amos’s point of view. It doesn’t matter to me because I’ve already had love in my life. But, what about Amos? Doesn’t he deserve to marry someone who loves him?”
“You’ll make him a gut fraa.”
“But, love? Doesn’t he deserve it? I’m sure Zelda loves him.”
“Zelda is seizing an opportunity because he’s a wealthy man.”
Jeanie looked down at her breakfast and made a start, pushing some egg onto her fork. “You don’t think she loves him?”
“I don’t know. Probably not.”
“How can you say that?” Jeanie popped the egg into her mouth, hoping Magda would see that her idea was a bad one.
“Why has Zelda come here?” Magda asked as she washed some dishes.
“For love?”
“For a better future for her and her siblings, that’s why.”
Jeanie kept eating while Magda talked. After a while, she saw there was no use objecting. Magda had her mind made up.
“Besides,” Magda said, “if you don’t think it’s honorable to marry him just for the farm and for your future security, don’t worry because Amos himself is not being honorable.”
“How so?”
“By not signing the farm over to you. It’s rightfully yours.”
“Hmm. That seems to depend what point of view you have. Anyway, he said that he’s giving us six more months. In his mind, he’s leaning toward us and not Zelda’s brothers.”
Magda sat down beside her and stared into her face. “The only problem with your line of thinking is that, with the frost, time is now working against us.”
Jeanie looked down at her food. “You want some of this?”
“Jeanie, eat it. Food is the last of our problems.”
“I’m just not hungry.”
“Forget the food. What do you say about what I just said?”
Screwing up her face, she
looked at her mother-in-law. “You’re serious?”
“Jah. This is the answer. I prayed for the answer and as I was falling to sleep it hit me. I wanted to run into your room and tell you, but I thought you’d be asleep. I waited until morning. Can’t you see this will fix everything?”
“So, Zelda can forget Amos and Amos can live a married life without love?”
“Jah. Zelda will find someone else and Amos already likes you. I told you that already.”
“I can’t do it. Just like I can’t eat all this.” She poked at the food with her fork.
Magda pushed Jeanie's plate aside. “If you think about this with a clear head, you’ll see I’m right. Trust me on this. You’re not thinking straight because you’re grieving the loss of Malachi.”
“And I always will.”
“Exactly, so what does it matter who you marry now? Amos is a good man.”
“I’m trying to tell you, I’m not thinking of myself. I’m thinking of the two lives that might be ruined if this plan of yours works. It will benefit us but it won’t be good for Amos or Zelda. What if they’re meant to be together?”
“They aren’t. We’ll be saving him from that woman, and she’ll find someone more suited. Listen to me, Jeanie, if he was in love with that woman, really in love, he would’ve married her by now.”
Jeanie could see Magda had a point. The Amish never had long courtships. It was also quite clear to Jeanie they’d lost their fight to keep the farm because of the damaging frost.
“All right. I’ll go see him and then take things from there.” She’d humor Magda and go to see Amos.
“Good.” Magda got up and took hold of Jeanie’s plate. “Take the leftovers to his dog.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll package them for you.”
Chapter 9
At mid-morning, when Jeanie was heading out the door, she turned to Magda. “Is Werner in on your scheme too?”
“It’s not a scheme.”
“Whatever it is, does he know?”
“The fewer people who know about this, the better. He left this morning and hasn’t been back.”
Jeanie knew Werner liked to be out in the fields early, even before the sunrise most times. “Okay. What am I supposed to say when I get there? Aren't I supposed to bring him cake or a pie? Isn’t that what older Amish ladies do when they like a man?”
“Hmm. I’ve been too busy to bake, but you’re the one who should’ve done it by rights if you’re trying to impress him.”
“I’m not, though.” She shrugged. “It’ll be odd if I just show up for no reason, just with a few scraps for his dog.” Jeanie wondered if she should go at all. It crossed her mind to only tell Magda she’d gone, but she couldn’t deceive her.
“I don’t know. You’ll think of something on the way. Gott will give you words to say if He chooses to bless us in this. If Gott is for you, no one can be against you.”
“Okay. I hope He gives me words because I have none.” She sighed.
“Listen, Jeanie, don’t have your face looking so glum when you see him.”
“This is the only face I have right now.”
“Well, put a smile on it. I’m not sending you to do the worst thing in the world. Women have made plans like this for years. Centuries, even. It’s not deceptive.”
“I think it is.”
Magda’s face tilted upward. “There were many cases in the bible of women doing things like this.”
“Like?” Jeanie doubted anyone could win through deception.
“Well, there was …”
“Jezebel? She lied and then was eaten by dogs, wasn’t she?”
“I wasn’t thinking of her.”
“Eve? Is that what you’re going to tell me?”
“Nee. Wait.” Magda lifted her hand into the air. “There was Rebecca who got her son Jacob to fool his father into giving him the blessing that belonged to his older brother. His mother had him put animal skin over his arms so his father with his failing eyesight would think he was blessing Jacob’s older brother. That turned out well.”
“Not for the older brother it didn’t, and I recall Jacob didn’t have an easy time of things either after that.”
“It’s the principle of the thing.”
“Hmm.” Jeanie shook her head. “There seems to be no principle about it.”
“Believe in what I say, Jeanie. I had Werner hitch the buggy for you before he left. It’s waiting out back.”
Jeanie felt she had no choice, and at least she was doing something rather than sitting around moaning about the frost. Now, it was raining, further ruining the crop, and while it was raining, there was nothing they could do. “I’m going.” She grabbed her coat and her black over-bonnet. Magda helped her into the coat and then Jeanie pulled the black bonnet over her white kapp. She gave Magda a quick kiss goodbye, and headed out the door.
“Wait, Jeanie.”
Jeanie stopped in her tracks hoping Magda had finally come to her senses. “You forgot the dog’s food.” Magda ran toward her holding up the package containing her leftover breakfast.
“Denke.” Jeanie took it from her and continued on toward the buggy.
As her horse pulled the buggy along the quiet road, she wondered what Malachi would think of what she was doing just to keep the farm. He’d only been gone a couple of weeks, and another marriage was the furthest thing from her mind. One thing she knew was there was no one like Malachi. There was a gaping hole in her life and another man wouldn’t be able to fill his place. Amos wouldn’t see her as a possible wife anyway, she was certain of that. And, if he did, he wouldn’t make it known so soon after his good friend’s death.
* * *
When she secured her horse outside Amos’s home, she ran through a heavier downpour of rain.
Amos flung the door open as soon as she knocked on it. “Oh, it’s you.” He seemed shocked and there was a certain amount of urgency in his voice.
“Who were you expecting?”
He held his head. “It’s raining. Did you get wet?”
She looked down at her dress. It was her best dress, as ordered by Magda. “Not much.”
“I’m sorry to sound a little odd. Zelda has just left and gone back to Ohio. I thought she’d changed her mind when I heard that knock on the door.”
She reached out her hand and touched his arm. “I’m so sorry, Amos.” She’d feel awful if they’d argued over Zelda’s brothers not working the farm.
He shrugged his shoulders. “It wasn’t meant to be. Are you here to discuss the farm?”
She said the first thing that came into her head. “I heard a rumor she was leaving, so I came to see how you are.”
“Nothing stays quiet for long around here.” He breathed out heavily.
“You’ve got that right.”
He stepped back. “Come in. Can I offer you tea, kaffe, or anything?”
“Just a glass of water please.” She heard his dog bark and remembered the food she’d left in the buggy. “I brought some leftovers for Jasper, but I left them in the buggy.”
“Denke. We can get them later when it stops raining. Now, your water.” He sat her down in the living room and then returned with a glass of water, placing it on the coffee table in front of her.
“It’s not over the farm, is it? Is that why she left?” Jeanie asked. If that was so, then he’d probably leave them with the farm and she wouldn’t have to marry him.
“There were other issues.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Nervously, she leaned over and picked up her glass, took a sip of water and then leaned forward again to place it back on the carved wooden coffee table. “I guess you know we’ve had a bad frost?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed though, right?”
She nodded. “We’ve done what we can. It’s not going to be good. Not as good as last year. There’s not much we can do about it while it’s raining.”
“Why don’t we wait and see?”
; She smiled at him and because she wanted to keep Magda happy, she tried to remember how to flirt. But, she reminded herself, she might not need to.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked, smiling and appearing more relaxed.
She’d spent enough time in pubs and clubs in her misspent youth to sense he was attracted to her. That was something she’d never noticed before. “I’m thinking about what a good man Zelda has missed out on.”
His eyebrows shot up. “I’m hoping she’ll return.”
“She’d be crazy if she didn’t.”
His slight smile increased.
“You’d have to be the most eligible bachelor in this whole region. If I weren’t in mourning for my dear husband, I might …” She giggled and realized she was turning back into the old Jeanie of years ago, but he didn’t seem to mind. Flirting came natural once she got into the flow. “I should keep quiet.”
“It is hard to find someone, a marriage partner, in the community once you’re past a certain age.”
She nodded. “That’s true.”
“I’ll keep what you said in mind.”
It had worked. All she’d had to do was flutter her eyes a little. Surely there was no harm in that?
He swallowed hard. “I hope all this fuss over the farm hasn’t caused you too much stress.”
“I’d like to say it hasn’t, but it has. It’s been awful. Especially coming right after Malachi died. I can’t be alone.” She shook her head as she said the words knowing Magda would’ve been pleased. “I’m not that kind of a woman.”
“I’ve always seen you as strong. That’s one of the things I admire about you.”
She nodded. “In some ways, I am, but I believe no man or woman should ever be alone. Wouldn’t you agree?”
He settled back further into his chair. “You’ll have no trouble marrying again. You have no kinner, nothing to remind a second husband of the first marriage you had. Even though he was my best friend, I have to say that a widow free of kinner is more appealing to a man and that might be the same for other single men my age.”
“We were never blessed with any and I regret that we weren’t. I wouldn’t say it’s a good thing.”
The Amish Potato Farmer's Widow Page 4
